Chapter 65 – Competitive Dungeon Raid (2)

The hunt was going smoothly.

“Ji-hoon, I think you could probably take on the boss by yourself.”

Just as the Tushin Guild hunter said, it seemed Seol Ji-hoon could indeed defeat the boss alone.

After all, a paladin was the natural enemy of the undead.

It almost felt as if the dungeon had been set up with undead monsters specifically for Tushin’s victory.

“Just in case, how about you go on ahead and take the boss?”

“Besides, there’s no way Hunter Seol would be in any danger in an undead dungeon.”

With the ultimate defense and the Prayer of Healing, what was there to fear?

“There won’t be any other teams that have reached the boss faster than us.”

No one disagreed with Seol Ji-hoon’s words. Except for a few people.

“Still, it’s better to check…”

The one who said that was Party Leader Baek Ju-hwan.

Seeing him, the other guild members smirked.

He was a man on the verge of being expelled after having lost bosses to Lee Hyunbin several times already.

“Does he think we’re on the same level as Party Leader Baek Ju-hwan?”

Baek Ju-hwan was frustrated but couldn’t voice any objections.

“This dungeon is quite important, so I’ll go check ahead.”

“Come on, I’m telling you, no team could have gotten here faster than us.”

Seol Ji-hoon smiled as he split from the main group and moved on his own.

He wasn’t moving ahead because of what Party Leader Baek Ju-hwan had said.

He was simply uncomfortable.

Having to wear a fake smile.

Seol Ji-hoon cast a blessing of light upon his body.

The radiant holy power surged like living arrows, pouring down on the surrounding undead.

*Fwaah, fwaaah!*

Struck by the holy power, the Death Knights melted away like ice cream in the sun.

Any other hunter would have been flabbergasted by the sight.

A Death Knight was, by all accounts, an upper-mid-tier monster. Eradicating such a creature so easily was something only Seol Ji-hoon could do.

‘Is this it?’

Seol Ji-hoon arrived at what he presumed to be the boss room without much difficulty.

The door was, at a glance, on a different scale from the others.

He debated whether to enter the boss room alone or wait for his party.

‘They’re useless anyway.’

This wasn’t just any place; it was a place where he held an overwhelming advantage in terms of type matchup.

It would be a good opportunity to display his prowess here.

“…!”

In that moment, Seol Ji-hoon couldn’t believe his eyes.

The boss room door was open.

On the off chance, he stepped inside the room.

“You made it?”

The scene was like the aftermath of a storm.

The boss room, which resembled a throne room, was filled with the corpses of monsters.

Sitting on the throne was Lee Hyunbin.

At his feet lay a Lich, presumably the boss monster.

‘How?’

That was the first thought that entered Seol Ji-hoon’s mind.

Seeing him alone in the throne room, it seemed he had come without his main force.

‘Then he took down this many by himself?’

Death Knights were beings who were once knights in life, now turned into monsters.

Their strength varied, mirroring their combat prowess in life, which was a drawback, but they were on a different level from ordinary monsters.

That was why the scene before him was hard to believe.

Did Lee Hyunbin possess holy power?

No. Then how?

“I haven’t killed the boss yet.”

“…?”

Lee Hyunbin pointed his finger at the Lich.

Just as he said, the boss wasn’t dead yet.

It was incomprehensible.

“Why do you think I haven’t killed it?”

This was unexpected.

He had naturally assumed Tushin would claim the boss.

The profit from hunting a boss monster. And the prestige.

Most importantly, the massive amount of experience gained as a bonus.

Those were things far too sweet to pass up.

Seol Ji-hoon looked at Lee Hyunbin.

He couldn’t tell what he was thinking.

Seeing his overflowing composure, Seol Ji-hoon thought.

‘There’s a reason he hasn’t delivered the final blow.’

Of course there was.

As it was, a single skill, or even just a few critical strikes with a sword, would be enough to finish off the boss.

In other words, Lee Hyunbin didn’t want the dungeon to close just yet.

“I’m not sure…”

Seol Ji-hoon recalled the words Lee Hyunbin had said when he first saw him.

He had been waiting for him to arrive.

He had a purpose.

“I have something I’m curious about.”

Lee Hyunbin smiled slyly.

“Are you a Villain too?”

***

He was a little later than I expected.

I thought he would have arrived sooner.

“What do you mean by that? A Villain?”

I channeled mana into Sword #2.

The energy of ether coated the blade, making it glow brightly.

I plunged it straight into the Lich’s back.

The Lich thrashed about, letting out a scream like deflating air.

“It’ll be dead soon. But it’s still alive for now.”

“Don’t tell me you left it alive just to show off? You’re lucky it was me who showed up. Anyone else might have ‘stolen’ the kill.”

Steal. It meant exactly what it sounded like: snatching someone else’s achievement.

“Go ahead.”

“Pardon…?”

“Steal it.”

Leaving Sword #2 embedded in the Lich, I drew Sword #1.

“I set the stage for you.”

He wouldn’t fail to understand what I meant.

Seol Ji-hoon tilted his head.

“May I ask if you’re trying to pick a fight with me right now?”

He’s dumber than I thought.

“My apologies. It’s just been so long since someone has tried to pick a fight with me.”

Seol Ji-hoon smiled. His eyes glinted like a predator’s.

The Seol Ji-hoon who had been feigning the persona of a down-to-earth young man from the moment he appeared was beginning to show his true colors.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t quite understand…”

“What?”

“What’s your reason for deliberately giving up the boss?”

Smiling? Giving up?

“Are you a Villain?”

Seol Ji-hoon drew a sword from his inventory. The weapon looked like a lightsaber.

The exclusive weapon of S-rank Seol Ji-hoon. Twin Driver.

“If I really were a Villain.”

Seol Ji-hoon walked slowly toward me.

“Shouldn’t you be running away?”

He’s more than eager to fight.

This guy has to be a Villain. My gut is telling me so.

Even if he wasn’t, I wanted to test him.

Just how strong was an S-rank Villain? How big was the gap between us?

Without stopping, he walked toward me with a steady gait. Then, in an instant, *thump*, he lunged.

*Clang! Szzzzk!*

The grating shriek of sword against sword rang out. Simultaneously, ether reacting to the mana sparked like a welding torch.

The hand not holding the sword swung through the air.

A shield of light shot toward me from the side.

I immediately broke away from Seol Ji-hoon and dodged.

“Wow, your reaction time is really good.”

Seol Ji-hoon said, his tone like a homeroom teacher praising an elementary school student.

It was a kindness that could make you melt.

As if testing me, he raised his hand.

The shield of light, obeying its master’s will, pulsed with intense light and flew toward me.

I imbued my sword with a copious amount of mana and struck the shield of light.

*Thwack!*

A stinging sensation shot through my wrist. At the same time, the shield didn’t break but continued to press down on me.

I quickly retracted my sword and dodged to the side.

In no time, several shields of light had surrounded Seol Ji-hoon, as if guarding him.

Seeing me cornered, Seol Ji-hoon smiled leisurely.

“What are you doing? Didn’t you want to have a go?”

“Yeah.”

“Did you provoke me just to show me you running away?”

He’s really enjoying this.

His unique skill, Aegis, is certainly a huge pain.

The bizarre feeling of it absorbing my attack. More importantly, he could summon multiple shields without showing any signs of strain.

Looks like he didn’t get his S-rank just by collecting cards.

“Are you a hard-liner or a moderate?”

“…!”

For the first time, Seol Ji-hoon’s face hardened slightly.

Is he reacting because I mentioned a term they use amongst themselves?

“How’s the Company Man doing?”

This guy is on the hard-line side.

“To be honest, I thought there was something about you. Taking down all those Death Knights by yourself and even beating the boss.”

Seol Ji-hoon raised his hand. The shields of light closed in on me from all sides, as if to crush me.

“What the hell is your goal?”

“My goal?”

“Yeah, your goal.”

The Villains who kept offering sacrifices to summon something.

Before, I thought their goal was to summon the Earth Dragon.

Indeed, if it weren’t for me, the damage from the Earth Dragon would have been immense. But was that really their final objective?

“My goal is quite simple. To protect people, and to one day create a peaceful world without gates.”

Look at this guy.

He was acting the part of a righteous and diligent young man with a completely straight face. But his eyes told a different story.

They were cold, lifeless, sharp, and cunning.

“What exactly do you want to hear? Team Leader Lee Hyunbin of Hanul?”

‘This guy is being cautious.’

Seol Ji-hoon asked with a natural smile.

It was common knowledge that recording was impossible inside dungeons. So, it wouldn’t matter if he revealed his identity.

But this guy was on guard.

‘Did information about the Kim Ki-moon incident leak?’

In any case, my suspicions had already solidified.

“You shouldn’t play pranks like this. Honestly, everyone is on edge because of what you just did to the Tushin Guild.”

Seol Ji-hoon raised his hand to dismiss the Aegis skill.

He was trying to pass this off as a mere incident.

A good idea. He knew that dragging this situation out would put him in a difficult position.

But what can you do? I have no intention of ending it like this.

*Crack! Pshk!*

My sword cut through the Aegis, which shattered and fell to the floor like shards of glass.

Seol Ji-hoon’s pupils dilated.

No need to clean up after yourself. What are you trying to put away?

“Looks like our Company Man didn’t tell you.”

Round two begins now.

“You shouldn’t judge me by your standards.”

*Crack!*

My low kick slammed into Seol Ji-hoon’s shin.

“Keuk!”

Seeing Seol Ji-hoon’s previously smooth face crumple like paper was exhilarating.

He staggered backward.

I get it. The pain must feel unfamiliar.

“You don’t get hit much hiding behind that shield, so is this new to you?”

*Thwack!*

Struck by a one-two punch, Seol Ji-hoon stumbled.

“Now, no. This is…!”

“What is?”

“Breaking my Aegis is one thing.”

He was flustered, perhaps because it was the first time his skill had been broken.

“It just looked like you threw a punch, but the pain…!”

When a hunter awakens, they are linked to the system. Mana stones are naturally generated.

The HP system I keep mentioning. When you take a hit, damage is deducted. That’s common sense.

Those with high HP don’t even feel pain.

“You guys must not get along very well. Didn’t share your little secrets with each other?”

It wasn’t for nothing that the Company Man got knocked out after I hit him.

The HP system isn’t absolute. It only deducts what exists within the scope of perception.

Just because reality became like a game, do they think it’s *actually* a game?

To block my charge, Seol Ji-hoon summoned Aegis again in front of him.

I wrapped my sword with the Soul Breaker skill and unleashed it.

*Crash!*

“…!”

Seol Ji-hoon witnessed his absolute barrier shatter once again.

I swung my sword at his neck. Seol Ji-hoon barely managed to block my attack.

With my left hand, I grabbed his arm.

Making his own arm obstruct his sword.

*Whack!*

I spun halfway and struck Seol Ji-hoon’s head with an elbow blow.

This will be the decisive hit.

“Heup…!”

Seol Ji-hoon didn’t fall. But he was leaning against the wall, gritting his teeth.

Your expression looks much better now.

He probably couldn’t understand it.

Getting beaten so one-sidedly by some guy who appeared out of nowhere without using any grand skills.

Eleven years.

For eleven long years, he had been operating with the benefits of the system.

I don’t know how many fights he’s been in, but he’s never rolled around in a field of corpses like I have.

-Dungeon Boss, Lich, has been defeated.

A message suddenly appeared before my eyes.

Looking over to where I had left the sword, the Lich was no longer thrashing.

Ah, I wasn’t paying enough attention to it.

“Huh, what? The boss is already dead?”

Just then, I saw people entering the boss room.

The Tushin Guild.

And they were now witnessing the standoff between me and Seol Ji-hoon.

“Team Leader!”

At that moment, our guild members also arrived safely in the boss room.

Seeing me confronting the Tushin members alone, Kim Tae-yang and Kim In-ho’s eyes lit up with fire.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

“What? Kim In-ho, you bastard. After switching guilds like a bat, you’re glaring at your seniors? You better fix those eyes.”

“It’s been ages since I joined the Hanul Guild. Are you trying to pull rank on me now?”

“What? Has this bastard lost his mind?”

A war of nerves between the guilds.

Seol Ji-hoon wiped his mouth.

His lip was split from where I had hit him.

“It’s nothing, please don’t make a scene.”

“Hunter Seol. Were you just attacked by those bastards…”

“No. Hunter Lee Hyunbin defeated the boss a long time ago.”

“…!”

Realizing that Hanul had taken the boss, a look of bewilderment spread across the faces of the Tushin Guild members.

From the looks of it, it must have seemed like I was picking a fight after they had lost the boss to Seol Ji-hoon.

“Hunter Lee Hyunbin is so strong, I just asked for a little spar.”

That’s what Seol Ji-hoon said.

It would be hard for him to admit he’d been beaten one-sidedly by me.

“Thank you for accepting my unreasonable request.”

In a flash, Seol Ji-hoon had reverted to the down-to-earth young man.

The traces of my hits had already vanished, thanks to his innate holy power.

“And please, don’t get any strange ideas. The relationship between Tushin and Hanul is already tense enough as it is.”

A statement that was ambiguously both a threat and a suggestion.

“In my opinion, Tushin…”

I responded clearly to his vague words.

“I doubt they’re unaware of who you really are.”

Hearing my words, a crack formed on Seol Ji-hoon’s face in the shape of a smile.

“Congratulations on killing the boss. It looks like quite a lot of items dropped.”

Instead of answering, Seol Ji-hoon said that.

I have good instincts.

And now, I think I understand why I disliked the Tushin Guild from the very beginning.