Chapter 72

Near Busan, the D-321 Dungeon.

It had only been a short while since a strange phenomenon occurred in this place, classified as a B-grade Dungeon.

*Boom!*

A thunderous impact reverberated throughout the entire dungeon.

To enter and hunt in a B-grade Dungeon meant one’s skills were, to some extent, proven.

In other words, the Hunters who entered and hunted here possessed exceptional skill and strong pride.

Therefore, they were not easily swayed by the prowess or achievements of others.

Yet, a completely different scene was unfolding here now.

*Boom!*

A single man.

The movements of one man, wielding two iron axes, had completely captured the attention of all the Hunters in D-321 Dungeon.

As word spread, Hunters stopped what they were doing and flocked to see the man.

And they froze in place, unable to move.

A fight.

They, too, were seasoned warriors, hardened by countless battles.

But they had never seen or heard of a fight like this in their lives.

It wasn’t a Hunter hunting prey; it was like two wild beasts lunging at each other, intent on killing.

However, who was stronger was already decided.

*Thwack!*

*Crunch!*

*Splat!*

The twin axes in the man’s hands, like the sharp fangs of a beast, deeply gouged into the enemy’s neck, severing tendons and tearing through blood vessels in an instant.

“Kroooaaang!”

The creature, struck down by the twin axes that carved through the air, was a monster named Puwag, renowned for its might even within B-grade Dungeons.

It resembled a toad, but its body was enormous, and the paralyzing venom it exuded was so potent it made Hunters tremble when facing it.

Moreover, its resilience and attack power were beyond imagination; even veteran Hunters would tense up upon encountering a Puwag. Its hide was so tough that blades barely penetrated it.

Yet, that Puwag was now being torn apart.

The twin axes wielded by the massive, muscle-bound man had long since ripped through Puwag’s hide, severed its blood vessels, and dug into its flesh, causing it to lose its will to fight.

*Whirring!*

*Crunch!*

As the gleaming axe blades embedded themselves in Puwag’s neck, a torrent of crimson fluid burst forth. The man was drenched in the fluid, as if he had bathed in it, but he paid it no mind and continued disassembling the Puwag.

*Crunch! Crack! Snap!*

Puwag had already lost its combat capabilities and was a step closer to death.

‘My god…!’

What astonished the Hunters wasn’t *how* he handled the Puwag.

Beside him lay several already dismembered monsters, formidable creatures that were second to none in this B-grade Dungeon.

Yet, the man had slaughtered them all by himself.

Even an S-rank Hunter would find it difficult to display such a sight, but the man was doing it with complete composure.

At this level, he could be considered an individual with skills comparable to the special Hunters cultivated by major Guilds.

*Thump—*

In the interim, Puwag collapsed, completely dismembered. All that remained were useless bones and a small amount of flesh attached to them.

“Hmm.”

The man calmly looked down at the Puwag.

He reached out, gathered the monster’s organs and eyeballs, then turned and walked away.

The Hunters wore astonished expressions as they watched him.

Ignoring their gazes, the man strode across the dungeon and departed.

As he vanished, the Hunters unconsciously let out sighs of relief.

Only then could they properly observe the monsters he had caught.

The corpses of Puwag, a gigantic snake-like monster called Garakis, and Blood Tooth, a pack-hunting wolf, lay scattered.

‘What a terrifying man!’

These were formidable monsters that no one would dare face alone.

And the man had single-handedly confronted them, extracting only their essence.

In truth, this wasn’t the first time the man had appeared near Busan.

He was already famous as a Busan specialty, and rumors circulated that major Guilds were trying to recruit him.

The man’s name was Gil Hyeok-jun.

His nickname: The Ice Butcher.

His legend, that he would slaughter monsters with a calm, indifferent expression and then simply disappear, had manifested itself right here in the D-321 Dungeon.

Amidst the murmuring Hunters, someone watched the direction Gil Hyeok-jun had disappeared with a smile.

‘Found him. Gil Hyeok-jun.’

The figure, whose hood was pulled low, was none other than Kang Yuseong.

He had finally found Gil Hyeok-jun.

* * * * *

Finding Gil Hyeok-jun was, in fact, no ordinary feat.

However, for Kang Yuseong, who knew where Gil Hyeok-jun had begun to make a name for himself, it wasn’t too difficult.

He was a Busan specialty, and while Kang Yuseong didn’t know the exact timing, he generally assumed that Gil Hyeok-jun would be gaining fame around this period.

‘As expected, he’s incredible.’

Before approaching Gil Hyeok-jun, Kang Yuseong wanted to witness his current skill.

And he realized, with a bitter smile, that he had unconsciously clenched his fists.

Gil Hyeok-jun was, indeed, an incredibly skilled individual.

Kang Yuseong didn’t truly know how Gil Hyeok-jun had lived his life.

All he knew was that Gil Hyeok-jun, who had made a name for himself in the southern regions, became connected with Kang Yuseong for some reason, and from then on, Gil Hyeok-jun became Kang Yuseong’s man.

But Gil Hyeok-jun was someone more trustworthy than anyone else.

To put it another way, he was someone you could trust to guard your back even in critical battles.

And as if to repay Kang Yuseong’s trust, Gil Hyeok-jun had proven himself amply in various battles.

Not only in raids, but even more so in fierce power struggles where lives were taken.

That was why Kang Yuseong decided to recruit him.

The massive power struggles that would unfold in earnest after the Second Shock would be absolutely impossible to handle with the current organization. And he couldn’t simply borrow the power of large Guilds.

An enormous wave would soon crash upon them, one that even those Guilds wouldn’t be able to properly withstand.

South Korea’s foundations had already been completely shaken by the Mega Shock.

The government couldn’t provide adequate support, resulting in a significantly smaller number of Hunters compared to other countries, and their quality also lagged behind.

In such a situation, another Second Shock would inflict damage that even major Guilds couldn’t ignore.

‘Save yourselves.’

In the past, these words had spread like wildfire.

Once born in South Korea, in times of chaos, no one could protect them.

The only thing to rely on was one’s own two hands.

No matter how much Kang Yuseong, having regressed to the past, tried to alter the minor currents, he couldn’t defy the main flow.

That much was clear from the events so far.

China, Japan, and Russia still coveted South Korea, and North Korea was no different.

Even if Kang Yuseong had slightly altered the flow, their ambitions would not have disappeared.

And the Second Shock was also one of the inevitable events.

Kang Yuseong, as he was now, could not stop it.

Therefore, he had no choice but to save himself.

Accumulate funds, discover talents, and acquire artifacts.

So far, things had proceeded smoothly.

No one, even if they had regressed, could have achieved better results than Kang Yuseong.

Now was the time when he needed a sharp spear to pierce the enemy’s heart and a sturdy shield to block their attacks.

He had already acquired one of those spears.

Kim Do-jin, the Conductor of Flames.

But one was not enough.

‘Gil Hyeok-jun.’

The person who knew his nature best was none other than Kang Yuseong.

So, he knew just how difficult it would be to acquire Gil Hyeok-jun.

But he couldn’t give up on recruiting him.

If he were to turn into an enemy…

The thought itself was horrifying.

*Thump, thump.*

He followed Gil Hyeok-jun.

If his calculations were correct, there was only one point he could exploit right now.

That was the very point that had connected them in his past life.

However, at this point in time, frankly, the chances were fifty-fifty.

What was possible back then might be impossible now.

After selling the monster byproducts from the dungeon at the auction house, Gil Hyeok-jun moved on somewhere else. Was he heading to a bar after a grueling day of axe-wielding?

Kang Yuseong shook his head.

Gil Hyeok-jun didn’t drink.

He needed every single penny right now.

However, Kang Yuseong knew well that the money he was saving now wouldn’t be of much help. If money could have solved his problems, he wouldn’t have come to Kang Yuseong in the past.

The next place Gil Hyeok-jun headed was a university hospital in Busan.

‘Hmm…’

Kang Yuseong, knowing the reason, gazed intently at his retreating figure.

The reason Gil Hyeok-jun had no choice but to live as a butcher.

It lay right there.

After watching Gil Hyeok-jun enter the university hospital, Kang Yuseong turned his body.

Having confirmed the secret the beast was hiding, there was no need to go further.

Gil Hyeok-jun, this beast, had to be approached from this point.

He knew the strategy, and he knew what bait to throw.

But Kang Yuseong also knew all too well that the process would be extremely arduous.

‘No choice, I suppose.’

If he followed the same path as in the past, Gil Hyeok-jun would only encounter him years from now. But Gil Hyeok-jun was a talent Kang Yuseong needed immediately.

It would be foolish to ignore him when he knew the method.

Fishermen must cast more expensive, more plausible bait to catch bigger fish.

The same applied to Kang Yuseong now.

To reel in the big fish that was Gil Hyeok-jun, it was time to cast the appropriate bait.

Kang Yuseong let out a bitter smile.

Since he had decided to catch him, there was no reason to hesitate.

The next morning, Gil Hyeok-jun emerged from the university hospital.

Judging by his attire, it seemed he was off for another round of axe-wielding.

But someone stood in his path.

Gil Hyeok-jun, who stood nearly two meters tall, twitched his thick eyebrows.

“Mr. Gil Hyeok-jun?”

The man blocking his way was a slender individual, a little over one hundred eighty centimeters tall.

At first glance, he looked like he’d be pulverized by one of Gil Hyeok-jun’s punches, but the man blocking Gil Hyeok-jun showed no sign of intimidation.

“Move.”

Gil Hyeok-jun, who had been silently glaring at the man, uttered in a low voice.

It was a short word, but his tone carried a terrifyingly cold killing intent.

But the man merely smiled.

“Gil Ji-yeon. Your daughter… don’t you want to save her?”

Gil Hyeok-jun’s expression instantly twisted into a scowl, and an immense killing intent erupted.

“Do you… wish to die?”

However, the man remained completely unfazed by the terrifying killing intent.

Instead, he took a step forward and looked directly into Gil Hyeok-jun’s eyes.

“I will save her for you.”

Gil Hyeok-jun glared at the man, his eyes radiating a chilling frost.

And the man, too, calmly met his gaze.

*Shing—*

It was at that very moment that an axe was drawn into Gil Hyeok-jun’s hand.

The smile on the face of the man confronting him deepened.