The Returned Hunter Has Awakened to a Hidden Class - Chapter 140

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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140

Chapter 140

The End of Hell (1)

“Ugh. My whole body aches.”

Kim Jun slowly moved forward, holding his side.

His stamina was sufficient.

His mana was also in the stable range.

There was nothing wrong with his status window.

But his body felt heavy.

His shoulders were stiff, and his wrists felt dully numb.

The sensation of gripping his sword had become slightly dulled.

All his wounds had been fully healed.

The bleeding had stopped, and his muscles had regenerated.

But something remained.

Fatigue and pain.

“Master, are you getting old?!”

“I’m still young, you bastard.”

Pain is a signal.

If it were just one battle, time would solve it.

But when you push yourself continuously for several days, it’s a different story.

Stamina recovers over time.

But accumulated pain doesn’t heal.

That difference doesn’t show up in stamina numbers or status windows.

‘There’s a reason why classes are divided.’

Warrior.

Mage.

Assassin.

All three are dealers.

Warriors take hits from the front while dealing damage.

Mages pour out area-of-effect skills from the rear.

Assassins exploit openings to eliminate single targets.

The methods are different.

But the essence is the same.

They’re all positions specialized in ‘dealing damage.’

Most of their skill compositions are also focused on offensive abilities.

Damage increase passives.

Critical hit bonuses.

Penetration, additional damage, combo enhancements.

There are almost no skills that directly protect the party or reduce teammates’ burden.

Ultimately, these classes are focused on optimizing their own damage cycles.

In a way, it’s quite a selfish structure.

High damage means battles end quickly.

That does become a contribution to the party.

But that’s just the ‘result.’

They don’t directly protect the party.

They don’t reduce incoming damage either.

Nor do they alleviate accumulated burden.

They just.

Hit faster and finish faster.

That’s what a dealer’s position is.

Tanks are a bit different.

Guardian types like Park Min-soo.

Their damage is lacking.

It’s not flashy either.

But.

It’s the position that must never be the first to fall in a party.

They draw damage aimed at party members.

They absorb area attacks.

They maintain the boss’s aggro.

They take instant-death attacks in others’ place.

That’s the Tank’s role.

Not eye-catching, but they bear the most damage.

Park Min-soo had been doing that all along.

In moments that went unnoticed, in moments no one else caught, he absorbed attacks that would have hit party members.

Attacks that would have endangered Ryu Ji-a if he’d been a step too late.

Patterns that would have instantly killed Han Su-in if he’d made one mistake.

He shouldered all of it alone.

While that was Park Min-soo’s personal ability.

It was actually the power of the class structure.

Even at a slightly lower level, a Tank is still a Tank.

Aggro management skills.

Damage transfer skills.

Damage reduction passives.

The class itself is designed with party survival as its premise.

That’s why it’s essential.

No matter how strong the dealers are, without a Tank the front line collapses.

That’s how important the Tank class is.

However.

“It can’t compare to support.”

Also called Healer, also called buffer, also called supporter.

The protection-specialized class.

The existence that changes the flow of battle.

They heal wounds.

They increase attack power.

They purify harmful status effects to keep the rhythm from breaking.

It’s not a conspicuous role.

They don’t deliver the final blow either.

But.

Their absence is immediately noticeable.

Even against the same monster, battle time becomes longer.

Damage accumulates, and potion consumption increases.

Concentration breaks down first.

The margin for error drastically decreases.

Hell without Lee Seo-yeon.

Kim Jun was experiencing that difference precisely.

Days alone now.

Pushing through legions, destroying gates, facing Grand Demons head-on.

He could win.

Having risen to SS-rank.

Wounds healed faster.

Mana circulation had stabilized too.

Compared to his S-rank days, it was definitely different.

But fatigue was a separate matter.

It wasn’t an area that could be restored with skills.

But strangely enough.

“When I received Seo-yeon’s healing, it felt different somehow.”

When receiving Lee Seo-yeon’s healing, it was different.

It wasn’t simply a feeling of stamina being restored.

When continuous healing was applied, his breathing stabilized.

When purification came in, his mind cleared.

When a protective barrier covered him, the tension left his shoulders.

To explain it logically.

It would be the combined effect of status ailment removal, damage reduction, and stabilization buffs.

But the actual feeling was different.

It felt like even burdens not displayed in the status window were being cleared away.

Therefore.

A supporter isn’t simply a recovery class.

It’s a profession that adjusts combat sustainability.

When alone like now, that difference became even clearer.

His health was fine, but his body felt heavy.

His skills were working, but his concentration wasn’t what it used to be.

He was winning battles, but the speed wasn’t as expected.

“Continuing alone is pretty tough.”

The words slipped out.

“I miss Seo-yeon.”

The Tower was fundamentally designed with parties in mind.

Right now, Kim Jun was climbing while completely ignoring that design.

So Lee Seo-yeon’s absence felt even more desperately needed.

“That’s longing, master.”

“I don’t get tired!”

Kim Jun didn’t respond and shifted his gaze.

The center of Barbatos’ Stronghold.

The portal created there.

It was the entrance leading to the 91st Floor.

Wooong-

The air slowly distorted.

Darkness where the inside couldn’t be seen.

The door to cross over to the 91st Floor.

“Hmm…”

The 80th floors were just passed through.

But the 90th floors are somehow different.

Just like how Barbatos didn’t back down.

The beings above wouldn’t obediently step aside either.

Since they’re beings residing on the uppermost floors of Hell.

No matter how much they might be small fry.

Then the accumulated fatigue would continue to build up…

“Master.”

“What.”

“There really isn’t much left.”

Andras began provoking Kim Jun, who was lost in thought.

The 100th Floor.

The end of Hell.

What remained.

93rd Floor Berit.

95th Floor Lilith.

And the final floor.

And the final layer.

Originally, Lucifer would have been the greatest obstacle.

But not now.

The contract has already been established, so the greatest variable has disappeared.

“Master! We’re almost there!”

“I heard.”

Kim Jun quietly exhaled.

After subjugating Satan.

He obtained 「Descent」 along with the title ‘Destroyer of the Seven Sins’.

If it’s a floor he’s ever set foot on.

He can move anywhere without restrictions.

It’s an ability other Hunters couldn’t even dream of.

Because the Tower isn’t originally structured that way.

Normal climbing is unidirectional.

If you return to the 5th Floor, you have to climb again from the 6th Floor.

If you return to the 25th Floor, you have to push upward again from the 25th Floor.

You can go down to stronghold floors like Tebe or Artemis to rest.

But the price is clear.

The time, stamina, and danger of climbing back up.

If you go back down the staircase, you have to climb it again.

That’s why most Hunters can’t easily choose to go down midway.

Going down means re-climbing.

But 「Descent」 is different.

If it’s a floor he’s already passed.

He moves there directly.

From the 5th Floor to the 80th Floor.

From the 25th Floor to the 90th Floor.

There’s no intermediate process.

No time, no danger, no consumption.

Movement that ignores the Tower’s structure itself.

What Kim Jun possessed now.

Was that level of privilege.

Therefore, Kim Jun now.

Could return to Artemis and soak in the hot spring of Olympus Paradise.

He could return to Lee Seo-yeon, receive direct healing, completely reset his condition, and climb back up.

It’s a rational choice.

An efficient route.

He could reset his fatigue and raise his combat speed again.

But.

“Going back down and coming up again feels a bit wrong, doesn’t it?”

“Exactly! After coming this far, retreat? A demon has pride!”

Go back down and come up again after coming this far?

Not even at the 99th Floor, the Battlefield.

Just at the underground 90th floors?

His pride wouldn’t allow it.

*

—-

[Welcome to the final underground staircase.]

[91st Floor Quest Generated]

– Quest Name: Hell’s Holy City, Infernal Regalia Siege

– Content: Break through the city wall of Infernal Regalia

– Difficulty: ★★★★★

– Reward: None

– Upon Failure: Death

– Will you accept?

[Yes] / [No]

—-

Kim Jun stared at that phrase for a while.

No Rewards.

Before his regression, when he first reached this place, that phrase had caught his eye too.

‘What’s this? No rewards?’

Back then, he didn’t understand.

But.

The more he conquered this place, the more he came to know.

The 91st Floor is not a single staircase.

From here to the 100th Floor is one battlefield.

Hell’s capital city, [Infernal Regalia].

Starting from its outskirts.

The middle defense line.

The city center.

The inner castle.

And the deepest part.

All the way to Lucifer’s Palace.

The floors are divided.

But the terrain is connected.

Clearing the 91st Floor doesn’t change the map.

It’s just.

A structure where you push forward to the next area.

A massive flat city.

Surrounded by layers upon layers of city walls.

The deeper you go inside, the different the density and quality of troops become.

Floors 91-94 are the outskirts.

The 95th Floor is the city center.

Floors 96-97 are the middle defense line.

Floors 98-99 are the inner castle.

And the 100th Floor.

Lucifer’s Palace.

The process of conquering one castle is simply divided into floors.

That’s why there are no intermediate clear rewards.

No section settlements exist.

Because this entire place is no different from a single staircase.

A structure that only ends when you reach the very end.

Instead.

The rewards are scattered throughout the battlefield.

The troops here are not simple field monsters.

They are regular army.

Armed with weapons and armor of at least B-grade.

Each standing there with their own equipment and spoils of war.

Even the lowest-ranking soldiers.

Rival the medium monsters of the Surface’s 60th Floor range.

And.

The experience points too.

The items too.

The density is different.

This place is not a simple hunting ground.

It’s Hell’s capital.

While spoils of war overflow.

The survival probability is extremely low.

A place where opportunities for striking it rich exist.

However.

The Hunter qualified to seize that ‘opportunity’.

Only those who have reached this far.

Only Kim Jun.

Swoosh-

Kim Jun slowly raised his head.

The outer wall visible before his eyes.

The holy city that would extend beyond it.

And.

The battlefield stretching straight up to the 100th Floor.

Kim Jun without hesitation.

Press-

Pressed [Yes].

“Let’s go. To the end of Hell.”

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