A Hunter on Borrowed Time Keeps Surviving - Chapter 29

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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 29.
The Wyvern Goblin and Sioul faced off, each sizing up the other before settling into combat stance.
Sioul spun the black gun barrel in his palm while the Wyvern Goblin spread its massive wings wide.
Click.
At last Sioul raised the Hidden Roulette.
But the Wyvern Goblin was faster to act.
“Kiiieee—!!”
A vicious shriek tore from its throat as its body rocketed into the air.
Its enormous frame belied the acceleration that followed—it began circling above the deck, tearing through the wind with blinding speed.
‘Absurdly fast. Perception and reflexes both.’
It had recognized that Sioul’s gun was no ordinary weapon.
At that speed, even acquiring a target on the Wyvern Goblin would be nearly impossible.
‘It’s fine if I miss. The first shot is just a test anyway.’
With that thought, Sioul chambered a round in the Hidden Roulette.
Click.
The moment the chamber locked, a teal gleam flickered deep in Sioul’s eyes.
Then something strange began to unfold.
An unfamiliar symbol appeared in the center of Sioul’s vision.
A teal-colored crosshair materialized, moving of its own accord.
It swept through empty air, searching for its mark.
Then it locked onto the Wyvern Goblin, streaking through the sky at breakneck speed.
【Target acquired.】
【The chambered round must be fired.】
【The Hidden Bullet guarantees 100% accuracy.】
Sioul’s pupils dilated.
‘One hundred percent accuracy?’
This was the first moment he’d truly grasped what the Hidden Bullet could do.
The Hidden Bullet supposedly possessed an ability to guarantee a hit against any target, without exception.
It was a formidable power, yet the description seemed impossible to believe in this situation.
Screech!
Before the Wyvern Goblin’s agility and high-speed flight, he couldn’t imagine a shot landing with perfect accuracy.
Yet, as if to mock his doubt, the teal crosshair didn’t waver.
No matter how the Wyvern Goblin changed direction or dove, the crosshair followed without a single deviation.
‘…Maybe it really is possible.’
Sioul stopped hesitating.
He raised the Hidden Roulette quickly with one hand.
The aim was terrible. The barrel pointed skyward at some random angle, nowhere near the Wyvern Goblin’s position.
Yet Sioul trusted the crosshair and the system message.
And he pulled the trigger.
Bang—!!
“Aagh!”
A recoil beyond imagination slammed into his wrist.
His body was knocked backward.
The world spun, and the barrel pointed in a completely different direction.
The shot fired uselessly into the sky.
To anyone watching, it was clearly a miss.
‘A dud on the first try!’
Just as Sioul stood stunned, a piercing crack split the air—the sound of something breaking the sound barrier.
Ping!
The teal bullet fired from the Hidden Roulette ricocheted in midair as if it had struck an invisible wall.
Ping! Ping! Ping!
Like a billiard ball bouncing off the cushion, the round careened through the air in a series of impossible angles.
‘What is that…!’
Sioul watched the bullet’s trajectory in wonder, completely transfixed.
Remarkably, each ricochet seemed calculated with perfect precision.
And when the final arc bent toward its target, the bullet rushed straight through the center of the crosshair.
Crack!!
The Hidden Bullet pierced the Wyvern Goblin’s head with absolute accuracy.
A single shot punched clean through that thick skull.
“Kiiieee…!”
A short gasp. That was all.
The light faded from the Wyvern Goblin’s eyes.
Its enormous body convulsed helplessly before plummeting to the deck.
Crash!
The deck shuddered beneath the impact.
As the dust settled and the wind died down, Sioul opened his mouth.
“Insane!!”
Sioul’s eyes went wide as he stared down at the Hidden Roulette.
“One shot? Are you serious…?”
From the muzzle of the Hidden Roulette, a pale cyan afterglow still emanated softly.
Before he could even marvel at the Hidden Bullet’s absolute accuracy, its sheer power left Sioul reeling.
‘A weapon that hits no matter where you aim it, and one-shots even an A-Rank Dungeon Boss…?’
Sioul’s understanding of the Hidden Bullet’s nature was correct.
It was a mana projectile that possessed both guaranteed accuracy and instant-kill power—a weapon embodying true hidden potential.
‘Isn’t this just a broken item…’
There was a reason it was limited to six shots with a week-long cooldown.
‘I’ll need to test the bullet’s full power more thoroughly, but even at this level, it should work in an S-Rank Dungeon.’
Sioul’s speculation would soon be verified in reality.
With the successful hunt of the Wyvern Goblin, the time had come to draw near to the S-Rank Dungeon.
【Quest Complete!】
【You have brilliantly neutralized a life-threatening enemy with a headshot.】
【You receive 3 Level-up Points as a reward.】
【Awakening Rank Advancement Condition Met!】
【You have reached 10 Level-up Points and your Awakening Rank will now advance.】
As the notification window appeared, a surge of hot current coursed through Sioul’s spine.
“Ungh…!”
The density of his entire body shifted.
Mana flowing through his muscles thickened and seeped deep into his bones.
Sioul felt his flesh prickle as his physical abilities underwent rapid enhancement.
Just as that electric sensation reached its peak, the wave thrumming through his body stilled, as if by magic.
【Advancement Complete: B-Rank → A-Rank】
【Current Accumulated Points: 2】
Sioul clenched his fist and then opened it. A faint heat rose from his fingertips.
His body felt unmistakably different than before.
His vision became abnormally sharp, opening up as if he had climbed a high mountain.
Beyond mere vitality, all his senses had become acute.
The flow of air, the subtle sway of the deck, even the distant sound of the wind—everything registered with crystalline clarity.
It felt as though he had gained superhuman perception.
‘So this is the power of an A-Rank Awakened One…?’
Do Ihyeon’s face naturally came to mind.
Sioul found himself seeing Do Ihyeon in a new light.
That he harbored such wild, torrent-like Mana within his body, yet until now had only subdued his instincts through virtual training systems outside Dungeons.
‘It was like putting a leash on a wild beast and telling it not to fight.’
A-Rank Mana was truly remarkable enough to merit such a thought.
『 A new skill has been unlocked. 』
The aftereffects of the re-awakening continued.
Skills granted to A-Rank Awakened Ones began to unlock, appearing as tooltips.
『 Flame Baptism 』 ― Skill
Released Mana transforms into flames, dealing damage to enemies.
『 Build Wall 』 ― Skill
Deform terrain while simultaneously creating a defensive barrier to protect your body.
The two skills Sioul had learned about through Do Ihyeon were now added to his own skill tree.
“So that makes five.”
Sioul scanned through the tooltips with a satisfied smile.
His arsenal of skills had grown to five before he knew it.
Something he could never have dreamed of when he was a lower-rank Awakened One.
‘I haven’t just gained strength. A-Rank is a completely different dimension.’
This level-up felt particularly good.
For Hunters, the A-Rank classification was a highly symbolic threshold.
The crimson flower-shaped Badge that had adorned the left chest of Jang Jinyoung and Park Junggi.
Once Sioul completed his Re-awakening registration, he would receive that honored insignia of a high-ranking Hunter.
Possessing the Badge not only granted benefits in various places but also allowed him to exercise a form of authority.
For instance, anyone suspected of being a criminal or dangerous individual could be subdued by force without separate permission.
They themselves had already been recognized as guardians protecting the nation.
Moreover, establishing a Guild had become possible.
He had been granted the qualification to become a leader and create a Hunter organization.
‘There will be so much more I can do from here on.’
For a terminally-ill Hunter, it was a rare moment when the future looked promising.
The extraordinary weapon called the Hidden Roulette in his hands made his heart feel all the more assured.
Whoosh.
At that moment, Zero shed his invisibility and appeared from one corner of the chamber.
“Woof!”
Zero wagged his tail and leapt onto Sioul’s shoulder in one bound.
“Why’d you suddenly show yourself? Bored because there was nothing to do today?”
The Boss had fallen in a single strike, and Do Ihyeon had kept himself safe on his own, so Zero had had no chance to intervene.
Despite the tedious raid, Zero barked with unbridled joy.
Sioul thought he understood what Zero’s cheerfulness meant.
“Because I’m in a good mood, you’re happy too?”
“Woof!”
Zero wagged his tail even more vigorously.
Even though Sioul didn’t show it outwardly, Zero could sense that he was in an extremely good mood.
Which meant that today, for Zero….
“I’ll give you double dog treats.”
“Woof!!”
* * *
A powerful wind rushed into the Barrier.
Strong wind flowed into the interior of the Barrier.
Do Ihyeon, who had been swinging a Pickaxe within the Barrier, snapped his head up.
“Huh?”
Sioul was emerging from the Boss chamber and approaching Do Ihyeon.
Do Ihyeon jumped in alarm and dropped the Pickaxe from his hands.
‘Could it be… the Boss hunt failed?’
Normally he would have exclaimed, ‘As expected of you, Hunter Sioul!’ in admiration.
But Sioul had exited the Boss chamber far too quickly to judge it as a successful Dungeon clear.
Do Ihyeon reasoned that either the Boss hunt had failed or some unexpected problem had forced Sioul to retreat.
“Hunter Sioul! Are you all right?”
Do Ihyeon rushed over with a worried expression and ran his hands over Sioul’s arms and shoulders.
“I came out early. Fortunately, it ended quickly.”
“…Pardon?”
Do Ihyeon’s eyes wavered.
“You mean… you really defeated the Boss and came back out in such a short span of time?”
Sioul nodded in confirmation.
The moment Do Ihyeon heard that answer, he checked his digital wristwatch.
‘Nineteen minutes?!’
Merely nineteen minutes had passed from the moment Sioul entered the Boss chamber until now.
Do Ihyeon’s expression hardened.
‘Didn’t they say the domestic record for the fastest Boss hunt in an A-Rank or higher Dungeon was twenty-one minutes?’
Do Ihyeon found himself confused, wondering if he’d been mistaken all along.
Or perhaps the watch he’d just checked was broken. He doubted it.
But all of this was real.
Sioul had just set the domestic record for the fastest A-Rank Boss hunt, and it was genuine.
When this record was officially registered later, the reporters who had been stalking Sioul as his fans would surely go into an even greater frenzy.
Meanwhile, Sioul, unaware of Do Ihyeon’s confusion, opened his inventory and pulled out a Pickaxe.
“Since the hunt ended early, let’s mine more Mana Stones before we leave.”
His tone suggested it was nothing special.
That made Do Ihyeon feel even more bewildered.
“Oh, and there’s one more thing I wanted to tell you.”
Sioul slung the Pickaxe over his shoulder as he spoke.
“As of today, I’ve accomplished the goal I set for myself. So I don’t need to insist on A-Rank Dungeons anymore.”
Do Ihyeon flinched slightly, but quickly composed himself.
It was a response he’d prepared himself for, to some degree.
“It’s sooner than expected, but I believe it’s possible given how exceptional you are, Hunter Sioul.”
Do Ihyeon bowed respectfully.
“I’ve learned so much thanks to you, Hunter Sioul! I’ll never forget your kindness! I’ll cheer you on from afar!”
It was a sincere farewell.
But Sioul tilted his head.
“You said you’d achieved your objective, but you never said you’d stop being an accompanying hunter.”
“…Pardon?”
Do Ihyeon’s head snapped up.
“I’ll keep accompanying you.”
Sioul made circular hand gestures with both hands, the universal symbol for money, his eyes crinkling with amusement.
“It’s the most profitable work I’ve got.”
A capitalist’s smile.
“Ah…….”
Do Ihyeon stood dumbfounded for a moment, then burst out laughing.
“I never expected that reason. But I’m happy to keep going with you, Hunter Sioul!”
Sioul laughed along and switched his grip on the Pickaxe.
“Then shall we keep digging? We should take out every Mana Stone we can without commission.”
A Hunter with a Terminal Diagnosis Continues to Survive
Author |
Kutsummatsu
Publisher |
Samyang C&C Co., Ltd.
Editor-in-Chief |
Editorial Department
Published by |
Samyang C&C Co., Ltd. – Dream Books
Address |
7th Floor, 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 used 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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