I Became a Mythical Hunter After Killing the Golden Goblin - Chapter 32

—————

This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

—————

Chapter 32. Dungeon Blackhole (2)
〚Time Remaining Until First Wave〛
〚Time Left: 01:15〛
Skritch, skritch, skritch!
As the sound of ants crawling echoed from all four passages—front, back, left, and right—a message materialized before us: one minute and fifteen seconds remained.
“Damn it! I’ll take the left and front! You handle the right and back!”
“…Understood!”
Only two of us could participate in combat. The dungeon had likely drawn exactly four humans based on its optimal party size, but unfortunately my younger brother was in no condition to fight, and Min Cho-rong was better suited for rear support than frontline combat.
“Min Cho-rong! No matter what happens, protect the patient!”
“Don’t worry! I’ll protect them no matter what!”
I swallowed hard and began my preparations, tension coursing through me.
“Get ready! I’ll cast buffs!”
Min Cho-rong concentrated for a moment, then manifested her skill. The tremendous buffs bestowed by the one called the next Saint seeped into my entire body.
〚Skill: Holy Hymn of the Sky grants a temporary +10 boost to all stats!〛
〚Skill: Roar of Valor and Morale grants a temporary 100% additional damage to all attacks against enemies!〛
〚Skill: Unbreakable Judge grants a temporary state of indomitability!〛
〚Skill: Eternal Sacred Flame grants a temporary holy attribute to all attacks!〛
〚Skill: Brilliant Radiance Blessing temporarily amplifies the power of unique abilities!〛
Truly, the buffs were worthy of one called the next Saint. Though still a candidate and only beginning her growth—her skill count was limited and the effects not yet overwhelming—her potential was extraordinary.
All stats elevated, additional damage, indomitability, holy attribute, and amplified unique abilities all at once.
‘This is interesting.’
I drew The Sun and hurled myself toward the ants now mere steps away.
-Kiieeee!
-Shrieeeek!
For a first wave, their numbers weren’t overwhelming—only one ant emerged from each passage.
But.
“What the hell!”
So that’s why they’d mentioned the cavern and passages were so vast. What kind of ants were these? With gleaming, hardened black carapaces and mandibles clicking menacingly, they were nearly the size of a sphinx.
〚Unique-Rank [E+] LV 15: Giant Armored Ant Scout has appeared!〛
A mighty giant ant—the Giant Armored Ant. Its appearance matched its name perfectly.
Whether fortunate or unfortunate, the moment the colossal ants entered the cavern and spotted the queen’s egg floating at the center, radiating brilliantly, their eyes turned pitch black with frenzy. They ignored us entirely and charged toward the egg.
“Block them! Stop them at all costs!”
“…That is…something I can…do!!!”
The Sun’s mana began rotating within my body, flowing through my hands to dye The Sun’s blade as I kicked off the ground and rushed toward the charging ants.
‘Don’t target the carapace!’
I could certainly pierce through with effort and strike the creature, but why bother?
There were far better attack routes—no reason to aim for the shell.
I immediately targeted the three pairs of rapidly moving legs, specifically their joints—the only parts unprotected by the carapace.
The moment I slipped between legs taller than myself, The Sun’s mana unleashed its power, and my blade traced a swift semicircle.
The joints of the front pair of legs severed cleanly, and the creature that had been charging madly toward the queen’s egg collapsed.
There was no time to hesitate. Seizing the opening, I dashed beneath the collapsing massive form and severed the joints of the remaining two pairs of legs, completely crippling its mobility.
“One down!”
I immediately disabled the next giant ant by severing its legs as well. This strategy was only possible because they had lost all reason.
-Screeeeeech!!!
-Clack clack clack clack!!!
Even with its legs severed and unable to move, the Giant Ant crawled frantically toward the eggs like a madman. I leaped onto its body and brought my blade down on its neck.
Crack!
They understood their own weaknesses—the exoskeleton existed only around the neck joint. Since I needed to test the shell’s durability anyway, I brought my blade down on the neck, and with exactly three strikes, I shattered the shell and severed its head.
〚You have defeated a Unique-Rank [E+] LV 15: Giant Ant Scout!〛
〚Contribution: 100%〛
〚Rewards: Navy Coins×10, Unique-[E+] Mana Stone×1, Giant Ant Shell×3〛
〚Experience: 1,000〛
Massive experience and rewards flooded in—a testament to how formidable this creature was. I immediately moved to strike down the next one’s neck.
“Faster!”
Time was running out. The big guy said he’d hold back the Giant Ants, but I had no idea how long he could actually hold them off!
I leaped from the corpse and the moment I saw the big guy facing two more Giant Ants, my jaw dropped.
“What?”
He held them. The moment the two Giant Ants emerged from the corridor and stood before the big guy, they couldn’t advance even a single step further.
-Screeeech!!
-Shrieeeek!!
They thrashed, snapped their jaws downward with fury, rammed their bodies forward—yet the big guy didn’t retreat even an inch from the position he was defending.
Behind him, blocking the enemies, stood something immense and sacred—a holy form and fortress.
This was the unique ability of one who would later be called the Holy Fortress, destined to become the greatest tank in South Korea, and indeed the world.
His voice had sounded oddly familiar, but the Holy Fortress always concealed his face behind an iron mask, so I hadn’t recognized him.
“Well, well. We’ve stumbled upon two remarkable specimens.”
The fortress was still incredibly small and feeble. Yet it was enough to hold back these massive Giant Ants—I could easily gauge the potential sleeping within him.
I vaulted over the fortress he’d erected and severed the Giant Ants. With my level rising by one, the first wave ended.
“You… why are you working as a mere security guard with an ability like that?”
“Right! That’s amazing! If you had such power, at minimum the Guild Master should have known about it!”
“…It’s… because of… buffs… My unique ability’s… level… rose… making this… possible.”
I nodded. A butterfly effect had occurred through my existence as a variable.
I had admitted my younger sibling to the Miracle Guild, forging connections with these people, and my curse had dragged them into this dungeon.
That’s why he had awakened his unique ability’s potential earlier than before the regression.
When the buff faded, I told him to use his unique ability once more.
And the holy form and fortress that unfolded again… was pathetic.
A fortress smaller than the big guy’s shoulders appeared, and I finally understood why he couldn’t fully bloom his potential and was stuck working as a security guard.
“…Still… thank you… Thanks to you… I learned… about my… potential!”
I clicked my tongue in regret. I’d encountered another monster destined to reach S-Rank, yet I’d only done him a favor.
‘I never intended to travel with anyone anyway.’
I just kept getting entangled with others by chance, but remembering what happened to me because of those “comrades” my parents believed in so much… I didn’t want to make any companions.
‘So the class I’m meant to obtain from the Abyss is already predetermined.’
The most powerful hidden piece among those I must acquire—the most broken, the most absurdly overpowered—a class that would let me stand alone as an entire legion.
I quickly cast aside any lingering regret and formally introduced myself to the massive figure.
“Shin Ju-ha. The situation was urgent, so I’m only introducing myself properly now.”
“…Gun-dan, sir.”
Just as I’d anticipated, that was indeed his name. Having witnessed his extraordinary capabilities, clearing this cursed dungeon had become considerably easier.
〚Time remaining until the second wave〛
〚Remaining time: 23:57:32〛
I had a full day. Before the next wave of those powerful beings arrived.
“What should we do? Wait here like this? Until the next wave comes?”
“No, with him and you here, we’re changing tactics. I’ll scout the dungeon through the passage. You two stay here and guard against any unforeseen dangers.”
In truth, this was a strategy I couldn’t have even attempted before knowing their capabilities. Leaving my sister behind to move alone.
But with two individuals possessing the potential to grow all the way to SS-Grade in the future, wasting time was meaningless.
To clear this dungeon even a day sooner, I had to enter that passage first and gain an understanding of what lay within.
“Would you like me to grant you buffs? Just now I distributed many buffs thinly, so their duration was short, but if I grant just one to a single person, it should last at least an hour. I’m sorry—I’m still lacking in skill.”
“That’s sufficient. I’ll take the Hymn of the Holy Sky, if you please.”
To be honest, the unique ability enhancement that Gun-dan had found so effective held little benefit for me. Equivalent Exchange had been selected and strengthened, but it was such an exalted ability that nothing had changed, and I had no intention of using Equivalent Exchange anyway.
Moreover, if I carelessly ended up strengthening the Curse of Misfortune instead, there would be no recovery, so I’d requested the safest yet most effective buff of all—a universal stat increase.
Once the buff was applied and my Wuji stat reached 81, I felt a surge of power once more.
‘I’ll invest the bonus points immediately.’
I raised my Wuji stat using the bonus points gained from leveling up. I was truly not far from breaking through the grade.
Recalling that sensation I’d glimpsed just once during my battle with Ra, I felt my lips curl upward.
“Then I’ll return before time runs out.”
Without hesitation, I hurled myself into the passage before me.
***
Crash!
The conference table shattered beneath my descending fist, and my tremendous fury erupted into the open.
“Is that supposed to be an excuse? You went out to eat and didn’t notice the equipment was broken? Security Team Leader, did you really just speak such pathetic, unconvincing drivel out loud?”
“I… I’m terribly sorry!”
“Your apologies are worthless. Tsk, I knew complacency had set in during the quiet years, but I never imagined it would reach this level. Not just you, but your entire Security Team must prepare to face the consequences. The salary you’ve all been collecting while idling away your time was meant to prevent incidents like this and to bear full responsibility should one occur.”
At those words, the Security Team Leader’s face drained of all color. Yet he had nothing to say in his defense.
The incident was simply too catastrophic. A Dungeon Blackhole phenomenon had erupted in the VIP Room itself, swallowing the patient, their guardian, and even the Guild Master’s niece—a candidate to become a Saint.
And if this hospital was Miracle Hospital, the moment this incident became public knowledge, the reputation they had painstakingly built would inevitably crumble.
“Sigh… What is the current situation?”
“As you well know, Guild Master, the dungeon where the Blackhole phenomenon occurred has entry restrictions. We can only enter once all four people inside are dead.”
“So in other words, unless they all die, there’s no solution no matter what we do here.”
“… That is correct.”
“What is the dungeon’s rank?”
“Unique Grade, D+ rank.”
I brushed away the debris from the shattered table and fell into thought.
“What are the guardian and security guard’s capabilities? If it’s Unique Grade D+, that would be nearly equivalent to an SSS-rank dungeon in standard terms. Could they clear it with Cho-rong’s buffs?”
“Regarding the security guard Gun-dan, whose records we have access to—his performance is pathetic. He’s merely a tank capable of buying time through sheer endurance.”
“And our guardian?”
“That’s… I requested information directly from the Association Chairman, but the moment I mentioned the name, he grew serious and refused. He drew a line, saying this person is beyond his authority to view and that I shouldn’t even be curious about them.”
“You mean a high-level classified individual?”
“Yes, at minimum a Level 1 classified individual.”
Sigh…
I rose from my seat with a deep exhale.
“For now, we suppress this entirely. The VIP Room has strict security protocols anyway—keep the press from catching even a whiff of this. If word of this incident leaks to the outside, I will suspect every single one of you. And if anyone is found to have sold this information… they are a heretic.”
A heretic—in other words, they would be inscribed upon Miracle Guild’s death list.
All the core guild members bowed their heads and left the conference room, leaving me alone to do nothing but sigh at this sudden calamity.

—————

This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

—————