TL: Hayath
Chapter 13
Even monsters with lower intelligence possess a certain degree of life-preserving instincts.
That faint reason kept ringing alarm bells.
It warned them that attacking now would result in a fate worse than death.
Thud-
“Is that it? Not coming at me anymore?”
An Vork fell instantly, shot through the crown of its head.
The once numerous Vorks had dwindled to just two.
The portal had stabilized significantly, now only allowing one monster through at a time, and the remaining Vorks had lost their fighting spirit and were trembling.
They seemed like they would shatter at a mere touch.
“I can’t believe I took them all down myself.”
A chill ran down his spine at the thought.
Just days ago, he was struggling to take down a few Kobalds. Now, this was his achievement.
The area was drenched in Vork blood.
King and kowen were also covered in red blood, looking like fierce demons.
“I didn’t get to taste the alcohol, but I earned enough to buy some.”
With 50 magic stones, he could easily buy a Romanée-Conti. Sake couldn’t even compare.
How much stronger could he become in a month, or a year?
Having taken down the Vorks, his strength would only increase further.
[You have completed the quest. Your Morale stat has increased by 10.]
[Your servant ‘kowen’ has leveled up. Lv.9 -> Lv.10]
[Your Morale stat has reached 20. You can now register one more servant as a retainer.]
Notifications kept ringing. They were about the increase in his Morale stat and kowen’s level up.
“Wow, you’re level 10 already? Are you going to change classes soon?”
kowen shrugged nonchalantly. It seemed humor was included in the Johan-style martial arts.
Thud-
kowen gestured confidently, as if he could now defeat King. The way he drew his thumb across his neck was rather cute.
“Sorry, but beating King won’t be that easy.”
[Registering King as a retainer. The next registration will be available at 30 Morale.]
However, things did not go as kowen wanted.
King was the only monster available to register as a retainer, and now he too would be able to level up.
Drooping-
kowen’s shoulders slumped in disappointment.
Finding kowen’s reaction cute, Johan patted his shiny head.
He didn’t forget to check the newly registered retainer’s information.
[King]
Level: 1
Grade: D
Unique Abilities: Leadership (B), Command (B), Valor (C)
Skills: Berserker
The king of Kobalds. Born with the qualities of a tyrant, King possesses unparalleled valor.
King certainly had the qualities of a king.
With the basic abilities of Leadership and Valor that could enhance the abilities of allies, King was always more than capable.
In emergencies, King could even take over command based on Johan’s set mechanisms, making him a versatile asset.
“Boss monsters are different indeed.”
Registering him as a retainer was a good decision. Though breaking through the species’ limit would be difficult due to a lack of growth stats, he could certainly grow to a C grade.
“Pant, pant, Johan! Are you okay?”
Sanghyun, who had evacuated the residents, came running, out of breath.
His dusty face showed how hard he had worked to lead the residents.
“What’s that in your hand? Were you planning to fight?”
Sanghyun was holding a hoe and a kitchen knife, ready for a last stand, which made Johan chuckle.
“Are you okay? What about the people?”
“They’re all in the shelter. I worked so hard to evacuate them… Ugh!”
Clang-
As he was about to boast, he saw the scattered corpses and rivers of blood, causing him to gasp.
He was so shocked he dropped his weapons without even realizing.
“What is this?”
“What do you think? It’s over.”
He pointed ahead, where the last Vork was being killed by its own kind.
Crunch-
Its skull caved in, and it died.
Sizzle-
At the same time, the portal calmed down.
The rampage had ended without a single casualty.
“Finally, it’s over.”
He sat down only after confirming the portal’s blue glow had faded.
It had been a 30-minute stretch that felt longer than a day.
“It’s my first time stopping a dungeon rampage.”
He hadn’t even dared to think about it before. Even considering it had felt impossible.
“Who are you? Where’s the Johan I knew?”
“Why are you so surprised?”
“How can I not be? You stopped a rampage by yourself!”
“What’s the big deal?”
“It’s a huge deal! Guilds can barely stop rampages with combined efforts! And what’s with these strange abilities?”
Seeing Sanghyun’s astonishment made Johan realize just how strong he had become. Fighting monsters alone had dulled his sense of reality a bit.
“Vorks are D-grade monsters! You’re an E-grade awakener. How did you defeat a horde of D-grade monsters?”
Sanghyun’s bewildered expression showed he couldn’t comprehend the situation at all.
Wave, wave-
Johan, finding it tedious to explain, just waved his hand, signaling Sanghyun to figure it out himself.
“Did you become a necromancer? Are these mummy-like creatures your summons?”
“It’s similar, but you can’t compare me to a necromancer. My adorable minions are far above some lowly bones.”
“Cute?”
“One has to look closely to see their beauty. Same goes for you, brother.”
“Jeez. Now you’re even mocking me?”
“Just a joke, just a joke~ MG joke~”
Sanghyun laughed and raised a white flag.
Anyway, the important thing was that no one got hurt.
Bzz, bzz-
His phone kept vibrating.
It had been ringing throughout the fight, but he hadn’t had time to check it.
“Who could it be?”
It was Alex, who had called thirty times. Judging by the dozens of messages, it seemed related to the portal.
“Hello? Team Leader?”
“Why, why are you only answering now!”
It was the first time hearing Alex’s scolding voice through the phone. He must have been really urgent.
“Do you know how worried I was after seeing your message? I was so anxious you might have died!”
“If you were so worried, you should have come yourself.”
“The situation didn’t allow it. Ten dungeons across Seoul were rampaging simultaneously.”
“Simultaneous rampages?”
This time, Johan was shocked.
Usually, dungeon rampages occur every two weeks, or at most, once a week. There hadn’t been simultaneous rampages since the Great Cataclysm.
“Let’s hope it’s not another catastrophe.”
“The situation has just been contained. Fortunately, there are only injuries and no fatalities. It’s a miracle.”
Alex’s voice was a mix of anger and relief. Johan waited silently for his emotions to subside.
“Hearing your voice, it seems you’re not hurt. How’s it over there?”
“Well, it’s been wrapped up nicely.”
“Did the assigned support hunter work well with you?”
“A support hunter was assigned?”
“Huh?”
This was news to Johan. In the long 30 minutes, he hadn’t seen anyone resembling a hunter.
He had thought they trusted him enough not to send any support, but that made no sense.
‘Even after passing the direct test, there’s no way they would trust a newly ranked E-grade that much.’
“I didn’t know a hunter was assigned.”
“Then no one went? Did you stop the rampage alone?”
“That’s right.”
There was a gasp on the other end of the line. The sound was so loud it made him worry Alex might faint.
“Casualties, how many were there?”
“None.”
“None? Not a single one?”
“Should I send proof?”
“Oh, I’m sorry if that sounded rude. It’s just hard to believe.”
“Of course, I understand.”
“We had rated it a D-grade dungeon. Could there have been a mistake with the machine?”
Unfortunately, Johan’s enhanced senses caught Alex’s low muttering.
Of course, if he were Alex, he wouldn’t have believed himself either.
An E-grade stopping a D-grade dungeon rampage? That’s more like something out of a novel.
“As soon as we got the alert, I requested support from a hunter 5 minutes away, and they accepted. Are you sure you saw no one?”
“Not a soul.”
“Huff… that bastard. Where did he run off to?”
Even just hearing it was stressful enough to make his hair fall out.
Alex’s curse wasn’t directed at Johan but at someone who had abandoned their duty.
‘They’re in for it. Ignoring a rampage comes with heavy penalties.’
Stopping a rampage is an obligation once you receive an Awakener’s license.
It’s a serious matter directly linked to civilian safety and cannot be ignored or avoided.
This rule is enshrined in the revised constitution.
Breaking it results in a five-year ban on all benefits and portal access for Awakeners.
A severe punishment preventing them from earning any money.
“If it weren’t for you, Johan, this could have been a disaster. Truly, thank you.”
“No need for that, it was my duty.”
“Heh, I’ll make sure you’re well compensated. You did the work of two, so you’ll get double the pay.”
“That’s good to hear.”
“Cheers, cheers, cheers~”
At that moment, a drunken singing voice could be heard in the distance. Someone heavily intoxicated was approaching where Johan stood.
“He’s here.”
“Huh? What?”
His senses picked up a strong magic presence. It was undoubtedly the person who had abandoned their duty.
Probably around A-grade.
Sanghyun, who also sensed the magic, frowned deeply.
He seemed to recognize the person.
“Why is he here?”
“You know him?”
“That’s that famous, talented, rich bastard.”
A weird and unique modifier. Judging by his expression, he seemed quite a character.
Sanghyun appeared very irritated.
“Johan, I’ll contact you later. I’ve found someone suspicious.”
“I think you can stop looking. I’ve already found them.”
“What?”
Click-
Johan hung up without waiting for a reply.
The drunkard had arrived just 5 meters away, staring with an arrogant gaze, and began speaking in a mocking tone.
“Who the heck are you?”
