I Became a Mythical Hunter After Killing the Golden Goblin - Chapter 99
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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 99. Tower of Ascension (3)
〚Would you like to retry?〛
The message materialized, and my dulled consciousness snapped back into focus. The aftermath of surviving in agony, reduced to that creature’s plaything, weighed heavily upon me.My body had fully recovered, but my mind was profoundly wounded. Fear had been seared deeper, and dread consumed me from the tips of my toes to the crown of my head.
The body had fully recovered, but the mind was deeply afflicted. Fear had become more ingrained, and dread consumed him from head to toe.
I was terrified. I wanted nothing more than to abandon this cursed tower immediately and seek the mental protection granted by the Supreme Soul.
〚Would you like to forfeit?〛
〚If you forfeit, you cannot obtain rewards.〛
〚Please pause and try again.〛
The tower questioned me. Would I stop here? Was I truly satisfied with this? Would I leave with nothing but trauma?
It whispered that I could never progress this way. If I couldn’t even take revenge on such a trivial Hop Goblin, how could I succeed against my true enemies in reality?
-Is your resolve truly so fragile?
I clenched my teeth. No. My determination was far greater than this. I could not crumble here.
After my regression, I had sworn to myself: never to collapse of my own accord. Never to accept defeat and live a wretched life as I had before regression.
“I’ll try again.”
My vision shifted, and the Forest materialized once more. I rose immediately, and the moment I turned toward that location—
〚1st Floor Package has arrived!〛
〚Would you like to open it?〛
A method to clear this cursed 1st Floor had appeared.
“Is this… rerolling?”
The common gaming term for repeatedly resetting and drawing until obtaining desired results. I was dumbfounded.
It was possible in the tower as well. Simultaneously, a path revealed itself—a way to escape this damnable situation.
“Fine. Let’s try it.”
Whether you win or I win. No matter how much Misfortune rages, eventually a good skill will appear! Someday, it will!
I tore open the gacha ticket.
〚Congratulations!〛
〚You have acquired Skill: Breathing [Common-F-].〛
I drew my blade and slashed my own throat.
“Gasp! Damn it. Is there no painless way to die?”
There couldn’t be. Even euthanasia brings pain.
The only ways to escape pain are to die before awareness sets in, or to die while experiencing pain so intense it transcends sensation itself.
Both were naturally impossible, so I had no choice but to continue this suicide. Yet somehow, I felt I could do it.
“Misfortune, you bastard. Let’s see who wins—you or me.”
I repeated this phenomenon, which I called special regression, infinitely. Until a good skill appeared.
By the twelfth regression, when the sensation of my throat being severed had become familiar, I finally obtained a high-tier F-grade skill. I challenged it eagerly, was crushed miserably, and continued rerolling.
Twenty times. Thirty times. Forty times. Fifty times.
After approximately sixty-six repetitions, I finally achieved results worthy of saying I had defeated Misfortune. A rare E+-grade skill!
“Now that I have a rare skill, I should attempt the challenge.”
I opened my status window to examine the acquired skill.
〚Skill: Triple Slash
Grade: Rare
Grade: E+
LV 1(0%)
Description: A swordsmanship technique created by a certain warrior that allows three rapid thrusts at high speed
Ability
-Upon use, you perform thrusts dealing 100%, 110%, and 120% damage respectively. (Cooldown: 3 minutes)
-LV 7 Unlocked〛
This is sufficient. With this skill, there might be a chance. My eyes gleamed as I pressed forward. I wouldn’t hide and ambush like before.
The Hop Goblin had surprisingly keen olfactory senses and could accurately detect my presence when I hid. That’s why I hunted it directly.
If I couldn’t win through ambush anyway, direct confrontation was the only answer. I would settle this using the combat experience I’d accumulated and the data I’d gathered on this creature.
‘Fortunately, its habits are similar to goblins.’
Right, I just needed to trigger the typical goblin racial ability—rage explosion—or in the case of a Hop Goblin, its evolved berserk state. I ran while touching the blood-soaked chicken in my bag.
After moving for some time, I finally spotted it. It had already encountered Park Ju-chul and severed his left arm. I gritted my teeth and charged toward it.
-Kieek?!
Startled by my sudden appearance, it quickly realized through instinct that I was weaker than itself, and as if welcoming a new toy, it raised its axe and roared at me.
“This time, I won’t die so easily!”
Body moving fast, mind staying cold. My feet carried me forward. A body with not a single gram of talent. I’d grown accustomed to the overwhelming advantage provided by the Limitless stat, so fighting in this body was inconvenient, but I’d grown somewhat used to it by now.
‘The axe has large movements.’
It wielded an enormous axe that was nearly half its own body size. Naturally, moving such an axe required proportional strength, and to generate that strength, the movements had to be large.
In other words, dodging was possible.
Whoooosh~~!
Of course, it’s easy to say. Easy to think too. The image of dodging in my mind moved far too slowly in actual combat—my sluggish body couldn’t keep pace with my thoughts, and so.
Slash!
I took the hit. A line was carved across my chest and blood erupted. It wasn’t a deep wound. But it wasn’t shallow either.
“Damn it. Another failure?”
I’d dodged twice and failed on the third. How was I supposed to know it would shift its angle from aiming at my neck to my chest?
I’d thought this before, but this is no ordinary goblin. A field boss in the Tutorial?!
And this isn’t even the Abyss. I swallowed my curses and pulled my body back.
‘I can’t see the opening.’
The opening to use my skill. I clicked my tongue and gripped my sword again. I couldn’t lose so pathetically like this.
I just needed one chance. One single chance. I held my breath. I awakened my spirit. Extreme concentration.
Not quite a state of no-self, but the world I perceived clearly transformed.
Within that world, I charged forward. I assumed a cutting stance. The Hop Goblin also raised its axe.
‘Left shoulder!’
No. A feint.
‘Punch to the abdomen!’
Prediction. I attempted to mimic that realm I’d only achieved through Limitless power, however roughly. I observed its hands, feet, shoulders, muscles, eyes—everything—and derived a comprehensive result.
A gamble. If this prediction succeeds, I win. If it fails, that bastard wins.
As my cutting stance approached the creature, I switched to a thrusting posture and rotated my entire body in one fluid motion.
Whoosh!
Success! As I watched its fist barely graze past my abdomen, I smiled.
〚Skill: Triple Thrust is activated!〛
After completing a full rotation and returning to my original stance, my blade pierced the creature three times in rapid succession. There was only one target—a place where a mortal wound would be nearly impossible to survive.
The heart!
Thunk, thunk, clang!
Only half successful. The first two thrusts pierced through its hide and muscle, but the third and final strike was blocked by its axe, preventing a fatal blow.
Still, the shock from the heart attack was severe. I pursued the staggering creature and continued my assault. Three minutes until I could use the skill again.
I had to keep pressing, preventing it from recovering or regaining its senses.
My blade swept through the air with no form, no technique—only the killing intent of a weapon determined to end its opponent.
The momentum had reversed, and I pressed my advantage relentlessly. Even a Hobgoblin couldn’t easily turn the tide once it had shifted.
Huff… huff…
Of course, being unable to land a killing blow was maddening for me as well. My stamina was far inferior. A prolonged battle meant disadvantage.
Three minutes had elapsed, and my final opportunity was within reach once more. I had to end this with this one skill.
‘I still have the Frenzy skill.’
I needed to either kill it instantly or at least bring it to the brink of death so I could activate Frenzy.
-Kieeeek!!!
Perhaps it couldn’t bear the fact that it was being bested by something as weak as me. The creature finally snapped and charged forward with a roar.
With the resolve to give flesh and take bone, it rushed at me. Its massive axe swung with threatening force. I had to break through that onslaught and pierce its heart.
“Huu.”
I forcibly calmed my wildly beating heart and deliberately held my breath to achieve a state of forced concentration.
But my body was too exhausted—I couldn’t achieve the semi-transcendent state like before. In fact, as I focused harder on concentrating, I nearly allowed an opening in my defense.
I quickly abandoned the attempt.
“Fine. Let’s see this through to the end.”
If you’re willing to pay the price, then so am I. Did it sense that resolve?
The Hobgoblin stopped its assault and raised its axe, pointing it at me.
-Kiek!
Was it acknowledging me as a worthy opponent? That’s certainly how it sounded to me.
I too raised my blades and pointed them at the creature. A final clash where everything would be decided in a single exchange.
Without any signal, the creature and I charged at each other. This was my first battle like this—where two desperate fighters clashed with everything on the line, the most intense and thrilling kind.
A battle where victory could only be grasped through dying dozens of times. In truth, it was an impossible premise.
But if it were possible, victory would surely fall into my hands.
-Kieee…
The outcome was decided. Its axe came flying toward my chest, but by twisting my body, it only claimed half of my left arm instead. My blade, meanwhile, struck three times in rapid succession, piercing straight through its heart.
The light faded from the Hobgoblin’s eyes. Death had arrived. And for me, victory had come.
“Go well, you damned bastard.”
I declared victory calmly, enduring the rising pain. Victory achieved on the thirteenth attempt, excluding suicide. Though it could hardly be called a clean victory—only a scarred, battered one.
But I had undeniably defeated it.
I shoved the corpse of the Hobgoblin aside and collapsed onto the ground, sprawling flat on my back.
〚1st Floor: Remnants of the Past cleared!〛
〚With a 500% increased reward, you have acquired the unique ability: Self-Amplification (自乘者强) [Legendary-EX+]!〛
As the new ability was granted, my wretched and pitiful past body vanished, and my current body reappeared.
The arm severed by the Hop Goblin’s axe had already restored itself to its original state, and I felt an immense surge of power coursing through me.
My perspective on the world had fundamentally shifted. Having experienced my pre-regression body, this sensation struck me with overwhelming clarity. I couldn’t help but let laughter burst forth uncontrollably.
What could possibly be so amusing? The answer became apparent in an instant.
Despite dying and suffering defeat so many times, a single victory felt invaluably precious.
I nodded silently as I gazed upon the newly emerged message.
〚Will you ascend to the 2nd Floor?〛
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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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