Chapter 8

-Keu-ra-ra-ra-rak!

A scream laden with agony echoed through the air.

Unfortunately, it was not a fatal wound.

The bullet had merely lodged itself in the surface, failing to pierce through.

Provoked by the strike, the boss Krakto flew even faster.

“Tsk.”

Siyoon clicked his tongue lightly.

As expected of a boss, its hide was exceptionally thick.

However, that did not mean his attacks were entirely ineffective.

The gunfire had inflicted meaningful damage upon Krakto.

‘I need to settle this.’

Siyoon’s composure shined brightest in moments like these.

Rapid objectivity and situational awareness.

In a combat situation that shifted in real time, such abilities were worth their weight in gold.

Though he was unaware of it himself, this was an innate talent he possessed as a hunter.

Utilizing this talent, Siyoon reached a single conclusion.

Ta-ta-ta-ta-tang!

Unleashing a barrage of bullets.

‘I can’t stop its approach.’

His calculations revealed that Krakto’s approach was exceedingly fast.

It was even flying toward him while protecting its vital points.

Sniping a vital point to bring it down was impossible.

Ultimately, close combat was unavoidable.

‘But it’s not like there’s nothing I can do.’

Siyoon’s gunfire dealt significant damage to the boss Krakto.

He planned to use this to accumulate as much damage as possible before it closed the distance.

Pyu-pyung!

This strategy proved somewhat effective.

With every pull of the trigger, fresh wounds opened on the boss Krakto’s body.

Though not fatal, it was enough to slowly chip away at it.

-Kya-a-a-a-ak!

Siyoon’s attacks must have been incredibly irritating.

The boss Krakto let out a fierce shriek, its eyes growing vicious.

At the same time, Siyoon felt a tingling sensation crawl across his skin.

A potent killing intent, a mixture of rage, pain, and tenacity.

It was a manifestation of pure malice, a vow to kill Siyoon at all costs.

It was far more intense than the elite magic beast he had encountered in the field earlier.

‘This much is bearable.’

Perhaps his stat growth in the meantime had an effect.

Even under such immense pressure, Siyoon did not lose his rationality.

Pa-chak!

Then, a bullet grazed the edge of the boss Krakto’s eye.

It was a stroke of luck.

-Kya-a-a-a-at!

Though he failed to burst the eyeball completely.

The spurt of blood seemed to have obscured part of its vision.

“Alright.”

A stroke of luck.

Siyoon swiftly reloaded, waiting for the creature to close the distance.

Ku-woong!

The boss Krakto stumbled as it landed nearby, its body battered.

It was the price of enduring countless gunshots with its bare body.

Its once-smooth feathers were riddled with gashes, blood streaming from countless wounds.

-Kki-ik, kkie-e-e-e-k!

The imposing presence of a boss-class magic beast was formidable.

Siyoon bit his lip hard and pulled the trigger.

A total of three gunshots rang out like lightning.

A rapid pistol barrage made possible only because the recoil itself was being controlled.

The bullets struck Krakto’s wings and legs.

Crimson blood splattered with a *pit*.

— Kki-reuk…!

It seemed magic beasts felt pain just as clearly.

Siyoon fired several more rounds.

The creature paid no heed, narrowing the gap before swinging its talons.

Siyoon reacted instantly, stepping back.

Seu-pat.

The talons grazed past Siyoon’s arm by a hair’s breadth.

[ The durability of ‘Leather Jacket +1’ decreases. ]

The leather jacket was torn apart merely from the graze.

And that was not all.

Beneath the jacket.

Beads of blood formed along a long scar on his forearm.

It was on a completely different level compared to the elite beast he had fought before.

‘A direct hit would seriously injure me.’

Siyoon carefully observed the boss Krakto’s movements.

Reacting after seeing its actions would be too late.

He had to read ahead and dodge preemptively.

Fortunately, Krakto did not possess exceptionally high intelligence.

-Kkie-e-e-e-e-e!

It merely vented its rage with bizarre shrieks and forced its attacks.

Its attack patterns were simple.

A repetition of swooping attacks with its beak and talons.

Tang, ta-ang!

At first, he had been hard-pressed just to evade, but gradually, the simple patterns became familiar.

Siyoon counterattacked with his gun while simultaneously dodging.

‘I need to aim for its vital points.’

Dodging Krakto’s attacks, Siyoon pondered.

Its defense was already thick to begin with.

He would eventually kill it if he kept spraying bullets like this, but the problem was time.

The sunset was already beginning to spread across the surrounding sky.

Stalling was a blunder.

If so, even if it meant taking a slightly bolder approach.

He had to definitively pierce its vital points.

Tak.

His hesitation was brief.

He stepped forward with his right foot and charged in.

The plan was already fully formed.

Siyoon’s eyes stared unflinchingly at Krakto.

-Kya-a-at!

As Siyoon, who had been keeping his distance, suddenly closed the gap, it flapped its wings.

Pa-pa-pa-pak!

Feathers flew like blades, striking Siyoon’s body directly.

[ The durability of ‘Leather Jacket +1’ decreases. ]

[ The durability of ‘Book Shield +1’ decreases. ]

“Kugh!”

It hurt.

It hurt like hell.

Even with his armor equipped, the sensation of being sliced by a blade lingered intensely.

But it was not enough to kill him.

If so, he could endure it.

Seeing Siyoon’s stance falter, Krakto immediately extended its leg.

Kwa-ak!

The avian’s massive foot seized Siyoon’s upper body and threw him to the ground.

Blood flowed as the talons dug into his back.

-Kki-kki-kit.

Siyoon’s body was held firmly in Krakto’s grasp.

The boss Krakto looked down at him as if mocking him.

Its crimson eyes held both murderous intent and sadistic ecstasy.

If it applied just a little more force here, Siyoon would be cleaved in half.

But allowing the attack to reach this point was entirely part of Siyoon’s plan.

Ta-ang!

The barrel flashed white as he pulled the trigger at point-blank range.

Hiding the gun beneath the Book Shield had paid off.

-Kkie-e-e-e-e-e-k!

A sound akin to a thunderclap.

The bullet embedded itself into the boss Krakto’s eyeball, exactly as Siyoon had aimed.

The eye was one of the most vulnerable parts of the body.

For a boss Krakto with high defense, it was fatal.

Hwak!

The grip of the creature holding Siyoon vanished.

It was a golden opportunity.

Siyoon maximized his concentration and aimed for its chest.

Puk, puk-geok!

Two bullets flew through the air.

Both shots struck nearly the exact same spot.

It was thanks to the ‘Hot Seven’ energy drink, which enhanced concentration.

It allowed him to maintain his focus even in a fatigued and perilous state.

It felt almost like a battle of mental fortitude now.

Siyoon pulled the trigger once more.

-Kya-a-a-a-a-a-a-a!

Hitting the exact same spot was impossible.

Siyoon himself was nearing his limit.

The hand holding the pistol trembled like a leaf.

‘If I fail here, it’s truly the end.’

If he failed to kill the boss Krakto, he would be the one to die.

He had already prepared for that.

Siyoon clenched his teeth and continued to rapid-fire the pistol.

One shot.

Two shots.

Three shots.

Four shots…

Countless muzzle flashes burst white before his eyes.

His mind raced just as hotly as the pistol overheated from the continuous fire.

But Siyoon did not stop.

Ta-ang!

Either the pistol explodes and kills him.

Ta-a-ang!

Or he gets eaten alive by Krakto.

It was all the same in the end.

From the start, Siyoon had no intention of dying.

‘It would be too unfair to die like this when I possess a Singular-Rank skill.’

No matter what happened, he would absolutely survive and return.

Puk!

“Keugh…!”

The thrashing Krakto’s talons pierced his abdomen.

Crazy.

It hurt like a bitch.

But the end was in sight.

The rapid fire had torn the area around Krakto’s chest to shreds.

-Keu-reu-reu-reuk…

Perhaps straddling the boundary between life and death, its reactions grew faint.

Kkwa-ak.

As if determined to take a companion to the grave with it.

The talons dug deeper into the pierced flesh with greater force.

Tang!

That too did not last long.

The final shot Siyoon fired.

It finally pierced completely through the boss Krakto’s chest.

-Ke-e-k!!

Blood spurted out violently from between its beak.

It then rolled its eyes back, trembled convulsively, and collapsed to the side.

[ You have defeated the boss of the dungeon. ]

He had finally cleared the dungeon.

The moment he saw the message, he cheered inwardly.

“Ugh…!”

Of course, he couldn’t voice it out loud.

Because his abdomen had been pierced by the talons.

As he carefully pulled out the talons, raw agony flooded through him.

The pain at that moment was beyond description.

It felt as if his living flesh had been skewered and a portion of his internal organs had been mangled and burst.

It hurt so much that he couldn’t even scream.

‘This is bad. I’m incredibly dizzy.’

The blood flowing from the wound had already pooled significantly.

It wouldn’t be strange if he died from excessive blood loss at this rate.

Feeling that delaying any further would be truly dangerous, he gathered his wits and opened his backpack.

[ ‘Emergency Trauma Healing Potion +1’ is applied to the affected area. ]

[ Bleeding is significantly reduced. ]

[ Pain relief effect is activated. ]

Chi-i-i-i-ik.

“Keu, eu-eugh!!”

The moment he poured the potion, bright red bubbles rose from the wound.

Losing consciousness here would truly be the end.

Siyoon bit the inside of his mouth, clinging to his fading consciousness.

[ ‘Lowest-rank Life Recovery Potion +1’ is consumed. ]

[ Life recovery effect activates immediately. ]

[ Recovery amount increases due to Enhancement. ]

He forced the potion down his throat.

Fortunately, the pain relief kicked in, and the agony gradually subsided.

Taeng-geu-rang.

Having used both potions, he flopped down onto his back.

The pain diminished little by little, and the wound began to itch.

“Haaah…”

Perhaps because of the fierce battle, he was utterly exhausted.

Additional messages popped up, but nothing registered in his eyes.

“Let’s rest for a bit…”

He had no intention of falling asleep.

Siyoon lay there, staring blankly at the sky.

* * *

Even during his short rest, Siyoon did not let his guard down.

No matter how exhausted he was, this was inside a dungeon.

If he were to collapse, it had to be outside the dungeon.

There was a truckload of hunters who had died for failing to do just that.

“Phew.”

How many minutes had passed since he lay down?

Probably about five minutes.

Feeling that his body had recovered significantly, Siyoon groped his stomach.

“…Good heavens.”

And he marveled.

The potion’s effect was far more remarkable than expected.

In just that short amount of time, his injury had healed completely.

The closed wound was now only a faint pink.

Aside from that, all other wounds and pain had vanished.

“It was clearly a severe injury, but to recover this quickly…”

A lowest-rank potion could only provide temporary first aid for severe injuries.

This was possible entirely thanks to ‘Enhancement’.

“As expected of a Singular-Rank skill?”

It was practically a cheat.

A good idea suddenly crossed his mind.

What if he bought a ton of potions, simply enhanced them, and sold them?

It might just spark a revolution in the potion manufacturing industry.

“…Let’s stop with the pointless fantasies.”

Siyoon shook his head.

His body was more or less recovered.

It was time to check his messages and collect his rewards.

[ Even upon reaching the brink of death, your rationality remained cold and calculating. ]

[ This is tremendous mental fortitude. ]

[ You have hunted the boss of the dungeon alone, without anyone’s help. ]

[ Stamina increases by 3 points. ]

[ Intelligence increases by 3 points. ]

[ Willpower increases by 5 points. ]

[ Strength increases by 2 points. ]

It was a sight that brought a smile to his face just looking at it.

“To think my stats went up this much. This is great.”

It was a rewarding payoff for soloing the dungeon.

But the rewards did not end here.

There were still a string of messages he hadn’t checked yet.

[ You have overcome a crisis using Enhancement. ]

[ The proficiency of ‘Skill: Enhancement’ increases significantly. ]

[ You have recovered on your own from the brink of death. ]

[ Stamina additionally increases by 2 points. ]

[ Willpower additionally increases by 2 points. ]

[ You have consecutively fired at a near-singular point. ]

[ Agility increases by 4 points. ]

[ Your marksmanship becomes slightly more accurate. ]

“Nice.”

No, it wasn’t just nice; it was revolutionary.

There was definitely enough merit to justify the risk.

He couldn’t stop the corners of his mouth from curling upward.

Tzzeuk.

Siyoon used a dagger to extract the boss Krakto’s eyeball.

“Hmm, this is a bit lacking.”

He had already reaped more than enough rewards.

But after going through all that trouble to kill the boss, was the eyeball really the only physical reward?

At that moment, a peak came into his view.

The nest where the boss Krakto had resided.

“Come to think of it… Krakto’s Nest is still here.”

Before entering the dungeon, he had checked the hunter community.

There was various information and posts, but one thing.

He hadn’t heard a single story about anyone obtaining anything special from the nest after killing the boss.

“They say there’s nothing much, but you never know. Let’s explore it.”

After all, treasure was always found in places no one else had discovered.

Siyoon took a step forward, filled with anticipation.