The Returned Hunter Has Awakened to a Hidden Class - Chapter 95
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————
95
Chapter 95
Hostility (2)
[Hidden treasure ahead.]
[No enemies ahead.]
In front of the cave.
Choi Do-heon looked at the Sign on the ground.
“What should we do?”
Kim Sa-ra asked from behind.
“…”
Choi Do-heon didn’t answer. He was staring at the cave entrance.
It was narrow. It was dark. An ominous aura flowed out.
“The Sign says it’s safe.”
Kim Kyeong-tae muttered.
“Says there are no enemies too.”
“Still…”
An Su-min made an uneasy expression.
“It doesn’t feel right.”
Choi Do-heon had the same thought.
‘This is strange.’
The Sign said it was safe. But the aura felt from the cave said otherwise.
His intuition was warning him. His spine felt cold. His palms were sweating.
‘But.’
Choi Do-heon thought.
After the Tower Defense, the four of them climbed the Tower together.
Assassin Kim Sa-ra. C-rank.
Mage Kim Kyeong-tae. C-rank.
Healer An Su-min. B-rank.
And Choi Do-heon. Martial Artist. Also C-rank.
‘Martial Artist.’
An irregular class.
A class the Tower doesn’t recognize. No class change rewards. No basic skills.
Tanks receive 「Block D」 upon class change.
Mages receive 「Fireball D」.
Healers receive 「Heal D」.
But what about ‘irregular’ classes like Martial Artist?
Nothing.
‘I have to find it myself.’
That’s why Choi Do-heon was staying here.
The Dark Soul Staircase.
Killing monsters drops skills. Equipment drops too. There are many hidden treasures.
Two days ago, when he defeated a giant black knight in [The Primordial Land].
As the knight died, it emitted light, and from that light he obtained a skill.
「El’s Grace C」.
A buff skill that reduces damage taken by 10% for 1 minute.
At first glance, it might seem insignificant. Since 10% isn’t a large number.
But for Choi Do-heon, it was a lifeline.
Martial Artists fight barehanded. They can’t properly equip swords, shields, or armor.
They must wear only light clothing for agility and flexibility.
And they stand at the front lines. To protect party members. To take the monsters’ attacks.
They have no choice but to get hit.
That’s why 「El’s Grace」 was precious.
Reducing damage by 10% meant he could endure that much longer.
It meant more time to protect his party members.
‘I obtained such a useful skill.’
Choi Do-heon was convinced.
‘Then there must be more.’
Better skills. Stronger equipment. Ways to grow faster.
Somewhere here, somewhere in the Dark Soul Staircase, they must be hidden.
So he couldn’t give up. Even if it looked dangerous, even if he was anxious, he had to go in.
“Let’s go in.”
Even if it was a bit dangerous, they could handle it like they always had.
Though individually they were considered weak Hunters, their teamwork was better than anyone’s.
They had survived the Tower Defense together, and had continued fighting together ever since.
‘And.’
Choi Do-heon thought.
‘If it’s hyung.’
Kim Jun came to mind.
The Signs he’d seen so far. Most were accurate.
When they said safe, it was safe; when they said dangerous, it was dangerous.
Especially the Sign [Hidden treasure ahead] had never been wrong. It was always accurate.
There really was treasure.
‘Hyung left these.’
Choi Do-heon firmly believed.
That Kim Jun had left these signs. For those who came after. Perhaps for Choi Do-heon himself.
Kim Jun, who had helped him despite having no connection to him.
Someone like Kim Jun would surely show such kindness.
‘I’ll trust hyung.’
Choi Do-heon resolved.
“Let’s go.”
Putting his anxiety behind him, he walked toward the cave.
“Be careful.”
Kim Sa-ra followed. Kim Kyeong-tae and An Su-min too.
The cave entrance.
Darkness was opening its mouth.
Choi Do-heon took a step. Into the darkness.
*
“Haa…”
Choi Do-heon exhaled.
Sweat flowed. His clothes were soaked. His fists were numb.
Kim Sa-ra approached.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah. I’m fine, noona.”
He looked ahead. More ants lay fallen.
Five. No, six.
How many had they killed? It must have been dozens.
Kim Kyeong-tae muttered from behind.
“We’ve come quite far. Can’t see the end.”
The cave continued on. Endlessly.
The narrow passage wound on and on, and ants kept appearing.
But it wasn’t difficult.
Choi Do-heon fought at the front, Kim Sa-ra assisted from the side, Kim Kyeong-tae provided magical support from behind, and An Su-min healed with recovery spells.
Their teamwork was good enough to take pride in.
“Let’s go a bit further.”
They kept walking. Deeper into the cave.
More ants appeared. Three, four of them.
Choi Do-heon knocked them down with his fists, and Kim Sa-ra finished them off from behind.
*
Time continued to pass.
Thirty minutes? An hour?
It was impossible to tell. Inside the cave, the sense of time became blurred.
The ants kept appearing. And they kept falling.
But there was no end in sight.
‘This is strange.’
The passage was too long.
They said it was a hidden dungeon, but where exactly was the boss?
Then Kim Sa-ra pointed ahead.
“Over there. I can see something.”
Choi Do-heon narrowed his eyes.
In the distance, he could see a wide space. Deep inside the cave. A completely different, open space from what they’d seen so far.
“Could it be the boss room?”
“Probably.”
They slowly approached. The party members followed.
A wide space.
The ceiling was high. At least 10 meters. The walls were wide too. A circular space.
And in the center.
“…What is that?”
Something was piled up. Something dimly visible in the darkness, stacked like a mountain.
Choi Do-heon approached closer.
One step, two steps.
And then he saw it.
“…!”
They were corpses.
Human corpses. Hunters’ corpses. Dozens of them piled up.
“Hmm…”
Choi Do-heon stared at the corpses.
It was strange.
The corpses were dried up. Their skin was wrinkled, bones were exposed, and their eyes were sunken deep.
Like mummies.
No, worse than mummies. They were completely emaciated. There was no flesh. No muscle, no fat, everything seemed to have disappeared.
Only bones and skin remained.
‘It looks like something sucked them dry.’
And before that thought could even finish.
Step-
Footsteps could be heard.
“…!”
All four turned around.
Darkness.
Something was approaching from the entrance.
Step-
Another step.
A figure began to become visible. A person. A man.
White hair. Sharp eyes.
And at that moment.
Whoooosh-!
“Dodge!”
Choi Do-heon shouted.
But it was too late.
Kwaaaaang-!
A massive ice pillar came flying.
No, it wasn’t ice. It was red. Ice dyed blood-red, made of blood.
Blood ice.
The ice magic that Han Seo-jin wielded as South Korea’s greatest ice mage.
But now it was different.
It had combined with a new power called 「Devour」. The blood, life force, and mana of the hunters he had absorbed mixed into the ice.
It had become stronger. Faster. Sharper.
Whoooosh-!
The blood ice flew through the air.
“Khuheok!”
It pierced through Kim Kyeong-tae’s shoulder. The sound of bones breaking could be heard. He was sent flying backward and crashed into the wall.
“Kyeong-tae oppa!”
An Su-min screamed.
Whoosh-!
More came flying. Two, three, in succession.
Thunk-!
Kim Sa-ra tried to dodge but couldn’t make it in time.
“Kkeuheuup!”
The blood ice grazed her leg, tearing flesh as blood spurted out like a fountain. She lost her balance and collapsed to the floor.
An Su-min was the same.
She tried to cover her arm, but Han Seo-jin’s ice was faster.
“Aaaaak!”
It pierced through her forearm and embedded deep into the bone, and An Su-min screamed in pain as she fell to her knees.
“Damn…!”
Choi Do-heon stepped forward.
Whoooosh-!
Blood ice now flew toward Choi Do-heon.
One, two, three, four. Fast, in succession.
However.
‘I can see it.’
Choi Do-heon’s eyes gleamed.
He could see the trajectory. The path of the spinning blood ice, the speed cutting through the air, the angle it would strike, the timing.
Everything came into sharp focus.
Pat-!
He swung his right hand. His hand blade struck the first blood ice precisely, deflecting its trajectory as it bounced to the side.
Clang-
He struck with his left hand. The second blood ice shattered into pieces as ice fragments scattered in all directions.
Thuk!
He lifted his foot to kick, turned his body and struck with his elbow.
The third, fourth. All were deflected or destroyed.
Not a single one hit.
“…!”
At that sight, Han Seo-jin momentarily stopped his attack.
His expression changed for the first time. Surprise flashed across his face.
‘Just a low-rank Hunter, yet he’s deflecting all my attacks? Without even dodging?’
Swish-
Choi Do-heon looked back at his party members.
He saw Kim Sa-ra, Kim Kyeong-tae, and An Su-min collapsed behind him. They were all injured. Blood was flowing.
“Go to the entrance!”
“We can’t leave you behind!”
Kim Sa-ra shouted. Despite her injured leg, she tried to stand up.
“Right now!”
Choi Do-heon yelled. His gaze remained fixed on Han Seo-jin.
“I’ll buy time, so hurry!”
“Do-heon!”
“I’ll be fine!”
Choi Do-heon faced Han Seo-jin. He clenched his fists. He lowered his stance.
A martial artist. One who fights with bare hands. One who fights with his body.
‘I can block this much.’
Even after parting with Kim Jun.
Choi Do-heon had continued training. He had kept fighting. He had kept growing.
That’s why he couldn’t abandon his comrades and flee.
Surely Kim Jun would have done the same thing.
“Hurry!”
When Choi Do-heon shouted, Kim Sa-ra supported An Su-min.
Kim Kyeong-tae also gritted his teeth and stood up. The three began running toward the entrance.
And then.
Whoooosh-!
Han Seo-jin attacked again.
Blood ice poured down.
This time was on a different level.
There were dozens of them. They poured down like a waterfall, filling the entire space. There was nowhere to dodge. Nowhere to block.
‘This time…there are too many!’
Choi Do-heon’s eyes widened.
It was impossible. He had barely blocked ten, but dozens? He absolutely couldn’t block them all.
He made an instant judgment.
He could dodge. Roll to the side and avoid the blood ice.
But.
Choi Do-heon saw the trajectories.
The trajectories of the pouring blood ice.
They were all flying in different directions.
Some were aimed at Choi Do-heon, but most weren’t.
They were flying backward.
Toward his fleeing party members. Toward the injured Kim Sa-ra, Kim Kyeong-tae, and An Su-min.
‘If I dodge…’
Choi Do-heon’s expression hardened.
‘My comrades behind me will get hit.’
His comrades who were already injured and couldn’t move properly. If those blood ice shards flew toward them?
Total annihilation.
Everyone would die.
‘I have to block them.’
Choi Do-heon’s heart pounded.
‘But there are too many. It’s impossible.’
His hands trembled. His legs trembled.
He was afraid.
He might die. While blocking those blood ice shards, getting hit, pierced through, he might die.
But.
‘If it were hyung.’
Kim Jun came to mind.
The man who had helped him grow without asking for anything in return.
What would Kim Jun have done?
Would he have run away?
No.
He surely would have fought. To protect his comrades. Even if it seemed impossible, even if he might die, he still would have fought.
‘I too…’
Choi Do-heon steeled his resolve.
‘Like hyung.’
He clenched his fists. He put strength into them. All the strength in his body.
‘I’ll deflect them all!’
Impossible? Too many?
It didn’t matter.
He would block them. Block them all. Not let a single one pass behind him.
He would protect his comrades.
Because that was the path Choi Do-heon had chosen.
「El’s Grace」.
Light burst from Choi Do-heon’s body. A gentle, blue aura enveloped his entire body.
「Focus」.
The world slowed down.
No, Choi Do-heon’s senses became explosively sharp.
His vision became clear. He could see the rotation, trajectory, and speed of each blood ice shard.
Sounds became distinct. The sound of cutting through air, Han Seo-jin’s breathing, his comrades’ footsteps.
His body became light. His muscles responded.
His bones resonated. His entire body became a weapon.
Whoooosh-!
Dozens of blood ice shards flew toward him.
Choi Do-heon moved.
Thwack-!
He struck the first one. With his right hand. Its trajectory was deflected.
Thwack-!
He struck the second one. With his left hand. It shattered into pieces.
Thwack-! Thwack-! Thwack-!
Third, fourth, fifth. With his hand blade, fist, elbow. He moved without rest.
Thwack-! Thwack-! Thwack-!
Sixth, seventh, eighth. Kicking with his foot, striking with his knee, turning his body and deflecting with his back like sliding.
Thwack-! Thwack-! Thwack-!
Ninth, tenth, eleventh.
Continuously, continuously, continuously.
His hands were torn. Blood flowed. He felt his finger bones cracking.
His arms felt like they would break. His legs felt like they would snap. His entire body screamed.
But he didn’t stop.
Thwack-! Thwack-! Thwack-! Thwack-! Thwack-!
The fifteenth, twentieth, twenty-fifth.
His vision blurred. His breath caught. His consciousness felt like it would cut out.
But.
‘Not yet!’
Choi Do-heon gritted his teeth.
‘It’s not over yet! I can do this!’
Thwack-! Thwack-! Thwack-!
The thirtieth.
He struck the last blood ice. With his fist. With all his strength.
Kwa-aa-ang-!
The blood ice exploded. Fragments scattered in all directions.
And.
“…Haa…haa…”
Choi Do-heon’s knees touched the ground.
His whole body felt heavy. His arms hung limply.
Blood dripped from his hands.
His fingers wouldn’t move properly. It felt like his bones were cracked. The back of his hand was torn open with flesh exposed.
“Huu-eup! Keu-eu…”
A groan escaped him. He tried to hold it back but couldn’t.
He raised his head and looked back.
His companions had already disappeared from sight.
‘Did everyone escape safely?’
Even though the enemy before him was still looking at him with murderous eyes.
Choi Do-heon’s concern was entirely directed toward his companions.
And to such Choi Do-heon.
“How unpleasant. Someone keeps coming to mind. You must definitely die. Ah, your companions will all die anyway though.”
Clang-!
Han Seo-jin’s hand rose.
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE
