Infinite Evolution Hunter - Chapter 21

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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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21
My tattered clothes were becoming an eyesore, so I tore away the sleeves. The fabric was elastic enough that I didn’t end up completely exposed, but the garment had been shredded in several places during the recent battle, and the remaining portions stretched taut across my enlarged frame.
When I traveled alone or with Sang-hun, I paid it little mind, but now that I was forming a party with a woman, wandering about half-naked felt increasingly awkward.
Yet donning conventional armor wouldn’t enhance my stats. Besides, most armor performed worse than my own body anyway—there was no point, and if it broke, it required repairs. My body healed itself without cost, making the performance-to-expense ratio incomparable.
Another problem was my weight. As my energy storage capacity increased, so did my mass, and while the added weight proved useful in combat, it hindered my mobility.
I knew of an item perfectly suited to my situation, so after clearing this Gate, I’d need to seek out a craftsman who’d been renowned in my previous life.
“Strange—I don’t see any Ogres. At this rate, we’ll be here forever.”
Whether from bad luck or circumstance, Bae Na-young and I chatted idly for thirty minutes without spotting a single Ogre.
“I’m sorry. I’m slowing you down.”
I’d spoken without much thought, but Bae Na-young apologized upon hearing it.
In truth, she wasn’t particularly slow. Her stats were typical for a ranged-type Hunter, and she’d kept pace without complaint. The issue was simply that I’d grown accustomed to blazing through Gates so rapidly that any normal hunting speed felt sluggish by comparison.
“No, it’s my temperament—I’m impatient by nature. So, would it be alright if I carried you and ran?”
“What?! Me?”
Bae Na-young asked, startled.
“At this pace, we’d have to camp here for a Gate this size. We’re looking at a full day or two.”
Older Gates that had been open longer had somewhat accurate maps, but most were created from Hunters’ vague recollections—’about this big’—so errors were common. This Gate’s actual dimensions deviated considerably from the information the Awakened Management Bureau had provided.
Monster distribution and numbers were random, so clear times varied with each Gate reset. Because such situations occurred frequently, Hunters had to prepare thoroughly before entering.
If another party happened to enter and hunt alongside us, we might finish faster, but that was purely a matter of luck.
“But I’m heavy…”
Bae Na-young’s face flushed. Though she stood at roughly 170 centimeters—hardly short—and appeared slender at a glance, there was no way she was actually heavy. Women always seemed to think they weighed more than they did.
“I’m strong. You saw me take down that Ogre, didn’t you? The choice is yours, Bae Na-young. We can camp, or I can carry you and run.”
“Then please do. But if it becomes too heavy, put me down. I’ll walk faster.”
After a moment’s hesitation, Bae Na-young answered with her face flushed crimson.
“Don’t worry.”
There was already a height difference between us, but in my enlarged state, I resembled someone cradling a small child.
The protective suit’s plating was positioned near my chest, so Bae Na-young’s body didn’t touch my torso directly, but the softness I felt through my arms momentarily distracted me.
“Ahem… I’m going now.”
“Okay.”
I began with a slow walk, gradually accelerating until I was sprinting at full speed. Once my Agility exceeded 30, my velocity rivaled that of an automobile.
“Kyaaah!”
The moment I exceeded 100 kilometers per hour, Bae Na-young shrieked in surprise. I gradually reduced speed and asked her.
“Are you alright?”
“Yes… I was just startled. I’m fine. You can run faster again.”
With her permission granted, I accelerated to full speed once more.
Cars have windshields, motorcycles have helmets. Without such protection, facing 100 kilometers per hour head-on is indescribably terrifying.
Even without vibration, it would be frightening, but since my running inevitably caused vertical oscillation, the terror was compounded.
Still, for the sake of efficient hunting, there was no choice.
Bae Na-young squeezed her eyes shut and burrowed into my embrace.
“Found one.”
Thanks to my heightened senses and improved vision, I could spot an Ogre hundreds of meters away.
Bae Na-young didn’t respond—whether she’d heard me or not, I couldn’t tell. I set her down behind a boulder where the Ogre couldn’t see her, and when I checked her complexion, I saw it had turned deathly pale.
I gently patted her back as she gasped for breath, her heart racing.
“Are you alright? Do you need to throw up?”
“…I’m fine. I just need to rest for a moment.”
I let Bae Na-young rest and pulled out some portable rations from my bag to eat. I offered some to her, but she shook her head—her stomach wasn’t settling.
After about five minutes of rest, her complexion had recovered somewhat.
“Then, I’ll ask you to do the same as before.”
Bae Na-young nodded.
Together, we walked into the Ogre’s attack range and cast the curse. Robbed of its sight, the Ogre stumbled about in confusion while I approached from the side.
I kicked its knee first to throw off its balance, then as it descended to a perfect height, I brought my fist down mercilessly on its head.
Crash!
The impact and sound were tremendous, but the creature immediately swung its arms, searching for whoever had struck it. Still, the damage from my enlarged fist had taken its toll—its attacks lacked force and its aim was completely off.
I deflected the Ogre’s arm as it swung toward my torso, driving my fist upward, then unleashed a barrage of punches to its now-exposed face, sending it crashing to the ground.
Once I got the hang of it, it became far easier than before.
After that, it was nothing but a cycle of carrying, running, dropping, cursing, and catching. As our pace quickened, there was barely time for conversation.
[Your level has increased.]
Hunting monsters above my tier meant my level was rising steadily.
After hunting for several hours, I was thinking I’d catch just one more and take a longer break.
Three Ogres came charging toward us from the distance. But while there were three bodies, there were four heads. The one in the middle was a Twin-Headed Ogre—a creature that appeared very rarely in D-rank Gates but was classified as a C-rank monster, the kind that required a D-rank party to risk their lives against.
I quickly snapped the neck of the Ogre I’d been fighting and threw myself between the Twin-Headed Ogre and Bae Na-young.
“Bae Na-young, don’t lift the curse! If you do now, it’ll be even more dangerous!”
Bae Na-young nodded.
The two single-headed Ogres that entered the curse’s radius clearly faltered, but the Twin-Headed Ogre opened its eyes half-lidded and advanced straight toward us. It was a powerful monster, and despite Bae Na-young’s high skill level, her low personal level and intelligence stat meant her curse was still weak.
The Twin-Headed creature that drew near was at least a meter taller than the other Ogres, and its massive frame made it look like an entirely different species rather than just another Ogre.
It carried a club larger than my height across its shoulder and stomped toward me, planting itself before me.
It scowled at me, snorted loudly through its nose, then brought the club down with both hands in a straightforward strike.
The path was predictable, but the speed was terrifying—I dodged, yet cold sweat still beaded on my forehead.
Larger in size and noticeably faster than the other Ogres, it was a different beast entirely.
I sidestepped the falling club and drove my fist into its ribs. The impact rippled across its hide like waves on water, but the creature didn’t even flinch, immediately swinging the club again in rapid succession.
The club’s speed accelerated, and my movements matched its pace.
The creature’s eyes remained half-lidded, its expression twisted with irritation—likely from Bae Na-young’s curse. The way it kept missing me suggested it genuinely couldn’t see well.
The exchange continued in an endless cycle of strikes and retreats, reaching a stalemate.
Ideally, I’d take hits and keep attacking, but the gap in our tiers was too vast. If that brute club connected and knocked me unconscious, Bae Na-young would die, and I had no idea what would happen to me. So I dodged with desperation.
“Kwooogh! Kraaagh! Two… Ga! Frooooaaah~!”
The Twin-Headed Ogre’s right head spat out incomprehensible words, and the two Ogres that had come with it turned their attention toward Bae Na-young.
The creature had directed its subordinates. At this rate, Bae Na-young would be in danger.
While evading the Twin-Headed Ogre’s club, I spun my body like a wheel and hurled a stone from the ground. The dodge, the pickup, and the throw flowed together like water.
My strength had surpassed 50, and my agility was nearly 40. Enlarged, my strength grew even greater. With my power, elasticity, and the body control I’d learned in my past life, the stone I threw flew at the Ogre like tank artillery, striking its head. The creature’s skull shattered along with the stone, and it collapsed.
“Kroooogh!”
The Twin-Headed Ogre’s left head screamed in fury. The sound was so loud my eardrums felt like they’d tear, and my body went rigid for an instant.
It felt like I’d been hit by a Lion’s Roar skill that some Hunters wielded.
My body had frozen, so I took the club swing directly with my frame.
My ribs cracked as my body flew backward.
Mid-flight, I regained my balance and rolled across the ground. As I rolled, I grabbed a stone, pushed myself up, and hurled it at the remaining Ogre with all my strength.
Crack!
The remaining Ogre’s head shattered, and it collapsed to the ground.
Twin Head launched me into the air, then charged straight at me. The moment I threw the stone, it swung its club and struck my shoulder.
I couldn’t dodge because I was focused on the throw, and a sickening crack echoed as bone fractured.
Taking two impacts that would have killed most Hunters instantly left my mind reeling.
Only my Solid Body skill prevented it from becoming a fatal blow. Gritting through the pain, I pressed forward and burrowed into the creature’s guard.
With the resolve that if one strike wouldn’t work, ten would—or a hundred—I unleashed fists and kicks relentlessly.
Without pausing to breathe, I dodged its club while obsessively targeting the same vulnerable points: solar plexus, knees, ribs. My body regenerated even as I fought, bones already knitting back together, but the creature was tiring, damage accumulating.
Unable to use its club anymore because I’d closed in so tightly, it discarded the weapon and reached out with both hands to grapple me.
I ducked beneath its grasp, leaped onto its back, and locked both its necks in my arms.
If I’d been alone, I could have dragged this into a war of attrition, but I was worried about Na-young’s mana. If the creature broke free from the curse’s influence, the momentum could shift back in its favor.
As I squeezed, it pounded my head with its fists and thrashed its arms wildly, trying to tear me off.
I tilted my head back as far as possible to evade its strikes while squeezing with everything I had. My arm muscles swelled as if they might burst.
Then it jumped and threw itself backward, crushing me beneath its weight, and the impact knocked the wind from my lungs.
Now it was a race to see who lost consciousness first.
[Strength increased by 3.]
The desperation of knowing I’d die if I didn’t choke it out fast pushed my Strength higher, and new power surged through my forearms.
“Gaahhh…”
The creature’s arms went limp. Its hands, which had been grasping for my head, flailed uselessly through the air before dropping limply to the ground.
[Level increased.]
My level rose, and light enveloped the sky, signaling the Gate’s clearance.

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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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