Chapter 22

Swish—

A single sword cut through the air.

Crack!

The sword tore straight through the tough carapace, surging upwards.

“Kueeeek!”

Greedy Garnag let out a chilling shriek.

It probably never knew.

That the prey it considered a mere mouthful would toy with it like this!

Blood and viscous bodily fluids mixed and streamed down its four legs.

Greedy Garnag’s regenerative abilities were excellent, but now, its wounds wouldn’t heal.

This was because Chakra, Carapace Melt had the effect of worsening wounds and necrotizing the surrounding flesh and muscles.

The monster’s muscles and flesh, brutally torn by the sword, were already rotting, which inevitably slowed Greedy Garnag’s movements.

In front of it, Kang Yuseong slashed his sword horizontally once more.

Crack!

Splash!

“Kueek!”

This time, it was a critical blow.

Where his sword cut deep, bodily fluids splattered, and Greedy Garnag’s leg was severed without fail.

Thump—

The severed leg slowly began to regain its dark green color, separating from the main body.

Kang Yuseong wore a wry smile.

Even unseen, the monster was in the palm of his hand.

Its characteristics, attack patterns, and more were already perfectly ingrained in his mind.

“Grrrrl!”

Greedy Garnag seemed to have lost even the strength to maintain its invisibility, as its form slowly emerged from the air.

It was a monster with a dark green body, dotted with countless black spots.

And in the very center of its praying mantis-like head, a reddish, glowing protrusion had grown, which was now slowly losing its light.

That was the special protrusion that allowed Greedy Garnag to turn invisible.

To neutralize Greedy Garnag’s invisibility, one either had to bring it to the brink of death or destroy that protrusion, and Kang Yuseong had chosen the former.

Thud—

He pushed off the ground again.

Now that it had revealed itself, the game was over.

Swish-swish-swish!

Chakra, Flame Barrage!

Dozens of stabs erupted spectacularly in the air, creating numerous bursts of flame.

Boom-boom-boom!

The sword blade terrifyingly pierced and dug into Greedy Garnag’s carapace with frightening sharpness.

Greedy Garnag shrieked, and its massive body swayed violently.

But that wasn’t the end.

Kang Yuseong immediately spun his body, plunging his sword directly into the monster’s torso.

Puh-haat!

At the same time, a huge hole opened in its body, and pulverized flesh scattered into the air.

Chakra, Meteor Stab and Blade Twist had detonated once more.

“This is the end!”

Whoosh—

A strange resonant hum echoed from the tip of Kang Yuseong’s sword.

Chakra, Critical Strike!

Crack!

The blade, lodged in Greedy Garnag’s torso, shredded its muscle layers, then burrowed deeper, piercing its heart and thrashing.

“Grrr…”

Greedy Garnag stiffened its entire body, trembled violently, then slumped lifelessly.

Shing—

Kang Yuseong pulled out the sword that had pierced its heart.

Thud—

Greedy Garnag’s massive body slowly toppled over.

Looking back, that side of the hunt was already finished.

This was because Red Giant Soldier Ants were a difficulty that the Hunters could handle.

However, the Hunters gazed at Kang Yuseong, who had single-handedly taken down this massive monster, with expressions of awe.

“That’s incredible…”

During the earlier fight, they had thought Kang Yuseong was hallucinating.

Running around in empty air, swinging his sword, then suddenly diving and rolling on the ground…

But the moment they confirmed the true form of the monster Kang Yuseong had been fighting, a chill ran down their spines.

If that thing had attacked them!

They probably would have been wiped out without even knowing what killed them.

“Let’s go.”

Kang Yuseong said curtly.

As long as a full dungeon clear was the condition, there was no reason to hesitate here.

And so, they advanced again.

The four examiners watching the scene from behind each maintained their stern expressions.

“…Well, I’ll be.”

Examiner Kim Yeong-seok let out a wry chuckle, shaking his head.

“This is certainly going to be interesting today, isn’t it? I think perhaps today…”

Kim Yeong-seok looked forward and continued softly.

“This dungeon seems likely to be conquered, wouldn’t you say?”

In truth, he harbored resentment towards the tyranny of the large guilds.

He was critical of their monopolization of ancient dungeons and their abusive practices, so seeing Kang Yuseong effectively land a blow on the examiners today somehow felt incredibly satisfying.

“Hmm…”

Kang Gi-han and the other three examiners looked at him with displeasure for a moment.

Then, Kang Gi-han spoke again.

“The test isn’t over yet, so let’s wait and see.”

Kim Yeong-seok nodded.

“Indeed. We wouldn’t want to miss such an entertaining spectacle!”

As he said this, he glanced at the rigid faces of the three examiners, offered a smile, and then strode forward.

‘Damn it…! That bastard!’

Kang Gi-han frowned, glaring at his retreating back.

But the test wasn’t over yet.

Anything could happen inside a dungeon; nothing was strange.

They would probably… soon hit their limit.

He thought so.

* * * * *

After that, the hunt proceeded smoothly.

Having already experienced fighting in a B-rank dungeon, the current hunt wasn’t particularly difficult for them.

In fact, they already possessed the skills to fight in a B-rank dungeon.

It was simply that fear of the unknown had prevented them from rashly challenging it until now.

But after meeting Kang Yuseong, they had managed to clear a B-rank dungeon thanks to his exceptional combat command.

It was the same now.

This dungeon, too, was now reaching its final stages.

The thought that it was finally over brought a flush of excitement to the Hunters’ faces.

“Wow, we really made it this far…”

“Just a little further! Just a little more!”

The Hunters clenched their fists and shook them, wearing expressions of deep emotion.

Soon, they too would be able to enter the ancient dungeon, where all sorts of treasures were said to be buried.

They were greatly encouraged by the anticipation of it.

“Alright, Captain! Let’s finish this quickly and head back!”

“I wonder what expressions those examiner bastards will make. Hehehe!”

The atmosphere was one of celebrating success.

Kang Yuseong also smiled faintly, looking at them.

It was fine to do so now.

Because easing up slightly, rather than constantly keeping them tense, was far more efficient for hunting productivity.

But then, the smile instantly vanished from his lips.

…!

Suddenly, he felt the hairs on his entire body stand on end.

‘This is…!’

Kang Yuseong quickly scanned his surroundings.

But he saw nothing.

‘No…’

Yet, Kang Yuseong sensed that the current situation was far from safe.

Something was there.

Something incomparable to Greedy Garnag, just ahead…

‘There!’

Kang Yuseong, who had been sharply observing his surroundings, fixed his gaze on a single point.

Occasional dust whirlwinds rising from that spot.

‘Could that possibly be…!’

If what he thought was correct, this was a serious situation.

Because it was a top-tier predator ranked in B-rank dungeons.

The examiners watching from behind were probably wearing triumphant smiles at this sight.

They were probably hoping the party would fail the hunt.

Kang Yuseong suddenly wore a cold smile.

If they thought that, Kang Yuseong would shatter their expectations demonstrably and confidently seize the pass in his hand.

Rumble—

Suddenly, the ground shook violently.

…!

The tremor was so severe that even the Hunters were greatly startled and looked straight ahead.

“Kwoooaaar!”

“Whoa!”

Suddenly, the ground convulsed wildly, then the earth before their eyes caved in, and something violently burst out.

A colossal body, and most striking, a long horn on its head!

With an appearance reminiscent of an ancient dinosaur, its sharp claws and horn made it a truly menacing creature.

The monster’s sudden emergence was surprising, but the Hunters were even more aghast to see Kang Yuseong, already soaring high into the air and bringing his sword down.

Clang!

The sword in his hand narrowly grazed past the monster’s eye.

Splatter!

“Kwoooaaar!”

Blood splattered, and the monster twisted its body violently.

‘Too shallow.’

But Kang Yuseong, landing on the ground, gave a wry smile.

He had aimed for a surprise attack, but the sword had only penetrated shallowly.

Whoosh!

At that moment, the monster brought a thick leg crashing down towards Kang Yuseong, who had just landed.

Thud—

Kang Yuseong quickly kicked off the ground and retreated.

Crash!

“Ugh!”

But with a tremendous roar, violent tremors shook the entire surroundings.

Thud-thud-thud!

Shattered rock fragments and piles of dirt rained down.

“Guh!”

The Hunters, unable to compose themselves in this sudden situation, scattered in all directions.

“Kueeeek!”

Suddenly, the monster moved.

Unfitting its enormous size, it opened its massive maw and lunged at the Hunters.

“Hah!”

The Hunters, startled as if their hearts would drop, scrambled to dodge.

Crash!

Fortunately, its maw slammed hard into the ground, but the Hunters were chilled to the bone.

‘What, th-this kind of monster!’

It was an entirely different creature from anything they had encountered so far.

Its speed, its strength, its ferocity!

Its name was Hunter Killer, Dephoicimon.

It resembled a dinosaur, and its movements were incredibly fast; it wasn’t just once or twice that Hunters who encountered it were instantly wiped out.

Fear slowly began to seep into the Hunters’ eyes.

– All units, formation alignment.

Suddenly, Kang Yuseong’s radio command came through.

The dazed Hunters snapped back to attention at the command.

Kang Yuseong’s calm voice followed.

– Have you forgotten? The power you possess.

The Hunters swallowed dryly.

The situation they had experienced just two days prior resurfaced in their minds.

The exhilaration, the thrill of overcoming an impossible barrier…

– Let’s do it again. Us.

Kang Yuseong was smiling.

The Hunters slowly straightened their stances.

Something hot surged up from deep within them.

– All aligned, awaiting the Captain’s command.

Kang Yuseong nodded.

– The hunt begins. Target: Dephoicimon. The first strike will be…

Shing—

Kang Yuseong brandished his sword and stepped forward.

– By me.

Kang Yuseong stared directly at Dephoicimon.

Even if it was a B-rank dungeon monster, Dephoicimon was marked as Level 10.

A monster qualitatively different from Greedy Garnag.

It wasn’t for nothing that it earned nicknames like ‘Hunter Killer’ or ‘Worst Predator’.

But Kang Yuseong gazed directly at it, wearing a wry smile.

‘You will be the last… and then I shall claim the Plunderer’s Legacy!’

For Kang Yuseong, it was merely… the final obstacle to obtaining the Plunderer’s Legacy.

If an obstacle blocks his path, he breaks through it.

That was Kang Yuseong’s iron rule!

Thwack—

Kang Yuseong pushed off the ground, soaring into the air.

Whoosh—

The sword in his hand was emitting a furious roar.