I Became a Mythical Hunter After Killing the Golden Goblin - Chapter 118

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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 118. Fishing
〚Hidden Quest: The Twelve Labors Epic of the Greatest Great Hero has occurred!〛
〚Hidden Quest: The Twelve Labors Epic of the Greatest Great Hero – First Labor
Grade: Mythology
Rank: SSS-
Description: Heracles, the Great Hero who achieved countless great deeds with the body of a demigod and became one of the mightiest Divine Seats, wishes to tear apart Ma-in, who killed his avatar, this very instant. However, due to circumstances he cannot speak of, he cannot act directly. Instead, he has decided to stake everything on you, whom his avatar chose with his final words. As a bonus, he has taken notice of your potential and granted you an opportunity that can only be given once. Overcome the first labor.
Objective: Eliminate the Puppet Master of the Blood Lineage and eliminate the descending Demon King
Upon Success: Second Labor unlocked, Skill: Body of the Colossus [Legendary-SS], ???
Upon Failure: Annihilation of body and soul〛
Heracles’ Twelve Labors. Is there anyone who doesn’t know of it? Anyone with even a passing knowledge of Greco-Roman mythology knows this extremely famous tale.
The story of how Heracles overcame the trials Hera imposed to punish and kill him through wisdom and strength, ascending to become a great being.
He has bestowed that trial upon me. It is different from what he faced, but in a broader sense, it is certainly the same trial.
‘Why would he give me an opportunity that comes only once in a lifetime?’
Heracles must have an enormous number of followers, surely?
I’m not entirely certain, but it could be otherwise. Not that I’m dismissing him, but Cardinal Batroy was merely his avatar, after all.
He wasn’t weak, but compared to the players in the deep layers—no, even compared to those in the middle layers right now—he belonged to the weaker end of the spectrum, didn’t he?
At best, he was naturally on a similar level to the top-ranked hunters of Earth, a newborn dimension and a trivial remote dimension.
‘Of course, if I were to go to Earth, I’d be aiming for first place.’
Certainly, looking at the entire Abyss, Heracles’ choice does seem strange.
I soon abandoned my thoughts. What good would worrying do? The quest had already been forcibly assigned, and it was something I had to do anyway, so there was no problem.
The only thing that nagged at me was….
“Must I become your avatar?”
Whether I had to become Heracles’ avatar in succession to Cardinal Batroy.
He answered my question firmly.
〚Divine Seat: The Great Hero of Infinite Power says the Twelve Labors are trials to transcend servitude and surpass rank itself. There are no rewards that set limits like becoming an avatar.〛
No, he said. That would never happen. Rather, through this trial, I would advance further.
“Why would you do this much for me? We’ve only known each other for a few days, or rather just a few hours, haven’t we?”
Honestly, I don’t understand it. I’m pleased, certainly. Fortunate opportunity has rolled in on its own—how could I not be pleased?
It’s simply bewildering. Why? Why bestow such a precious opportunity specifically on me? Based solely on Cardinal Batroy’s final words, he goes this far?
〚Divine Seat: The Great Hero of Infinite Power says to think of it as an inevitability born from chance layering upon chance. If it truly bothers you, he says he will ask for your help later…very much later. He says he will accept that as compensation.〛
It’s unsettling, but it’s also water under the bridge. There was nothing I could change. Rather, it puts my mind at ease knowing there’s something he desires in return.
“Thank you. I was already planning to take Cardinal Batroy’s revenge with my own hands anyway, so do not worry. I will kill him as cruelly and viciously as possible.”
I felt his gaze withdraw, and I turned my attention back to those in the room.
Well…now it was truly time to devise a plan. Six of us, myself included, put our heads together and began planning the process by which we could achieve the best possible outcome from this situation, and thus the first day of the Holy Spirit Festival passed entirely.
***
The first day, bustling with festival fervor, slipped away in an instant, and the second day dawned.
“Then let’s proceed with this plan and prepare accordingly.”
The meeting finally concluded. Apart from myself, the two most actively engaged in the discussion were Nabilung and Min Cho-rong.
Min Cho-rong sought victory in the Saintess Competition, while Nabilung pursued vengeance. In truth, Belial and Sai-han were only tangentially involved in this matter, and Gun-dan simply followed orders without question, so the three barely participated in the meeting.
The plan I, Min Cho-rong, and Nabilung devised could hardly be called perfect. It was inevitable. At this point, we were admittedly running slightly behind schedule.
Though I had already thwarted the goal that Ma-in and the Demon King desired most, we couldn’t reveal it since they remained ignorant of this fact.
If I disclosed that I’d already absorbed the fragment, the Cardinals and the Demon King might lose their composure and commit unpredictable atrocities.
Thus, we couldn’t prevent the damage.
The most critical reason was that I couldn’t kill Cardinal Aoira, the linchpin of this entire scheme—and even if I did, he was merely a puppet, so their plan would proceed without hindrance.
In other words, the Demon King’s descent was absolutely inevitable. Most likely, he would act during the ritual on the fourth day, when a powerful monster would be sacrificed.
Until then, all we could do was wait—quietly and carefully, until our enemy took the bait.
This Holy Kingdom was essentially Cardinal Aoira’s front yard. Naturally so. His puppets were scattered throughout, but his power and influence were formidable.
As a criminal and escapee whom his eyes must never catch, I couldn’t venture outside.
And the Saintess candidate and her two escorts would draw far too much attention, so they were obviously excluded.
Nabilung, too, had to be kept as a crucial piece, so he couldn’t afford to fall within Cardinal Aoira’s notice.
Effectively, only Belial could move freely—yet she alone could accomplish nothing.
Strong as she was, she couldn’t rampage solo, and the only thing she could do immediately was one task.
Destroy the summoning circles hidden throughout the Royal Palace. But that too was impossible given our time constraints.
Search this vast Kingdom entirely? A week wouldn’t suffice. A thorough search would require at least a month.
Still, wanting to try something, I asked her, and surprisingly, she complied readily, destroying two small cores and one medium core within two days.
Time flowed onward. Taking rest that wasn’t truly rest, we could only desperately pray that our enemy would fall into the trap we’d prepared.
As the second day passed and the third day was nearly complete, someone knocked on Min Cho-rong’s door.
Everyone’s eyes snapped open, meeting each other’s gaze. The fish we’d been waiting for was finally taking the bait!
Holding our breath, we acted as planned. Belial, Nabilung, and I slipped out through the window, drank invisibility potions, and observed the situation, while Hunter Sai-han melted into the shadows to monitor discreetly.
Ultimately, only Gun-dan and Min Cho-rong remained in the room.
“Open it for me, brother.”
Min Cho-rong took a shallow breath, steeling herself with resolute eyes as she spoke to Gun-dan, and the large man nodded grimly before opening the door.
Standing before the door was someone they both recognized—the woman known as the Saint’s Attendant.
“Saintess Candidate Min Cho-rong. The Saint requests an audience with you.”
At those words, Min Cho-rong felt as though her breath caught. That demeanor, that gaze, that expression—everything seemed to regard her as worthless and contemptible.
The trials she’d endured in the first and second rounds had embedded themselves like daggers in her heart, unbeknownst to her.
Her trembling hands clenched involuntarily as she conjured the face of one person. Remarkably, the trembling ceased, and anxious thoughts quieted.
Was it an illusion that he felt more reassuring than her own blood relative?
Of course, Guild Master Ki So-young couldn’t be at her side because the Saint had forbidden her participation in the Saintess Competition.
Yet at this moment, he was the one she relied upon and trusted most.
“Understood.”
Min Cho-rong rose and stepped outside. As Gun-dan moved to follow her.
“The Saint wishes to meet with you alone.”
The woman blocked Gun-dan’s path, as if to say he was not permitted. But that couldn’t be allowed.
Though this was the bait we’d laid, viewed from another angle, it was a situation where she could genuinely die if things went wrong.
For Gun-dan, Min Cho-rong’s life held greater importance than his own.
“…That’s impossible.”
“You refuse to obey the Saint’s command?”
A formidable aura emanated from the woman—her tone dripping with insolence, her presence radiating at least B-rank power—yet Gun-dan refused to yield.
Instead, he pressed forward with even greater conviction, his words unwavering and resolute.
“All the more reason I cannot trust this. I must protect the Saintess Candidate.”
The woman’s eyes flickered between the two of them for a moment before she clicked her tongue and withdrew her oppressive aura.
“Tch, the whore’s already spreading her legs for her bodyguard, flirting shamelessly? Disgusting. And they call her a Saintess Candidate.”
It was unmistakable mockery—contempt, pure and simple. No manner of address befitting a Saintess Candidate, yet Min Cho-rong could only bite her lip and swallow her fury.
Endure. For the greater prize ahead, this was nothing. She could bear far worse.
As she fixed the woman with a glare, the woman recognized that provocation would yield nothing and clicked her tongue before moving forward.
“…You endured that well.”
“Yes. You too, brother. Just a little longer—just a little more. Then Ju-ha will handle everything.”
The absolute faith radiating from both of them—Shin Ju-ha, receiving that unwavering trust, etched the woman’s face into his memory with steely resolve.
They began to move. Everyone followed in her wake.
The woman did not lead them toward the Saint’s Residence. Instead, she guided them through a corridor behind the Grand Temple, toward an old house situated beyond its walls.
The street visible through the darkness resembled nothing so much as a scene from a horror film—no signs of habitation, only dilapidated structures lining the desolate neighborhood. The woman, arriving at this decrepit house that screamed of suspicion at first glance, turned to face the two of them.
“A private audience is desired. The bodyguard will wait here with me. We brought you to this secluded location precisely to avoid drawing attention, so have no concerns.”
Gun-dan attempted to voice another objection, but the woman wasted no time—she drew a dagger and pressed it beneath his chin.
“My patience ends here. Don’t be foolish and know your place. If you have any sense, the Candidate should enter immediately and stop wasting time.”
Min Cho-rong, sensing the urgency of the moment, quickly restrained Gun-dan, swallowed hard, and stepped into the building.
And in that instant, Shin Ju-ha and his companions, who had been observing the entire situation, began to move.

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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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