Chapter 17
Rustle—
One of the Urks was split apart by the number of claws.
The creature, after seeing one of the Urks fall without resistance, seemed to gain confidence and started slicing through the Urks indiscriminately.
The ferocity of its attacks was so intense that even Yohan was impressed.
Having quickly chopped up five Urks, the creature could be called a berserker without exaggeration.
“There’s a real berserker over here.”
But that’s as far as it goes. Yohan had a true berserker subordinate.
Crack—
Yohan gestured to King. Understanding the signal, King nodded and began to enlarge his body.
Crunch—
The bandages stretched to their limit. King activated his Berserker skill.
[Berserker]
– Grade: B
– Cooldown: 5 hours
– Description: Become a berserker craving blood. All stats increase by 1.5 times. The effect lasts for 5 minutes, and all damage received during the skill is calculated at the end of its duration.
King’s eyes turned red.
The skill, possibly due to Yohan’s aura, had become even more ferocious than before.
‘I had saved this for the creature outside, but it’s no longer necessary.’
King, dripping with black aura, strode towards the Moul.
Whoosh—
The obsidian axe sliced through the air. The creature, unable to underestimate King, confronted the axe head-on.
Crash—
In an instant, the creature’s body sank. King’s enhanced strength drove the Moul into the ground.
The force completely tilted in King’s favor.
Panicking, the creature lost its judgment and flailed its claws in desperation.
Crunch—
King grabbed the incoming ankle. He twisted it backward with force.
Snap—
A chilling sound echoed. It was the sound of bones breaking.
Screech!
The foot, deprived of support, dangled. The creature swung its other foot to escape, but the result was the same.
Snap—
The other foot also broke. During the struggle, King’s chest was heavily slashed but he paid no mind.
Stagger— Stagger—
The Moul, having lost its best weapons, began to retreat. It couldn’t dig or breathe with its broken feet.
Crunch—
At that moment, an Urk grabbed the creature’s torso. Another Urk seized its rear legs and held on.
Rustle—
Enduring the pain, the creature swung its legs to sever its head. But the ones holding its legs refused to release their grip.
Instead, they tightened their hold.
Kick— Screech!
Even though it struggled, it couldn’t move. Unlike before when only its front legs were restrained, now all four limbs were bound.
With pitiful tremors and a body steeped in madness, fear began to permeate the creature.
The master of this place was no longer the Moul.
“Cowon.”
Thud—
Upon hearing his name, Cowon immediately stomped the ground.
He sliced at the exposed belly with all his might.
Slash—
The wounds that had barely been closed were reopened.
Deprived of the strength to resist, the creature anticipated its death and slumped.
Tremble—
A faint shiver.
Then, the Moul’s movements ceased. The true boss of this place had finally breathed its last.
[Subordinate ‘Cowon’ has leveled up. Lv.10 -> Lv.11]
[Subordinate ‘Cowon’’s stats have increased slightly.]
“Finally caught it. I almost got hunted myself.”
If Yohan hadn’t known its habits, it would have been him being hunted. The number of subordinates also played a crucial role.
“I could really go for a cold beer now.”
Exhausted, Yohan threw the coffin lid aside and lay down. The battle with the Moul had drained all his strength.
Had he ever experienced such a battle in his life?
He searched his memory but found nothing. His body, which hadn’t even met the hunter’s standards, had sharply diminished his combat abilities.
“Ah.”
It felt refreshing. This might be the thrill of hunting, and he could understand why hunters were so obsessed with it.
Flash—
An item popped out of the Moul’s corpse. It was the loot for defeating the true boss.
[Priest’s Dagger]
– Grade: B
– Durability: 100
– Description: A dagger used by ancient priests for cutting sacrifices. Sharper than a regular dagger, it boasts excellent cutting power. While wielding the dagger, the ‘Cutting’ skill can be used.
“Oh, it’s a higher grade than I expected.”
A B-grade weapon drop from such a low-level dungeon was rare.
Moreover, with the Cutting option, it was an optimal weapon for someone like him, who planned to focus on agility and perception stats.
“But the real loot is here.”
What excited Yohan was not the dagger.
It was the enormous Moul.
What if he could make this Moul, equipped with the Cutting skill as a passive, into a subordinate?
The fact that he could make a C-grade monster into a subordinate inspired Yohan.
With the Moul’s excellent sensing and digging skills, its utility would be limitless.
“Now, just one thing left.”
The creature that would soon come through the iron door.
‘Lee Kang-han, is that dark fellow really causing all this for a weapon?’
Lee Kang-han, who awaited Yohan’s death outside.
This dagger was clearly not the goal.
Though it was a good item, it was not worth committing murder to obtain.
That meant there was something unsaid.
‘The Tomb of the Absolute. Since the name of this dungeon was mentioned, it’s likely related to that.’
He knew what the real reward for this dungeon was.
If the reward was worth sacrificing people for, it must be an extremely excessive reward for a D-grade like him.
‘Interrogation is necessary, right?’
He had no intention of treating him gently.
Yohan planned to thoroughly judge him for the sake of those who had suffered here.
Swish—
After putting all the attendants into the coffin and hiding the dagger at his waist,
Johann ensured that the outside would have no clue about what had happened.
The heavy iron door opened swiftly, revealing a figure eager to learn what had transpired inside.
“What on earth happened? Did you really defeat the boss… huh?”
The expression on Lee Kang-han’s face turned pale upon seeing Johann, bloodied but standing, and the dead boss.
It was far from the scenario he had imagined.
“No way. You really defeated the boss?”
He was shocked. Johann waved his hand tiredly.
“Hello?”
“You…? How are you still alive?”
“It was weaker than I expected. A light tap and it died, you know?”
“That can’t be. You really defeated that monster?”
“You locked me in here to make me do it. Were you not expecting that?”
Lee Kang-han was struggling to accept the situation.
“You’re F-rank. That monster is a C-rank. An F-rank shouldn’t even be able to touch it…?”
“How shameless. You locked me in knowing that?”
“I didn’t think an F-rank would come here!”
“Maybe you haven’t heard. I’m Johann, the Tracker Leader, preparing for an emergency.”
“Emergency, my ass. A guy who couldn’t even protect his own family… Ugh.”
Lee Kang-han fell silent as Johann’s cold, menacing gaze settled on him.
“These days, everyone seems to talk big, thinking I’m an easy target.”
“Ha.”
Though initially startled, Lee Kang-han soon scoffed and tried to dismiss the intimidation.
“Did you learn some kind of special hold or use an item?”
“Lee Kang-han, who did you learn that smug attitude from? You’re quite rude.”
He had never revealed his name before, so Johann wondered how Lee Kang-han knew it.
“How do you know my name?”
Lee Kang-han’s expression twisted as he realized Johann was a significant threat, something he despised.
“Fine. I’ll make an exception and let you live. You can leave if you want.”
Lee Kang-han stepped back from the door with a condescending smile.
“Pfft.”
Johann heard Lee Kang-han’s rapidly beating heart and recognized the pretense.
“Who’s the one pretending to be generous here?”
Johann had no intention of leaving. He planned to deal with Lee Kang-han thoroughly.
“You’re going to be arrested soon. The Management Bureau staff are stationed outside.”
“Arrested? By whose authority? What have I done wrong?”
Lee Kang-han, with his usual deceitful demeanor, acted innocent.
“I only came to rescue you, who was trapped here. Is there any evidence that I made things difficult for you?”
Johann took out a body cam from his pocket and waved it.
Lee Kang-han’s face turned pale when he saw the body cam.
“A… body cam?”
“Keep acting brazenly. Maybe you’ll get harsher punishment.”
“When did you have that?”
“Since I entered.”
If the body cam captured the events, Lee Kang-han would face severe consequences: Assisting in murder, instigation, with malicious intent would mean at least 50 years in prison.
Crimes among hunters have no statute of limitations, meaning he’d need to hide for life if he wasn’t caught.
“It looks like killing you is the only option.”
Lee Kang-han’s eyes turned cold as he drew a knife, which was glinting ominously.
“You think you can kill me?”
“Pfft. Do you think I’ll be scared of your bloody body? A monster that abandoned comrades and fled the dungeon.”
“Oh, you really need a beating. Try to avoid it. If you don’t, all the better.”
A heavy coffin hit the floor. Johann had no intention of forgiving Lee Kang-han, who had crossed many lines.
“What… What is this? A coffin?”
Lee Kang-han stepped back in surprise at the suddenly falling coffin.
The coffin was so heavy it shook the ground.
Johann swiftly blocked an arrow that came from behind the coffin, which was imbued with strong magic.
“Nice sword. Do you want to sell it?”
“It’s a B-rank item! Someone like you shouldn’t even look at it!”
“Really? Then I’ll just handle it today. It’s my job to deal with corpses.”
Johann moved quickly to the side, his speed almost impossible to follow.
“What is this speed?”
Lee Kang-han, flailing his sword in desperation, was clearly a strength-based hunter.
“You filthy bastard!”
Johann easily avoided the horizontal swing of Lee Kang-han’s sword, causing Lee Kang-han to stagger.
“I’ll tell you the truth. One, I’ve never fled. I just didn’t participate in the last request.”
“How… how could you do this with a bloody body?”
“Two, I’ve never betrayed anyone. My trivial abilities were the reason for my separation.”
Lee Kang-han was thrown far away after being hit by a solid blow to the coffin.
“Cough!”
His right arm looked shattered, and blood flowed from his mouth.
“Three, I may only have past glories, but even those are too much for someone like you.”
Johann’s blow was stronger than ever, crushing Lee Kang-han’s armor.
“So, don’t talk nonsense unless you’re a god.”
“Ugh, don’t be ridiculous!”
Lee Kang-han, struggling to stand, took out a potion from his spatial bag and poured it on his arm.
The high-quality potion rapidly healed his arm.
“You even carry a spatial bag. Turns out, you’re the real boss, not the Moal.”
“Don’t be so arrogant. I used people to avoid injuries. I could have taken down the boss alone.”
“But you looked like you couldn’t win against the Moal.”
Light flowed from Lee Kang-han’s sword and armor as the restoration skill was activated, making them look like new.
“Why don’t you donate that money instead? There are people in need here.”
“Shut up!”
“Who knows? With 500 million, I might secretly send it from here. Or maybe 1 billion would be better?”
“Shut your mouth!”
“Yeah, you’re right. Just nonsense.”
Johann made a dismissive gesture.
Lee Kang-han’s face reddened with anger as he unleashed a powerful lightning strike.
“I’ll put your corpse in that coffin!”
Lee Kang-han charged, but Johann, still light on his feet, ran directly at him.
He was determined to knock out at least five of Lee Kang-han’s teeth.
A heavy coffin flew toward Lee Kang-han’s face.
“It won’t work twice.”
Johann easily deflected the coffin with his sideways sword.
Lee Kang-han pushed the coffin away with force.
Johann didn’t counter the attack but smoothly redirected it.
As he got closer, Johann touched the sword.
[Enchantment: Lightning Sword]
Grade: C
Durability: 80/100
– A sword enchanted with lightning magic. Its base performance is average, but the Lightning Arrow, usable every 10 minutes, is effective for draining an opponent’s spirit.
“Oh, this is an expensive-looking sword.”
Johann confirmed the sword’s details. Enchanted swords are usually worth billions. This meant Lee Kang-han’s wealth was beyond imagination.
“Or are you a weapon poor?”
“I’ll kill you!”
“So you’re a weapon poor.”
Despite his temporary hesitation, Johann’s clean-shaven appearance proved his point.
“It seems there’s nothing to gain from searching. Disqualified.”
“I’ll kill you! Don’t underestimate me!”
Lee Kang-han, now furious, swung his sword indiscriminately, losing his composure after being mocked by someone he considered below him.
In contrast, Johann remained calm, observing Lee Kang-han’s skills critically.
“You’re nothing special.”
After ten minutes of facing Lee Kang-han, Johann concluded that Lee Kang-han was a typical weapon poor relying on his equipment.
His lack of basic swordsmanship was evident in his clumsy, unbalanced swings.
Johann decided to increase his attack intensity.
Sensing this, Lee Kang-han poured more energy into his sword.
“Lightning Arrow!”
Suddenly, a lightning
Suddenly, arrows of lightning shot out from Lee Kang-han’s sword.
As if boasting its extraordinary nature, the lightning flowed along the coffin and engulfed Johann.
