I Became a Mythical Hunter After Killing the Golden Goblin - Chapter 104

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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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Chapter 104. Mythic-Grade Quest
I clicked my tongue as I stared down at the fallen Ma-in.
‘This seems connected to my Mythic-Grade Quest somehow.’
My instincts screamed it. There had to be a clear connection between these insect-like Ma-ins and my Mythic-Grade Quest. That’s why such an absurd difficulty level had been measured.
So what I had to face was something down there in the underground—likely at least a Calamity-Class monster. And the Ma-ins targeting that something?
I hauled the fallen Ma-in to his feet and delivered a sharp slap across his face.
Crack, crack!
After two blows, the creature sprang up with a roar, unaware he’d been knocked unconscious, thrashing about wildly until three more slaps silenced him.
“Much better. Good—just cooperate like this from now on.”
“Spit! Just kill me. Kill me already!”
“How did you become a Ma-in?”
If my suspicion was correct, another Ma-in had likely turned him into one. It made no sense for demons to suddenly sponsor some lowlife bandit.
He remained silent at my question. It seemed he had no intention of talking easily—but that was fine.
I’d have to resort to the beautiful method of torture. Inhumane, perhaps, but I didn’t care. It wasn’t my responsibility to protect this bastard’s human rights.
Besides, everyone would approve of torturing a Ma-in. I called over the leader of the Drivers, who stood at a distance watching us, ready to charge in at any moment.
“What is it? Has this cursed heretic tried to seduce you! Let me cut off this heretic’s head right now and save you!”
I drew my sword and stopped the Driver leader, who was genuinely about to behead someone, then asked him a question.
“Do you happen to know how to torture?”
“Torture… hmm? Everything these heretics say is lies. There’s nothing to gain from torture. We should just kill them!”
Fine, I understood. I pushed the leader aside and rummaged through my inventory.
Unfortunately, I had no experience with torture and no related talents. But I was human—a being that had evolved through the use of tools.
“There should be plenty if I look.”
I could use trap items, there were definitely items made specifically for torture, I could poison him—
As I rattled off the things I could do, the bandit’s face grew increasingly pale. Eventually, he couldn’t hold back and tried to escape by transforming into a Ma-in.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
He was immediately subdued by me and the Drivers.
“Let go! Let me go, you bastards! Kill me! Just cleanly behead me and be done with it! You damn things! You call yourselves Drivers! Is this how Drivers act?”
“Sorry, but I’m not a Driver, so it doesn’t matter to me. So shall we start simple and neatly—by binding you to the rack?”
The very rack that Jesus had been bound to became an even crueler torture device. The cross was made of iron, and if desired, I could raise the temperature to burn his flesh.
When I actually pulled out a cross-shaped torture device from my inventory, the creature’s complexion turned truly ashen.
“Just endure five clean rounds of torture and I’ll let you live. How’s that for a deal?”
At those words, the bandit trembled violently and had no choice but to surrender. He seemed to be thinking about something, paused for a moment, then shouted.
“Fine! Ask away! You vicious bastard!”
“Alright, how did you become a Ma-in?”
At my words, the Drivers’ eyes all turned toward me at once. Genuinely curious why I was asking such a thing.
Did they think I wanted to become a Ma-in? Well, I had already shown demonic energy, so it wasn’t unreasonable for them to think that.
“No. Doesn’t something seem strange to you? A mere bandit becoming a Ma-in? Would some idle demon really go around finding and contracting with losers like this one? There are plenty of people overflowing with desire everywhere. There must be a Ma-in who corrupted this creature. Perhaps one near the Holy Kingdom itself.”
At my words, surprise flickered across the Drivers’ faces. You single-minded fools—even the adventurer princess Nicky would understand this much. You’re so focused on just killing things that you miss details like this.
Was the Ma-in trying to evade the situation with lies? Or was my reasoning correct?
“Ugh… how did you…?”
“So who the hell is this guy? I don’t understand why there are Ma-in vermin everywhere I go, but I feel like I’d have an easier time with my work if I just swept them all away. Who introduced you to the Demon and made you into Ma-in?”
At my question, the Bandit Chief clamped his mouth shut. It was as if he could never speak of it, his will steeled to endure even torture without breaking.
The Sun’s inner power gathered in my eyes, and a pair of crimson eyes fixed upon the Ma-in Bandit Chief.
“A seal. A geas, then. Forbidden from speaking.”
I rose from my seat. If that was the case, this wretch was useless to me now. Unfortunately, the seal’s grade was quite high. At least rare-tier.
‘Tsk, if my ownership had just reached 30%. I could have used a Seal Release Scroll to make him spill everything.’
There was nothing to be done about it. Those simple Drivers wouldn’t possibly carry such an expensive scroll, and there didn’t seem to be a Merchant either.
“You can kill him. We’ve lost our chance at information anyway.”
“W-wait! Wait, I’ll tell you, I’ll speak, just spare my life! Don’t be surprised! The person who introduced me to the Demon was from the Holy Kingdom’s…”
Those words were his final testament.
-Kiiiiieeeeeek!!
The Ma-in Bandit Chief’s mouth froze mid-word, his body stiffened, and blood began pouring from his seven orifices. The grotesque part was that it didn’t end there. The spilled blood transformed into a monster and unleashed a horrific shriek toward us.
〚Unique Ability: Blood Fiend Art (Blood Fiend Cry) has struck you!〛
〚Unique Ability: The Supreme Soul blocks the inferior mental attack.〛
〚Stat: Indomitable Spirit aids the Supreme Soul in annihilating the remaining traces.〛
“A curse!”
I shouted in alarm, but it was already too late. My companions, including the Merchant, began collapsing in an instant, bleeding from their seven orifices just as the Ma-in had done.
Even the Drivers barely lasted a moment before falling the same way. I furrowed my brow and immediately drew upon the sacred power of The Sun, bursting and destroying the monster made of blood.
“Tsk, killing it doesn’t work.”
But there was no problem. I had learned these skills precisely for such contingencies.
〚Skill: The Purest Water’s Purification [Unique-EX+] is cast!〛
〚Title: Serpent’s Blessing increases the effect by 500%!〛
Sacred and pristine water rippled forth from my hands, spreading to engulf the fallen. Gradually the bleeding ceased, and pallid faces returned to their natural color.
Fortunately, it wasn’t a curse of particularly high grade, and it dissipated readily.
I didn’t stop there, awakening the sacred power from my Pride and scattering starlight.
〚Skill: The Miracle of Sacred Starlight [Epic-SSS+] is cast!〛
〚Title: Serpent’s Blessing increases the effect by 500%!〛
Whoooosh!
As the miracle descended, everyone’s complexion not only returned to normal but became peaceful.
“Tsk, I suspected he was no ordinary foe.”
To think he was meticulous enough to plant such a bomb. Clicking my tongue, I laid the people down on one side, exhaled a long sigh, and began replaying the words the Ma-in had uttered at the end.
***
At the heart of the Holy Kingdom, within a pristine white grand temple stood the Central Church. Inside one of its chambers, The Entity—who had been attending to administrative duties—suddenly coughed up blood.
“Cough! Your Eminence! Are you alright?”
The Cardinal’s subordinates, witnessing this, rushed toward him, wiping away the blood with handkerchiefs and examining his condition.
“It doesn’t seem to be a serious problem…”
“No serious problem?! You think coughing up blood is normal?! Look at the amount of blood! How can you say that?”
“Moreover, it’s all dead blood! And you’re saying it’s fine?! Fetch another Cardinal at once and have them verify with holy power!”
Amid all this commotion, the one who had coughed up the blood slowly raised his hand. Holy power emanated from his palm, and after catching his breath, he smiled benevolently.
It was a smile so warm and comforting that anyone would be compelled to smile along.
“Hehehehe. I assure you, I am fine. There seems to be no issue with my body. I shall consult with the other Cardinals myself to verify. Please, return to your duties—there is much work to be done. The festival we have been awaiting draws near, after all.”
“Y-yes, understood. Please, I beg you, take care of yourself while you work. Cardinal Aoyra. This is the sincere counsel of a junior and subordinate who respects you.”
“Thank you. I am always aware of your concern. I know well the hardships you endure by following in my footsteps. The Divine surely sees and hears all of it. May sacred blessings descend upon you all.”
“May sacred blessings descend upon us. We shall withdraw for now and return once you have composed yourself.”
The subordinates gathered their tasks and left the chamber. The moment they departed—
Gag!
Once more, blackened, dead blood spilled from Cardinal Aoyra’s lips. Simultaneously, his face twisted grotesquely.
“How dare that wretched insect! A puppet I created with my own hands!!”
Benevolence? Gentleness? Warmth? Holiness?
In an instant, his demeanor had flipped 180 degrees from those sacred virtues. Only rage, destruction, and fury remained.
He lowered his hand and touched the blood he had expelled. Closing his eyes quietly, he began searching for the organ-piece connected to that blood—
And soon found it. A wretched insect living in the Stage 0-1 Area, doing nothing but banditry.
“Eliminated? Pathetic wretch. Even if you hang pearls around a pig’s neck, it remains a pig. Despite receiving power beyond its station, it remains utterly contemptible.”
Had it simply accepted death, that would have been one thing. But it seemed the creature had attempted to speak of this puppet. Worse still, all the contingency curses he had planted as a final failsafe had been completely neutralized by someone.
Why did such a powerful entity exist in that place?
Furrowing his brow, Cardinal Aoyra swiftly manifested holy power to erase all traces of the blood, then changed his clothes and sat back down.
“Two. Two of my Ma-in have already fallen…”
The bandit insect was merely a disposable pawn he had created for distraction, but one Ma-in belonging to the Demon Palace had caused chaos in the Primordial City and perished.
It was certainly surprising that a Ma-in had died in the Primordial City, but that one was merely a 7th-rank Apostle—nothing more than a wretched underling granted only the seat of an Apostle, not even a true incarnation of a mid-tier Demon.
Yet it had been his subordinate, acting under orders from the Demon Palace.
“Tsk. Things are becoming complicated.”
How much time, effort, and resources had been expended to infiltrate the Holy Kingdom under orders from the great ones of the Demon Palace?
This was a mission that could not fail under any circumstances. There had been two unforeseen variables, but they were merely disposable pawns—nothing worth worrying about. Still, it would be wise to increase vigilance.
“I must not fail. Absolutely not.”
He was a 4th-rank Apostle—a being with the status and power to become the supreme leader of Ma-in across an entire world. Even for such an existence, this mission was grave enough to stake one’s life upon.
Yet success would open the path to advancement as a 3rd-rank Apostle, with rewards promised that were immeasurable.
‘I seized this position because of my abilities.’
He would not fail. To ensure that, he would eliminate anything that stood in the way of his plan.
Murderous intent flickered in the Cardinal’s eyes.

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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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