I Became a Mythical Hunter After Killing the Golden Goblin - Chapter 108

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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 108. Darkness Descending Upon the Holy Kingdom (3)
The Underground Prison was shrouded in darkness. True to its identity as a place of confinement, it stood in stark contrast to the cheerful, radiant, and laughter-filled surface—a complete inversion of everything above.
This must be what a swamp of despair looked like. The prisoners had surrendered their will to live, harbored no hope whatsoever, and merely counted the days until death would claim them.
They could neither eat nor sleep nor die. That curse was both blessing and damnation for this prison.
The deeper I ventured, the more pronounced this phenomenon became.
“Brutal. And remarkably effective.”
Ninety-nine percent of those held here were criminals guilty of heinous crimes. Such treatment was only fitting. It was almost surprising that the crude, reckless knights had bothered to imprison them rather than simply execute them.
I moved past them swiftly. Even as a person passed by, they didn’t turn their gaze or show the slightest curiosity. They merely lay upon the cold stone floor of their cells, unmoving, breathing—nothing more.
They were already dead in all but name. Living corpses, in other words.
As I pressed deeper, passing these hollow shells toward the staircase leading to the 2nd Floor, a man imprisoned in an iron cell directly beside that very staircase fixed his gaze upon me.
I felt his stare and turned to meet it. His frame was skeletal, his eyes dull, his presence weak.
He seemed no different from the others—merely another living corpse. I was about to ignore him and move on when—
“W-w-who…are…you?”
A voice emerged from his lips. It was so cracked and disused that it was barely comprehensible, yet it was unmistakably a voice.
I stopped and turned to face him.
‘If he’s been here all this time, surely he would have witnessed anyone entering or leaving?’
That was quite likely. Though he was a criminal, he hadn’t wronged me personally, and his body was far too deteriorated to be of any threat. If I could gain his assistance, it would be worthwhile.
I turned toward the iron bars and approached him as he leaned against the wall. I cast a restoration spell upon him. Clarity returned to his eyes, flesh began to return to his frame, and his voice grew stronger.
Just enough treatment. This should be sufficient for conversation.
“Who…are you?”
“Will you answer if I tell you?”
“I…see.”
He nodded obediently and ceased his questioning.
“My turn to ask now. Has anyone descended to the 2nd Floor recently?”
At my question, he lifted his head and met my eyes, then nodded quietly.
“Who was it? Was it one of the Cardinals?”
He nodded again. I felt a surge of triumph within and pressed further.
“Who was it?”
“Cardinal Aoira! That monster! That bastard!!!”
As he cried out in agitation, I quickly identified the traitor who had conspired with Ma-in.
“Cardinal Aoira, who opened the Holy Relic Festival. So that bastard was the culprit who conspired with Ma-in.”
At my murmur, the man shook his head violently.
“N-no. He’s…just a shell. The real…identity… is Ma-in. A rank-4 Ma-in—a puppet master of the bloodline variant.”
His final words, dripping with hatred, resentment, and rage, sent a chill down my spine. Not from fear or terror, but because I could feel the weight of his emotions as if they were my own.
Who was this man, truly? And more importantly—the Cardinal was a puppet? Like the Junior Knight?
‘If he weren’t a puppet, he couldn’t simultaneously possess both holy power and demonic energy.’
He certainly wasn’t a Fallen Angel. But that raised another question.
“How could a puppet of Ma-in possess holy power strong enough to become a Cardinal?”
Among the Cardinals, Cardinal Batroy was said to be the strongest in raw power, but I’d heard the others each had their own considerable abilities. Batroy himself had said as much, which meant their ranks were at least easily in the S-tier range.
How could a mere puppet possess such strength?
“Kekeke… it’s… all… a lie. That… bastard… the Demon King… stole… sacred relics… from the heavens… and… possesses… them.”
My eyes widened at those words. Azazel had mentioned it before—that sacred relics existed in the heavens. One of them was the Spear of Longinus.
“Is that so? Then that’s how it is.”
The stakes had just gotten much higher. If I played my cards right, I might even be able to swallow those sacred relics myself. But the most important thing was that I’d found out who the traitor was!
That alone meant I’d accomplished everything I needed to.
‘The problem is I can’t leave right now.’
Re-entering the Underground Prison would be impossible. Of course it would. I’d barely managed to get in this time, and while getting out might be feasible, getting back in would be impossible.
Since I was here, I needed to check what that traitorous Cardinal had done down below, and exactly what was there that warranted such a high difficulty rating.
Before that… I looked at the man. Gaunt and exhausted-looking, yet unbroken—sustained by rage and resentment as if they were kindling.
“Why are you here? The deepest prison. This is where those who’ve committed the greatest sins are imprisoned, isn’t it?”
At my question, the man smiled bitterly and explained his situation.
In summary, this man and Cardinal Aoira had competed for the vacant Cardinal’s seat, and the moment Aoira discovered that Ma-in was a demon, he’d instead pinned all the crimes on this man, who couldn’t even resist before being thrown into this place.
Tsk. I clicked my tongue. What a foolish old man. Yet seeing him reminded me of my parents.
I reached out and poured healing energy into him once more, restoring him.
“Wait here. Once I check what schemes were set up down below, I’ll decide whether to get you out or not.”
At my words, his eyes gleamed as he cried out.
“If you’ll just get me out! If you’ll only do that! I’ll help you with anything you do, no matter what!”
Madness. The meek fool had acquired venom. I nodded and finally turned my body toward the lower floor.
***
Screeeech!
The door opens. After descending for quite some time, the massive door of the 2nd Floor finally appeared. As I forced it open with strength, the interior came into view.
“What on earth is this?”
It was a living hell. A bizarre place where creatures endlessly consumed and were consumed, filled only with slaughter and blood.
“Ugh!”
The sight was so revolting and grotesque that I could only cover my mouth and forcibly suppress the rising nausea.
Why, why were such things here?
That’s when it happened.
-Grooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
The 2nd Floor resonates. Along with a sound as if an entire world were crying out, the true master of this floor awakens.
Madness begins to overflow even more into this world no different from the Avici Hell, and slaughter and violence intensify further.
Consuming and being consumed. Consuming and being consumed. Tearing and eating. Slicing and eating. Sucking and eating.
And that influence reached even me, watching from the highest point above them all.
〚Legend Rank SSS+ LV 444: Omnivore Predator reveals itself!〛
〚Omnivore Predator’s unique ability: Predatory Frenzy [Mythic-A-] approaches you!〛
〚Absolute Guardian Holy Formation’s effect grants immunity to all mental attacks… but cannot withstand the ravages of time and allows partial penetration!〛
〚Unique ability: Supremely Noble Soul, stat: Unyielding blocks the mental attack!〛
“Gasp!”
Our eyes met. Below me, that calamity-class monster that had created an Avici Hell of consumption upon its own body stared at me with open eyes.
“Damn…”
Only then did I realize—all those red masses filling this vast 2nd Floor were pieces of that creature’s flesh. They’d become this way from being endlessly torn apart and reattached as they consumed and were consumed.
“How am I supposed to defeat that?”
Even a descent won’t work. Impossible. My judgment is final. If just one of those things broke through the Underground and descended into the mortal realm, it would be a complete conquest zone? It’s over.
Billions of lives would likely vanish. Into that creature’s belly.
Suppressing my terror and expelling my revulsion, I manifested The Sun even more powerfully and began searching for what Cardinal Aoira had done in this place.
But no matter how much I searched, not a single trace appeared. Whether holy power or demonic energy was used, there should be something detectable.
‘The 2nd Floor, perhaps?’
The moment that thought crossed my mind, my first feeling was relief. I don’t know how they managed to confine such an incomprehensible monster here, but the fact that they did confine it is remarkable, and this Underground that continues to seal it away is equally extraordinary.
‘Was it created by a god?’
Perhaps it was created by gods—plural. No single being could have designed and constructed this. I swallow hard and press forward.
Deliberately ignoring the eyes that ceaselessly bore down on me, I discovered the stairs leading to Floor 3, and my legs simply gave out beneath me.
I had blocked everything—momentum, killing intent, curses, mental attacks—but I was exhausted. Sweat drenched my entire body, and my limbs trembled uncontrollably.
And yet, a message appeared as if to tell me it wasn’t over.
〚Objective: Investigate the Holy Kingdom Underground (2/?)〛
To clear the quest, I had to descend through all remaining floors. Damn it.
Now I understood why such an absurd rank had been assigned. There would be something even stronger below, and it was certain that something would go wrong again due to the ravages of time.
So my objective was to push through such threats and investigate all the way to the very bottom.
“Sigh… Let’s go.”
I stood and descended another impossibly long staircase. At its end, an identical door appeared, and as I took a deep breath and opened it.
WHOOOOOOSH!!!!
A massive inferno erupted like dragon’s fire, engulfing me completely.
***
“Your Eminence. No matter how I look at it, Cardinal Aoira seems suspicious. Lately, he’s been spending more time alone doing something. He’s met with the Saint privately and discussed something, and moreover, it’s said that the other day he coughed up blood—dead blood—while hemorrhaging.”
Bartroy furrowed his brow and nodded at the Knight’s report.
“The blood curse that was supposedly placed on that Ma-in. Could it be for the same reason?”
“I believe so. It’s likely backlash, isn’t it? Backlash from the curse being neutralized. And a day ago, the Junior Knight of a small Knight Order exploded entirely, leaving only blood behind. The perpetrator claims the Junior Knight poisoned him and self-destructed, but we’ve detained him in the Underground Prison for now.”
Bartroy had also been informed. He knew who the detained man was. Whether he deliberately went to the Underground Prison to enter naturally, or whether it was just a coincidence, he decided to leave him be for now.
‘I’ll retrieve him in three days.’
Two days still remained.
“He’s certainly the most suspicious one. Didn’t he essentially push the Festival Festival forward by himself and escalate the matter? Originally, only the Saint’s competition was scheduled. How suspicious. Heresy Inquisitor!”
“Yes, Your Eminence.”
“For one day. Shadow him for one day and ascertain his movements. You must not be discovered under any circumstances!”
“Understood!”
“Any traitor shall be executed by my own hand to protect our Holy Kingdom! May the blessing of holiness be with us!”

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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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