Chapter 27

Min Seolah’s death made the news the following day.

It appeared at the very bottom of an electronic newspaper.

「Famous Agent Min Seolah, Unexpected Accident!」

「Whereabouts of the Unknown Culprit?」

「A Planned Murder? Hard to See as Unpremeditated…」

The content was nothing special.

It contained little more than photos of the crime scene and basic information about Min Seolah.

“…Haa.”

Siyoon let out a sigh as he checked the article.

He had been secretly tense ever since exacting his revenge the day before.

Min Seolah, the woman Siyoon had killed, was a famous agent.

She was someone who could even be considered a major figure in the industry.

It wouldn’t have been strange if personal retaliation or a manhunt had come his way.

But reality proved different.

The corporations and guilds with ties to her showed no reaction to the incident.

Nor had the Association launched an investigation.

‘To think even the Hunter Association wouldn’t make a move.’

The Hunter Association was equally indifferent to the matter.

This was despite a murder and road destruction occurring on the outskirts.

The Hunter Association conducted no official investigation whatsoever.

And so, Min Seolah’s death was merely wrapped up in a single news article.

As if no one needed to lift a finger for her.

“This is absurd.”

He knew the world was bleak, but to this extent?

The bodyguard who had charged at Siyoon seemed to have had more loyalty by comparison.

Tap.

Siyoon set his phone down.

It was a relief that there were no immediate external repercussions.

Still, he couldn’t completely let his guard down.

There were bound to be those who now held a grudge against him because of this incident.

But he had already prepared for that.

Ever since he decided to take the hunter profession seriously.

“If I were afraid of something like that, I wouldn’t have sought revenge in the first place. And killing Min Seolah isn’t the end of my revenge anyway.”

There were still places left to exact his revenge.

Before that, to become a proper hunter, he couldn’t act the way he used to.

He had to live more meticulously and tenaciously, ensuring certainty in everything he did.

To do that, he first needed to rebuild his foundation.

His damnably weak body needed training, too.

Tok, tap.

Siyoon picked up his phone again and searched for something.

To grow as quickly as possible, he had no time to laze around.

Having finally scouted a suitable magic beast, Siyoon rose from his seat.

“…I’ll be quite busy for a while.”

But it didn’t matter.

As long as he could become stronger and a proper hunter.

Leaving behind that brief sentiment, Siyoon headed for the dungeon.

The dungeon was a hideout where he could temporarily conceal himself, and a training ground to grow stronger.

* * *

Time flew by like an arrow.

The harsh winter had passed, and it was now full spring.

Several months had already slipped by since Min Seolah’s death.

During that time, Siyoon had steadily worked as a hunter.

He never forgot to be exceptionally careful to avoid standing out.

His primary activity was hunting magic beasts.

It was a convenient way to earn money and hone his combat senses.

Of course, he didn’t wander around as defenselessly as before.

He always scouted the surroundings before entering a dungeon.

When selling carcasses at the exchange, he never visited the same place twice.

He had done these things before, but now he was even more thorough.

Handle tasks with certainty and meticulousness.

This was Siyoon’s ironclad rule.

It was also a lesson learned from the Min Seolah incident.

And this principle shined during magic beast hunts.

Especially in a dungeon like the one he was entering today.

“Hm.”

Siyoon surveyed his surroundings.

A damp waterfront.

This place, where the entire ground was a shallow waterfront, was a dungeon.

It was also where Siyoon had entered today to hunt magic beasts.

Splash.

Siyoon waded through the water that submerged up to his ankles.

Then, he suddenly stopped upon seeing a swaying lantern light in the distance.

“There it is.”

A green stalk rising from the water, with a mysterious, radiant light attached to its end.

This was how the Lantern Anglerfish lured its prey.

Of course, it wouldn’t work on Siyoon.

Siyoon had studied all the information before entering the dungeon.

The dungeon’s ecosystem and characteristics, the types of magic beasts that appeared, and how to counter them.

Some information cost money, but it was worth it.

‘To hunt the Lantern Anglerfish, I first need to drag it out of the ground.’

That lantern light was a body part of the Lantern Anglerfish.

Attacking the lantern light was the simplest way to lure it to the surface.

Click.

Siyoon stopped in his tracks and drew a sniper rifle from his back.

He pulled the trigger without hesitation.

-Kkieeeeeeek!

As the bullet pierced the light, a scream echoed out.

With a rumbling from the earth, the Lantern Anglerfish leaped up, its eyes flashing.

“Finally showing yourself.”

Siyoon calmly observed the Lantern Anglerfish.

It had an appearance that looked like a mix between a lizard and a halibut.

Its hide was covered in scales, and its teeth resembled those of a piranha.

More horrifying than that was its size, twice that of an adult male.

Bang.

Siyoon pulled the trigger once more.

The bullet dug into the thick scales and embedded itself with a thud.

At that, all seven eyeballs swiveled toward Siyoon.

-Keughhh!!

Having spotted Siyoon, the Lantern Anglerfish roared fiercely.

The sight of it charging forward, splashing water with its four legs, was quite terrifying.

“As expected, it doesn’t match well with firearms.”

Still, it didn’t matter.

The sniper rifle had already served its purpose by provoking the beast.

Above all, the tough scales covering its hide were ill-suited against a sniper rifle.

From here on, Siyoon had to step in himself.

Siyoon clenched his fists and took a stance.

The Lantern Anglerfish had already closed the distance to point-blank range.

The terrifying thing about the Lantern Anglerfish was its speed, which belied its massive size.

‘Its raw speed is similar to or faster than Kang Intae, whom I fought before.’

Siyoon visually analyzed the Lantern Anglerfish’s speed.

Then, at the opportune moment, he dashed forward.

Swish!

The beast, leaping nimbly as it cut through the water, swung its tail.

It was so fast it seemed to vanish for a split second.

It was reminiscent of the combat skill Kang Intae had used.

A skill that accelerated sword strikes in a flash to deliver a fatal blow to the opponent.

But things were different now.

Siyoon tracked it perfectly with his eyes.

Because he had enhanced his eyes before the Lantern Anglerfish even arrived.

[ Enhancing ‘Arm’. ]

Siyoon enhanced his arm.

The Enhancement level was +1. But he didn’t stop there.

[ You have enhanced ‘Arm’. ]

[ Attack power increases significantly for a short duration! ]

[ Maintaining this state for an extended period will cause overload. ]

Stacking instantaneous Enhancements.

This was possible because Siyoon had grown significantly over the past few months.

Physical Enhancement required the body’s durability as a foundation.

Moreover, unlike standard Enhancement, it continuously consumed mana while maintained.

Stacking uses was quite burdensome.

But as Siyoon grew, this disparity gradually diminished.

His body, having increased in durability, fully accepted the Enhancement.

The strain itself had decreased.

Thanks to this change, Siyoon could now stack physical Enhancements.

He couldn’t maintain it for long, but it was enough to produce instantaneous destructive power.

Just like right now.

Crack!

Siyoon struck upward with the back of his hand, twisting the trajectory of the tail.

The massive tail shot upward, defying its own mass.

-Kkaeeeek!

The Lantern Anglerfish shrieked.

Its bones were fractured, and the flesh at the impact site burst open.

Power that could hardly be called simple bare-knuckle brawling.

It was the true synergy of instantaneous Enhancement and Close Combat Technique.

-Kirirrit.

The Lantern Anglerfish backed away warily.

A speed that could cover hundreds of meters in seconds.

But Siyoon wasn’t one to just stand by and watch.

[ Enhancing ‘Legs’. ]

[ Speed increases. ]

[ Elasticity increases. ]

Slash!

Siyoon, having momentarily enhanced his legs, clung to the Lantern Anglerfish.

And he attacked its wide-open mouth.

“Close your mouth.”

Crunch!!

A knee strike that accurately hit the underside of its jaw.

The impact forced its mouth shut, causing its sharp teeth to shatter.

‘Its most threatening pattern is the close-quarters biting attack.’

Hundreds of saw-like teeth packed tightly inside its mouth.

Once they clamped down on a target, they never let go.

But excluding that, it only had brute physical ramming attacks.

-Gurgle…!

Bloodshot veins appeared in the Lantern Anglerfish’s eyes.

It realized the human in front of it was dangerous.

But by the time it realized this, Siyoon had already created some distance.

Thud, thud, thud!

-Kiaaaaak!

With every pull of the trigger, an eyeball burst apart.

The enraged Lantern Anglerfish charged with a monstrous scream.

Siyoon timed its attack and dove inside its guard.

Crack.

His enhanced fist shattered the tough scales and struck its internal organs.

When the Lantern Anglerfish tried to flee from the immense pain, he chased it down again.

Siyoon pummeled the Lantern Anglerfish like jerky.

That was when it happened.

-Krarararak!

The Lantern Anglerfish opened its mouth wide again, trying to bite Siyoon.

An intensity that sent a brief tingle through his entire body.

It was far more reckless and threatening than Kang Intae.

If he allowed the attack to land, it wouldn’t be strange for his whole body to be torn apart.

“A final struggle?”

Siyoon clenched his fist.

And drove a straight punch toward its belly.

Crrraaack!!

The struck Lantern Anglerfish’s body bent ninety degrees in an instant.

An attack that pierced its thick defense and dealt direct internal damage.

-Gurgle…

Blood surged up from within its throat.

But the Lantern Anglerfish didn’t stop.

It was instinct. It was likely the intuition that retreating here meant death.

“It’s over.”

Siyoon waited.

And at the right timing, he thrust his fist forward.

Crrraaack!

Siyoon immediately drove his fist once more into the vicinity of its heart.

With that, the Lantern Anglerfish let out a scream and went limp.

However tenacious a magic beast’s vitality was, it couldn’t live without a heart.

“Finished one for now.”

Siyoon immediately released the Enhancement on his arm.

His muscles were a bit stiff, but he didn’t feel like he was going to die like before.

Because he had only enhanced himself when necessary during combat.

Gulp.

Siyoon chugged a Special Vitamin and began dismantling the carcass.

Though he had caught it easily, the Lantern Anglerfish was a powerful magic beast.

It was stronger than Kang Intae, an opponent he had struggled against before.

Its explosive speed and monstrous strength far surpassed his.

Catching such a magic beast with ease was purely Siyoon’s own ability.

Over the course of a few months, Siyoon had grown dazzlingly.

In particular, his advanced application of Enhancement was enough to overwhelm the Lantern Anglerfish.

Slice.

With practiced skill, Siyoon carved out the important parts.

Because he had to do everything alone, his hands were fast and accurate.

“Shall we go catch the next one now?”

Having finished sorting, Siyoon picked up the sniper rifle again.

There were plenty of Lantern Anglerfish around.

And it was still too early to head back, with plenty of time left.

“Alright.”

Siyoon slowly advanced deeper into the dungeon, searching for his next target.