A Hunter on Borrowed Time Keeps Surviving - Chapter 31

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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 31.
『 You have entered the S-rank Dungeon “Falling Flowers Legion Volcanic Crater.” 』
〈S-rank Gate ― Seoul Forest District 2〉
Dungeon Name: Falling Flowers Legion Volcanic Crater
Appearing Monsters: Balrog
Estimated Clear Time: Approximately 9 hours
As Siul stepped through the Gate, hardened lava ground sprawled beneath his feet.
Scorching heat seemed to penetrate deep into his lungs.
Black flames blazed between the fractured earth, while ash fell from the sky like snow.
‘The oppressive weight of this place—I’d heard about it, but it’s something else.’
Siul found himself overwhelmed by the landscape of an S-rank Dungeon he was encountering for the first time.
The very concentration of magical power hanging in the air was different from any dungeon he’d experienced before.
His fists clenched without thinking.
Even with his strengthened body, he couldn’t help but feel the tension.
Shiver.
Then, trembling rippled through the space beside him.
Zero, still in a state of invisibility, shook out his scales.
Thrilled by the Mana density of the S-rank Dungeon, he carried himself with the unbridled excitement of a puppy bounding into a playground.
“Hush. Keep it down.”
Siul spoke in a low voice, cautioning Zero.
“Did something move just now?”
“Already? The manual said there weren’t any monsters spawning near the entrance.”
Murmurs rippled through the party members, but fortunately their suspicion didn’t linger.
“Probably just your imagination. The entrance was surveyed thoroughly, so there shouldn’t be any errors in the manual’s information.”
“Right?”
Heo Min-ho stepped forward as if sweeping away the static.
“Let’s move quickly. This dungeon has a long estimated clear time, so we can’t afford to dawdle.”
Heo Min-ho barked his orders in a crisp tone and advanced to the front.
Siul, the party members, and one shadow followed in his wake.
‘Good formation.’
From his position at the rear, Siul observed the movements of the Supernova team.
Heo Min-ho and his party members kept vigilant watch over their surroundings, each maintaining their assigned position with practiced ease.
It was a formation that wouldn’t falter even if enemies ambushed from any direction.
‘Their teamwork is solid. I heard they’ve been running together since their debut, and it shows.’
Siul adjusted his pace to match their rhythm, careful not to disrupt the flow.
‘This makes the ninth consecutive Quest attempt.’
To reach the tenth clear and earn the bonus reward, he absolutely had to succeed today.
That was also why Siul had accepted this raid with them.
It wasn’t simply because he could enter an S-rank Dungeon.
‘These people are strong. But not as strong as other S-rank raiding teams.’
Siul’s true objective was to claim the dungeon’s Boss with his own hands.
That meant there couldn’t be anyone in this party capable of stealing away his prize.
This team met exactly that condition.
‘There’s no S-rank Awakener among them. No veteran Hunter whose skill can’t be gauged by Rank alone.’
Compared to other S-rank raiding teams with an average Rank of A+, their standard was decidedly lower.
Of course, they were still elite—he couldn’t afford carelessness.
But Siul had a monstrous body and a Hidden Roulette.
‘These kids won’t take anything away from me.’
He wasn’t arrogant, but his confidence ran deep.
Against other novices of Rank A or below, he had no doubt he’d come out on top.
* * *

Boom! Boom! Boom!
As they reached the middle section of the dungeon, a horde of monsters appeared exactly as the manual had described.
Dense smoke billowed, and black silhouettes gradually revealed themselves one by one.
Bipedal like humans, but with faces twisted into demonic visages.
Scarlet skin; horns atop their heads and wings on their backs radiated intense heat, while their eyes gleamed like volcanic craters ablaze.
Long, venomous claws extended from the ends of their muscular arms.
But the most threatening aspect was the way lava flowed down their bodies.
They appeared like a legion formed from volcanic fragments.
The dungeon’s manifestation was a legion of Balrogs.
“Nine on the left, six on the right!”
As Heo Min-ho called out the enemy count, the Balrog legion burst forth with startling speed.
They meant to give the Supernova team no time to prepare with a preemptive strike.
【Skill ‘Wall Building’ activates.】
Thanks to two A-rank party members moving with sharp precision, a massive stone wall sealed off the Balrogs’ advance.
At the same moment, several party members triggered Barrier Items.
Layers of golden light unfurled, cutting off the Balrogs’ retreat.
“Roooaarrr!!”
Trapped between walls before and behind, the Balrog legion recoiled in shock.
Then they spread their wings, attempting to leap over the stone barrier.
【Skill ‘Flame Barrage’ activates.】
Three A-rank Hunters, Heo Min-ho among them, thrust their hands forward in unison.
The Flame Barrage seared the Balrogs’ wings, grounding them.
‘Impressive.’
Siul watched from the rear, admiring the display.
The Supernova team’s coordination was remarkable enough, but what struck him most was how they’d inflicted meaningful damage on fire-averse Balrogs using flame skills—a testament to their tactical precision.
Their combat style operated on the principle of meticulous calculation and thorough preparation.
‘These rising stars attract attention for good reason.’
Siul offered silent applause, though surprises still awaited.
Heo Min-ho withdrew a long sword that glowed with blue light from his inventory.
『 Lake’s Renowned Sword 』 ― S-rank
A blade blessed by a water spirit, capable of commanding natural forces that rival the depths of a lake itself.
Whiiiish!
As Heo Min-ho’s blade cleaved the air, water cascaded along its arc.
A torrent descended like a waterfall opening, engulfing the Balrog legion.
“Roooaarrr!!”
Shrieks erupted from the creatures throughout the chamber.
Bodies that had been seething with molten heat rapidly lost vitality as they submerged in the deluge.
In the same breath, Heo Min-ho swung again, and the water spiraled into a vortex that consumed the Balrogs whole.
‘That one’s genuinely strong.’
The impression etched itself sharply into Siul’s mind.
Perhaps sensing that gaze, Heo Min-ho’s lips curved upward.
‘Mark this well. Note the gap between your strength and mine.’
Heo Min-ho’s aim today was to demonstrate that divide through this raid.
Without speaking directly to Siul, he wanted him to feel it in his bones—that his own fame was fleeting, that the true strongest novice Hunter was himself.
But the moment that thought crossed his mind.
“Roooaarrr!!”
The ground suddenly cracked with a sharp snap behind Heo Min-ho.
Four Balrogs that had been lying dormant in ambush burst from beneath, striking at his unguarded back.
“Behind—watch your back…!”
A party member cried out in alarm, but the timing was already too late.
The Balrog’s massive claws descended toward the unsuspecting Heo Min-ho’s head.
Ting!
“…?!”
The Balrog’s arm rebounded into empty air.
As though striking a barrier, the attack’s trajectory shattered.
Zero’s transparent tail had intercepted it.
In that instant, Siul’s eyes flared with light.
Swish!
As Siul flicked his wrist, four daggers erupted skyward simultaneously.
They were four Tracker’s Blades, purchased not long ago to celebrate his ascension to A-rank.
“Standing idle gets you killed.”
Siul’s quiet warning rode the wind itself, cut along the blade’s edge.
All four Tracker’s Blades pierced the Balrogs’ skulls.
Their massive bodies collapsed without resistance.
“…!”
Heo Min-ho spun around in shock.
Seeing the four dead Balrogs, he was left reeling—until Siul stepped up beside him.
“You alright?”
“…Ah, yes. Thank you.”
Heo Min-ho’s reply came half a beat too late.
Siul glanced around with casual indifference, as though the battle meant nothing.
“Everyone’s quite skilled, I must say. I was mostly just watching until the very end, when I pitched in a little.”
The praise that left Siul’s lips came right back to him.
His party members showered him with exclamations of amazement.
“Your counter-attack at the end was incredibly fast!”
“You were the one who blocked the Balrog’s strike, weren’t you? I couldn’t even see it. Unbelievable….”
“Watching you actually fight, your combat style is incredibly swift. So that’s why all your dungeon clearance records are so short?”
Under normal circumstances, the Supernova team would never have offered Siul such praise—they would have resented him for it.
But the words came from a place of genuine honesty; they couldn’t hide their true feelings.
Only Heo Min-ho bit his lip hard, his expression twisting.
‘How can anyone stay this composed….’
That sudden ambush had caught everyone off guard.
In that single moment, only Siul had responded calmly—the image lingered in Heo Min-ho’s mind like an afterimage.
Jealousy coiled tight in his chest.
‘Even veteran Hunters tremble during combat. So how can this man launch such bold attacks without hesitation?’
Fleeting as it was, Siul’s eyes had shown no fear, no doubt.
He’d looked like someone who was certain—absolutely certain—of victory.
‘Is he that confident?’
Heo Min-ho’s sharp gaze swept across Siul’s back.
His grip on the Lake’s Renowned Sword tightened further.
* * *
Before the volcanic crater leading to the boss chamber.
As Heo Min-ho raised his hand at the end of the lava-rippling passage, his party members stopped in their tracks.
“Let’s hold a brief meeting before we enter.”
It was a ritual they knew well.
The Supernova team always reviewed their formation before a boss fight.
“Should we go with the 1-4-2 Formation again? Min-ho charging hard at the front, support fire from the rear—that seems like the most stable approach. And Siul, you can take whatever position you prefer.”
“Or we could try a triangular formation and push hard and fast. Since it’s a Balrog variant, water-attribute items should work well….”
The party members voiced their opinions and continued their meeting as always, planning coordinated attacks.
But then Heo Min-ho offered a proposal that veered in an entirely different direction.
“What if, just this once, we fought individually instead of as a team?”
The color drained from his party members’ faces as silence fell.
A moment later, protests erupted.
“Why would we do that? We’ve always fought as a team.”
“Right. And that approach has always been the most efficient.”
Complaints and questions piled up, but Heo Min-ho remained composed, elaborating calmly as his gaze drifted to the side.
At the end of that gaze stood Siul.
“Today we’re not the usual team anymore. It might be easy to think one person doesn’t matter much, but that single slot can have a bigger impact than we expect. If we try to coordinate half-heartedly and our timing falls apart, things could turn dangerous.”
It wasn’t illogical, what he said.
But beneath the words lay something else entirely.
‘This time, let’s settle it properly.’
Competitive fire ignited deep within Heo Min-ho’s chest.
The fight against the lesser monsters hadn’t given them a clear measure of each other’s strength.
But a boss fight was different.
Who brought down the boss first.
There was no clearer measure than that.
Hiding those intentions, Heo Min-ho turned to Siul with a question.
“What do you think? Fighting the boss individually rather than as a team?”
Every eye fixed on Siul.
Siul appeared to think for a moment, then smiled.
“I think that works best.”
He didn’t show it outwardly, but inwardly, Siul was pleased.
Individual combat was exactly what he wanted.
Because he had to be the one to take down the boss.
“Either way, as long as we bring it down, that’s all that matters, isn’t it? Ha.”
Siul added the remark with feigned nonchalance.
That answer drew a smile across Heo Min-ho’s face.
“Good. Then that’s what we’ll do.”
On the surface, a peaceful agreement.
But between the two of them, an invisible current crackled.
Their eyes held the certainty of those who already know the outcome of this boss battle—who will emerge victorious.
‘Of course.’
‘Me.’
A Hunter with Limited Time Continues to Survive
Author |
Kutsumatsu
Publisher |
Samyang C&C Co., Ltd.
Editorial Director |
Editorial Team
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Samyang C&C Co., Ltd. – Dream Books
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G720:N+A063-20260731071
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Submissions |
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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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