I Became a Mythical Hunter After Killing the Golden Goblin - Chapter 19

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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 19. Misfortune That Has Yet to End
〚Congratulations! You have successfully completed the 100th Wave.〛
〚You have cleared the 5th Floor!〛
〚You have obtained 5 Unknown Fragments as a basic clear reward.〛
〚Acquire the Unique Ability: Ruler of the Sands [Mythic] and exit OR accumulate rewards and enter the 6th Floor〛
〚Please choose.〛
“Finally, it’s over.”
I exhaled roughly, ignoring the countless small wounds covering my body, and tossed my sword aside before collapsing onto the sandy floor. Fortunately, the 100th Wave had actually been more manageable than the previous one.
Only a single boss had appeared. Of course, even with all those buffs stacked on me, it was still stronger than I was, but Seo Mi-na and I had managed to conquer it together.
“Let’s rest here for a while.”
It had already been over five days since we entered the Hidden Stage. I’d been catching brief naps to recover my stamina, so this time I planned to sleep properly for about half a day.
I pulled out the tent I’d prepared from my inventory. After that, we took turns sleeping for eight hours each before heading to the 6th Floor.
***
〚Hidden Stage: Pyramid Where the Sun Sleeps, 6th Floor—The Floor of Riddles〛
〚Answer at least 8 out of 10 riddles posed by the Decayed Riddle Sphinx!〛
What the 6th Floor’s trial demanded was far too simple and strange.
Kuguguguuu!
〚Rare-Rank [F+] LV 30, Stage-5 Boss: Decayed Riddle Sphinx〛
The floor of the vast cavern split open. A colossal human head wearing a crown emerged first, followed by the body of a lion with a faded golden mane.
A creature from mythology that posed questions and cruelly slew those who failed to answer correctly. The Sphinx—also called the representative of the sun and pharaohs—had arrived.
-Ah… such endless solitude! Ever since the sun lost its light and fell, countless ages have passed in my decay! After enduring that eternity of waiting! At last my mouth opens and I can pose riddles!!!!
It roared long and gazed down at us with playful eyes.
-Foolish and stupid humans, are you prepared to solve my riddles?! I’ve been half-mad in solitude for ages, but the power granted by the sun still gleams! The moment I beheld your eyes, every riddle from your world was imprinted in my mind! Hehehehe! Such amusing riddles abound. However, I am a merciful Sphinx! I shall pose only ten questions to you ‘humans.’
“What happens if we can’t answer them?”
-Kuhehehehe! An excellent question! The instant you fail three out of ten problems!!! I shall… use the power the sun granted me upon one of you! You will receive the sun’s judgment, which your level could never evade! Of course, since I’m in a good mood, I’ll limit it to just one of you. Normally I would have devoured all of you, but now that I’m finally freed from my seal, I’ll show mercy! So if you don’t wish to solve the problems…!
The Sphinx’s enormous head drew closer toward us. It opened its mouth with a playful smile and gleam in its eyes.
-You may deliberately fail and sacrifice one of your own as an offering, while the rest ascend to the peak of this pyramid. Kuhehe, I’ve grown so weary of witnessing the selfish nature of you humans that even I find it tedious.
How disgustingly kind of you to say. I took a step back from the Sphinx’s head.
-Then shall I pose a question?
Just as the Sphinx prepared to ask, dropping all playfulness and adopting a solemn expression.
〚The most lethal hidden blade of misfortune, prepared in advance, desires your final demise!〛
Only then did the misfortune that had been silent since the 2nd Floor speak up, and a completely unexpected question burst from the Sphinx’s mouth.
-What is the word that expresses the situation of a hundred fruits just before death?
“….”
“….”
Remarkably, what came from this Sphinx bastard’s mouth was a nonsense riddle from Earth.
-Kuhaha! Difficult, isn’t it! You don’t know, do you! Frustrating, isn’t it! Seems like you’ll get it wrong! Kyahahaha! You have 10 seconds remaining!
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
-Ding! Ding! Ding! The answer was an encyclopedia! You ignorant, foolish humans! Kahahaha!
Insane bastard. Shouldn’t I just slit that dog’s throat right now and move to the next floor?
I clicked my tongue in genuine irritation at the fact that I’d actually racked my brain trying to solve such a ridiculous riddle.
Regardless, I’d gotten one question wrong right from the start. I had only one life remaining.
-Next question coming right up!
Boom-boom-boom-boom!
The deranged psychotic Decayed Riddle Sphinx added sound effects with its own mouth as it presented the question.
-If a warehouse completely full of candles is expressed in one word? You have 10 seconds remaining!
Time began to flow, and the moment I started wracking my brain to think.
“Candle-packed.”
-Prrrrring! That’s correct!
Surprisingly, Seo Mi-na got the answer right. She nodded, satisfied that she’d answered correctly, and seemed to be quietly anticipating the next question.
‘She’s definitely insane.’
But that’s reassuring. With a four-dimensional brain like hers, she’ll probably nail these ridiculous problems too.
-This time, an easier one! Among sheep, which sheep is the hottest? You have 10 seconds!
“The sun!”
-Correct!
And so, a battle of wits between the Decayed Riddle Sphinx and Seo Mi-na began.
-Why is a zombie, called a stupid low-tier monster, so stupid?
“Because their head is a little empty!”
-Correct!!
-If you put shoes between the display shelves of a hat store?
“Capsaicin?”
-Th… Correct!
The questions continued, and Seo Mi-na answered every riddle correctly except for the first one.
And now, the ninth riddle!
The Decayed Riddle Sphinx looked down at us with a subtly displeased expression.
-Impressive. But I’m afraid you’re out of luck. This question will be extremely difficult! And you’re finished now!
“What are you talking about? Even if I get this riddle wrong, if I get the next one right, we’re done! Just ask the question already!”
-Kehehehe! Is that so? Then here’s the question! What were the last words spoken by someone who spent their entire life speculating in real estate, right before they closed their eyes forever? You have 10 seconds!
10
9
8
7
6
5
“Ugh! …What?”
4
3
“It’s fine if you get one more wrong. You still have one last chance.”
2
1
-Ding! The correct answer was the Grim Reaper! What a shame. It’s been ages since I met a human who answered so many questions correctly… but that’s where it ends!
“What are you talking about! We clearly got 2 out of 9 questions wrong!”
-Kehehehe! Yes, you certainly did. But I didn’t ask questions only to you! I said I ask questions to ‘humans’!
“That’s… what kind of nonsense is that?”
〚The misfortune that struck the back of your head declares its reign over, pouring all its remaining power into this moment!〛
-Before you climbed up here, another human came up first. That one got my first question wrong. So you humans must face judgment for getting 3 questions wrong!
A black sun rose above the Decayed Riddle Sphinx’s crown.
-Kahahaha! The time of judgment is upon us! Black sun, rise above the one you shall judge!
I felt it instinctively. That sun would rise above my head! Why misfortune had exhausted all its ill luck on me just now!
As expected, the black sun that had risen above the Sphinx’s head now hovered above mine.
〚A fragment of the Twilight Black Sun has risen above your head.〛
〚In 10 minutes, you will surely die.〛
“This is insane!”
An instant-death ability had targeted me, and I had exactly 10 minutes left to live.
But what made it even more absurd was that someone had already gotten the first question wrong beforehand. That would be impossible unless Lee Ji-hyung had become a zombie and come back to life.
“What the hell are you saying! Besides us, who else could be here…!?”
As if in disbelief, a figure stepped out from partial concealment before me. One of the faces I could never erase from my memory wore a contemptible smile.
“You borrowed our money and ran away, and now it ends like this. Shin Ju-ha. I’ll consider your debt paid with whatever you’ve obtained in this Hidden Stage. Farewell.”
“Damn it, Kang Chul-woo. What are you doing here?”
Before regression, the Boss’s right hand who had treated me like a slave and exploited me, now serving as the company’s vice president. And that bastard who had tormented me even more viciously and cruelly than the Boss himself was here.
The appearance of a tenacious karma that refused to break. The very karma I had so desperately wanted to sever.
“I never thought you’d actually run away. Your sick younger brother was your weakness, the trap that dragged you into that swamp. But how did you get the money to admit your brother to a Miracle Guild VIP hospital room in Seoul? Thanks to that, I couldn’t touch your weakness.”
This bastard! I wanted to rush forward and tear that flapping mouth to shreds right then. But for some reason, it was impossible—the Sphinx stood firmly behind him, watching us with fascinated eyes.
“So I dug into your background. And what do you know, a Seongun Guild Scouter Team leader approached me! Saying if I just killed you, they’d accept me as a guild member and even pay me! How could I refuse! And you even discovered this Hidden Stage and handed the treasure over to me! How can I ever thank you?”
The contemptible bastard completely removed the cloak draped around his body, fully deactivating his concealment skill, and offered me a final farewell.
“Thanks to you, I soar. You die here miserably.”
Crack!
I never imagined there was another person tracking me besides Lee Ji-hyung. It seemed they didn’t trust the still-promising Lee Ji-hyung, so they attached this bastard as well.
But who would have thought this guy was from Tutorial Zone 7? Could the odds really align this perfectly?
‘Seongun Guild, and you company bastards!’
Ignoring the mocking messages from misfortune that flew relentlessly, fueled by my burning rage, I checked the time remaining to me.
“So, you’re saying I’ll die here?”
“Yes! You can never break the Sphinx’s power! It’s a Rare-grade F+ Boss! And originally, it was an even more formidable monster! Right now it’s Rare-tier, but that creature originally possessed Legendary-tier status! Ah, you don’t have any emotion-type skills, do you?”
I clenched both fists tight. Taking a deep breath, I opened my eyes wide, and spoke softly while looking at Seo Mi-na, who was trembling with guilt over getting the riddle wrong and causing this situation.
“That bastard’s an F+ grade Hunter. Can you handle it?”
“…Yes. I will, no matter what!”
“You don’t have to kill it. Just hold it down. I’ll kill that damned Sphinx bastard and then finish it.”
“What!”
Regardless of Seo Mi-na’s shock, I walked slowly toward the creature.
-Kekekeke! You dare claim you’ll kill me, human? Me, the Apostle of the Sun and Guardian of this Pyramid! What nonsense! Don’t be foolish enough to strike rock with an egg. Simply accept your death. With such meager power, you cannot defeat me.
“Stupid bastard, still spouting idiocy to the end! This Boss isn’t meant to be caught in the first place! This is why I hate greenhorns!”
Looking at the two maggots mocking me, I returned their contempt with an equally cold smile.
“Is that so?”
At the same moment, I activated an ability I’d been hiding.
“Equivalent Exchange.”
〚Unique Ability: Equivalent Exchange LV1 establishes a scale of equivalence!〛
〚Due to low level, permanent exchange is impossible.〛
A translucent scale materialized behind my back. The moment the Sphinx saw that scale, it sensed something amiss.
-What are you trying to do!
Had it felt the omnipotent power contained in my ability? But it was too late.
“Grant me the power to defeat them and transcend death!”
〚The caster’s request is placed on the left scale!〛
〚Due to low ability level, stat increase cannot exceed grade limitations!〛
〚Left side: Limitless Stat temporarily +65〛
〚A price to be placed on the right side is determined to balance the scales.〛
〚Right side: 650,000 Purple Coins〛
“I accept the exchange.”
As 650 million in currency evaporated in an instant, my Limitless Stat became F-(100/100), and a power that felt capable of defeating anyone surged through my body.
“Do you still think I’ll lose to you?”
“W-What kind of momentum is this?”
-Since you’ve kept your promise through unconventional means, don’t hesitate and attack! Even I cannot guarantee victory against that!
“Too late.”
Crack!
As Seo Mi-na’s lightning struck Kang Chul-woo who was rushing toward me, I charged straight at the Sphinx.

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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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