Chapter 18

He couldn’t maintain it for more than three minutes.

Even if he did, his body would be completely destroyed.

“Y-you son of a bitch…!!”

Blood dripping from the corner of his mouth, he reached out his hand.

Siyoon swatted the arm aside and drove his fist into the solar plexus.

Ppeok!

“Keuuugh!!”

With the crack of bone, the man vomited blood a second time.

But he neither fell nor lost consciousness.

Instead, he glared and slammed his fist into Siyoon’s stomach.

Geudeuk.

“Keugh…!”

Too close to dodge.

The impact rattled his organs beneath the skin of his abdomen.

“You may have a body enhancement skill similar to mine, but I am a warrior!!”

Kim Chulwon’s eyes blazed.

Siyoon pulled back to evade the strike.

Kim Chulwon exploited that gap, closing the distance in an instant.

He acknowledged it.

Kim Chulwon grudgingly recognized Siyoon.

The Siyoon before him now was an entirely different creature from before.

Kwang!

Slipping attacks at hair-trigger distances.

Deliberately baiting openings to expose vulnerabilities.

Though Siyoon himself was unaware of it, this was unmistakably the talent of a born gambler.

Above all, the strange power rippling through his body since moments ago.

Kim Chulwon realized it was Siyoon’s power.

‘Speed, strength, judgment. He’s exceptional in every regard. But it seems he can’t maintain that state for long.’

Siyoon’s condition was visibly deteriorating.

As a warrior, he could tell.

The contortion of his muscles, the ragged intensity of his breathing.

Evidence that he was fighting beyond his limits.

‘I just need to stall.’

Given enough time, he would destroy himself.

No need to engage head-on.

From that point on, Kim Chulwon abandoned his offensive and committed entirely to defense.

Siyoon noticed the sudden shift in tactics.

‘He’s figured out my condition.’

The intention was painfully transparent.

He avoided direct confrontation, deflecting attacks to drain Siyoon’s stamina.

If this continued, Siyoon would be the first to fall.

He needed to take a gamble, even if it meant pushing his limits.

[ Enhancing ‘Entire Body’. ]

[ Warning! ]

[ Physical endurance is approaching its limit. ]

[ If this state persists, you may sustain critical injuries. ]

Jureuk.

Blood streamed from Siyoon’s eyes and nose.

His body buckled under the suddenly amplified output.

The overwhelming aura radiating from him froze Kim Chulwon in place.

‘What the—!’

What was this monstrous energy?

For a fleeting instant, it felt as though the space around Siyoon was warping.

Kwang!!

Seizing the moment his body locked up, Siyoon’s fist shot straight forward.

Kim Chulwon crossed his arms to block at the last possible second, but—

“Keok…!”

One punch.

A single punch had fractured his bones.

More shocking still, he hadn’t even seen the strike.

While he reeled in confusion, Siyoon prepared another attack.

Kung.

Siyoon stomped the ground.

Shattered concrete fragments erupted upward.

From a diagonal stance, he gathered power and unleashed a fist straight ahead.

‘This is dangerous—!’

Kim Chulwon chose to dodge rather than block.

Huwung.

Wind rushed.

By a paper-thin margin, Siyoon’s fist grazed past Kim Chulwon’s side.

But it didn’t end there.

With one hand, he pulled the trigger of the sniper rifle he’d been holding.

Ppeok—!

The bullet struck Kim Chulwon square in the stomach.

Even as he vomited blood, Kim Chulwon was aghast.

What kind of madman fired a sniper rifle from that stance?

Without physical Enhancement, it would have been an impossible shot.

Kim Chulwon clenched his teeth.

He dodged the attack and fell back into a defensive stance.

‘Time. I just need to buy time. Then he’ll…’

At that moment, Siyoon pulled the trigger again.

Pishut!

His forearm was pierced by a bullet, sending a wave of excruciating pain.

When he tried to attack, Siyoon deflected with the rifle’s long barrel.

‘I need to… stall…’

Kim Chulwon’s body was falling apart far faster than Siyoon was tiring.

It was like facing an impregnable fortress.

The creeping terror and pressure were steadily gnawing at his mind.

Ppeok!

His shoulder was pierced, and blood sprayed.

The searing pain rattled Kim Chulwon’s mind.

It hurt like hell.

He’d lost so much blood that his vision was blurring.

But if he could just stall a little longer, victory would be his.

Kuung.

Then Siyoon’s body launched forward in a burst.

In a flash, he vanished from sight.

Kim Chulwon rolled to the side on pure instinct.

Swaek!

Siyoon’s strike from a blind angle slammed into the spot where he’d been standing.

A fraction slower and it would have connected.

The moment that thought crossed his mind, the barrel was already aimed at him.

Locked precisely on his head.

‘What—!!’

As if he’d known exactly how Kim Chulwon would dodge.

His stance was completely broken—he couldn’t dodge again.

With no other option, Kim Chulwon crossed his arms in defense.

Ppeok!

A spray of blood erupted before his eyes.

What had happened? His thought process ground to a halt.

When he came to, both his arms were flying through the air.

“Keu, uaaargh!!”

Only then did the delayed agony crash over him.

Both arms had been obliterated by Siyoon’s gunfire.

He’d attacked from a blind angle, baited the dodge, and landed a decisive blow.

A strike that fully exploited the rifle’s advantage.

Puk, ppukeok!

Bullets slammed into his kneecaps.

Unable to support himself any longer, his body crumpled.

“Kuaaargh!”

“Don’t waste your energy. It’s over anyway.”

Siyoon said, pressing the barrel against his head.

The battle was over.

Siyoon had won.

* * *

Siyoon let out a private sigh as he looked down at the fallen Kim Chulwon.

‘That was way too close.’

The moment after he’d taken the drug had been dizzying.

The sudden surge in attack power, speed, and defense.

It had felt like fighting a tank.

Without physical Enhancement, he might have lost.

In the end, the gamble he’d taken at the last moment had paid off.

It had completely turned the tide of the battle.

“Keuk, keuuk!”

Kim Chulwon glared with bloodshot eyes.

Siyoon took aim at the space between his eyes.

He had no hobby of toying with or deceiving people.

Before the man could lunge, Siyoon pulled the trigger.

Tung.

The bullet lodged in Kim Chulwon’s skull.

His thrashing body went rigid, then went limp.

“…Tenacious bastard.”

Even as his skull was pierced, the man never closed his eyes.

Fierce hatred and murderous intent—those lingered on his face even in death.

Confirming Kim Chulwon’s death, Siyoon immediately released Enhancement.

[ Physical Enhancement has been released. ]

[ Damage has accumulated in the ‘entire body’. ]

[ Excessive output has caused partial muscle rupture. ]

[ Failure to treat promptly may result in permanent injury. ]

“Huu…”

Siyoon let out a long breath and collapsed to the ground.

With trembling hands, he pulled out a potion and downed it.

[ Consuming ‘low-rank Life Recovery Potion +3’. ]

[ Life recovery effect activates immediately. ]

[ Recovery amount is significantly increased due to Enhancement. ]

[ Internal injuries are healing rapidly. ]

[ Ruptured muscles are regenerating. ]

A low-rank potion supplied by Min Seolah.

He’d enhanced it to +3 just in case, and now he was grateful he had.

He could feel the pain subsiding at a rapid pace.

Siyoon felt a wave of relief.

Regardless, his first commission was now complete.

It had been an experience on an entirely different level from hunting magic beasts.

A truly grueling fight.

Far more variables and considerations than with magic beasts.

And his entire body, pushed to its absolute limit, ached terribly.

But because of it, the absurdity of Enhancement had been proven all the more convincingly.

‘Physical Enhancement was far more powerful than I expected.’

The gap between F-Rank and D-Rank is considerable.

D-Ranks are superior in every aspect—experience, skill levels, stats.

But physical Enhancement had closed that gap in an instant.

No—it had produced an overwhelming result.

Of course, it wasn’t without cost.

Exerting power beyond his limits placed an enormous toll on his body.

But even bearing that cost, it was worth using.

‘An F-Rank soloed fifteen D-Ranks…’

Tell anyone, and they’d never believe it.

That was how remarkable Siyoon’s feat had been.

Ding!

[ You have successfully defeated an opponent more powerful than yourself. ]

[ You have secured victory against overwhelming odds! ]

[ Composed reasoning and dazzling judgment! ]

[ All stats increase by 10 points. ]

[ Willpower increases by an additional 10 points. ]

[ Intelligence increases by an additional 10 points. ]

“……!”

The System seemed to recognize this too, offering a massive reward.

A staggering 10-point increase across all stats.

On top of that, Willpower and Intelligence rose by an additional 10 points each.

An extraordinary reward.

Stats are divided into five categories.

Stamina, Strength, Agility, Intelligence, and Willpower.

Typically, hunting and experience yield about 2 points.

But the points Siyoon had just earned were far higher.

A total of 70 points.

He’d never even heard of stats rising by that much all at once.

The rewards didn’t end there.

[ Accumulated experience grants enlightenment to your soul. ]

[ Experience that has reached its limit blooms even further! ]

[ The level of ‘Enhancement’ increases significantly! ]

“This is…!”

A brilliant light burst from the message.

Tiny particles, like fireflies, seeped into his body.

A warm, curious sense of fulfillment welled up within him.

It was a mystical experience, but Siyoon’s attention was focused elsewhere.

‘The skill level increased significantly?’

Skills typically level up one step at a time.

But the message said the level had increased ‘significantly.’

The System wouldn’t lie—something had clearly changed.

“Skill window.”

Siyoon summoned the skill window, his heart pounding.

[ Displaying skill window. ]

+

「Enhancement」

Rank: Unique

Level: 3

Category: Special

▶ Enhances a designated target.

▶ Enhancement probability increases.

▶ Enhancement efficiency increases.

+

His jaw dropped involuntarily.

A full two levels at once.

“He’d had his doubts, but to think it had actually jumped two levels!”

Siyoon’s face broke into a wide grin as he stared at the skill window.

Moreover, the new traits were exactly what he’d been hoping for.

Siyoon’s combat power came entirely from Enhancement.

As such, an increased probability of raising Enhancement levels was incredibly important.

But what caught his attention even more was the last line.

“Enhancement efficiency increase, huh.”

Typical System, he supposed.

Not the most intuitive description.

But he could speculate.

Perhaps it reduced the strain on his body.

Or maybe it increased the stat gains when enhancing equipment.

Something along those lines, he figured.

“Alright.”

Very, deeply satisfying.

His body was leaden with exhaustion, but the smile wouldn’t leave his face.

* * *

After finishing his skill check,

Siyoon examined the surrounding corpses.

“Can’t just leave these behind.”

Looting corpses after a fight with hunters was basic common sense.

‘Hunter equipment is far too valuable to just leave behind.’

Equipment used by hunters was inherently expensive.

It incorporated magic beast byproducts and various ores harvested from rifts.

Add the cost of materials and the craftsmanship of artisans who processed them—

It was a distribution structure that couldn’t help but be expensive.

‘Though being expensive doesn’t mean it isn’t price gouging.’

Crafting skills were rare and precious.

Companies and guilds that sold armaments were essentially profiting from this scarcity.

“It’s gotta be here somewhere…”

But what Siyoon was looking for wasn’t hunter equipment.

It was the new drug Kim Chulwon had consumed during the fight.

The information Min Seolah had provided stated that it had all been sold off on the black market.

But Kim Chulwon had been carrying it.

There were likely others among the hunters who had hidden some away.

Ttak.

A small pouch tumbled out from one corpse’s embrace.

He opened it carefully, and a familiar flask came into view.

“Just as he thought.”

Siyoon picked it up.

An elongated flask, the orange liquid sloshing inside.

The pinnacle of pharmaceutical technology, backed by Haind’s capital.

The new drug—Filester.