A Hunter on Borrowed Time Keeps Surviving - Chapter 32

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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 32.
The Choshinseong Team and Siul stepped into the Boss Room and surveyed their surroundings.
The chamber was carved with an enormous circular crater, descending in terraced steps.
Most striking was the abyss-like crater at the center, rotating slowly, from which an unmistakably ominous presence emanated.
“The Boss Room information isn’t in any manual, so we need to move carefully. We can’t predict what might emerge, or when, or from where.”
Heo Minho gave this warning and fixed his gaze on the central crater.
It felt certain that something would come pouring out at any moment.
And that foreboding soon became reality.
A deep, grinding rumble echoed through the chamber.
From within the crater, a pillar of lava surged upward.
“Fall back!”
Heo Minho and his party members drew their weapons in unison, taking defensive positions.
A massive shadow shot forth from the pillar.
Wings unfurling as it ascended, the creature didn’t fully reveal itself until it descended to hover above them.
Skin the color of dark crimson armor.
Muscles through which lava flowed like sweat.
Great wings blazing behind its back, leaving trails of flame in the air.
The S-rank Dungeon’s boss: King Balrog.
【Continuous Quest Triggered!】
【Eliminate Lethal Threat】
Directly eliminate an obstacle that poses a threat to life.
Obstacle Threat Level: 10
Success Reward: 3 Level-up Points
The moment King Balrog appeared, the magical saturation of the Boss Room skyrocketed explosively.
One B-rank party member nearly dropped his sword unconsciously, and even the A-rank Hunters drew sharp, deep breaths.
An overwhelming presence.
An aura close to calamity—too immense for the mere word “monster” to encompass.
A faint shriek escaped.
Siul’s feet instinctively retreated a step.
‘Even an immortal would tremble at that thing….’
Catching this from the corner of his eye, Heo Minho allowed himself a thin smile.
‘Composed against trash mobs, but you can’t help but tense up before the boss.’
Paradoxically, this eased his own tension.
With each flinch from his rival, confidence surged within him.
‘You just watch from back there.’
Heo Minho drew his magic power up.
【Skill ‘Dungeon Sprint’ activates.】
His body launched forward like a spring.
He suddenly broke formation and ran across the crater’s rim without a backward glance.
“Minho!”
His teammates were taken aback by his sudden move.
They’d agreed to move individually during this boss hunt, but they hadn’t anticipated him rushing to engage so aggressively on his own.
‘That bastard….’
Siul furrowed his brow.
‘Did he want the boss for himself from the start?’
The moment the leader broke formation without a word to his party and chose to act alone, his true intent laid bare.
Meanwhile, as Heo Minho charged forward, the central crater split open once more.
A thunderous crack split the air.
Balrogs poured out from within the crater.
The swarm of Balrogs rushed toward Heo Minho to protect their king.
“Don’t let them reach Minho!”
The party members responded immediately.
【Skill ‘Wall Building’ activates.】
【Skill ‘Flame Blessing’ activates.】
Stone walls rose up, flames unleashed their fury, and ranged weapons pierced through the Balrogs in quick succession.
The battlefield transformed into chaos.
Heo Minho paid it no mind, keeping his eyes forward as he ran.
The swarm of Balrogs were beneath his notice—he had eyes only for King Balrog high above, bounding toward it without hesitation.
A sharp whistle cut through the air.
Heo Minho leaped high and swung the Lake’s Sword in a wide arc.
A sharp jet of water traced an arc toward King Balrog’s throat.
But in that moment, King Balrog expanded the size of his wings.
Whoooosh—!!
Lava erupted from within the expanded wings, colliding head-on with Heo Minho’s water.
The shockwave sent tremors through the chamber.
“Everyone down!”
“Ugh, argh!”
Steam and scorching wind swept through simultaneously, and a massive wave of force spread in all directions.
The B-rank party members couldn’t hold their ground and were sent flying backward.
Even the A-rank members staggered, their senses reeling.
The Balrog legion too was caught in the windstorm and tumbled down toward the crater.
Whoooosh….
As the dispersing steam cleared, King Balrog hovered in the air above, gazing down at the ground below.
Beneath him, Heo Minho knelt on one knee, breathing heavily.
“Damn it…!”
King Balrog’s strength far exceeded what he’d imagined.
Though Heo Minho had given it everything, he couldn’t break through the wall that was King Balrog and found himself sinking to his knees.
‘It wasn’t like this the last time.’
This was Heo Minho’s second S-rank Dungeon raid.
The previous dungeon had been tackled with his team, and even though it was the same S-rank, the boss had been slightly less difficult than King Balrog.
Having overlooked this, Heo Minho had charged in boldly on his own, contrary to his expectations, and failed to achieve a favorable outcome.
‘After I recover my body with a potion, I’ll challenge him again…!’
Heo Minho pushed himself to his feet through sheer willpower.
His gaze drifted toward the rear.
He wanted to check how his rival was moving.
“Are you alright? You look like you’re in a lot of pain.”
“…!”
Heo Minho glanced to the side and flinched.
Siul, who had drawn near without notice, now stood beside him.
In his hand was a teal-colored revolver.
“Have you identified any weak points on King Balrog, by chance?”
Siul asked while loading ammunition.
Heo Minho pressed his hand to the wound bleeding red along his ribs and shook his head.
“No idea. Even if I did, hitting it would be as difficult as clearing the dungeon itself.”
And that was the truth.
King Balrog possessed wings five times larger than those of an ordinary Balrog.
The thing to note was that lava poured from within those wings like a deluge.
Because of this, close combat was out of the question.
“His flight speed is also incredibly fast. Rather than aiming for weak points, it’d be better to land hits anywhere and build up damage.”
Though Siul was his rival, Heo Minho shared his honest experience with him.
The reason was simple.
‘This man won’t be able to defeat King Balrog on his own anyway.’
Having checked beforehand, Siul’s activity record showed no S-rank Dungeon experience.
Setting aside personal feelings, it was difficult to expect any meaningful result from someone whose enemy’s capabilities couldn’t yet be gauged.
“Can’t be helped. I’ll try targeting the heart first, then the head, then the eyes in order.”
“…?!”
Siul spoke in a matter-of-fact tone.
As if he could land any shot he wanted whenever he pleased.
That arrogant attitude made Heo Minho’s eyelids twitch.
“Are you ignoring what I just said? King Balrog is far more…than you think.”
“Apologies. We can discuss it after.”
Siul raised his gun hurriedly, as if pressed for time.
The teal-colored crosshair visible only to him flickered urgently, demanding he pull the trigger.
‘Does loading the gun put a time limit on the shot? Why does it have to blink like that and make me anxious?’
Siul clicked his tongue and steadied his gun hand with his other hand.
He didn’t want a sloppy shot like the one against the Wyvern Goblin last time.
Especially today, with so many eyes watching—he planted his feet firmly and locked his center of gravity.
‘Heart first.’
Bang—!
The moment the trigger was pulled, a teal trajectory erupted from the Hidden Roullet’s muzzle like lightning.
King Balrog’s wings responded with lightning speed.
Whoooosh!!
Lava erupted from within the wings, swallowing the bullet’s trajectory whole.
Any ordinary round would have vaporized on the spot from that heat.
But the Hidden Bullet did not stop.
It carved through the lava, its trajectory shifting with sudden grace, then ricocheted once through empty air before plunging into King Balrog’s chest like a falling star.
Screech!!
The skin at the heart site ruptured, and crimson lava sprayed in all directions.
“D-did you just control that Mana Bullet in mid-flight?!”
“You actually landed that?!”
The Choshinseong Team gasped, their wits utterly scattered.
King Balrog’s body convulsed violently.
“Roooaaar!!”
Yet King Balrog raised its head, bellowing a cry laced with rage.
It had taken considerable damage, but it did not fall.
Siul’s expression flickered with disappointment.
‘So demons really do exist without hearts. I’d heard Balrog-types had none—now I know it’s true.’
He turned the thought over once more, then calmly loaded the next round.
‘Will the brain be the same?’
Dwelling on such questions during combat would not be wise.
Siul pulled the trigger at once.
Bang!
This time the bullet flew in a straight line.
King Balrog twisted its torso and tried to evade with high-speed flight, but the Hidden Bullet shifted its angle yet again.
Crack!!
The round pierced through the skull and split the air beyond the back of its head.
Lava erupted in excess, but King Balrog remained alive.
“Tch.”
Siul’s eyes narrowed.
‘The Hidden Bullet’s power punches through any part of this thing. The problem is there’s no vital point to exploit—it just endures like a corpse.’
He grasped the needed strategy shift after only two attacks.
Watching him, Heo Minho’s eyes were flooded with nothing but shock.
Click.
As Siul loaded the third Hidden Bullet, Heo Minho finally spoke up.
“Siul, how in the world are you—ugh!”
Pain flared from his side wound, and Heo Minho’s body doubled over.
His grip loosened, and the Lake’s Sword clattered to the ground.
In that moment, Siul’s eyes traced the Lake’s Sword.
“Minho.”
A subtle smile crossed Siul’s face.
“Let me borrow that sword for a moment.”
“Huh? What?”
Before Heo Minho could ask again, Siul had already seized the Lake’s Sword.
【The skill ‘Dungeon Sprint’ activates.】
Siul vanished in an instant.
“Wait! Where are you—ugh!”
Heo Minho’s cry was cut short by pain.
Meanwhile, Siul fired a Hidden Bullet the moment he began his sprint.
The round pierced through King Balrog’s left wing, and the next shot fired in succession tore through the right.
Stripped of flight, King Balrog’s massive form crumbled from the sky like a collapsing tower.
Calculating that trajectory, Siul leaped with all his might.
The world seemed to slow—a single suspended instant.
Their gazes crossed: the descending monster and the soaring human.
Siul shoved the Hidden Roullet into his inventory and seized the Lake’s Sword with both hands.
Whiiiiish!!
Following the arc the blade traced, a wondrous stream of water painted a circle through the empty air.
Though King Balrog had no vital point to exploit, one truth remained unmistakable: his body was forged of lava.
‘Time to cool you down, you undead thing.’
The waters unleashed by the Lake’s Sword consumed King Balrog’s entire form.
Where lava met water, a scalding steam storm erupted.
In that mist, Siul found himself facing a holographic screen.
【Quest Complete!】
【You have brilliantly eliminated a life-threatening enemy through complete annihilation.】
【You receive 3 Level-up Points as a reward.】
【Current accumulated points: 5】
As the mist cleared, the Choshinseong Team’s eyes fixed on a single point.
Siul’s silhouette standing atop King Balrog’s remains looked like a hero who had just ended a battle.
“He defeated an S-rank boss… alone.”
“Without a scratch on him…”
The party members swallowed hard, their breath catching.
Everyone’s eyes held a mixture of awe and bewilderment.
The one most shocked was Heo Minho.
He clenched his lips firmly and looked up at Siul.
For the first time, an undeniable admiration seeped into his eyes—eyes that had burned with competitive fire.
‘A monster… He’s a real monster…’
It was the highest praise a man who had once carried the title of monster rookie could offer.
In that moment, he recognized and accepted that he himself had merely been cute compared to being called a monster.
The Time-Limited Hunter Continues to Survive
Author |
Kutsummatsu
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Samyang C&C Co., Ltd.
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Editorial Department
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No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any form or by any means without the written permission of Samyang C&C Co., Ltd. – Dreambooks.

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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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