The Returned Hunter Has Awakened to a Hidden Class - Chapter 16

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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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16

Chapter 16

Eyes of Surveillance (1)

“「Ariadne’s Thread」.”

 Kim Jun pulled out a thin golden thread from his waist.

“Show me the optimal route to the 13th Floor.”

 The thread swayed back and forth in the air for a moment, then stretched taut in one direction. It was a straight line leading directly forward.

Whoosh-

 12th Floor, which is to say, the 2nd Floor of Heaven. 

 Dazzling rays of light were woven together like silk to form the floor.

 A web of light that seemed embroidered with gold and silver thread stretched endlessly, spreading soft light with each step.

 Warm air filled the surroundings. A cozy and gentle energy like spring afternoon sunlight caressed Kim Jun’s skin.

 However.

Kiiiiiiik-

“Still the same.”

 A sharp cry from somewhere shattered this peaceful scenery.

 An eerie sound that seemed like an insect’s noise, yet also like a human scream.

 When Kim Jun looked toward where the sound came from, he could see something writhing between the lights.

 A heavenly light-attribute monster, Lumina Worm.

 A bizarre appearance with a body made of white light and dozens of tentacle-like legs attached. 

“This can hardly be called heaven.”

 A monster with such a disgusting appearance that the name ‘heaven’ seemed meaningless. 

Kiiiiiiik-

Kiiiiiiii-

 And there wasn’t just one. Similar cries echoed from various places. 

“It’s not heaven, it’s a bug nest.”

 Kim Jun drew the「Dragon Eater」.

Whoosh-

 And wrapped「Black Flame」around the entire greatsword.

Whoooosh-!

 The tentacle-like legs writhed as they crawled toward Kim Jun.

 The sight was creepy, but to Kim Jun now, they were merely obstacles hindering his movement. 

Whiiik-

 The greatsword wrapped in「Black Flame」cut the Lumina Worm in half.

 The body made of white light melted away in the black flames and disappeared.

[Monster Defeated: Lumina Worm]

[Experience Gained: 250]

[Material Obtained: Lunarium x2]

 Kim Jun shook off the blade of Dragon Eater and surveyed the surroundings.

 The ‘kiiiiik’ cries were still echoing from various places. 

 But there was no need to hunt all the monsters. Monster hunting wasn’t the purpose of this floor.

 Kim Jun looked ahead and visualized the structure of the 12th Floor in his mind.

 Endlessly stretching corridors of light, with marble pillars sparsely rising between them.

 And far in the distance, the stairs leading to the 13th Floor.

 Then Kim Jun felt a strange presence. As if someone was watching him.

‘Familiar killing intent.’

 The oppressive feeling floating in the air grew thicker, and he felt a gaze from somewhere above.

 Kim Jun slowly raised his head. A massive shadow was flickering beyond the clouds.

Kurrrrrung-!

‘There it is.’

 Thousands of eyes glinting as they constantly surveyed below.

 Ophanim. The boss of the 12th Floor and the clear condition. 

 But unlike other floors, Ophanim wasn’t a target that needed to be defeated directly.

“Don’t get spotted.”

 The clear condition for the 12th Floor is simple.

 Avoid Ophanim’s surveillance while moving to the end of the 12th Floor and ascending to the 13th Floor.

 At first glance, it seemed like a very easy clear condition, but it wasn’t quite that simple either.

“Really disgustingly many. Always creepy no matter when I see it.”

Wiiiii-

 The massive being floating in the sky.

 Centered around a house-sized main eye, thousands of small eyeballs densely embedded around its perimeter began rolling around endlessly, surveilling below.

 Like a living watchtower.

 At that moment, a warning window appeared in Kim Jun’s vision.

Ding-!

—-

[Warning! Divine Surveillance Count Activated]

[Divine Surveillance Count: 02 seconds]

[Instant death if exceeding 10 minutes!]

[Use cover!]

—-

 To clear the 12th Floor, proper cover and mobility were more important than force.

 The problem was having to cross this long space.

 Moreover, Lumina Worms were swarming everywhere.

 Monsters making ‘kiiiiik’ sounds and writhing were positioned throughout the passages.

 Kim Jun recalled before his regression.

‘It was truly hell back then.’

 Hunters lacking mobility eventually lost their lives by being exposed to Ophanim’s surveillance during the process of repeating cover and movement.

 Especially since they had to defeat monsters while moving.

[Divine Surveillance Count: 03 seconds]

Rustle-

Kiheeee-

 Because the monsters also shared vision with Ophanim.

 The moment a Lumina Worm spotted a hunter, that information was immediately transmitted to Ophanim, increasing the surveillance count.

 So hunters had to hide behind pillars to defeat monsters, then take cover and move, and when they encountered monsters again, defeat them… engaging in this kind of psychological warfare all day long.

 Before regression, hundreds of hunters lost their lives on this floor alone.

 The 10-minute time limit was harsher than expected. 

 But Kim Jun had the perfect solution.

“「Shadow’s Embrace」”

 Spoils of war obtained while eliminating the Assassin Guild ‘Eum’ bastards.

 With just this item, all problems would be solved.

[Item Equipped: 「Shadow’s Embrace」]

[Status Activated: Entering stealth state. Movement speed reduced by 30%]

 Kim Jun’s figure instantly became faint.

 Though not completely invisible, it became quite blurry, making it difficult to detect through normal means.

‘This should be no problem.’

 Before regression, he had engaged in psychological warfare using only cover and timing without such items.

 Like a battlefield sniper waiting in one spot for days.

 But now it was different.

 With the stealth item, monsters wouldn’t be able to detect him, and he could avoid the Ophanim’s surveillance as well.

Step, step-

 Kim Jun confidently began advancing through the 12th Floor passages in stealth mode.

 Past the first pillar, past the second pillar…

[Ophanim Surveillance Status: Blocked]

‘As expected, it works.’

 Everything was going smoothly. The nearby Lumina Worms didn’t notice Kim Jun at all.

‘I’ll clear the 12th Floor easily.’

 Kim Jun continued forward with inner satisfaction.

 At this pace, he could reach the 13th Floor within 30 minutes.

 But something felt strange.

 A chill began creeping down his spine.

 The sensation that someone was following behind him.

 Kim Jun stopped walking and surveyed his surroundings.

 He was definitely in stealth mode, and the Lumina Worms weren’t detecting him either.

‘Is it just my imagination?’

 But at that moment.

[Divine Surveillance Count: 04 seconds]

 A suddenly appearing notification window made him stop in his tracks.

“What?”

 He was definitely in stealth mode. The monsters hadn’t detected him, and he was avoiding the Ophanim’s direct gaze.

‘Why is the count going up?’

[Divine Surveillance Count: 05 seconds]

 Kim Jun’s expression hardened. Something different from his expectations was happening.

‘This is strange. Before regression, nothing like this…’

 Then Kim Jun looked around. Could it be because of the nearby Lumina Worms?

Kiiiiik-

 Not far away, two Lumina Worms were writhing.

 They hadn’t detected Kim Jun, but could their very existence be affecting the surveillance count?

‘Let me deal with them first.’

 Kim Jun wrapped「Dragon Eater」with「Black Flame」and quietly approached.

Whiiik- Whiiik-

 The two Lumina Worms were eliminated in an instant.

[Monster Defeated: Lumina Worm x2]

[Experience Gained: 500]

[Materials Obtained: Lunarium x4]

‘That should be fine now.’

 However.

[Divine Surveillance Count: 08 seconds]

 The count was still rising.

“What’s the problem?”

 Kim Jun’s eyes turned cold.

 Even after dealing with the nearby monsters, surveillance was continuing, which meant there was another variable.

 Could it be monsters further away?

 Kim Jun began hunting down all the Lumina Worms within a 50-meter radius.

Whiiik- Whiiik- Whiiik-

[Monster Defeated: Lumina Worm x5]

[Monster Defeated: Lumina Worm x3]

 But the result was the same.

[Divine Surveillance Count: 30 seconds]

‘The monsters aren’t the problem.’

 Kim Jun slowly looked around once more. There had to be something he was missing.

[Divine Surveillance Count: 35 seconds]

 Time kept flowing. But there was still some leeway.

 One option flashed through Kim Jun’s mind. Using「Acceleration」to break through this floor in one go.

 But he immediately dismissed that thought.

‘No good. It’s already too late.’

 Kim Jun looked around.

 Already 12 seconds had passed. And from the moment the Ophanim’s surveillance began…

Kiiiiiik-

Kiiiiiik-

 Cries echoed from all directions. Already hundreds of Lumina Worms were swarming toward Kim Jun.

‘Stay calm.’

 Kim Jun gritted his teeth.

Glub glub-

Splat! Splat!

 Sticky mucus was continuously spraying from the disgusting mouths of the Lumina Worms.

 The floor around where Kim Jun stood was already covered in sticky slime.

 Kim Jun tried to take a step but.

Stick- Stick-

 His feet stuck to the floor. His movement speed was significantly reduced due to the mucus.

‘Even if I use「Acceleration」in this situation…’

 No matter how fast he became momentarily, he wouldn’t be able to achieve proper speed on this sticky floor amid the mucus barrage.

 And meanwhile, the Ophanim’s surveillance time would continue accumulating…

[Divine Surveillance Count: 52 seconds]

‘If it exceeds 10 minutes, it’s over.’

 Kim Jun quickly assessed the situation.

 In the current circumstances, finding the cause took priority over a frontal breakthrough.

 There was definitely something he had missed.

 「Shadow’s Embrace」was working perfectly, so why was the surveillance count rising?

 Then Kim Jun’s gaze turned to an item at his waist.

「Ariadne’s Thread」.

 The golden thread obtained from the 10th Floor Minotaur’s Labyrinth was strangely fluctuating.

 As if it were lost.

‘It can’t find the path. That means someone is interfering.’

 Kim Jun’s intuition warned him. This wasn’t a simple error.

 The thread being unable to find its destination meant someone was intentionally interfering.

“「Detection」.”

 Kim Jun activated his「Detection」skill. To check if there was something hidden nearby.

 And right then.

‘…There is something.’

 Kim Jun’s eyes flashed.

 Behind him, a faint presence flowing from behind a pillar on the path he had taken.

“Who are you?”

 It was a person.

—————
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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