NOVEL NEXT Chapter 27
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Koo Sang-seop’s judgment was quick and precise.
Feeling that he couldn’t win and realizing there was no time to retrieve the scroll, he bolted. The corridor leading to the entrance was blocked by me, yet Koo Sang-seop charged at me as if to brace for the impact.
‘He’s fast.’
His strength was 214. Agility at 162. In contrast, I had just leveled up to 18, with strength at 120 and agility at 136.
‘This is unfavorable.’
Strictly based on stats, that is. He was a Hunter as well, so he must have skills, but honestly, I didn’t think they’d be on my level.
‘It’s not arrogance; it’s fact.’
Although this world doesn’t allow us to check our levels and stats, we can at least see the skills we possess. There are only a handful of beings with skills like mine. And I could confidently say Koo Sang-seop wasn’t one of them.
“Get lost!”
At his comment, I transformed, expanding my body to cover the entire corridor. Though it was less thick as it grew.
[Your mastery of Hardening (D) Lv.3 has reached its maximum. Hardening (D) Lv.3 -> Hardening (D) Lv.4]
Just in time, my Hardening leveled up.
“Huh?”
Koo Sang-seop let out a baffled gasp at my new appearance. He didn’t stop, though. He was stabbed by my short sword.
“…Damn.”
Ironically, it was him who seemed defeated. With a strength of 214, he certainly had the power to pierce me. If it weren’t for the orc screaming behind us and chasing him, he might’ve had a chance. Though he pulled the short sword out, he was already half gone.
[Your fullness has reached its maximum. Thanks to Gluttony (D) Lv.3, your fullness is converted to experience]
‘Gurgle—!’
That was a good meal.
True to the effects of Gluttony, I chomped away at my meal. Koo Sang-seop, eyes wide as plates, alternated between staring at the now half-short sword and me, which made him roll on the ground in despair.
“Grr, gurrr?! “
With orcs and kobolds closing in, the kobold flinched at the sight of the running orc beside it.
‘…That one looks really pitiful. If we catch Koo Sang-seop, we should let it go.’
Meanwhile, I used Detection and found that the archer and warrior from Koo Sang-seop’s party were racing towards the dungeon entrance, unable to meet up. That was a good sign.
‘It seems they don’t plan on coming back.’
At least for now. I knew time could change things, though. As Koo Sang-seop tumbled about, one remaining kobold bent its bow towards Koo Sang-seop before releasing an arrow?!
‘Oh.’
Thinking it over, they provided the bow but no arrows. The kobold’s aim was pathetic, yet Koo Sang-seop managed to grab the bow while rolling. It was like he was playing catch.
‘Aiming?’
He fiddled with the quiver and I heard a click, as if he pressed a button. Instantly, Koo Sang-seop pulled out an arrow and aimed at the orc… Not that he had time to do that.
“Guooo!”
In the midst of getting up, Koo Sang-seop skillfully shot the orc’s thigh with the arrow using only his bare hands.
‘Not bad at this.’
He was no ordinary hunter. If there was only one orc, he could’ve defeated it and escaped, perhaps? But when the kobold tackled him from behind, he was momentarily immobilized.
“Kuooo!”
The enraged orc nearly grazed his head with its battle axe. Koo Sang-seop shook off the kobold and wiped the sweat from his forehead. He shot me a dirty look, but he clearly had no intention of moving.
‘…This is interesting.’
I wished I had some popcorn. It was fascinating to watch from the sidelines after being so actively involved in fights and now thinking of reaping the benefits later.
‘I hope Koo Sang-seop puts in a good fight.’
It would be great if he could leave the orc in a dying state. The odds were slim, but if they were mutually assured destruction, that would be the Best of Best!
[You have consumed a Short-distance Teleportation Scroll. Your magic power has increased by 1]
‘?’
An unexpected message appeared. Checking my status window, I saw my magic power had increased from 91 to 92.
‘Magic power can be duplicated?!’
What a remarkable discovery! From now on, whenever I see a scroll, I’ll have to consume it.
‘My magic power might surpass 100 soon.’
Koo Sang-seop, who was desperately dodging, was eventually stabbed with a spear. Meanwhile, he had managed to stab the kobold in the eye, blinding it with considerable poison. There was a fierce obsession with life coming from him. That kept Koo Sang-seop going.
“Damn pig bastard!”
With an astonishing strength of 214, Koo Sang-seop performed an unimaginable act. Using his two fingers, he lifted the kobold, piercing its eyelids.
“Grr, gurrr?!”
“Guoo!”
The kobold was split in half. Koo Sang-seop, having turned the kobold into a shield, plunged the short sword into the orc’s thigh.
‘Ah. The kobold…’
The sword had dug deep, seemingly piercing the orc’s artery. Blood gushed out, yet the orc didn’t budge an inch and swung its massive axe wildly.
“Kurgh!”
That monstrous force cleanly severed Koo Sang-seop’s wrist. If he hadn’t blocked it with his bow, it wouldn’t have ended there.
‘…Nice.’
I was aware this was garbage behavior and rationalized my actions. Still… Koo Sang-seop had to die here.
‘I can’t let the Brightness Guild fall.’
As the kobold, who had been observing the intense fight from a distance, got scared and bolted. I thought it was time to finish this up.
‘First, the orc.’
Koo Sang-seop felt confident he wouldn’t lose in a 1:1. But I wasn’t so confident about defeating the orc in a fair fight. While the fierce battle unfolded, I used Stealth and carefully approached, covering the orc’s face.
“Huff, huff. Huh?!”
Koo Sang-seop looked up at me, panting heavily. The orc was struggling to free itself from my grasp. However, there was so much blood spilling from its artery, and a tired body has its limits.
‘Not bad.’
While I momentarily held back the orc, Koo Sang-seop gritted his teeth, breaking free and fleeing. His left hand was pouring blood as he stared wide-eyed.
‘Is he not going to the corridor?’
Was he unable to make a sound judgment? He was heading deeper into the dungeon. Instead of escaping, he was diving further in. This was a whole other level of desperation.
‘Is he hiding something?’
I was puzzled, but I figured there wouldn’t be any more Short-distance Teleportation Scrolls left…
‘…Could it be that he’s planning to add more chaos here?’
Maybe he believed he could have monsters check each other while he slipped away… While the chances were slim, he must have been willing to take a gamble.
‘Let’s see how that goes.’
I knew it wouldn’t go well.
I was well aware of how harsh this world was. How troublesome the monsters could be.
‘If everything goes well, wouldn’t the hunters die?’
While continuously checking Koo Sang-seop’s location with Detection and scent, I tightened my grip around the orc’s neck. It wouldn’t have been strange if it broke free from my hold, but I managed to maintain control, albeit through a slightly cruel method.
‘Gluttony.’
I digested the orc’s very face using Gluttony. The first to melt away was its eyes. Slowly, I seeped into the empty sockets, soon engulfing the entire orc’s head and dissolving its skull inside and out.
‘…Yikes. That’s grotesque.’
The orc soon breathed its last. No matter how monstrous, a creature without a brain—or head—couldn’t stay alive.
[You have consumed the orc. Experience and fullness have increased]
[Experience has reached its maximum. Lv.18 -> Lv.19]
[Your mastery of Hunger (E) Lv.9 has reached its maximum. Hunger (E) Lv.9 -> Hunger (E) Lv.10]
[Hunger (E) Lv.10 has reached its maximum level. Hunger (E) Lv.10 -> Gluttony (D) Lv.1]
[Condition to achieve Lv.20: Obtain over 0.1% of karma]
‘Gluttony?’
Hunger finally reached level 10, transforming into Gluttony. D-rank Gluttony. What a neat little ability?
[Gluttony: The desire to consume food]
‘……?’
With widened eyes, I reread the explanation of Gluttony, but it was just as plain. A very ordinary description, right in line with my expectations. It didn’t seem to have any hidden capabilities, unlike when Hunger ascended to Gluttony.
‘I’ll think about that later.’
First, Koo Sang-seop. He, as I expected, had initiated more chaos. It was a mad dash towards death, yet it seemed he was willing to try something, which was admirable, but evidently, he had failed.
‘What a lunatic.’
Two massive birds chased him down. They looked like ostriches, but didn’t they have a thing called a terror bird in ancient bestiaries? They resembled that greatly.
[Terror Predator]
[Body length 2.5m] [Height 1.46m] [Weight 196kg]
[Strength 134] [Agility 169] [Endurance 201]
‘…They’re pretty big.’
In the meantime, he had managed to bring those with him. Koo Sang-seop glanced back and, feeling the blood flow stopping, crudely wrapped his severed wrist up with cloth to staunch the flow and turned back down the corridor.
‘Is that what you should be doing?’
Even if their agility was similar, there’s a massive difference between a person running and a horse galloping. Sure enough, the two terror birds quickly caught up with Koo Sang-seop.
‘What did I say? This isn’t easy.’
“Cough! What the hell?!”
Despite Koo Sang-seop’s threats, the terror birds pecked at him, their sharp beaks drilling holes into him indiscriminately.
“You bastard!”
Thinking he couldn’t take it anymore, Koo Sang-seop brandished his half-broken short sword. The terror birds mocked him, but this time, the outcome was different.
“Kiiieeeek!”
One of the pursuing terror birds had its neck half severed and fell down, spewing blood everywhere. He must’ve used the magic he had saved up.
“Shit! This isn’t how it’s supposed to be! What the hell!”
He probably intended to bring an appropriate monster and pass it on to me. But he messed up on two counts. One being the terror birds were faster than he imagined.
‘The other being it wouldn’t have helped anyway.’
If he went into stealth, it would be for nothing. I mused whether he should’ve just fought me one-on-one instead, but it was too late. As in all things, life doesn’t go as planned.
‘What an idiot.’
In the end, he ended up taking down the two terror birds he brought along himself. He had fallen into his own trap, as they say. Panting, Koo Sang-seop looked around for me with some hope as he moved toward the corridor.
“Damn.”
Seemingly sensing my presence, he stared blankly at the ceiling.
“Ha, I knew this would happen….”
He wasn’t an excellent hunter, but he wasn’t dumb either. He wasn’t one to fall for stealth twice.
‘…Or maybe Koo Sang-seop just has a good sense.’
Not giving up, Koo Sang-seop slowly raised his sword.
“If I can just pierce you!”
I didn’t bother dodging. His sword pierced my neck, and for a brief moment, his face lit up with hope before darkening in despair.
“—It wasn’t a worg.”
He had already exhausted his remaining strength. He had used all his magic, awaiting death. The short sword clattered to the ground as he awaited his end. He’d surely grow cold and lifeless if left alone.
“Why… me?”
Koo Sang-seop’s last question was why I was killing him. I cleared my throat briefly. Although I hadn’t changed forms, words poured from the wolf’s mouth. Without a doubt, it was my Transformation ability.
“Die.”
“…Wait? You can talk?”
“Die. Was there a need to die?”
As I spoke the familiar, awkward sounds, Koo Sang-seop looked up at me, bemused and bewildered.
“There was… a need for me to die?”
“…….”
“What?! Why do I have to die?! I have fucking things to do…”
His cries were drowned out by the strange sounds spilling from my lips, which felt awkward in my mouth.
After several moments of shouting, Koo Sang-seop, upon receiving no answer, surrendered and dropped his head, muttering.
“Ugh. What a shit day.”
Without waiting any longer, I sent him off to his end.
“—I guess I should at least bury you.”
I calmly wiped the blood from my claws.
My first kill—yet it didn’t hit me quite like I thought it would.
I began to quietly dig into the earth.
[Destruction Probability 99.97% -> 99.93%]
[You gain 0.04% karma]
I dug in silence. And dug some more.
***
“Sang-seop hasn’t come out yet…”
It had already been 20 minutes, and he still hadn’t shown his face. He must have had the scroll.
“Could the scroll have been a scam item?”
“Dumbass. We bought it from the same place. If it were a scam, you and I would still be stuck in the dungeon.”
“No, it’s strange. The sudden chaos is odd too. Is there someone pulling a fast one on us?”
“That Hunter was guarding this place. How much did we spend?”
Speaking this way, the archer himself wasn’t sure. However, the survival rate of being alone within the dungeon decreased as time passed. If only 20 minutes had passed, the chances he had died were still low.
“Hey, let’s report it.”
“Shouldn’t we check it out?”
“He should be out soon. Why check? Let’s report and wait a little.”
However, Koo Sang-seop never reemerged from the dungeon. Never again.
***
“Damn it, I was careless to forget this.”
Who the hell walks around without their phone? Because of that, Woo Taek had made his way to the clan.
Just as he was about to step out of the clan,
“……?”
A loud boom erupted from underground. The workday had ended, so who was still working? Heading down, Woo Taek found the training ground in disarray.
“Did someone do this to my training ground?”
It wasn’t a problem. The walls were an alloy of carbon and iron, possessing excellent durability and malleability, and the Square had cast self-repair magic on it. Though it required check-ups every six months, that was a small price to pay.
‘It’s tough to break usually.’
Who could have done this? While furrowing his brow, Woo Taek noticed Euna squatting in a corner.
“What are you doing here?”
“…Oh? Sunbae? You’re not off yet?”
She looked puzzled and tilted her head. It seemed she was in no good state, completely unaware someone had entered.
“I left my phone behind. What about you?”
“I was… practicing. It feels like my magic has been decreasing since I haven’t been using it.”
“Until this hour?”
“What? Is that so impressive?”
“…Did you do all this?”
Half of it had been repaired, but the initial scars were quite noticeable. He couldn’t vouch for whether he’d be able to fix it himself. Just how?
“Ah, yes.”
Euna gave a flat reply, pausing for a moment, and then muttered almost inaudibly.
“—If I work hard, maybe I could be included in the Alpha search?”
“What?”
In that brief moment, Woo Taek felt a chilling sensation, but dismissed it as a trick of his tired mind.
‘Maybe I haven’t been sleeping well lately.’
“Anyway, haven’t you exhausted yourself? Go home and sleep. Don’t be late for work tomorrow. Just… understand?”
“Ugh— I heard you, okay?”
“What about the others? Have they all left?”
“Probably? Normally, they clock out at five if there’s no mission.”
During weekdays and weekends, Hunters didn’t differentiate between day and night, but occasionally, there would be lulls in their missions. Those times were the only real vacation period, with only a few chances to take a break, but of course, that was for those not drafted for the Alpha search.
“…Well. Fine. You can make it back alone, right?”
“Don’t worry. I’m not that weak,”
“But you’re working hard. I’m going now.”
“Hey, what’s this? Getting compliments from Sunbae?”
Outside of the clan, it was dark as it was nighttime, and it felt quite chilly.
[21:06]
“Is it already nine o’clock?”
It’s not too far from here to Jiri Mountain… Realizing that, Woo Taek unlocked his phone’s screen. He could hear the sound of busy bees around him, but as a person himself, he was getting weary. He needed some food.
“Let’s see…”
Thoughts of when Euna found herself holed up in the training ground surfaced in his mind, but he quickly forgot them while scrolling through the food delivery app.
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