The Returned Hunter Has Awakened to a Hidden Class - Chapter 43

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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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43

 

Chapter 43

 

Invasion

 

[‘Crimson Inquisitor’ is invading.]

 

[Eliminate the invader.]

 

It was unfamiliar.

 

Kim Jun stared at the text floating in the air as if looking at words on a screen, mulling over the message.

 

“Invasion…?”

 

It was a word he had never seen before.

 

No, this concept itself was entirely new.

 

Before his regression, he had climbed up and down the Tower dozens of times, learning its rules.

 

There were bosses, monsters, hidden paths, and traps.

 

The patterns could change, but the basic framework had never altered once.

 

But now it was different.

 

‘An invasion? This is some kind of different system.’

 

He narrowed his eyes.

 

Speculations chained together in his mind.

 

‘Is it an external entity like a Hunter entering? Or maybe an avatar of the administrator? No, that can’t be. Then why wasn’t this here before my regression?’

 

Kim Jun’s heart sank with an odd heaviness.

 

Ever since entering the Dark Souls Hierarchy, everything had been gradually different from his first time through.

 

Boss patterns, slightly altered traps, newly appeared systems…

 

Minor differences had accumulated to form clear changes now.

 

As if to counter his abnormally fast growth rate.

 

It seemed like this world was intentionally trying to rebalance itself.

 

‘Master.’

 

Andras’s voice echoed in his mind.

 

‘What.’

 

‘Perhaps… the administrator has realized your true identity.’

 

Kim Jun narrowed his eyes.

 

Those words seemed like speculation, yet they weren’t entirely groundless.

 

The existence of the three girls could be interpreted as something he had missed due to timing issues before his regression.

 

But what about the other changes?

 

Kim Jun’s writings carved into the floor, slightly altered traps, and now this unprecedented ‘invasion’.

 

‘…Something’s definitely wrong.’

 

Even if his identity as a regressor hadn’t been discovered, the signs Kim Jun had left throughout this world.

 

Those traces alone were enough to detect that Kim Jun was a ‘special existence’.

 

‘Whatever the case, I need to be careful.’

 

‘Focus ahead for now.’

 

‘Right.’

 

The swamp’s mist parted.

 

Red fog billowed up, and a figure revealed itself from within.

 

The Crimson Inquisitor.

 

Wrapped entirely in black leather, it held a trident.

 

A white candle burned at the spear’s tip.

 

Constantly melting wax dripped down the blade, hissing and evaporating as it touched the swampland.

 

A bizarre sight, as if its very existence couldn’t purify the air here, but rather contaminated it.

 

The Inquisitor remained silent.

 

It simply raised the trident high with both hands slowly.

 

Wooooong-

 

The entire swamp vibrated.

 

Rotted water plants were torn apart, and the air itself resonated heavily.

 

Swoosh-

 

“Cough!”

 

Blood spurted from Kim Jun’s mouth.

 

There were no physical wounds, but his entire body ached as if being torn apart.

 

‘It’s an area attack.’

 

The trident raised to the sky. His depleted health bar.

 

That meant a ranged attack.

 

‘The warning is short but the casting time is long. If I give it time, it’s over.’

 

“Andras!”

 

“Speak!”

 

“Press the attack!”

 

Both charged simultaneously.

 

The trajectories of the greatsword and blood sword intersected as they bore down on the Inquisitor.

 

Clang!

 

Thwack-!

 

The sound of metal and flesh colliding rang out. Blood burst forth.

 

Each time Andras’s 「Mountain of Corpses, Sea of Blood」 scorched through the air, red trajectories spread out.

 

Blood droplets scattered along those lines.

 

But the Inquisitor endured.

 

Swoosh-!

 

The trident extended in a long thrust.

 

It wasn’t a piercing motion but a pushing trajectory.

 

Kim Jun attempted a parry.

 

Clang-!

 

A heavy impact was transmitted through his hands.

 

The Inquisitor’s trident deflected and its body twisted.

 

A brief but clear ‘stagger’ state.

 

A fleeting gap where he could land a ‘critical strike’.

 

“Now!”

 

“Got it!”

 

Andras’s 「Mountain of Corpses, Sea of Blood」 erupted explosively.

 

Red trajectories sliced across the swamp, plunging toward the Inquisitor’s chest.

 

But then.

 

Thud.

 

The Inquisitor’s twisted body regained its center with unbelievable speed.

 

The ‘stagger’ was definitely there, but its duration was absurdly short.

 

Andras’s 「Mountain of Corpses, Sea of Blood」 only cut through empty air.

 

“This one’s different! Master!”

 

“Yeah. Incredibly troublesome.”

 

Andras withdrew his sword.

 

Kim Jun’s gaze sharpened.

 

‘With a normal boss, the stagger lasts long enough to land a solid critical hit.’

 

But this Crimson Inquisitor was different.

 

While the parry itself worked, it absolutely wouldn’t allow the opportunity for a ‘critical strike’.

 

‘Let me try once more.’

 

Kim Jun deliberately created an opening in his attack.

 

To let the opponent’s attack come in.

 

The plan was for Andras to strike a critical blow with 「Mountain of Corpses, Sea of Blood」 the moment the parry succeeded.

 

However.

 

Swish-

 

The Inquisitor’s movement was beyond expectation.

 

It cut off the trident’s straight trajectory by itself, stopping the attack midway.

 

‘It knows it’ll be parried.’

 

Kim Jun gritted his teeth.

 

But fighting up close was even more troublesome.

 

When he got close, the creature’s attacks came with twisted rhythm.

 

One beat late, two beats fast.

 

Unpredictable ‘off-beat’ attacks.

 

The parrying timing kept getting thrown off, and Kim Jun’s stamina wore down accordingly.

 

Being far away was even worse.

 

Whooooom-

 

The Inquisitor raised its trident with both hands again.

 

The candlelight flickered like ripples, signaling the prelude to an area attack.

 

‘A dilemma.’

 

Get close and be toyed with by off-beats.

 

Stay far and it attempts area attacks.

 

Even with parrying, the stagger time was too short to land critical hits.

 

The only time parrying was possible was when maintaining proper distance.

 

Even so, Kim Jun and Andras didn’t stop.

 

Even if the damage was minimal, it wasn’t completely ineffective.

 

Clang clang clang-!

 

「Dragon Eater」 constantly disrupted the Inquisitor’s balance.

 

Slash-!

 

「Mountain of Corpses, Sea of Blood」 left red trajectories while occasionally slicing flesh.

 

Drip-drip-

 

Black leather tore and blood flowed down onto the swamp.

 

No matter how much it pushed away the blade tips, the wounds accumulated.

 

Hiss-

 

Scrape-

 

The moment black and red crossed, the Inquisitor’s body finally swayed greatly.

 

[Health: 50%]

 

But immediately after.

 

Whooooom-

 

The entire swamp resonated.

 

Red mist rose from the Inquisitor’s body, and simultaneously.

 

Doom-doom-doom-

 

An unfamiliar melody spread.

 

A dull sound drumming to the rhythm of a heartbeat.

 

On top of that, the discord and wailing of a pipe organ filled the swamp.

 

Kim Jun’s eyebrows twitched.

 

“…What is this music.”

 

This was reality, yet the music changed like in a game.

 

Ominous BGM that he couldn’t tell where it came from, nor could he turn off.

 

“How ridiculous.”

 

The Tower was keeping time for him.

 

Phase transition for a mere ‘invader’, complete with grand beats.

 

Treatment as if he were a character in a game.

 

Kim Jun disliked that more than anything.

 

“Just die already.”

 

Originally, he had planned to conserve mana.

 

However.

 

At this rate, he couldn’t tell how much longer it would take, and this was an entity he’d never seen before.

 

He had no idea what patterns it might have in its second phase.

 

Figuring that out was, frankly, terribly bothersome.

 

He couldn’t even gauge how long the ‘Flowing Time Tower’ would take.

 

He didn’t have the luxury to waste time here like this.

 

Then the conclusion was simple.

 

Don’t fight it for long.

 

‘I’m not a person of this world to begin with.’

 

Against Hunters, use a Hunter’s methods.

 

Swoosh-

 

Kim Jun raised his hand high.

 

“「Infernal Dragon Breath」.”

 

[Insufficient mana required!]

 

[「Lion’s Talisman」 is activated!]

 

[Required health: 750]

 

Instantly, his vision turned red.

 

As his mana was depleted and even his health was consumed, his insides boiled as if burning with fire.

 

“Now disappear, please.”

 

Whoooooosh-!

 

Dark red flames devoured the swamp.

 

The fire surged like waves, swallowing the Inquisitor’s trident, and the candlelight flickered as if screaming before going out.

 

The red mist was scorched by the intense heat and instantly burned black.

 

The Inquisitor struggled to resist, but the flames swirled and engulfed the entire swamp.

 

Its motion to use an area attack collapsed completely, and even the arm that had been twisting the spear disappeared into the flames.

 

After a moment, everything became quiet.

 

[The invading ‘Crimson Inquisitor’ has been defeated.]

 

[The invading ‘Crimson Inquisitor’ returns to its original world.]

 

When the flames subsided, all that remained were the boiling swamp water and the charred remains of the melted trident.

 

Kim Jun planted his greatsword firmly in the ground and briefly wiped the blood from his lips with the back of his hand.

 

“Annoying.”

 

“I agree.”

 

—-

 

[Name]: Kim Jun

 

[Race]: Half-Human Half-Demon Half-Dragon

 

[Grade]: S-rank

 

[Level]: 58

 

[Stats]:

 

– Strength: 250 (+50) 30

 

– Agility: 172 (+50) 27

 

– Intelligence: 105 (+50) 12

 

– Health: 45,800/278,000 1,800/26,000

 

– Mana: 0/37,000 0/2,000

 

[Titles]: Dragon Hunter, Master of the Labyrinth, Demon Contractor, Celestial Realm Slaughterer, Master of Perfect Squares.

 

—-

 

Pop-

 

Gulp-

 

Kim Jun swallowed a potion.

 

However, the gauge didn’t fill up noticeably.

 

‘As expected.’

 

Half-human, half-demon, half-dragon.

 

His transformed constitution was so unique that potion recovery efficiency was less than half compared to others.

 

On top of that, with Dark Soul’s rules overlaid, the effect became even more minimal.

 

“At this rate, I won’t be able to clear it quickly.”

 

Of course, Kim Jun, who had now adapted, could somehow clear it.

 

But to comfortably clear up to the 19th Floor, a solution for mana was urgent.

 

Kim Jun’s gaze, as he caught his breath, suddenly turned toward the swamp water below.

 

The spot where the trident had sunk, charred by flames.

 

A faint light flickered from the cracks in the blackened floor.

 

“Master.”

 

“Yeah. I saw it too.”

 

He knelt down and reached his hand in.

 

A small crystal was caught in the cold swamp water.

 

A blue light was pulsing like a beating heart.

 

[Item Acquired: Mana Stone]

 

Kim Jun’s eyes narrowed.

 

‘A mana stone…’

 

This raw stone itself has no great utility.

 

But if taken to a craftsman-type NPC somewhere around here.

 

For example, to someone like a Jeweler, you can pay money to have it processed into a talisman.

 

[Expected Craftable Item: 「Talisman of the Blue Abyss」]

 

[Effect: Increased mana recovery speed]

 

The corners of Kim Jun’s mouth slowly rose.

 

“Somehow a solution presents itself.”

 

“Is that so?”

 

“Yeah. Let’s go.”

 

Whether it’s good luck or what.

 

The fact that the NPC who can refine this mana stone exists right here, in the depths of the ‘Flowing Time Tower’.

 

[Dungeon: Flowing Time Tower]

 

[Description: A den of time where clock hands flow backwards.

 

The monster ‘Chronos’ that devours the time of the dead rules this place.]

 

[Would you like to enter?]

 

[Yes / No]

 

Creak-

—————
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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