Chapter 188 – Landmark (1)

A man with long hair picked up the morning paper while savoring a cup of faintly aromatic coffee.

As always, the newspaper was filled with news about hunters.

An article caught his eye. Seeing it, the man’s lips curled into a smile.

“Korea Monster.”

The man stroked his stubbly chin.

The man, Danny McGuire, rolled a sip of coffee over his tongue.

The Union was, by name and in reality, the top hunter clan. They utilized fissures in gates that were unknown to the public.

They massacred the inhabitants of other dimensions. The residents they slaughtered were all classified as monsters, providing a vast amount of experience and granting them an unparalleled leveling advantage.

Not only that, but they also acquired artifacts hidden in these other worlds and special talismans given as rewards. On top of that came various treasures and gold coins as a bonus.

Everyone wanted to join this clan. But not just anyone could get in.

They selected hunters who could easily assimilate, were powerful, and could be trusted.

It was, quite literally, the ultimate collective.

But even for the ultimate collective, some things were unavoidable.

Factions.

Currently, Danny’s faction was severely lacking in talent compared to the others. That was why, despite being Italian, he had been pushed to the Asian branch.

It was the same for his other friends.

Talent was precious. Especially a monster capable of hunting a 6-star monster alone.

Danny recalled what the Korea Monster had said to him.

“Just because other people’s dogs like being on a leash doesn’t mean I will. Right?”

How many people could openly provoke him, one of the world’s top 10 ranked hunters?

In truth, it was Danny who had incited Ralph.

Ralph had a strong competitive streak.

Perhaps it was because he could never surpass his older brother, who was called humanity’s strongest. In any case, to Danny, Ralph was a very convenient measure of combat prowess.

He had even pitted Kimura, the most recent addition to the Asian branch, against Ralph.

Their combat abilities were similar, but Kimura was slowly being pushed back.

It made sense; Ralph’s strength stat was 99. He was in the realm of superhumans. Thanks to that, even Kimura was overwhelmed by his brute force. But the Korea Monster was different.

He had responded to Ralph’s provocation as if he wasn’t interested, then seized on a pretext to make a surprise move and swiftly subdued him.

‘Hunting, PvP, judgment. All top class.’

There were people who were good at hunting but lacked PvP skills.

No matter how many of the best hunters gathered in the Union, someone who was the best in every aspect was rare.

Extremely satisfied with the outcome of the fight, Danny had intervened.

The agitated Ralph had been panting and had even drawn his weapon, but he couldn’t ignore Danny’s words.

No matter how strong his brother was, no one would provoke a ranker standing right in front of them.

Except for one person.

“Next time, step up yourself.”

The words the Korea Monster had muttered under his breath as he passed him.

Not only was his combat power high, but his situational awareness was also sharp. Moreover, he was bold enough to not think much of his opponent being a ranker.

No matter how talented a rookie hunter was, they couldn’t surpass a veteran.

Seeing the Korea Monster completely unfazed despite knowing this was incredibly satisfying.

‘Jerina Brown lacks the qualities of a top-tier hunter, and Ralph is a thug. Kimura is useful, but he’s too timid and doesn’t trust others.’

The Korea Monster was the first genuine hunter he had seen in a long time. Could he bring such a person into his fold?

There was no need to even think about it.

He could do it.

The public used the expression “ranked 10th,” but excluding Ian Kruger, the power difference among rankers was minimal.

“I might have to go to Korea.”

Because of his clumsy test, he had earned the Korea Monster’s disapproval.

Thanks to that, the man hadn’t confirmed his intention to join the Union.

He was just keeping one foot in the door.

Of course, it wasn’t that he had no intention of joining the Union at all.

If he had no intention of joining, he wouldn’t have agreed to the meeting in the first place. Acting like he might or might not join was just him testing the waters.

Danny could tell. Because he too was a wolf, not a dog.

The Korea Monster was the real deal.

People might dismiss it as a small piece of land in Asia, but there was no rule saying a genius couldn’t emerge from there.

He knew his own worth well and was choosing the faction within the Union Hunters that could offer him the best treatment.

It was a relief that he still had priority in recruiting him.

‘First, I need to stop Kruger and show my trustworthiness.’

Ralph Kruger was a loser who hated being compared to his brother, but Ian Kruger was different.

And surprisingly, Ian cared for his younger brother, Ralph.

It was obvious he wouldn’t be able to contain his fiery temper and would charge into Korea.

Danny picked up the phone.

“Hey, it’s me. There’s someone I need you to monitor.”

As he spoke, Danny’s brow furrowed slightly.

As expected, Ralph had boarded a plane to the US to meet his brother. But the Korea Monster was different.

“Thailand? Not Korea?”

* * *

“Sawasdee krap. Khob khun krap.”

“Hoo…”

“You like it?”

“Seriously, to think I have to come all the way here just to see the Hero’s sorry face.”

Hyunbin and Olivier met in the middle of a tourist spot in Thailand.

Both were dressed in Thai clothing, but their exotic looks couldn’t help but attract the attention of the locals.

Hyunbin’s well-built physique naturally drew eyes, while Olivier possessed a captivating sensuality that somehow commanded attention.

Elder Succubi naturally secrete hormones that entice the opposite sex. Of course, from Hyunbin’s perspective, it was a laughable notion.

“Hey now. What’s with the attitude? Back in the other world, you used to sneak over at night. Just like a succubus.”

“I-I was trying to ambush you! I was going to finish you off while you were sleeping, but who knew the Hero was such a light sleeper!”

“Oh, right. About that, I can finally say this now. What kind of person trying to launch a surprise attack at night douses themselves in that much perfume?”

“Eh…”

“There was no way I wouldn’t have known.”

Hearing Hyunbin’s words, Olivier’s eyes trembled in real time.

All this time, she had thought the only reason her ambushes failed was because the Hero was just that perceptive.

“Why didn’t you say anything!”

“Are you crazy? Why would I tell my enemy?”

Olivier shouted resentfully, but what was done was done.

“Let’s go to war again!”

“You sure about that?”

Hyunbin clenched his fists, got into a stance, and swayed his upper body as he bounced on his feet.

Seeing this, Olivier gulped, then crossed her arms and turned her head away.

It seemed like one punch would be enough to keep her from getting back up.

“Anyway, what is that thing?”

“What thing?”

“Don’t play dumb! I’m talking about that weird thing! Seriously, after all the trouble I went through to find it, you can at least tell me!”

Hyunbin knew well that Olivier had gone through a lot of trouble.

To be honest, it was a bit surprising.

He hadn’t expected her to find it so quickly.

“It’s a dungeon, a dungeon.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. How is that a dungeon? No monsters came out, and there was no reaction. It was like it was there, but not there. But it was definitely present.”

She could sense it, but she couldn’t see it.

Olivier had doubted herself several times, wondering if she was mistaken.

All Hyunbin had told her was the irresponsible line, “I’m sure you can find it.”

Naturally, it was so out of the blue that she had no idea what she was supposed to be looking for.

Perhaps she had found it out of sheer stubbornness.

She searched every point Hyunbin had given her.

Half out of complaint, half for sightseeing.

While admiring the surrounding scenery, she had felt an alien energy.

And now, she was standing in that very place.

“As expected, it works perfectly.”

“Is this it?”

“Yeah, this is it. Good job.”

Hyunbin smiled with satisfaction.

“Well, since you found it, I guess I should be honest with you.”

“It’s not a dungeon, is it?”

Even Olivier had never seen a space like this before.

“But this is something I can tell you, but it’s a secret you can’t tell that Demon King fellow…”

“…?”

“It’s a secret the Demon King can’t know. Can you keep it?”

“Th-That’s…”

Olivier hesitated for a moment, looking flustered.

Finding her reaction amusing, Hyunbin’s lips curved upwards.

Seeing him smile, Olivier’s fine brow furrowed, and she flared up.

“I’ve already reported everything! And I’ll continue to report every single detail from now on!”

“Yeah, go ahead and report it all.”

Hyunbin said, extending his hand forward.

Before them was the emerald-hued temple, bustling with countless Thais and tourists.

As Hyunbin stretched out his hand, a ripple appeared in the empty air. Like a wave in water.

“Huh…?”

Olivier’s eyes widened.

A bright golden light flashed for an instant, and only then did the alien space enveloping the tourist site become visible.

“See, it’s a dungeon.”

“How…?”

Olivier couldn’t hide her bewilderment.

The dungeons she knew were spaces created after a gate appeared.

But there had been no gate phenomenon. No, to be precise, a system field invisible to the tourists wandering around was now unfolding.

– You have entered the Bangkok Kingdom Landmark.

“What is this…”

“What do you think? It’s a Landmark Dungeon.”

A dungeon invisible to the eyes of ordinary people. No, more accurately, as soon as Hyunbin arrived, the dungeon opened up as if it had been waiting.

“Wh-Where are you going?”

“Now that we’ve found it, we obviously have to go in.”

Hyunbin casually entered the dungeon.

A clueless Olivier followed behind him.

Everything was incomprehensible.

This was the first time she had ever seen or heard of such a thing.

“You know that Book of Knowledge I received from the goddess.”

A book in which everything she was involved with was recorded. No, to be precise, it was a massive repository of data.

“Don’t tell me it’s some kind of Akashic Records… type of setting, is it?”

To Olivier’s words, Hyunbin replied firmly.

“It’s not some cliché setting like that. It contains all the knowledge the goddess gained while running this world…”

“That’s what people in the world decided to call the Akashic Records.”

“No! This is its own unique setting.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever you say.”

Seeing Olivier’s frosty expression, Hyunbin wrinkled his nose threateningly.

Olivier sighed.

“So, what are you going to do here with the information you found in the Book of Knowledge?”

“According to the info in the Aka—I mean, the Book of Knowledge.”

“Just call it whatever’s easier.”

At Olivier’s cold remark, Hyunbin put on a thick-skinned face and continued.

“The yearning that forms the core of a gate. It creates a dimension and opens another path.”

That was the currently known condition for a gate’s appearance.

“Once a gate opens safely and is maintained for a certain period, a dungeon field is generated.”

When a dungeon field begins to form, monsters that spread a magical magnetic field must be eliminated to prevent the area from expanding.

If not, the dungeon field grows progressively larger, eventually taking over even living spaces.

“There’s only one reason a Landmark Dungeon appears. To give trials and to see if a person is worthy of receiving an achievement.”

“Why would it do that…”

Olivier muttered under her breath.

Behind the Hero’s broad back, she saw something ominous.

For a moment, Olivier hesitated. Then she opened her lips.

“Don’t you think… you’re strong enough already?”

The Hero was strong.

He had been in the previous world, and he was overwhelmingly strong in this one too.

But being overwhelmingly strong hadn’t made him happy.

Because of the power he possessed, and because of the responsibility that came with it, he had been sacrificed time and again.

Even now, he was steadfastly moving toward his goal.

He didn’t have some grand wish.

He was the kind of person who was satisfied with just enough power to protect those around him.

“Do you need to get even stronger?”

Olivier asked again.

“Hero. What are you worried about? What do you know?”

Something was strange about the Hero.

Even now, when he was already overwhelmingly strong, he was worried about something.

As his long-time enemy, Olivier could feel it.

“Hey, what are you getting wrong?”

The Hero looked at Olivier’s face and scoffed.

“Money is better the more you have, buildings make you happier the more you own. And strength is better the stronger you are.”

“…”

– Entering the monster zone. The trial will now begin.

A system message popped up.

A dungeon unfolding against the backdrop of tourists sightseeing at the Thai royal palace.

Hyunbin pulled a two-handed sword from his inventory.

*Thud, thud-thud!*

From within the palace, dark monsters began to walk forth to test the ruling class.

“But isn’t party play essential in a place like this?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“Then why are you alone…”

“Why am I alone?”

“…?”

“You’re here.”

“You’re insane…”

Olivier’s lips trembled as she watched the elephants charging toward them, brandishing their tusks.