I Became a Mythical Hunter After Killing the Golden Goblin - Chapter 34
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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 34. Dungeon Blackhole (4)
〚Time Remaining Until Second Wave〛
〚Remaining Time: 00:58:42〛
When roughly an hour remained, I managed to return safely to the chamber. I was startled by the mysterious phenomenon—the Ant Burrow was hardly dark at all—but this place, where the queen’s egg shone brilliantly, was the only sanctuary where my mind could find peace.
“I didn’t uncover any significant information. If anything trivial, it’s just that the creature we faced earlier was the weakest of its kind.”
“So how many will come this time?”
“At minimum, twice as many as before. Min Cho-rong, you focus entirely on supporting Gun-dan and holding them back. I’ll dispatch them quickly.”
Whether by good fortune or ill, after my battle with four elite soldiers, I’d struggled to encounter worthy opponents, and ultimately had to settle for gaining two levels before returning.
Therefore, my current pure Wuji stat without any buffs stands at F-(74/100). To break through the rank, I’d need at least twenty-six more level-ups, or I’d have to consume additional spirit elixirs.
The decision came swiftly. Wasn’t this precisely why I’d endured without consuming spirit elixirs until now?
‘I’ll consume them immediately after the next wave concludes.’
Spirit elixirs, too, have their limits. Consuming them indiscriminately without strategy yields poor efficiency. Worse, incompatible elixirs could produce negative effects instead of positive ones.
For instance, consuming a fire-attribute elixir and a water-attribute elixir simultaneously could cause internal injuries if luck turned against me.
Thus, I’d refrained from touching the infinite variety of spirit elixirs dormant in my inventory. To be precise, I’d only consumed exactly four—the Primordial Spring Water and Nectar, elixirs that transcended the very concept of elixirs—which I’ll exclude from this count.
Moreover, over ninety-five percent of the unlocked elixirs in my inventory simply raised designated stats by fixed amounts, making them problematic for someone possessing mythic-grade stats.
Such elixirs inherently lose efficacy dramatically if the user doesn’t already possess the designated stat.
Thus, my current condition leaves me just one point shy of the predetermined F-(75/100) threshold. Upon reaching that stat, I’ll consume the elixirs with maximum planned efficiency and finally breach the rank barrier.
“Let me rest for a moment.”
With joy filling my heart, I closed my eyes for thirty minutes, and not long after, the second wave commenced.
***
The second wave brought eight scout soldiers. Two emerged from each of the four passages—front, back, left, and right—and the only difference from the previous wave was singular.
Our saintess candidate poured all her buffs entirely onto Gun-dan.
More precisely, she stripped away all offensive buffs and concentrated every enhancement on his unique ability and stat increases.
Consequently, Gun-dan’s golden sacred form grew larger and more resilient, and this creature—barely ranking among the lowest tier of F-grade—performed the extraordinary feat of single-handedly blocking four formidable enemies.
“Impressive.”
If his unique ability alone continued to develop, SS-grade seemed inevitable. The real challenge would be discovering how to awaken that unique ability.
Across both my previous life and this one, I witnessed the awakening of a unique ability only once—Seo Mi-na, who bloomed brilliantly within the Hidden Stage, standing at death’s precipice.
Having witnessed her power unfold magnificently through death as a stepping stone, I burned with curiosity about what trigger would awaken this creature’s potential.
‘I hope he awakens before this dungeon ends.’
“…How much longer…will you keep me waiting?”
“Ah! I’m coming now!”
I cast aside my wandering thoughts and thrust my hand forward toward the scout soldiers that had already closed the distance, their jaws extended toward me.
“Kyaaah! What are you doing!”
To onlookers, I must have appeared as a madman seeking self-destruction, but they were mistaken.
The essence of Capable Restraint flowed through me, and my hand seized the creature’s jaw, slamming it against the ground. Before it could even comprehend what had befallen it, my flame sword pierced through its throat.
“Become experience points and perish swiftly.”
My body surged forward with explosive speed. The creatures, mesmerized by the queen’s egg, charged recklessly even as they witnessed their comrade fall so pathetically, making them easy prey.
No matter how formidable their strength, creatures without reason are inferior to beasts.
Eliminating all eight scout soldiers took less than thirty minutes—a duration inflated only because I’d grown intoxicated by the beautiful power of Capable Restraint, toying with their attacks like a madman.
Had I pursued swift resolution, it would have taken half the time.
As expected, killing eight of them fully satisfied the remaining experience, and I achieved level 14 while simultaneously accumulating 75 stat points.
“Thank you for your hard work!”
“…Thank you for your hard work.”
“You all did well. Especially you, Gun-dan…it’s good to see you awakening your unique ability so quickly.”
“I will…do my best.”
We took a moment to rest and catch our breath, and just then my sister’s capsule transmitted a request to replenish the mana stones.
“Why are the mana stones already depleted? They should easily last four days!”
“It’s fine. Gun-dan, I’m counting on you.”
I handed Gun-dan the largest and purest-looking [D-] grade mana stone from those I’d obtained after killing the elite soldier earlier, and he immediately began processing it.
“Then I have something to do as well. Just rest for now—it doesn’t seem like anything will happen.”
I left Gun-dan to his focused work and headed to a corner of the clearing, opening my inventory. Among the infinite consumables and equipment, I retrieved five elixirs I’d been considering from those unlocked up to [Advanced-E+] grade.
〚Item: Tears That Briefly Held Starlight [Common-SSS-]〛
〚Item: 132-Year-Old Wild Ginseng [Common-SS+]〛
〚Item: Mushroom That Nearly Contained Spiritual Energy [Common-SSS+]〛
〚Item: Blood Drop Shed by Quarter White Dragon [Common-EX]〛
〚Item: White Blood Spirit Pill [Advanced-E+]〛
Despite being limited to appraising common-grade items at best, I had purchased fifty appraisal scrolls from the Black Market at over five million won each, meticulously evaluating every promising elixir in my inventory before carefully selecting these five. All five possessed the ability to generate bonus points.
Among elixirs, those that generated bonus points were extraordinarily rare. However, rarity was no concern for me. My inventory contained enough elixirs to supply the entire world without shortage.
But I wanted to perfectly absorb only the finest and most optimal elixirs, so I had narrowed the selection down to five.
“Then…shall I try consuming them?”
Without hesitation, I placed the elixirs retrieved from my inventory one by one into my mouth. Elixir absorption was purely a matter of talent and luck.
Item descriptions for elixir-type items typically listed minimum to maximum stat increases. There were two methods to increase this absorption rate, as Hunters called it.
First, through exceptional talent, one could preserve the energy contained within the elixir in one’s body to maximize the stat increase.
Second was simply luck. Good fortune could elevate the absorption rate.
Typically, these two factors combined to determine the final absorption rate. Therefore, I judged that now, having invested 75 stat points and with my curse having exhausted its power, was the optimal moment.
I placed the elixirs into my mouth in sequence. Various flavors flooded my senses as my insides began to burn intensely.
〚Elixir efficiency is being determined! Minimum 5~Maximum 9〛
〚Elixir efficiency is being determined! Minimum 4~Maximum 8〛
〚Elixir efficiency is being determined! Minimum 5~Maximum 10〛
〚Elixir efficiency is being determined! Minimum 7~Maximum 13〛
〚Elixir efficiency is being determined! Minimum 6~Maximum 11〛
No matter how much my curse interfered, even calculating only minimum values yielded 27 bonus points—precisely the minimum required for my Primordial stat to advance to F grade.
Calculating maximum values, 51 points. A number that would instantly elevate my Primordial stat to F (12/100).
Mythic-grade stats consumed one additional bonus point with each rank increase, which was why the Giant’s Heart was such a perfect ability for me.
It allowed me to conserve the astronomical points that would otherwise be required for a mythic-grade stat.
Simultaneously, the tremendous power of a mythic-grade stat was only beginning. With each rank increase, the reason for consuming so many points became apparent—it granted power of an entirely different caliber than before.
This explained why I had felt such exhilaration when temporarily transcending my grade through equal exchange with my wings, and why I felt such emptiness when the buff faded.
Sensing the tremendous energy radiating from within, I quietly closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I possessed no skill to absorb this energy.
It meant I lacked the mental cultivation techniques, breathing methods, or inner energy practices that higher-grade Hunters typically possessed.
Therefore, I had to rely purely on genuine talent and fortune to absorb this energy.
‘Absorb it all!’
Whoosh!
I drew in a deep breath, striving to consume the luminescent entities radiating within me. They darted left and right, as if traversing my entire body to assess whether it was a suitable habitat, and I methodically captured each one of these chaotically moving beings.
My Primordial Stat read my intent, and my body began to respond. I started capturing all fifty-one energy clusters one by one.
First, I absorbed those that had spread to the areas humans use most frequently. The energy in my left thumb seemed delighted with its new home, bouncing joyfully as I drew it directly into the bone.
Next, I absorbed the five energy clusters racing across my thighs directly into the muscle tissue.
Then I swallowed the three energy clusters rolling around on my calves, drawing them into my skin.
My body underwent endless transformation. The energy absorbed into my body converted directly into surplus points, which were automatically invested into my Primordial Stat, and I began to grow.
How much energy had I devoured while caught in that semi-transcendent state?
〚Celestial Fortune finds interest in your actions and bestows brilliant blessings upon your body!〛
With Celestial Fortune’s aid and my growing talent from consuming energy, the two forces combined accelerated my progress further.
Once again, the miracle that had awakened after tasting that brilliant nectar dominated my body.
〚As your Primordial Stat surges dramatically, your bones subtly undergo metamorphosis and your body subtly undergoes rebirth!〛
〚Your bones become stronger and more balanced!〛
〚Your skin becomes firmer and cleaner!〛
〚Your blood vessels widen and strengthen, circulating mana with greater efficiency!〛
〚Your muscles become more elastic and resilient!〛
〚Some of the negative waste remaining in your body is eliminated, and the efficiency of all stats subtly increases.〛
How long had I maintained that concentration? After finishing the absorption of the elixir, I had been meditating with my eyes closed when a message pulled me back to awareness—nearly twenty-four hours had passed, and the next wave was about to begin.
When I opened my eyes, I experienced a completely transformed world.
〚Absorption Rate: 100%〛
〚You have achieved a miraculous absorption rate!〛
〚All surplus points have been automatically allocated to your Primordial Stat!〛
〚Your Primordial Stat transcends its grade, rising to F(12/100).〛
〚Your Sun Stat transcends its grade, rising to F(12/100).〛
〚Your unique ability: Primordial Celestial Meridian has increased by 1 level!〛
〚Your authority: Noon Sun has increased by 1 level!〛
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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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