I Became a Mythical Hunter After Killing the Golden Goblin - Chapter 20

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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 20. The End of Tremendous Misfortune
—You wretch… what treachery have you committed?!
The Sphinx, despite its legendary reputation and impressive specifications, proved far weaker than I had anticipated.
It fell short of my expectations. The Sphinx I had imagined in my mind was not a combat-oriented monster that wielded special attack skills.
The Sphinx was merely a creature that relied solely on its physical prowess to devour humans who answered its riddles incorrectly.
Yet its massive body could not easily evade my blade, and its powerful tail failed to strike me.
‘No, it’s just that the Limitless stat is absurdly broken.’
My opponent was a boss monster rated [F+]—a full two grades higher in stat classification—yet from the current exchange, our power was nearly identical.
If anything, I held a slight edge. My blade swept across its enormous frame, and wounds began to accumulate across its body.
Whether from rage or some hidden scheme, it hurled a question at me that was nearly a roar.
—Damn you! How dare a pathetic human like you offer such insult to me, a creation of The Sun?!
“No matter how grand your titles and backing, you’re nothing but a monster that kills people for your own amusement.”
At my insult, the Sphinx lowered its face for a moment. Just as I thought it might surrender and lunged forward to strike—
〚Due to the effect of Unique Ability: The Sun’s Question [Ancient], you have answered the question. 5% of one stat is temporarily absorbed by your opponent!〛
〚Stat: Indomitable is too low to dispel the status abnormality!〛
〚Stat: Limitless F-(5/100) is being absorbed!〛
The Limitless stat that had surged through my entire body, granting overwhelming vitality and strength, suddenly faltered and lost a portion of its power.
—Kahahaha! You were no mere pathetic human! You were a monster bearing the mythic seed that would carve stars into this Abyss sky! What overwhelming power is this?!
“Damn it.”
I hadn’t expected such an ability to exist. With a single skill, the Sphinx had reversed our narrow advantage in an instant.
Crash! Clang! Thud! Crack!
Blade against massive claw, fist against hardened fang—a fierce exchange of blows.
I was being pushed back. I retreated from the Sphinx to reassess the situation.
‘Seo Mi-na won’t be able to hold out much longer either.’
Before my regression, Seo Mi-na had been a prodigy capable of wielding both spear and magic—a true all-rounder. But now, still underdeveloped, she was caught in an awkward middle ground, neither fully proficient at one nor the other.
The power of lightning was undoubtedly formidable. But that was all it was.
‘Still, she’s holding her ground well.’
Her opponent was a typical assassin, disadvantaged in a one-on-one duel in open space, which allowed her to endure longer. But even that wouldn’t last beyond ten minutes.
“Kahahaha! Come on, hit me more! I don’t know why you were with such a fool, but curse your poor judgment as you die!”
Her lightning was visibly weakening. It was a matter of insufficient magical power stat.
“Damn it. Nothing ever goes smoothly.”
—Krhehe! Foolish human! How regrettable. I must end the mythic seed with my own hands! If only my god had not abandoned me, I would present you to him as a trophy.
“….”
Uncertain when it might use its ability again, I kept my mouth shut. The Sphinx regarded me with amused eyes, studying me intently.
—Indeed, even a foolish human learns not to fall for the same trick twice! Very well. Let us end this. I shall kill you with your own seed!
I simply gritted my teeth, raised my blade, and deployed my final trump card—the Wings of Pride.
Whoooosh!
As a single radiant wing erupted into existence, light enveloped me.
〚The first wing activates!〛
〚As the wing operates, the rare stat: Sanctity temporarily manifests!〛
〚When the wings are activated, all stats receive a temporary additional bonus of +10!〛
〚Due to low proficiency, activation time is limited to 10 minutes!〛
〚The Absolute stat has temporarily transcended its grade!〛
As if I had forgotten the stolen power, a violently overwhelming force surged through my entire body.
“Is this… the power of an F-grade Absolute?”
I could see it. I watched how the Sphinx’s legs would attack me as it rushed toward me.
I could feel it. Only when its leg came within inches of my head did I naturally twist my body slightly to the side, evading its attack with perfect precision. It was the ultimate, the finest evasion.
My body control skyrocketed to an extreme degree, and without even realizing it, I found myself executing the optimal movements. Despite never having properly learned swordsmanship, my blade moved, targeting only the enemy’s weaknesses.
-Krraaagh! How! How?! How do you possess such tremendous power in such abundance?!
Even as the creature thrashed in desperation, my sword did not stop. To never forget this sensation, this feeling, this vividness, I slashed at my enemy in a semi-trance state, evading attacks and feeling the blade in my hands.
Screech… Thud!
When that colossal Sphinx finally collapsed, I had only 3 minutes remaining.
-This… is… impossible… I am… The Sun’s… creation… Kraaagh! The Sun… my lord… why… have you lost… your light?
It seemed the creature never imagined it would meet its end mere hours after awakening from an eons-long seal. Even as it died, bleeding golden blood from its entire body, it prayed toward the heavens.
“Tch! Damn bastard.”
I left that creature behind and kicked Kang Chul-woo, who was strangling Seo Mi-na’s neck, flying backward.
“I’m sick of you all.”
“Grrgh! You damn bastard! How dare you attack me!”
Crack!
“There. Done. What are you going to do about it, you worthless trash?”
“Sphinx! What are you doing?! Take care of this bastard right now—!”
Kang Chul-woo shouted toward the Sphinx in fury, then froze in place.
“How… how is this possible? I… I even sacrificed a Unique-grade item as payment! You… you shouldn’t be like this! I gave you back The Sun’s authority! You said that once your divinity recovered even slightly, you’d defeat anyone!”
Unable to believe what was happening, the creature that had been cursing the Sphinx desperately and urgently turned its gaze toward me as I approached, flinching in shock and stumbling backward.
“So our company’s curse never ends, does it? I would’ve found you eventually on my own. But you had to come greet me like this.”
“P-please wait. S-save me!”
“Not yet. Let’s start with a beating first.”
With 2 minutes remaining, I spent 1 minute methodically crushing Kang Chul-woo’s entire body.
I broke his arms and legs, shattered his fingers and extracted every tooth.
One might call it cruel, but compared to what I endured before regression… it was nothing but a drop in the ocean.
Thinking about it, I was simply astounded that I had survived back then without dying.
“…ugh… aaagh…!”
Leaving the creature unable to speak properly with its shattered jaw, I walked toward the Sphinx.
-Cough! Kehehehe… Have you come to decorate my final moments? Go ahead, take my life quickly and claim the Black Sun. Yes… now I remember. Why I was sealed here. Why I possessed the power of Atum, that god I could tear to shreds.
Something had changed in the brief moment. Sensing the Sphinx had completely abandoned its will to live, I proposed a deal.
“I’ll let you live.”
-… What nonsense is this?
“In exchange, transfer this Black Sun to that bastard.”
-… Kehehehe. Kahahaha! Humans truly are amusing creatures. But I refuse. I have no desire to continue living.
So it won’t work. I looked up at the Black Sun, which was slowly announcing that time was up, and nodded.
“That’s unfortunate. Then I’ll kill you and move on to the next floor. And I’ll conquer this Hidden Stage.”
As I spoke, I thrust my blade toward his throat.
-Wait! P-please wait. Can you… swear an oath to me?
“An oath to what?”
-That you’ll completely conquer this Pyramid! Swear it by the name of The Sun!
“Gladly. I will absolutely conquer this Pyramid. That’s precisely why I’m pushing forward despite this damned betrayal.”
-…. Very well. I accept your proposal.
The Sphinx’s golden eyes darkened in an instant, and the black sun hovering above me vanished, reappearing over Kang Chul-woo as he convulsed on the ground.
“A wise choice.”
I retrieved my finest potion from my inventory and poured it into his mouth.
Shhhhh!
His wounds began to heal gradually, though not enough for him to move yet.
“I’ve kept you alive. The rest is your problem.”
-Damn human… Fine. Once you ‘completely’ conquer the 7th Floor, my power and status will return anyway. Keep your oath. Damn human, you must conquer it perfectly!
“Yeah, yeah, I got it. Now stay quiet and don’t bother me—I’m busy.”
I turned from the Sphinx and retrieved another potion from my inventory, hurling it at Kang Chul-woo sprawled on the ground.
His wounds healed rapidly upon contact with the potion, yet he remained far from whole.
It was as if his bones had only partially reformed, his teeth had grown back halfway, and his fingers had recovered only partially—a grotesquely incomplete state.
“I… gaahhh!”
“Still have the spirit to curse, I see. Then I can beat you without restraint.”
I poured the potion on him for one reason alone: I couldn’t return all the misfortune, pain, and despair he’d inflicted on me before my regression, but I could make him experience at least a fraction of it as he slowly approached his destined death.
With that, I told Seo Mi-na to rest, then spent considerable time beating, stabbing, and crushing him.
“Ah… ugh… kgh!!”
After ten minutes, he drew his final breath with a short death rattle. I had severed one tiresome curse.
〚Misfortune exerted tremendous power yet achieved nothing, grinding its teeth in rage.〛
〚But having exhausted all its strength, it can exert no further influence!〛
As Kang Chul-woo died, a message filled with Misfortune’s fury appeared, as if everything had come to an end.
“Then… could it be…?!”
〚The stat Indomitable commends your achievement in overcoming tremendous Misfortune!〛
〚The stat Indomitable has increased by 15!〛
〚You have obtained 15 free points!〛
As expected, Indomitable rewarded me with a grin so wide it split my face.
“I’m allocating all of it to the Limitless stat!”
Whoooosh!
As the Limitless stat surged by fifteen points, the lingering exhaustion from using Equivalent Exchange faded, and I felt a satisfying surge of power.
-Hurry and conquer this Pyramid! You’re not planning to break your oath, are you?!
“What are you talking about? You didn’t even keep your promise to Kang Chul-woo, so who’s lecturing whom?”
-Grrgh! You really won’t keep it!
“I’m going to rest first. If I go up in this condition, I’ll just die.”
-…I concede. You might be capable of clearing the floors above. But don’t be arrogant. The being up there was incomparably more radiant and magnificent than I ever was. If the Inaction you displayed just now is all you possess… you will die on the 7th Floor.
Disturbing as it was to receive a murder warning from the Sphinx, I narrowed my eyes and began thinking carefully about her counsel.
‘Based on my intuition, I suspect this Pyramid ends at the 7th Floor.’
That meant the true ruler of this Pyramid existed on the 7th Floor.
And if a legendary being like the Sphinx used the highest honorifics and displayed something close to reverence toward someone… ….
‘The Sun.’
The entity she spoke of so constantly. Yet I felt no fear. The me from moments ago and the me now were vastly different.
I suppressed my racing heart and hurriedly checked my inventory. With my Limitless stat having risen by a full ten points, I couldn’t help but anticipate the Achievement.
〚Congratulations! Golden Tower Ownership has reached 10%!〛
〚From now on, you may freely extract purple coins, magic stones [Common-F- to Advanced-F+], pure gold chunks, and all items of Common grade without limit!〛
〚Some Advanced-grade items have been unlocked! You may extract up to 5 of them.〛
This much I had anticipated. The rewards were absurdly perfect, after all.
But the message that followed made my mind go blank.
〚Authority Level has risen to 2 upon achieving 10% Golden Tower Ownership!〛
〚Conditions satisfied — 2nd Floor: Armory Repository is now unlocked!〛
〚You have obtained the 2nd Floor Authority Item: Myriad Shift!〛
A small bracelet materialized on my wrist.
〚You may project and use all Common-grade weapons existing on the 2nd Floor through Myriad Shift!〛
〚You may project and use five Advanced-grade or lower weapons existing on the 2nd Floor through Myriad Shift.〛
〚As a special privilege, you may project a single item of your choice without restriction for exactly ten minutes, once only.〛
Another Warehouse revealed itself to 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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