The Returned Hunter Has Awakened to a Hidden Class - Chapter 36
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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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36
Chapter 36
Diablo (1)
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[Quest Generated]
[Basement 2nd Floor Conquest]
[Objective: Eliminate 500 Demon Elite Guards, Defeat Boss Andras]
[Current Progress: 0/501]
[Reward: ???]
—-
Snicker-
Watching Choi Do-heon bite his lips from nervousness, Kim Jun burst into laughter.
“I can do it. I can do it…”
The boy kept reassuring himself, but the subtle trembling at his fingertips couldn’t be hidden.
Hell, a place whose very name pressed against human instincts.
Kim Jun raised his head and looked around.
3rd Layer of Hell, [Andras’ Sealed Sanctuary].
Flames erupted from all directions. Lava poured down like waterfalls, staining the cliffs red.
Even the air felt scorchingly hot.
The sulfur smell that stung the nose. Each breath felt like it would burn the lungs.
And there, ahead.
There was an upside-down temple.
“Wh-what is that place…?”
What touched the ground was the roof.
The spires and decorations that should have been magnificent were buried upside-down in the earth, while the pillars and floors that should have been the foundation floated in mid-air instead.
It looked as if the temple itself had been flipped and crashed down from the heavens.
Red mist rising from the upside-down pillars and destroyed altar erased the boundary between earth and sky.
A ‘twisted temple’ that made even one’s sense of direction blur, unable to tell what was up and what was down.
“Do-heon.”
“Yes!”
“Are you ready?”
“Y-yes!!!”
The boy’s response was spirited, at least in enthusiasm.
But Kim Jun knew.
Facing difficulty on a completely different level from the surface, just how far could this young boy endure?
Nevertheless.
Clench-
‘Good spirit.’
Kim Jun smiled.
The clear condition for the 3rd Layer of Hell was to kill 500 Demon Elite Guards and the boss Andras.
On the 2nd floor where he fought alongside Park Min-soo, 2,000 demon soldiers had swarmed them.
But just because the numbers were fewer didn’t make it easy at all.
The enemies here were elite guards.
They were on a completely different level from the common soldiers wearing crude equipment.
Armor plated with black scales, axes that looked rusted but were eerily sharp, spears, maces.
Their physiques were stretched longer than humans, with thick neck muscles like bulls that bulged prominently.
Step-
The moment Kim Jun and Choi Do-heon set foot inside the twisted temple.
Those red eyes all lifted their heads in unison to glare at the two.
Thud!
Dozens of shields struck the floor with a resounding crash.
They all assumed formation and entered battle stance in unison.
“Do-heon.”
“Yes!”
“Don’t be nervous. You can do this.”
“…!! Yes!!”
The boy’s shoulders flinched and trembled, but soon his eyes sparkled and became firmly fixed.
[Monster Information: Demon Elite Guard]
[Rank: C]
[Level: 20]
Choi Do-heon was currently C-rank at level 13.
Just looking at the numbers, a direct confrontation might be difficult.
However.
Thwack!
“Ugh!”
The first shield charge came flying.
That shield, weighing dozens of kilograms, would shatter a person completely if it hit them.
But Choi Do-heon didn’t dodge, instinctively pulling up his fist instead.
Crash-!
In an instant, fist and shield collided head-on.
A thunderous roar echoed through the temple, and dust scattered in all directions.
One Demon Elite Guard staggered and collapsed on the spot.
[Monster Eliminated: Demon Elite Guard ×1]
“Th-this is strange…”
Beside Choi Do-heon who muttered in surprise, Kim Jun chuckled.
“Manageable, right?”
From the beginning, ‘monster levels’ and ‘Hunter levels’ had different characteristics even with the same numbers.
If monster stats were closer to absolute values like simple strength and stamina, Hunter stats didn’t include the technique and experience to handle them.
That’s why.
Just like in games where players could tackle higher-level monsters at slightly lower levels, Hunters could also bridge the gap with combat skills and instincts.
“You can do this.”
“Yes!!!”
As Choi Do-heon swung his fists.
Thwack!
Crack!
Bang!
In an instant, three elite guards went flying and crashed into the wall.
“Oh… good, that last one was nimble.”
“Y-yes!!!”
With just one word of praise, Choi Do-heon’s fists became even faster.
Tirelessly breaking through the elite guards’ formation.
The fact that Kim Jun was watching from behind made him able to fight even more aggressively.
“Are you tired? Want to rest now?”
“I-I’ll try more!”
“Oh, really?”
“Yes!!!”
Just then, one elite guard came in targeting the back of Choi Do-heon’s neck.
Scrape-
Slash!
Kim Jun’s greatsword casually swept past, severing the creature’s neck.
Of course, Choi Do-heon was completely unaware.
Firmly believing he was breaking through the battlefield with his own strength, he threw his punches even more desperately.
“Hmm, this should be getting difficult now, right?”
“I’m still far from done!”
Crack!
“Hoo… good. This time it should really be too much, right?”
“No! I can do it!”
Thud!
“Wow, now this should really be your ‘limit.’ Right?”
“No!!”
Rumble!
His bloodied fists blazed up once more.
“「Martial Strike – Flash (-)」!!!”
“「Martial Strike – Flash (-)」!!!”
“「Martial Strike – Flash (-)」!!!”
Hundreds, thousands of punches poured forth.
Like that for one hour, two hours.
[All field monsters eliminated!]
[Boss Room entry available!]
All the screams within the temple had vanished, leaving only silence.
“Huff… huff…!”
Choi Do-heon knelt down, his entire body drenched in sweat.
When Kim Jun lightly patted his palm, only then did the boy’s face brighten completely.
[Level Up! Lv.13 → Lv.16]
“Well done, Do-heon.”
“I-I can do more!”
“No. This is far enough.”
Kim Jun firmly shook his head.
“From here on, it’s not an opponent you can handle.”
“…”
The boy’s shoulders drooped, but Kim Jun said nothing more.
The master of the 3rd Layer of Hell, Andras.
He wasn’t just a simple boss.
A lord of madness who turned destruction, flames, and battlefields into seas of fire.
Of course, for the current Kim Jun he was nothing, but for a young boy, he was an overwhelming opponent.
When Kim Jun pushed open the Boss Room door, the iron gate opened with a ‘creak.’
A space stained red.
Above the altar of an inverted temple, a massive shadow sat.
[Boss Appears: Andras]
“Who are you.”
Along with beast-like breathing, a voice like flames echoed.
Two eyes flashed blood-red as they pierced through Kim Jun.
“You don’t need to know. You’re going to serve under me anyway.”
At Kim Jun’s response, Andras’s mouth split open in a grin.
“Kehehehe… A human dares to call this body a subordinate. One of us will definitely die here.”
The gazes of two monsters clashed head-on.
Red eyes.
But that was the same for Kim Jun as well.
The Dragon’s pupils split vertically, and dark red flames bloomed behind him.
“What are you…”
“Kim Jun.”
Kim Jun briefly stated his name.
Andras fell silent for a moment, then snorted.
“Did you use some trick? I don’t sense even a trace of human aura from you.”
“A trick?”
Kim Jun chuckled and raised his greatsword.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, but I’d appreciate it if you’d just quietly take your beating.”
Dark red energy surged along the blade.
“I’ll beat you down to 10% health.”
Andras burst into mad laughter.
“Hahahaha! You’re not in your right mind, human!”
The conversation ended there.
In the temple where silence had fallen, it was Kim Jun who broke the quiet.
Step, step-
He walked forward, staring at his opponent.
One step, two steps.
The moment their shadows overlapped and scattered.
Swoosh-
A greatsword that seemed to pierce the ceiling rose from Andras’s hand.
Three times larger than Kim Jun’s greatsword, its length easily exceeded 6 meters.
“Kehehehe! Puhehehehe!”
Beast-like breathing. A madly distorted laugh.
Andras’s blood-red pupils were consumed by madness.
Crash-!
The moment their sword strikes collided, the entire temple shook.
Storm-like shockwaves burst in all directions, shattering the stone statues hanging on the walls.
“Hmm. Quite heavy.”
“Hahaha! More! More!!”
Andras swung his sword while even mixing in headbutts that could break necks.
Combat beyond common sense. The movements of a mad beast that no human could even imitate.
Crash-!
Kim Jun’s greatsword severed Andras’s right arm.
Red flesh splattered and the sound of breaking bones echoed.
However.
“One arm is enough! Kihihihihihihi!”
Instead of pain, Andras spewed madness, gripping his greatsword with his remaining left arm and charging.
And when even that was severed,
Crunch-
“Grrr! Eeeeuuuahhh!”
Andras threw back his head and bit down on that massive greatsword with his teeth.
Blood pooled in his mouth and flowed down, but Andras didn’t care.
Even as blood gushed like a waterfall from his severed arms.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
His charge only became faster.
“Crazy bastard.”
Kim Jun gritted his teeth and swung his greatsword.
Dark red flames erupted, and this time the creature’s legs were shattered to pieces.
Crack-!
Everything below the waist was completely severed, but.
“Kehehehehehe! Kihihihihihi!”
This time it dragged its severed stump and crawled forward determinedly.
Mad laughter echoed through the Temple.
‘It would be simple to just kill it outright.’
But he couldn’t do that.
To contract with 「Diablo」, he had to reduce its health to 10% or below.
The problem was controlling his strength.
Every one of Kim Jun’s skills was powerful enough to sweep away a B-rank boss in one blow.
Yet forcing himself to reduce the power was actually more burdensome.
On top of that, the demon’s unique regenerative ability.
Gurgle-
Ssshhhaaa-
The severed body parts grew back over time.
Andras slowly regenerated even his cut-off limbs while letting out a monstrous cry.
“Uhahahaha! Come more! Come again and cut me dowwwwn!”
A situation where he had to forcibly reduce his power while dealing with the opponent’s madness.
Hit too hard and it would end, hit moderately and the regeneration would catch up.
On that precarious balance, Kim Jun gripped his greatsword.
‘This isn’t easy.’
Just when Andras’s health barely dropped to 10%, it immediately rose back to 11%, 12% through regeneration.
The lower the health became, the faster the recovery speed and attack speed grew.
“Kihihihi! Cut more! Tear more awayyy!”
Watching Andras rampaging in madness, Kim Jun briefly smirked.
‘In a way… it’s similar to me.’
After deliberating, Kim Jun sheathed his sword and stepped back.
The closed Boss Room door opened with a ‘creak’, letting outside air seep in.
“Are you running away?!”
Andras screamed and swayed.
“It’s not running away.”
And the boy standing at the door.
“Do-heon.”
“Yes!”
“When I give the signal, could you hit it once with your skill?”
“Yesss!!!”
Health adjustment.
That was actually a role better suited for a Hunter lacking in power rather than a monster like Kim Jun.
Once again dark red flames burst forth as Kim Jun’s greatsword struck down on Andras.
Crash-!
[Andras Health: 11%]
“Now!”
“「Martial Strike – Thread」!!”
Whooom-!
Choi Do-heon’s fist dug into the monster’s abdomen.
[Andras Health: 9%]
Finally the conditions were met.
Kim Jun’s lips slowly parted.
“「Diablo – Contract」.”
Sssssss-
Black shadows rose from Kim Jun’s fingertips.
They spread like smoke, then flickered like flames, extending in all directions like chains.
Crrrrrack-!
“Grrr, grrrrrr!!”
The massive body thrashed, but the shadows grew even darker and finally swallowed the entire monster.
And at the final moment.
Dark red flames shot up for an instant, then Andras’s roar was cut off.
Crash-!
[Contract successful! Andras becomes your servant.]
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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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