The Returned Hunter Has Awakened to a Hidden Class - Chapter 5

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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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5

Chapter 5

Resolution (1)

“It’s getting quite crowded now.”

“Must be the latecomers.”

 The Plaza in front of the Gates of Tebe was packed with people.

 Since all the bosses from floors 1 to 5 had disappeared, the hunters who climbed the Tower as a second wave were able to reach this place much more easily than expected.

 There was a sturdy man with a huge round shield strapped to his back, a robed woman holding a jeweled staff, and an agile-looking young man with twin daggers at both sides of his waist.

 Hunters equipped with various weapons and gear were entering Tebe one by one through the gates.

“Who the hell already killed a dragon?”

“Dragons are at least A-rank to begin with, so why was it on the 5th floor?”

“Haven’t they already climbed past the 10th floor?”

“All the Large Guilds declared their participation, so it must be one of them.”

 People were murmuring about the announcement that had echoed throughout the entire Tower a few hours ago.

 Everyone was curious about the news of the dragon’s defeat and the identity of the mysterious person who had obtained something called a ‘Hidden Class.’

 And for good reason—only a day had passed since the Tower opened, and dragons were legendary beings that appeared extremely rarely even outside the Tower, only in Red Gates or mutant Gates.

“Welcome, hunters!”

 A bright voice came from inside the gates. A resident of Tebe wearing simple clothes made of white cloth was waving and greeting the hunters.

“I’m Celia, Tebe’s guide. Let me give you a brief explanation for first-time visitors!”

 People gathered around Celia. Eyes full of curiosity focused on her.

“Here in Tebe, we offer you a special opportunity to become even stronger. It’s called the ‘class change’ system!”

 Celia gestured toward the massive spires in the Central Plaza of the City.

“You can change to different classes at each of those Five Temples. Warrior, Mage, Rogue, Guardian, and even Priest!”

“Classes? It’s like a game.”

“What changes when you switch classes?”

 Skeptical questions poured out.

“When you change classes, you can learn powerful skills specialized for that class! And most importantly…”

 Celia’s eyes sparkled.

“You can continue growing through leveling up. It’s completely different from the existing fixed ranking system!”

“Ah, we already know that.”

“It was announced when we entered the Tower.”

“The level system, right? That’s why we came here.”

 People showed lukewarm reactions as if they already knew. The leveling system was information given to all hunters upon entering the Tower.

“The class change trials for other classes aren’t difficult. But the Warrior class change trial is different! It’s really dangerous. However, you can’t take the trial right now. Someone already killed the dragon that was the trial target.”

 The hunters each showed different expressions.

 Those who wanted to become warriors to utilize their original characteristics looked disappointed, while others were excited about new possibilities.

“Are you all first-timers?”

 Then a gentle voice was heard from among the crowd.

“You’re all first-time visitors, right? We arrived here early. Since this seems like a place we’ll need to stay for a while, let us guide you.”

 Several people wearing black hoods pulled low approached the crowd.

 Their faces weren’t clearly visible, but their voices were quite polite.

 Some hunters showed interest.

 Especially those who came alone without belonging to any guild or party.

“We’d appreciate the guidance.”

“Please follow us this way. There are hidden places and hidden leveling systems in Tebe.”

 The hooded figures led them away from the plaza into narrow alleyways.

 Shadowy alleys between buildings. Deeper and deeper into places untouched by human footsteps.

“What’s supposed to be here…”

 The moment one hunter looked back in confusion.

Slash—!

“…!”

 A red line was drawn across his throat and blood gushed out like a fountain.

 Before the other hunters could grasp the situation, daggers flashed from all directions.

“Aaahhh!”

“Save me…”

Stab! Stab!

 They fell one by one without even being able to scream properly.

 The wet sound of daggers piercing between ribs and through hearts echoed in the alley.

 Red blood seeped through the cracks of the rough stones on the ground, filling the entire alley with the stench of blood.

 The hooded figures began searching through the corpses.

“What’s this? A C-rank had pretty decent equipment.”

“Quite a few coins too.”

 While collecting armor, weapons, and blood-soaked coins stripped from the corpses, transparent windows appeared before their eyes.

Ding—!

[Experience Gained]

[Level Up!]

 With satisfied smiles, they left the alley in search of their next prey.

*

“Impossible.”

 Valderion muttered with a shocked expression.

 Kim Jun showed Valderion what was visible to his eyes.

—-

[Class Change Complete!]

[Hidden Class ‘Dragon Slayer’ Acquired]

—-

“Impossible. This… this is the first time since Kaiser…”

 Valderion’s voice trembled. Something no one had accomplished for hundreds of years.

 Kaiser, the founder of Tebe, was the last person to single-handedly defeat a Red Dragon.

“You really… you really did it.”

“Yes. But that’s not all.”

 Kim Jun answered calmly and took something out of his spatial pocket.

 An enormously huge heart.

 A dragon heart that sparkled like a red ruby and was still beating.

Thump! Thump!

“Th-this is!”

 Valderion held his breath. A dragon heart. And one that was alive and beating in perfect condition.

“D-dragon heart…!”

 A legendary treasure that only one hero had obtained in a thousand years since the Tower’s creation.

 An absolutely essential element for the ultimate awakening of a Dragon Slayer.

 And most importantly, the one and only medium that could embed the language of destruction ‘Dragon Speech’ that only dragons could use since the beginning of time into a human body.

 It was the miraculous key that allowed mortal humans to wield that ancient power that even the ‘Absolute’ revered.

“Valderion.”

 Kim Jun’s voice echoed up to the high ceiling of the Sanctuary. That voice contained absolute conviction.

“I will liberate them.”

“…!!”

 The black-haired outsider.

 They had only been face to face for about an hour at most.

 But how did he know? The earnest wish of the Tower residents that had been cherished for hundreds of years.

 The liberation of all residents trapped in the Tower. Salvation from this endless trial. The expectation of a true hero who would someday appear.

 That young man was looking straight at him and speaking. That he would liberate the Tower’s residents, something Valderion so desperately yearned for.

 Like fate, like a promise.

 He couldn’t tell how much the young man knew, but strangely, his heart felt at peace. The despair that had weighed him down for so long seemed to slowly lift.

 Kim Jun put the Dragon Heart into his spatial pocket and slowly turned around. His retreating figure walked toward the massive doors of the Sanctuary.

‘He didn’t need to come…’

 Valderion watched that figure for a long time.

 Confident shoulders, unwavering steps. And above all, the aura surrounding him was different.

‘If it’s really him…’

 Valderion’s heart began to race. That dream he had given up on during hundreds of years trapped in this place.

 The liberation of Tebe. The conquest of the Tower. And the salvation of all.

‘He might actually be able to do it.’

 He too had once had burning days. Young days when his blood boiled as he cried out for the Tower’s liberation.

 Days when he armed all Tebeans as warriors, pointed blades at invading monsters, and shouted that he would plant Tebe’s flag at the Tower’s peak.

 But before the passing years, letting go of things one by one had become a habit.

 Tebe’s honor, the Tower’s liberation… he had given up on them one by one, calling them impossible dreams.

 But look at that outsider. He had calmly declared he would achieve that grand dream even Valderion had abandoned.

 As if it were only natural.

Creak-

 So the aged warrior had no choice but to rise from the seat where he had sat for so long.

‘I can’t dump all the burden on that young man.’

 He had to prepare. Though he didn’t know when it would be, he had to lay the groundwork for the treacherous path that man would walk.

Thump-

 Blood began flowing through his rotting muscles again. The warrior’s soul that had been sleeping was awakening once more.

“Draconis.”

“Yes.”

“The time has come.”

*

 Implanting a Dragon Heart into a human body was a life-threatening gamble.

 Massive whirlwinds of mana would wrap around the entire body, twisting the organs, and the body could explode from being unable to accept the alien draconic mana.

 But Kim Jun had already experienced that hellish pain. The memory of enduring it with willpower alone, without anyone’s help, was vivid.

“I have to go through it again.”

 Kim Jun smiled bitterly. This time he planned to do it differently.

 His current level was 30. Before regression, he was only level 8 when conquering the 6th floor, so this was already three times faster growth.

 And if he implanted the Dragon Heart on top of that?

 He would be able to climb all the way to the Fortress of Caldiron on the 50th Floor without hindrance.

 However, there was one problem. At his current low level, it would be difficult to handle the Dragon Heart’s powerful resistance alone.

 To offset those fatal side effects, he absolutely needed the help of S-rank healer Lee Seo-yeon.

Step step-

 Kim Jun walked through Tebe’s streets, spreading waves of mana. Fine vibrations spread in concentric circles throughout the entire city.

 It was detection to find his companions.

“Hmm?”

 But then, a blatant aura of malice caught in the waves.

“Someone died.”

 There was no way monsters from other floors had already invaded Tebe, located on the 5th floor.

 Even searching his memories from before regression, this definitely hadn’t happened at this point.

“Then… ah.”

 Kim Jun struck his forehead hard.

 How could he have forgotten? How could he have almost missed those bastards?

 The ones he should have dealt with first.

“Eum.”

 Assassin Guild ‘Eum’.

 A murder group composed of agile and cruel bastards.

 Even before the Tower’s appearance, they had been stabbing fellow Hunters in the back inside Gates, monopolizing magic stones and equipment.

 Bastards rotten from birth who thought nothing of betraying and murdering comrades.

 When the Tower appeared and the class change system was created, they all changed to assassins to make use of their dirty aptitude.

 Human trash who hunted innocent Hunters entering the Tower and even murdered and plundered residents.

“Those bastards killed Su-in.”

 Kim Jun’s fists clenched involuntarily. It was precisely these bastards who had killed Han Su-in, an S-rank assassin and precious comrade, on the 32nd floor.

 Who could have imagined it? That before the common goal of the Tower, fellow humans would stab humans in the back.

“I won’t let it happen this time.”

 Kim Jun began caressing the handle of his greatsword.

Whoosh-!

 At a speed faster than anyone else’s, toward the epicenter where the malicious aura had spread.

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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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