Chapter 31
Episode 4: Fate Rides the Wind (6)
Clang, clang!
“This place is still under construction.”
“We can’t help it. The Divine Shield guys blew up the third lab. But at least the work is progressing quickly.”
In an abandoned factory complex in Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province, the First Project Manager and the First Support Team Leader were walking around the construction site and entered through the entrance.
“Hello! The First Project Manager and the First Support Team Leader are here! I am the site manager.”
The site manager, wearing a hard hat, hurriedly ran over and bowed 90 degrees to greet the two.
Hearing his greeting, the nearby Luminas members also stopped what they were doing and approached the two, bowing their heads.
“Hello, First Support Team Leader. Welcome, First Project Manager!”
“Oh, don’t mind us. Just keep doing what you’re supposed to. We’re short on time as it is.”
“Yes! Thank you!”
At the Project Manager’s words, the members dispersed in perfect order and resumed their work.
It was a perfect hierarchical relationship, much like the military, and this was possible because Luminas valued strength above all else.
Luminas Korea Branch, First Project Manager Hwang Dae-geon.
He once wiped out a fledgling guild with a single greatsword just because he wanted to fight to his heart’s content.
And Luminas Korea Branch, First Support Team Leader Min Soo-ah.
She kidnapped and killed dozens of civilians to test whether ordinary people could awaken through “Hunter-induced risk.”
Both were officially ranked A-level but had abilities comparable to S-level. They were the key figures of the Korean branch.
Given Luminas’ belief in using any means necessary to achieve strength, the members looked at Hwang Dae-geon and Min Soo-ah with respect.
There were no stronger individuals than those two present.
Although they were heinous criminals, the shared belief was that being strong and becoming stronger was all that mattered.
“Shall we take a closer look around?”
“Sure.”
The two moved towards the underground stairs at the corner of the abandoned factory.
The site manager quickly followed and began explaining.
“We’ve almost completed the restoration of the underground lab. The extraction equipment is properly installed, and we’ve secured secret supplies of power and mana for the facilities.”
“Where are you getting the power and mana? The quantity must be substantial.”
“We’re getting it through some connections with certain ruling party members we established before.”
“There’s no risk of leaks or support being cut off?”
“That won’t happen. Their lives are on the line too.”
Since Luminas was an illegal organization, most of its funding came from the black market or shady deals with political and business circles.
As they descended underground, a long corridor lined with cylindrical machines stretched out before them.
“It’s impressive.”
Hwang Dae-geon nodded at the site manager’s words, but Min Soo-ah tilted her head.
“Why is it so empty inside? It used to be packed.”
“That’s because we haven’t been able to acquire Hunters as easily as before. Since Lee Gyu-jin and Kang Doo-sik’s methods were exposed, the Hunter Bureau has been more vigilant, and guilds have tightened their monitoring.”
“We expected a decrease in Hunter supply, but not to this extent. What about ordinary people?”
“We’re still able to get orphans and homeless people, so the experiments are proceeding well. However, they are not suitable for enhanced mana extraction.”
“Prepare a report by the next meeting on how we can secure additional Hunters. We need to maintain at least the same supply as before the Ice Fortress incident.”
“Yes, understood!”
The site manager bowed immediately at Min Soo-ah’s stern words.
Hwang Dae-geon clicked his tongue.
“You’ve got a tough job, managing all the underlings.”
“It can’t be helped. That’s my role.”
“It’s not for me. As a Hunter, we should be hunting, whether it’s monsters or humans.”
“You’re crazy.”
“Am I worse than you, who used to roast and fry people?”
Having finished their tour of the lab, the two laughed as they returned to the first floor of the abandoned factory.
At that moment, a member rushed into the factory and reported.
“Support Team Leader, we just got intelligence from the Hunter Bureau. Han Sang-mu, who was recently added to the watchlist after the Ice Fortress incident, has entered an unresolved dungeon. The location is Cheonma Mountain nearby.”
“He came all the way here? This is perfect.”
Min Soo-ah took the phone handed to her by the member and checked the report.
It was a message from about an hour ago stating that Han Sang-mu had entered a B-rank unresolved dungeon.
Hwang Dae-geon also checked the phone.
“Oh, it’s true? What a stroke of luck.”
“This is great timing. We were just wondering where to get more Hunters. We’ll be able to secure one and save time.”
As Hwang Dae-geon said, this was a windfall.
“Guys!”
“…?”
Min Soo-ah called out to the Luminas members working with shovels and pickaxes.
“Who wants to join me for a surprise party?”
“Ugh, I’ve lost count of how many there are.”
In a desert dotted with oases, Kang Cheol-man sighed at the giant tail emerging from behind and swung his greatsword.
Then,
*Slice! Thud!*
The tail, severed by the greatsword, fell onto the sand. It was a clean cut, difficult to believe it was done so casually.
“Where’s the main body hiding?”
Kang Cheol-man grumbled as he looked at the severed tail, clearly displeased with the situation.
“You sure fight well.”
Han Sang-woo, standing at the portal to the boss room, watched Kang Cheol-man’s battle with his arms crossed.
The boss of this dungeon was a giant desert snake that hid in the oases scattered throughout the desert, emerging to attack.
It would pop out of an oasis to spit venom or attack with its tail, and there were decoys and minions mixed in, making it a challenging opponent.
But Kang Cheol-man was handling the raid effortlessly on his own. Though he complained about the hassle, his movements were too fast to follow with the naked eye.
He effortlessly deflected or dodged the attacks from the snakes that popped in and out of the oases like a whack-a-mole game.
“言!” (Expression indicating a sound or command in Korean)
He didn’t just defend; he seized every opportunity to counterattack. Each strike he made when a monster appeared easily destroyed the target.
Covering dozens of oases alone was an incredible feat of speed and agility, but what was more astonishing was what he did next.
Deciding that this method was taking too long, Kang Cheol-man glanced at Han Sang-woo, then lifted his greatsword with one hand.
“Judgment of the Meteor.”
He whispered softly as he swung the greatsword from above to below. Though he struck at nothing but empty air,
*Boom!*
A change occurred. Numerous magic circles formed in the sky, and flaming meteors began to descend.
‘What the…!’
Han Sang-woo quickly unfolded his arms and raised his volcanic shield, fearing one of the falling meteors might come his way.
But Kang Cheol-man’s skill was precise. The summoned meteors fell into the oases without a single deviation.
*Boom! Boom! Boom!*
The explosion, along with the monsters’ screams, echoed through the desert air.
Along with it,
*Hissss…*
The entire desert boss room was engulfed in a scorching heat. It was a massive explosion that wiped out dozens of oases at once, showcasing the power of Kang Cheol-man’s skill. However, it didn’t eliminate the boss monster.
Far away, two oases remained unscathed.
“The odds are 50-50.”
Kang Cheol-man dropped his greatsword and approached the two oases. A giant form squirmed in the murky water.
One of them was the boss, the other a decoy. He quickened his pace. It seemed the oases had a regeneration ability, as the boss monster was rapidly regrowing its body.
If he wasted time or dealt with the decoy, the boss monster would escape to a regenerated oasis.
“Haah!”
Kang Cheol-man quickly charged and swung his greatsword at the right oasis, which he believed to be the real one.
However,
*Slash!*
“Screeeech!”
It was a decoy. Despite slashing the desert snake in the water, no message appeared indicating the boss monster was defeated.
‘Damn, I’ll have to use it again.’
Using [Judgment of the Meteor] consumed a lot of mana, making it burdensome to use consecutively, but it was necessary for a clean finish.
If he missed this chance, more minions could emerge from the regenerated oases.
As Kang Cheol-man raised his greatsword again,
*Boom!*
“Screeeech!”
[You have defeated the Bloodthirsty Giant Desert Snake (B).]
A message appeared, and the truth was revealed.
“This one was the real one.”
Han Sang-woo, standing at the entrance portal, had used his volcanic sword skill, [Burning Flower], to defeat the boss monster. His timely backup had been crucial.
But Kang Cheol-man tilted his head in confusion.
“Weren’t you just watching?”
“I thought I should at least earn my keep.”
Han Sang-woo smiled thinly, but he had another reason.
[Achievement 5 – Clear an Unresolved Dungeon (1/1)]
[You have completed the fifth hidden quest.]
He wanted to complete his fifth achievement. He wasn’t sure, but he thought if he didn’t contribute to defeating the boss monster, the achievement might not be cleared.
### Episode 31
**Chapter 4: Fate Rides the Wind (6)**
Since Kang Cheol-man hadn’t managed to finish off the boss monster in one go, Han Sang-woo quickly delivered the final blow.
It could be seen as a sneaky move, but Kang Cheol-man smiled warmly and thanked him for it.
“Thanks for helping out at the last minute. Oh, by the way, please don’t talk about the skill I used at the end.”
“Of course. Just as you won’t mention my skill to anyone.”
“Haha, sure.”
Kang Cheol-man responded with a hearty laugh to Han Sang-woo’s words.
Generally, hunters tend to hide their abilities, especially as they rise in rank. As a hunter’s rank increases, the number of enemies targeting high-ranking hunters like Luminous also increases, and revealing key skills can be a massive strategic disadvantage.
The reason Han Sang-woo had let Kang Cheol-man fight alone in the first place was to observe the SS-ranked hunter’s fighting style while keeping his own skills hidden.
Of course, another reason was the characteristic ‘Solo Dominion,’ which meant he wouldn’t gain experience points even if they fought together. He didn’t want to go through the trouble for no gain.
In the end, he had to show [Burning Flower], but since he learned about Kang Cheol-man’s skill, it wasn’t a big deal.
[Burning Flower] was a skill he had used during the re-evaluation by the Hunter Bureau, and he felt uncomfortable doing absolutely nothing.
“Well, let’s collect the items and head out. I’ll just take one mana stone with me.”
“Huh? You’re not going to take your share of the other items?”
“I have a busy schedule. I’ll go ahead, so take your time collecting the items!”
Although they had agreed to split the drop items fifty-fifty before entering the dungeon, Kang Cheol-man took only the cheapest mana stone.
“Um, thank you for your hard work, Guild Leader. Take care.”
Han Sang-woo, a bit bewildered, expressed his gratitude. Kang Cheol-man waved and headed towards the exit portal that appeared in the middle of the desert with a grin.
‘He just seemed to be cautious. He’s thorough. He’ll do well if given a task.’
Despite the trouble of fighting the monsters alone, Kang Cheol-man had a high opinion of Han Sang-woo. Unlike other typical hunters who were greedy or sycophantic, Han Sang-woo seemed to have his own solid principles.
He liked Han Sang-woo’s keen insight to minimize his own stamina consumption while recognizing and acting at critical moments, like at the end.
‘He’s an interesting newbie. It’ll be fun to train him.’
With a smile, Kang Cheol-man exited the dungeon, amused by the appearance of a super rookie after a long time.
But Kang Cheol-man’s smile didn’t last long.
The moment he finished the raid and passed through the dungeon portal to the outside,
*Whoosh!*
Something flew straight for Kang Cheol-man’s head.
