I Became a Mythical Hunter After Killing the Golden Goblin - Chapter 72
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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 72. The Hyena (2)
The villains who called themselves Hyena immediately concealed their identities with masks and equipment at their leader’s command, completing their preparations to move at a moment’s notice.
“Move quietly.”
Ma-in and Nam Woo-won likewise covered their faces with robes again, equipped themselves with their staffs, and began following behind them.
To prevent any unforeseen variables, I moved personally. With so much riding on this plan, I had never even entertained the thought of making a mistake.
The thirteen Hyena members, having gathered only those with some reputation in this Terrarium, moved covertly toward the Hospital where their target awaited, following my command.
As the finest Hospital in the Primordial City, it naturally had guards protecting it. However, unfortunately for them, those who spent their days merely suppressing troublemakers and standing watch had no chance of defeating the Hyena—who hunted only humans.
In fact, they weren’t even a match. The Hyena members, equipped with concealment skills and items, approached them and subdued them in an instant.
Nam Woo-won observed them and sent a signal from a distance.
-Go subdue the target and bring them before me.
The reason I didn’t enter directly was simple: once the Hyena brought the target out, I would obtain what I desired and bury all thirteen Hyena members along with the target.
Even so, facing all thirteen Hyena members was burdensome. Not that I would lose—mere E to E-rank rabble with demonic power couldn’t possibly overcome me, a D-rank. But since this required discretion and speed, I had no intention of wasting time fighting them.
I began preparing a trap using dark magic to sweep them all away, while the Hyena, oblivious to their leader’s thoughts, vanished into the Hospital following orders.
The number of people inside the Hospital was fewer than twenty. If fourteen of them were residents to be ignored, that left only six combat personnel.
But why would they be in a Hospital? Wasn’t it because something had gone wrong and they were admitted to a Hospital Room?
They were no match for the Hyena. Even if they were whole, victory would be uncertain—and injured, facing a surprise attack?
The Hyena knocked out all the residents but slaughtered every player. Residents incurred system penalties if killed, making them troublesome to touch, but players were different.
It was a form of indulgence and entertainment. They gagged their mouths and played with them cruelly before killing them.
Except for Shin Ju-ha, who used a top-tier Hospital Room like a VIP Room at the recommendation of the guard captain, the five other players were brutally murdered in mere minutes.
This too fell within Nam Woo-won’s expectations. There was no way those arbitrary and violent creatures would pass up such an opportunity.
Rather, the extra time they spent allowed me to prepare the trap even more precisely and perfectly.
The Hyena, having vented their stress satisfactorily, headed toward the top floor of the building. The place where only a single presence could be felt.
The Hyena burst into the finest Hospital Room where the target slept, unaware of what awaited them—an overwhelming apex predator.
***
***
I sense a presence. I feel killing intent. The acrid scent of blood awakens my consciousness, and my heart—once stilled—pounds wildly again.
Creak.
The hospital room door swings open, and thirteen presences surge toward me in an instant. My only thought is….
“Vermin.”
Arrogant mana lifts my body. Man-byeon, wrapped around my wrist, transforms into a blade and cleaves through five insects that had closed the distance to me.
One strike. No resistance, no retaliation. An invisible blade slash divides their upper and lower halves.
“Damn it!”
“Insane, they died in one hit?”
Behind their shocked exclamations, faint fear begins to seep through.
Before I can even think that something is wrong, I move. A voice screams inside my head—tear these arrogant beasts to shreds immediately.
Show these creatures what happens when they ignore me and attempt such pathetic, crippled assassination.
I’m accustomed to this now. But this time, I don’t feel the need to stubbornly resist that voice.
I move my body according to Pride’s whispers. As if it were a god being obeyed, Pride begins to rage even more intensely.
Ashen, overwhelming mana dwells in the blade, and I cut down my enemies. Not a single one could withstand even one exchange.
I haven’t even used proper skills. The divine weapon projected through Man-byeon isn’t some incredible sacred blade.
It’s simply a difference in caliber. There exists far too great a gap between them and me.
Had I been attacked by them before entering the Abyss—no, before entering the Hidden Stage—I might have struggled.
But not now.
〚Skill: Giant Ant’s Strength is activated!〛
〚Skill: Titan’s Power is activated!〛
Two skills harmonize. Giant Ant’s Strength raises my strength by 1.5 times first, then Titan’s Power adds an additional 5-fold increase. On top of that, the World Destroyer title effect doubles my damage output as a final multiplier.
This is power that no mere villain posturing at Stage-0 could possibly block. It’s not my full strength, but it approaches it.
Even those granted the letter grade C wouldn’t be able to withstand this single strike.
Left to right. The blade cuts.
Along that line, Pride’s mana erupts. Overwhelming destruction splits them apart.
They didn’t get sliced. They exploded. Six upper halves vanish. The sole surviving Hyena staggers backward, his legs giving out as he collapses, then releases a stream of yellow liquid.
I step back and ask him a question.
“What are you?”
“Uuugh….”
Slash.
I sever the arm of the one who won’t speak. I forcibly seal his mouth with mana before he can scream in agony.
On the verge of losing his sanity to pain and fear, yet paradoxically his survival instinct erupts, and his eyes convey that he’ll tell me everything.
As I withdraw my mana, his mouth opens.
“We’re a villain group in this city! We call ourselves Hyena! Our leader ordered us to steal the letter of recommendation you received after clearing a Quest!”
A letter of recommendation? Ah, the Holy Kingdom Cardinal’s letter of recommendation. I did receive that as a reward.
‘Come to think of it, that’s actually important to me.’
The reward for Quest 478 was already transmitted to my inventory through the system when I killed the monster. I’d forgotten about it since it was nothing compared to the Hidden Stage, but it contained a reward that’s incredibly important to me since I have business in the Holy Kingdom.
If not for these bastards, I would’ve completely forgotten about it, wouldn’t I?
In that sense, let me kill him. But first, one more question.
“Where is this leader of yours?”
At the mention of a leader, the Hyena’s eyes shifted. As if emboldened by a powerful backer lurking in the shadows, a hint of confidence and courage flickered across his face.
“That…that person is Ma-in! A magnificent individual belonging to the Demon Palace, no less! How dare you do this to his servant!? You’ll die when you meet him! Hahaha! He’s waiting on that mountain over there for us to bring you to him!”
Right, I heard you loud and clear, but here’s the thing….
“If I was afraid of trash like you, I wouldn’t have killed you all. I would’ve just subdued you and extracted the information.”
A leader of mere insects like these. I could gauge their level without even looking.
‘Ma-in is a bit surprising, though.’
Those who contract with demons or malevolent entities. Humans who betray their own kind and commit wicked deeds. Creatures utterly worthless and useless to keep alive.
I severed the creature’s head cleanly, then gazed toward the window.
Within the hospital room shrouded in darkness and death, a figure silhouetted against The Sun’s crimson glow became visible.
“There you are.”
After converting Man-byeon back into a bracelet, I opened my inventory and retrieved Longinus.
“I needed to test this anyway.”
A perfect opponent had presented itself.
Kiiiiing!!!
The moment Longinus began its activation sequence, I activated the rune’s power.
“Ten times acceleration.”
Longinus’s temporal flow accelerated tenfold. Its activation rate surged in an instant, and the spear’s authorities began to manifest.
1%…2%…3%…5%
In merely one minute, I reached 5%—what I considered my current limit. At this level, it was more than sufficient for practical combat.
〚Divine Artifact: The Spear of Divine Slaughter, Longinus has reached 5% activation rate!〛
〚Limited Special Authority: The Infallible Slayer manifests!〛
〚Limited Special Authority: The Divine Blood-Stained Relic manifests!〛
〚Limited Special Authority: The Most Savage Divine Artifact manifests!〛
〚Limited Special Authority: The Returning Holy Spear manifests!〛
〚Limited Special Authority: Death Piercing the Cross manifests!〛
Each authority carried distinct effects: unavoidable strikes, fixed damage, negated healing, automatic retrieval with additional damage upon return, and persistent fixed damage over time.
I hurled the activated Longinus toward the figure silhouetted against The Sun.
Kwaaaang!!!
With a deafening explosion, the glass shattered completely as Longinus streaked across the sky like a meteor through the darkness of night.
I followed the spear’s trajectory, leaping toward the mountain where the leader Ma-in awaited.
Within moments, I crossed several buildings and arrived at the mountain to find Ma-in with two-thirds of his body obliterated.
He was consumed by demonic energy, his skin blackened with small horns protruding from his flesh.
“Demonification?”
It was a form of awakening—Ma-in users accepted demonic energy to wield their contracted demons’ and malevolent entities’ powers more perfectly. A skill that transformed the body like demons and dark entities.
Naturally, it came with inherent buffs that increased physical stats and overall attributes.
Yet even with this transformation, he couldn’t block Longinus’s spear. I hadn’t expected him to, but at merely 5% activation, this level of power was extraordinary.
Truly befitting a mythic-grade divine artifact. I retrieved the spear, wiped away the filthy demon’s blood, stored it in my inventory, and approached the creature.
Surprisingly, he was still alive.
“A skill? A title perhaps? Unlikely to be a rune. A unique ability, then—the type that lets you endure once at death’s door.”
Otherwise, there’s no explanation for why this bastard is still breathing. The power I just unleashed wasn’t something even I could block.
‘It would be nice if I could use those two skills from earlier here.’
Unfortunately, increased strength had no correlation with Longinus’s destructive power. Longinus’s destructive capability was determined solely by its activation rate.
Of course, the doubled damage from the World Destroyer title still applied. That’s why I was getting results like this.
“Cough… if you… kill me…!”
“What? You think the Demon Palace will seek revenge? That’s ridiculous. You’re nothing. At best, you’re a D-rank maggot who made a contract with a demon and barely awakened demonic energy instead of mana.”
I was certain. The Demon Palace wouldn’t care much about this bastard’s death. Well, a few who were close to him might try to seek revenge. But honestly… birds of a feather flock together, and they didn’t seem particularly strong either.
Once this incident became known, and the fact that demons existed in Stage-0 was revealed, the city’s defenses would be reinforced as well.
And most importantly.
“I’m leaving for Earth.”
What could he do about it? Without hesitation, I formed a blade from Man-byeon and severed his neck.
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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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