I Became a Mythical Hunter After Killing the Golden Goblin - Chapter 117

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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 117. The Eve
As I drew close enough to see into the room, familiar faces came into view. The atmosphere didn’t look good. Did they have problems as pressing as mine?
Just as I was about to approach further, the sole unfamiliar presence in the room snapped open eyes that had been closed, vanishing in an instant into the shadows.
“Who are you?”
Appearing behind me, they pressed a dagger against my throat. I hadn’t even sensed their approach—though truthfully, I’d known this was coming. I calmly raised both hands in surrender.
“I came to see Choro-ng. And while I’m here, I thought I’d visit Gun-dan too.”
At my words, the man—or rather, Sai-han, the S-rank Hunter famous by the alias Spirit Guide—narrowed his eyes and withdrew the dagger.
So he was an assassin with an eye-type ability to distinguish truth from falsehood. It was certain, since I’d suppressed the Absolute Soul’s attempt to erect a mental barrier.
So this was the trustworthy S-rank Hunter. I knew of him—one couldn’t help but know an S-rank Hunter of his caliber.
And in another sense, I knew him as well. From a passing conversation with Seo Ye-rin, I’d learned his true identity.
‘Heukssal.’
He was the leader of the shadowy organization that freely manipulated darkness and accepted assassination contracts.
If the Black Market now controlled over 50 percent—nearly 70 to 80 percent—of South Korea’s underworld, then roughly 20 percent of the remainder belonged to Heukssal.
The remaining few percent could be dismissed as yakuza trash and garbage. In essence, he was one of the two major organizations in South Korea’s underworld.
An elite force, naturally. After all, one needed to have awakened darkness or shadow-related abilities just to take their entrance test.
But precisely because they were so selective, they excelled, and their missions only went to those who passed rigorous criteria. Yet considering their success rate exceeded 90 percent, it was worth the standards they maintained.
He vanished into the darkness once more and moved into the room. We followed silently and discreetly inside.
“Ju-ha!!”
Min Cho-rong rushed toward me as if we were separated family reuniting, throwing herself into my arms. What troubles had accumulated during our time apart?
Beneath her usual bright smile and joy, I could clearly sense darker, more melancholic and negative emotions.
“It’s been a while. Have you been well?”
Stroking Min Cho-rong’s hair—she still felt more like a younger sister than someone my age—I waved my other hand toward Gun-dan, whose eyes were filled with obvious delight at seeing me.
“You’ve been doing well, right?”
“…Of course! …I’m not… I’m not that person from back then anymore!”
After our brief reunion, I introduced the two people standing behind me observing the situation.
“This is Nabilung, a cardinal candidate who was falsely imprisoned in the Underground Prison by Ma-in. And this is…”
“Mmm~nice to see you? I’m Belial. But little one, who told you to snuggle up in our arms like that? Want to get scolded by your older sister?”
That crazy woman. I shook my head with a wry smile, cutting off Belial’s playful words and surveyed them all carefully.
“But you all don’t look like things are going well. What’s happened?”
At my words, shadows fell across Min Cho-rong and Gun-dan’s faces. As they hesitated without offering clear answers, it was Sai-han who spoke.
He relayed to me everything that had occurred so far—quickly, simply, and in summary. I listened quietly, tapping my fingers rhythmically.
Toward the end of the account, my eyes widened and I couldn’t help but ask.
“The Saint had a secret meeting with Cardinal Aoira?”
“Indeed. Surely they discussed some sordid details about the Saintess Competition. They’re plotting something despicable. No matter how much of an S-rank Hunter I am, I can’t do anything against the Saint and the power she wields. Tsk, this contract is completely ruined.”
A smile spread across my lips. At that sight, the three of them tilted their heads in confusion. Who smiles so brightly in such an unreasonable situation?
I turned my head and quietly asked the two people standing behind me.
“Don’t you smell something here?”
“If it’s Aoira, he could very well be conspiring with the Saint. I’m not certain what that creature’s true objective is, but the Saint could certainly do quite a lot for him.”
“Mmm~~I think I know what that pathetic insect wants?”
Everyone’s gaze turned toward Belial. Within those stares, Belial—looking only at me, her tongue flicking playfully—drew close with her characteristic seductive expression and whispered.
“Want to know?”
“…What?”
“Mmm~~! Since my contractor wishes to know, I suppose I should tell you. Descent. That worm desires descent—to unleash a great evil upon this sacred and beautiful world.”
Her words awakened a truth I had forgotten.
‘That’s right! The Quest definitely said to prevent someone’s descent!’
I reviewed my third class Quest again. Until now, I had assumed the demon in that description was the Puppet Master, but I was wrong.
〚Hidden Class Quest (3): Apocalypse Descends Upon the Holy Kingdom
Rank: Mythic
Grade: SSS-
Description: Stage-1-183, the Holy Kingdom. Apocalypse descends upon it. The darkest, most terrible, and vile demon seeks to reveal itself in the land that should be most sacred and radiant. Save the Holy Kingdom. The holy ones shall witness you, who have obtained the darkest power.
Objectives: Eliminate Cardinal Aoira (0/1), Eliminate Descended ??? (0/1)
Success: Hidden Class Quest (4) Generated, Small Clue for Second Class Awakening, ???
Failure: Soul Theft, Physical Death, Holy Kingdom Destruction, 3 Calamity-Class Demons Released〛
Thinking back on it, the logic was sound. No matter how renowned a demon might be, a mere demon confined to such a low-tier stage could never face this vast kingdom alone. A descent was necessary.
At first, I had thought Cardinal Aoira desired Solomon’s fragment. The way he had reacted frantically upon learning I had descended to Underground Level 5, combined with how he had deliberately sought out that fragment and attempted to manipulate it, suggested as much.
Yet he had withdrawn far too easily. The moment I had reduced the fragment to half-puppet status, he severed the connection as if there was nothing more to see.
I even wondered if this powerful demon god’s fragment was merely one of the cards he had prepared.
Perhaps sensing my thoughts, Belial sighed and shook her head.
“No. No, that worm never believed my contractor could defeat a fragment of such a great demon god. Even if you survived, he would assume you were merely fortunate enough to escape. It is the fragment of the greatest demon god—it should not die so easily. Even as a fragment, it exists half-removed from death itself.”
True enough, there was no ordinary way to have won that encounter. I had survived only by the grace of fortune.
“That worm probably still believes the fragment remains in Underground Level 5.”
“Then the fragment is the true objective?”
“Of course. The value of a fragment belonging to the Primordial Demon God, the great emperor of the Dark Magic World, is far too great to discard as a mere sacrificial piece.”
The pieces aligned in my mind. Descent. Quest content. Demon. And the fragment.
“He summons a demon under his command to descend, absorbs the demon god’s fragment? Since Solomon has been absent for thousands of years. Does he seek a new seat of demon godhood?”
That was the conclusion. But if that were the case…?
“But I’ve already absorbed that fragment.”
Whatever scheme he devised, whatever foolishness he attempted, the plan was already doomed to failure, was it not?
Then shouldn’t he come to kill me in frustration at the failure? Why hasn’t he sought me out so leisurely?
“Normally, yes. But that worm doesn’t know. He has no way of knowing whether the fragment has vanished. A mere insect borrowing a demon’s power could never puppet or control a fragment of the great demon god, much less dominate it. All he did was apply a single mental attack to suppress your will. He has no way of knowing whether it was absorbed by you.”
So that foolish demon was flailing about blindly?
The problem was that his blind flailing was far more massive and dangerous than expected. Yes, we are ants, and he is human.
The ants are simply trampled to death beneath his feet.
“If he discovers the fragment is gone, the descended demon will surely go mad with rage?”
“Of course~~what do you think a demon is? And why do you think it’s merely a demon? At this scale, it’s absolutely one of the Demon Kings orchestrating everything.”
Damn. It’s mountain after mountain. How many gods am I encountering? No matter how absurd the Quest difficulty is, this is ridiculous.
I wish to face a somewhat normal, sensible enemy and fight. This is impossible to overcome without squeezing out everything to my absolute limit.
With a sigh, I explained the situation to Min Cho-rong, Gun-dan, and Sai-han, who had been staring blankly at everything.
“Indeed. That cardinal was a demon’s puppet.”
“A cardinal of the Holy Kingdom is a demon! Unbelievable!”
“…So…what do we do?”
Right. Now what matters is singular and clear. I’ve grasped the grand design; it’s time to fit the intricate pieces together.
‘How exactly will he make his move?’
My mind raced, and a crucial realization crystallized before me.
“A sacrifice. Descent requires a sacrifice—and to summon the Demon King to Stage-1, it would demand an extraordinarily powerful one.”
My gaze turned toward Min Cho-rong. A Saintess candidate whose original fate was to be torn to shreds and die in abject despair. In truth, the girl possessed power most befitting the Saintess position.
In other words, she was the most suitable sacrifice.
“What if the Saintess and Cardinal Aoira joined hands?”
What could the Saintess gain? Everything. Absolutely everything. The Saintess title and job classification she craved, and even the privilege of taking the next Saintess as her disciple.
Then, what could the Saintess offer Cardinal Aoira in return?
Support for Cardinal Aoira? No. They’d reveal him as a Demon anyway, so why bother? Money, then? Hardly—would a Demon truly aid a Saintess merely for coin?
After prolonged deliberation, the answer emerged.
“He intends to offer Min Cho-rong as a sacrifice. A Saintess candidate’s body and soul would possess value exceeding most entities.”
There was no other answer. Everyone’s eyes widened at my words. This was undoubtedly the most fitting price.
“Soon, he’ll likely isolate Min Cho-rong under some pretext and abduct her.”
I paused, then spoke with bitter resignation.
“Cardinal Bartroy, who agreed to strike down Cardinal Aoira alongside me, appears to have already died as a sacrifice.”
With those words, I lift my gaze. A faint yet unmistakable presence—a divine stare.
“Is that so? Great Hero of infinite power?”
〚Divine Seat: The great hero of infinite power regards you with sorrowful silence.〛
One line answered everything. Cardinal Bartroy was dead. He would serve as a critical sacrifice for the Demon King’s descent. At that level, his value as a sacrifice would rival Min Cho-rong’s.
〚Divine Seat: The great hero of infinite power honors the final testament his avatar entrusted to him.〛
The gaze intensifies. Pressure mounts, and the divine emotion becomes palpably clear.
Sorrow. Regret. Wrath. And more. He genuinely mourned the death of the avatar who had faithfully served him.
〚Hidden Quest: The 12 Labors Epic of the Greatest Hero of infinite power has been triggered!〛
〚Divine Seat: The great hero of infinite power forcibly imposes a Quest upon the System, paying an immense price in coins and compensation!〛
He had forcibly imposed a Quest upon me.

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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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