A S-Class Hunter With Great Agility - Chapter 12
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 12: Under the Maple Tree (3)
The arrow reached its destination in the blink of an eye.
The Boss Monster no longer had the strength to counterattack, and a zombie dungeon monster that had lost its vitality was quite an easy opponent.
Screeeeech!
Choi Yu-il’s and my arrows pierced into the maple tree’s throat.
Whoooosh.
It became a spark in an instant. The bright red flames became new maple leaves.
“Phew—.”
I took a deep breath. The Fire Bow I was holding disappeared.
The acrid smell of smoke swirled around my nose.
“Ugh….”
Choi Yu-il immediately collapsed. He must have reached the limit of his stamina.
“…Good work.”
But it was too early to feel relieved. The system notification confirming the monster’s defeat hadn’t come yet.
‘Fire Virtue True Lord has a total of three skills.’
The last one hadn’t been used yet. I caught my breath for the finishing work.
【Kiiiiik—….】
Now the maple tree was no longer recognizable in form. The fire wouldn’t go out, and recovery was even hopeless.
Snicker.
I let a sneer curl at the corner of my mouth.
“Lord Spirit.”
| Kuhaha! Look at that. It can’t even struggle! |
“It doesn’t have limbs to begin with, but it looks good.”
| As expected, you’re truly useful. You have a talent for arson! |
“It’s not really a talent I want to have….”
Fire Virtue True Lord’s pleased laughter echoed in my head.
Every time that hearty laugh rang out, it felt like fireworks were exploding somewhere in my brain.
“I should finish this, right?”
| Mm. That’s right! However, your spiritual power is showing the bottom of the well. From now on, it will be quite taxing. Will you be alright? |
[※ Warning! Mana is insufficient.]
The system also stepped forward to warn me. I knew that my remaining mana was insufficient.
But just once. This would end everything, so it was enough.
I took a step forward. The heat touching my face felt familiar.
【Kigigigigik.】
Now the monster was nothing more and nothing less than a burning tree.
I raised my hand. And snapped my fingers. Snap.
Fire Virtue Flame.
“Annihilation.”
That was the starting point. As if that word had become a spark, the burning flames became explosives.
Bang, and.
It exploded.
Boom—! Kuguung.
Everyone raised their arms to block the tsunami of debris rushing toward them.
I didn’t move.
I just watched clearly.
What was exploding, and how.
The maple leaves fell.
* * *
Rumble.
The dungeon began to shake.
It meant that the Boss Monster’s core had finally been destroyed.
The devastated battlefield. Next to two people who had lost their lives, I stood blankly, covered in ash and blood.
“….”
What I had to do was decided. I knelt down to collect the hunters’ bodies and carried them one by one.
I then handed them over to Kang In-ho, who had come running through the dust. Kang In-ho received his comrades’ bodies and couldn’t straighten his face at all.
“…Sniff.”
It was a distorted expression that looked like he would cry at any moment.
“Leader, let’s just do Emergency Treatment for now.”
Baek Kyul quietly approached and channeled energy into the area around Choi Yu-il’s heart.
It seemed he had recovered enough to walk for a while.
My stat condition was beyond words.
“Huu…”
My whole body was throbbing. Considering that the Greenhouse skill was S-grade, it was probably natural.
Moreover, I had fought directly without summoning a spirit, only casting the Divine Descent Ritual. The internal injuries were no joke either.
“…I’m sorry, Leader, Hunter. If I could have been of more help…”
“No, ugh. The fact that we only had this many casualties in a Life Dungeon is rather, a miracle. …You know that.”
Choi Yu-il bitterly smiled as he denied it. Even though it must be hard for him to utter a single word. He was instead reassuring his teammates.
Kang In-ho still kept his mouth tightly shut. Lee Jung-yeon also couldn’t say anything. Baek Kyul had a dazed expression.
“Be careful, Leader.”
Choi Yu-il barely managed to take a step with support.
On the way out, I briefly looked back.
The charred remains that had burned black.
Dust and dirt.
The hot flames.
‘So this is a dungeon. Where I’ll have to be from now on.’
I clenched my fist.
| How do you feel? |
“….”
Fire Virtue True Lord’s voice echoed in my head. I hesitated to answer for a while.
Perhaps I had thought about it too naively. No, maybe I had deliberately ignored it.
Becoming a Hunter, making money. In all those series of processes, there was a harsh reality that could never be ignored.
“…My thoughts have changed a bit.”
| Oh. In what way? |
“Well… It’s hard to explain.”
I raised my head and looked up at the empty air.
Why did the system give me something like this? What does it want? By killing those damn monsters, what exactly…
I couldn’t know yet, but.
“Perhaps I have somewhere to go that’s a bit more…”
Beyond simply making money and escaping this tiresome reality.
There might be somewhere further to go.
The monster dying in flames somehow felt refreshing to me.
* * *
Just before exiting the dungeon, Choi Yu-il stared at me intently.
The dungeon’s collapse was already chasing us to the entrance.
Kang In-ho was carrying the bodies of the dead Hunters, while Lee Jung-yeon and Baek Kyul were supporting Choi Yu-il’s arms.
Everyone was moving their feet quickly to escape, and in the midst of that, Choi Yu-il turned his head.
“…Here.”
The guy rummaged inside his clothes and pulled something out, pressing it into my hand.
It was a magic stone with orange and brown colors mysteriously mixed together. Oh…
“That maple tree from earlier?”
“Yeah. You take it. We got out alive thanks to you.”
The magic stone that drops when a monster dies. That was essentially the monster’s essence and its most valuable part.
Choi Yu-il handed it to me without hesitation, having found it at some point.
“But didn’t you lose your magic stone last time too? If you come back empty-handed again this time, Sister Yu-kyung won’t let it slide, will she?”
“Ah, you heard about that? How embarrassing… It’s fine. I’ll explain to her myself.”
Choi Yu-il smiled awkwardly.
I couldn’t really trust him… I raised one corner of my mouth then quickly composed myself. He’s a guy with zero credibility, but… considering what he showed earlier.
“I understand for now.”
I nodded in agreement.
“…And, um.”
Choi Yu-il hesitated a bit as if he wasn’t finished talking. He had the expression of someone with something to say.
He lowered his gaze and barely opened his mouth.
“Thank you.”
“….”
“…And sorry. For being stubborn for no reason.”
“What am I supposed to say to that.”
I made an indifferent expression.
“What’s between us anyway.”
Choi Yu-il hung his head with his bloodstained face. And he didn’t add any more words.
He just quietly murmured to the others.
“Let’s go. Everyone really did great work.”
“There’s going to be a tremendous amount of reports waiting.”
“For now, just focus on treatment.”
“Right. That’s what’s most important.”
The hunters comforted each other, and I too silently moved forward.
‘Cancel Divine Descent Ritual.’
At that moment, the heat surrounding my body disappeared. The burning sensation at my fingertips also left.
I clenched my hand once and then opened it. I savored the strange feeling that remained.
It was a sensation that would become routine from now on.
* * *
Outside, it was night.
But it wasn’t dark. Lights set up here and there illuminated the area beneath the pitch-black sky.
As I stepped out, the gate behind us instantly vanished without a trace.
“How many days have passed?”
“I wonder. I hope it wasn’t too long.”
Choi Yu-il looked around. I made a puzzled expression.
“?”
“Ah, in dungeons the time axis gets completely twisted… Time always flows differently from outside. When you’re unlucky, weeks or even months can pass, ugh.”
“Leader, stop talking.”
“Ow. Cough…”
Choi Yu-il clutched his abdomen and smiled weakly.
‘Amazing. It really is a different world.’
I looked around, hoping enough time hadn’t passed for my utility bills to pile up.
People in pure white suits were standing here and there. When we went in, there were only black suits.
“They’re Eden staff.”
“Ah.”
Baek Kyul explained.
“Oh?!”
“You’re finally out!”
“B7 Gate clear completed!”
Those who spotted us made surprised expressions and came running.
However, the moment they checked our party’s condition, their faces turned drastically pale.
“…This is B7 Gate Barracks, reporting abnormal situation.”
“Come this way. What on earth happened?”
Someone turned on a radio and sent a transmission somewhere.
Everyone looked flustered.
‘Well.’
This would be the natural reaction. Though I hadn’t been conscious of it, Choi Yu-il was currently covered in blood. I was singed here and there, and the other three didn’t look good either.
Moreover, Kang In-ho was carrying two dead hunters… Four or five people immediately attended to that side.
“Over there, that person…”
“Got it. I’ll go check.”
A couple of staff members had a brief conversation while looking at me, then approached.
“This is Eden’s Field Management Department. Are you alright?”
My head felt foggy. I nodded for now.
“Excuse me, but I need to ask first. You’re not on the list of hunters we have on record. Are you not affiliated with Eden?”
“Ah…”
Right.
That problem remained.
I didn’t have enough mana to summon the Mountain Lord, so I came out unable to use Spirit Form.
From Eden’s perspective, a hunter they’d never seen had popped out of their dungeon, so they must be quite confused.
“It’s an important matter. If you show us your Hunter License, we’ll quickly process the procedures and help with treatment.”
“Um, excuse me.”
“Yes. Please speak.”
I asked while holding my forehead.
“How much time has passed?”
“Pardon…?”
The staff member blinked. Then looked up and down at my hanbok outfit.
‘What?’
There was no answer, only an awkward silence.
‘Oh no way.’
“Right now it’s twenty twenty…”
“No, no! That’s not what I meant!”
What kind of misunderstanding is this.
I’m not from the Joseon Dynasty, really.
No regression, possession, or reincarnation here.
“Since we went in and came out.”
“Ah, ah, I’m sorry. Exactly 78 hours and 48 minutes have passed.”
It’s already been 3 days. Along with the rapidly accumulated fatigue, a headache came over me.
“Well, I’m obviously not affiliated with this place. You could say I’m an Unregistered Person…”
“Excuse me?”
“But about this thing…”
What they’re roughly talking about seems to be something about procedures…
I understood the problem, but my thought process was completely blocked.
“Could we talk about this a little later…?”
There’s one thing I forgot.
You see, my Stamina stat is 10…
Thud.
I collapsed right there.
Screeeeech—!
The flames of my arrow wrapped around Choi Yu-il’s Green Arrow.
That Flame Transformation rushed into the Maple Tree’s mouth.
Yes, burn everything.
Burn it all…
Let’s erase all those damn things.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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FadedStringed
PFFT. Fainted at the worst moment