A Hunter on Borrowed Time Keeps Surviving - Chapter 10

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 10.
“We’ve reached the Boss Chamber. Everyone, thank you for your hard work.”
At Min Hyungsik’s words, the party members relaxed their guard.
They lowered their weapons and opened their inventories, swapping their gear for a Mana Stone Mining Pickaxe.
‘What’s this?’
Kang Hoteel and Baek Gahyeon, watching from nearby, tilted their heads in confusion.
“Siul, let’s do our best today too.”
Park Dohyeon squeezed Siul’s shoulder, offering encouragement.
“I’ll be back shortly.”
Siul nodded calmly and entered the Boss Chamber alone.
Not a single person tried to stop him.
Instead, they waved at him with smiling faces.
“Why is only that person going in?”
“Right? Even Min Hyungsik, our team leader, would struggle to defeat a dungeon boss alone.”
While Baek Gahyeon and Kang Hoteel worried, Min Hyungsik’s team radiated a warm, cheerful atmosphere.
“How long do you think it’ll take this time?”
“Siul looked in great form today. I’ll bet he comes out in thirty minutes.”
“Then I’ll say twenty minutes!”
Their conversation carried an unspoken assumption: Siul would defeat the boss without fail.
The casual way they turned away and headed off to mine Mana Stones felt like an expression of unwavering trust in Siul.
“This is strange….”
Once Min Hyungsik’s team had dispersed, Kang Hoteel and Baek Gahyeon approached the Boss Chamber entrance and spoke in low voices.
“What’s going on here?”
“I don’t understand either. Why does everyone let only Kim Siul enter the Boss Chamber? And where does Kim Siul get that kind of confidence?”
The two of them looked back and forth between the Boss Chamber entrance and the direction Min Hyungsik’s team had gone, bewildered.
“The way they spoke—it sounded like they’ve done this many times before.”
As Kang Hoteel reasoned this out, Baek Gahyeon scrolled through data on the Dungeon-Exclusive Tablet and nodded slowly.
“Kim Siul’s mercenary activity records continue to overlap with this team’s runs. There’s definitely something behind it.”
Baek Gahyeon tucked the tablet away and narrowed his eyes.
“Let’s follow him. There’s no way to know otherwise.”
“Agreed.”
The two tightened the Concealer’s Necktie around their necks and slipped into the Boss Chamber entrance.
* * *
True to its place at the heart of the Tomb Fortress, the Boss Chamber took the form of a mausoleum.
Blue moonlight seeped through gaps in the shattered ceiling, and the fractured stone floor was littered with the remnants of ancient corpses.
And there, in the center of it all, sat a skull of commanding presence—mounted upon a skeletal horse.
‘That’s the boss.’
Siul fixed his eyes on the skull astride the bone-horse and heightened his vigilance.
More precisely, it was a mounted commander skeleton perched atop a skeletal structure shaped like a horse.
Its entire body was encased in plate armor, and where an empty skull might have sat inside the helmet, a blue spirit-flame flickered with malevolent intensity.
The long greatsword it gripped also shimmered with blue fire—even a glancing touch would sear flesh clean away.
‘The boss is formidable, but the surroundings are just as grim.’
Around the commander skeleton, roughly a hundred skeleton soldiers stood in formation.
The front line with shields, the middle rank with spears, and the rear guard with bows.
It looked less like a mindless swarm of monsters and more like an actual military regiment.
【Continuous Quest Triggered!】
【Eliminate Life-Threatening Hazards】
Directly eliminate obstacles that pose a threat to life.
Hazard Rating of Obstacles: 10
Success Reward: 3 Level-Up Points
‘If I clear this hunt, I’ll rank up.’
His Awakening Grade would rise from C-rank to B-rank.
Siul burned with resolve and raised both weapons in his hands.
In his left hand, the Tracker’s Blade; in his right, the B-rank Longsword.
“Come on then, you bone-pile bastards.”
The moment the provocation left his lips, the skeleton soldier regiment moved as one.
“Krraaaaaahhh!!”
Shields locked into formation and spear-tips thrust skyward in unison.
‘No matter how many there are, I only need to kill the boss. I’ll carve a path and take him down before he knows what’s happening.’
With cold eyes fixed on the commander skeleton, Siul charged forward.
Whoosh!
The Tracker’s Blade pierced straight through the lead skeleton soldier.
In the same motion, he swept the longsword and severed the neck of another creature charging from the side.
The battle unfolded with brutal speed.
Siul fought with practiced efficiency, his eyes never leaving the commander skeleton.
“Fighting alone—impressive.”
Behind a stone pillar in the corner of the Boss Chamber.
Kang Hoteel and Baek Gahyeon, both in a state of invisibility, observed Siul’s combat with cold precision.
“His movements aren’t bad,” Baek Gahyeon murmured.
“True enough. But…”
Kang Hoteel’s gaze tracked the Tracker’s Blade as it danced through the air.
“It’s the equipment carrying him.”
“I agree. His decision-making in combat is sharp, but the execution itself lacks that cutting edge.”
The moment their cold assessment fell, the commander skeleton spurred its bone steed forward.
The skeletal horse thrust against the ground, accelerating with a terrible screech, and the commander raised its greatsword in a wide, devastating arc.
Siul tried to dodge quickly enough.
Clang—!
“Ugh—!”
The commander skeleton’s blade raked across Siul’s ribs.
Blood sprayed in alarming quantities.
Siul clutched his side and rolled across the floor.
Kang Hoteel, watching the scene, spoke with finality.
“His limit.”
Baek Gahyeon shared the same thought.
‘Is that truly the extent of his ability?’
Disappointment settled over him.
He showed decent resolve, but not enough to warrant entering the Boss Chamber alone while leaving his allies behind.
“Save him. If we let him die here, any clues connected to that rift disappear with him.”
“I’ll handle it, senior. Stay here.”
Baek Gahyeon moved to deactivate his invisibility, hand reaching for his Concealer’s Necktie.
Then he froze.
‘…What is that?’
Both Kang Hoteel and Baek Gahyeon’s faces went rigid.
Through the ranks of skeleton soldiers, Siul was rising to his feet.
What was truly extraordinary was that his body appeared completely unmarked.
‘The wound?’
The torn flesh was knitting itself back together.
What had moments before been a body hemorrhaging dangerously now bore not a trace of blood.
‘What just happened?’
In mere seconds, Siul had returned to his original, uninjured state.
Kang Hoteel’s eyes widened in shock.
“Rapid Healing?”
Baek Gahyeon turned to him at those words.
“You’re saying that was healing?”
“I don’t believe it either, but what else could it be?”
“…I have no idea.”
This Kim Siul must possess an ability to rapidly heal his body.
It was the only explanation for the extraordinary recovery they’d just witnessed.
Between the two of them, it was the only hypothesis their imagination could construct.
The thought of true immortality hadn’t crossed their minds.
“Remarkable. I’ve encountered hunters with various healing affinities over the years, but I’ve never seen anyone restore their body so quickly—especially from a wound that severe.”
That astonishment belonged to more than just the two of them.
The skeleton soldiers, too, faltered in confusion, their movements stuttering to a halt, and even the commander skeleton’s ethereal blue flame wavered within its helm.
It was in that moment.
“Thank you for the opening.”
His voice was calm, almost gentle.
And immediately, a short blade extended from his fingertips.
Whoosh!
The Tracker’s Blade embedded itself precisely in the center of the commander skeleton’s helm.
Neither the soldiers’ shields nor their swords mattered against an enemy caught unaware.
The blue flames inside the helmet extinguished, and both horse and rider collapsed.
Thud!
As the Commander Skeleton’s body struck the floor, the entire Boss Chamber fell silent.
Kang Hoteel and Baek Gahyeon found their voices caught in their throats.
【Quest Success!】
【You have brilliantly eliminated a life-threatening enemy by exploiting its weakness.】
【You receive 3 Level-Up Points as a reward.】
【Awakening Grade Rise Condition Met!】
【Having reached 10 Level-Up Points, your Awakening Grade will now rise.】
Messages flooded Siul’s vision in succession.
‘Done.’
Siul lowered his weapon, a smile on his face.
He welcomed the transformation that would come to him with quiet joy.
“…!!”
Kang Hoteel and Baek Gahyeon’s legs trembled involuntarily.
‘What is this aura…?!’
‘An incomprehensible magical power is erupting from Siul’s body…!’
Both men, true to their status as S-rank Hunters, possessed exceptional mana-sensing abilities.
They could feel with their own skin that a power exceeding Siul’s previous mana was now surging from his body.
【Ascension Complete: C-rank → B-rank】
“Ah.”
Siul exhaled a breath of relief.
With the Re-awakening complete, his body felt light and brimmed with vitality.
He found it remarkable that B-rank Awakened beings lived their daily lives with this kind of energy.
Moreover, upon reaching B-rank, additional skills had unlocked.
『 Rend Earth 』 ― Skill
Crush the ground to inflict confusion and damage upon your enemies.
『 Footprint Mine 』 ― Skill
Plant a trigger mechanism in footprints to inflict damage upon your enemies.
‘Attack and trap-type skills. Not bad at all.’
With this, Siul’s skill roster had grown to three.
It brought a greater sense of accomplishment than any increase in wealth.
“…….”
Meanwhile, Kang Hoteel and Baek Gahyeon stood dumbfounded.
“You felt that just now?”
“Yes. Definitely.”
Both men’s expressions had grown grave.
“His mana surged dramatically.”
“Was he hiding his true power all along?”
Buzz—.
At that moment, Baek Gahyeon’s electronic watch vibrated.
It was a message from the Security Team.
「 Dungeon cleared. The Gate will close once the raid team exits. Please evacuate immediately. 」
“We should leave now. For any further investigation, it would be better to wait for another opportunity….”
“No.”
Kang Hoteel cut him off sharply.
“Things have only just gotten interesting.”
“I’m sorry? What do you mean…?”
Suddenly, Kang Hoteel’s expression turned cold and murderous as he unleashed his mana.
Baek Gahyeon sensed what Kang Hoteel was about to do and gasped in horror.
【Trait ‘Undead Summoning’ is activated.】
Crack—.
The shattered bones of the Commander Skeleton interlocked and reassembled.
Inside the helmet where the blue flames had gone dark, a sinister green fire now blazed to life.
That flame breathed life into the corpse once more.
“……?”
Siul felt a chill run down his spine and turned his head.
“What—what is this!”
The Commander Skeleton, which had surely been dead, rose to its feet as if nothing had happened.
Siul’s eyes widened in shock as he checked the quest window.
The screen still displayed the quest as complete.
Yet somehow, the Commander Skeleton didn’t stop at merely rising to its feet—it climbed onto its horse and prepared to resume combat.
“You do realize this is grounds for an incident report, right?” Baek Gahyeon asked.
Kang Hoteel simply smiled, unbothered.
“He kept running ahead of us. We should verify this properly—confirm whether he really did defeat the boss with his own strength.”
Kang Hoteel possessed an unusual trait: the ability to revive dead monsters and command them as his own summons.
He could summon up to ten corpses of Awakening Ranks equal to or below his own, and they retained their original combat abilities intact.
The nickname that came with this power was simple.
‘Necromancer Kang Hoteel. Of all places, why reveal that reputation here….’
Baek Gahyeon pressed his palm against his forehead.
The moment the revived Commander Skeleton raised its blade, the skeletal soldiers who had been kneeling lifted their heads and responded.
“Roooaaar!!”
As though witnessing a god, the skeleton soldiers shrieked with fervor, waving their weapons.
Meanwhile, Siul was thrown into confusion.
‘How is a dead boss alive again…!’
That alone was enough to make his head pound.
But something else strange was happening to Siul.
‘What?’
Above the Commander Skeleton’s head.
The transparent number visible only in Siul’s vision had changed.
【Hazard Rating: 5】
‘Why 5? A B-rank monster should be 10.’
Siul glanced around and flinched once more.
The skeleton soldiers, which moments ago had a Hazard Rating of 7, had different numbers now.
【Hazard Rating: 2】
…….
Siul’s mind raced.
He didn’t understand why the boss had come back to life.
But he thought he grasped why these monsters’ Hazard Ratings had changed.
“The Hazard Rating criterion… it’s based on me.”
A question that had nagged at him throughout the Continuous Quests.
Even though there were Awakening Ranks from F to SSS, he’d never understood why they bothered with this separate metric called Hazard Rating.
A simple description like “Defeat B-rank enemies” should have sufficed.
But Hazard Rating wasn’t merely a number measuring how strong a creature was.
‘It’s evaluated based on how dangerous that enemy is to me specifically.’
When Siul was C-rank, a B-rank monster had a Hazard Rating of 10. But now that he’d Re-awakened as B-rank, it was only 5.
He’d need to face at least an A-rank monster to see a Hazard Rating of 10 again.
“That’s why the later missions have felt a bit too easy.”
Siul let out a dry laugh, then gripped his dagger tighter.
“The boss suddenly comes back to life, your helmet’s flame turns green out of nowhere, and I have no idea what any of it means. But I don’t care anymore.”
Siul glared down at the Commander Skeleton with disdain, pouring mana into his body.
The density of that mana was unmistakably different from when he’d first fought the Commander Skeleton.
“You won’t earn me any points, so stop pestering me and just die already.”
A Hunter with Limited Time Keeps Surviving
Author |
Kutsumattsu
Publisher |
(주) Samyang C&C
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Editorial Department
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(주) Samyang C&C – Dream Books
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UCI |
G720:N+A063-20260731071
Blog |
blog.naver.com/dreambookss
Twitter(X) |
@dreambookss
Submission |
[email protected]
© Samyang C&C — No part of this book may be used in any form or by any means without the express written permission of Dream Books.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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