A S-Class Hunter With Great Agility - Chapter 86

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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 86: Elf Dungeon (7)

 

“Did you even get any sleep?”

 

Choi Yu-il pressed firmly around his eyes. The cold air outside the castle seemed to help clear his mind somewhat.

However, the fact that he still looked excessively tired remained unchanged.

 

“Since we entered here, about two to three hours a day…”

 

As expected. I clicked my tongue in disapproval. I’ve always been someone who believes you should sleep while you’re alive.

We’re doing all this to make a living anyway. Why postpone even sleep until after death? If you think about it the other way, it’s all just laziness. Let’s live properly by sleeping early and waking up early.

 

“Well, anyway. That means you’ve been wandering around all night during that time.”

“…Right. I didn’t expect to get caught this quickly though.”

 

Choi Yu-il smiled awkwardly. I sat down on the strangely shaped grass and spoke up.

 

“Why?”

 

He’s definitely hiding something. Somehow, I felt like I needed to dig into that first before discussing the strangeness of the Elf Clan.

Choi Yu-il leaned his back against the castle wall and said.

 

“I needed… evidence.”

“What kind of evidence?”

 

‘Don’t tell me…’

 

I raised one eyebrow. My eyes met with Choi Yu-il’s as he seemed to be choosing his words, his lips moving slightly.

When he made a troubled face, I finally realized something. I let out a light sigh.

 

‘I’m one step behind.’

 

“You already knew, didn’t you?”

“….”

 

Nod. The slowly nodding head implied a lot.

Choi Yu-il had already noticed it. The strangeness of these Eight-Foot Ghosts… no, elves.

 

“Since when?”

“Um, from the beginning…?”

 

The answer that came back was unexpected. I immediately straightened my leaning posture.

 

“What?”

 

‘How did he know? There weren’t any particular signs.’

 

To think Choi Yu-il was that perceptive. This was completely news to me. I wondered if living next to Sister Yu-kyung naturally made you evolve… but unfortunately, that wasn’t the case.

Choi Yu-il said with an embarrassed expression.

 

“It’s just… I didn’t trust the elves from the beginning, that’s all. It’s not like I noticed something special, so it’s a bit embarrassing.”

 

He continued his sentence while rubbing the back of his neck. There was a hint of bitterness in his tone.

 

“I wanted to believe too. It’s not that I disagree with what you said. Senseless killing is uncomfortable. I don’t like it either. Especially if they’re similar to us like the elves…”

“….”

“But.”

 

Choi Yu-il had the face of someone who had already been disappointed many times.

 

“In the end, the essence is the same.”

“….”

“Monsters are monsters. Whatever their appearance, they operate only on malice…”

 

It was the face of someone who had continuously searched for and tried other methods, yet always met the same ending.

He shook his head.

 

“Every time I go out on subjugation missions, I realize it. We don’t have the option of negotiating with these things.”

 

Choi Yu-il was almost certain. That these elves were completely monsters and evil.

I asked a question.

 

“What evidence did you find? If you’re saying this much, it must be more than just something strange you can brush off.”

“…Yeah.”

 

He soon showed me his right hand, palm open.

 

“Until now I only had circumstantial evidence, so I couldn’t talk about it. I didn’t want to just increase worries without any proof. And Kyeol seemed to like the hero story…”

“…!”

“So I tried to find physical evidence on my own, and I just discovered this today.”

 

There was something smeared on Choi Yu-il’s hand.

It was a pale golden liquid, similar to his hair color. Choi Yu-il soon explained what it was.

 

“It’s paint. It came off from that painting we saw.”

“The painting that was supposedly painted thirteen hundred years ago?”

 

Ha, I let out a hollow laugh. The evidence was both absurd and clear.

 

“A thirteen-hundred-year-old painting… that hasn’t even dried.”

“It didn’t even look old at all, as if it had just been painted. This was definitely painted over, or completely new.”

 

Choi Yu-il rubbed his fingers together. The thin paint was sticky like it was brand new.

 

‘No matter how well preserved it was, this is too much.’

 

This evidence pointed to one thing.

A bitter taste spread across my tongue.

 

‘I wanted to choose a more peaceful method.’

 

Anyone would have thought that way. Since they resembled humans, maybe they would be a little different.

 

But don’t we often encounter evil wearing human masks as well?

 

‘What on earth were they thinking?’

 

Monsters are monsters, and hunters are hunters. So there’s only one thing a hunter should do.

I stretched my legs and stood up from my seat.

 

“So the hero and everything else was all lies.”

 

No wonder it seemed so out of the blue. This was the moment it was revealed that the hero’s legend was a fantasy novel written by the Elf Clan.

 

‘Then the reason for telling such lies is…’

 

Choi Yu-il and I opened our mouths at the same time.

 

“It’s a trap.”

“It seems like a trap.”

 

We concluded that the hero story was entirely intended to trap us, nothing more and nothing less.

I let out a deep sigh. Something felt off, but I never thought everything would be a lie.

 

‘They could all be actors.’

 

“We can’t just let this slide.”

 

I caressed the handle of my Spirit General Sword. Strength entered my wrist.

The feeling of being forced to abandon the easy and righteous path wasn’t pleasant at all.

 

“First, we need to find out what they were trying to accomplish by setting this trap. If they wanted to kill us, there would have been many other ways besides this method…”

 

After all, there aren’t just one or two of these creatures. Rather than using their heads like this, it would have been better to launch a surprise attack.

So why did they use such a troublesome method? Finding out the reason would be suitable for getting through this problem.

 

“The purpose of setting the trap…”

 

That’s when it happened.

 

【Captain!】

 

An elf’s voice came from beyond the window.

 

“Hey, duck down!”

 

I grabbed Choi Yu-il who was leaning close to the window.

He swayed for a moment, then crouched down as my hand guided him.

 

“What, what is it?”

“Let’s listen for now.”

 

We held our breath as much as possible. It looked obviously suspicious, like something was going on.

Sure enough, an unexpected story began to be heard from the Elf Knight.

 

【T-the two humans have disappeared, Captain!】

【What?】

【As you instructed, I checked inside the room… They were nowhere to be found. What should we do about this?】

 

The conversation partner was Josephine. After hearing the troubled knight’s question, Josephine let out a big sigh.

 

‘Why is she wandering around?’

 

When I glanced at Choi Yu-il, he whispered in a low voice.

 

“She’s been patrolling inside the castle every dawn… It was hard avoiding her all this time, but it seems like we got caught today since two people’s presence disappeared.”

 

Looking through the window, I could see the knight waiting tensely for Josephine’s answer.

 

【Damn it. What do you mean what should we do? We have to find them. Shit, did they run away? Did they catch on?】

【T-that can’t be! Didn’t we prepare thoroughly?】

【You never know. Especially that black-haired one. His sharp eyes are strangely unsettling… I’m really uneasy. He’s definitely not a dull bastard.】

 

‘Well, sorry for not catching on sooner.’

 

Tsk. What’s wrong with my eyes? They look so kind and gentle… I gave up that thought after seeing Choi Yu-il’s face in my field of vision.

 

【Anyway, search thoroughly right now. Manage them well without any scratches. If those things escape, the next thirty years will be hell.】

 

‘…Without any scratches?’

 

I exchanged glances with Choi Yu-il. It seemed like there was a hint in that statement.

Just as I was about to start reasoning, Josephine suddenly spoke.

 

【Ah, wait a minute. Which of the three disappeared?】

【The one who used the bow and the black-haired one.】

【Then the remaining one is… Ah, haha.】

 

Chuckling laughter could be heard. Goosebumps naturally rose on the back of my neck.

This was definitely an ominous feeling.

 

Thud, thud.

 

The sound of Josephine’s footsteps heading somewhere filled the corridor. It was easy to predict her destination.

 

“…Baek Kyul.”

“Kyul…!”

 

This was a disaster. I thought it would be okay since it was just for a moment.

It seemed like there was no time to just stay put like this.

 

“Choi Yu-il, over here.”

 

I pointed at the window with my chin. Choi Yu-il nodded and immediately rammed his shoulder toward the window.

 

Crack.

Crash!

 

The glass couldn’t withstand the Strength Stat of a top-tier A-rank Hunter and finally met its end.

 

【What… Who goes there!】

 

Soon I stepped onto the window frame and grinned wickedly.

 

“The person you were looking for.”

 

The Elf Knight’s face turned pale as he aimed his spear at me and Choi Yu-il.

 

“This feels familiar somehow. You were just as wary on the first day. I guess you couldn’t communicate with each other back then?”

 

— Huh? You mean the Hero…?

 

Those strangely hesitant looks. That was far from the gaze of those looking at their savior.

Now I felt like the puzzle pieces were starting to fit together one by one.

 

【Ah… ha. So you are the Heroes. Out for a stroll? Now please return to your room…】

“Shut up. We’re already caught anyway.”

【Tsk…】

 

The knight gripped his spear again. I didn’t care and spoke to Choi Yu-il.

 

“I’ll go check on Baek Kyul. I’m leaving this place to you.”

“Yeah. Don’t worry.”

 

I needed to chase after Josephine as quickly as possible.

Choi Yu-il answered like that and picked up his bow with a determined expression.

 

【Ha, you’re looking down on us too much.】

 

The Elf Knight frowned as if frustrated. Why is he acting like that?

 

Wheeeeek!

 

My question was brief, as he suddenly blew a whistle.

 

【What’s happening!】

【Which way, are there intruders?!】

 

Before long, the sound of running footsteps could be heard from the end of the corridor.

 

“Oh no…”

“…”

 

I made a slightly flustered expression. What appeared across the corridor were several Elf Knights.

Knights holding spears and bows surrounded us.

 

【The Hero was attempting to escape. Everyone capture them!】

 

The knight who had been confronting us gave that order.

 

“…Good luck.”

 

I patted Choi Yu-il’s shoulder and turned around.

I didn’t expect it to turn out like this. It truly was a pitiful situation.

For Choi Yu-il? As if. I feel sorry for the Elves.

 

“I’ll be back.”

 

The guy stood guard behind me as I headed toward the opposite corridor. An unwavering appearance.

The same could be said for his arrows.

 

* * *

 

— Oh, right. You…

 

Eun Hae-dam left a parting word before clearing the corridor.

 

— Don’t use Greenhouse.

 

He had been giving Choi Yu-il stern warnings with fire in his eyes.

It seemed the incident at the Life Dungeon had left quite a shock on him.

 

“…What should I do.”

 

His friend who used to catch ghosts would turn into a ghost himself when he got angry. For that reason, it was probably better to listen to him.

Choi Yu-il smiled awkwardly.

 

【Ha, acting so leisurely. Brave Knights of the Elves! Capture the Hero!】

“Hmm…”

 

Choi Yu-il couldn’t understand what they were saying.

However, considering the tone that had been repeated so far, that Elf was probably using the word ‘Hero’ in what he was saying.

 

‘Hero…’

 

Except for what he occasionally heard while saving young children during Dungeon Breaks, it was an unfamiliar word.

 

‘But it sounded nice back then.’

 

Choi Yu-il looked at the elves.

Gleaming eyes. Killing intent that couldn’t be hidden no matter how hard they tried to conceal it.

They had always been like this. There was nothing surprising about it.

 

“Green Light Arrow, Hit.”

 

Then he just needed to act as he always had.

Choi Yu-il aimed his arrowhead. His target was only one—the knight standing in the center.

That alone was enough.

 

Swooosh!

 

The arrow flew toward the knight’s forehead. Soon came the heavy thud of metal embedding itself.

 

【V-Vice Captain—!! What are you all doing?! Capture him immediately!】

【Proud knights of the elves—!!】

 

The Elf Clan began rushing toward Choi Yu-il.

 

“…It seems like it would be best to stop playing honorable knight.”

 

However, the green-eyed man took no action. Instead, he simply lowered the bow he was holding.

 

“Greenhouse.”

 

Whoooosh!

 

A green formation spread out with him at the center. The circular light expanded in all directions, surrounding the area.

 

Actually…

 

“I’m really sleepy right now…”

 

Ever since entering this place, he had been staying up almost every night.

If not for an A-rank Hunter’s high stamina stats, he might have collapsed long ago.

 

【What is this…!】

 

In other words, contrary to Eun Hae-dam’s concerns—it meant that Greenhouse could exert its effects without any particular self-harm.

 

Thud.

Clank.

 

Soon after, all the elves standing within the Greenhouse collapsed.

 

“Phew.”

 

It was the moment when the advantage of the opening battle turned in their favor. In just a few seconds.

 

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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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