A Hunter on Borrowed Time Keeps Surviving - Chapter 13

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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 13.
Temporary fencing stretched wide between the high-rise buildings of Yeouido.
Beyond the fence, a Gate blazed with blue light, radiating an unsettling surge of magic.
Si-ul examined the unstable Gate and shook his head slowly.
‘Right on the verge of a split. Looks like monsters could spill out any moment.’
While Si-ul waited in his designated area within the control line, a middle-aged man in a security vest approached from nearby.
“You are Kim Si-ul, the Hunter, correct? I’ll give you a quick briefing on procedures before you enter the Gate.”
“Ah, yes.”
The man pulled out a tablet and began explaining, showing various documents.
“First, confirmation of your dungeon conquest strategy. Since this is a solo raid, you’ll need to file all your predicted routes, risk factors, and emergency evacuation conditions in writing. And this is the responsibility signature line.”
“…I have to do all of this myself?”
“Yes. The team leader is required to complete it personally.”
Si-ul stared at the substantial stack of documents, overwhelmed.
One by one, he filled them out, listened to explanations, received revision requests, and filled them out again.
‘So this is what raid team leaders deal with every time? I’m suddenly grateful to Min Hyung-sik….’
A fleeting thought crossed his mind—wondering if he’d been hasty insisting on doing this alone—but he forced himself to focus. He was in no position to complain.
“All confirmed. You’re ready to enter whenever you wish.”
The security officer gathered the documents and turned to leave.
Only then did Si-ul collect his equipment and move toward the Gate.
“Is that guy really going in alone?”
A low murmur rose from behind him.
“It’s a solo raid. Must be an S-rank Hunter?”
“No. According to the paperwork, he’s listed as D-rank.”
“What? A D-rank doing a solo raid?”
“Looking at his record, he seems to be a Re-awakening, but he hasn’t registered it yet.”
Si-ul walked forward without acknowledging them, eyes fixed ahead.
He could feel the sharp, piercing gazes on his back without even turning around.
‘I need to level up as fast as possible and report my Re-awakening. At this rate, the Hunter Association will contact me before I even get the chance to disclose it myself.’
It struck him as strange that rumors hadn’t spread about a Hunter as unusual as himself, especially with activity picking up recently.
Si-ul stood before the Gate, unbothered by the atmosphere around him.
Blue-tinged magical energy rippled beneath his feet.
After one last deep breath, Si-ul walked into the light.
* * *
『 You have entered the A-rank Dungeon, “Ancient Labyrinth Prison.” 』
〈A-rank Gate ― Yeouido Section 9〉
Dungeon Name: Ancient Labyrinth Prison
Appearing Monsters: Minotaur
Estimated Conquest Time: Approximately 6 hours
“Ugh….”
The moment Si-ul laid eyes on the dungeon, a sigh escaped his lips.
True to its name, the entire surroundings were engulfed in an elaborate maze.
All he could see were thick stone floors and cold walls.
Gray stone walls, each three or four times the height of an average man, sprawled in various places, forming a single labyrinth.
There were almost no straight passages.
The structure was a disorienting mix of forks, bent corridors, spaces that suddenly narrowed before widening again—the kind of layout that inevitably dulled your sense of direction.
‘I’m terrible at escape rooms….’
Si-ul consulted the dungeon map he’d received earlier and moved forward.
‘I should be able to reach the Boss Chamber within three hours.’
Si-ul was the only human in the dungeon.
Unlike Min Hyung-sik’s team, there was no one ahead holding a shield, no one behind providing support, no companion to tell him if he’d taken a wrong turn.
The solitude made the space feel even colder somehow.
“This is making me nervous.”
Muttering to himself, Si-ul opened his Inventory.
Though he hadn’t even encountered a monster yet, his hands gripped his weapons firmly.
Rumble, rumble, rumble….
“…?”
After walking for about ten minutes, a faint vibration traveled up through the soles of his feet.
Si-ul stopped in his tracks and concentrated on the sensation.
Thump— Thump—.
This time it was unmistakable.
Deep within the stone floor, something thrummed as if rushing toward him.
Tilting his ear, Si-ul caught the dull thud of hoofbeats.
Clop-clop!
‘…Hoofbeats?’
The moment Si-ul recognized the sound’s origin.
Crash!!
A massive shadow vaulted over the labyrinth wall to his left.
What emerged, scaling the stone barrier.
A horse’s head. A human’s torso. Rippling musculature above, thick legs below.
A Minotaur.
“…!”
Si-ul recoiled instinctively.
The Minotaur that had vaulted over the stone wall was not alone.
From different sections of the wall, more colossal forms leaped down in succession.
“Shriek!”
The pack of Minotaurs bellowed with malevolent fury.
Their bloodshot eyes turned as one toward Si-ul.
【Danger Rank: 7】
Transparent danger ratings floated above their heads.
‘So B+-rank Minotaurs are Danger Rank 7… Danger Rank must operate on relative assessment.’
Si-ul gripped his weapon tighter.
Minotaurs were lower-tier monsters of this Dungeon, yet stronger than the bosses from previous B-rank Dungeons.
These were not opponents to underestimate.
“Shriek!”
The leading Minotaur charged at him without warning.
Si-ul stepped back, channeling his mana into the ground.
【The skill ‘Earth Splitting’ activates.】
The mana-infused floor cracked and buckled, sending the Minotaurs stumbling off-balance.
‘Now.’
Si-ul seized the moment while they reeled and hurled the Tracker’s Blade.
Whip!
The Tracker’s Blade drove deep into the lead Minotaur’s neck.
In that instant, the others roared and leaped up from the sunken earth.
Si-ul did not stand and fight—he pivoted wide, feinting retreat.
He ran, leaving footprints deliberately across the ground.
【The skill ‘Footprint Mine’ activates.】
Boom!!
Hidden detonators beneath the earth erupted.
A Minotaur that stepped on a mine flew sideways under the impact.
The neighboring Minotaurs lost their momentum in the chaos.
“Shriek!”
The beasts bellowed more violently in rage.
Their frenzied movements triggered more mines in rapid succession, though none dealt lethal wounds.
‘Their skin is like steel…’
Even unnerved, this served Si-ul’s purpose.
This battle was a test of sorts.
To gauge what power the A-rank Dungeon’s monsters possessed, and whether he could truly face them alone going forward.
‘They’re nothing like the trash mobs from B-rank Dungeons.’
Like Golems, Orcs, and Skeletons, Minotaurs stood half a tier above Si-ul’s current level.
Yet unlike before, Si-ul could not dispatch them easily.
Bang! Bang!
The creatures charged from both sides.
Si-ul twisted his waist to evade, but an axe still grazed his shoulder.
“Ugh…!”
The wound closed almost at once.
But the real problem was above.
“Shriek!”
Drawn by the sounds of battle, more Minotaurs appeared atop the wall.
Five. Seven. Ten.
The numbers multiplied without end.
‘At this rate, I won’t make it through in time…!’
Pressed into a corner, Si-ul made his decision quickly.
“Inventory.”
At Si-ul’s call, a pocket dimension opened.
What he pulled from it was a transparent potion.
『 Speed Amplification Potion 』 ― A-rank
Increases speed by 50% for 20 minutes.
‘It’s early to use this, but now’s the time.’
Si-ul uncorked the potion and drained it in one gulp.
Gulp.
His legs felt instantly lighter.
His heartbeat quickened, and the world seemed to flow just slightly slower around him.
‘This feels good.’
Si-ul charged straight ahead, ignoring the Minotaurs’ encirclement.
Then, with a sudden pivot, he burst into the corridor.
【Skill ‘Dungeon Sprint’ is activated.】
The Minotaurs, realizing too late what was happening, roared and gave chase.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Footfalls that shook the entire labyrinth. But Si-ul was faster.
He bounded off walls and skid across stone slabs, cutting through the maze.
When forks appeared, he didn’t hesitate.
When the Minotaurs had appeared earlier, he’d learned a way to find the Boss Chamber regardless of his terrible sense of direction.
Whoosh!
Si-ul’s body launched high onto a wall.
“Oh.”
His vision opened wide.
The labyrinth from above looked completely different.
The tangled passages spread out before him at a glance, and he could clearly see the massive circular structure at the maze’s heart.
“That must be the Boss Chamber?”
The Minotaurs were still chasing below, but Si-ul wiped his sweat and kept running.
His destination was the Boss Chamber alone.
* * *
The Boss Chamber was a giant circular prison.
The heart, connected to every passage in the labyrinth.
But the path Si-ul had taken was not a door.
He’d jumped down through a hole in the ceiling.
“Hyah!”
The Champion Minotaur, this dungeon’s boss, flinched at the sight of Si-ul.
His body was a full weight class larger than the other Minotaurs, encased in heavy plate armor, with a colossal greatsword in one hand and a barbed spear in the other.
“He looks ridiculously strong.”
Si-ul squinted as he took in the boss’s appearance.
【Continuous Quest Triggered!】
【Remove Lethal Threat】
Directly eliminate the obstacle that threatens your life.
Obstacle Danger Rank: 10
Success Reward: 3 Level-up Points
‘Right. A-rank beasts now show as Danger Rank 10.’
The criteria are the same, but A-rank beasts are far more troublesome opponents.
The Minotaurs he’d actually faced proved that much.
“Not planning a one-on-one, I’m guessing?”
The boss was surrounded by subordinate Minotaurs, making its intentions clear.
Moreover, behind Si-ul were the Minotaurs who’d chased him through the labyrinth.
‘Enemies on all sides.’
A typical hunter would have panicked at this situation.
But Si-ul spoke calmly.
“The Boss Chamber makes it simple. I just have to kill one.”
Si-ul’s gaze locked onto the Champion Minotaur.
In the same instant, he shot forward like a bullet.
“Hiiiing!”
The Minotaurs moved as one.
They wielded their weapons with savage desperation, each fighter determined to protect their boss.
Slash! Thwack! Crunch!
Dozens of blades pierced through Si-ul’s body.
Shoulder, abdomen, thigh—flesh torn, bone shattered.
Blood erupted from each wound like a burst dam.
“…….”
The Minotaur Commander fell silent.
A human with limbs impaled, drowning in his own blood.
More savage than any beheading could have been.
“Heh heh….”
Yet Si-ul, still coughing blood, pulled his lips into a smile.
“I’ll have to charge you for the donation.”
“…?!”
The Minotaur Commander recoiled in shock.
A creature that should be dead was laughing, cracking jokes.
What in the world was happening?
In that instant, the Minotaur Commander’s mane bristled with instinctive warning.
Whoosh!
Something fell vertically from above.
The Tracker’s Blade plummeted through gravity, aiming for the Minotaur Commander’s throat.
“Shrieeeeek!”
The Minotaur Commander twisted his body reflexively.
The blade grazed his ear and buried itself in the floor.
By the narrowest margin, the Minotaur Commander kept his life and lifted his head in terror.
“Fast, aren’t you?”
“…!!”
Si-ul had already burst through the ranks of lesser Minotaurs and closed the distance to his boss.
The torn flesh had knitted itself back together; the punctured wounds had sealed.
The Minotaur Commander swung his greatsword with a shriek of pure fear.
Clang!
Si-ul’s head flew from his shoulders.
Squelch!
Yet the tissue immediately locked back into place, and his head regenerated.
Without pause, the Minotaur Commander drove the spear from his other hand forward.
Thrust!
It pierced through the heart—the killing blow.
But a second later, flesh crawled up the spear shaft and sealed the wound.
Si-ul seized the boss’s spear in his bare hand and thrust his face close enough that their breath mingled.
“Sorry, but I don’t die. I’m more of a monster than you could ever be.”
The Minotaur Commander’s eyes trembled violently.
In that same moment, the Tracker’s Blade traced a wide arc.
Whiiiirrrk—!!
The Minotaur Commander’s neck was severed in mid-air.
The massive head rolled across the floor, and the body crumpled a beat behind.
Thud!!
Dozens of Minotaurs stared at the scene in disbelief.
【Quest Successful!】
【You have admirably disposed of a life-threatening foe by severing its head.】
【You receive 3 Level-up Points as your reward.】
【Current Accumulated Points: 3】
Standing on blood-soaked ground, Si-ul studied the quest window.
Then a bonus reward notification appeared.
【Consecutive Quest Condition Achieved!】
【By successfully completing 5 consecutive quests, you have earned a bonus reward.】
【Please select one of two rewards.】
【2 Level-up Points or Dragon’s Egg】
A hunter with limited time continues to survive
Author |
Kutsumattsu
Publisher |
Samyang C&C Co., Ltd.
Managing Editor |
Editorial Department
Published by |
Samyang C&C Co., Ltd. – Dream Books
Address |
7F Gwangseong Building, 28 Bongeunsa-ro 114-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
UCI |
G720:N+A063-20260731071
Blog |
blog.naver.com/dreambookss
Twitter (X) |
@dreambookss
Submissions |
[email protected]
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without the written permission of Samyang C&C Co., Ltd. – 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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