I Alone Level Up

by S.H.A aifu

10 years ago, after “the Gate” that connected the real world with the monster world opened, some of the ordinary, everyday people received the power to hunt monsters within the Gate. They are known as “Hunters”. However, not all Hunters are powerful. My name is Sung Jin-Woo, an E-rank Hunter. I’m someone who has to risk his life in the lowliest of dungeons, the “World’s Weakest”. H

8. 145

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Chapter 145: Chapter 145

Park Jong-Su's jaw dropped to the floor. He was so shocked that he needed some time to process the event his own two eyes had witnessed just now.

'How could it kill the Arch Lich in one hit?!'

There was an event that catapulted the Arch Lich as a pretty infamous creature among the boss-level monsters. And that would be the incident of the Gold Dragon Guild's annihilation.

An entire Guild was completely destroyed by a single Arch Lich. Not just any Guild either, but one that was supposed to be quite powerful even within China, no less. But then again, that might have been an obvious result.

The Arch Lich could continuously summon out 'Death Knights' any time it wanted to. And one Death Knight was a very powerful undead-type monster that required the bitter struggle of multiple rank A Hunters to defeat.

If you underestimated the boss monster simply because it didn't have any guards around it initially, then you'd not be able to escape the fate of total destruction.

In the end, a dungeon break occurred from the Gate the Gold Dragon Guild failed to close. China's own Special Authority-rank Hunter Liu Zhigeng arrived in the nick of time so the incident didn't turn into a catastrophe, but still, many Hunters got to know the terror an Arch Lich posed through this incident.

'But now…..'

That mutated ant summon killed the Arch Lich in one hit. What an astonishing event that was.

Maybe it wasn't only Park Jong-Su who thought like this, because Jeong Yun-Tae standing next to him also couldn't seem to close his slack jaw at all.

"Oh, my god….."

As if he couldn't believe his own eyes, he asked Park Jong-Su for another confirmation.

"Hyung-nim, wasn't that an Arch Lich?"

"Yeah, it was. The thing that came out of the Gate during that Gold Dragon Guild incident."

"If that's true, then that ant just one-shotted an Arch Lich….?"

Jeong Yun-Tae now formed a completely disbelieving expression. Other Hunters also heard the conversation taking place between Park Jong-Su and Jeong Yun-Tae, and failed to hide their extreme shock as well.

"An Arch Lich?!"

"That thing was an Arch Lich??"

"And the ant took it down in one hit??"

"Whoa."

Just as the entirety of the Knight Order Guild's assault team was being astonished by Jin-Woo's 'summon' that could kill the boss of a rank A dungeon in the blink of an eye….

The multi-talented healer Jeong Ye-Rim, currently sweating profusely while trying to hold back the tide of the undead monsters, was dying of curiosity regarding what happened behind her back.

"What was that? What happened??"

However, her curiosity couldn't be maintained for long. Something quite surprising started happening right in front of her eyes, that was why.

"Uh??"

All those undead monsters, rampaging around as if they were only a moment away from breaking past the 'Holy Wall', suddenly collapsed on the ground like puppets with their strings cut.

Plop.

Plop.

And then, they didn't stand back up again.

"C-Chairman??"

Jeong Ye-Rim was startled by this sudden turn of event and hurriedly looked behind her. Park Jong-Su was nodding his head.

'The Arch Lich must've had something to do with the defeated undead monsters reviving in full.'

He really did feel utterly dazed and lost at the sight of the crazed horde of the monsters rushing in like a black tidal wave, wondering what would happen to him and his group, but now…

It felt like he could breathe easy again.

"Fuu…."

Behind Park Jong-Su busy sighing out in relief, the Hunters standing there failed to hide their elated expressions. They were all excited at the idea of exiting from this dungeon safe and sound.

"Hyung-nim, you worked hard."

"What do you mean, I worked hard….. It's those guys that worked hard, not me."

Park Jong-Su used his chin to point and Jeong Yun-Tae looked behind him. The summons were all standing still unmoving and staring at the human Hunters as if to ask 'Where are we going next?'

'Well, uh, them standing around like that and not budging makes them look a wee bit cuter…..'

However, one of the ants must've felt bored, because, for no apparent reason, it loudly screeched towards the ceiling.

"Kkkkiieeeehhhk-!!"

Just like that, Jeong Yun-Tae's expression that contained a hint of favourable impression towards the creatures flew away in an instant.

Swish.

Jeong Yun-Tae swivelled his head back and asked his boss.

"Hyung-nim. Isn't this the same as Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim solo clearing this dungeon?"

"Yup, more or less."

Park Jong-Su also agreed with that assessment. In the deeper parts of the dungeon, where the difficulty was at its highest, the Knight Order Guild's assault team did nothing but just followed around the ant monsters.

And those ants were Hunter Seong Jin-Woo's summoned creatures. In the end, it was the same thing as Jin-Woo clearing the dungeon all by himself, just as Jeong Yun-Tae had alluded to.

'What a scary power….'

They had seen the extent of his power in Jeju Island, but having witnessed it for real, they had to concede the fact that he possessed an incredible ability.

The fact that the summoned creatures were capable of displaying levels of combat prowess easily exceeding their imagination, and the fact that Seong Hunter was able to freely control these summons, left a deep mental shock in the Knight Order's Hunters.

"Which means, Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim doesn't even need to enter a Gate and still gets to clear it by just sending these guys in, no?"

Jeong Yun-Tae spoke without thinking too much about what he was saying. However, Park Jong-Su felt goosebumps break out all over his skin after he thought about what his deputy just mentioned in passing.

'Hold up….'

The number of summons Hunter Seong brought out back in Jeju Island was at least over two hundred. That was only from those that got caught on camera. So, it was difficult to even estimate how many more he could actually summon out at once.

What if he didn't even need to make a single move, but simply send out his summons to clear out dungeons….?

'There must be some exhaustion of magic energy when summoning out and controlling these creatures, so he might not be able to use them all at the same time, but….'

Just half of his summons.

No, even if that guy could only utilise half of that half, his method would be so much more efficient than what other large Guilds could even come up with.

'Urgh.'

Park Jong-Su suddenly realised that he'd have invested his entire life savings if Hunter Seong's Guild was a publicly-traded company.

"Hyung-nim, let's not waste more time and push ahead with merging our Guild with Seong Hunter-nim's Guild."

"This guy, really now….."

Park Jong-Su glared scarily at Jeong Yun-Tae, before his expression became a lot more serious.

"Refer to it as 'MA', okay? MA. The new Guild created by the best Hunter, and one of the five major Guilds in the country, the Knight Order, pushing forward for the MA. How nice sounding is that?" (TL: MA = mergers and acquisitions)

"Keok??"

Jeong Yun-Tae flinched grandly.

"You really wanna try your luck with that, hyung-nim?!"

"Think about it. Combine Seong Hunter-nim's abilities with our Guild's know-how – even the likes of the Hunters Guild should be terrified by our potential, man!"

Would Vice-Chairwoman Cha Hae-In leave the Hunters Guild and join hands with Hunter Seong for no reason? Of course not.

Elation bubbled up in Jeong Yun-Tae's face as he nodded, but then, he began rubbing his chin and tilted his head.

"But then, hyung-nim. You honestly believe that Seong Hunter-nim needs us?"

"Tsk, tsk."

Park Jong-Su tutted and explained in detail.

"Do you really think that Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim will be able to disregard the law if he wants to work?"

"Excuse me?"

"Even if it's possible for his summons to clear dungeons, he still needs to fill up the minimum headcount for the raid team, no?"

"Ohh…."

Hearing that plausible explanation, Jeong Yun-Tae's expression brightened up once more.

"You're right, hyung-nim."

As the two men stared at each other with happy smiles on their faces, the ground beneath their feet trembled ever so softly.

Rumble….

"Aigoo."

Park Jong-Su stopped wasting time. With the death of the boss-level monster, the Gate was starting to close up.

"Well, let's carry on our discussion after we get out of here first."

"Yes, hyung-nim."

Park Jong-Su loudly called out to the rest of the assault team still waiting for his orders.

"Everyone, let's all get out of this place before the Gate closes down!"

"You'll provide all the convenience you can?"

"Yes, that's correct."

Jin-Woo's question was met with Association President Goh Gun-Hui's assured answer.

Officially, there were ten rank S Hunters recorded in the Korean Hunter's Association's database. But, they had lost three now. Two died at the hands of monsters, while one abandoned Korea for America.

From the perspective of the Hunter's Association, they could not afford to be hands-off in this matter anymore.

They wanted to do everything they could – this wasn't just the opinion of Association President Goh Gun-Hui, but the rest of the Association as well.

'Unless it's the other rank S Hunters…..'

They definitely could not afford to let Hunter Seong Jin-Woo slip away.

Goh Gun-Hui's eyes gleamed with the light of determination. As the representative of the Hunter's Association, he had met countless Hunters over the years. Several of them were those whom you'd qualify as some of the strongest in the world, as well.

However, Seong Jin-Woo was the first Hunter ever to make his heart race this madly. Not just as the Association President, but as the citizen of this nation, he definitely wanted Jin-Woo to remain in South Korea.

["We will provide you with every convenience we can possibly provide."]

Those words expressed the Association President Goh Gun-Hui's strong will to keep Jin-Woo in the country. They also contained how highly the older man thought of the young Hunter, as well.

"If that's the case…."

Jin-Woo thought for a little while, before opening his mouth.

"Will you let me enter high-ranking Gates all by myself in the future?"

"Pardon me?"

When he was faced with a completely unexpected demand, Goh Gun-Hui's eyes opened up wide.

"Are you asking me to exclude you from the minimum headcount rule?"

Jin-Woo nodded his head.

"Huh-uh…."

The regulation regarding the number of raid team members was the minimum safety net in place for the Hunters. It was a policy to prevent the incidents of Hunters entering a dungeon without sufficient preparation and losing their lives.

However….

Did Hunter Seong require such a safety net when his summons could beat down countless rank S monsters? Abruptly recalling a certain scene from the ant tunnel raid, Goh Gun-Hui asked as his expression tensed up.

"By any chance…. The raid permits your Guild will be issued with, are you planning to clear those Gates all by yourself?"

"Yes."

Goh Gun-Hui became speechless from Jin-Woo's straightforward reply. There was not one trace of worry in his voice.

'Could it be that he made the Guild just for this…..?'

Did he do that so he could solo-clear high-ranking dungeons?

There were many powerful Hunters throughout the world, but none of them planned their raids in this manner.

But, when the images of this Jin-Woo confidently chatting away, and the Jin-Woo back in the ant tunnel summoning countless soldiers to sweep away the ant monsters, overlapped in Goh Gun-Hui's eyes, the older man suddenly began shivering almost uncontrollably.

'A one-man army….'

For Goh Gun-Hui, who had been constantly worried about the unchecked growth of the major Guilds, that proved to be one hell of an attractive concept.

Ba-dump, ba-dump!!!

His heart began racing again.

Goh Gun-Hui placed his hand on the chest that began to hurt a little, and formed a bitter smile after comparing himself to the virile and healthy-looking Jin-Woo.

"Will it be difficult?"

Jin-Woo asked, but Goh Gun-Hui immediately shook his head.

"It's not going to be impossible."

Indeed, it wouldn't be impossible, but it'd be quite difficult, nonetheless. That was what Goh Gun-Hui thought.

But, just what kind of man was he? He was the President of the Hunter's Association, a rank S Hunter, and the member of the National Assembly.

This was a request from not just anyone, but Hunter Seong Jin-Woo. Even if it was a tough request, there would be nothing holding Goh Gun-Hui back from fulfilling it.

And if that was enough to keep Hunter Seong in South Korea, then all the better for it.

"Leave it to me."

Jin-Woo grinned brightly after hearing Goh Gun-Hui's confident reply.

'Nice.'

One of the things that could've proved to be a source of headache got resolved just now.

"Thank you."

Jin-Woo smiled and expressed his gratitude, and Goh Gun-Hui replied with a smile of his own.

"I always bring this up, but well, it should be us thanking you, Hunter-nim."

Screech.

The large saloon carrying the two stopped at a bit of distance away from the hospital's entrance.

"Let us speak again soon, Seong Hunter-nim."

"Of course."

After sharing simple goodbyes, Jin-Woo climbed out of the car.

The news of the victims being transferred to this hospital must've gotten around, because there were a lot of reporters camping by the entrance already.

The car stopping a fair distance away from the entrance was all due to Woo Jin-Cheol's consideration. There was little doubt that another commotion would've broken out if the car carrying the Association President came to a stop in front of the hospital and Jin-Woo climbed out from there.

'It's times like this that being famous can get really annoying.'

Jin-Woo shook his head and used 'Stealth' to conceal himself.

Inside the office of the Yujin Construction's chairman.

Chairman Yu Myung-Han, who had been taking a nap on the impossibly-wide desk, slowly raised his slouched torso up.

Sunlight entered at an angle through the windows.

He felt his eyelids getting impossibly heavier, and it seemed that he eventually had fallen into a bit of slumber.

On the couch located in front of the desk, the right-hand man of Yu Myung-Han, Secretary Kim, was sitting upright and looking back at his boss.

Yu Myung-Han rubbed his face to chase away the remaining sleepiness and spoke up.

"Looks like I have napped for a little while. How long was I asleep for?"

Secretary Kim looked at his wristwatch and then raised his head back up again.

"Sir, you've been asleep for 23 hours and 46 minutes."

Yu Myung-Han's hand rubbing his face came to a sudden stop.

"I've been waiting here in order to carry out your order of escorting you to the hospital if you don't wake up after 24 hours have elapsed, sir."

Was it that illness striking again?

Yu Myung-Han's face, his hand no longer covering it, was frozen stiff.

He would sometimes fall into a state of deep sleep without any warning signs, and once asleep, it became harder and harder to wake up.

The 'Eternal Sleep' disorder.

Although the process was slow, this disease definitely dragged all of its victims to death's doorway.

Secretary Kim strode quickly forward and stood before Yu Myung-Han.

"Sir, there are two things I need to inform you about."

"What are they?"

As befitting his nickname of 'Pokerface', Yu Myung-Han had already wiped off all traces of worry from his face and reverted back to his regular stoic expression.

Secretary Kim picked up the newspaper resting at the corner of the large desk and politely placed it before Yu Myung-Han.

Somewhat puzzled, Yu Myung-Han quickly picked the paper up and browsed through it. The article dominating the front page was about the event of a Gate opening up in a school somewhere in Seoul, causing the devastating losses of hundreds of high school students.

"Tsk, tsk…."

Yu Myung-Han grimaced after seeing that terrible news.

"What a terrible incident this is. Make sure our company donates something to the school and to the victims."

"Yes, sir. But, Chairman, that's not it."

Yu Myung-Han put the paper down. Secretary Kim bowed slightly and carefully flipped the page of the newspaper, so the next page could be seen. There was a large photo dominating this page.

"This is the photograph I wanted to show to you, sir."

The tip of Secretary Kim's finger stopped by at a certain lady within that photo.

"This woman…. Do you recall who she is, sir?"

The photo was of a hospital where the survivors of that horrible incident had been admitted to. Secretary Kim had singled out a certain woman among the many pictured. She was hurriedly running into the hospital's entrance.

Quite coincidentally, she was someone Chairman Yu Myung-Han still remembered quite clearly.

"But, how…..??"

Yu Myung-Han never forgot a person's face. And he definitely had seen that woman's photograph before.

She was none other than Hunter Seong Jin-Woo's mother.

"But, I thought Hunter Seong Jin-Woo's mother suffered from the Eternal Sleep, too?"

He had studied Hunter Seong Jin-Woo's profile several times in great detail.

A person who, according to Yu Myung-Han's knowledge, should be confined to a bed and unable to move while completely dependent on the life support machines, was walking around looking completely healthy.

The thing Secretary Kim wanted to talk to him about – Chairman Yu Myung-Han finally realised what that was. His hand gripping the newspaper began trembling.

"Can you find out for me what happened in detail?"

"Understood, sir."

"…..Thank you."

As his response to Yu Myung-Han's praise, Secretary Kim bowed again for a brief moment, before raising his head again. After putting the newspaper back down again, Yu Myung-Han quietly opened his mouth.

"You said there are two things I need to know about."

"Yes, sir."

"What is the second matter, then?"

Yu Myung-Han raised his head and met Secretary Kim's gaze. And the light in the latter's eyes wasn't so good. This was one of Kim's old habits. He always brought up the good news first, then spoke the bad news the last.

Secretary Kim displayed some hints of hesitation, before speaking up as if he decided to give up.

"The Young Miss has returned home yesterday."

As if waiting for that declaration…

Clung!

The door to the Chairman's office was flung wide open and an intellectual-type beauty rushed inside.

Chairman Yu Myung-Han's daugther, Yu Jin-Hui, saw how thin her father had become and tears began wetting her eyes.

"How long have you been like this, Father?"

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Chapter 146: Chapter 146

Camera flashes went off every few seconds as a slim woman with natural black hair assumed several different poses.

"Good, that's good."

A wide grin didn't want to leave the face of the photographer as he snapped away with his camera.

Click!

The final click of the shutter rang out and the photographer raised his head.

"This is great. Nicely done."

Cousin/older sister of Yu Jin-Ho, as well as his best friend, Yu Soo-Hyun, smiled brightly and bowed her head to the director.

"Thank you for your hard work!"

"You too, Miss Soo-Hyun."

All thanks to Yu Soo-Hyun's rather affable personality, the photo shoots she participated in were always filled with jovial laughter.

It was to such an extent that, even those photographers previously unwilling to work with her because of her image as the daughter of a chaebol family, would actively seek her out for more photo shoots after working with her just once.

"Thank you."

"Thanks for your work today."

With a bright expression, Yu Soo-Hyun thanked the photographer and other staff members of the shoot, before trotting over to her coordinator who also happened to be her manager as well.

"Unni, did Jin-Hui call me back?" (TL: Unni = honorific to denote older female by another female, usually younger)

The coordinator shook her head, her expression one of worry.

Yu Soo-Hyun had tried to call her cousin four times already. She could only pout unhappily at the fact that her diligence hadn't been rewarded with a reply so far.

'She's supposed to be back in the country since yesterday, so how come I can't get in touch with her?'

Yu Soo-Hyun heard the news of her cousin, studying abroad, briefly making a trip home around yesterday morning.

She had been involved in a photo shoot that lasted the whole night and was fast asleep when her cousin's call came through. Who'd have thought that missing one phone call would lead to such a hassle?

There was utterly not a peep from her cousin since then.

'Did something happen to her?'

No, that couldn't be. Yu Soo-Hyun shook her head.

That girl was none other than Yu Jin-Hui, the eldest daughter of Yu Myung-Han – the owner of the biggest corporation in South Korea. The odds of something bad happening to her was about the same as a rank S Hunter entering a dungeon only to meet with a grisly end.

"Unni, gimme my phone back for a sec, please."

Yu Soo-Hyun took the phone back, thinking that she'd try her luck again. But then, her phone suddenly began vibrating and a bright expression immediately formed on her face.

'Is this from Jin-Hui?'

However, she began pouting again after confirming who the caller was.

– Idiot

Yu Soo-Hyun tapped on the 'Answer' icon and spoke in an annoyed voice.

"Hello?"

– "Noona!" (TL: honorific to denote older female by a younger male)

It was from Yu Jin-Ho, regrettably.

Yu Soo-Hyun was well aware of the fact that this kid would only call her 'noona' if he wanted something from her. She spat out a grand sigh in her heart and asked him.

"Do you know by any chance where Jin-Hui is right now?"

– "Noona? What about my noona? Wait, is she in Korea??"

Now that she thought about it for a sec, didn't this kid get chased out of his own home after rejecting his father's order of becoming the Yujin Guild's Master? Indeed, this cousin of hers proved to be of no help whatsoever, even now.

"No, never mind. Okay, so what did you call me for?"

Surely, he wouldn't be calling her for another drinking binge like the last time. It was then, Yu Jin-Ho's rather exhilarated voice came out of the phone.

– "Noona, don't you want to join our Guild?"

What on earth was he on about, out of the blue?

A thin frown formed for a second there on Yu Soo-Hyun's fine, smooth forehead.

"Your Guild?"

She was so dumbfounded that she simply had to ask again.

– "Instead of getting dragged to my father's Guild and acting like its public relations mouthpiece, don't you think it'll be a lot better for you to leave your name on our Guild's employee list and do whatever you want?"

….And this was the rather remarkable reply she got in return.

Yu Soo-Hyun's voice became quite low as she got more and more suspicious.

"And why do you need my name in the first place?"

– "We're still short of one last Guild founding member, you see."

"Wait, are you telling me to join a Guild that's not even a real thing yet??"

– "Yeah!"

Yu Jin-Ho answered back oh-so-innocently.

Yu Soo-Hyun felt her head slowly develop a pulsing migraine simply from wondering just what this kid believed in to become such an optimistic human being.

'No, besides all that…. Just who could be the other person, then?'

Rather than the 'idiot' asking her to put her name down as one of the Guild's founding members, she was getting a lot more suspicious of the other person's reasoning for wanting to make a Guild with this 'idiot', instead.

"You, you aren't acting like this 'cuz some shady character sweet-talked you into it, right?"

Who'd want to create a Guild with a rank D Hunter possessing a negligible amount of hunting experience other than swindlers? However, Yu Jin-Ho's response was rather different from her expectations.

– "Fut."

From the other side of the phone line, the sound of a chuckle formed when the corner of one's lips arched up came out, followed soon after by a relaxed voice.

– "You'll be shocked if you find out who that 'shady character' is, you know?"

"Okay, who is it?"

– "Fut."

"I'm hanging up."

– "Ah! Hold on, waiiiit!"

Her hand moving towards the 'End Call' icon stopped as that desperately pleading voice came out of the speaker. Yu Soo-Hyun smirked and placed the phone back against her ear.

"I'm giving you three seconds to tell me. Three, two…."

– "Seong Jin-Woo!!"

'….Seong Jin-Woo?'

Yu Soo-Hyun's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets after hearing that rather unexpected name.

"You mean, that Hunter Seong Jin-Woo??"

– "Fut."

"You mean, that rank S Hunter who single-handedly smashed apart Rhee Min-Seong's press conference before suddenly disappearing from everyone's view?"

– "…..I think you're being surprised by the wrong thing here, though?"

"Are you really telling me that it's him?"

Regardless of what Yu Jin-Ho's retort was like, Seong Jin-Woo would forever be the rank S Hunter who stepped on the pride of that arrogant jerk-off Rhee Min-Seong in Yu Soo-Hyun's eyes.

Just how refreshed did she feel back then? A lot.

– "Fufufu!"

If what Yu Jin-Ho said was true, then it was not that difficult to understand that bottomless, sky-high confidence of his.

'Well, Jin-Ho might like to put on airs sometimes, but he's not the type to lie, so…'

Yu Soo-Hyun pondered for a second or two, before asking her cousin again.

"Can we meet up and talk?"

– "Of course! Why don't you come to our office? Hyung-nim said he'd be stopping by later, too."

"What's the address?"

Yu Soo-Hyun took a post-it note from nearby and quickly jotted down the address. She did her best to calm her bubbling excitement down and made her reply.

"I'm on my way right now."

– "See you later, noona!"

Click.

That's where the conversation came to its end. The coordinator, 'accidentally' overhearing the contents of the call, sent out a probing question.

"Do you need to go somewhere? Are you even planning to drop out of the afterparty?"

Nod, nod.

Yu Soo-Hyun rapidly swapped out of her modelling clothes and packed her belongings as if she didn't even have the time to explain herself.

"There's someone I wanted to meet, you see."

"Who….?"

"I'll explain later."

Yu Soo-Hyun tried to brush it aside and was about to leave the shoot location, but the coordinator hurriedly called out and stopped her.

"Please tell me who it is! I need to know who it is so I can report back to the Chairman!"

Yu Soo-Hyun's father was the Chairman of the XX Pharmaceuticals. When his daughter told him that she wanted to work in the entertainment industry, he came up with a single condition. And that would be her being accompanied around by a chaperone all the time.

Naturally, the coordinator was hired by Yu Soo-Hyun's father. Meaning, she was Yu Soo-Hyun's coordinator, her manager, as well as her monitor.

Yu Soo-Hyun belatedly remembered that her coordinator unni would get scolded by her father if she left without saying a single word like this. So, she turned around and grinned refreshingly before making her reply.

"It's Mister Seong Jin-Woo!"

Yu Soo-Hyun quickly ran off after that. The coordinator's expression was slowly filling up with worry as she watched the distancing back of her charge.

"The Chairman will throw a fit when he learns of his daughter meeting a man without permission…."

The coordinator tutted for a little while, before she began recalling what Yu Soo-Hyun had said.

'Wait….. Who did she say she was meeting again?'

Didn't the coordinator hear that person's name before somewhere?

She carefully combed through her memories only for her brows to shoot up in surprise. She quickly swivelled her head towards the exit Yu Soo-Hyun used only a moment ago.

"Who did you say it was again?!"

'It's not here… not here, either….'

Yu Jin-Ho stared daggers at the computer screen while chewing on his fingernails.

'Not here…. It's not here, too…..'

From a certain point in time, all thread forums and posts slagging his dear hyung-nim off had vanished from the view. But, then again, such a thing wasn't that hard to understand why.

His hyung-nim rescued rank S Hunters from Jeju Island. He then closed a rank B Gate in double time and cleared up the heavy traffic. And yesterday, he saved the lives of a whole bunch of high school students as well.

So, it'd be far stranger to find someone trying to badmouth hyung-nim now.

Those persistently annoying anti-hyung-nim idiots had been mostly driven away into oblivion, all due to Yu Jin-Ho's own concerted efforts as well as everything hyung-nim had done so far.

Even those rarer-than-rare negative comments that cropped up on articles concerning hyung-nim couldn't endure against the concentrated cross-fire of other commenters, and would eventually get deleted.

This was excellent news. Indeed, it was a great development.

'But, why am I….?'

Why was he feeling so empty right now?

It felt like the things he could do was decreasing one by one, what with things going like this.

Click, click….

Yu Jin-Ho formed a saddened expression and operated his mouse. In the meantime, the office's door quietly opened up. Jin-Woo was entering the premise.

Yu Jin-Ho's complexion brightened up after confirming Jin-Woo's face, and he quickly stood up to bow his head.

"You came, hyung-nim?"

"Yeah."

Jin-Woo looked quite fatigued. But, that was rather understandable, really. He had been staying next to Jin-Ah's side from last night till this morning. He briefly stopped by his home to get a quick wash-up before showing up here.

In case a rank A Gate suddenly popped up in the hospital, he even left Beru in her shadow to deal with all the threats coming from there.

Yu Jin-Ho asked in an anxious voice.

"Hyung-nim, is your sister doing okay?"

"Fortunately, yeah."

Jin-Woo kept his answer short. He was trying hard to show that everything was fine, but then, he was still her older brother and couldn't stop worrying about her.

Even the doctor in charge recommended that she needed to be in close observation for the time being, as the mental shock she suffered would have been quite serious.

'I hope she can quickly overcome this….'

After all, she was a bright, energetic kid to begin with. All Jin-Woo could do now was to cheer her on in his heart.

It was then.

"Oh my gosh!! You were telling the truth!"

The surprised voice of a woman came from Jin-Woo's side. He turned around to find Yu Soo-Hyun exiting from the conference suite with a pair of very large eyes staring back at him.

Jin-Woo shifted his gaze over to Yu Jin-Ho and silently asked him.

'And she is?'

Yu Jin-Ho replied with a pair of tense eyes.

'It's her, hyung-nim.'

Before arriving here, Jin-Woo had already heard the gist of the situation from Yu Jin-Ho.

["There is this one person that perfectly fits your criteria, hyung-nim! How about meeting her, at least once?"]

Someone who carried around a Hunter licence but couldn't be bothered about the matters of the Guild, yet worthy of their trust.

'And, she's even a rank A Hunter, too….'

Her rank wasn't all that important, though.

In any case, the first impression she gave off was not bad at all, perhaps owing to her clear eyes and her bright smile. They shared quick and simple introductions.

"Excuse me."

Before they could sign the contract, Jin-Woo decided to ask her about something he was curious about.

"If you do this, your relationship with your uncle might get a lot more tricky. Will that be fine with you?"

"That's still better than getting mixed up with Yu Jin-Seong, you know."

"Yu Jin-Seong?"

Jin-Woo looked back to Yu Jin-Ho, and the latter embarrassedly scratched the back of his head.

"He's my older brother, hyung-nim."

'Ahh, that bad-personality older brother he talked about. Right, Yu Jin-Seong was supposed to take over the Guild if Yu Jin-Ho failed to cut the mustard, wasn't it?'

Jin-Woo quietly nodded his head.

This wouldn't have happened if Yu Jin-Ho did as he was told and took over the Yujin Guild. In a way, Yu Soo-Hyun was another victim of the choice Yu Jin-Ho made.

'Because of this kid, many people are being greatly inconvenienced, aren't they….?'

Jin-Woo shifted his slightly narrowed eyes over to Yu Jin-Ho. The latter formed a happy smile, not knowing what was in the former's mind.

While Jin-Woo was groaning inwardly, Yu Soo-Hyun cautiously walked up to him.

"Uhm, excuse me…."

"Yes?"

She was blushing just a little bit. It seemed like she had something important to say to him, judging from how her eyes were quietly trembling like that. Jin-Woo also formed a serious expression.

"Is there something you'd like to ask me?"

Yu Soo-Hyun hesitated slightly but after hearing his words, she worked up enough courage to ask him. Her eyes even began sparkling.

"Can we take a selfie together? I wish to upload it to my SNS profile."

The Chairman's office of the XX Pharmaceuticals.

The younger brother of Yu Myung-Han, Yu Seok-Ho's expression was far more grave and serious than ever before.

"Are you telling me the truth?"

"Yes, sir."

The coordinator nodded her head. She looked quite scared at the moment.

"My little girl is meeting up with Hunter Seong Jin-Woo?"

"That's correct, Mister Chairman."

"Can it be another man with the same name?"

"I was also feeling unsure about that, but this…."

The coordinator rummaged through her pockets and cautiously pulled out her phone. Yu Soo-Hyun's SNS profile was displayed on the phone's screen.

Yu Seok-Ho's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets after he saw the last uploaded image. Wasn't that really the face of the Hunter that kept showing up in the news lately?!

'This, this is…..!'

Yu Seok-Ho glared daggers until he could almost bore a hole through the photo, but eventually, he began massaging his forehead and spat out a soft groan.

"…Huh."

"A-are you alright, sir?"

"….Please leave me alone for a while."

"P-pardon me?"

"Uh-huh! Didn't I say to leave me alone?"

Yu Seok-Ho returned the phone back to the coordinator and almost literally chased her out of his office. And then, having made sure she was gone for good, he quickly switched on his computer to read every article concerning Jin-Woo online.

⸢[Hunter Seong Jin-Woo, what could be his true worth?]⸥

⸢[Propositions flooding in from every country in the world! What will Hunter Seong Jin-Woo choose to do next?]

⸢[Chairman Park Jong-Su of the Knight Order Guild: "Hunter Seong Jin-Woo's abilities are impossible to evaluate."]⸥

⸢[Hunter Seong Jin-Woo: Did the Americans contact him in secret already?]⸥

⸢[Experts describe Hunter Seong Jin-Woo as the walking, talking large corporation….]⸥

Public's interest in that Hunter had gone through the roof ever since the raid on Jeju Island. The clear indication of that was all these articles found online.

As Chairman Yu Seok-Ho continued to read the articles one at the time, the look of admiration formed on his face.

"Huh-uh, huh-uh….!"

Two hours passed by like that.

He leaned back against his chair as his fatigued eyes ached rhythmically. He had been concentrating so hard that his forehead was soaked completely in sweat.

He dabbed his forehead with a handkerchief and put a cigarette between his lips. But, before he could light it up, he remembered something. He put the cigarette down and picked up his phone instead.

Ring…. Ring…..

Click.

– "Is it you, dear?"

A voice of a middle-aged woman came from the phone.

– "It's rare for you to call me at this time of the day. What's the matter?"

"Huhuh, dear. Do you happen to know who our little girl is getting acquainted with lately?"

– "Excuse me?"

"I'm telling you, my dear. I sure have raised our girl properly, haven't I?"

– "What are you even talking about all of a sudden?"

Chairman Yu Seok-Ho was utterly sure of it.

Just who was his little girl, Soo-Hyun? Wasn't she his daughter who did not lack for anything when it came to her looks, her background, and even her academic achievements?

Even if he supposed that these two young people were nothing more than just acquaintances now, it was only a matter of time before they developed a far more intimate relationship.

– "What's gotten into you, dear?"

The voice of his wife coming out of the phone's speaker sounded puzzled now.

– "You hated the idea of a boy sitting next to our Soo-Hyun, so didn't you go and speak to her school's administrators every single year until her graduation to make sure she'd be paired up with only girls….?"

"Huhuhuh. Did I really do that?"

– "Just who is she seeing that you're behaving this way? Stop building up the suspense and please tell me already."

Yu Seok-Ho suddenly guffawed loudly enough to almost shake the chairman's office.

"You'd be just as surprised as me when you find out, ahahahahaha!"

Chapter 146 Fin.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

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Chapter 147: Chapter 147

"You will acknowledge summoned creatures as members of a raid team?! Do you think such a thing even makes sense?"

Nam Joon-Wook yelled out at the top of his lungs.

Formerly a prosecutor, he now served as a member of the National Assembly. No one in this country came remotely close to this man's ability to sniff out and latch onto a person's wrongdoings.

The Association President Goh Gun-Hui maintained his silence as he sat on the opposite side of such a man.

Nam Joon-Wook was actually smiling inside as he was staring at his current verbal sparring partner.

'Indeed, even if you had ten mouths, you'd not have anything to say.'

The victor had been decided already. No matter who it was, they would say this was Association President Goh Gun-Hui going too far. He must've known this too, because he showed absolutely no signs of counterattacking yet.

'However….'

Nam Joon-Wook was not thinking of easing up here.

His style was to keep up the pressure when the enemy was on the back foot. He'd push his opponents hard until they were driven to the edge of a cliff.

Veins bulged in his neck as he raised his voice high, not at Goh Gun-Hui, but at the entirety of the third conference hall, currently filled to the brim with the interested parties and a cordon of reporters.

"Hunter Seong Jin-Woo has barely finished creating his Guild, yet you already wish to pass this nonsensical regulation? If this isn't the case of preferential treatment, then what is?"

The Hunter's Association, a supposedly-neutral organisation, was actively getting behind Hunter Seong Jin-Woo. There was such a rumour doing the rounds already, yet the so-called new regulation was this nonsensical? It was no wonder serious questions were being raised regarding this matter.

Today's hearing was convened in order to hear the reasonings, but for some reason, Association President Goh Gun-Hui was resolutely keeping his mouth shut.

'Very good.'

Nam Joon-Wook sensed his impending victory.

Goh Gun-Hui's fame had skyrocketed recently due to him pulling off the Jeju Island raid so brilliantly. But now, Nam Joon-Wook got to deal two powerful blows to that man, with the recent high school dungeon break incident, and the controversy surrounding the preferential treatment Hunter Seong Jin-Woo had received.

Basically, politics was a turf war of sorts.

If he got to bring down Goh Gun-Hui, a man standing at the opposite end of the political battlefield, then Nam Joon-Wook would get to enjoy his share of the benefits sooner rather than later.

He imagined himself dominating the front pages of tomorrow's newspapers and glared at Goh Gun-Hui with an arrogant expression etched on his face.

"Please say something, Association President Goh Gun-Hui!"

Wuuong.

For the first time today, Goh Gun-Hui's mic was turned on.

Tap, tap.

Goh Gun-Hui lightly tapped on the end of the mic to confirm that it was working properly, and brought his lips closer to it.

"Just what is it that you wish to hear from me?"

Nam Joon-Wook's eyes narrowed to a slit.

'What a thick-faced geezer….'

He expected Goh Gun-Hui to start by offering up an apology. But, could it be that the old man still had some things to say?

Nam Joon-Wook raised his voice even higher.

"The new regulation you put into place! Is this a preferential treatment for Hunter Seong Jin-Woo or not??"

'So, now – how will you dodge this one?'

Nam Joon-Wook was waiting for a cowardly excuse but then, Goh Gun-Hui went and threw a wet blanket on his parade.

"Yes, it is preferential treatment."

His answer was short, but the impact it carried was enormous.

Noisy, noisy….

Not just the spectators in the gallery, but also the reporters and politicians were busy exchanging knowing or shocked glances with people sitting next to them, which only served to further add fuel to the chaos.

Of course, the one most surprised among them was Nam Joon-Wook.

'Did this geezer finally go senile??'

Goh Gun-Hui was supposed to deny everything till the end, or start grovelling for mercy when things went sideways, yet he came out and straightforwardly admitted to his wrongdoing. However, his eyes were far too calm for someone making a confession.

Such a calm and audacious demeanour only managed to bring up a sense of an inexplicable nervousness in Nam Joon-Wook.

Gulp.

Dry saliva painfully slid down his throat.

And sure enough, Goh Gun-Hui began speaking again.

"There is one thing I'd like to ask everyone that has gathered here today."

He possessed an overwhelming presence. As if everyone had made a prior agreement, they all shut their mouths at once when Goh Gun-Hui spoke up.

"An assault team comprising of 20 rank A Hunters, or an assault team comprising of just one person, Hunter Seong Jin-Woo."

Goh Gun-Hui slowly stood up and swept his gaze over the faces of every attendee present as he continued on with his speech.

"If you were to accompany either one of those teams during a dungeon break, which one will you choose?"

No one could offer up an answer.

Because, it was pretty much the same thing as the answer already being set in stone. There was no reason to answer back at all.

Everyone tried to avoid meeting Goh Gun-Hui's gaze, and soon, the Association President's head stopped moving in the direction of Nam Joon-Wook.

Even Nam Joon-Wook himself couldn't utter a single thing.

Perhaps thinking that he got a satisfying enough reaction from the crowd, a smile floated up on Goh Gun-Hui's lips.

"Do you still believe the preferential treatment given to Hunter Seong Jin-Woo is unfair?"

A Hunter who could ably execute the role of an elite raid team from a large Guild all by himself – Goh Gun-Hui was now asking the crowd if they should hold back such an individual with a regulation that didn't even apply to him anymore.

Nam Joon-Wook was about to say something. But before he could, Goh Gun-Hui was a step faster and continued on.

"A total of 21 countries, including the United States, Japan, China, etc., have demanded more information on Hunter Seong."

Goh Gun-Hui waved around thick official documents for all to see.

"Every single one of them is hell-bent on stealing away Hunter Seong to their countries."

Goh Gun-Hui took some time to look at the cordon of reporters, before shifting his gaze back over to the member of National Assembly, Nam Joon-Wook.

"Our current situation is like this, yet are you really telling me that you want Hunter Seong to remain in our country even though you are not willing to do a favour this small for him?"

Nam Joon-Wook's complexion was getting darker and darker. He could definitely sense that the tide had turned against him now. Unfortunately, Goh Gun-Hui wasn't thinking of letting his opponent go this easily. He kept his gaze firmly locked on Nam Joon-Wook before throwing another question.

"Let me ask you this – do you wish to see a repeat of the incident of Hwang Dong-Su abandoning us for America?"

'Euhk.'

Nam Joon-Wook bit his lower lip.

As Goh Gun-Hui put the documents down, he was now overflowing with a certain relaxed air, something he had kept hidden until then.

Nam Joon-Wook knew what that look signified. That was the look of the victor he used to make often, just as he was closing in on yet another political victory for himself in situations similar to this one.

Nam Joon-Wook gritted his teeth and tried to raise his objection.

"However, you still need fairness in….."

"This is why I'm raising this point right now."

Goh Gun-Hui cut Nam Joon-Wook's words right off.

"Honourable member Nam Joon-Wook, didn't you move house recently to a brand new apartment building located near the Hunters Guild?"

Nam Joon-Wook's face reddened so much that even a casual glance could detect the change.

"What was your reason for changing your residence to a location where the cost of the real estate is several times more expensive than the surrounding area?"

If only his opponent wasn't a rank S Hunter – Nam Joon-Wook's would've run over there and punched the old man in the face. His own face was now in the alternating shades of red and blue as seconds ticked on.

Too bad, Goh Gun-Hui also knew how to deal with an opponent that was on his back foot, perhaps even better than Nam Joon-Wook himself.

"I'd like to urge you to think about this carefully. If and when another rank S Gate appears in our land, just who will step up to protect your life?"

And with these following words, Goh Gun-Hui finished the proceedings off.

"You will not be able to buy back your life even if you are willing to pay hundreds of times, no, make that thousands of times the price you paid for your new residence."

Standing before a rank A Gate for the first time ever in his life, Yu Jin-Ho's bulging eyes were trying to look up at the top of this enormously tall Gate.

"Heok…"

He needed to look really high up just to barely spot it.

Seeing how Yu Jin-Ho couldn't close his mouth for the last 20 minutes or so, Jin-Woo began thinking that his own reaction of seeing the rank A Gate back then was perhaps too reserved for a first timer.

"Hey, Jin-Ho? Your jaw will come loose if you keep doing that."

"Sorry? Ah, yes. My bad, hyung-nim. It's just that, I've never seen a Gate this big before."

How would he even react if he saw the Gwang-an-ri Gate, then? Jin-Woo smirked softly to himself.

Yu Jin-Ho scratched his head as if he felt embarrassed for being so shocked by the Gate's size.

"Hyung-nim, will it be really okay to not hire any retrieval teams or mining teams?"

"Nah, it'll be fine."

Jin-Woo summoned 30 of the elite grade Shadow Soldiers that had been with him the longest.

"These guys will carry out those jobs."

Yu Jin-Ho flinched just a little after all those Shadow Soldiers suddenly appeared behind Jin-Woo, but eventually, he began nodding his head.

"Aha!!"

These guys with black armours and their black eyes. They always seemed to be overflowing with dense pressure whenever Yu Jin-Ho looked at them.

With excellent timing, the employees dispatched from the Association approached them from afar. One of them happened to be a rather familiar face, as well.

"Good day, Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim."

"Hello, Section Chief Woo."

The Chief of the Monitoring Division, Woo Jin-Cheol received the portable magic energy measuring device shaped like a speed gun from one of his subordinates.

"Will it be okay if I go ahead and measure them?"

"Please do."

Jin-Woo moved aside and the Shadow Soldiers all uniformly took a step forward. Woo Jin-Cheol began measuring the magic energy emission of each of the soldiers.

'Oh my god….'

His eyes were opening wider and wider as he checked every each one of these so-called soldiers. He thanked his lucky stars that no one got to see the look of sheer shock on his face due to the sunglasses he was currently wearing.

'All of his summons are either rank As or rank Bs.'

Indeed, Jin-Woo had easily exceeded the criteria for earning the raid permit for a rank A Gate such as this one. But then, these weren't all the summons Hunter Seong Jin-Woo could call out, were they?

If the remaining summons all possessed similar levels of magic energy, then…

The corners of Woo Jin-Cheol's lips arched up.

'All those people arguing over the preferential treatment or not are simply idiots.'

He smiled and lightly shook his head, before turning around to face Jin-Woo.

"I'm finished with the confirmation. There are no issues."

Nod.

Jin-Woo nodded his head with a smile, as well. And now, there should be nothing else that would get in his way of starting this raid. That's what he thought, but then….

"Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim!! Please look this way!"

"Please tell us how you feel regarding the very first raid of your Guild, Ah-Jin!"

"Was there a special reason for naming your Guild as Ah-Jin?"

"What is your relationship with the fellow founding member, Miss Yu Soo-Hyun?"

From just beyond the police line, the proverbial torrent of questions from countless reporters were barrelling down on Jin-Woo.

This was the first raid Jin-Woo's Guild was about to embark on. So, countless reporters camped out here since early morning to capture this historic moment with their cameras, and inevitably, there was no more space to even stand around near the Gate's vicinity.

If there was one thing different from other Guilds and their raids, then that would be the employees from the Association holding the reporters back, instead of a Guild's own personnel doing that job.

Jin-Woo pointed to the reporters with his chin.

"I thought you were protecting my information?"

"Yes, we are indeed protecting your private information, but regretfully, there's not much we can do about the locations of Gates, Seong Hunter-nim."

Woo Jin-Cheol grinned and made his reply.

"We will hold the reporters back, so you can ignore them and simply focus on the raid, Hunter-nim."

Watching the Association employees giving their all to fight off the frenzied reporters, Jin-Woo thought that he could momentarily feel the considerate hands of the Association President patting him on the back.

"Please, express my gratitude to the President."

"Yes, I will definitely do so."

Woo Jin-Cheol bowed deeply and turned around to leave. And soon, all those uninvolved had left and the only people remaining in front of the Gate were Jin-Woo and Yu Jin-Ho. The former asked the latter.

"Are you really sure about this?"

"Yes, hyung-nim."

Yu Jin-Ho gritted his teeth and replied.

"Even if it's the ends of hell itself, I shall follow you wherever you go, hyung-nim."

Yu Jin-Ho sounded so gravely determined that Jin-Woo couldn't help but let a smirk escape from his lips.

"Alright."

Yu Jin-Ho was only a rank D Hunter. It was the same thing as committing suicide for a rank D to step inside a rank A dungeon.

Jin-Woo tried very hard to change Yu Jin-Ho's mind, but the kid insisted that he'd stay as his hyung-nim's porter. In the end, it was Jin-Woo who gave up first.

'Well, I can definitely protect this one guy, so it's not a problem.'

He was thinking that the kid would give up on his own volition after having a taste of a rank A dungeon. And also, he figured that it wouldn't be so bad to have someone to talk to inside the dungeon as well.

"Okay, so. Shall we get going, then?"

"Yes, hyung-nim."

"Indeed, let's get going."

The heads of Jin-Woo and Yu Jin-Ho simultaneously swivelled back after hearing that voice coming from behind them. And that's where they spotted Woo Jin-Cheol, his usual black business suit now replaced by various armours covering from head to toe.

"I thought you already left?"

Jin-Woo asked, puzzled.

"The Association President ordered me to find out if it is really safe during Seong Hunter-nim's raid."

Goh Gun-Hui was planning to use Woo Jin-Cheol as a witness if the issue with Jin-Woo going on solo raids was raised up again in the future.

"Is that why you want to come with us??"

Woo Jin-Cheol replied as his face reddened slightly. It was unknown whether that was due to him not being used to the armour or he was embarrassed by the current situation.

"….Will it be a problem for me to accompany you?"

Well, the guy was just doing his job, so was there reason not to let him tag along?

"It'll be fine as long as you don't try to hunt monsters."

"My department isn't called the Monitoring Division for nothing, Hunter-nim. I'll only monitor the situation quietly from the back."

"That'll be fine."

Jin-Woo easily agreed to it and Woo Jin-Cheol bowed his head again.

"Thank you very much, Hunter-nim."

"Well, in that case… let's get going."

Along with that declaration, Yu Jin-Ho and Woo Jin-Cheol stepped inside the Gate, Jin-Woo following closely behind them.

When he did, the System message welcomed him again along with the familiar mechanical beep.

Tti-ring.

[You have entered a dungeon.]

Chapter 147 Fin.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

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'The raid must've started by now.'

The Association President Goh Gun-Hui looked at his wristwatch and smiled softly to himself. The raid in question was, of course, Hunter Seong Jin-Woo's.

If it was at all possible, he wanted to see for himself, but…. due to the nature of his job, it was simply not feasible, so all he could do was to send in an Association employee he trusted greatly as a proxy, instead.

He was getting all worked up already, thinking about what Section Chief Woo Jin-Cheol's report would entail.

'Ah, right. I shouldn't be doing this right now.'

Goh Gun-Hui shook his head lightly to get rid of the distracting thoughts. There were mountains of documents sitting on top of his desk right now. They were practically forming the towers of documents at this point.

Ever since the dungeon break inside the high school happened, this pile of documents didn't want to decrease no matter how hard he worked every single day. No, they seemed to get even taller, instead. That was how insanely busy he was, yet his interest in Hunter Seong Jin-Woo didn't wane one bit.

If only his body was healthy – wouldn't he have cleared some dungeons together with Hunter Seong, too?

'Huh, I'm also being hopeless, aren't I?'

Goh Gun-Hui shook his head one more time and returned to his work with a smile on his face.

And so, just how long did he concentrate on the documents?

Knock, knock.

He raised his head after hearing the knock on the door, and realised that three hours had flown by.

"It's Woo Jin-Cheol, sir."

The news he was waiting for had finally arrived. Without a single hint of fatigue visible on his countenance, Goh Gun-Hui welcomed Woo Jin-Cheol into the office.

"Please, come in."

Creak.

Goh Gun-Hui's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets after he saw Woo Jin-Cheol's face as the latter cautiously entered the office.

'What's this?'

He expected there to be no problems, yet Wool Jin-Cheol looked as if he got dragged through a wringer, instead.

'It's not just anybody but Hunter Seong Jin-Woo we are talking about here, so how come Chief Woo looks like that….??'

His confusion only lasted for a short while, though.

"May I sit down for a little while, sir?"

Woo Jin-Cheol sounded desperate, so Goh Gun-Hui quickly pointed to the couch.

"Of course, it's fine. Do take a seat."

He then got up from the President's chair behind the desk to settle down in the opposite side to Woo Jin-Cheol.

Plop.

Woo Jin-Cheol powerlessly sunk deep into the couch. He rubbed his face with his hands, showing how tired he was.

Just what happened inside the dungeon?

Even before Woo Jin-Cheol could start explaining himself, Goh Gun-Hui couldn't win against his curiosity and started first.

"What happened to you? Why does your face look like….?"

"Pardon? Is there something on my face, sir?"

"You look incredibly tired right now. As if you couldn't sleep a wink for the past few days."

"Ah….."

Nod, nod.

Woo Jin-Cheol wordlessly nodded his head a few times as if he could understand everything now.

"It's probably because I'm just too shocked, that's all. Sir."

"Shocked….? Please, tell me more in detail. My friend, didn't you accompany Hunter Seong Jin-Woo to observe his raid?"

Woo Jin-Cheol lowered his gaze and slowly shook his head.

"That, sir, that wasn't a raid. It was….."

"….It was?"

Woo Jin-Cheol raised his head, shock and fear still writ large in his trembling eyes.

"Sir, it was the scene of a massacre."

The charismatic leader of the Monitoring Division, Woo Jin-Cheol, often thought to be possessing an inborn heart of steel, was speaking with a voice that trembled ever so softly.

"A massacre, is it…..?"

Goh Gun-Hui swallowed his saliva.

Woo Jin-Cheol replied without hesitation, evidently not even thinking of changing or denying his description.

"Yes, sir."

Was there any other description that fit what happened in there? It was as the word suggested, a total massacre. Woo Jin-Cheol didn't hold back on anything and confessed to everything he saw at the behest of the Association President.

"The dungeon was a nest of Nagas, sir."

Goh Gun-Hui narrowed his eyes as he combed through his knowledge of various monsters.

'If it's a Naga….'

Creatures that resembled a hybrid of a human and a sea snake, preferred to live in damp areas, and experts of both melee and magic attacks, capable of giving many experienced Hunters a hard time – those points were the Nagas in a nutshell.

They were also known as really tough opponents to contend with as they moved around in large groups, even though they were high-ranked monsters.

However….

'But, someone of Hunter Seong Jin-Woo's level shouldn't be having a hard time against a handful of Nagas going around in groups?'

As if he had read Goh Gun-Hui's inner thoughts, Woo Jin-Cheol clarified himself.

"….I even felt sorry for the Nagas at some point, sir."

Woo Jin-Cheol recalled the scenes back then. When a group of 30-strong Nagas suddenly made their appearance, he even momentarily forgot who was next to him and tensed up greatly. Nagas were dangerous enough existences to warrant such a reaction from him.

But then….

"….The surrounding areas suddenly became 'dark', sir."

Or, more specifically, he should have said that a massive black shadow suddenly extended out from beneath Hunter Seong Jin-Woo's feet.

All the hair on Woo Jin-Cheol's body stood up after he realised that something big was about to happen. And precisely at that moment, soldiers emerged above ground one by one from the extended shadow.

And the battle – no, a massacre, commenced.

– Kiiiaahk!

– Kiihhaaak!

– Kiiaaahhh-!!

Hunter Seong Jin-Woo's summoned creatures pounced forward and proceeded to mercilessly rip the Nagas apart into many bloody pieces.

"At least, those summons wearing black armours, like the humanoid types and the High Orcs types, were a bit more humane. But then….."

The summons resembling bears and ants were far too feral even for his tolerance level.

"Some of the ants even began eating the corpse of the monsters. Hunter Seong Jin-Woo became so incensed that he even physically kicked them."

Woo Jin-Cheol began shuddering after remembering this one ant that tried to sneak a dead Naga's head into its mouth, only to get discovered by irate Hunter Seong. It got splendidly buried deep into a wall from a powerful kick.

Although, he still couldn't tell whether he was shuddering from the horrifying summons, or from Jin-Woo who could unhesitatingly kick a summon like that into a wall.

Seeing the tense look on Woo Jin-Cheol's eyes, even Goh Gun-Hui became extra tense as well, dry saliva gliding down his throat.

"Were his summons strong?"

"They were really strong, sir."

There was no need to even mention it. Soldiers resembling humans, Orc-type soldiers, bears and ant type soldiers; not one of them could be called weak by any stretch of the imagination. But, the biggest highlight of them all was….

"There was this one summon with a red mane attached to its black helmet."

Woo Jin-Cheol raised his dipped head again and stared straight into Goh Gun-Hui's eyes.

"Would you believe me when I told you that particular summon could shoot lightning out of its sword every time it took a swing, sir?"

"Oh my god….."

Goh Gun-Hui was feeling completely astonished now. The lightning magic contained the destructive power of fire-based magic as well as the speedy nature of the light-based magic.

Because of that, only a handful of very high-class Mage-type Hunters could cast such magic spells. Even then, firing them consecutively was out of the question.

But then, a summon could shoot such magic all the time by swinging its sword around?

Goh Gun-Hui could only shake his head in helplessness. He definitely wouldn't have believed it if it weren't coming from the subordinate he deeply believed in. But then, the unbelievable story continued on even further.

"In my opinion, that particular summon should be above rank A in terms of power, sir."

"Are you serious??"

Goh Gun-Hui's voice rose up higher.

How could a single summon possess powers almost at the level of a rank S?!

Unfortunately, Woo Jin-Cheol guaranteed it. And he was right at the peak of rank A Hunters too, ability-wise, so he knew what he was talking about.

"If I were to fight that summon one on one…. Honestly, I'm not confident of winning, sir."

Indeed, if such an evaluation came out from Woo Jin-Cheol's mouth, someone with strong self-confidence, then it would be no problem to evaluate that summon as a rank S.

"Huh-uh…"

Goh Gun-Hui leaned against the couch's back.

He already had a good idea how capable Hunter Seong Jin-Woo was, but to think, each and every one of his summons would possess such a high level of power, too.

What a regretful thing it was, not being there to personally confirm it with his own two eyes.

Goh Gun-Hui was getting shocked just from hearing it second-hand, so how would Woo Jin-Cheol have felt as he was actually there? Suddenly, it became rather easier to understand the worn-down appearance of Woo Jin-Cheol. He must've been slapped in the face constantly with one surprise after another.

"However, sir, there was an even more shocking spectacle, sir."

Woo Jin-Cheol carried on as if that was not even the end of the tale.

"The ants…. they began 'working', sir."

Woo Jin-Cheol's eyes trembled again as he recalled those scenes.

Ants received pickaxes from the bag carried by Ah-Jin Guild's Vice-Master. And then, they proceeded to mine out the Mana Stones from the dungeon walls.

Ants were also in charge of carrying away the mined Mana Stones as well as the remains of the dead monsters. Woo Jin-Cheol simply couldn't tear his eyes away from the perfectly-organised ants and their unbelievably fast working speed. They were basically the incarnations of efficient 'operation'.

Woo Jin-Cheol was deeply astonished back then, and he was feeling admiration now.

"What I saw, sir, it wasn't something as simple as a one-man raid team. Not at all."

No, this one man was capable of clearing a dungeon, retrieving the remains, and also mining out the minerals, too.

Woo Jin-Cheol was definitely sure of it. And that would be – calling Hunter Seong a one-man raid team was actually insulting the man.

"No, sir. That man, he's actually an entire Guild rolled into one."

He was not a one-man raid team, but a one-man Guild, instead. Technically speaking, there was that not-that-helpful Vice Master too, but nothing would've changed even if he wasn't present, so Woo Jin-Cheol's assertion wasn't wrong at all.

Goh Gun-Hui slapped his knee.

'I knew it. My eyes weren't wrong!'

A broad smile didn't want to leave his face now.

Like how he had been anticipating it since the beginning, Hunter Seong Jin-Woo would definitely go on to become the brand-new ballast that keeps the balance neutral in the Korean Hunter community. But now, he began to think that the youth might even go on to change the map of the Hunters worldwide, too.

"And then…. we finally arrived at the boss chamber, sir."

The story hadn't ended yet??

Goh Gun-Hui quickly refocused on the tale once more. Woo Jin-Cheol carried on.

Normal Nagas would be around two, three times larger than regular human beings. But, he said that the boss Naga found within the boss room was easily four-times larger, and the pressure it emitted was incredible as well.

"Did Seong Hunter use his summons to quickly finish off the boss-level monsters?"

Woo Jin-Cheol slowly shook his head.

"No, sir. He actually cancelled the summoning altogether, except for those ants busy with retrieval and mining operations."

"What? But, why would he??"

Goh Gun-Hui gasped out in surprise, and Woo Jin-Cheol could only reply with a stiff face.

"I was also curious as to why, so I asked him. I questioned him why he would cancel the summoning when he was about to fight the boss."

Goh Gun-Hui was so invested in the tale that, unbeknownst to him, he had begun leaning forward.

"And what did he say?"

"Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim told me this…."

Woo Jin-Cheol took his time a little as if to drag out his unwilling memories to the surface, and cautiously opened his mouth.

"If he relied too much on his summons, then his….."

"….My instincts would become softer, you see."

Jin-Woo spoke up and took a step forward as the pair of 'Demon King's Shortsword' was grasped in his hands.

He didn't even need to call out his soldiers. There was only one boss-level monster and four others guarding said boss creature, after all.

Jin-Woo kicked the ground and dashed forward.

'Quicksilver!'

Even before any of the guardian monsters could react, he slipped past them and closed the distance with the giant Naga at the back.

'Violent Slash!!'

Dozens upon dozens of silvery light flickered and descended on the lower body of the boss monster.

Slice-slice-slice-slice!!

"Keuhaaaakk!!"

The boss writhed and screamed, and in the meantime, the guardians tried to pounce on Jin-Woo. But he simply used the head of one of the guards to jump straight upwards.

Taht!

And when his eyes drew level with the boss's way up above in the air, he swung his shortsword sideways.

SWISH-!!

"Kiiiahk!!"

The boss's head was sliced off clean and it flew away. At the same time, a new System message popped into his view.

Tti-ring.

[You have killed the owner of this dungeon.]

[Level up!]

Jin-Woo's expression brightened at once from that wonderful message.

'Ohh!!'

He landed softly back on the ground and spun around once. That caused all of the guard monsters trying to rush at him to collapse to the ground at the same time.

Strangely enough, the System messages didn't end there.

Tti-ring, tti-ring, tti-ring….!!

Suddenly, he was inundated with a constant barrage of mechanical beeps.

'What's this?!'

His fluster could only last for a short while, though.

[You have reached level 101.]

[Levels of all your Class-specific skills have risen.]

[Skill: 'Shadow Extraction' has levelled up.]

[Skill: 'Shadow Storage' has levelled up.]

[Skill: 'Sovereign's Territory' has levelled up.]

[Skill: 'Shadow Exchange' has levelled up.]

Jin-Woo's eyes almost bulged out of their sockets at the rising wall of messages.

Chapter 148 Fin.

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'Huh…!'

He had been using his Class-specific skills constantly, but they showed no signs of budging until now. But then, their levels all went up in one go?!

Ba-thump, ba-thump!!

Jin-Woo's heart began pounding really hard for the first time in a while.

Currently, there were only two other people inside the boss chamber, and that would be Yu Jin-Ho and Woo Jin-Cheol. Since both of them weren't the type to needlessly complain about small matters, he decided to not to mind their presence and summoned out his Status Window.

'Stat Window.'

Tti-ring.

Along with the familiar mechanical bleep, all the information about him, starting from his level to every item he was wearing, and even his current physical status, appeared to fill up his view.

Jin-Woo's gaze stopped at the 'Class-specific Skills' list.

[Class-specific Skills]

Active Skills

– Shadow Extraction Lv. 2

– Shadow Storage Lv. 2

– Sovereign's Territory Lv. 2

– Shadow Exchange Lv. 2

'It's for real.'

Hearing about the truth and actually seeing it were two different things. Jin-Woo clenched his fist tighter, especially from the fact that the level for 'Shadow Exchange' had gone up.

'Nice!'

The Shadow Exchange skill possessed such an endless potential but he was feeling frustrated by the limitation posed by its lengthy cooldown time.

'The description said that cooldown will change according to the skill level, right?'

With this, his frustration should go down a little.

This was today's biggest gain for him. He was far more pleased about the skill Shadow Exchange being enhanced rather than his stalled level rising up again.

'Should I see how much of it has changed now?'

Feeling like a kid pulling the wrapping off his new present, Jin-Woo accessed the information on the skill Shadow Exchange.

Tti-ring.

[Skill: Shadow Exchange Lv. 2]

Class-specific….

….Once activated, you must wait two hours of 'cooldown' period before being able to use the skill again.

The 'cooldown' period will change according to the Skill's level.

Reduction of one hour!!

Just by going up one level, the cooldown time had decreased by one-third. Jin-Woo could barely hide his excitement now.

'One hour's gone after going up one level.'

A simple calculation told him that there was a high possibility of yet another hour being chopped off from the cooldown time with the next level up of the skill. And, what if he raised the level of this skill one more time after that?

'It means, regardless of where I am, mom and Jin-Ah will never find themselves in trouble….'

Just thinking about that made his entire body shiver. That was the most important thing for Jin-Woo, after all. Maybe his excitement showed up on his face, Yu Jin-Ho asked him a question with a jovial smile.

"Hyung-nim? Did something good happen?"

"Mm?"

Only then did Jin-Woo realise that Yu Jin-Ho had come closer to him.

'I was too focused on the Status Window, wasn't I….?'

He also could see Section Chief Woo Jin-Cheol walking towards this way behind Yu Jin-Ho as well. Jin-Woo grinned and closed the Status Window. Even if these two men weren't the types to raise a fuss over every single thing, there was no reason for him to look like a madman to their eyes, either.

"Yeah, something like that."

"That's cool, hyung-nim."

Yu Jin-Ho's wits had become a lot quicker after following Jin-Woo around for a while, so he didn't try to dig in anymore. Instead, his attention shifted to the sight right next to them.

"Wowsers."

This would be Yu Jin-Ho's first time ever seeing an actual rank A dungeon's boss. This monster's upper torso looked human-ish, but the lower part looked like a sea snake.

It looked so nonsensically huge from afar, but now that he got to take a look up close, it seemed even bigger and really disgusting to behold, as well.

It was only natural that he couldn't close his slack jaw after seeing such a humongous monster.

'I know that hyung-nim has entered several other high-ranking dungeons prior to this one, so does that mean….'

Did that mean he killed creatures like this one every time he entered such a Gate?

Gulp.

Yu Jin-Ho swallowed some dry saliva. For some reason, his hyung-nim looked even more imposing and cool to his eyes today. And he felt incredibly proud of himself, as it was him and not someone else standing beside such an incredible man.

"Hyung-nim!!"

"Mm?"

"I respect you."

"What?"

"It's nothing."

'Silly kid.'

Jin-Woo stared wordlessly at Yu Jin-Ho, and the latter averted his gaze after realising how embarrassed he was feeling right now. Meanwhile, Woo Jin-Cheol next to them was also stewing in a bottomless shock at the moment.

'I knew Hunter Seong Jin-Woo's skills were amazing, but this….'

To think, he'd be able to easily take care of a boss-level Naga like this.

Other raid teams would begin tearing their hair out after seeing this spectacle. Especially when they would need the full participation of tankers, damage dealers, and Healers just to barely bring down a monster of this magnitude.

Woo Jin-Cheol walked up close to the remains of the boss-level Naga and lightly tapped on the monster's scales. He could definitely sense the steel-like hardness through his fingertips.

Scales of Naga boasted amazing hardness and they were often used in the manufacturing of all sorts of defensive items, such as various armours and shields.

'But, such scales were….'

Some part of the scales on the lower torso of the monster were crushed and torn into pieces as if they were made out of paper. That was the aftermath left behind by Jin-Woo's skill, 'Violent Slash'.

'Being able to produce such devastating destructive power, while using nothing more than a couple of shortswords.'

Cold sweat formed on Woo Jin-Cheol's forehead as he observed the monster's corpse. What a great relief that the youth was their ally and not an enemy.

It was then, Jin-Woo's voice came from behind him.

"….Can you step aside for a bit, please?"

Woo Jin-Cheol was too deep in his thoughts and couldn't properly hear that, so he quickly looked behind him in a fluster.

"Y-yes?"

"I'm trying to create another summoned creature, but Chief Woo, you are too close, you see."

"Ah."

Yu Jin-Ho had already moved to a far enough location and was busy gesturing at Woo Jin-Cheol to come over there.

"M-my apologies."

Woo Jin-Cheol offered an appropriate-sounding apology and quickly stepped aside. He kept staring with great anticipation, though. He had seen how the summoned creatures were created during his trip here, but this would be the first time seeing a boss-level monster become a summon.

'Could this huge thing become a summoned creature as how it looks?'

Even Yu Jin-Ho's eyes were sparkling as he waited for the result. Even though he was subjected to two men's boiling anticipation, Jin-Woo was utterly relaxed as he activated Shadow Extraction.

'Rise up.'

The shadow of the boss-level monster answered the call of its new owner.

Kiiiaahhh-!!

A hand emerged out from the shadow and grabbed hold of the ground, before dragging its body out from the darkness. However, the newly summoned creature was way smaller in size than what the audience was expecting to see.

As a matter of fact, it was only about the same size as the summoned creatures created out of regular Nagas. Maybe, it was slightly larger, but that was about it.

'Haha….'

Woo Jin-Cheol was so tense that his palms were soaked in sweat, but now, he could let off a wry chuckle. This result was perhaps an inevitable one.

How could a summon created from borrowing the dead monster's powers be similar to the actual thing? That would be just about the right size, whether that criteria being its actual power or the physical size.

Woo Jin-Cheol felt relieved for some reason after seeing the summon and its comparatively miniaturised size.

'Maybe, Hunter Seong Jin-Woo's powers have a defined and clear ceiling?'

Even if that was the case, Hunter Seong's own combat abilities easily exceeded one's imaginations, so one could never see him as an easy opponent at all.

Quite different from Woo Jin-Cheol's thoughts, though, Jin-Woo was shouting out in elation at the unexpected jackpot he just stumbled onto.

[The Sovereign's voice has roused the fighting spirit of the deceased.]

[You have succeeded in strengthening the shadow!]

[The shadow's level will start from 13.]

'Nice!!'

Was this because of the Shadow Extraction had levelled up? For the first time since Igrit's case, the message regarding the strengthening of a shadow popped out. Jin-Woo quickly checked the new soldier's information.

[?? Lv. 13]

Elite Knight grade

It wasn't that surprising to see the grade 'Elite Knight' pop up like Fangs before since this guy used to be the boss of the rank A dungeon. However, its starting level was 13!!

Jin-Woo confirmed that level and could barely keep his happy chuckles in check.

'Is it because its level is so high? Its power is not all that different from the original.'

Unlike the soldiers he had extracted so far, he couldn't sense many discrepancies between this guy's stats and those of the dead original. He picked up on the massive magic energy hidden deep within its smaller body.

He was actually puzzled by its different size, but he could make one hypothesis here.

'Maybe, this is how it looked originally?'

That made sense, seeing that they were all Nagas, to begin with. So, how could the boss be that much bigger than the others? If it used magic like Fangs to balloon up its size, then that made perfect sense.

His hypothesis was supported by the fact that this new guy was ably controlling its own magic energy just like how Fangs did, and also from its great reserve of magic energy as well. That reserve wasn't as huge as Fangs, though.

It was then.

[Please assign the soldier's name.]

Just like before, the message urging him to name this new soldier popped up to his view. Jin-Woo didn't give it much thought and named it 'Jima'.

[Will you name the soldier 'Jima'?]

'That's right.'

And so, a powerful new mage had been added to his Shadow Army, as well as to his new Naga troops, as well. With the extraction process now over, Jin-Woo absorbed Jima back into his shadow.

Right on cue, the dungeon began sending out warning signals now that it no longer had an owner.

Rumble…..

A faint tremor rose up from the ground. It was the signal that the Gate would close in one hour. Yu Jin-Ho stopped staying back and quickly ran over to his hyung-nim's side.

"It's time for us to leave this place, hyung-nim."

"Right."

Yu Jin-Ho took one last sweeping look around him and smacked his lips as if he was feeling regretful over something.

"But, hyung-nim. This is a bit of a waste."

His gaze was now fixed on the corpse of the boss-level monster.

"That thing would've fetched a handsome amount on the market, you know?"

A Gate would close soon after the dungeon's boss was killed off. Meaning, one would have to take on a huge risk to bring out the body of the boss monster outside the dungeon.

If you made one mistake and got trapped in here, then you'd literally become 'missing in dungeon' forever, so to speak.

Perhaps that was why it was rare to see the corpses of boss monsters outside of the Gates. The first problem being, because they were so much bigger, transporting them itself posed a significant challenge.

Of course, their rarity ensured that the price they fetched was quite substantial, as well. Strangely enough, Jin-Woo replied nonchalantly to Yu Jin-Ho and his wistful longing.

"What's the problem? We'll just take it with us."

"Eh?"

Yu Jin-Ho's eyes opened up wider as he hastily asked a question.

"Hyung-nim, isn't that too big to take with us?"

Jin-Woo smirked softly.

"It's fine."

He didn't know how strong his guy was physically, but well, didn't he have someone on his side who was way bigger than that corpse?

'Come out.'

When Jin-Woo issued his order, a former High Orc Shaman Shadow Soldier decked out in a black robe made a soundless appearance.

Shururuk….

Fangs lowered his head as his greetings, and Jin-Woo pointed at the corpse with his chin.

'Go ahead.'

In the blink of an eye, Fangs grew back into a giant. He then began dragging out the boss-level Naga, which wasn't even half his size, out of the boss chamber.

"Heok!!"

Woo Jin-Cheol's eyes shook hard after witnessing such a shocking spectacle.

'Wasn't that thing…..??'

Without a doubt, that was the High Orc Shaman from the Hunters Guild raid not too long ago that Jin-Woo killed in one hit. He clearly witnessed it back then.

But now, that thing was at least twice the size than when it was still alive. And it wasn't just its size that had grown bigger, too. The emitted waves of magic energy coming from its body when it grew to that size was far, far scarier compared to back then as well.

Woo Jin-Cheol was genuinely astonished by this new development.

'What is this?! Didn't the monster's power drop when turning into a summon??'

If that was the case, then how should he go about explaining that summon created out from the High Orc Shaman?

Jin-Woo could create summons out of the boss monsters from rank A dungeons, and he could even strengthen them, too?

'How can this make any sort of logical sense…..??'

Jin-Woo asked a nonplussed question to Woo Jin-Cheol and his slack jaw.

"Chief Woo? Aren't you coming as well?"

"Ah…."

If one were to lose some of their lifespan through mental shocks, then Woo Jin-Cheol must've lost half of his life here today.

He had a mountain of questions he'd like to ask. But then, he was actually afraid of the kind of answers he might get, so he felt disinclined to ask them, as well.

Woo Jin-Cheol hesitated, but in the end, could only reply with a tired look on his face.

"…..Yes, let's get going."

Reporters were thinking of leaving for early lunch but then, their eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets after Jin-Woo leisurely walked out of the Gate.

"What the heck? Has he finished already?!"

"No way??"

He cleared a rank A dungeon in less than three hours?!

A big lightbulb got switched on inside the heads of the gathered reporters.

'This is a huge scoop! A jackpot!'

The reporters gripping their cameras tightly began flooding towards the Gate, fearing that they might miss Jin-Woo if they didn't hurry up. Too bad, the Hunters from the Monitoring Division waiting there quickly blocked their progress.

"Argh, let me go! We aren't going to interview him, you know??"

"I just want to snap a photo! What the heck, will you take responsibility if I get fired for failing to take a single picture today??"

"It's just one photo, so why are you all behaving like this??"

And just as the desperate scuffle between the reporters and the Monitoring Division's agents intensified….

THUD.

The sound of something heavy stepping on the ground resounded out.

"Uh…"

One of the reporters dropped his camera in an utter daze.

Crack.

He didn't even realise that his fallen camera was stepped on by other reporters. No, he could only point towards the Gate and stutter out in pure shock.

"L-look over there…"

Or, more specifically, he was pointing at the massive, hulking giant of a monster stepping outside the Gate.

"R-run away!! No, no wait! Take its pictures first! Hurry!"

"Are you filming this??"

"Ah, yes!!"

The reporters quickly forgot about the physical confrontation of a second ago and hurriedly began snapping away with their raised cameras.

They were inwardly fearful of the monster suddenly attacking them, but at the same time, their fingers continued to move at a blinding pace as if they had been bewitched by something.

Clickclickclickclickclickclick-!!!

Fangs was diligently dragging the boss-level Naga's corpse outside the Gate, but when he felt quite a lot of stares landing on his back, he slowly turned around to look.

And he found that, not just the reporters, but the police, Association employees, and even the passersby on the street stopped in their treks to look up at him.

Fangs was now suddenly overcome with embarrassment and sheepishly scratched the back of his head.

Chapter 149 Fin.

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A certain man was sneaking into a large hospital.

There was only one reason why he was making d*mn sure that no one saw him. And that would be because of the jerry can full of petrol he was carrying at the moment.

In the past, one couldn't find any sort of desire or drive within this man's eyes. But now, they were burning with vigour.

'So, you dare to look down on me, huh?'

He was already resolved to die today.

This man wandered about silently for a long while, before finally choosing a suitable location. His steps came to a halt in one of the hospital's many corridors, although this particular one didn't seem to enjoy all that much foot traffic. He began cautiously pouring the petrol on the floor.

'You think I'll die all alone?'

It happened one week ago.

He got p*ss drunk and wandered around the streets, before picking a fight with some random passerby. And as a result, he got beaten up black and blue. So, he ended up in this hospital.

He regained his consciousness a bit later and declared to the doctor busy treating him. He said, 'I don't have enough money for the hospital fees, so might as well stop what you're doing and let me go'.

It happened then.

He saw it.

He saw the doctor's eyes, looking down on him as if he was a pathetic fool.

That d*mn doctor b*stard. This man couldn't quite remember the face of that doctor, but even after all this time, he could never forget those eyes.

That's why he made up his mind.

'I'll get my revenge on you.'

And that was his reason for seeking out the very hospital he once visited as its guest.

He wasn't planning to live any longer, anyway. So, he poured the petrol all over this corner of the hospital, and then, dumped what little remained on himself.

"We'll all go together."

His voice was thickly laden with spiteful rage.

Of course, this hospital was pretty d*mn huge, so something like this wouldn't even be able to burn it down completely. However, he should still be able to take a few with him. It'd be very good if a handful of doctors were included in that 'few', but if not, there's not much he could do about that.

He already ruined his life through gambling anyway. But, he wasn't planning to quietly disappear like everyone else.

He threw away the empty jerry can, and after rummaging through his pockets for a while, pulled out a lighter. The moment his thumb spins that flint, this f*cked-up life of his would come to an end.

He became expressionless and was about to press down with his thumb, but then, an eerie breeze suddenly brushed him by.

'….There's a breeze?'

The man felt something was off and scanned his vicinity. This corridor didn't even have any windows, so where could have that breeze come from?

'What was that?'

He tilted his head while looking around himself, only to abruptly realise that something felt rather empty down there. He lowered his gaze to his hand.

The lighter he held in his hand was gone.

What an incredibly puzzling thing that was.

He wondered if he dropped the lighter while he was preoccupied, so he carefully combed over the floor, but that turned out to be a waste of time.

'Just where did it disappear to….?'

Feeling utterly puzzled now, he raised his head and then spotted a large, black something standing right in front of his eyes.

It was an 'insect' with hands and legs.

The man was greatly taken by surprise, his eyes bulging out until they were almost popping out. Before he could scream, though, the 'insect' reached out and grabbed his mouth.

"Euph!!"

"Kiikiik."

The 'insect' raised the index finger of its free hand and pressed it against its mouth.

"Shush."

This human shouldn't raise a commotion like this. The human female his king told him to protect was sleeping in a room nearby, after all.

The man struggled bitterly, but he couldn't even budge a single finger of the monster off his face.

"Euph, eupphhh!!"

The man's eyes now saw the 'insect' – no, Beru's open mouth slowly growing closer towards him.

Why did 'it' happen on level 101?

As Jin-Woo drove back, he thought back to how his skills abruptly went up a level earlier in the day. Even though his mind was occupied with something else, his hands holding the steering wheel remained steady and controlled.

'It's not even level 100, too.'

He thought that, if something about him were to change because of the level ups, then that should happen on level 100. However, his expectation was a bit off the mark.

His Class-specific skills all got an upgrade after he reached level 101.

A few guesses fleeted in and out of his head, but currently, only two of them held the strongest possibilities of being right.

The first one was about what the number '1' signified. '1' meant a new beginning.

Could it be that, when his level reached 101, all restrictions on his Class-specific skills were removed and he was now free to upgrade them at will?

'If that's not it….'

Jin-Woo's expression hardened when he thought about the second theory. Personally, he'd have much preferred for this one to be wrong, though.

'Could it be because I got my Class at level 51…..?'

There was a possibility that the Skill levels rose up because he was exactly 50 levels higher than when he got his Class. Which also kind of implied that he needed to reach level 151 if he wanted to upgrade his Skills again.

'…..I don't want that.'

If he thought about his levelling up speed lately, then indeed, he could only dearly pray that this remained nothing more than his hypothesis.

Soon, the building with his Guild office came into his view. Jin-Woo drove the van into the underground parking lot. He was the only passenger riding on the trusty steed of the Ah-Jin Guild, 'Bonggo'. Yu Jin-Ho chose to stay back in the Gate's location, saying that he'd wrap up the proceedings before going back to the office.

The raid might have ended, but there was still one more step of handing over the recovered loot to the brokers to think about. Since it was Yu Jin-Ho who had contacted these brokers, it seemed that he wanted to personally take charge of handling this matter.

["Please, leave everything to me, hyung-nim!"]

Jin-Woo thought that he could still hear Yu Jin-Ho's voice filled with confidence even now.

'I wonder, will he be okay?'

It was all good and well for a Vice-Chair of the Guild to be full of drive and energy, but wouldn't it be better still to hire dedicated staff members for matters like this? Jin-Woo told himself to search for more employees and walked out of the underground parking lot.

But then….

'Mm?'

He spotted a familiar figure walking towards the Guild building from afar. And that familiar person also discovered Jin-Woo staring back at her.

"Ah…."

Her steps came to an abrupt halt right then and there.

Cha Hae-In formed a shocked expression and began to backtrack one step at a time before she turned around completely, and began running away.

'…HUH??'

Jin-Woo was utterly dumbstruck by what just happened.

The thing was, though – he could gloss over the reason why she suddenly started running away after seeing his face, but he simply couldn't….

'….You think you can escape from me because you started running?'

Just who did she think she was dealing with here?

Jin-Woo was suddenly overcome with a streak of stubbornness and pounced forward with everything he had after activating his 'Quicksilver' skill.

Time slowed down to a crawl, and only the background images seemed to move at a blinding pace. The distance between him and Cha Hae-In decreased quickly enough, and then he began thinking to himself.

'If I grab her from the back or try to touch her, she might get hurt, so….'

Jin-Woo lightly jumped up in the air, spun around once, and landed in front of Cha Hae-In's escaping figure.

Her eyes grew super wide in an instant.

Her escape route had been cut off, and before she could do anything else, her shoulders were caught by Jin-Woo's hands.

"Kyahk!"

And so, the foot chase between two rank S Hunters came to a very anti-climatic end. Now that she was caught by him, she couldn't even bring herself to look into his eyes.

Jin-Woo continued to stare at her with deeply puzzled eyes, before calmly asking her the important question.

"Why did you run away after seeing me?"

Well, he could concede a bit here and say that it was possible for her to bolt like that. Fine.

"If you were going to run, then why did you even bother to come to my office?"

If she wanted to avoid him that much, then she shouldn't even come anywhere near him, no? Jin-Woo's pointed question elicited Cha Hae-In to reply in a voice that was smaller than a buzzing mosquito.

"My car is… still in your parking lot…."

'Ah. Right. There was an unfamiliar car parked in the lot for the last couple of days, wasn't there?'

That day, when Cha Hae-In came to the office, saying that she wanted to join his Guild….

After they 'teleported' directly to the Association's gymnasium from the Guild office, she forgot to take her car back and left it in the underground parking lot until now.

'Looks like she came sneaking back in to get her car back because our Guild was supposed to be on a raid today.'

Too bad for her, she couldn't have imagined that he'd only need a little over two hours to complete the raid of a rank A Gate. As a result, these two young people got to meet each other again. She quickly tried to get away from him, but in the end, was apprehended by him instead.

Jin-Woo's wordless stare continued, and Cha Hae-In's head drooped lower and lower. He let out a helpless sigh and slowly let her shoulders go.

"There's no need to run away from me, you know."

Jin-Woo spoke as he formed an amiable smile.

"A person's mind can change all the time, am I right?"

Indeed, wouldn't people lose their interest, or suddenly gain interest when there was none, to begin with? Wasn't that how a person's heart operated? There was no reason for them to go out of their way to avoid each other like this.

However, Cha Hae-In didn't even try to refute him, her head still remaining lowered.

'Maybe, she doesn't even feel like talking to me?'

It was possible that she was unhappy about suddenly being grabbed like that.

"Well, then."

Jin-Woo turned around to leave with a little nod as his goodbye. No, he was going to turn around. But before he could, Cha Hae-In hurriedly held on to his sleeve.

"Excuse me….."

By the time four, five question marks floated over Jin-Woo's head, she finally stopped hesitating and opened her lips to speak.

"Can you free up some time so we can talk for a little while?"

Only a minute ago she was fleeing for her dear life, but now, she wanted to speak to him?

Perhaps she sensed Jin-Woo's flustered confusion, Cha Hae-In quickly explained herself.

"Actually, Min Byung-Gu Hunter-nim wanted me to pass on a message to you."

Jin-Woo's expression changed once he heard that unexpected name come out of her mouth.

"A message for me?"

Nod, nod.

Cha Hae-In's head bobbed up and down.

"He said, there was something he wanted to say about your powers, Seong Hunter-nim."

But, how could that be? Jin-Woo didn't have any point of contact, private or otherwise, with Hunter Min Byung-Gu. And their one and only meeting came around when Jin-Woo revived Min Byung-Gu into a Shadow Soldier for a short while back then.

The deceased Hunter carried out his job perfectly and thanks to that, Cha Hae-In was able to survive. It was all due to that man's efforts that these two young people could talk to each other like this.

But then, just when did he have the time to leave a message behind?

Jin-Woo didn't display his power until the Jeju raid, and when he did, Min Byung-Gu was already long dead.

Something like that couldn't have happened.

Jin-Woo stared at her with a disbelieving expression. Cha Hae-In cautiously continued on.

"Your power, Seong Hunter-nim…."

But, when her words reached there, Jin-Woo quickly cut her off.

"Hold on, please."

Didn't matter if what she wanted to say was true or not, this topic didn't seem well suited to be discussed in the middle of the street.

Jin-Woo scanned his vicinity once, and then continued to speak to her.

"Let's continue our discussion somewhere more private, shall we?"

Chairman Yu Myung-Han received the files containing certain information from his Secretary Kim.

"These are?"

"They are information gathered from Seoul Il-Sin hospital, sir."

Il-Sin hospital was where Hunter Seong Jin-Woo's mother had been staying until recently. Yu Myung-Han's eyes sharpened instantly. Without saying anything else, he began reading the documents.

'The nurse entered in the morning and she was already wide awake? And Hunter Seong Jin-Woo was found right next to his mother?'

There was another strange thing mentioned in the file.

The hospital staff recommended an in-depth analysis of the patient's conditions to be carried out as they were concerned about her health, but Hunter Seong strongly demanded for her release, instead.

Chairman Yu Myung-Han unconsciously shook his head.

'That doesn't sound like him….'

That man possessed such a strong filial love that he risked his life and limb by entering dangerous raids in order to earn enough money for her hospital fees. However, such a man one-sidedly demanded his mother's release, when he couldn't have been sure of her physical condition?

'No, it's the exact opposite.'

This could only mean that Hunter Seong Jin-Woo had already confirmed his mother's status by then.

But, how did he do that?

The longer Yu Myung-Han read the data sent in from the hospital, the deeper the frowns on his forehead became.

Everything about Hunter Seong Jin-Woo was shrouded in mystery.

'The dual dungeon incident, his sudden Re-Awakening, his mother's abrupt recovery, and even his mysterious ability to create countless summoned creatures…..'

Wouldn't a series of serendipities eventually become inevitability?

There was definitely something here. There was absolutely no doubt about that. Yu Myung-Han's sharply-honed senses were telling him such. His resolution became even firmer than before.

"Looks like I'll have to talk to him face to face."

"I shall send over someone before the end of today, sir."

"No need for that."

Secretary Kim was taken aback from that reply.

"Sir, are you planning to go see him personally?"

"Secretary Kim. Who do you think the man I'm trying to meet is?"

That was enough to shut Secretary Kim's mouth.

It was then.

Vrrrr….

Secretary Kim's phone suddenly began vibrating. Chairman Yu Myung-Han returned his gaze back to the files and gave his permission.

"It's fine to answer it."

Secretary Kim bowed his head slightly and quickly checked his phone. It was a text message carrying urgent breaking news.

"Chairman, sir."

Yu Myung-Han raised his head again.

"There's breaking news coming from Japan as we speak. Would you like to see it, sir?"

Secretary Kim wasn't someone to get easily agitated over a simple matter. If he was asking you about whether you wanted to see something or not, then that was the same thing as you needing to see that something immediately.

Nod.

Yu Myung-Han nodded his head, and as if he was waiting for that, Secretary Kim quickly switched on the giant TV hanging on the wall.

– Yes, this is foreign correspondent Park Seong-Woo reporting. As you can see behind me…..

The real-time live broadcast of Japan's most bustling downtown area filled up the TV screen as the device flickered into life.

Shinjuku, located in Tokyo, Japan.

A gloomy shadow was being cast on the busiest, liveliest avenue in Tokyo, the one often referred to as the beating heart of Japan. That wasn't a simple figure of speech, though.

Every single car, bicycle, and person – didn't matter who or what, they were all standing still beneath this massive shade cast over them.

People began climbing out from their stopped vehicles one by one. The road was becoming uncontrollably clogged up, but not one honked their horns or yelled out in irritation.

It was as if everyone here had been bewitched by an unseen force.

Every single gaze was directed to one particular spot.

"Oh, my god…"

"Dear Lord…."

There was a Gate so huge that it blocked out the sky to cast an enormous shade onto the ground below.

The people below saw this common-sense-shattering Gate that easily matched a regular skyscraper in sheer size, and fell deep into the state of indescribable shock.

The avenue once bustling with overflowing people was now being gripped tighter and tighter by a silence so wretched that it almost induced some of the witnesses to start vomiting.

The atmosphere in the Japanese Prime Minister's official residence was rather poor, as well.

Slam!

The Prime Minister couldn't hold back his rising tide of anger and threw the remote control hard at the TV busy showing the breaking news.

"P-Prime Minister!"

His adjutants hurriedly got up, but they shut their mouths and sat back down once the Prime Minister's dagger-like eyes landed on them.

"Why isn't the Hunter's Association saying anything?"

The President of the Japanese Hunter's Association, Matsumoto Shigeo, weakly lowered his head. He had become a lot more haggard ever since returning from his trip to South Korea.

The Prime Minister's expression hardened.

"God d*mn it…."

Something that horrifying had appeared in the middle of Tokyo, yet the Association who should be in charge of such things, were keeping their mouths shut?!

"A rank S Gate has appeared right in the heart of Tokyo! But, do you think it makes any sort of sense for the Association to not have a single countermeasure in place? How??"

The Prime Minister cried out in anguish.

Unfortunately for him, everyone present kept their mouths shut as if they had agreed to do so beforehand. The Prime Minister's expression crumpled unsightly, like a man carrying the weight of all the suffering found in this world, before he collapsed down onto his chair.

"Be honest with me, Association President."

He then pointed at the cracked TV screen.

"What will happen if that thing opens up on us?"

"…..It'll be the end, sir."

As he thought – the Prime Minister hugged his head and muttered out helplessly.

"So, that's how it is….. Just one Gate, and the city of Tokyo is finished, is that it?"

"That's not what I'm saying, Prime Minister."

The Prime Minister raised his head to look, and Association President Matsumoto Shigeo continued on with an emotionless voice.

"I meant to say that the entirety of Japan will be finished, sir."

Chapter 150 Fin.

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"Somewhere…. private??"

Embarrassment began dyeing Cha Hae-In's expression beet red as she took a look around where they were. Jin-Woo's own expression hardened as well.

'How come all the buildings around here are so….'

Indeed, they were now in a location where everything around them was ill-suited for a pair of young people to casually walk in.

Before this awkward situation could get any worse, Jin-Woo quickly came up with a solution.

"You need to get your car anyway, so why don't we go back to our Guild office?"

"Ah, yes."

Nod, nod.

He briefly thought that her nodding like that with a reddened face was rather adorable to look at. But still, he quickly turned around in the direction of the office.

"Shall we?"

"Okay."

Jin-Woo began retracing the path he and Cha Hae-In took and was reminded of the fact that she was indeed a rank S Hunter like him.

'Wow, we really did run far, didn't we?'

Although it felt like only a brief moment for him, they needed ten minutes of regular walking just get back to his office.

The Guild office was located on the third floor. Jin-Woo placed his thumb on the electronic lock, and the door clicked open to allow them inside.

He was about to head straight into the conference room, but then, he had to stop in his treks and take a look behind him, at Cha Hae-In still standing by the doorway.

Jin-Woo stared at her with eyes asking "Aren't you coming in?" which prompted her to ask back at him, instead.

"Isn't it too dark inside?"

"….Ah."

Only then did Jin-Woo realise that the interior of the office was pitch-black.

His vision wasn't hindered by regular levels of darkness, so stuff like this would happen every once in a while. As for Hunter Cha, maybe she wasn't as good with darkness as he was.

Click.

He flipped the switch and the interior was brightly lit up. She took a look inside the illuminated interior and cautiously asked him again.

"There is no one in the office?"

"The Vice-Chair wanted to remain behind in the Gate's location, you see."

"Could there be only two people in this Gui…"

Cha Hae-In stopped her words there and quickly shook her head when she saw Jin-Woo and his expression that said, "So, what's the problem with that?"

"…..No, it's nothing."

Cha Hae-In was very quickly coming to an understanding that the common sense of the world didn't seem to apply to the man in front of her eyes.

'Hold on.'

Her steps taking her into the Guild office suddenly came to an abrupt halt.

'Doesn't that mean there are only me and Mister Seong Jin-Woo inside this Guild building??'

The light of tension quickly filled up Cha Hae-In's eyes. At the same time, she also realised that it'd been a while since she felt this tense as well.

'Maybe, it's my first time since becoming an Awakened….'

How many men out there in this world were capable of making her feel this tense? Especially when she was acknowledged to be one of the highest levelled among the ranked S Hunters, at that?

For some reason, the words of 'somewhere private' kept repeating in her head and she became even more conscious of herself because of that. Her heart was palpitating faster and faster.

She began giggling then, suddenly thinking that she was no longer acting like a rank S Hunter, but like a regular girl now.

"Keuk, keuk."

Jin-Woo gazed at Cha Hae-In trying hard to suppress her giggles and tilted his head.

'Is it that funny to have only two employees in a Guild?'

But, then again, she was a part of the top Guild in South Korea, so from her perspective, this arrangement must've come across as totally inconceivable.

So, Jin-Woo stopped paying any mind to that and entered the conference suite. He made her sit close by and settled down on the opposing chair.

He started talking only after the air in the conference suite felt a bit more familiar to both of them.

"Please tell me. What happened?"

Just those simple words were enough to change the atmosphere within the suite completely.

"How is it possible for Hunter Min Byung-Gu to leave you with messages for me?"

Jin-Woo's expression was serious. He didn't know her all that well, but still, he got the impression that she wasn't a type to start spewing baseless lies just to get some attention.

That was why he became so much more serious now.

Either she needed some time to recall her sleeping memories, or didn't know where to begin her tale, because she needed a bit of time before she was ready to open lips.

"That day….."

Cha Hae-In finally raised her head and looked deeply into his eyes. Her gentle eyes were now filled to the brim with tears. When Jin-Woo saw her expression, he thought he could more or less tell where she'd start her story.

She quietly spoke.

"I heard his voice."

Cha Hae-In was getting sucked deeper into the unending darkness, but it was none other than the hand of Min Byung-Gu reaching down to stop her falling.

"Min Byung-Gu…. Hunter-nim?"

Min Byung-Gu slowly nodded his head.

Cha Hae-In had to confirm that it was him multiple times because he was currently decked out in unfamiliar black armour. If it weren't for his uncovered face, she'd never have figured out that it was him.

Cha Hae-In asked him in confusion.

"Where…. Where are we?"

"I don't know myself, but I do know what will happen if I let go of the hand holding you."

Cha Hae-In was about to take a look below her, but Min Byung-Gu hurriedly stopped her.

"Don't look!!"

"Excuse me??"

Cha Hae-In got startled and she quickly looked up at him. Min Byung-Gu explained to her with a sombre look on his face.

"If you look down there, you might not be able to come back up again."

As he said those words, she got to read a certain emotion that almost felt like a longing of some kind within his eyes.

'No, it can't be….'

She began recalling the scene taking place seconds before she lost consciousness.

The Jeju Island raid.

The ant queen.

And then, the sudden appearance of a truly terrifying mutated ant monster.

She sensed a scary something approaching her, and then, the darkness came over her.

"Did I… Am I dead?"

Min Byung-Gu shook his head.

"No, not yet."

"But then, what about you, Min Byung-Gu Hunter-nim?"

He didn't reply. Instead, Min Byung-Gu stopped her line of questioning there.

"We don't have much time left, so allow me to get to the point."

This was likely his one and only chance. If he missed it, then he'd never be able to get this message across. Min Byung-Gu's expression became urgent, pleading even, as he spoke to her.

"Please pass this message to Hunter Seong Jin-Woo."

'Seong Jin-Woo….?'

Cha Hae-In could only briefly stew in her confusion arising from that name unexpectedly being mentioned here. Min Byung-Gu carried on.

"You must tell him that he needs to be careful with the power he possesses."

"What, what do you mean by that?"

"You must've noticed it by now, but I've already died once. I fell to the bottom of this place, but someone pulled me back up. He pulled me back out of this endless darkness."

"Could it be that man is….?"

"Yes, it was Hunter Seong Jin-Woo."

Cha Hae-In's eyes began quaking powerfully now. Even if Hunter Seong Jin-Woo was ridiculously overpowered, was he really powerful enough to revive a dead person??

However, Min Byung-Gu continued to recount the experience he had gone through without holding anything back.

"Truth is, even though it was indeed I that got revived, that wasn't really me, either. I possessed my will and my consciousness, but I was also prepared to do anything for him…. It felt like I have become an unquestioning, unconditional slave only existing to serve him and nothing else."

There was no reason for Cha Hae-In to ask who this 'he' was in Min Byung-Gu's explanations. She swallowed her nervous saliva.

"I was scared as well, because the mere idea of serving him made me feel so happy."

Min Byung-Gu formed a bitter expression.

"You must let Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim know this."

His expression then hardened into a sombre one.

"His powers are absolute, and it was incredibly scary. He needs to know this, as well."

However, what was even more horrifying than that was…

His expression now shifted to the one of sheer terror as he recalled the memories of only a few moments ago.

As he stood up from the ground after becoming the new Shadow Soldier through Hunter Seong's command, he got to see the welcoming cheers of the countless black-armoured soldiers lining up behind Jin-Woo.

Their numbers were in the tens of thousands. No, millions.

As if they were faithfully waiting for the commands of their Sovereign, the innumerable number of soldiers were 'hiding' quietly behind Jin-Woo.

And when Min Byung-Gu's gaze met the eyes of their general standing before them, he lost all his sense of self and Cha Hae-In's lying body filled up his view, instead. He already knew what he needed to do by then.

Not only that, he also understood that there was something else he had to do on top of saving her. And that would be letting Hunter Seong Jin-Woo know of how terrifying the power sleeping within him was.

In that brief moment when his mind was connected to Jin-Woo's, Min Byung-Gu got to see the true identity of that power – as well as the extent of his true army.

He sensed that his time was rapidly running out and shouted at her.

"You must remember!! The real army of Hunter Seong is….."

It was then.

A blinding light came from somewhere above and enveloped Cha Hae-In. Min Byung-Gu's expression stiffened.

"His real army is….!!"

Unfortunately, his voice was buried within the empty echoes, and it flickered dimmer and dimmer, eventually sinking deep into the void below.

That was as far as Cha Hae-In could remember. Her memories had become faint and indistinct like a fading dream, but they somehow managed to return to her not too long ago.

Jin-Woo's expression was understandably heavy after hearing her tale.

'Her consciousness seconds before dying met with that of Hunter Min Byung-Gu's, who actually did die and became a Shadow Soldier??'

It was a truly hard-to-believe story.

Was it possible that her subconscious mind created a false memory with the stuff she picked up from the surroundings, all because she received a heavy mental trauma after facing the imminent threat of death?

Jin-Woo raised this point with her, and she replied with these following words.

"Yes, I also thought that could be a possibility."

Why wouldn't Cha Hae-In consider such a possibility? That was why she found herself in a deep dilemma over the last few days, before she finally worked up enough courage to tell him about the message.

Jin-Woo nodded his head in understanding. He then pushed forward his phone towards her.

"Let me give you my number. In case you remember anything else, please, can you give me a call right away?"

Cha Hae-In nodded her head.

"Yes. If I do, I'll contact you immediately."

Her complexion seemed to have brightened just a tad now.

Japan immediately sent out requests for help to the international community.

As they had lost over half of their combat force ranked S, this somewhat rapid decision had an air of inevitability to it.

Unfortunately, the international community's attitude was rather icy, to say the least.

Japan wilfully ignored the dangerous situation developing in the neighbouring nation of Korea. But then, the Japanese got all worked up about putting out the fire only after the flames landed on their feet.

The international community hadn't forgotten that.

The Japanese were left baffled and lost after the United States, already well known for never, ever letting their rank S Hunters work overseas, as well as the most powerful Hunter nation in Asia, China, abandoned them to their devices.

[The USA abandons Japan.]

[Will China do nothing and let the destruction of Japan happen?]

[The Tokyo Gate: two days since its appearance. The remaining time is….]

[What will Korea choose to do?]

The world's attention began focusing on Japan; sensational articles were being published every single day.

It was at precisely at this point that a lone Hunter extended his hands of salvation towards the Japanese public being overwhelmed by despair and terror.

His name was Yuri Orlov, a rank S Hunter of Russian nationality.

In order to negotiate the terms with the Japanese government, he invited over the related representatives to his place. The Japanese Hunter's Association President Matsumoto Shigeo jumped aboard a plane taking him to the Russian Federation at the first chance he got.

Yuri Orlov didn't even bother to greet the Japanese representatives at the airport and instead, received them in the living room of his palace-like mansion.

"My name is Matsumoto Shigeo."

A middle-aged blonde Caucasian man arrogantly greeted back.

"I'm Yuri Orlov. You should probably know this by now, but I'm called the best Support-type Hunter in the world."

After that brief introduction, the two men settled down on the opposite side.

Yuri Orlov had asked for all the related data concerning the Tokyo Gate before this meeting. After getting his hands on those files, he began to leisurely browse them.

And so, how much time passed by like this?

He kept nodding his head as he calculated the cost, and eventually opened his mouth to name his price.

"Ten million US Dollars per day. You pay me the money properly on time, and I will block the Gate for you for as long as you want." (TL note at the end)

Ten million per day??

The Japanese representatives almost flew into rage from that outrageous price, but Matsumoto Shigeo didn't. He raised his hands and gestured them to calm down, prompting the flinching Japanese Hunters to settle back down in their seats.

"Looks like I can hold a civilised conversation with you."

Yuri Orlov grinned, his gold-plated teeth now on full display.

"3.6 billion in a year. That money will save your nation. It's not even 36 billion, either. So, how about it? Will you save your country with 10 million per day, or will you give up on your country because you think that's a waste of money?"

Officially, the wealth of the richest man alive was supposed to be just over 100 billion US Dollars. So, 3.6 billion per year was definitely not a small sum by any stretch of the imagination.

'But, when compared to the nation of Japan, it truly is a negligible amount.'

Matsumoto Shigeo had come to a decision and opened his mouth.

"We are willing to pay you that amount."

"Very good. Then, let's sign the contract right now, and my signing fee…."

"But before we do that,"

Yuri Orlov was busy ordering his underling to bring along the contract, but he stopped and took a long hard look at Matsumoto Shigeo.

Even though he was being subjected to that blatantly criticising glare, Matsumoto Shigeo remained collected as he carried on.

"Please, can you demonstrate your abilities to us, at least once."

Yuri Orlov heard the translation from the interpreter and began guffawing out right away.

"Euhahahahahahat!!"

He laughed his head off until tears came out of his eyes. He eventually collected himself enough to speak up.

"You think you're in any position to get picky here? When licking my boots and pleading on your knees might not even be enough?"

It was then – two Japanese rank S Hunters tasked with guarding Matsumoto Shigeo during this trip to Russia could no longer endure this insult and shot up from their seats.

"Stop, you two!!"

Matsumoto hurriedly shouted out, but it was too late; the eyes of the two rank S Hunters were burning in rage and they weren't backing down.

However….

Thud!

Thud, thud!!

The rank S Hunters did try to make their moves but, as if they were stuck behind invisible walls, couldn't even budge an inch from the spot. They were like rats trapped inside a glass bottle, only being able to exchange shocked glances with each other.

Yuri Orlov cackled again while looking at the two men.

"Free yourselves if you can, alright? But then, you won't be able to move a single foot without my permission."

Yuri Orlov was the 'master' of placing barriers. Not just the two trapped rank S Hunters, but even Matsumoto Shigeo couldn't hide their shock from this development. The corners of Yuri Orlov's lips arched up as he made his offer again.

"For the price of ten million per day, I'll block the Gate for you, plus I shall add the lives of these two morons on top, as well. So, how about it? Isn't this enough to satisfy you now?"

His teeth reflected the living room's light and glittered in gold.

He had just demonstrated the power of his restrictions that could tie up two rank S Hunters as if they were nothing much at all.

'Is trusting this man the best option we have at this point….?'

Matsumoto Shigeo's head slowly bobbed up and down.

"May I use the phone for a little while?"

"But, of course."

And on the following day.

The name of Yuri Orlov filled up the news broadcasts from all over the world.

Chapter 151 Fin.

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The first thing Jin-Woo did after he got home was to bring up his Status Window.

'Stat Window.'

What he wanted to check out was the newly updated info on his Skills. His gaze scrolled past his current level, his Class and Title, and eventually arrived at the Skill Window.

[Skills]

Passive Skills

– (Unknown) Lv. MAX

– Tenacity Lv. 1

– Master of Shortsword Lv. MAX

Active Skills

– Quicksilver Lv. MAX

– Intimidation Lv. 2

– Violent Slash Lv. MAX

– Dagger Rush Lv. MAX

– Stealth Lv. 2

– Ruler's Reach Lv. MAX

Almost all of his bountiful skills displayed in the Skill Window had reached their level limit and evolved into their ultimate forms, or were about to evolve into one.

The level cap for a skill was 3. And when a skill reached the level cap, the number would change to 'MAX' and stopped rising any further than that. However, if he continued to increase his proficiency with the skills, they would eventually evolve into their ultimate versions. The gap between the skill's effectiveness before and after its evolution was noticeably huge.

The skill 'Dash' had evolved into 'Quicksilver'.

The skill 'Vital Points Targetting' had evolved into 'Violent Slash'.

And 'Dagger Throw' had morphed into 'Dagger Rush'.

Even the passive skill that aided with handling daggers and shortswords, 'High-Grade Dagger Technique', had evolved into 'Master of Shortsword'.

The result of that last evolution was something like this. Jin-Woo summoned 'Demon King's Shortsword' out and began manipulating it this way and that on his hand.

He spun the weapon seamlessly around his index finger before letting it glide up to the palm of his hand. It then smoothly slithered around to the back of his hand.

The near-acrobatic silky movements continued on for a little while, before he lightly tossed the weapon over his head and snatched it back in his grip. Jin-Woo slowly smacked his lips afterwards.

'What a pity that there is no one here to appreciate this.'

The shortsword felt like an extension of his own limb, and that was all due to the passive skill, 'Master of Shortsword'.

Jin-Woo shifted his gaze over to the Skill Window while repeatedly tossing the shortsword up and down.

'So, 'Intimidation' and 'Stealth' are the only two with realistic chances of getting stronger, huh.'

Regretfully, there didn't seem to be much room for the 'Tenacity' skill to improve beyond level 1, where it had been stuck ever since he got the skill. But, that was inevitable, really.

[Skill: Tenacity Lv.1]

Passive Skill.

Mana required to activate: None.

You possess untiring tenacity. When your stamina drops below 30%, this skill will automatically activate and reduce all damage received by 50%.

….Because, 'Tenacity' was a skill that only activated when his stamina dropped below 30%. Obviously, he wouldn't endanger his own life just to level up one of his skills, now would he?

Also, Jin-Woo had experienced a fair number of close shaves after that passive skill became part of his arsenal. Even then, it hadn't changed from being level 1, so that could only mean he'd need to go through an extraordinary situation just for a chance to upgrade this skill.

Besides, Jin-Woo becoming far too strong also played a factor here. Just how many enemies out there could realistically drive him to a desperate corner now?

All things considered, he had no choice but to forget about upgrading 'Tenacity' altogether.

He then decided to increase his proficiency with both 'Stealth' and 'Intimidation', the latter of which he hadn't had a lot of chances to utilise until now and was stuck at level 2 as a result.

Unlike 'Intimidation', which was rather difficult to activate willy-nilly anywhere as he pleased, he could activate 'Stealth' even when he was going through his daily routines.

But, right now, Jin-Woo's gaze was fixed to a spot up above those skills.

'Just what could this guy be?'

He was looking at the skill simply labelled as 'Unknown' found within the passive skill list.

This skill had been with him ever since he became the 'Player'. But up until now, not even its basic information had been revealed to him.

'I thought it'd eventually disclose its secrets after a while, but….'

Did this skill also require him to meet some kind of a condition to be unlocked as well? Because it was labelled 'MAX' from the very beginning, he was really looking forward to finding out just what kind of skill it was, but this….

A lot of time had passed since those days, but his curiosity only managed to grow larger and larger in the meantime.

Jin-Woo continued to stare at the 'Unknown' skill until he almost bore a hole right through it, but in the end, he shook his head in defeat. Besides, what he really wanted to confirm couldn't be found within the regular Skill Window, anyway.

No, they were right below it.

Indeed, he wanted to check his Class-specific skills that had all gone up a level earlier in the day.

[Class-specific Skills]

Active Skill

– Shadow Extraction Lv. 2

– Shadow Storage Lv. 2

– Sovereign's Territory Lv. 2

– Shadow Exchange Lv. 2

'So, what changed, and by how much?'

Jin-Woo took a closer look at the information on the skills, excluding 'Shadow Exchange', which he had already taken a gander before.

[Skill: Shadow Extraction]

Class-specific skill.

Required Mana to activate: None

Creates a shadow soldier by extracting Mana from the recently deceased lifeform.

The odds of extraction failure will rise higher depending on the target's original Stat values, as well as the length of time since its death.

Number of shadows that can be extracted: 590/1,300

Level 2 effect 'Boost': Increases the odds of enhancing the Stats of the extracted shadow.

Perhaps as a reward for such a tough levelling up process, the number of shadows he could extract had shot up to a shocking degree.

'The maximum number of shadows is now 1,300?!'

As long as his surroundings were filled with targets for Shadow Extraction, he'd be able to increase the number of his allies by well over double the current size. Not only that, there was the special added effect to consider as well, which raised the odds of the extracted shadows starting off at higher levels.

'So, that's what it was….'

The reason for the boss-level Naga 'Jima' to start from level 13 was most likely due to this 'Boost' effect. It wasn't a coincidence at all.

'What would've happened if I possessed this Boost effect before I made Beru into a Shadow Soldier?'

Without a doubt, he might have gotten his hands on an even more terrifying monster.

'Heh, and the wise old 'they' say that a man's greed knows no bounds, didn't they?'

Jin-Woo smirked softly to himself and confirmed the details of his other Class-specific skills one by one. The other two skills had also received a lot of enhancements, and a new, never-before-seen effect was added to each of them, as well.

A wide grin settled on Jin-Woo's lips as he read the explanations of his upgraded skills, 'Shadow Storage' and 'Sovereign's Territory'.

'This is great.'

He closed the Skill Windows with a satisfied grin on his face.

There was no doubt that his growth had slowed down recently. Even then, he still managed to keep moving forward, and when he thought about the fact that there was still more room for him to grow, his heart began pounding even harder.

He wanted to climb even higher and higher.

'I don't know where the summit is, but….'

Every time he managed to reach and exceed his goals, his heart was filled with this indescribable happiness, a powerful bliss.

Ba-thump, ba-thump!!

Jin-Woo returned the shortsword back to Inventory and placed his hand quietly on his chest.

Ba-thump, ba-thump.

His heart issued pleasant noises as it continued to beat steadily.

It was then, he abruptly remembered something else that happened earlier in the day.

'…..She said it was a scary power, didn't she?'

He recalled the tale he heard from Cha Hae-In a few hours ago.

Min Byung-Gu left a warning for him. He said that Jin-Woo was in possession of a scary power, and he needed to be circumspect about it.

'Was he talking about the System?'

Jin-Woo also was scared of the things happening to him initially as well. He felt fearful towards the System capable of creating all these unexplainable phenomena around him.

However, his fears didn't last for long.

He adapted to the ways of the System in no time at all. And the System quickly became the single greatest tool he possessed.

Sure, there were still far too many mysteries left unanswered, but that was about it, really.

Jin-Woo's gaze drifted towards the empty air in front of him.

"Just what are you?"

Of course, he didn't get an answer in return.

"I mean, isn't it okay to tell me what's going on already?"

He quietly stared into the empty air as if he was expecting an answer to arrive, but rather obviously, nothing came.

'Inventory.'

Jin-Woo opened his storage to extract the black key.

[Item: Key to the Karutenon temple]

Rarity….

….has been reached.

Remaining time: 249:25:07

Here it was, the invitation sent out by the System.

A week's worth of time had flown by already, and only around 250 hours remained.

'What kind of answers will I find in that place?'

Half of him was filled with expectations. And the other half, deep curiosity. His heart rate that quietened down for a bit began beating faster again. Jin-Woo lifted his hand off his chest.

His thoughts of doing everything he could during the remaining time hadn't changed at all. He picked his phone up and quickly made a call.

– "What can I do for you, hyung-nim?"

Yu Jin-Ho replied in a cheerful voice over the phone. Jin-Woo wasted no time and got straight into the main topic.

"Hey, Jin-Ho?"

– "Yes, hyung-nim?"

"You think we'll be able to book every single high-ranking Gate opening up in our area from tomorrow onwards?"

– "Just like back when we were booking all those rank C Gates, hyung-nim?"

"Yeah, like that."

Yu Jin-Ho thought for a little while, before replying back with a bright-sounding voice.

– "Got it, hyung-nim!"

A huge crowd had gathered in the Japanese airport where the Russian rank S Hunter, Yuri Orlov, made his landing, and there was hardly any space left to even set a foot inside.

The corners of Yuri Orlov's lips arched up as he took in the sight of the massive throng of Japanese people coming to see him.

On the other hand, the high-ranking members of the Japanese Hunter's Association bringing the Russian home walked around with their heads lowered as if they were criminals going on a trial.

'The country lacking enough talented Hunters to stop a calamity by themselves, so they must borrow the strength of Hunters from another nation.'

Those words were what Japan used to ridicule South Korea only a few weeks ago. Yet, the exact same situation was playing itself out within the Japanese border now.

The Association President Matsumoto Shigeo, as well as the Association's representatives, recalled their own past indiscretion and couldn't even dare to lift their heads up again.

'If only we didn't lose our Hunters on Jeju Island….'

Matsumoto Shigeo bit his lower lip.

"It's Yuri Orlov!!"

"It's him, Yuri!"

The reporters from all corners of the world discovered Yuri Orlov's triumphant figure and began madly snapping away with their cameras.

Click, click, click, click, click, click-!!

The Russian Hunter stood before them and formed a wide grin as if to proudly advertise his gold teeth.

His entry procedure was taken care of in a flash. The first request Yuri Orlov received from the Japanese government was to assuage the fears of the country's citizens. And he agreed to do the request easily enough.

His nickname was the 'Saviour'. This moniker came about because he had blocked up countless Gates on the brink of entering the dungeon break stage up until now.

As for Yuri Orlov himself, he definitely didn't shy away from this nickname which held the potential to earn him all the wealth and fame in the world.

"Are you ready, Mister Yuri Orlov?"

"Of course."

That evening, he was moved to a certain TV station for a live interview. It was quite obvious that the attention of the entire nation of Japan was focused on this broadcast.

Once the proceedings got underway, the interviewer asked the Russian.

"How will you block the Gate, Mister Yuri?"

"In the same way that I've been doing until now, obviously."

Yuri Orlov's expression was overflowing with relaxed, assured confidence. He raised both of his hands in the air and drew a large circle.

"I'll be creating a huge magic circle. Like so, around the Gate itself."

The screen changed for a brief moment to show the Gate in Shinjuku. And then, the 3D diagram of the magic circle was superimposed with the image of that massive Gate.

"And then, everything will be finished after I pour my magic energy into it. Whatever is inside that Gate, they won't be able to come out ever again."

Unfortunately, such a simple explanation wasn't enough to calm the fears of the Japanese people. The interviewer tilted his head, looking unconvinced.

"Pardon me, but… is that even possible?"

Yuri Orlov's brows twitched slightly.

"What is?"

The interviewer cautiously studied the Russian's mood as he asked again.

"Well, the claim of one rank S Hunter being able to block up an entire rank S Gate is…. Shall I say that, it's a bit hard to believe?"

Suddenly, Yuri Orlov began smirking derisively.

The Russian Hunter was famed for his short fuse. So, the interviewer felt quite relieved inside when Yuri Orlov chuckled instead of flying directly into an enraged state. But at the same time, the Japanese interviewer became even more unnerved then before, wondering if he had inadvertently touched that man's reverse scale.

Fortunately enough, Yuri Orlov kept his smile.

"If I were to continue spending my magic energy to maintain that barrier, then sure, even I wouldn't be able to pull that off."

He wouldn't be able to do it?

Gulp.

The interviewer swallowed his dry saliva.

With the Japanese rank S Hunters having effectively announced their intentions to give up on the raid, if Yuri Orlov himself also decided to forget about the Gate, then there were no other solutions left for the Japanese people.

The Russian took his time and enjoyed the sight of the stiff face of the interviewer before continuing on with his words.

"However, the thing with my ability is…. The barrier magic circle I use absorbs magic energy from its surroundings to maintain itself."

In an instant, the interviewer's expression changed.

"If that's the case, then what did you mean when you said your own magic energy was needed….?"

"It's the same principal as switching on the ignition of a car. Once my barrier gets going, it will start absorbing the magic energy and become an even sturdier and bigger fortress wall."

A certain ray of light descended on the faces of the interviewer as well as the filming crew after they heard that explanation.

Yuri Orlov's leisurely voice was filled to the brim with undeniable self-confidence. And as if that confidence had begun spreading around like an infection, the Japanese TV crew felt their fears slowly melt away.

According to his explanation, wouldn't his barrier grow tougher and stronger when there was a great amount of magic energy present in the surroundings?

There was no need to even mention the simple fact that the magic energy being emitted by a rank S Gate was absolutely enormous. So, what would happen when such a barrier was to wrap around a Gate of that magnitude?

It'd get all tied up by its own power, that's what. Where would anyone find a situation that better fit the idea of one falling into the trap it made itself?

At this rate, the hardness of that barrier would become the greatest in the recorded history of mankind.

Yuri Orlov pointed to the camera. He was probably pointing at the unspecified number of viewers at home with his finger. Thick veins bulged in his neck as he shouted out.

"I will save all of you! So, all you have to do is to remember who is saving you!"

Beep.

The giant TV was switched off.

The President of Korean Hunter's Association, Goh Gun-Hui, put the TV remote down, but his expression wasn't very good at all. Woo Jin-Cheol standing next to him asked.

"What do you think, sir?"

"I can't be sure."

Goh Gun-Hui leaned against the couch, his expression now full of worry. He was different from his Japanese counterpart; he definitely wasn't some low-rent villain who'd deride the misfortune of his neighbouring nation.

Although, that didn't mean he was willing to help them out while taking on the harsh cost his own nation might have to bear. He deliberated for a short while, before opening his mouth again.

"I don't know whether Yuri Orlov will be successful in blocking up that rank S Gate or not, but…."

The eyes of the Association President Goh Gun-Hui became a lot sharper.

"….But, I am well aware of what will happen if he fails in his task."

"…..It's such a relief, sir."

Goh Gun-Hui looked up at Woo Jin-Cheol with a surprised face. Only then did the latter realise that his boss had misunderstood his words. Woo Jin-Cheol hurriedly waved around his hands.

"I wasn't referring to the situation in Japan, sir. But…."

Woo Jin-Cheol stopped for a second or two before finishing up his explanation.

"Unlike how it is with the Japanese, I'm relieved by the fact that we have a Hunter we can wholly place our trust in. That's what I meant, sir."

Nod, nod.

Goh Gun-Hui nodded his head greatly. There was no need for him to specifically ask who that Hunter was, either. That Hunter's presence alone imparted such a sense of security in him.

"Oh, by the way. How goes it with Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim nowadays?"

Woo Jin-Cheol wordlessly pushed forward a piece of printed document to his boss.

On it, one could find the listed locations of all the high-ranking Gates that had appeared recently around the city of Seoul and the surrounding Gyeonggi province.

"Why are you giving me this, all of a sudden….?"

"Sir, can you see how many of the locations have been circled in red?"

"Looks like it's about half of all the dungeons."

Woo Jin-Cheol quickly wiped the cold sweat streaking down his forehead and replied.

"Ah-Jin Guild wants the raid permits of all of the highlighted Gates, sir."

Goh Gun-Hui's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

"These…. All of them?!"

"Yes, sir. That's correct."

Chapter 152 Fin.

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Chapter 153: Chapter 153

Woo Jin-Cheol was among the very best within the Hunters ranked A, and could be considered the core fighting force of the Monitoring Division.

There was no one within the Association, save for Goh Gun-Hui, who could win against him in a fight. He was that strong.

However, Hunter Seong Jin-Woo was capable of controlling not just one or two summoned creatures, but several hundreds of them at the same time, each one of them strong enough to shock someone of Woo Jin-Cheol's calibre. In that case, a schedule like this one shouldn't be seen as strange at all.

However, why was he in such a hurry like this?

'H-mm.'

Deep frowns formed on Goh Gun-Hui's forehead.

If it were someone else, a different Hunter, then he'd pack his lunch and follow them around to dissuade them. He was even prepared to whip them until they changed their minds, but now….

'But, I can't imagine Hunter Seong Jin-Woo getting hurt inside measly rank A and B Gates at all.'

If he were to borrow Woo Jin-Cheol's description from earlier, than wouldn't it be 'pitying the monsters', instead? Goh Gun-Hui smirked softly and nodded his head.

"If there isn't any serious problem, do as he wishes, please."

From the perspective of the Association President, he was thankful for the fact that there was a Hunter taking lead in subjugating monsters all on his own. Especially when that person was a powerful being who'd not get injured during the process, too.

However, Woo Jin-Cheol apparently didn't agree.

"Sir, I believe it could lead to problems."

"You mean, his activity will overlap with the jurisdictions of other large Guilds, is that it?"

"Yes, sir."

There were three major Guilds operating within the Seoul Capital Area: the White Tiger, the Hunters, and the Reapers.

These three Guilds took care of high-ranking Gates that appeared within the districts they were in charge of.

But, if Ah-Jin suddenly butted their heads in among them without notice and start expanding rapidly like this, then the three Guilds would obviously grow unhappy rather quickly. It'd be basically the same thing as old nails being driven out by a new one.

'They might end up in a conflict.'

That was Woo Jin-Cheol's opinion and Goh Gun-Hui certainly agreed with that. Still, a smile floated up on the Association President's lips.

'I thought President was on Seong Hunter-nim's side?'

Woo Jin-Cheol formed a puzzled expression as he asked.

"…..Did you come up with a good idea, sir?"

"No, not that. It's just that, I can't stop smiling when I think about how a newly established Guild with only three members and one combatant on their roster, have managed to exceed the major Guilds and are already coveting their territories like this."

"Ah….."

Only then did Woo Jin-Cheol understand.

"I agree, sir."

It was Goh Gun-Hui's turn to ask, that smile still etched on his lips.

"Did Ah-Jin provide an explanation on why they want to do this?"

"They said that they have a personal reason and wants us to entrust them with the Gates nearby only for the next week or so, sir."

"A week, is it…."

During the Jeju Island raid, the Masters of the three major Guilds ended up owing their lives to Hunter Seong. It'd not be hard to get their understandings if it were only for a week.

'If there's one thing that I'm still puzzled about, then it'd be….'

That would have to be 'why Hunter Seong Jin-Woo was willing to put himself under such a strenuous schedule' – or, at least, when viewed from someone else's perspective.

'It can't be… about money.'

If he wanted wealth, then there were other ways. If he negotiated with either the United States or China, he'd have gotten his hands on astronomical sums of wealth.

However, Hunter Seong Jin-Woo decided to remain in South Korea, and he didn't even bother to bargain with any of the Guilds, either.

'Then, just why….?'

Goh Gun-Hui's gaze was soon directed to Woo Jin-Cheol guarding his side. The former asked as if it was in passing.

"In your opinion, why do you think Hunter Seong is trying to clear this many Gates in such a short time?"

Woo Jin-Cheol thought about it for a moment, before answering his boss.

"There is one thing I can think of, sir."

Goh Gun-Hui expected an answer along the lines of "I don't know" or "Can't be sure", so he couldn't help but pay more attention to this somewhat surprising reply.

"What would that be?"

"I remember seeing how delighted he was during the process of hunting down the monsters."

"He was 'happy' hunting down monsters?"

"Yes, sir."

Woo Jin-Cheol dragged out the memories of the recent past to the fore.

Even back when Jin-Woo was helping out the Hunters Guild by fighting the High Orcs, he was carrying an expression of delight as he cheerfully moved around.

"And he was especially elated when taking down the boss-level monster, sir."

"He feels delight at hunting down powerful monsters, is it…."

Goh Gun-Hui remembered listening to Jin-Woo saying something similar in the past.

["I wish to fight against the monsters."]

And ever since he made that declaration, he had been diligently keeping his promise.

'What an interesting fellow he is.'

That man was certainly a lot exceptional than being merely interesting, too.

It was then, the office of the Association President was suddenly filled with the noisy ring of the telephone.

– "President, sir."

It was a call from one of his adjutants.

"What's going on?"

– "There's a call from the American Hunter Bureau waiting for you, sir."

"From America?"

Not only that, from the Hunter Bureau, too? Goh Gun-Hui tilted his head slightly.

'Why would the Hunter Bureau contact me, the President of the Korean Hunter's Association?'

A country like the United States wouldn't request South Korea for cooperation, so what could this possibly be about?

"Connect me through."

The call was connected right away. It didn't even take one, maybe two seconds for the voice coming out from the phone's receiver to change.

– "Hello, this is Adam White from the Hunter Bureau speaking."

"Hello. This is Goh Gun-Hui from the Korean Hunter's Association."

The basic language for any aspiring businessman was English. And unsurprisingly, fluent English flowed out from Goh Gun-Hui's mouth. He was far more confident of this language then he was with Japanese, the latter of which he only dabbled with when he was much younger.

"What business does America's Hunter Bureau have with us?"

Adam White didn't tarry and got right to the point.

– "We're planning to hold an event early next month and wish to invite some of the most prominent Hunters from throughout the world, Mister Goh."

"…..Okay, so?"

– "And we'd like to have Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim as Korea's representative."

Before he got going properly with his raids, Jin-Woo searched for the appropriate Guild first. He needed a Guild that could painlessly handle the disposal of various loot he'd get from the high ranking dungeons.

'I mean, it's not like I'm planning to clear a raid once every few days here, is it….?'

It'd be quite tough for a newbie Vice-Chair to get through the tightly-packed raid schedule all alone, after all. Besides, he thought that it'd be far more advantageous to form a partnership with another Guild and work together with them, rather than letting the middlemen deal with the loot every single time.

'The question is, who should I go with?'

He initially thought of the White Tiger, which he had interacted with often in the past, or with the Hunters Guild where Cha Hae-In was a member, but in the end, he settled on the Knight Order, instead.

He only had one reason for doing so. And that would be because they had worked together recently.

Also, some part of his decision was influenced by the fact that one was located in Seoul while the other one was in Busan, and therefore their activities wouldn't overlap with each other.

Jin-Woo made his call during the early evening that day.

Chairman of the Knight Order Guild Park Jong-Su was lying on the couch in his living room, busy giggling away while watching the TV.

Vrrr…. Vrrr…..

He picked up his vibrating phone resting on the couch's armrest without giving too much thought.

'Mm??'

[Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim]

But then, he confirmed who the caller was and his eyes rapidly grew wider. He shot up from his lying-down position and quickly answered his phone.

"Hunter-nim? Is that you?"

– "Hello, this is Seong Jin-Woo from Ah-Jin speaking."

"Ah, yes. It's Park Jong-Su from the Knight Order."

– "Do you have time to discuss something important?"

"Of course."

Park Jong-Su's complexion gradually brightened as he heard Jin-Woo's explanation.

To be honest, Park Jin-Su had been feeling dejected lately, after his plans of building a very close relationship with Jin-Woo went down the crapper after the regulation had changed overnight.

Combining the know-how of the Knight Order Guild and the strength of Hunter Seong Jin-Woo – what a dang waste of time….

Even his trusted Vice-Chair Jeong Yun-Tae looked severely disappointed when the whole thing went sideways pretty quickly.

But then, what kind of jackpot was this? A phone call he didn't even expect came his way all on its own volition?

Forming a tie with a strong Guild, nay, a Hunter, was probably one of the most important acts for any Guild out there.

"Yes, yes! There will be no problem at all."

A bright smile didn't want to leave Park Jong-Su's face as he continued to chat away on the phone.

"Leave everything to us."

The matter of processing various loot from a dungeon was not that hard for the Knight Order Guild and their extensive prior experience.

Normally, the Guild's processing team would be doing nothing but sucking on their thumbs when there was no raid in sight. So, how good would it be to utilise them in this situation?

The smile grew with wider as Park Jong-Su spoke up.

"We'll see you tomorrow!"

The lunch box Mom packed was indeed quite delicious. Even if the location for their meal turned out to be in the middle of a dungeon overflowing with monsters.

Yu Jin-Ho raised his head and spoke, his mouth still full of chow.

"With us being like this, I can't help but think back to how we were clearing all those rank C dungeons, hyung-nim."

Jin-Woo smirked and replied back.

"Hey, finish chewing your food first before talking, alright?"

"Ah, my bad, hyung-nim."

It wasn't as if Jin-Woo couldn't understand what Yu Jin-Ho was talking about, though.

In the past few days, they kept themselves real busy by raiding every single Gate they could book, one after the other, with barely any rest in between. The only thing that had changed since then would be that, rather than rank C dungeons, they were raiding rank B or higher dungeons this time.

And, if he were to think of yet another difference, then that would be….

Igrit met Jin-Woo's gaze and bowed slightly in a dignified manner.

'Well, I now have a lookout during the meal times? Is that about it?'

It didn't matter if he had one or not, though. Because of his Perception Stat, he didn't have to concentrate hard to sense all the movements within the interior of the dungeons. Meaning, he could deal with any monster daring to approach him, even with his eyes closed.

It was just that, he didn't want to be disturbed during his mealtime, and also, wanted to decrease Yu Jin-Ho's fears a bit so he had a lookout like this.

Jin-Woo shifted his gaze to the other side.

Iron also met his owner's gaze and powerfully pounded on his chest as if to say "Leave everything to me!"

Thud, thud.

Metallic thuds filled the interior of the cavern. Jin-Woo wryly shook his head.

'It's a problem that this guy's enthusiasm still gets the better of him.'

Yu Jin-Ho looked in the direction of the noise, before asking Jin-Woo a question out of the blue.

"Hyung-nim?"

"Yeah?"

"Can't your summons act on their own?"

"Well, yeah. More or less."

Hunter Min Byung-Gu did say that, didn't he? He said that each of the Shadow Soldiers possessed their own 'ego'.

'Not sure how much of that story I can believe, though.'

Whatever the case may be – Yu Jin-Ho continued on with his question.

"Doesn't that mean it's fine to let the summons clear the raids by themselves during when we are having a meal, or otherwise can't move around for some reason, hyung-nim?"

"Nope, that I can't do."

The amount of experience points he'd earn decreased when the distance between himself and the soldiers increased. He couldn't really explain what the experience points were and all that to Yu Jin-Ho, though, so Jin-Woo simply formed a sombre, serious expression and replied.

"These guys, who knows what they will do when I'm not looking?"

"Hiiiick?!"

Jin-Woo thought that he could hear the noise of Yu Jin-Ho's falling appetite in real time. That's how far he was prepared to take that joke, however.

'Okay, should I try 'that' one more time?'

Jin-Woo finished his meal and quietly put the spoon down.

[Skill: Shadow Storage Lv. 2]

Class-specific skill.

Mana required to activate: None.

Stores the shadow soldiers inside the summoner's shadow.

The stored soldiers can be summoned back into the open or absorbed back at any time the summoner chooses to.

Number of stored shadow soldiers: 840/840

Level 2 effect 'Sensory Sharing': You can share your sensory perception with a single designated Shadow Soldier from your storage.

The newly added effect to the skill 'Shadow Storage' was called 'Sensory Sharing'. It was a rather unique ability that let the summoner, him, feel what a Shadow Soldier was sensing.

Since it was possible to choose a Shadow Soldier far away from him and see what was going on around there, he ended up using it rather often in the last couple of days. Such as now.

Jin-Woo quietly closed his eyes.

'Sensory Sharing.'

He picked up on the signal sent out by the Shadow Soldiers spread all over outside the dungeon, within the nation of South Korea.

'I sure have spread around quite a few, haven't I?'

Without worrying about it too much, he selected one of them to see. Quite coincidentally, it just so happened to be a soldier hidden with Hunter Cha's shadow. And when he connected with that soldier…

Splash…..

….He heard the sounds of water falling on the floor.

'It shouldn't be raining today, so what's up with all the water noi…..?!'

His confusion lasted only for a brief second.

Jin-Woo's eyelids shot up open in haste as soon as he saw the pale nude figure enshrouded in the rising steam.

Yu Jin-Ho was taken by surprise alongside him.

"Hyung-nim?? What happened? Were you taking a nap just now?"

"….No, it's nothing."

Jin-Woo shook his head.

He inwardly told himself to buy Hunter Cha a hearty meal as soon as possible as a gesture of apology.

"Oh, right. Hyung-nim, have you heard the news?"

"Which one?"

"About that massive rank S Gate in Japan's Shinjuku, hyung-nim. I heard that the dungeon break should be happening sometime around tomorrow."

Did the time move along that much already? Jin-Woo slowly nodded his head.

'That means, it's already been six days since we began clearing these high-ranking Gates.'

During these past six days, Jin-Woo hadn't been static at all. Although moving at a snail's pace, his experience points were steadily going up. The result of that being his level having moved to 103 from 101.

That was his reward for focusing on levelling up while forgetting about everything else.

Jin-Woo summoned the black key stored within his Inventory.

Shururuk…

The black key materialised on his palm.

[Item: Key to the Karutenon temple]

Rarity…..

….has been reached.

Remaining time: 26:51:49

'One more day left.'

Jin-Woo wordlessly grasped the key tightly. His heart began beating faster every time he looked at this thing.

"….Hey, don't make a move."

"Eh?"

Yu Jin-Ho had been sneaking glances at both Iron and Igrit more and more while barely managing to eat his meal, after Jin-Woo cracked that joke. However, he nearly jolted upwards after Jin-Woo suddenly issued that order.

"I wasn't talking to you, though."

Actually, Jin-Woo was giving an order to his soldiers. The Shadow Soldiers were about to make a move, but when they heard Jin-Woo's order, they all stopped at the same time.

"Kururururu…."

"Kururuk."

From the other side of the cavern, beasts baring their fangs walked out into the view while carrying weapons like sickles and longswords. Jin-Woo slowly stood up from his spot as he kept his gaze locked on these monsters.

There was still one more day to go.

'Right, I still have one more day to kill.'

He summoned the 'Demon King's Shortsword' from his Inventory and smiled as he gripped the weapon tightly.

The evening before the dungeon break.

A massive magic circle was drawn within Tokyo's Shinjuku district, according to Yuri Orlov's instructions. Its scale was truly enormous; completely unprecedented in history.

All the residents within the area had been evacuated by now. Yuri Orlov remained in the location to inspect the barrier's formation right up until the end.

The Japanese representatives quietly watched him, not even daring to swallow their saliva. Every single word the Russian said, every little action he took, all of them were under close scrutiny.

Yuri Orlov frowned and rubbed his chin over and over again, before finally opening his mouth.

"…..This is so weird, you know?"

The interpreter's eyes opened wider.

"I beg your pardon? Is there some kind of a problem with the formation?"

"No, it's not that."

The magic circle drawn was perfect. Without a doubt, he was confident of having laid down the greatest masterpiece of his life down here.

No, the barrier formation wasn't the weird one here.

"It's like, there's someone nearby, watching us."

"Ehh?"

If that weren't the case, why would Yuri Orlov's heart tremble non-stop like this? The Russian opened his eyes wider and scanned his vicinity, before angrily shouting out at the top of his voice.

"Who the hell are you? Where are you??"

Too bad, no one replied back to him. No, only the echoes of his voice reverberating within the deserted streets came back to haunt him.

One of the Japanese representatives wiped the cold sweat off his forehead and forced out a smile.

"Mister Orlov, the dungeon break is happening tomorrow so there shouldn't be any foolhardy person waiting around here. Wouldn't you agree?"

Yuri Orlov snorted out derisively.

"When did I say it was a person?"

"Pardon??"

Yuri Orlov looked at the Japanese representative getting paler by the second with disproving eyes, before tilting his head again.

"Was I mistaken….?"

Unfortunately for him, there indeed was the figure of a person staring at him from the roof of a tall building far away.

'He's got a pretty good perception.'

But, then again – when considering where Yuri Orlov drew his powers from, that wouldn't be such a strange thing.

'More importantly…..'

The mysterious man's gaze shifted over to the rank S Gate. The silence was so eerie that it induced a certain disgust in all who looked as it circulated around that giant Gate.

The man slowly pulled back the hood covering his face. It revealed the face of an Oriental man in his late thirties. The unkempt and bushy beard covering most of his face told the man's identity rather clearly.

He was none other than Seong Il-Hwan.

He continued to gaze at the massive Gate with a regretful expression, before pulling the hood back up.

'Finally… it's starting.'

Everything was moving according to the schedule.

Chapter 153 Fin.

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The reporters from all over the world descended on Japan.

If there was one thing in particular about that, then it was that most of those reporters were war correspondents used to covering various conflicts happening across the globe.

This was as good a proof as any that the event about to unfold here was as dangerous as an actual war.

The security cordon built around the Gate was incredibly heavy. Reporters raised their cameras and pointed towards the building-sized Gate and the barrier formation drawn around it, as well as the army of men and women surrounding them both.

The whole location was chock-full with palpable tension only seen just before the outbreak of war.

The assistant reporter swallowed his nervous saliva and asked his boss, the famed English war correspondent William Bell.

"Modern firearms don't work against monsters, so why are the army present here?"

William Bell replied, while he continued to capture each and every determined face of the soldiers present today with his camera.

"To buy us more time."

"Excuse me?!"

"Their job is to draw the attention of the monsters so the Hunters can get ready for their counteroffensive. Also, to act as baits, so those higher-ups spectating from over there will find enough time to evacuate from this place, too"

Click.

The next person's face to be captured in William Bell's lens was the President of the Japanese Hunter's Association Matsumoto Shigeo, currently standing close to the barrier. He was conversing with several staff members, his expression hard and sombre.

'Sure, this is no time for him to crack a smile, isn't it.'

Click.

"Which means…."

The assistant reporter, who wasn't as experienced as William Bell was, spoke with a tense gleam in his eyes.

"They are… cannon fodder."

"Look, man. You're putting me in a spot here if you think that's someone else's fate."

"Excuse me?"

"I mean, if something were about to happen to me, it's your job to stand before me, right?"

"Ehhhh?!"

The young assistant reporter got startled and quickly looked back, prompting William Bell to lightly rib the kid with his elbow.

"If you remain tense like that, you won't even get a chance to run away before you are dead, okay? What I'm trying to say here is, loosen up a little."

The assistant reporter realised that it was just a joke from that knowing wink William Bell threw his way and patted his trembling chest down.

'Mister Bell…. He can still crack a joke in a situation like this.'

The relaxed air thickly laden with the seasoned reporter's commanding presence seeped into the younger reporter and that helped to soften the tension he felt.

However, the assistant was acutely aware of the truth. Whenever William Bell began smiling like that, that was when you should be most nervous as well.

The assistant shifted his gaze back to the Gate standing tall into the sky.

"Just what kind of monstrosity would come out from there, I wonder?"

William Bell stopped snapping pictures and looked up at the same spot as his assistant.

That thing sure as hell was huge. So huge, in fact, one could easily get overwhelmed just from its sheer size.

After Gates began appearing in the world, the second battlefield these war correspondents went to had become the locations of various Gates. Meaning, William Bell had come across his fair share of terrifying Gates before.

Hell, he even had the misfortune of reporting from the actual location of a dungeon break, too….

But then, the Gate floating before his eyes was on another realm altogether. Just looking up at that d*mn thing made him break out in cold sweat.

'This was probably why no advanced scout party got dispatched.'

Not one high-ranked Hunter volunteered to enter the Gate to see what was inside, so currently, no one knew what might jump out of that thing once it breaks open wide.

William Bell's lips, closed shut in a straight line until then, slowly parted ways.

"Not sure what'll come out of there, but…."

A bitter smile formed on his lips next.

"But, whatever comes out, let's just pray that Yuri Orlov's barrier is strong enough to hold them back."

The last place his camera headed to was Yuri Orlov's direction, busy inspecting the barrier's formation for one last time. The Russian Hunter was beaming from ear to ear at the moment.

"It's perfect. Very good."

Yuri Orlov was deeply confident of the resulting barrier now.

Because, well… his barriers had always been exceptional. Besides, that wasn't the only thing motivating him, either.

The Association President Matsumoto Shigeo was worried about the Japanese citizens strongly rebuking them for the deal, so he kept everything hush-hush, on the down low. As a result, the Japanese public was under the assumption that the Russian came here out of the goodness of his heart, and began showering him with lots of donations.

And so, he got to earn an even greater amount of wealth that way. Besides that, there was even more! Countless reporters had braved the dangers to come and snap his pictures.

Wealth and fame. The two things Yuri Orlov went crazy for had fallen into his lap in one fell swoop.

He emphasized himself one last time to the crowd.

"It's perfect!!"

After today, he'd go down in history books as the first man ever to block a rank S Gate all by himself.

'I'd much prefer to be remembered as a man clearing a rank S Gate all alone, though….'

Too bad, he couldn't get too greedy here, since another Hunter better suited for that title had appeared already. What could he do about that, realistically speaking? That guy was a melee-type Hunter, while he was a support-type, after all.

One only had to become the best in their chosen fields. That's all there was to it.

'Right, right!'

Slightly carried away by his own thoughts, Yuri Orlov pulled out a flask the size of his palm from his inner pocket. When he opened the lid, the pungent smell of vodka wafted out.

"M-Mister Yuri!! Alcohol…?!"

The Association employee in charge of minding the Russian freaked out and tried to stop him, but Yuri Orlov angrily glared at the hapless Japanese, instead.

"This is a celebratory toast, get it? A toast! So, let go of your tension, okay? Because I'm going to put on the greatest show on earth very soon."

"E-even then…."

"Hey, you want a sip? I'm telling you, your worries and tension just fly away in one shot."

Yuri Orlov wrapped his arm around the employee's shoulders and began offering up the vodka. The Association President Matsumoto Shigeo frowned deeply as he stared at that spectacle from afar.

'To think, the fate of Japan depends on such a man….'

He silently clicked his tongue and asked one of his entourage next to him.

"How many rank S Hunters are on standby?"

"It's a total of three, sir."

"Three, is it…."

Out of the ten still surviving rank S Hunters, only three responded to the summons of the Association. The frowns on Matsumoto Shigeo's face deepened by another level.

After the Jeju Island raid landed a calamitous blow to the community of Hunters in Japan, his influence had waned greatly until it hit rock bottom.

Some quarters were now loudly claiming that it was Matsumoto Shigeo who drove rank S Hunters to their deaths, having been blinded by his own greed. And, the majority of the remaining rank S Hunters had turned their backs on him.

They even left an ultimatum saying that, as long as he remained the Association President, they would not heed the orders of the Association again.

'If only Goto-kun was still here with me….'

Matsumoto Shigeo's clenched fists trembled hard. Goto Ryuji's death was far too painful a loss for the Japanese Association President, who used him as his right-hand man.

'But, that is why….'

….That was why today was doubly important for him.

If the concerted efforts of the Association resulted in the rank S Gate being blocked off, then he'd use that to aim towards the top once more.

'Goh Gun-Hui… and then, Seong Jin-Woo.'

Along the way, he might find a chance to pay back all the humiliation, with interest, to those men who had ruined his future.

'I shall, definitely…..'

Definitely, this had to work.

The Association President Matsumoto glared at the Gate again, his expression becoming even graver than before. One of his attendants looked at his watch and whispered to him.

"Sir, it's three minutes before the dungeon break."

"I see."

Matsumoto Shigeo nodded his head. Countless thoughts swirled within his gaze now taking in the sight of the massive Gate.

Two minutes, one minute, 59 seconds, 58…..

Time, filled with taut tension, ticked down seemingly at the rate of knots. And soon enough, the black 'wall' covering the giant Gate's surface began to get blurry.

The reporters all cried out in unison.

"Uh, uh?!"

"Hey, the Gate's opening up!!"

"They… they are coming out!"

"Son?"

Jin-Woo was about to sneakily get up, but sat back down quietly again when his mom called out to him.

"Yes, Mom?"

Mom took her eyes off the TV and looked at Jin-Woo. The TV news had been constantly showing the special broadcast related to the rank S Gate in Japan for a while now.

The story currently on was something about the dungeon break that would happen in a few minutes or so.

"You weren't trying to… go somewhere, were you?"

His mother's sixth sense could sometimes be even sharper than that of a high-ranking Hunter's, Jin-Woo mused inwardly. He flinched just a little, but replied as if nothing was amiss.

"I have a promise to keep, you see."

"A promise? On a day like this?"

"I made that promise a while ago, Mom. I thought that, since that Gate is opening in Japan anyway and it won't affect us, I didn't cancel it."

Mom was still staring at him with unconvinced eyes, though. However, he wasn't lying here, technically speaking.

'In a way, this is a promise I made with the System, isn't it?'

Mom continued to stare at Jin-Woo for a little while longer, before asking her son again.

"I don't have to worry about you, right?"

Jin-Woo replied confidently.

"Of course, Mom."

He worked hard to achieve this strength precisely for that purpose. Mom formed a gentle smile only after looking deeply into Jin-Woo's eyes overflowing with palpable confidence.

"Be careful on your way out, Son."

Jin-Woo smiled refreshingly as well.

"I'll be back soon, Mom."

Jin-Woo got up and left the house pretty soon afterwards.

His family's apartment was located on the ninth floor and, for the first time ever, he got to learn today how slow the elevator taking him to the ground floor was.

He felt anxiety creeping in as his expectation ballooned, wondering just what kind of a dungeon this black key of his would unlock.

Ting.

The elevator door to the ground floor slid open. An ahjussi he'd never seen before raised his head without thinking too much, and their gazes locked for a brief while.

He must've been one of the very few people who didn't know that a rank S Hunter was living in this building, because as soon as he recognised Jin-Woo's face, his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

"HUH???"

Jin-Woo quickly brushed past him and pulled up the hoodie attached to his top. His steps were quick, perhaps owing to the fact that his mind was also racing really fast, too.

Jin-Woo was able to leave the apartment complex in no time at all and while standing on the street, looked all around him.

'….Is this because of the Gate in Japan?'

For some reason, the streets were oddly deserted. But, thanks to that, Jin-Woo didn't have to mind the stares of the surroundings as he leisurely confirmed the information on the black key.

[Item: Key to the Karutenon temple]

Rarity: ??

Type: Key

'You have met the required conditions.'

A key allowing you entry into the Karutenon Temple. It can be used in the designated Gate.

The location of the designated Gate will be revealed after the predetermined time has been reached.

Remaining time: 00:01:02

Only one minute remained now.

'….It's almost here.'

His heart, calmly submerged deep below the cold surface, began to quietly pick up its pace now.

Ba-thump, ba-thump!!

Jin-Woo stood still and focused his hearing on the pulsing beat of his heart while waiting out the remaining minute. He didn't even need his watch, either. The biological clock within him, honed to the extreme, was more accurate than any time measuring device known to man in this world.

'….3, 2, 1.'

Exactly one minute later, Jin-Woo opened his closed eyes.

Click.

[Remaining time: 00:00:00]

[The location where the key can be used will now be made available.]

Jin-Woo's eyes widened greatly.

'Isn't this place….?'

The location of the Gate appearing within the System's message wasn't too far from here. As a matter of fact, he was rather familiar with that place.

Jin-Woo quickly used one of the features his Hunter-only phone possessed to log onto the website of the Hunter's Association, and checked the information on the Gate in question.

Sure enough, its location was exactly where the Association's warning notice, issued some time ago, said it'd be.

He didn't expect the location this key was supposed to 'unlock' would be there. As if someone had smacked him in the back of his head, Jin-Woo felt somewhat dizzy.

'I made a mistake.'

In reality, the key's description wasn't lying to him. The System said that the information on the Gate would be made available, but said nothing about a Gate appearing somewhere.

He got blindsided just now.

Jin-Woo's hands manipulating his phone became a lot busier. He checked the info on the Gate some more, and found out that there was a Guild already busy with clearing it right now. The rank of the Gate in question was 'C'.

'It's not a high rank, but….'

The real problem was with not really knowing what was hidden inside.

'It's a small relief that the location isn't far.'

It was about ten minutes away with a car. If he ran with everything he had, he'd get there in less than 60 seconds. Jin-Woo hid with 'Stealth' and began running at full tilt. He even activated the skill 'Quicksilver' for good measure, too.

His new destination was actually the athletics field of Jin-Ah's former high school. The school remained closed ever since the Orc incident, so there was no danger of unaware civilians getting hurt just in case, but….

'…But, it's the raid team clearing the dungeon in danger, instead.'

Jin-Woo recalled the moments he was visiting that underground temple.

He recalled all those close shaves. He clearly remembered several moments he almost got killed on that day.

But, what was the reason for this? Without a doubt, those were startlingly terrifying memories in his life, but when he looked back, his heart began racing quicker in excitement. Even now.

It probably had something to do with the fact that, inside that temple, Jin-Woo got to feel for the first time what it felt to be alive. Back then, he wasn't some useless, powerless rank E Hunter, but a challenger going up against impossible odds.

In the blink of an eye, he rounded up several streets and the sight of the familiar school was caught in his eyes. He really only needed a few dozens of seconds to arrive at the school.

He stepped through the front gate and spotted the Gate floating in the air just above the athletics field to the side. A handful of Association employees and staff members from the Guild doing the raid were standing around the Gate as if to guard its surroundings.

They were all carrying on in a quiet atmosphere, perhaps because they hadn't heard any news of something major happening inside yet. But that quietness was shattered immediately by Jin-Woo's sudden entrance. Because… he chose to undo his Stealth near the Gate.

"Uh, uh??"

One of the Guild's staff members belatedly discovered Jin-Woo's presence and tried to cut him off.

"You're not allowed in here."

Jin-Woo pulled back his hoodie and revealed himself. And that elicited a loud "Heok!!" from the side.

"It's you!!"

The Association employee immediately recognised Jin-Woo and cried out in surprise. It was the same bespectacled female employee he ran into back when he took care of the rank B Gate that popped up in the middle of the road.

Jin-Woo figured that it'd be quicker to talk to her instead of this Guild staff blocking his way, so he ignored the guy altogether and spoke directly to her.

"You need to stop this raid right now."

"Pardon me??"

She got flustered as she tried to make her reply.

"B-but, the measurement result came out as only C…."

Jin-Woo shook his head and told her in no uncertain terms.

"If you don't stop the raid now, they will all die."

Jin-Woo raised his head and glared at the Gate.

Couldn't these people pick up on that?

An eerie aura so sickening that it gave him goosebumps, was slowly oozing out from the Gate.

Chapter 154 Fin.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

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"How long has it been since they went inside?"

Jin-Woo urgently asked the female Association employee. The longer it had been the deeper these Hunters would've gone inside, and that significantly decreased their odds of returning safely.

The female Association employee answered in her bewilderment.

"It's been about two hours."

Two hours, she said. It was one of those in-between time that could neither be called short nor too long. It was then.

"Who the hell are you? You from the Association??"

The Guild staff member grabbed Jin-Woo by his shoulder and tried to turn him around. It seemed that this guy wasn't happy with this newcomer's attitude. After all, this unknown youngster proceeded to not only ignore him, but he even went on to spew out some pretty abhorrent bullsh*t on top as well.

The strength gripping his shoulder was nothing to write home about, but Jin-Woo still turned around to face the Guild member, regardless.

He figured that, rather than starting a lengthy explanation of containing hundreds of words, simply showing his face once would be far more effective in a situation like this.

"You should answer back when people are ta…."

The Guild staff member's words came to an abrupt halt as soon as he locked gazes with Jin-Woo's eyes.

'Hold up. Haven't I seen this guy's face before, like, a lot?'

But, from where?

The staff member combed through his memories before finally recalling a certain name. He gasped out in disbelief and stuttered out a question.

"H-Hunter S-Seong Jin-Woo?!"

Who'd have thunk that he'd run into a rank S Hunter in front of rank C Gate? Not only that, but he also rudely grabbed the shoulder and glared at such a guy, too??

The Guild staff member was frightened out of his skull and reflexively took his hand away before taking two, three quick steps back.

"I-I'm truly sorry."

Even now, time continued to tick down. There was no time to waste on this Guild Staff; Jin-Woo shifted his gaze back to the female Association employee.

"I'm going inside to bring those people back."

The flustered female employee found herself in a bind now.

This very man walked out with a face full of smiles even when the rank B Gate he entered changed into a Red Gate. But such a person was now telling her in an urgent manner that people inside that seemingly-normal rank C Gate were in great danger.

"Just what is going on here that makes you say that? If you could just explain what…."

"There is no time."

Jin-Woo cut her off.

In all honesty, he could've just maintained 'Stealth' and strode right inside the Gate. In fact, there were many ways to distract these people and walk inside the Gate unnoticed.

The sole reason why he didn't do so was because he had no idea what might happen in there. He chose to cover his bases to some degree so he could avoid getting swept up in annoying problems later down the line.

The female employee's lips bobbed up and down several times. She was in a genuine dilemma now.

Would it be fine to let a Hunter waltz right into a Gate without any clear evidence, when another Guild had officially been sanctioned to raid it in the first place? Originally, something like that would have been unimaginable.

However, seeing the light in Jin-Woo's eyes, she couldn't bring herself to say no.

"….Please, go in."

"I'll see you later."

Jin-Woo nodded once to her and ran inside the Gate right away.

[You have entered a dungeon.]

He quickly located various corpses of monsters with their magic crystals removed, discarded here and there on the dungeon's floor.

The thing was, there wasn't that much loot to find in lower ranked dungeons. Which was quite different from higher ranked ones, where the remains of the monsters alone would fetch quite a sum of money.

The only real source of income found within low ranked dungeons was the magic crystals. And this scene was a rather familiar sight to him.

Jin-Woo closed his eyes and concentrated. For some reason, he couldn't sense the presence of the raid team.

'Could they already have been….?'

Jin-Woo quickly shook his head. Even if he was too late, magic energy still leaked out from the bodies of the freshly deceased. But he couldn't even pick up on that magic energy.

Jin-Woo quietly studied the interior of the dungeon, before a certain sense of deja vu hit him. Indeed, this place seemed familiar for some reason.

He had seen a dungeon like this one before.

'….Ah.'

If his memories served him right, then this dungeon was roughly the same in layout as the dual dungeon he got his powers from.

'If that's that case….'

Jin-Woo quickly made his way over to where the entrance of the dual dungeon was last time. And sure enough, there was another 'entrance' within the dungeon.

'It's the same as before.'

Only then did he realise why he couldn't sense the presence of the raid team's Hunters.

'This dungeon… it was nonsensically huge, wasn't it?'

That was the case back then. Sure, it was the walking speed of low-ranked Hunters, but still, they needed almost one hour to get to that strange doorway.

If this dungeon's structure was similar to the one he knew, then it'd not be all that surprising for the Hunters to be really far away now. And, it was also almost impossible to sense the presence of the Hunters who possessed only a negligible amount of magic energy individually.

Jin-Woo looked deeper into the cavern.

There was only one path. And, just like back then, it was enshrouded in total darkness.

But he wasn't worried. His Perception Stat he pushed to the extremes, showed him the path within that inky blackness. Jin-Woo's eyes glowed in a pale, cold hue like those animals of the night caught on camera.

'I can see it.'

His eyes rapidly got used to the lack of light and he could see one object after the other hidden within the darkness.

'Fuu-woo….'

Jin-Woo took a short but deep breath before shooting forward like a bullet. The background images fell back in an instant, over and over again.

It was indeed one long passageway. Even then, his speed was fast and he didn't need a lot of time to get to his destination.

'And we had to walk for one hour in this place back then…..'

What dramatic progress he made when compared to the first time he walked on this road.

Soon enough, he could sense the presence of people up ahead. They were the Hunters of the raiding party. They were also standing around in one spot.

Jin-Woo initially thought that they were involved in a battle or were all dead, but thankfully that wasn't it. When he got close enough, he could hear their voices.

"You wanna go back when we came this far??"

Taht.

When Jin-Woo stopped not too far from them, he heard some words that sounded oddly familiar and let a wry chuckle leak out of his mouth.

What a relief it was, though. It seemed that these people hadn't stepped foot inside yet. If they did, then they wouldn't even have enough time to waste their breaths on useless banter like this.

He heard a woman's voice next.

"So, what do you want to do, then? The door didn't budge even when we poured magic on it."

"Wouldn't it be better to go back outside and get the cooperation of a larger Guild?"

"Yeah, I think that might be for the better."

These people were busy arguing back and forth in front of the door that would not open regardless of their efforts.

Jin-Woo could understand where they were coming from. After discovering that this was actually a dual dungeon, they must've been dreaming of getting their hands on an untold amount of wealth. Meaning, they would never choose to go back empty-handed after walking non-stop for nearly one hour.

However, here was the surviving witness from that time. Jin-Woo could confidently say the truth out aloud without any reservation.

"This is a trap, everyone."

Hunters hadn't picked up on Jin-Woo's presence well until he was near their position. Understandably, they were jolted back to their senses from a sudden voice coming out from the darkness behind them.

"Oh my gosh!! That surprised me!"

"W-what the heck? Who are you?"

Jin-Woo pointed at the steel door he had seen before with his chin and replied.

"I'm a survivor of a dual dungeon incident."

A survivor of a dual dungeon incident?

Hunters exchanged glances and whispered softly among themselves. Because it was so dark inside, they needed a little bit of time to recognise Jin-Woo's face.

"…Uh?"

"What?"

"Isn't he Hunter Seong Jin-Woo??"

"What was that?"

The attention of the raid team members descended upon the Hunter who identified Jin-Woo. And the next direction their gazes shifted to was, naturally, Jin-Woo's face.

"N-now that you mention it…"

"It's really him??"

"But, but, why would a rank S Hunter even come here?"

Jin-Woo strode closer towards the doorway. Hunters surrounding the unknown door parted ways to make room for him. He lightly placed his palm on the door and spoke to the Hunters.

"I know what's behind this door."

Jin-Woo was overcome with a reminiscence of the past as he finally got to stand before this very doorway after what felt like a genuinely long, long time.

This place was the location the System had invited him to.

For the sake of these Hunters, as well as for himself, he couldn't have any uninvited guest loitering around. Jin-Woo turned around and looked at each of the Hunters present, before speaking up with a heavy voice.

"This place is incredibly dangerous. I'll take care of things from now on, so please, you must return outside."

Noisy, noisy….

The surroundings became rather chaotic.

If it weren't for the fact that Jin-Woo was a super-famous rank S Hunter, these people might have exploded in dissatisfaction right away, as the looks on their faces attested to that.

Out of all of them, the man who earlier stated that he couldn't go back empty-handed, just had to step forward to say something.

"Excuse me, Seong Hunter-nim."

He just so happened to be the Master of this small-to-medium Guild who had been pushing forward with this raid.

"We at the Bravery Guild bought the permit to raid this dungeon fair and square. You simply don't have any right to tell us to leave."

"T-that's right! Being a rank S isn't everything, you know!"

Jin-Woo closed his mouth in a straight line as his reply to the opposition coming from these Hunters.

They were behaving this way, even though he was doing them a favour and was trying to help them. However, that didn't mean he was planning to explain the situation to them one by one, either.

'I don't have the obligation to do that, anyway.'

He had done what he could do for these people. So, Jin-Woo decided to leave it for them to choose for themselves.

If he were honest, he wasn't so keen on that idea either, because he still remembered the terrible cost he and his fellow bottom-dwelling Association Hunters had to pay when they made the same decision as these people were about to make.

Jin-Woo wordlessly faced the door and tried to turn the doorknob.

Thunk!

Jin-Woo pushed down, but even with his Strength Stat, it didn't want to budge.

'Does it have some kind of restrictive magic?'

Without that, measly steel door like this would've moved already by now.

It was then – along with that familiar 'Tti-ring!', a new System message appeared before his eyes.

[The door to the Karutenon temple is currently locked.]

[Please use the key provided.]

'Ah, so that's why I needed the key.'

Jin-Woo took out the black key. Simply by him slotting it in the keyhole, the door slid open all on its own volition.

Clunk.

The raid team members of the Bravery Guild had already confirmed how tightly locked the door was before he got here. So, when such a stubbornly-locked door opened easily like that, their collective brows shot up in shock.

'Heok?!'

'What the heck? How did he open it?'

Jin-Woo ignored their whisperings and spoke to them in a cold voice.

"I won't try to stop you. If you want to follow me inside, then go ahead."

Of course, he didn't forget to warn them, too.

"However, you must remember that it'll be hard for you to come back out alive if you decide to do so."

That one sentence managed to freeze these Hunters to their spots. This was advice given by a rank S Hunter. Who'd scoff at that and ignore it?

However, the Master of the Bravery Guild still stepped forward as if he was trying to act according to the name of his organisation.

"I'll go in."

Jin-Woo didn't reply to that.

It was up to them to make the choice. He was going to let them bear the cost of their decision, as well.

The Guild Master looked back to his raid team members while walking towards the doorway, but none of them followed after him, only choosing to sheepishly look at each other's reactions. The Guild Master glared at his so-called comrades with disproving eyes and eventually stopped before the door.

In order to make it easier for him to enter, Jin-Woo opened the door slightly wider.

Rumble-!

The heavy-looking door moved without too much trouble.

There was a look of determination writ large on the Guild Master's face when Jin-Woo briefly met his gaze. His hesitation lasted only for a few moments; after mustering up enough courage, he took a step inside.

It was then.

Several messages cascaded up in front of Jin-Woo's view.

Tti-ring, tti-ring, tti-ring!!

[An individual not holding the key has entered the temple.]

[This entry has been disapproved.]

[Failure to comply will result in the immediate retaliation from the gatekeepers.]

Several dangerous-sounding, important messages popped up, but as these Hunters were not a 'Player', their eyes and ears failed to see or hear the warnings. Only Jin-Woo could hear the warnings of the System.

The completely-unaware Guild Master took yet another step forward, and then….

SWISH-!!

….A large hammer fell on top of his head.

Crash!!

The hammer smashed down to the ground and shattered the stone slab into pieces.

"Keok!!"

If it weren't for Jin-Woo hurriedly yanking at the scruff of the Guild Master's shirt and pulling him out, his head would've ended up in that state, instead.

"Uwa, uwaaahk?!"

The Guild Master freaked out as the gatekeepers reached out to him. Jin-Woo grabbed the hapless Hunter and tossed him outside the door before closing it quickly.

"Things found inside are all like that."

Jin-Woo turned around to face the other Hunters.

"So, you still want to go inside?"

The Guild Master on the ground shook his head like a madman. His fellow Guild members quickly helped him up and they escaped from there, double time.

Only after confirming that the Hunters had left for good, Jin-Woo made his way back inside.

Tti-ring.

[The holder of the key has entered.]

Slam.

The door closed shut behind him with a loud thud.

The massive scale of this chamber; stone statues filling up the walls; and then, the huge statue of a 'god' located in the deepest recess of this chamber.

Everything matched his memories.

'I've… returned.'

His heart began pounding really fast.

However, there was also a clear difference from back then, as well. That would be none other than himself. The current Jin-Woo, different from his past self, could easily decipher the truth of these stone statues now.

'These statues are not monsters, nor are they lifeforms to begin with.'

No, they were just puppets tied to strings, connected to something else.

There was only one creature emitting magic energy within this chamber. Even then, it was concealing its magic energy so expertly that, even Jin-Woo found it impossible to directly sense it. He could only trace the ominous and eerie aura, instead.

Jin-Woo slowly walked over to that b*stard in question.

"So, you were the real one, huh."

Jin-Woo tried to engage it in conversation, but the creature didn't display any reactions whatsoever.

"Oh, so you want to play it like that now, huh?"

The corners of Jin-Woo's lips arched up.

He suddenly raised his speed greatly and stabbed the shortsword into the chest of the 'creature'.

But then….

Crack!

His attack was stopped by the stone tablet the creature was holding.

The blade of the shortsword deeply stabbed into the tablet.

There was only one stone statue among many in here that held a stone tablet.

"….Finally."

The stone statue with six wings on its back looked at Jin-Woo over the stone tablet with a grin etched on its face and spoke.

"You've arrived."

Tokyo, Shinjuku.

Monsters began walking out one by one from the Gate, as tall as the high-rise skyscrapers.

Thud.

Thud.

"Heok…."

"W-what the hell are those?"

These monsters were Giants. Monsters often serving as bosses in many of the highest-difficulty rank A Gates were pouring out like common creatures now.

"Giants!!"

"It's the Giants!!"

While every observer watching this spectacle was freaking out and was taking hasty steps back, only Yuri Orlov remained calm as he took another swig from his flask.

'There's no problem if it's only this much.'

These monsters were scary enough to bring a chill down anyone's spine. However, Yuri Orlov was deeply confident of the barrier he had created.

"Come at me!"

And, his prediction proved to be right on the money.

Boom!

Bang!!

Giants began pounding on the invisible 'wall' surrounding the vicinity of the Gate, but it stood firm and didn't even budge an inch at all.

Boom!! Bang!!

They pushed with their shoulders, and even threw their entire bodies against the wall, but Yuri Orlov's barrier formation proved to be as perfect as he claimed earlier.

"Euhahahahaha!!"

Yuri Orlov exploded in a fit of laughter while ridiculing the Giants trapped behind the barrier. About 30 minutes passed by like that.

The Giants must've been tired out after going on a rampage to break the barrier, because they suddenly began walking back into the Gate. People witnessing that scene all cried out in pure shock.

"Oh, my god!!"

"Monsters coming out of the dungeon break are going back inside the Gate?!"

Such a thing was completely inconceivable. Not one person present here ever heard of anything like this before. These reporters with their countless years of experience were now operating their cameras non-stop, as if they were left feeling truly exhilarated by the unfolding spectacle.

And when the last Giant walked back inside the Gate, the Association President Matsumoto Shigeo stood up from his seat and hurriedly clapped his hands.

Clap, clap, clap, clap!

Not too long after that, the lone clapping sounds became many, and it morphed into excited cries, and eventually, transformed into loud cheers of joy.

Waaaaaah-!!!

Receiving the passionate adulations and cheers of everyone present, Yuri Orlov turned around to face the throng of the reporters.

"Only I can do this! I am the one blocking a rank S Gate!"

Thick veins bulged on his neck as he made his declaration.

"That guy who hunted down a couple of those measly ants, and this great me who shoved those giants back inside the Gate!! You don't need me to tell you who's even more amazing, right?"

He didn't even bother to hide his face now getting even redder from the influence of booze, and toothily grinned at the reporters, his gold-plated teeth fully on display for all to see.

But then, this happened.

THUD!

The ground rumbled hard quite suddenly.

THUD!!!

Even the tanks on standby bounced up and down.

Only then did Yuri Orlov realise that the reporters were no longer looking at him. No, their gazes were unilaterally focused on the Gate. The Russian also slowly looked behind him.

And then…. the flask he held in his hand slipped out of his grasp.

'Oh, oh my god….."

Yuri Orlov's eyes grew wider and wider.

A truly humongous Giant that made the previous Giants small by comparison, stepped out of the Gate and stood straight up.

Indeed, it was standing upright after exiting from the huge rank S Gate.

Yuri Orlov blinked his eyes several times, unable to tell whether this scene playing out was real or not.

'How…. How could there be a monster so big that it needs to crouch to pass through such a humongous Gate???'

No one needed to explain anything, but everyone intuitively knew that they were now looking at the boss monster.

The Giant monster finished standing upright and took a long sweeping look around its surroundings, before slamming into the barrier's walls.

BOOM-!!

Far, far heavier noise than before resounded out and the earth itself began quaking rather precariously.

BOOM-!! BOOM!! BOOM-!!

Yuri Orlov's eyes could clearly see everything. And that would be the sight of the magic barrier only he could see, gaining spiderweb-like cracks.

'How can this be…..'

His legs began shaking uncontrollably.

The Giant monster pushed hard at the wall with its shoulder, before taking several steps back as if it realised that was enough. It sprinted at full tilt and threw its entire body at the barrier.

It was then!

KA-BOOM-!!!

The sound of an explosion filled up the air as the motes of light illuminating the magic circle on the ground dissipated away.

"Uwa-uwaaaahhk?!?!"

Yuri Orlov started screaming around at the same time.

The Giant monster, as soon as it destroyed the invisible wall, reached down and picked up the Russian still trying to send in his magic energy to the barrier.

Now caught within the Giant's hand, Yuri Orlov screamed out as bone-breaking pain wrecked his entire body. He desperately thrashed around.

"Uwaaaah!! Uwaaahahhk!!"

Gulp.

However, his screams could no longer be heard when the Giant monster opened its mouth again.

And then….

Behind the Giant monster that swallowed Yuri Orlov in one go, all those Giants that returned back to the Gate were pouring out again.

Chapter 155 Fin.

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Creak, creak!

The stone statue began moving as weird creaking noises came out from its various joints. Jin-Woo glared at this 'creature'.

There were several differences between this guy and the other stone statues, but the biggest one had to be the wings attached to its back, which made it look somewhat like an angel.

Indeed, this guy was the only one among the statues designed to resemble an angel. Not just any angel either, but one with six wings on its back, too.

The angel statue slowly stood up from its sitting position and straightened its bent back. As it turned out, it was over three metres tall.

Paht!

Jin-Woo quickly retreated and summoned the second shortsword into his other hand, before lowering his stance to get ready.

When he made up his mind to fight against that thing, every single strand of sensory receptors on his body awakened in full; every part of himself, from his mind to all corners of his body, had become fully optimised for the upcoming battle.

However, the angel statue showed no signs of wiping that smile off its face, even though it must've clearly sensed Jin-Woo's desire to fight. That smile was so disgusting and unnatural that it sent a shiver down his spine.

The angel statue took a look at the stone tablet damaged by the shortsword and simply tossed it away, as if it meant nothing to the 'creature'.

….As if, it was doing the most obvious thing in the world.

Crack!

The stone tablet clattered on the floor and shattered into countless pieces. The angel statue stiffly laughed as it took in the sight of the now-useless tablet.

"….Hahaha."

Jin-Woo narrowed his eyes.

'So, from the very beginning…..'

Just then, he realised that there was no meaning behind them from the very beginning. That stone tablet, and the so-called laws written on it, none of them meant anything.

'If not, there's no way that thing would've treated it so recklessly.'

In that case, just what exactly was this place? And what did this thing want from him?

'And….'

All those quests, levelling up, instant dungeon keys, etc. All those strange events that took place after he left this temple – what did they even signify?

Finally, an opportunity to get the answers for all of his burning questions had come. When he thought like that…

Ba-thump, ba-thump, ba-thump!!

His heart began madly pounding away in his chest. Usually, it beat in a regular rhythmic pulse most of the time. But now, right at this moment, it shook and rumbled and revved harder than a race car's engine.

'This thing knows everything.'

Jin-Woo didn't lower his vigilance and threw out a question in a low voice.

"Were you the one calling me here?"

Jin-Woo was asking about what the statue's relationship with his System was through that question.

"That's correct."

The angel statue moved its individual fingers before carrying on.

"You have done well to get here."

Next up, its neck. The 'creature' rotated its head from side to side.

Creeeak.

Creak.

The d*mn thing was busy loosening itself. It didn't take a genius to tell why it was loosening up like that.

Now normally, Jin-Woo wouldn't hesitate to get the first strike in when finding himself in a situation like this one. However, he was making an exception this time.

He had far too many questions to ask this angel statue and didn't want to end the little conversation that he got going here.

Jin-Woo threw out another question.

"Are you a monster?"

The waves of magic energy being emitted from the angel statue were certainly different from the ones emitted by the regular monsters.

However, meaning behind the term 'monster' was simply created by humans for their own convenience. If that term was used to denote a true monster, then yes, that statue was without a doubt, a real 'monster'.

A stone statue that could speak and move around – where would anyone even hope to find a monster more monster-ish than that?

So, what Jin-Woo wanted to find out here was whether this thing was in cahoots with the regular monsters or not.

Craaack.

Creak.

The angel statue bent down to loosen up its back before standing straight up again.

"That's the wrong question to ask."

"Rather than asking what I am, you should be asking what you are, instead."

Jin-Woo was frozen for a brief moment there, but he couldn't stay flustered for long.

Clap!

The sound of the angel statue clapping its hands wiped all distracting thoughts out of his head.

"Well, then. This will be your final test."

The smile was long gone from the angel statue's face as it finally finished loosening up.

"If you still manage to stand on two feet by the end of the test, then everything you wished to know will be revealed to you. That…."

The angel statue snapped its fingers, and almost immediately, a red glow appeared within the eyes of the countless stone statues within the temple.

"….Will be my reward to you."

It was then.

Every single head of the stone statues densely packed into this chamber all snapped in Jin-Woo's direction.

Thud.

And they all uniformly stepped off their pedestals.

Clack!

All the statues raised the weapons in their grasp.

Jin-Woo swept his gaze around the stone statues. Even if they were puppets, they still seemed quite tough opponents to deal with. He actually almost died several times because of them in the past, too, didn't he?

Jin-Woo remained calm as he summoned out his Shadow Soldiers.

'Come out.'

But, then….

Tti-ring!

[For the duration of the final test, all of your Class-specific skills have been sealed.]

[Usage of various potions and the Store's functions have been prohibited, and status recovery effects from levelling up and quest completion bonuses will be inapplicable during the duration of the test.]

[You can not exist this chamber until the end of the final test.]

'What??'

Jin-Woo's forehead creased up as mechanical beeps continued to go 'Tti-ring, tti-ring' in his ears, but even those lasted for only a short while. Because the stone statues had begun sprinting towards him right then.

Their movements were eerily silent, yet also incredibly fast as well. This was on a whole new level compared to back when he faced down hundreds of 'knights' during the Class Advancement test.

'Oh, so you want to play it like this, is that it?'

All the hidden cards he had come prepared with, just in case – various potions, quest rewards, etc. – had become useless in one fell swoop. The System had been with Jin-Woo ever since the beginning, and knew how he operated the best.

'In that case, I shall overcome this with nothing but my own power!'

Jin-Woo firmed up his resolve and gripped his shortswords even tighter.

The easiest way to get out of this dangerous situation was to eliminate the main body enabling the stone statues to move. And that would be the angel statue. However, he'd not be able to get what he wanted if the angel statue was killed off. So, that would have to be consigned as the final resort for now.

For the time being, he decided to go along with this 'test' thing the statue talked about.

'And that is why, I….'

….That was why he never stopped getting stronger right up until now.

He never once stopped polishing his skill levels, just so he could achieve everything he aimed for regardless of what sort of situations tried to hinder him.

Fuu-whoop-!

Jin-Woo spat out white-hot air from his nostrils and mouth.

The things he initially couldn't see, the stuff he had missed when he first set foot in this place began entering his field of vision. His naked eyes could chase the movements of the stone statues that looked like instant teleportation to him back then.

'From my left.'

His shortsword blocked the spear of the stone statue stabbing forward from his left.

CLANG!!

'Left, again.'

Another stone statue launched itself in the air by stepping on the shoulders of the statue with the spear, and slammed down with a war axe.

It was inefficient to defend against an attack falling from above head-on, so Jin-Woo tilted his body halfway to the side and let the axe simply brush past him.

Kwa-boom!!

Broken bits of rock spat up from the floor, now shattered by the force of the axe. Meanwhile, Jin-Woo powerfully kicked the face of the axe-wielding stone statue.

Ka-boom!!

The moment its head came in contact with his foot, it got crushed into fine powder. However….

Swish-!

Jin-Woo bent backwards and dodged an arrow. It flew straight past him and got embedded in the wall on the far side.

He didn't even have time to feel happy about eliminating one enemy – the proper assault was only just beginning now.

'Right.'

This time, it was a sword.

Swish-!

Clang!

Jin-Woo used his physical strength to shove away the blocked sword of the statue and at the same time, drew a diagonal line in the air with the shortsword held in his other hand.

Tuk!

The stone statue, now missing an arm, fell away while writhing around as if it could feel crippling pain.

From his left, right, right, left, front, front, right, and left.

'I can do this.'

The more he concentrated on the battle, the slower the movements of the stone statues became. On the other hand, his own movements got progressively faster and faster.

It was then – he sensed a chill right behind his neck.

'Behind me!'

Jin-Woo jumped up above the head of the stone statue trying to ambush him from behind and while still in the air, easily sliced its head off.

Slice!

He let his Perception Stat cover him from the enemies that tried to attack him in his blindspots.

Ha-ah!

His exhaled breath exploded out.

His body, trained to the absolute limit, and every cell within his flesh, were reacting to the movements of these stone statues. Light burned fiercely within his eyes.

He began gradually thinning out the horde of the statues while blocking, slapping away or shaking off their persistent, annoying attacks.

'As if, for this very moment….'

It felt as if the 'Demon King's Shortswords' were solely created for this moment. He held them tightly in his hands and easily sliced up the limbs and body parts of the statues made out of solid stone.

Jin-Woo sensed his body, his mind, his cells and even his shortswords become a single entity. He endlessly moved, fleeted in and out, and continued to slither around without rest.

The angel statue, silently observing Jin-Woo's remarkable movements with a great deal of interest, began to shudder greatly.

'How could he move like that with the physique of a mere human…..?'

The smile that was gone momentarily on the angel statue's face was back in full force now. It knew it had made the right choice.

However – it was still far, far too early to end the test.

The angel statue looked behind itself. With that, the eyes of the humongous statue of the god sitting on the throne and silently waiting for its turn, began glowing an eerie crimson hue.

It gripped the armrests of the throne tightly and slowly lifted up its unimaginably huge frame.

Kuuuggguuuuuugung!!!!

Because it was so gigantic, simply seeing it stand up sent shivers down one's spine.

THUD.

The god statue took its first step, and the vast interior of the temple shook hard from the resulting noise.

THUD, THUD, THUD.

The god statue's strides were so enormous that it didn't need to walk for long before arriving where Jin-Woo was. The rubble of the fallen stone statues was forming small mountains all around him by then.

The god statue stopped walking in front of him and raised its right arm.

It was also around this time that Jin-Woo, in the midst of a maddened melee among the stone statues, felt something change around him.

He realised that the surroundings had become dark for some reason and raised his head.

A giant descending palm was rapidly filling up his entire vision. The god statue slapped down on the ground as if it couldn't care any less about the well-being of the stone statues surrounding Jin-Woo.

RUMBLE-!!

He hurriedly flung himself away to get out of the range of that gigantic palm strike. He rolled on the ground several times, before shooting right back up on his two feet. His expression hardened as he glared at the god statue.

'Right, there was that guy, too.'

This was definitely the case of one headache after another.

Jin-Woo lowered his gaze to see around a hundred or so still-surviving stone statues busy sprinting towards him right this very moment. These tireless enemies arrived in front of his nose in no time at all.

He lightly tipped away the iron mace flying his way at a frightening speed with the end of his shortsword; he then slid forward as if he was skating on ice and sliced off the head of the mace-wielding statue.

Thud.

As if the head of the statue crashing to the ground was the signal, the rest of the statues following right behind pounced on Jin-Woo like a pack of wild, but well-organised, animals. However, the truly dangerous opponent wasn't one of these statues.

It felt as if every hair on his body was standing up straight. Jin-Woo flinched in nasty shock and hurriedly raised his head.

Sure enough, the bone-chilling red light was coagulating in the two eyes of the god statue.

'Dodging it…. it's too late for that.'

His brain quickly calculated that his escape routes would be blocked off by the stone statues if he were to make a wrong move now. The odds of him getting melted down to nothing by that laser beam or whatever would be too high for his liking if that happened.

'In that case….'

Jin-Woo quickly put the shortsword down and immediately extended his now-empty left hand at the stone statues pouncing on him.

'Ruler's Reach!!'

Five of the stone statues got caught in the skill 'Ruler's Reach' and were stacked up together in the air.

Tti-ring!!

[Skill: 'Ruler's Reach' has been upgraded to its ultimate version, Skill: 'Ruler's Authority'.]

'Nice!'

Too bad, he still didn't have a single second of leeway to bask in the happiness of his skill getting an upgrade right now. Jin-Woo quickly moved the make-shift shield made from the stone statues into the trajectory of the god statue's glare.

Buzzzzing-!!

Just as he expected, red laser beams shot out from the eyes of the god statue.

Chiiiiii-jick!

It didn't even take one second for the shield made out of the stone statues to melt away, but Jin-Woo successfully used that brief respite to safely get out of the attack range of that beam.

He withdrew the skill 'Ruler's Authority', and the smouldering remnants of the statues dropped to the floor.

Tumble-!

Jin-Woo rapidly revised his battle plan as he confirmed the power of the god statue capable of completely evaporating these stone statues.

'As I thought, getting rid of the god statue should be my priority.'

His next goal had been set now. Before the god statue could fire the second laser beam attack, Jin-Woo kicked the ground hard and dashed forward.

'Quicksilver!'

Tadadadadadaht-!!!

Jin-Woo's movement was already fast, but with that skill activated, his speed immediately shot past what the god statue could actually follow with its perception.

Jin-Woo arrived at the foot of the god statue in the proverbial blink of an eye and tensed up his leg muscles to the extreme. An unbelievable amount of energy, reserved solely for jumping up, condensed within his crouched position.

He had only one shot.

Without a doubt, it'd become much harder to dodge the red laser beams flying in at a terrifying speed once he was airborne. It was impossible to move freely in the air, after all.

But then again, hadn't he learned that valuable lesson already?

If he weren't willing to take on some risks, then he'd not be able to find himself with any opportunities.

'That is why….'

Jin-Woo's lips shut tight in a straight line as he powerfully leapt up from the ground.

His entire frame flew up like a fired rocket.

'….Just get destroyed already!'

Chapter 156 Fin.

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Jin-Woo arrived at the god statue's eye level instantly.

This was at the highest point of the jump before one's body would begin its descent due to gravity. It felt as if everything around him had come to a stand-still.

The drops of sweat flying off of his body as he jumped sparkled under the light. Although slow, they were definitely getting further away from him.

He was in the state of peak concentration right now. The undeniable threat of losing his life from the smallest mistake pushed all of Jin-Woo's abilities to their absolute limits.

'This is the true power of the Agility Stat….'

His heart pounded hard and fast as the realisation dawned on him that this was what the peak state of the Agility Stat could produce when pushed to the extreme. However, he obviously did not have the leeway to revel in the fruit of his labour.

Even now, the eyes of the god statue were moving towards him, albeit at a crawling speed. Seeing up close the crimson light coagulating within the d*m thing's eyes sent shivers all over his body.

Just getting brushed by that thing would mean his end.

Sensing the dizziness of the danger, his mind re-focused on the task at hand.

'Stay calm…..'

He reached out with his left hand, still not holding any weapon.

'Ruler's Authority!'

The upgraded skill based on 'Ruler's Reach' began pulling at the shoulder of the god statue. He was thinking of reeling himself in, rather than actually dragging the god statue and its incalculable body weight towards him.

Wuuoong-!!

However, his expectation was somewhat shaken up as the upper body of the god statue actually did creep forward just a little.

What an incredible force of attraction that was!

The power of the skill must have gone up several notches when it evolved from 'Ruler's Reach' to 'Ruler's Authority'.

And all thanks to that, Jin-Woo got to land on the god statue's shoulder far easier than he anticipated. He quickly raised his head to look behind him.

Buzzzzing-!

The scarlet-red laser beam exploding out accurately pierced past the location in the air he was floating in, only a moment ago.

'Nice.'

For the next few seconds, he was safe from the god statue's laser beam attacks.

Feeling unburdened now, Jin-Woo sprinted on top of the statue's shoulder with all his might and arrived near its neck. His right hand gripped the hilt of the 'Demon King's Shortsword' tightly.

'Violent Slash!!'

Several silver streaks of blade light rained down on the target like the shells of a shotgun.

Dududududududu-!!

Dozens upon dozens of slashes landed on the statue's neck. However, there was barely any visible damage.

Not one slash managed to inflict a heavy enough wound; they all stopped at simply causing negligible, superficial nicks on the skin.

'So, the shortsword doesn't work, is that it?'

It was that moment that the 'Demon King's Shortsword', previously capable of slicing up the steel-like scales of the boss-level Naga into ragged bits, came across as an insignificant and shabby toy.

It was then.

Jin-Woo discovered a giant hand busy flying in his general direction. Before it could grasp him, though, he ran on the back of the statue's neck and changed his position to the other shoulder.

He took a quick look down as he ran and saw how dizzyingly high he was right now.

He raised his head up and glared at the side of the god statue's face. This god statue wouldn't be the first enemy that his blades failed to inflict any damage. As a matter of fact, he had dealt with a countless number of them so far.

'If I can't stab it, then I'll just pummel it!'

He didn't invest all those Stat points in his Strength Stat just for fun. Jin-Woo's eyes gleamed brightly with determination. He lightly jumped up and thrust his left hand at the temple of the god statue's face.

Crack!!

All five fingers of his left hand dug deep under the surface.

'It's done!'

Jin-Woo clenched his left hand into a fist. With that, he was firmly secured onto the god statue's face like a rock climber hanging onto the surface of a cliff with one hand. All this was simply him getting ready.

The real thing was starting now.

Jin-Woo's right back, his right shoulder, and then his right arm all began to balloon up to an unnatural size. That was the result of an incredible amount of magic energy enveloping his right arm.

As a test, he threw a single punch first.

Ka-boom!!!

The god statue's head, that didn't even budge from the shortsword's attacks, suddenly and visibly trembled.

The angel statue observing the unfolding situation was shocked beyond words from that.

The enormous amount of magic energy spreading out from high up above managed to shake the air within the entire underground temple. The angel statue continued to look up while not even bothering to hide its extremely excited state at all.

To think, that a human would deal with its masterpiece in such a manner.

An even greater level of anticipation bubbled up within the gleaming light of the angel statue's eyes.

Ka-bboooom!!

Jin-Woo's fist punched the god statue's face for the second time.

Stagger.

For a brief moment there, the god statue lost its balance. The attacks were definitely working.

However, the god statue wasn't planning to stand still and not do anything while getting punched to death by him.

Vuwoong-!!

As if it was trying to catch a mosquito, the god statue slapped its own face with that giant hand.

BOOM-!!

Jin-Woo dodged that giant palm strike and safely landed back on the god statue's shoulder, a mocking grin etched on his face now. That was no different from this thing busily slapping itself.

He didn't wait and sprinted back towards the god statue's face as soon as its hand went away. And then….

Boom!! Ka-boom!! Kwang! Kwang!! Kwa-boom!!!

Terrifying, deafening booms reverberated continuously throughout the large dome-shaped temple.

Crack, craaack….

Cracks formed on the face of the god statue and spread all over the surface like a spider's web. The tottering god statue tried its best to maintain its balance before it began running towards one of the walls in this massive, open space.

Thud, thud, thud!!

The 'creature's huge legs viciously stomped on the ground. It was trying to crush Jin-Woo still sticking to its face by ramming into the wall.

'But, before that happens….'

….He'd finish this fight!

Jin-Woo's fist began pounding faster, harder, and with even less mercy onto the face of the god statue.

Kwang!! Kwang!! Kwang!! Kwaaahng!!

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The god statue increased its running speed and the gap to the wall was reduced in seconds.

Sneak.

Jin-Woo confirmed the remaining distance with his eyes and, for the purpose of landing the final blow, sent all of his power to his right arm.

Thick veins bulged on his ballooning arm muscles as a horrifying amount of magic energy filled his limb up.

'….Very good.'

The physical strength of a level 103. Jin-Woo poured all of that into this single fist of his. Just before he was about to collide against the wall….

KWA-BOOM!!

CRACK!!!

Along with the loud noise of a ripened watermelon shattering into pieces, half of the god statue's face was blown away. It eventually faltered and fell down on its knees.

RUMBLE-!!

The entirety of the empty dome-shaped arena rumbled spectacularly. And then, the gigantic body of the god statue powerlessly tilted over to the ground.

RUUUMBLE-!!

A thick, choking cloud of dust kicked up into the air as the massive figure collapsed, hard, to the dry ground. Jin-Woo walked out from there while waving away the dust covering up the room like a thick fog.

"Fuu-woo."

Jin-Woo let out a soft sigh under his breath.

Ba-thump, ba-thump, ba-thump….

Even now, the sound of his wildly beating heart noisily rang around in his ear canals. The god statue that nearly made him wet his pants the first time he stood before it, had fallen face down on the ground, unmoving.

No one else did that. He was responsible for this spectacle.

'I can definitely do this.'

….Regardless of what that was.

He recalled the Hunters who lost their lives inside here and a powerful emotion welled up from deep within his heart. Unfortunately, the remaining stone statues continued to move quickly, as if they didn't want him to have this quiet moment to himself.

They surrounded him in a circle and closed the distance. Just before they were about to pounce on him, though….

Jin-Woo stopped looking at his two hands… and raised his head.

"Ruler's Authority."

BOOM-!!

Every single stone statue slammed their heads down on the floor and stopped moving altogether. This was the power of the invisible hand, also known as the skill 'Ruler's Authority'.

Jin-Woo returned his gaze back to his hands.

'I've become even stronger through today's battle.'

He clenched his fists and unfurled them, before repeating his actions again.

An incredible power was overflowing out of his fists, no, from his entire body. He could clearly sense this flow of power now.

At the same time, his heart showed no signs of slowing down at all. It felt as if something sleeping deep within him had awakened through this life-or-death struggle.

It was then.

Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap.

He heard slow handclaps. Jin-Woo raised his head in the direction of that clapping noise. The angel statue was clapping its hands in an exaggerated manner, that repulsive smile still etched on its face.

"Truly excellent."

Quite unlike the words leaving its mouth, though, the light oozing out of its eyes were of rather nefarious origins. Jin-Woo calmly spoke to the statue.

"Don't you have an agreement to uphold, first?"

The d*mn thing clearly announced that, as long as Jin-Woo managed to stand on his two feet after the end of this final test, all the answers he wanted to know would be provided to him.

So, he wanted to hear them right now.

Unfortunately, a stiff smile formed on the angel statue as if it had no intentions of letting him know that easily.

"Hah, hah."

It took a step closer to him.

"Your test isn't finished yet."

Then, another step closer.

"In here…."

Yet another step.

The angel statue closed the distance with several large strides and eventually stood before Jin-Woo's nose.

"….I'm still here, aren't I?"

Dududuk, dudududuk!!!

The lengthy wings on the back of the angel statue suddenly twisted and writhed around before transforming into arms. Two arms coming out of its shoulders, and six more sprouting from its back – eight hands in total began clenching into tight fists.

"I am your final test."

Jin-Woo frowned deeply. Before he could say anything, though – the angel statue cut him off.

"There is no need to worry about my 'life'."

Flinch.

Jin-Woo's eyes widened in surprise. This thing knew what he wanted to say in advance. He was about to raise his voice in irritation, telling the creature that its death would result in him not getting any answers in the end.

"Are you surprised?"

The angel statue raised one of its hands and pointed at its own head.

"All of your information is in here.'

'….Could it be?'

Cold sweat drops rapidly formed on Jin-Woo's forehead.

"As expected of a quick-witted human. Hah, hah."

The angel statue issued out more of that stiff, mechanical laughter. And then, carried on with what it wanted to say.

"If you try to control your power to prevent me from dying, that will make it difficult to properly measure your true strength. So, to prevent that…"

Right in that moment – the angel statue's lips moved at a quick pace.

However, the voice of the angel statue didn't come out from there. It came out from somewhere else.

[An 'Emergency Quest' has been issued.]

[If you fail to defeat the enemy within the designated time limit, your heart will stop operating altogether.]

[Remaining time: 10:00]

Just as the quest message finished saying its piece, one second ticked down from the remaining time.

Tick.

[Remaining time: 09:59]

Jin-Woo's eyes began trembling hard as he stared at the angel statue.

"That's right."

[That's right.]

Whenever the angel statue spoke, he also heard the System's voice at the same time as well.

Jin-Woo's heart that seemed to have recovered some calmness just now began madly pounding away again. His breathing quickened and his fingertips trembled.

The angel statue studied Jin-Woo's reaction before answering one of the very first questions he asked earlier – "What are you?"

"I am the architect of the System."

[I am the architect of the System.]

"Mister Kim, you're a reporter. There's a dungeon break happening in Japan right now, so is it okay for you to be camping out here like this?"

Woo Jin-Cheol threw that question out as if he was feeling greatly annoyed by something at the moment.

The reporter named Kim yawned grandly while scratching the area around his sideburns.

"That place is already packed full of other reporters. Nothing will change even if I show up there, wouldn't you agree? It'll be better for me to stick with the folks of the Monitoring Division and get myself a scoop or two."

Woo Jin-Cheol was tempted to advise this reporter that he should either stick to yawning or scratching his face, but gave up and sighed inwardly.

This was because Kim was one of a very few reporters that wrote favourable articles regarding the Association when everyone else seemed to be hell-bent on 'uncovering' wrongdoings of the organisation or coming up with provocative gossip pieces on the private lives of various Hunters.

'No need to turn an ally into an enemy, now is there….?'

That was why Woo Jin-Cheol was keeping this reporter named Kim company as the latter paid a visit to the Monitoring Division's offices.

Kim finally finished his lengthy yawn and threw a question back.

"Besides that, Chief Woo. Our whole country is going through a bit of upheaval right now, so is it fine for you to be sitting here and doing nothing in the office like this?"

Woo Jin-Cheol closed the cover on the file he was working on and spoke in a soft voice that sounded almost like a gentle sigh.

"Someone has to stay behind to guard his assigned station, you see."

"Ohhh."

Reporter Kim's eyes opened up wider in understanding and replied while quickly pulling out a palm-sized memo pad and a pen.

"You know, that's a cool soundbite. I want to make sure not to miss out on a single word, so can you repeat them for me, please?"

"Mister Kim, you really…."

Woo Jin-Cheol was about to raise his voice higher but with excellent timing, his smartphone went off.

'…Mm?'

It was a call coming from the report centre. If it was a call not coming through the hotline of the Monitoring Division but to his personal phone, then that could only mean the matter at hand wasn't simple in nature.

Woo Jin-Cheol quickly answered the call.

"This is Section Chief Woo Jin-Cheol speaking, Monitoring Division."

– "Chief, we just received a report, sir. Looks like your presence is required on this one."

Woo Jin-Cheol's eyes narrowed to a slit.

"What happened?"

– "Do you remember the high school where those Orcs came out?"

"Did something happen in that place again….?"

– "It doesn't seem like anything major had gone down there yet, but a Gate appearing in that school's athletic field a few days ago turned out to be a dual dungeon, sir."

'A dual dungeon?'

Woo Jin-Cheol's eyes grew wider.

– "But, the thing is…."

It seemed that the employee charged with receiving the reports still had something else to say. Woo Jin-Cheol's voice became more urgent.

"Okay, so what else is there?"

– "I heard that Hunter Seong Jin-Woo has entered the Gate, sir."

Chapter 157 Fin.

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He didn't even have enough time to get surprised.

The angel statue suddenly began its attack. A large, tightly-clenched fist came flying at him like a flash of light.

The attack was coming from too close a distance and its speed was also too fast to evade cleanly – that's what his brain, trained to near-perfection through countless battles, had told him.

Jin-Woo urgently raised his arms to block the attack. It was not an incorrect decision to make, but that didn't mean it was the correct one, either.

SLAM-!!

The power behind that punch was so incredulous that both his legs momentarily became airborne as he flew to the wall on the far side before ungainly crashing into it.

Crack-!!

The debris from the broken wall tumbled down to the floor.

'…Keu-heuk.'

Jin-Woo swallowed back the pained moan. From that unexpected attack, he ended up receiving an unexpectedly large amount of damage. Unfortunately, the angel statue had already arrived in front of Jin-Woo's nose, evidently not keen on giving him any time to reorganise himself.

Boom!!

Jin-Woo tilted his head to the side and evaded the fist of the angel statue. It left a massive hole on the wall behind him, instead.

That was just the beginning.

Jin-Woo's back was up against the wall. The angel statue blocked off his route of retreat and then, its eight fists ruthlessly rained down on him.

Attacks poured down without a single break in between, each punch powerful enough to kill a high-ranking Hunter in a single hit.

Tudududududududu-!!

As time wore on, though – the eyes of the angel statue were growing wider and wider, instead.

'He's… blocking my punches?'

The bombardment of attacks from eight separate arms was being blocked, deflected, or was redirected by just two arms. His movements were so fast that he simply looked like a collection of afterimages now.

The angel statue was inwardly impressed by this display.

From the very beginning, the end result of this battle was already set in stone. No, this was just one of the formalities to go through. And that would be the statue performing a once-over of Jin-Woo for the last time whether he agreed to it or not. Normally, this process itself should have been a rather boring one to go through. But now….

'Isn't this amusing.'

To think, it'd start enjoying a fight against a human like this. The angel statue had never once thought that a mere human could ever be an even match in its long, long life.

The moment its thoughts reached there, a light suddenly flashed in its vision. No, it wasn't actually light.

It was a punch the human threw at the statue.

Boom-!!

Jin-Woo jumped up and threw a punch. It hit the face of the angel statue, resulting in it being unceremoniously deposited on to the ground and rolling away in the dirt. It still stood right back up again, though.

There were minute cracks developing on its still-smiling face.

[Hahah.]

How long had it been since it felt this joyous?

The angel statue was so excited that it began to shudder in regret from the shortness of the remaining time.

"Fuu-woo…."

Jin-Woo managed to land a good-looking hit on the angel statue, but he didn't bother to celebrate his feat. He instead spat out heavy, laboured breaths.

'It's strong.'

Indeed, his opponent was way stronger than any enemy he had faced so far.

This 'thing' introduced itself as the architect of the System.

The questions of why it created the System, why he was chosen as a Player, and just what was going on with this world – the questions he wanted to ask so badly were already forming a small mountain in his head.

'If I want to ask them….'

He needed to prioritise bringing that thing down first. Jin-Woo clenched his fists tightly. It was then.

He felt a warm, sticky liquid sliding down his face. It was his blood.

It was trickling out from a tear on his forehead.

'I guess I didn't dodge everything, huh.'

He thought that he perfectly countered all those attacks, but it seemed that one or two did get through to him. What bad luck it was, his blood seeping into his eye and interfering with his vision.

On the other hand, the enemy was completely fine. It'd be very hard to describe this situation as a good one for him, even if he were to exaggerate somewhat.

'Fighting up close puts me in a disadvantage.'

That was a rather obvious assessment to make. The enemy's physique was several times larger than his, and it also enjoyed the benefit of having six more arms, too.

Realistically speaking, it was nigh impossible to evade or defend against speedy attacks coming in from all sorts of angles. The wound on his forehead attested to that fact.

'In that case.'

It was time to change the look of this battle just a tiny bit.

The moment he made up his mind as thus, the angel statue flew in like an arrow and swung its big fist at him.

Ka-ka-boom!!

The punch sliced open the air and crashed into the wall. It collapsed into countless pieces of rubble. The angel statue tilted its head to the side.

Jin-Woo had taken some distance away from his enemy even before the statue had the chance to consciously realise it.

'I certainly am a match for it in terms of speed.'

So, if he maintained this distance and damaged it from afar….

Jin-Woo immediately activated 'Ruler's Authority' towards the angel statue as it turned around to face him.

Pow!!

The powerful attack pressing down from the sky to the ground!

The technique used to swat the king of the ants, Beru, off the air swooped down on the angel statue's head. However….

Jin-Woo did a quick double take.

The skill that managed to tilt the torso of the massive god statue only managed to tilt the head of the angel ever so slightly. He couldn't be sure, but the opponent seemed to have activated a skill of its own to defend itself. There was no other explanation he could think of other than that one.

'What could it be?'

His confused state couldn't be maintained for long.

[How amusing. So very amusing.]

From some time ago, the angel statue's low voice and the System's mechanical female-like voice were overlapping in his ears. That unnatural combination was really getting on his nerves a bit.

[This is so very amusing.]

The angel extended all of its eight arms out, and the weapons previously held by the stone statues began vibrating on the ground.

'Isn't that….?'

Jin-Woo's eyes widened greatly.

The weapons of the stone statues soon rose up in the air and flew towards the angel. Eight different weapons were now tightly grasped in the angel's eight hands all at once.

'That's Ruler's Reach.'

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the angel statue also knew how to use the skill 'Ruler's Reach'. Its power seemed to be below Jin-Woo's own skill, but whatever the case may have been, he now knew what the angel used to counter the attack earlier on.

Indeed, this thing was not an ordinary opponent at all.

Tick.

Abruptly, Jin-Woo's gaze shifted up.

[Remaining time: 06:19]

And now, he only had roughly six minutes left.

'I need to finish this quickly.'

He learned that long distance attacks weren't going to work. Jin-Woo revised his plan once more and summoned the 'Demon King's Shortsword' again. The other one that he tossed away in a hurry was currently nowhere to be seen.

'Fighting against eight weapons with a single shortsword, is it?'

Ba-thump, ba-thump!!

The more he was pushed to the corner in a fight, the faster his heart beat.

Taht.

The angel statue jumped up high as if it wanted to touch the ceiling, before landing back down in front of Jin-Woo.

Craaack!!

The stone tiles on the floor couldn't endure against the falling statue's momentum and spat out bits of debris as it shattered into countless pieces.

Jin-Woo pointed forward with his shortsword as he felt the small pebbles pelting him on his ankles.

'I can do this.'

He definitely could do this. Jin-Woo stared into the angel statue's eyes and calmly drew his breaths in. Immediately, he felt a chill brush run down his back. Sure enough, eight disparate weapons, such as a sword, a spear, a blade, an axe, a war hammer, etc., flew at his way as if they all possessed individual wills.

Fuu….

Jin-Woo spat out heavy, white-hot breaths, his brows shooting up high.

Under the glare of the interior that was neither too bright nor too dark, the light in Jin-Woo's eyes left behind long shimmering trails that chased after his movements.

Kwagagwahk-!! Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-gwa-gwahk!!

Would blocking countless flying bullets with bullets fired from an opposing gun create a cacophony of noise similar to this?

The deafening roars continued on unabated as Jin-Woo and the angel statue exchanged innumerable attacks and counterattacks in an instant.

Within the world slowed down to a crawl, only these two writhed and struggled mightily as if to rebel against the flow of time itself.

There was no one superior or inferior; just an evenly-matched battle of blades where only one would emerge as the victor. Even then….

'I can feel it.'

Jin-Woo's shoulder moved ever so slightly. The sword wielded by the angel statue brushed past his shoulder with a gap that couldn't be detected by the naked eyes.

He stopped caring about his other eye that couldn't be used anymore. His sensory perception that had exceeded the extreme limits and stepped into a whole new realm helped him to read the trajectories of every weapon his enemy held.

He began dodging every attack the angel statue threw at him by truly paper-thin margins and accurately landed his counters one by one.

More and more wounds appeared on the statue. The angel's speed remained constant, yet Jin-Woo was getting faster and faster.

Naturally, the angel statue was deeply astonished by this.

If it was only for the purpose of a test, there was no reason to go this far. However, this human had managed to draw out the angel's full power.

Indeed, just as the term implied – it had to fight with everything it had.

But then, a human was able to fight evenly against the angel statue going at full tilt?

The angel's puzzled, suspicious eyes began peering deeper into Jin-Woo now. And then, it realised the reason for this.

'It's only by a little, but… it's mixed in there.'

Flinch.

The shoulders of the angel statue trembled in shock. Was that the reason why he could freely wield the immense power so naturally like this?

However, that was also another thing this 'creature' wished for from the beginning, anyway.

Just as the look of elation formed on the angel statue's face, a cleanly sliced off arm flew up into the air. The statue's head was raised up to look at it.

The arm let go of a weapon as it flew away…. it was the angel's right arm.

[Kuuuwaaahhk!!]

Even if this statue was not its real body, the pain still got transmitted in full. The angel statue tottered unsteadily and retreated after losing its arm in the blink of an eye.

[How dare a measly human!]

The colour of the angel statue's eyes reddened in an instant. Its true nature woke up and it forgot its true purpose, its duty, for being here.

[You dare!!]

It cried out in anger, and the fallen, destroyed stone statues all stood right back up.

BOOM!

Even the god statue and its partially-destroyed head began pushing off the ground as well.

Jin-Woo could sense all the enemies being reanimated, but he didn't fall into a panic and simply pounced on the angel statue again.

Clang!!

The four arms of the angel were used to block a single shortsword, yet it was shoved far, far back from the impact force.

Agility, Perception, Strength, and even Stamina – all of Jin-Woo's Stats had far exceeded the expectation of the angel statue.

[Kuwahk!!]

The angel statue roared out like a wild beast, and the reanimated stone statues pounced on Jin-Woo. And so, the fight between every single thing within this temple and the lone human commenced.

Tick.

[03:02]

Even in the midst of all this chaos, the timer was still resolutely ticking down to zero.

Jin-Woo's shortsword sliced away yet another of the angel statue's arms. This time, it was one of the six created out of its wings.

[Kuwaaahhk!!]

Unfortunately, the resistance of the reanimated stone statues was nothing to scoff at.

There were far too many of them surrounding him now and it became too much of a task to dodge every single attack coming his way. He focused on attacking the angel statue and dodged only those attacks that might critically injure him while ignoring the rest.

His HP and Stamina were cut down in double time.

Stab!

A stone statue slammed down with its shield on his left shoulder.

'Keuk!'

Jin-Woo diverted his attention towards this particular statue.

It was preparing to strike for the second time with its shield. Jin-Woo's expression crumpled into something unsightly. He didn't really care about others, but he simply couldn't forgive this b*stard.

Only then did Jin-Woo move slightly away from the angel statue; using the elbow of his left arm not holding a weapon, he stomped the head of the offending statue.

CRACK!

The elbow drop containing magic energy ensured that the statue's head exploded into tiny bits and pieces.

In the meantime, other statues quickly surrounded him and tried to jump on top of him. However, Jin-Woo simply activated his skill and pushed them all away.

'Ruler's Authority!'

BOOM!!

A group of stone statues were flung away as if they were thrown off from the centre of an explosion.

"Pant, pant…."

Unfortunately, even before Jin-Woo had time to catch his breath, the god statue threw its massive fist down on his head. He lightly leapt to his side and avoided it.

Vuuwuong-!!

The gigantic fist only managed to sweep away dozens of stone statues from Jin-Woo's vicinity. He ran in a wide arc to lose the stone statues mindlessly trying to jump on him and approached the angel statue again.

And the angel greeted him with a deeply crumpled expression. That was the expression of pure rage.

For the second time today, Jin-Woo, the angel statue, and the stone statues all fell into a frenzied melee. His blood and sweat danced in the air and flew everywhere. But, all of that lasted only for a brief moment.

Soon, blood and sweat evaporated from the sheer heat generated and red mist rose up from Jin-Woo's shoulders.

The stone statues were forced back, the god statue slammed its fist down, and the arms of the angel statue busily moved about. And in the middle of it all stood Jin-Woo.

[Kuwaaahhk!!]

Another one of the angel's arms flew off, and Jin-Woo's shortsword found itself pressed tightly against the angel statue's neck. Way above both of them, the god statue was about to pound down with its two hands locked together.

Jin-Woo calmly strengthened the arm pressing the blade to the angel statue's neck to cut it off in one go.

At that moment, the angel statue announced its surrender.

[I lost.]

Simultaneously, the god statue and the rest of the stone statues all froze up and stopped moving.

[Your test has ended.]

Tick.

Like a lie, the timer ceaselessly ticking down also froze up along with the angel's words announcing the end of everything.

[Remaining time: 02:11]

Red hot steam was rising up in a fine mist from Jin-Woo's entire body.

Only after confirming that the timer had stopped for real, he lowered his head. His glare was locked onto the angel statue.

"I have a question."

[You can ask anything. I shall answer if it's within my knowledge.]

Rather unexpectedly, the now-expressionless angel statue agreed to his demand without offering any resistance.

Jin-Woo didn't say anything and thought to himself.

When he asked the angel statue 'What are you', the thing mocked him for asking the wrong question.

However, his confusion got more confounded after he heard the identity of this 'thing' from its own mouth, and now, he had more questions than ever before burning a hole in his head.

That was why Jin-Woo decided to heed the advice the angel gave him earlier on and ask the right question.

"Who am I?"

Chapter 158 Fin.

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Chapter 159: Chapter 159

The Hunters of the Monitoring Division arrived on site. There were a total of seven high-ranked Hunters. Woo Jin-Cheol had scrounged up the top elites of the Association that could be mobilised on such short notice.

However, he knew the truth. He knew that this little fighting power would not be of any help to Hunter Seong.

'Even still, for the worst case scenario….'

These Hunters from the Monitoring Division would buy enough time so Hunter Seong would be able to escape from the dangers. They came to this location with such a resolve in their hearts.

"Is that the one, Chief?"

"Looks that way."

Hunters from the Monitoring Division stepped out of the minivan and entered the school's athletics field.

They found the Hunters from the Bravery Guild who had made the report earlier waiting for their arrival. Their expressions brightened once they saw the members of the Monitoring Division.

"Over here, mister agents!"

The Master of the Guild came running and greeted the Hunters of the Monitoring Division. However, Woo Jin-Cheol's gaze remained fixed on that Gate in question.

He could pick up on an ominous aura coming out of it already. Woo Jin-Cheol looked at his subordinates and issued an order.

"Let's hurry."

"Yes, sir."

Their steps became hurried and they crossed the field to arrive before the Gate in a proverbial heartbeat.

But then, Woo Jin-Cheol's steps came to an abrupt halt.

"Chief?"

"Senior?"

The subordinates behind him naturally came to a stop, as well. Woo Jin-Cheol cautiously took off his sunglasses. His hand holding the accessory was trembling imperceptibly.

'This… what the hell is this….?'

He picked up on the utterly horrifying maelstrom of magical energy all around the Gate. As a matter of fact, the magical energy leaking out was so savage and brutal that the space around the portal looked as if it was being distorted to his naked eyes.

He was startled by what he saw and quickly took a step back.

Was this simply an optical illusion, or the sign of an impending ill omen?

He thought that, all of a sudden, a dark veil seemed to be enveloping this Gate from above. He had seen this somewhere before. It was the looming shadow of death.

All the hair on the back of his neck stood up.

Woo Jin-Cheol instinctively knew it.

He knew that the fight taking place inside was not something he or his boys could possibly butt in on.

The subordinates saw his complexion getting paler and gasped out in surprise. They hurriedly asked him.

"Section Chief?? Are you alright?"

Rather than an answer, Woo Jin-Cheol threw out a question, instead.

"Is there a… major Guild with a team ready for a raid nearby?"

One of his subordinates checked the Association's database and quickly made his reply.

"Yes, sir. The Hunters Guild is getting ready for a raid at the moment."

"What about their two rank S Hunters?"

"According to the data, both Choi Jong-In and Cha Hae-In Hunter-nims are scheduled to partake in the raid, sir."

Choi Jong-In and Cha Hae-In. If it were those two, then they might be able to do something.

Woo Jin-Cheol shifted his gaze back to the Gate. That imperceptible trembling that started from his hand had slowly but steadily spread out to the rest of his body.

Gulp.

Dry saliva slid down his throat all on its own.

Woo Jin-Cheol barely managed to rein his trembling voice and spoke to his subordinate.

"Send… the emergency cooperation request to the Hunters Guild."

He finally asked it.

Just as the angel statue had recommended it, he changed his question from "What are you?" to "Who am I?"

In that short moment, Jin-Woo's heavy and laboured panting relaxed to his usual rhythmic breathing. The sound of his breaths was so measured and calm that it was hard to believe he was involved in a fierce life-or-death battle just now.

Even his panting shoulders had stopped quivering completely.

The answer from the angel statue seemed to be getting delayed for some reason, and Jin-Woo pressed the shortsword deeper against its skin as a reminder. The blade dug into the neck of the stone statue.

If this thing was a human, its skin would've been cut open and began bleeding by now. Since it was seemingly made out of stone, it didn't bleed, but he knew there was no problem with cutting its head off like this.

Perhaps the angel statue also knew this truth? It belatedly opened its mouth.

[Finally.]

Hearing it from such close proximity, this thing's voice sounded even more freakish than before.

[You have asked a proper question.]

It then formed a smile next. There was not one hint of fear on its face even though several of its arms were sliced off and there was a blade pressed just below its chin.

'Maybe, its real body is somewhere else?'

Jin-Woo's exceptional sensory perception scanned his surroundings but he couldn't pick up any other aura. If the real body was indeed somewhere else, then the current him couldn't even begin to imagine just how incredible the technique being employed here was to conceal the connection this perfectly.

The angel statue carried on with what it wanted to say while that smile remained etched on its stony face.

[The answer is within you.]

'…In me?'

Jin-Woo had been glaring at his query until now, worried that this thing would try another petty trick on him. But when he heard that, his eyes became even sharper than ever before.

He spent four years of his life as a lowest-ranked Hunter and had to fight against countless enemies that were stronger than himself and could have killed him instantly.

Even though he was classified as a rank E Hunter, and not only that, as the lowest even among the rank Es, Jin-Woo still managed to survive in those four years as he bravely roamed around in various dungeons. That was no mean feat, indeed.

It was only possible because of his sixth sense, honed through experiencing several life-or-death moments, helped him to pick the best possible option available during the worst of all the worst situations.

And his ultra-sharp sixth sense was warning him of a certain shift in the atmosphere. Sure enough…

Tti-ring!

The mechanical beep abruptly rang out in his head, accompanied by the usual voice of the System. It was definitely not the angel statue's voice – he only heard that of a mechanical-sounding female.

[Recalling the stored data in the System's memory.]

[Will you consent to its playback?] (Y/N)

It wasn't just the voice this time, but even the actual message window also popped up, as well. It was asking him 'Yes' or 'No'.

The alphabets 'Y' and 'N' lazily blinked in front of his eyes as if they were patiently waiting for his answer.

'Just what on earth is this….?'

Just what was this d*mn thing trying to pull this time?

Jin-Woo's gaze shifted away from the message and landed on the angel statue. The smile was long gone from the statue's face. It spoke to him with a completely emotionless face.

"The decision is up to you."

Unlike before, its voice was now separated from the System. The machine-like, stiff male voice grated against his eardrums. Jin-Woo shut his mouth tight after seeing that face.

'Data saved in the System's memory, is it….'

Just like how it was with various video games, did the System also possess a save file or something similar to that? And, he could view what that save file contained, right now?

In this short span of time, all kinds of thoughts raced in and out of his brain. Of course, his answer had already been decided.

He finally earned what could be his one and only chance to confirm the truth for himself, so why should he back out of it now?

If the System wanted to trick him into a trap, then well, it didn't have to go through such an elaborate process, either. After all, the System possessed the power to decide when his heart would stop beating, didn't it?

'Just as the angel said, if all these were just the processes of a test, then…. Then, I have earned the right to view this data.'

He suddenly recalled what the angel statue told him before the battle commenced.

["If you still manage to stand on two feet by the end of the test, then everything you wished to know will be revealed to you. That will be my reward to you."]

Most likely, the reward the angel talked about meant his right to view the data. He finally arrived at this conclusion.

Jin-Woo made his decision and slowly opened his mouth.

"….Yes."

When he did, darkness immediately enveloped him.

Tti-ring.

The familiar mechanical beep hit him in the eardrums, and the voice of the System followed right after.

[The saved data has been successfully uploaded.]

It felt like he crossed an endless tunnel at a speed very close to that of infinity.

He flew past the space filled with nothing but darkness; the light seeping into this space from such a long distance away slammed into him in an instant.

After the blinding by the light dissipated away….

Jin-Woo was greeted by the immense spectacle laid out before his eyes – no, below him – and spat out a shocked gasp in his mind.

'Oh, my god….'

An army consisting solely of innumerable monsters stretched far beyond the scope of vision below him.

From where he was, all the way to beyond the horizon. Countless monsters completely covered up the ground until there was no uncovered patch left.

In all honesty, that was one hell of a terrifying sight to behold. If this many monsters jumped out of a Gate all at once, humanity wouldn't have a chance in hell at winning against them.

Just from seeing this, he felt his innards tighten as if he was having indigestion.

'Hold on… Where is this place, anyway?'

It couldn't have been Earth. He could see thin, tall, and bizarre looking rocky outcroppings jutting out from here and there on this reddish-brown, dried up plains where not even a single blade of grass grew.

This was a completely foreign landscape that he had never seen before.

His eyes could catch the sight of the reddish-brown ground, those strange rock formations, and then, the great army of monsters standing on top of said ground.

Jin-Woo shifted his gaze over to these monsters.

He spotted weaklings commonly seen in low ranked dungeons, all the way to the powerful monsters that could only be seen in much higher-ranked dungeons, such as High Orcs, White Phantoms, and even Giants.

This disparate gathering of monsters that ignored their ranks and species were busy looking up and waiting for something to happen.

'What are they all looking at?'

Jin-Woo followed after their gazes and raised his head to the sky above. And then… he discovered it.

He saw a jet-black lake, quietly floating high up in the sky.

No, it was actually not a lake. He mistook it for a lake because of its sheer size. But, it was a Gate so big that he couldn't even begin to guess its size. And it was silently looking down on the ground.

This black 'hole' was blocking up the purple sky beyond it.

'Purple sky, is it…..?'

Seeing the colour of the sky that should not exist, he became doubly sure that this was not Earth anymore.

In a world that was clearly not Earth, something major was about to happen between the monsters and that Gate.

He unconsciously swallowed his saliva. Trapped within this eerie silence, his nervousness also increased as the time wore on.

Gowooooh….

Just what would come out from that Gate?

Jin-Woo began wondering if he'd get to see the weapons of humanity or the armies of humans stepping out of that huge Gate, just like how monsters would step onto Earth through those portals.

However….

CRACK!

What came out of the cracked-open Gate's mouth was soldiers decked out in silver armour, with wings attached to their backs.

These silver-armoured soldiers poured out of the Gate like agitated bees rushing out of the disturbed beehive.

While monsters covered up the entirety of the ground, these soldiers in turn utterly blotted out the sky.

It was truly a spectacular sight. Jin-Woo couldn't stop admiring this incredible view.

However, the monsters must've thought rather differently. They began howling at the top of their lungs upon seeing the silver-armoured soldiers covering the sky and began bucking around in agitation.

He didn't even have to be a genius to figure out what would happen next.

It was war.

Swahhh-!!

The flying soldiers became silver drops of light and descended to the ground below. As it turned out, there was more than one Gate in the sky. There were several of them, and silver soldiers poured out of them one after the other.

Monsters on the ground versus the soldiers of the sky!!

Two groups, clearly burning with hostile intentions against each other, soon collided just above the ground. And a battle of an indescribable scale and proportion unfolded next.

ROOOAAAR-!!

The beastly roars of the monsters shook the land below, and….

Vuuoooo–!!

….And, horns being blown by the silver-armoured soldiers thunderously resounded out.

Weapons collided with other weapons; the sounds of armours shattering noisily rang out. The beastly roars soon morphed into screams and pained groans. The ground below was steadily being dyed the colour of blood.

The superiority in this battle was established very quickly.

The silver-armoured soldiers were very powerful. These guys easily sliced off the necks of the monsters that were strong enough to rip high-ranked Hunters apart with their bare hands.

Such powerful beings had formed a massive invading group, so perhaps it was only inevitable that the monsters were being swept away.

The balance was tilting noticeably now to their favour. Even then, silver-armoured soldiers continued to pour out from the Gates non-stop.

The waves upon waves of the silver soldiers crashing forward like the incoming tide erased all traces of living monsters off the dried plains in no time at all.

Kuwaaahk!

Kiiiehhk!

The war began as a fierce clash between two forces, but now, it descended into a blood-soaked massacre, instead.

Just like how Jin-Woo was with his foes, the swords and spears of the silver soldiers knew no mercy. Because of that, the number of monsters decreased quite rapidly.

Jin-Woo watched this scene of the horrifying monsters being killed off with little to no resistance and was overcome with a puzzling mixture of emotions.

'Am I mourning all those people who lost their lives to these b*stards, or am I feeling rueful for humans not being able to possess powers like that….?'

Such trivial thoughts remained in his head for only a short while. The truly extraordinary event only happened afterwards, that was why.

With the complete annihilation of the monsters mere moments away…

The silver soldiers of the sky that violently pushed their enemies back suddenly stopped moving one at the time.

'What's going on?'

Could they possibly have developed a sense of pity for these things now, of all times? But, there was just no way. If they did, then they shouldn't be gripping their weapons even tighter like that.

They were gripping their weapons so hard, in fact, their hands were beginning to tremble noticeably, too. On top of that, the emotions filling up the faces of these silver soldiers were as far from the ones of compassion as you could get. No, they were definitely filled with terror.

Their collective gazes were focused in a certain direction. And that was somewhere behind him.

Jin-Woo suddenly had a hunch. He felt that something extraordinary was about to happen behind him, one amazing enough to overturn this situation on its head.

However, his gaze didn't immediately look behind him, but instead, to the ground below.

On top of this reddish-brown land, a black shadow was spreading out. This shadow rapidly spread beyond the blood dyeing the land red, as well as the mountains of corpses. And when this darkness sped past underneath these corpses, mysterious screams could be heard.

Screams that no one could tell where they were coming from.

Jin-Woo knew of a skill that was eerily similar to this – no, make that pretty much identical.

'Sovereign's Territory….'

A powerful chill ran down his spine immediately.

He slowly, agonisingly slowly, turned his head around to take a look.

And there he found an impressive knight covered in jet-black armour from his head right down to his toes. From this knight, and the horse he was riding on, black aura-like strands of energy continuously rose up.

Why did this happen? No one told him, yet Jin-Woo could think of only one title when looking at that black knight.

'….The Shadow Sovereign.'

Just by being in front of this being subjected him to an incredible pressure that was heavy enough to strangle him.

Whether it was the silver-armoured soldiers from the sky, monsters with intelligence, or even those without it, they all forgot to breathe and simply stared at this Shadow Sovereign.

Every single gaze within this battlefield was now looking at only this black knight.

The Sovereign glared at the soldiers of the sky, before extending his hand out as if he wanted to grasp something.

Flinch.

Jin-Woo now could see the sight of the silver-armoured soldiers flinch and start to back away in fear. The intolerable stillness that stifled one's breaths pressed down on the shoulders of every single being under the heavens.

And soon….

The Sovereign's solemn voice shattered that stillness.

[Rise up.]

Chapter 159 Fin.

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Ba-thump.

His heart beat louder just then.

'Rise up.'

The ripple generated from those two words spread out at a frightening speed and roused up the shadows. The battlefield dyed in the colours of monsters' blood roiled and tumbled in black waves.

Uwaaaahhh-!!

The Shadow Soldiers leaping out of the ground roared out in what could have been either loud cheers or screams of horror. They then shifted their blackened eyes towards their enemies.

Those eyes carried not one trace of fear towards their enemies now.

For the silver soldiers of the skies supposed to deal with this new army, the scene before them was worthy of sending cold shivers down their spines. Too bad for them, the Sovereign's powers didn't stop there.

[Wuoooohhhhh-!!]

The Sovereign bellowed heavily towards the skies. That powerful roar didn't attack the eardrums of the listeners, but directly shook their hearts, instead.

Hearts, legs, and even the ground shook from his roar.

The land began crying as its response.

Jin-Woo didn't need a lot of time to figure out what that roar was meant for. Because… the Shadow Soldiers raised their weapons up high and roared alongside as well.

WUUUOOOOHHH-!!

Just that single roar alone, and the Shadow Soldiers all transformed into completely different beings in an instant.

From this corner of the land, all the way to the other side – the dead monsters were instantly reorganised into Shadow Soldiers.

Jin-Woo had been quietly observing this process while holding his breath. A powerful shudder ran through his entire body from the combined roars of the Shadow Soldiers.

Ba-thump!!

His heart loudly beat again.

If this scene was supposed to demonstrate the true pinnacle of the Shadow Sovereign Class, then it certainly succeeded in letting him know just how much further he still had to walk to get there.

Eventually, the soldiers of the sky stopped hesitating and began moving again. They gathered into one large mass, and like a gigantic swarm of bees, descended on the black soldiers below.

However, the monsters that were reborn as Shadow Soldiers didn't fall as easily as before.

Weapons clashed against weapons.

Soldiers collided against soldiers.

The silver army and the black army got tangled up on top of this expansive land.

Explosions rang out constantly, and the ground quaked over and over again. The battle that should have ended as a one-sided massacre reverted back to full-on warfare.

Just the entrance of a single individual had changed everything. Now that was the display of truly shocking power. Jin-Woo didn't know why this scene was being shown to him, but nevertheless, he found himself unable to tear his eyes away from it.

The violent, fierce clash continued on.

A desperate and bloody engagement, incomparably fiercer and more violent than the first battle that took place, unfolded before his eyes.

Monsters were unable to contend with a single soldier of the sky while they were still alive, but after becoming Shadow Soldiers, they were now able to stand their ground and not get pushed back.

But, well, the truly terrifying thing about these Shadow Soldiers weren't their fighting spirit or their combat potentials.

The soldiers of the sky drove the Shadow Soldiers back with their powerful attacks and excellent martial prowess. The ferocity of the Shadow Soldiers that rebelled against death itself wasn't enough to bridge the gap of strength.

The balance of the battle seemed to tilt in favour of the soldiers of the sky once more. However, the Shadow Soldiers regained their original appearances almost right after they were destroyed.

Kuwaaahhk!

A Shadow Soldier writhed and screamed out as a spear belonging to a soldier of the sky pierced through it.

The silver soldier sensed that its victory was near. It let go of its spear and unsheathed the sword on its hips to slice off the head of its enemy, the Shadow Soldier.

Slice!

However, right after the head flew off….

The head of the Shadow Soldier falling to the ground and the headless body all transformed into black smoke, before combining back to one form a couple of steps away.

As the soldier of the sky flinched, the Shadow Soldier used the sword it held to stab the chest of its silver-clad enemy.

Crack!!

The blade broke through the chest armour, dug into the internals, broke through the back skin and emerged out in the open again.

The silver soldier of the sky powerlessly fell to the ground.

Plop.

As the light of life within the fallen silver soldier's eyes faded away, someone's dignified voice entered its ears and woke it back up.

[Rise up.]

In an unknown instant….

The soldier of the sky discovered the black spear being held by its hands. What came to visit this soldier wasn't death, but a new beginning.

Its now-blackened eyes shifted towards other soldiers of the sky who used to be its comrades only a few breaths ago.

Flinch.

When their gazes met, it saw the trembling shoulders of its former comrades. Even then, the reborn soldier knew what it had to do.

"Wuuoooouhhh!!"

It joyously accepted the brand new fate bestowed upon it.

Jin-Woo tore his eyes away from these soldiers and took an overview of the entire battlefield and its situation.

The battle taking place between the soldiers of the sky endlessly pouring out from the Gates in the air, and the Shadow Soldiers reborn through the orders of the Shadow Sovereign, was incredibly even.

Many poured out of the Gate to match the number of the dead, and just as many stood up from the shadows to match the dead, too.

If war broke out in hell, would it resemble something like this?

Horrifying warfare that a human's intuition couldn't even properly tell what would happen next breathlessly continued on in this vast land.

However, the balance between these two opposing sides broke in a single instant.

The flow of the war shifted very quickly when the Shadow Sovereign stopped issuing commands to his troops from far back and personally stepped forward to enter the fray.

The black horse carrying the Sovereign dashed into the battlefield.

Whenever he swung his sword, thousands of enemy troops fell to create a pathway. And the dead enemies, without an exception, became Shadow Soldiers and stood back up.

Just one flick of the Sovereign's hand and all those enemy soldiers flying away to safety had their wings broken and they all crashed back down to earth.

'Ruler's Authority…..'

The areas the Sovereign dashed through got utterly swept away as if a storm rampaged past there. For the first time ever since the two opposing camps started clashing their weapons – the soldiers of the sky were being forced back.

Hundreds of thousands, no, millions of silver-clad soldiers couldn't deal with a single enemy and were constantly pushed back.

Jin-Woo could only gasp out in admiration at this sheer marvellous spectacle. He thought that the war would come to an end like this.

However…

Just as the Shadow Soldiers began pushing back the tides of the silver soldiers of the sky, an ominous, eerie wind that was hard to describe in words blew in from somewhere behind him.

Auras powerful enough to send a shudder down his spine rushed in.

The Sovereign temporarily disregarded the enemies to his front and looked behind him. Two ginormous Gates had been generated in some place far behind the Shadow army. Their sizes didn't lose out to the ones floating up in the air.

And from these two Gates, two disparate groups of monsters poured out in droves. On one side, beast-type creatures being led by a wolf the size of a mountain.

And from the other one, knights and soldiers rushed out with countless banners proudly announcing their clans being waved about in their midst.

Jin-Woo's eyes grew wider and wider.

'Huh….??'

The clan crests embroidered on those banners were all familiar to him. From Ricardo's, Faestos's, Rokan's, Ingreyace's, and even Radiru's.

'….Esil.'

Those crests belonged to the aristocratic clans of demons he ran into as he was climbing up to the top floor of the Demon's Castle.

His confusion regarding why those demons appeared here could only last for a short while. The beasts and the demons began attacking the shadow soldiers together as if they had a prior agreement.

The back line of the Shadow Soldiers was immediately torn up into shreds from the combined assault of the two monster armies.

That wasn't the end, however.

Their front was occupied by the soldiers of the sky, still alive and ready to battle. These silver-clad beings changed their strategy and began striking back once more.

The soldiers of the sky to the front and the armies of monsters at the back surrounded the Shadow Soldiers in a pincer attack and closed in on them. The flow of the battle had changed once more.

Ba-thump.

Jin-Woo grasped his chest tightly.

His heart was aching now.

His gaze slowly shifted towards the Sovereign standing next to him.

Why was this? Why could he sense the Sovereign's emotions so clearly like this?

Just like when he was reading the thoughts of his Shadow Soldiers, the Sovereign's emotions were vividly transmitted to him. The emotion welling up thickly from the deepest depths of his heart was none other than indignation.

No, it had already exceeded past the level of indignation and into the territory of pure wrath.

Now that they were surrounded by enemies from all sides, the Shadow Soldiers had to endlessly repeat the cycle of destruction and regeneration. Although they seemed to have possessed a never-ending power of recovery, Jin-Woo too possessed the same ability and he knew its fatal weakness very well.

'It can hold up as long as there's MP….'

When MP ran out, the Soldiers would not be revived again. Meaning, the Sovereign wouldn't be able to use his army again. He sensed the Sovereign's magical energy that felt bottomless and vast in the beginning, slowly reaching its limit.

The Sovereign changed the direction of his mount away from the army of the sky and towards his rear. His black horse kicked the ground and rushed forward.

The ensuing battle was truly intense.

Corpses formed mountains. Blood formed oceans.

This conflagration called 'war' created by countless soldiers swallowed up every single lifeform still standing on this land and continued on its horrific path of destruction.

But, even then – this stubbornly persistent battle that didn't seem to end was slowly marching towards its inevitable conclusion.

Not too many remained standing on the battlefield now.

The Sovereign lost his mount during the battle. He wasn't hindered in the least, however. He cut down two demon knights blocking his path and stood before a certain demon breathlessly panting away as it leaned against a bizarre rock formation.

The demon's face was hidden behind its helm, but the Sovereign seemed to know its identity as he glared down at his feeble prey.

[We could have ended the war with them today.]

[But, why did you betray me?]

The demon weakly faltered its head, but it forced himself to look up. It had already suffered grievous wounds and it seemed unlikely it'd be able to survive its injuries.

The voice coming out from beneath the helm sounded precariously close to being cut off.

"So…. regrettable. We could have ended you for good today, but…."

The Sovereign's voice became even icier as he asked again.

[I said, why did you betray me?]

"Keuk, keuk."

The demon's shoulders trembled as it painfully cackled, before it raised its head up again. And then, it replied.

For some reason, Jin-Woo couldn't properly hear that answer. Did he lose his concentration and miss it somehow?

No, that wasn't it.

The demon said something else, but he still couldn't understand a single word of it.

However, it must've sounded different to the Sovereign's ears, because as soon as he heard the reply, he extended his hand out and sucked the demon in. The creature spat out a pained moan as its neck was tightly grasped by the Shadow Sovereign.

"Keo-heok."

Crumble!

The piece of armour protecting the neck crumpled up. Even in the middle of this, the demon continued to say the things it wanted to say.

Stab.

The Sovereign's thumb plunged into the throat of the demon.

Cough!

The demon spat out a mouthful of blood. And that was precisely the moment when his gaze met with the demon's eyes staring back from within that helm.

But, how could this be?!

Jin-Woo freaked out and let go of the dying demon's neck.

Plop.

Its life had ended by then and its body limply crumpled to the ground.

'But, that doesn't make any sense.'

Those eyes in hidden in the helm – he had seen those eyes before. But, such a thing could not have happened.

Ba-thump!

His heart began pounding madly now.

Jin-Woo shook his head hard and cautiously approached the dead demon to take its helm off. Even in death, the creature was maintaining the same glare it shot him back when it was still alive.

How could he ever forget that glare?

The removed helm fell out of Jin-Woo's hands and clattered to the ground.

Clang.

The wide-open eyes of the demon were still filled with the light of pure rage. It was the exact same light he saw back on the top floor of the Demon's Castle.

'The Demon King… Baran?!'

The moment he realised this fact, he also discovered one more strange thing.

He saw his hands decked out in black armour. He then saw his feet, his legs, and his own chest. From a certain point in time, he had been using the Shadow Sovereign's body as his own.

Ba-thump, ba-thump, ba-thump!!

The pounding beats of his heart grew even heavier and louder, assaulting his eardrums. Jin-Woo placed his hand where his heart was.

Ba-thump, ba-thump, ba-thump!

His eyes grew wider and wider.

'How… How come I haven't noticed it until now?!'

He had grown more conscious of his own heartbeat after surviving the events of the underground temple. Even then, he had failed to notice it until now.

Jin-Woo's trembling hand moved to the right side of his chest. He sensed the tremor there. One coming from the left, and then another coming from his right.

Ba-thump!

Two hearts were issuing exact same sounds.

His shock-filled eyes were lowered immediately, but then, he discovered four shadows on the ground, slowly growing larger. Some things were approaching him from above. His head hurriedly rose up to the skies.

And, right above his head…

Four angels with six wings each were slowly descending towards him.

The 'memory' lasted only up until then.

Tti-ring.

Along with that mechanical beep, darkness blinded him again.

He heard the clear, concise voice of the System as his consciousness grew further away.

[Playback of the saved data has concluded.]

Chapter 160 Fin.

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Chapter 161: Chapter 161

Telling the Master of a Guild that best represented the Republic of Korea to show up before a rank C Gate?

When he got the call from Section Chief Woo Jin-Cheol, Choi Jong-In initially wasn't feeling too pleased by its contents. He even thought about not bothering to go there personally and simply send out an assault team consisting of just a handful of higher ranked Hunters.

However, he heard the detailed explanation next, and he had no choice but to personally make the move.

'Hunter Seong Jin-Woo had entered the dual dungeon by himself?'

The dual dungeon alone was enough to draw his attention, but now, Hunter Seong Jin-Woo was in there, too? How many Guild Masters, no, Hunters out there would remain aloof and unimpressed after hearing those revelations?

At Chief Woo Jin-Cheol's urgent request that emphasized time was of the essence, Choi Jong-In immediately delayed the raid they were preparing to go on and summoned the elite Hunters.

"We received a request for assistance from the Association. Looks like we will have to get involved on this one."

Hunters began whispering to each other because these people knew very well through experience, that this sort of summons only happened in extraordinary circumstances.

And the fact that the Hunters Guild had to be summoned, who were just about to raid a rank A Gate – was there a need to even mention the seriousness of the occasion?

On top of this, these Hunters also had to hear about the breaking news coming out from Japan not too long ago, so the commotion within them could only grow larger.

"Did something happen?"

The woman who possessed the second highest authority behind Choi Jong-In as the Vice-Chair of the Guild, asked her boss for clarification. He looked back at Cha Hae-In and replied.

"A dual dungeon was found within a rank C Gate."

'A dual dungeon?'

Cha Hae-In tilted her head in confusion.

Of course, it was not everyday one gets to hear about a dual dungeon. A dungeon found within another one – there was no way such a thing could happen all the time.

However, the Hunters Guild was being summoned because there was another dungeon attached to a measly rank C Gate? It was hard to understand from a common-sense point of view.

Choi Jong-In still got ready to move out regardless of her puzzled stare but still spoke to her to dispel her confusion.

"It sounds like Hunter Seong Jin-Woo is fighting something inside all by himself. Since it's none other than that Chief Woo Jin-Cheol from the Association requesting us for assistance, and he sounded rather frightened out of his wits too, so… Hunter Cha? What's the matter?"

Choi Jong-In asked her after spotting the abrupt change within her eyes.

"No, it's nothing."

"…..Well, yeah. It's Hunter Seong we're talking about, so nothing serious would happen to him, but still, let's go take a look anyway."

Nod.

Cha Hae-In nodded her head, and other Hunters listening in on their conversation also quickly packed their gear and got ready. Their gear consisted entirely of weapons they were to use within the raid, but that didn't mean they could be lackadaisical with their preparations.

"Uh? Why is there one person mis…"

A Hunter was taking the headcount, but someone lightly tapped on his shoulder. He looked behind to see who it was, and his colleague was pointing at a certain corner with his chin. A man with a devastated face was on his knees there.

"…Suzuki?"

"Leave him be."

"Ah….."

That Hunter immediately understood it.

Suzuki was a Hunter who got scouted recently and left Japan for a life here in South Korea. It was only obvious that he couldn't tear his eyes away from his smartphone that kept issuing breaking news one after the other regarding the dungeon break taking place in his home country.

"We gotta do what we gotta do. Let's get going."

"Ah, yes."

Two Hunters let Suzuki be and climbed aboard the Hunters Guild's private van.

And so, vehicles carrying the elites of the Hunters Guild quickly travelled towards their new destinations.

"Argh, hot, hot!!"

A reporter named Kim freaked out and hurriedly discarded the cigarette butt. The ground beneath was sand, but still, his foot stomping on the butt to kill it carried all of his bared emotions.

That lasted only for a little while, though. This was no time to waste his attention on some stupid cigarette butt.

Reporter Kim's gaze returned to the parked vans again. He thought that every single person climbing out of those vehicles looked familiar, but when he took a second look, weren't they the top elites from the Hunters Guild??

He didn't even notice that his fingers were getting burnt off while he was searching for all the famous aces in that Guild.

'Choi Jong-In and Cha Hae-In? Yun Jeong-Ho too? Uh, uh?? Even Sohn Ki-Hoon's here?'

With these folks here, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that the top faces of the Hunters had all shown up. He chased after Woo Jin-Cheol without a plan to speak of, but to think, he'd stumble into a location filled with such bigshots like this?

And, the Gate in question was only a rank C.

Reporter Kim swallowed his nervous saliva. He couldn't even begin to imagine just what was going on inside there right now.

Section Chief Woo Jin-Cheol would normally let the cat out of the bag pretty easily, but even he shut his mouth tightly while saying that it was top secret. So, Kim didn't have much of a choice but to suck on one cigarette after another to soothe his anxious mind.

Indeed, butts he discarded since a while ago formed a small mound near his feet.

Woo Jin-Cheol paid no heed to Reporter Kim's longing expression and hurriedly approached Choi Jong-In. The latter couldn't tear his eyes away from that Gate, just like how the former had reacted earlier.

"What the f*ck…?! D*mn it…! What the hell is that thing??"

Cusses jumped out all on their own from Choi Jong-In's mouth. That was how ominous the aura emitted from the Gate was.

Unlike Woo Jin-Cheol, who possessed exceptionally good senses for a melee-type Hunter, Choi Jong-In was South Korea's most powerful Mage.

After Baek Yun-Ho and his 'Eyes of the Beast', as well as Seong Jin-Woo and his otherworldly level of sensory perception, one could confidently say that Choi Jong-In was the best in the country when it came to sensing the flow of magical energy.

"Can you do it?"

That's how Woo Jin-Cheol framed his question. Choi Jong-In didn't miss the subtext of 'It was impossible with just us' in that question.

He replied with a bitter expression.

"You said that Hunter Seong Jin-Woo is inside, yes?"

"Yes, that's been confirmed."

Nod, nod.

Choi Jong-In nodded his head gravely.

But, of course. If it wasn't him, who'd be capable enough to participate in a fight of this scale? No, who else besides him was capable of defending against an opponent that emitted this much magical energy?

"Is he trying to save this planet all by himself or something?"

He meant to say that in his head but his words still came out of his mouth in the end.

Rather than asking for the clarification, though, Woo Jin-Cheol simply nodded his head with a heavy expression. To him, that sounded quite plausible.

"Whether we can do it or not, we still need to go inside anyway. We owe a debt to Hunter Seong, after all."

If the monsters inside were something that couldn't be stopped by the combined might of Hunter Seong and the Hunters Guild, then no one else in South Korea could stop them. Meaning, there would be no second opportunity if they couldn't kill the monsters by aiding Hunter Seong today.

'What was that? Hunter Seong??'

Reporter Kim was standing a little further away and was doing his best to eavesdrop, but after hearing something incredible, his eyes rapidly transformed into a pair of round dots resembling those of a rabbit's.

'Hunter Seong is inside that Gate??'

Kim's shocked gaze quickly shifted towards the Gate, before scanning the vicinity around it.

There were two rank S Hunters here, and as for the number of rank As, he had already lost count. But then, Seong Jin-Woo Hunter was inside that Gate, too??

'My, my…. my memo. Where's my d*mn memo pad?!'

Reporter Kim's nose picked up on the trail of a huge scoop and hurriedly sought out his memo pad.

From this point onwards, he could not afford to miss a single word muttered nor a single event happening before him. He found himself with a god-sent opportunity to report on a massive scoop involving three rank S Hunters as well as the Association itself when everyone else was too busy with the events taking place in Japan.

'That's why Chief Woo kept his mouth shut, wasn't it?'

Hunter Seong Jin-Woo's private information was a closely-guarded secret, not to mention he was a super VIP under the special supervision of the Hunter's Association.

Kim now could understand the reason why Woo Jin-Cheol was not willing to talk about what was going on here.

While Woo Jin-Cheol and Choi Jong-In were sharing a brief conversation, the elite assault team had finished getting ready. The Tankers picked up their defensive armaments, damage dealers picked up their weapons, and Healers held on to magic tools filled with magical energy.

As befitting the top Guild in the country, their preparation was quite fast.

Choi Jong-In briefly exchanged glances with Cha Hae-In and nodded his head. Cha Hae-In swept her gaze over the rest of the team once and nodded her head as well. That meant that the preparation and inspection were finished now.

The elites of the Monitoring Division had already finished their preparations a while ago. Woo Jin-Cheol received confirmation from his subordinate and turned around to face the others with a heavy expression.

"Let's get going."

The passage before them was incredibly long.

They moved at the fastest speed they could afford, but they didn't break into a full-bore running. Even if they were all nominally high-ranked Hunters, their individual running speeds were vastly different, that was why. Among them, Cha Hae-In was especially fast.

She was about to run ahead, but Choi Jong-In next to her grasped her wrist in a hurry.

"Hunter Cha. What do you think you'll achieve by going there alone?"

He understood that she wanted to go and save Seong Jin-Woo from danger, but if she went ahead, the whole team might end up falling into grave danger, instead.

"If we try to keep up with your speed, there's a good chance that the entire team might become disorganised, instead."

Cha Hae-In's expression hardened as she stood still, but eventually, she returned to the rear of the team. Woo Jin-Cheol watched her make her way back and whispered softly to himself.

"I guess the rumour was true."

"Pardon?"

Woo Jin-Cheol mumbled some excuses out when Choi Jong-In questioned him.

"Ah… No, it's nothing important."

Choi Jong-In tilted his head slightly but shifted his gaze back to his front anyway. The ominous magic energy that caused goosebumps to break out on his skin was still flooding out from the deepest part of this dungeon.

He had to keep his wits about him here.

He also thought that it'd be the same story for Hunter Seong Jin-Woo who had entered in here ahead of everyone else.

'I pray we aren't too late….'

For the time being, there was nothing he could do to help other than pray for Hunter Seong's safety – while moving as quickly as they could without lowering their vigilance, of course.

However, it was also true that too much tension would in turn dull one's body, as well. In order to dispel some of this tension, he engaged Woo Jin-Cheol in a conversation.

"How did Hunter Seong come across this place, anyway?"

"I also don't know the details. But, by piecing together what the people making the reports said, it seems that Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim knew that this Gate was a dual dungeon even before entering it."

"H-mm."

Choi Jong-In's expression became circumspect. This time, it was Woo Jin-Cheol who asked the question.

"By any chance, can you think of something suspicious?"

"No, it's not that, but….. Just that, this feels quite strange, doesn't it?"

"Strange as in how?"

"I did some research on Seong Hunter-nim in the past, you see."

Choi Jong-In was a Master of a huge Guild. It was his duty to build a Guild with highly capable individuals, so it was only obvious that he'd hold an extreme amount of interest towards Jin-Woo.

"There was an event similar to this, wasn't there?"

Woo Jin-Cheol did personally investigate the event Choi Jong-In was talking about so, he indeed knew a lot about that incident. He quickly figured out what the Master of Hunters Guild was trying to say here.

Less than half a year ago, Hunter Seong Jin-Woo experienced going into a dual dungeon. And now, after all this time, he sought after another one and entered it.

Those who knew this truth would not see today's event as a mere coincidence. Just like how Woo Jin-Cheol had predicted, Choi Jong-In's next words were about that.

"Experiencing dual dungeons twice by himself, when it'd be near impossible for anyone to see it once in their lifetime… Not just that, he willingly walked into the second one on his own volition? Don't you find that strange?"

Woo Jin-Cheol didn't immediately make his reply.

Just as Choi Jong-In had alluded to, many things about Hunter Seong were shrouded in a veil of mystery. The dual dungeon. The Re-Awakened. And possessing a unique ability.

However, there was one indisputable fact, and that would be Seong Jin-Woo being utterly indispensable to the Association, no, the entire nation of South Korea.

And that was why Woo Jin-Cheol requested the Hunters Guild for their assistance without waiting for the clearance from the higher-ups when he found out that Hunter Seong had walked right into this Gate.

No matter what, they had to secure Hunter Seong Jin-Woo's safety. It'd not be too late to ask him the necessary questions afterwards.

Woo Jin-Cheol swam inside his thoughts, before raising his head.

'So, over there…..'

The distance that would have taken nearly one hour for regular Hunters to cross was bridged in less than ten minutes by the rapid marching of these high-ranked Hunters. They could finally see the end of this cave in the far off distance.

"Looks like we're here."

"Yes, I can sense it."

Indeed, they could sense something horrifyingly massive in there. Choi Jong-In's face stiffened hard as he replied. The colour of blood was slowing draining out of his complexion right now.

The only consolation he could think of right now was the fact that he could also sense Hunter Seong Jin-Woo's presence.

'As long as Hunter Seong is fine, it's okay.'

Combining his abilities with the support from these elite Hunters, they'd win regardless of what the monsters within this dungeon were like. Choi Jong-In assured himself with that line of thought and called out to the rest of the team.

"Let's hurry!"

The elite Hunters from the Hunters Guild and the Association rushed past the massive doorway reminiscent of an ancient castle.

And then….

The sight waiting for them beyond was a spectacle none of them had ever seen before during their lengthy and illustrious careers as Hunters.

"This… What on earth is this….?"

"What the hell is this place?!"

First, they found innumerable destroyed stone statues strewn about the floor. Their debris was piling up into small hills all over the place.

"Look, look!!!"

One of the Hunters raised his finger high up.

And in the direction his finger was pointing at, everyone could see a truly gigantic statue of an unknown god standing frozen still, its hands interlocked in the gesture of slamming down. Its head, with half of its face blown away, especially caught their attention.

Woo Jin-Cheol's heart began racing like crazy as he remembered the testimonies of the survivors from the previous dual dungeon incident.

'It was all real… the god statue and the stone statues were all real…!!'

The survivors all said the same thing – that this place was filled with a monstrous god statue that could melt down a rank C Hunter with nothing but a glare from its eyes, as well as countless stone statues whose movements couldn't be picked up by the naked eye.

This whole open area was pockmarked with clear signs of desperate battle having taken place recently.

'Wait a minute. Where is Hunter Seong Jin-Woo?'

It looked as if all the enemies had been eliminated already. Their priority was to confirm the status of Hunter Seong Jin-Woo.

Choi Jong-In shifted his head this way and that to locate Jin-Woo's presence, and eventually found him.

"He's over there."

Jin-Woo was quietly lying on his back just below the god statue as if he was asleep.

"Seong Hunter-nim!!"

Hunters were about to run to his side, but this time, it was Cha Hae-In's turn to raise both of her arms to stop them in their treks. Feeling urgent now, Woo Jin-Cheol turned to look at her.

Her rather shapely facial features were soaked completely from cold sweat right now.

"Cha….. Hunter-nim??"

She bit her lower lip and spoke up.

"Over there… there's something over there."

It was then. A certain stone statue kneeling next to Jin-Woo slowly stood up. The wings on its back were all torn up, and it only had one remaining arm.

"I don't remember inviting you humans in here."

The angel statue stood up completely and swept its gaze over at the Hunters intruding into the temple. The corner of its lips suddenly arched up.

Chapter 161 Fin.

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"Ah….."

They all became utterly speechless. There could not have been a more fitting description than that.

Choi Jung-Hoon forgot what he wanted to say. But, he was certain of something. The origin of that ominous energy he sensed before entering this Gate was that living sculpture.

The magic energy leaking out of that thing was so great that the space surrounding the d*mn creature seemed to twist around in his view.

He was simply staring at it from far away, yet goosebumps were breaking out on his entire body.

Glance.

His gaze was redirected towards Jin-Woo.

It made some sense to see someone as strong as Hunter Seong lying unconscious if he had been in a battle against a 'thing' like that.

No, hold on.

Fighting against such a 'thing' while also finding enough leeway to destroy all these other enemies – the stone statues – was only possible precisely because it was Hunter Seong Jin-Woo and not someone else.

He felt nothing but admiration in his heart. However….

'It's our turn to fight against such an opponent now.'

A thick drop of sweat slid down the side of his face and stopped on his chin.

The strength of this one monster easily exceeded that of the mutated ant that appeared on Jeju Island. No, it was unknown whether this enemy was really a monster or not, to begin with.

Gulp.

His dry saliva painfully slid down his throat.

Choi Jong-In glanced to his side and found that the complexions of Cha Hae-In and Woo Jin-Cheol were utterly pale from fright as well. These two had also figured out the depths of the enemy's power and were in the middle of inwardly freaking out.

On the other hand, the Hunters behind them were getting surprised by something else entirely.

"That thing… did that thing just speak??"

"Wait, I didn't hear incorrectly just now, did I?"

"A monster can speak our language?"

Hunters exchanged glances with one another, their faces filled with incredulity. Something like this seemed impossible.

It was already public knowledge that the monsters with intelligence spoke the language of their own.

Back when these Gates began appearing for the first time, some tried to learn the language of the monsters. Of course, their attempts all ended in failure.

The sole reason for that was the violent tendencies of the monsters. Monsters captured alive through great difficulties couldn't seem to endure being around humans the longer they remained in contact.

Even if their entire bodies were restrained, they tried to rampage around trying to attack humans – even when under the intense pain of their flesh being ripped apart and their bones snapping in half. In the end, either they were killed off by their human captors, or died naturally after being unable to win against the tides of their rage.

– It is impossible for monsters and humans to coexist. It is also impossible to communicate with them.

This was the unanimous conclusion reached by the scientists researching monsters from all over the globe, one they were completely certain of.

However, the monster in front of their eyes was speaking in Korean as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

A monster that could be seen as the find of the century had made its entrance, but for some reason, these Hunters all felt this inexplicable sense of dread in their hearts.

That was the warning bell rung by the primal instinct only detectable by the first-class Hunters such as these people.

Flinch.

The angel statue took one step forward, causing the trembling Hunters to hurriedly back away. The creature slowly shifted its gaze left to right as if to appreciate the sight of these humans and their expressions of fear and terror.

"Oh, strong humans."

The statue spoke up as it began looking at the Hunters with the eyes of someone finding a delicious snack.

"It seems that there are no shortages for the first sacrifices prepared for the king."

If a snake could smile, would that be as disgusting as the one on this creature? The movements of the Hunters froze stiff from the smile forming on the angel statue's face.

'….The king?'

Could there have been yet another monster here?

Choi Jong-In's head slanted to the side briefly, but too bad for him, now wasn't the time to dissect what the monster was saying.

The angel statue ripped up the arm of one of the stone statues strewn about on the floor.

Crack!!

'What is it trying to do?'

Hunters and their confusion didn't last for long. It placed the torn arm in its right shoulder socket that was already missing a limb, and the two parts suddenly began fusing by themselves.

'Heok…!'

As the Hunters gasped out in astonishment, the angel statue moved the newly-regenerated arm around this way and that. It was then.

Shooph.

The statue suddenly appeared before the Hunters. They didn't even have any time to respond. The angel statue took a swing with its right arm. The face of the Hunter standing in front of the group was crushed inward.

Peo-geok!!

The Hunter and his crushed face flew backwards and slammed into the wall. Other Hunters nearby threw out urgent counterattacks, but by then, the angel statue was already gone.

"Where…?!"

"Over there!!"

The creature was now standing on the same spot as before as if it never made a move in the first place. As a matter of fact, it was busy fidgeting with its newly-attached right hand and its fingers. It looked like it was testing out whether its new limb was functioning properly or not.

"M-Myung-Cheol-ah!!"

"Euh, uwaaaahh!!"

Hunters belatedly discovered the casualty among them and began crying out in anguish. He was killed instantly. A rank A Tanker working for South Korea's best Guild had died in a single hit.

Choi Jong-In's eyes as he stared at the angel statue began shaking unsteadily now.

'Hunter Seong Jin-Woo fought against such a thing all by himself…?'

Rather than the pain of losing one of his comrades, his mind was overcome with this hopeless sense of vagueness at not knowing how to break out of the current situation.

Unfortunately, not everyone was capable of rational thought process like Choi Jong-In.

"You son of a b*tch!!"

One of the female Hunters, the lover of the deceased Hunter, screamed out and dashed forward in anger. A pair of flames were burning brightly in both of her hands as she did so.

Just as she was about to launch those flames, someone grabbed her wrists from behind. The female Hunter looked to her side and discovered that Cha Hae-In had approached her before she noticed it. The female Hunter shook her arm and yelled out.

"Let me go!"

"Unni, you must hold it back."

"I said, let go of me, right now!!"

"Please, you gotta hold it back!"

The female Hunter glared straight at Cha Hae-In's face. The latter carried a grave but determined expression as she bit her lower lip.

"I'm also holding back, you know…."

Cha Hae-In's hardened expression caused the female Hunter to stop writhing around in anger. Because… even she knew it was unwise to agitate a monster that no longer showed any interest in their group after making that initial attack.

It was just that, she found it nearly impossible to hold herself back. Someone she loved was met with a horrific death, yet she was unable to do anything. The female Hunter began sobbing under her breath.

"Heuk…."

Once she stopped displaying hints of making a rash decision, Cha Hae-In shifted her attention over to Jin-Woo lying on the ground far away. The female Hunter wasn't the only one holding herself back, indeed.

For some reason, the monster had stopped attacking the group. And Jin-Woo looked unhurt as he continued to breathe normally. His expression was peaceful, as if he was simply asleep right now.

'For now…'

….She and others had to buy as much time as possible until Jin-Woo woke up. That was the best they could do.

It was then.

The angel statue moved its body this way and that before laughter abruptly broke out from its lips.

"Haha."

The empty interior of the underground temple was suddenly filled up with the echoes of the angel statue's voice. It kept its laughter short and shifted its gaze over to the Hunters.

"Well now, should I get the fun started?"

The colour of the angel statue's eyes suddenly reddened up.

Was that the beginning of the assault? The Hunters strengthened their grips on their chosen weapons and prepared for battle.

If it was only one… if it was only one enemy, couldn't they be able to do something here? Not only did they have two rank S Hunters present, but there were also dozens of top local Hunters gathered here at the moment, too.

As such an optimistic outlook quickly raced past the minds of the Hunters, this happened.

Dududududududuk.

Suddenly, an earthquake broke out inside this huge, open chamber.

"Ah…. No, this can't be…."

The dark shadow of despair drew upon the faces of the Hunters. The broken stone statues were beginning to stand up one by one, that was why.

The b*stards without heads, b*stards with holes in their chests, and even b*stards with limbs missing all began standing up. But the absolute worst among them all was the statue of the unknown god that could only be described as truly gigantic.

"….Oh, my god."

The god statue and the stone statues were standing upright and glaring at the Hunters as if they had never been destroyed in the first place. Their expressionless faces only made the already creepy atmosphere that much more bizarre.

Hunters began to backtrack a step at a time, only to run into something solid behind their backs.

"Uh….?"

It was the door.

Even before they had realised it, the doorway to this once-empty arena was closed shut tightly. It seemed that the angel statue had no thoughts of letting these humans go at all.

The angel statue spoke to them.

"Those who manage to survive until all of my dolls have fallen will be given the opportunity to witness the glorious rebirth of the king."

The monster kept saying 'king' this and 'king' that for a while now.

'Just what is it trying to say here?'

Woo Jin-Cheol's brows creased up.

He just couldn't understand the words the creature was busy spewing out. However, one thing was for certain. He knew that this creature was trying to kill everyone within the chamber.

He gritted his teeth.

He spent the last four years of his life in the Association.

He had faced plenty of hair-raising situations, but still managed to pull through by bitterly struggling till the end. Today would not be any different. He wasn't planning to die as easily as the monster wanted him to.

'Even I can't make it out of here….'

At least, he'd try to save Hunter Seong.

His thoughts reached there and he glanced at Jin-Woo. Rather coincidentally, the angel statue also pointed at the youth lying unmoving on the ground.

"This person was able to destroy all my puppets in less than five minutes."

The pointed finger of the angel statue was then locked onto the rest of the Hunters.

"How many minutes will it take for all of you to die today, then?"

Just as the words of the angel statue came to an end, Woo Jin-Cheol cried out at the top of his lungs.

"Everyone, get down!!"

Hunters hurriedly bent down to the ground.

A red laser beam sliced right past just above their heads with almost no gap to spare. The casualty was zero this time. It was almost a miracle in and of itself.

The red energy beam shooting out from the eyes of the god statue slowly dissipated.

'Ho-oh.'

The angel statue stared at the Hunters with eyes of some interest as it took a step back. It seemed that these humans might be able to provide some fun distraction before the king awakens.

"Pant, pant, pant."

Woo Jin-Cheol panted out heavily. Cold sweat poured out from his pores.

If he hadn't heard about the special trait of the god statue beforehand, would he be able to survive that blast? His entire body shuddered from sheer horror. Still, they managed to somehow live through the first attack.

Of course, that wasn't the end.

'No, it's merely the beginning.'

Woo Jin-Cheol raised his head.

The stone statues were rushing towards them now. They were so quick that only the high-ranked melee-type Hunters would be capable of following their movements.

Fortunately, Woo Jin-Cheol was one of the very best within the rank A Hunters. He rose up from his spot in an instant and while rotating his waist, sent out a powerful punch. The specially-constructed glove slammed hard into the face of a stone statue.

Boom!!

Woo Jin-Cheol's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

He genuinely believed that one punch would be enough. However, the stone statue was unscathed.

Because he saw that one of this statue's shoulders was completely destroyed from an unknown attack, he ended up making a mistake on his enemy's durability. It was a gaffe he shouldn't have made when thinking back to just who it was that destroyed all these statues in the first place.

The stone statue's face was pushed back only by a little bit, but it recovered from the impact force almost right away and thrust forward the sword in its hand.

'Tsk.'

Woo Jin-Cheol inwardly clicked his tongue.

He threw that punch out without taking into consideration the possible counterattack so he was unable to dodge. Besides, the enemy wasn't slow enough for him to evade at such a close distance, anyway.

But, then.

Ka-boom!!

A powerful explosion wrapped the statue up and it flew away.

Woo Jin-Cheol frowned and shook his head hard to recover from the buzzing sensation in his ears. Only then did he get to hear the voice coming from his side.

"Are you alright??"

It was none other than the 'ultimate weapon', Choi Jong-In. Woo Jin-Cheol nodded once to express his gratitude. They simply didn't have enough time to leisurely share a conversation.

Boom!!

Because, the god statue began moving in earnest, and…

Dudududu-!!

…And, the stone statues had already arrived right before their noses by then.

"Chairman Choi!! Aggro skills don't work against these things!!"

Tankers loudly cried out.

"What was that??"

Choi Jong-In's expression hardened considerably. If the aggro skills didn't work on them, then these creatures would instinctively start targetting the physically weakest Hunters present.

If the Healers were killed off first, then their line of defence would collapse in no time at all. It was nigh impossible for them to fight against powerful enemies without some sort of a defensive line to back them up.

Not only that….

Right behind these d*mn stone statues, the massive god statue was now raising its equally massive fist as well.

'Can we really get out of this place alive?'

Their situation was despairingly critical.

However, he still could think of one final method. And that would be waking up the unconscious Hunter Seong.

The angel sculpture b*stard said it, didn't it?

'That thing said that Hunter Seong was able to destroy them all by himself. In less than five minutes, too.'

Their situation could change greatly if his guess was correct and the only reason why Hunter Seong lost to the angel statue was that he became too fatigued from destroying all these stone statues.

Indeed, weren't there dozens of first-class Hunters present here that could aid Hunter Seong right now?

That is why….

'I need to wake up Hunter Seong Jin-Woo.'

Flames alighted on Choi Jong-In's hands. It was not for nothing that he was called the 'ultimate weapon'. Not only his firepower, but even his accuracy didn't lose out to any of the modern firearms.

It was now 'sink or swim' time.

Choi Jong-In fired the magic he cast in Jin-Woo's direction.

Hunter Seong might experience some discomfort, but he wasn't weak enough to get injured greatly by this level of magic. But, if he did wake up from the impact of the explosion, then the human Hunters would stand a good chance of surviving this event.

'That is why, please…!'

The flames flew towards their target while leaving behind a long trail. However….

Boom!

The flames simply exploded on the torso of the angel statue that stepped into the trajectory in the blink of an eye.

Choi Jong-In was greatly taken by surprise from the unexpected interference from the angel statue and hurriedly raised his head.

Every muscle on the face of the angel was distorted unsightly until they couldn't be twisted any further to form a truly terrifying expression.

"How dare….."

For the first time ever, the angel statue stopped smiling and bared its fangs.

"How dare you try to interrupt the slumber of the king!?"

Chapter 162 Fin.

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The king? Who was?

Choi Jong-In couldn't even begin to figure out heads or tails of what the angel statue was saying and asked back in a daze.

"What did you just say….?"

However, the angel statue didn't reply.

Would a human bother to converse with insects? The same principle applied to the angel statue, too.

For now, it simply had to assume this form due to some unavoidable circumstances, but it was still a superior creature nonetheless. It had no thoughts of having a QA session with this insignificant human being.

If an insect proved to be annoying, swat it to death and that would be the end of it.

The angel statue raised its fist up in the air and smashed it down like a hammer. It descended at a super-high speed straight towards Choi Jong-In's head.

Swish-!!

Choi Jong-In's heart tumbled down to the pit of his stomach. However, he didn't turn his head away. Do not give up, right up until the very last moment – that was what he always told his teammates, after all.

Before the fist landed on top of his head, though, a flash of light streaked past his eyes.

Boom!!

He opened his eyes to see the blade made out of pure light wavering in front of his face. Choi Jong-In's eyes went extra round.

"Hunter Cha?!"

Cha Hae-In was standing there, blocking the angel statue's fist with the skill 'Blade of Light'. If she was late even by a millisecond, Choi Jong-In's head would have been splattered into a gooey mess.

While he inwardly breathed a sigh of relief, she spoke to him in no uncertain terms.

"I'll take over from here, so please go help out other Hunters, Chairman."

"Got it."

Choi Jong-In went away and began providing support to other Hunters busy battling the stone statues. Meanwhile, the angel statue stared down at Cha Hae-In's sword, now glowing with light, and its eyes quickly filled up with curiosity.

"Haha."

To think, there was yet another human besides Jin-Woo that could block its attack.

"You are very amusing. Very amusing, indeed."

The angel statue put more strength into its fist. Cha Hae-In's knees bent down slightly. She had managed to stop its attacks, but still, she was losing out in terms of raw strength.

"Euh-euhk…."

A thin, weak moan leaked out of her finely-shaped lips. Her wrists began trembling imperceptibly, as well.

"There, there."

The angel statue smirked derisively and applied more and more power as if it was turning up the heat on the stove. The ground beneath her feet shattered and cracks spread out on the stone surface.

Just a single arm, yet it was laden with a nonsensical amount of power already. Cha Hae-In bit her lower lip.

'At this rate… I won't be able to endure it.'

She determined that she'd not be able to last long at this rate, and focused all of her strength in an instant and forced the angel statue's fist back.

As expected of the explosive strength befitting Cha Hae-In, ranked as one of the very best even among the rank S Hunters!

The angel statue smiled again as it was forced to take a step back.

"Haha."

It considered her as a simple fun distraction, yet she managed to entertain the statue beyond its initial expectations. It seemed that there was more enjoyment to derive out of this human after all.

"Very good, very good."

This time, magic energy began pooling on both hands of the angel statue.

Gulp.

Cha Hae-In swallowed down her dry saliva. An immense level of power was oozing out from the clenched fists of the angel statue. She wanted to escape from this place if that was at all possible right now. That's how scared she felt.

'However….'

With Jin-Woo lying on the ground unconscious, there would be no one capable enough to face off against this monster if she were to turn her back and run.

Her glare became even sharper than before.

In complete contrast to her, the angel statue grinned carefreely and took a large stride forward to stand before her. The huge enemy nearly three metres tall kept forming that loose grin. And then, the b*stard's attacks commenced for real.

Just like what it did against Jin-Woo, the angel statue punched out indiscriminately with both of its fists. It was somewhat regretful that it now had only two arms, but that was still more than enough for the level of this human.

The clenched fists rained down like a barrage of bullets.

Dududududu-!!

Cha Hae-In's brows shot high up.

'Sword Dance!'

Her movements quickened up significantly as if she was performing a dance, and her sword drew stylish arcs in the air. Unfortunately, the punches of the angel statue were far too quick and, instead of attacking back, she could only defend herself desperately.

The flurry of fatal attacks rained down on her constantly, with each one powerful enough to kill her if she made just one mistake.

Khang! Ka-gang!! Khang!! Khang! Khang! Khahang! Ka-gang! Khang, kahng! Khang! Ka-gang! Khang! Khang! Khahang! Khang!

"That's right. Right, like that. Haha."

The angel statue was really enjoying itself as it continuously poured out the types of attacks that regular Hunters would never be able to follow with their naked eyes.

Cha Hae-In was being pushed back bit by bit, her entire body soaked in sweat.

Was that why? Or did she finally reach her limit?

Her wet hands slipped and she missed one of the attacks from the angel statue. It was a painful mistake on her part. Her sword failed to deflect the punch, and it hit her on the shoulder before sliding past her altogether.

Pah-gahk!!

Cha Hae-In quickly retreated while gritting her teeth. Unfortunately, her bones must've broke, because she couldn't feel anything from her shoulder.

And so, she lost her left hand in that fashion. She looked at her limp left arm with a dismayed, regretful gaze.

"Haha. So, is that all? Is that as far as you can go?"

The angel statue rapidly closed the distance again. The b*stard didn't even give her a small break. The attacks that were briefly paused for a moment or two, rained down on her again.

Khang! Ka-gang! Khahang!!

She had trouble defending against these attacks when both of her arms were still functioning. Therefore, having only one arm was simply not going to be enough. She missed more and more attacks and gradually, her body got destroyed.

Puhk! Puh-buck! Puhk!

Her bones broke, and her flesh tore away. And then, the deciding blow landed on her.

Puhk!!

The angel statue's fist dug deep into her lower belly, and her feet left the ground. She coughed out a mouthful of blood.

"Keok!"

Her bent figure rose up in the air.

Obviously, her movements in the air would be restricted, and her preparation to deal with the next attack would be left incomplete.

The angel statue had finally lost its interest with the broken toy at this point.

To finish the proceedings off, the angel statue approached the woman falling head first to the floor. It straightened its hand into a blade and took aim at her chest.

But then….

A wave of blue light suddenly surged out and enveloped Cha Hae-In.

She suddenly opened her eyes wide in the midst of powerlessly falling to the floor. She rotated her body once and swung her sword, hard.

Flinch.

The angel statue quickly came to a stop and leaned its head back, but the tip of the blade still managed to brush past its brow.

Slice.

A thin line was drawn on the face of the angel statue.

Taht!

Finally succeeding in landing a single counterattack, Cha Hae-In regained her balance with some difficulty and landed back on the ground. Thanks to that timely healing spell, she was able to somehow get out of that really sticky situation.

She got really lucky on that one.

However, what was a fortunate event for Cha Hae-In didn't prove to be as fortunate for everyone else.

Swish!

The angel statue's head swivelled in the direction where that healing spell came in from.

'D*mn it!'

Cha Hae-In quickly looked at the Healer and cried out.

"Get away from there!"

The main Healer standing behind the Tankers and casting various healing magic spells until then heard her cries and flinched grandly.

"Pardon me?"

But, by the time he looked to where Cha Hae-In was, the angel statue was blocking his line of sight already.

"Ah…."

The mouth of the main Healer went slack.

The angel statue unhesitatingly did what it wanted to do to Choi Jong-In earlier.

BOOM!

The Healer's head was smashed down straight into the ground. His legs quivered and trembled for a short while, before ceasing their movements altogether.

"Oh god, no!!"

The Hunters surrounded the angel statue and pounced at their enemy while not even bothering to hide their rage. Unfortunately, they were going up against an impossible force. Their measly strength couldn't defeat the angel statue.

Pow, pow!!

Every time the angel statue threw a punch, rank A Hunters died powerlessly as if they were low ranked Hunters standing before a powerful monster.

"This is no fun. This is boring, humans."

Now that the fun time was over, this superior being didn't feel the need for mercy anymore.

Once the number of Hunters standing towards the rear decreased, the line of Tankers dealing with the god statue as well as the stone statues began collapsing in no time at all.

It was pure pandemonium.

The balance of the engagement broke down in an instant.

Boom!!

The god statue avoided the Tankers and slammed its huge fist down, resulting in the immediate death of two Hunters on the ground.

Afterwards, stone statues carrying weapons surrounded the Hunters with a scary efficiency and began rushing forward.

'God d*mn it….!!'

Cha Hae-In rapidly cut down four of the stone statues persistently sticking close to the Hunters and pounced on the angel statue. No matter what, this b*stard had to be stopped.

However, the angel statue lightly blocked her descending sword with its wrist and kicked her unguarded side.

SLAM-!!

Now that the angel statue decided to get serious, she too could no longer be considered its opponent anymore.

Having witnessed Cha Hae-In fly away helplessly like that, Choi Jong-In tightly grasped the shoulder of Woo Jin-Cheol next to him. The latter had just finished pounding one of the stone statues down to the ground and quickly looked behind him in surprise.

"I'll try to gather their attention to myself. Chief Woo, you go and wake up Hunter Seong. That's the only way."

"Excuse me? But, I thought Seong Hunter-nim is unconscious because he was defeated?"

"No, he's not. He's simply asleep. Both his breathing and the flow of magic energy are stable. The way I see it, he's not injured, either."

Could it be that he got done in by sleeping magic or some such?

Choi Jong-In thought that the reason for the angel statue not allowing any attack to fall on the sleeping Hunter Seong was probably because it didn't want the youth to wake up.

'I don't know anything about this king's sleep or that, but….'

Choi Jong-In recalled the angel statue desperately moving to 'protect' Hunter Seong. Without a doubt, the youth waking up would prove to be somehow fatal to the monster.

"Hurry!"

Woo Jin-Cheol nodded his head.

Meanwhile, Choi Jong-In roused up every ounce of magic energy he possessed.

Soon, a giant circular shaped mass of flames formed on top of his hand, and it began spitting out countless sparks to all over the place.

Each of these sparks flying in a straight line caused powerful explosions to resound out every time it touched an object.

Swish-!! Swish-!!!

Boom!! Ka-boom!! Boom!! Kwa-boom!!

Naturally, the attention of the stone statues was directed on Choi Jong-In. While he was buying time in this fashion, Woo Jin-Cheol hurriedly ran to where Jin-Woo was.

He prayed that Choi Jong-In's estimation wasn't off the mark.

Just as Choi Jong-In and Woo Jin-Cheol were doing their best to wake Jin-Woo up, the angel statue stood before Cha Hae-In as she lay on the ground while panting heavily non-stop.

Every rib bone on one side of her body got broken when she was kicked just now. She still tried to reach out and grasp the sword she had dropped. However, the angel statue stepped on her arm before that happened.

Kwajeeck!

"Aaaaahk!!"

Cha Hae-In grabbed her broken arm and screamed out.

The angel statue had already killed off all those humans possessing the ability to heal others, and this woman had received a grievous wound that disabled her from fighting anymore.

This was the moment that the lone threat among the humans had been eliminated.

"Haha."

The angel statue formed a blade with its hand again.

"This is the end, then."

The human female glared at the statue, her breathing still rough and heavy. Everything was indeed over, yet she didn't show one hint of giving up on her struggle here.

She certainly resembled that man in this regard. That man named Seong Jin-Woo. When the angel statue met that man for the first time, he too carried around those eyes.

Smirk.

The corner of the angel statue's lips arched up, and it thrust its hand at Cha Hae-In's chest. No, it tried to. It had to stay its hand just before piercing into her heart.

The angel statue flinched slightly and took a step back. Because… it only now discovered that there was a lone Shadow Soldier hiding in her shadow.

Because of the rule in this chamber, that soldier couldn't come out of her shadow, but regardless, its existence was not in question.

Seeing the surprised face of the angel statue, Cha Hae-In formed a puzzled expression of her own.

That b*stard could've ended her at any time it wanted to, yet now, it looked like it was hesitating somewhat.

Indeed, she was correct. The angel statue was really hesitating right now. This was a human that the king had chosen to plant a soldier within her shadow. Did he have a special plan for her?

Of course, there was a possibility that the human did this, not the king.

However….

'Without a doubt – the king and the human are currently mixed as one, although it is only by a small amount.'

In that case, how was the statue to know whether this action was from the will of the king or from the will of the human? If the king had a plan and planted the Shadow Soldier in her, then the statue knew it couldn't carelessly touch her.

That was why the angel statue asked the human female.

"Why did you come here?"

Cha Hae-In didn't reply. When the silence deepened, the angel statue decided to change the question.

"What is your relationship with Seong Jin-Woo?"

There was no reply from her, still.

Cha Hae-In knew very well that she had no obligation to answer her enemy's questions.

At this rate, it'd be impossible to make her talk. The angel statue figured as much, thus deciding to change its tactic.

Snap.

The angel statue snapped its fingers. And that brought about the immediate stop to the screams of the Hunters.

As if the god statue and the stone statues had received a command, they stopped fighting all at once and slowly turned around, before walking to one side of the chamber. Then, the angel statue extended its hand.

Woo Jin-Cheol, busy approaching Jin-Woo, was pushed down by the 'invisible hand' and got planted on the ground.

"Keu-heuk!"

He tried his best to resist against the power pressing down on him from above, but he couldn't even move an inch. Woo Jin-Cheol's tightly-clenched fist trembled noticeably as pained moans escaped from his lips.

The angel statue pulled its hand back.

It didn't miss a single movement taking place within the chamber. No matter how much these humans struggled, they were all trapped within its palm, anyway. That was the difference between the superior existence and these measly humans.

It was almost impossible to bridge that gap.

"I shall ask again."

The tip of the angel statue's finger now pointed at Woo Jin-Cheol.

"If you do not answer me this time, I shall kill that man, as well as every single one of your comrades."

"….Fine."

Cha Hae-In nodded her head.

If she could buy more time this way then that alone was already a good result. The angel statue stared at her as she forced her upper torso up, and quietly asked her.

"What is your relationship with Seong Jin-Woo?"

"….A friend."

"And, why did you come here?"

She thought for a little while, before making her answer.

"To save Hunter Seong Jin-Woo."

After hearing that answer, a deep smile formed on the face of the angel statue. Just who was saving who now?

The statue was sure of it. These humans had no idea what was going on.

It felt embarrassed for even suspecting that the king had a plan for her. No, these humans only knew about the human 'Seong Jin-Woo', and that's why they came knocking in this place.

The angel statue could no longer hold back and began guffawing out loudly. And then, it spoke to her.

"I shall bless you with an opportunity."

"….What opportunity?"

"Today, in this place, one of the noble Sovereigns shall descend upon this world. I shall bless you with an opportunity to witness this glorious moment in history."

Until the angel statue could confirm the intention of the king, it couldn't do anything to Cha Hae-In. So, it had to keep her alive. However, she was the sole exception and it didn't plan on letting other humans live.

"But, every other human beside you…."

The smile was gone from the face of the angel statue, and its expression became incredibly murderous.

"….Will die here today."

Indeed, it wouldn't do for all these uninvited pests to be present in this glorious moment, would it? However, the reply didn't come from the front but from the back, instead.

"Says who?"

Before the angel statue could even turn around, a fist flew in and punched its face, hard.

Ka-boom!

The statue flew away and crashed into the far wall.

BOOM!!

Cracks ran against the surface of the wall from the sheer impact force and rubble tumbled down to the floor. Just before the angel statue could slide down to the ground, Jin-Woo stood before the creature. He tightly grasped its neck and growled at it.

"You."

Jin-Woo's other hand was pressing against his right chest.

Indeed, he wasn't dreaming of it.

There was one more heart beating away within the right side of his chest. Jin-Woo clenched the neck of the statue even harder and asked.

"What the hell did you do to my body?"

Chapter 163 Fin.

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Chapter 164: Chapter 164

For a moment then, within the recalled data, Jin-Woo had become THE Shadow Sovereign. And that's when he realised it.

He realised that there was another heart of magical energy beating within his chest. He felt powerful surges of energy ceaselessly flowing out from this new heart.

Could he have made a mistake? It was rather easy to confirm the truth, actually.

'Status Window.'

While keeping his hand firmly locked around the angel statue's neck, he summoned his Status Window. What he wanted to see out of the many listed values in there was his current reserves of magic energy, which the System had designated as 'Mana Points' or 'MP'.

[MP: 109,433]

Jin-Woo's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

'Over one hundred grand?!'

He confirmed the truth with his own two eyes, yet he still couldn't believe it. The last time he checked, he definitely only had around nine thousand or so. He confirmed it before arriving here, so he couldn't have made an error on that one.

But now, it was over ten times greater?

However, that wasn't the only surprising thing he discovered.

'My Title has changed?'

As if to let him know of a big change that had taken place, the 'Title' column was blinking continuously. He didn't even change his Title, yet it had been swapped out to something else.

And the new Title was 'Demon Hunter'.

He had been putting this Title in the background because its information was hidden from him until now. Jin-Woo quickly confirmed its newly unveiled info.

[Title: Demon Hunter]

'You have satisfied its requirements.'

You have recovered the memories of defeating the King of Demons, Baran, Sovereign of the White Flames. An immense power has acknowledged the Player as its new owner.

Effect 'Black Heart': Additional MP 100,000

'Black Heart!!'

This here was the reason why his MP reserves had shot up to a nonsensical degree.

Additional MP of one hundred thousand – that was enough power to regenerate his Shadow Soldiers almost infinitely.

Abruptly, Jin-Woo recalled the sight of the Shadow Sovereign from the recalled data. The beings that fought against the silver soldiers blotting out the entire sky were part of the immortal army led by that person.

They went through an endless cycle of destruction and revival while managing to gradually overwhelm their enemies.

The silver soldiers, strong enough to easily suppress roughly the same amount of monsters, couldn't endure against the regenerative abilities of the Shadow Soldiers and, in the end, were forced into retreat.

If it weren't for the timely arrival of the reinforcements, those silver soldiers would not have avoided the fate of being annihilated. And that was all due to the bottomless amount of magic energy the Shadow Sovereign from the data had possessed.

'If that's the case….'

'….As long as I have the effect of this 'Black Heart', then my own Shadow Soldiers can become the immortal army, too…'

When his thoughts reached that far, Jin-Woo's entire body shuddered from the shock.

"But how….. can you be….??"

Jin-Woo raised his head. A trembling voice was leaking out of the angel statue's mouth.

For the first time ever, Jin-Woo saw another expression besides that disgusting smile or the one of anger from this statue's face. The emotion revealed by its new expression was clearly fear.

The angel statue looked at Jin-Woo with true fear and spoke as if it couldn't believe what had happened.

"How can you still retain your former ego, even with the Black Heart beating within you?!"

'What was that??'

Jin-Woo heard the creature's mutterings and quickly realised two important things.

One, the angel statue was definitely not responsible for this 'Black Heart' appearing within his body. Two, the result of it waking up within him shouldn't have ended well for him.

Crack!

Jin-Woo strengthened his grip on the angel statue's neck, and deep cracks formed on its neck.

"Keu-heuk!!"

The face of the angel statue distorted in pain.

"What is this 'Player' thing? What were you trying to do to me?"

Jin-Woo didn't lower his vigilance, so he could shatter this thing's neck at any given moment. However, it seemed that the angel statue wasn't of the right mind to provide an answer.

"Could it be….?! Y-you, you d*mn Shadow Sovereign, you dare to… against us….!! You think other Sovereigns will take this lying down?!"

The angel statue glared at Jin-Woo and kept muttering out some nonsense.

Crack!!

Jin-Woo's fingers dug quite deep into the angel statue's neck. If he simply pulled his fingers back, the creature's neck would shatter into pieces. The enormous pain was transmitted in full to its real body somewhere.

"Keuaaahk!!"

The angel statue screamed to the high heavens.

"Answer my questions."

That was why he went ahead and gained the right to ask for the result of the test. So, it was only right that he demanded the promised rewards be handed over.

At that time, red lights flashed from the angel statue's eyes.

"Heok?!"

"What's this??"

Jin-Woo heard the Hunters' shocked cries and looked behind him.

"T-those things!!"

"They're coming back!!"

Red lights were burning within the eyes of the god statue and the stone statues that were moved to one corner of the chamber. And then, they began moving again.

"Haha."

The angel statue guffawed out loudly.

"If you kill me, no one will be able to stop my dolls."

'So, can you really kill me now?' The angel statue glared at Jin-Woo with eyes that screamed that question at him.

Inferior beings possessed far too many weak points. Since this man was also human, this would be one of his weaknesses, too. Without a doubt, he'd have the so-called friends among those humans. However, quite different from the angel statue's expectation, Jin-Woo suddenly formed a smile.

'He's… smiling?'

Jin-Woo asked the dazed statue.

"So, what will happen if I kill you first, and then destroy those dolls afterwards?"

The angel statue hurriedly replied in a panic.

"If you kill me, the architect of the System….!"

"You know, I also thought about that."

Jin-Woo cut the words of the angel statue off. The look in his eyes was rather similar to what the statue had when it was looking at the human Hunters earlier on.

"Here's the thing. Just because the guy who created the System disappears, that doesn't mean the System will suddenly start breaking down, does it?"

The bluff was called.

This human already knew the truth that the angel statue deliberately failed to mention.

This was a serious miscalculation on the angel statue's part. It had forgotten with what criteria this particular human being had been selected in the first place. This man, even in the past, was capable of seeing through the set rules.

'If that's the case, you've forced my hand!'

The angel statue activated the final hand it possessed.

Tti-ring!

[System has denied the System Administrator's access.]

[System has denied the System Administrator's access.]

[System has denied the System Administrator's access.]

Tti-ring! Tti-ring!!

Several more mechanical beeps rang in his head. The exact same Message repeated itself again and again, however.

[System has denied the System Administrator's access.]

The face of the angel statue hardened considerably.

It attempted to use the System and do something to Jin-Woo, but unfortunately, even the System itself had turned its back on the creature.

Jin-Woo shrugged his shoulders, causing the angel statue to go berserk in rage.

"Uwaaaahk!! You b*stard!"

If this thing wasn't going to answer, then….

'….Then, no point in keeping you alive.'

Jin-Woo let go of the angel statue's neck, but at the same time, injected magical energy to his left fist and punched out.

KABOOM!!

The immense impact force broke past the angel statue and left behind a massive crater on the wall behind it.

Guooooh….

For a moment there, silence filled the surroundings.

An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.

Jin-Woo bestowed an appropriate level of punishment to the angel statue that tried to use him.

Not just its head, but the entirety of its upper torso had been obliterated. What remained of the creature slid down against the wall and sunk to the ground.

'It's a bit regretful that I didn't get to hear any answers, but…'

But, this thing was trying to deceive him from the get-go, anyway. Could he be able to believe anything such a creature told him?

'With this, it's done.'

As if he was shaking off the regret, Jin-Woo lightly shook the dust off his left hand. It was at this moment that he heard the desperate voice calling out to him.

"Seong Hunter-nim!!"

"…Ah."

Jin-Woo quickly turned around. He was far too focused on the angel statue and had forgotten about the other stone statues. These things were indiscriminately attacking the Hunters as ordered by the angel statue just before its death.

"Hunter Seong!!"

Choi Jong-In pitifully sought out Jin-Woo as he used his magic to keep the stone statues at bay.

Even then, even as he called out, these statues were still descending on them in their droves like a black storm.

Pow!

Woo Jin-Cheol was struck in the chin by a stone statue and he unsteadily staggered on his feet. He tried to maintain his balance with his faltering legs, his eyes searching to his left and right.

He caught the sight of the blood and sweat belonging to his fellow Hunters spraying into the air as they desperately mounted a resistance against the monsters pouncing on them.

The inside of his head blanked out.

'Wait. What was I doing just now?'

Ah.

When he regained his senses, the stone statue was already right in front of his nose.

He confirmed just what had struck him on the chin just now. It was actually a d*mn book with a thickness of several encyclopedias stacked together. Of course, it was made out of stone so it was only obvious that his head would spin like that.

'No, hang on a minute… can a thick book be considered as a deadly weapon?'

For a brief moment there, Woo Jin-Cheol recalled watching a certain televised criminal law amendment process and smirked to himself. In any case, he no longer possessed any strength to block the book, nor could he avoid it now. He definitely didn't have any strength left to throw a counter, either.

And that's why he finally gave up with a wry smirk, but then….

Ka-boom!!

The stone statue's head split into two and the monster was flung away as if it got swept up in an explosion.

"Huh….?"

His mind abruptly woke up from that. He blinked his eyes and shook his head to clear his mind, and finally spotted a familiar man standing next to him.

"Are you alright?"

"Ah….."

Woo Jin-Cheol could only gasp out at that moment. That familiar man was none other than Seong Jin-Woo.

Woo Jin-Cheol kept that look of surprise on his face as he managed to leak out a question.

"By any chance, you only used bare hands to…..??"

"Let's talk about the details later."

Jin-Woo left behind the dazed Chief of the Monitoring Division and dashed away to elsewhere. Even then, he never stopped searching and eventually, he spotted a certain something reflecting the light just over yonder.

It was his missing 'Demon King's Shortsword'.

'Found it!!'

Jin-Woo extended his hand out to the weapon. He activated the 'invisible hand' and sucked his shortsword back into his grip.

Grab!

The sense of grip transmitted through his hand remained top-notch.

Boom!!

First of all, he kicked away an annoying stone statue blocking his path and began slicing all the statues that had been tangling with human Hunters.

Fuu-woop.

In the midst of doing that, he took a deep breath.

Time slowed down greatly, but only he remained unbound and free. Right afterwards, Jin-Woo seemingly vanished from the spot and, while using the movement that not even the top-ranked Hunters could follow, he began destroying all the stone statues.

Slice!!

Thud!!

Four stone statues fell apart simultaneously.

The Hunters who barely made it out alive thanks to Jin-Woo's timely intervention could only look on dazedly as their jaws dropped to the floor.

"Uh….?"

Woo Jin-Cheol eventually made his way next to these Hunters and quietly spoke to them.

"That's all you can think of, am I right?"

"….Yes."

Hunters nodded their heads.

"Yes, I'm the same as you."

Woo Jin-Cheol had seen this spectacle a few times by now, but even then, the only thing coming out of his mouth was a gasp of astonishment. He grinned wryly and placed a cigarette between his lips. A Hunter from the Monitoring Division stood next to him.

"Chief, will it be alright for us to step back like this?"

"What's wrong?"

"Right now, Seong Hunter-nim is still engaging the monsters….."

The Hunter from the Monitoring Division turned his head towards Jin-Woo, but even his jaw fell.

"Huh…..?"

Woo Jin-Cheol placed another cigarette in the slack mouth of this guy and even lit up for his subordinate.

"Can you see how should we go about helping him?"

"No, sir… I can't."

"So, stay here and quietly smoke that."

"Y-yes, sir."

Hunters gazed at Jin-Woo with eyes of awe but still, didn't forget to swarm around Woo Jin-Cheol. And as a result, his stash of cigarettes ran out very quickly.

But, for some reason, his nose began stinging just a tad.

'I can't even remember how many times I nearly died in this place.'

He thought those monsters were a wall he could never overcome, no matter what he tried. But now, seeing Jin-Woo single-handedly sweeping those things away, the sense of relief and powerful emotion of delight were flooding into his heart.

"Section Chief? Are you crying, sir?"

"No, I'm not, you idiot. It's just this spicy cigarette. Okay?"

"Right. It's also too spicy for me."

"Yeah, me too."

"Me three."

Maybe this batch of cigarettes tasted far too spicy for them today since teardrops were clearly visible within the eyes of all these Hunters.

SLAM-!!

Sohn Ki-Hoon managed to block the punch of the god statue with his shield and gasped out a pained grunt.

"Keo-heok!"

His knees were bucking hard. With no Healer around, he had no choice but to take on the impact force all by himself, but he knew that anything more than this was asking for too much.

"S-someone…. Anyone!!"

He painfully turned his head to the side and spotted a quiet gathering of his fellow Hunters sitting over there.

What the hell.

He was sh*tting blood trying to block the attacks of the god statue all by himself, yet why wasn't anyone trying to lend him a helping hand here??

Sohn Ki-Hoon was royally p*ssed off and angrily yelled at them.

"What do you all think you're doing?!"

When he did, the Hunters all pointed above him. Sohn Ki-Hoon interpreted that as them warning him of another attack, so he flinched greatly and raised his shield up again.

However, the expected attack didn't materialise.

He finally noticed that the surroundings had become eerily quiet for some reason.

'What's going on here?'

He sneakily scanned his surroundings below his shield, and finally noticed that all the stone statues in the vicinity had been destroyed.

"What's this?!"

He got startled out of his skin and hurriedly lowered the shield. And that allowed him to see what was going on above him. He saw the sight of the god statue, as tall as a skyscraper, and Jin-Woo standing on the d*mn thing's shoulder.

"Huh….??"

Even before Sohn Ki-Hoon was done with his surprise…

Ka-boom!!

Jin-Woo's punch blew away the other remaining half of the god statue's face. With its head gone now, the massive statue began unsteadily tottering around.

"….Uh? Ehhh?"

Sohn Ki-Hoon sensed something awry was afoot and ran as if his back was on fire. And just as his senses had warned him, the god statue crashed down right where he used to be standing a second ago.

Kwa-boooom!!

A choking dust cloud kicked up and filled the entire interior of this place.

"Cough, cough!"

Choi Jong-In coughed out repeatedly and while blowing away the dust from himself, he quickly made his way to Cha Hae-In.

"Hunter Cha."

"Chairman….?"

"How are you feeling? Can you stand up?"

She was still lying on the ground, moaning in pain. She shook her head at his question. Not one part of her body was okay right now. Choi Jong-In's brows furrowed as he felt somewhat helpless at this.

"Let me help you. Try to slowly stand up."

Just as he was trying to support Cha Hae-In, Jin-Woo arrived next to him, having finished off all the stone statues in the room.

"Will it be fine if I aid Cha Hunter-nim?"

"Pardon me?"

Choi Jong-In shifted his gaze towards the direction of that voice. It was then, he thought that for a little bit there, Cha Hae-In was pushing his hand away. He replied in somewhat of a daze.

"Oh. Uh, yes. Why not."

Jin-Woo quickly lifted her up in an embrace. Cha Hae-In's face reddened instantly.

"Please, hold on for a little while longer."

Jin-Woo promptly ran over to the exit and kicked the closed door, hard.

BOOM!!

A locked door such as this only needed a good kick from him. The sturdy door that didn't even want to budge an inch when these high-ranking Hunters pushed at it got destroyed in an instant.

He cautiously laid her down outside the chamber and summoned up his Store. Her current condition was considerably bad. Jin-Woo quickly purchased a superior grade healing potion and carefully emptied the vial in her mouth.

Gulp, gulp.

Her wounds began recovering at a scarcely-believable rate.

"But, how…??"

"Shh."

Jin-Woo raised his index finger and pressed to his lips. Right now was ill-suited to explaining himself, wasn't it?

Hunters emerged from the chamber one by one. Could this be called a silver lining within the sea of misfortune? Their current appearance was truly wretched, but thankfully, none of them required emergency medical assistance.

Jin-Woo closed the Store's interface.

Not knowing the existence of the healing potion, Hunters and their eyes could only pop out of their sockets when Cha Hae-In stood back up as if nothing was wrong.

"Huh?? But, Cha Hunter-nim, weren't you…..?"

"Well, I…."

She was about to answer back reflexively, only to sneak a glance at Jin-Woo and quickly diverted the conversation away.

"This isn't the right time to discuss that, so let's get out of here first."

Hunters all agreed with her.

"Are there any more survivors?"

She asked Jin-Woo, who possessed the best sensory perception among the group. He looked into the interior of the chamber and shook his head.

Only seventeen remained standing outside the chamber. Over half of who stepped inside had died. Their joy at surviving this encounter only lasted for a short while and the atmosphere grew gloomy and heavy.

"In that case…."

Cha Hae-In turned around with a stiff face, but Jin-Woo reached out and held her wrist. She turned to face him.

The reason why the Hunters Guild came here was secondary. He was a lot more curious about something else at the moment.

"Excuse me, but… what happened to Japan?"

Jin-Woo had entered here just before the dungeon break of the rank S Gate occurred and so, he was getting legitimately curious of the news coming out of Japan.

Cha Hae-In hesitated slightly, but eventually, came up with a suitable description.

"They have been destroyed."

Chapter 164 Fin.

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So, that's what happened in the end.

The plan to block up a Gate sounded quite dangerous from the moment Yuri Orlov came up with the idea. Besides, wasn't he trying to deal with a rank S Gate?

Didn't matter whether it was a Hunter or Gate, rank S denoted that something was impossible to evaluate.

"Impossible to evaluate" – meaning, no one knew exactly what would pop out from the Gate, nor what kind of events would happen next. Even then, Yuri Orlov greatly overestimated his strength. And, in the end, his stupidity led to a truly horrifying result.

Jin-Woo's expression became deeply complicated.

Association President Goh Gun-Hui had told him about what the Japanese Hunters were trying to do back in Jeju Island. It was unknown what their real goal was, but nevertheless, they commenced with their plan anyway.

If Jin-Woo didn't show up on time, it'd have been extremely difficult for the Korean Hunters to get out of there alive even if the mutated ant monster hadn't shown up.

And, even after trying something underhanded like that, the b*stard of the Japanese Association's President had the gall to visit South Korea to threaten Goh Gun-Hui.

'That man deserves to be punished, no doubt about that.'

However, that was the story only for the brain trust of the Japanese Association as well as the top-ranked Hunters who took part in the stinking scheme.

The innocent Japanese citizens not included in that story certainly didn't deserve this.

There might have been some unresolved historical 'feelings' between the two nations, but that wasn't a sin so grave that whole masses of people had to die because of it.

What's even worse, this particular dungeon break occurred in the middle of the city.

Just because of some Orcs that came out from a Gate within a school, nearly half of all the students there had lost their lives. However, what would happen if a rank S Gate opened up in the middle of a huge city with a population of over 13 million? Obviously, it'd lead to a truly gruesome end result.

Not to forget, this result was partially brought upon by themselves, as well.

'If Goto Ryuji and the other top Japanese Hunters were still alive, the end result could have been different.'

Goto Ryuji was strong. He was strong enough to endanger Jin-Woo for a moment back then. Even he felt greatly startled when the Japanese Hunter's attack barely missed his eye by a hair's breadth.

Would that be all?

Every single dead Japanese Hunter he found on Jeju Island was an exceptional individual that surpassed Korea's own rank S Hunters.

He might not have known their fighting styles, but at least, that's the impression he got after checking out the amount of magic energy still remaining on their corpses.

Back then, Jin-Woo didn't want to turn blameless humans into 'undead' so he gave up on them. But they were such exceptional Hunters that he was greatly tempted to turn them into Shadow Soldiers.

'Turning them into Shadow Soldiers would've been perfectly fine when I think about what they were trying to do, though!'

Too bad, he only got to learn the truth a long time after the fact, so there was nothing he could do about that.

In any case, such powerful Hunters got massacred in one go so it was only obvious that Japan simply lacked enough personnel to deal with a rank S Gate appearing within its borders.

In the end, this event wasn't a calamity engineered by the heavens, but something called upon by the greed of humans, instead. A man-made disaster, in other words.

"Seong Hunter-nim?"

Cha Hae-In worriedly called out to him. Even now, Jin-Woo was still holding her wrist.

"I'm sorry. I was thinking of something else just now."

"Ah."

Jin-Woo let go of her arm.

The reason why Cha Hae-In called out to him wasn't because of the wrist, but his complexion had darkened considerably out of the blue, that's why.

Did he have family members or relatives living in Japan? Such a question fleeted in and out of her mind, just then.

She still had no idea that the Japanese Hunter's Association had cooked up such a dastardly scheme. So, she thought of the events unfolding in Japan as merely an accident – no, more correctly, a horrifying incident, instead.

He got to solve his first question of what had happened to Japan. Jin-Woo asked the second thing he was curious about.

"What brought you guys over here, anyway?"

Currently, there were Cha Hae-In, Woo Jin-Cheol, and then, Sohn Ki-Hoon and his team members, who Jin-Woo met when fighting against Fangs, present here.

High-ranking Hunters from the Hunters Guild and the members from the Monitoring Division, the ones that didn't really seem to have a common reason to form a team, had gathered all around him.

Woo Jin-Cheol finished checking up on the injuries of his subordinates and took a step forward to clarify the situation.

"Actually, we came here first after receiving a report from this location. But then, we learned that you had entered the Gate, and the magic energy leaking out from the dungeon itself was so great that…."

Jin-Woo shifted his gaze over to the Chief of the Monitoring Division. Perhaps the number of casualties had been far too great, Woo Jin-Cheol's expression was really stiff right now.

"We thought that our strengths would not be adequate enough so I requested for assistance from the Hunters Guild that had been getting ready for a raid nearby."

The right to request assistance in emergencies. It was the highest form of authority the Association possessed over the Guilds. Even the Hunters Guild wouldn't have been able to reject the request.

Many had come to aid him, and in the process, many unfortunate sacrifices had to be made. Jin-Woo felt his heart begin to ache.

As the youth grew quieter in contemplation, Woo Jin-Cheol cautiously raised a question.

"May I ask you a question?"

"Yes?"

"How did you know that you'd find the dual dungeon in this particular Gate, Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim?"

That was a very pertinent question to ask.

As the Chairperson of the Hunters Guild, which had suffered huge losses today, Choi Jong-In was deeply curious about this, as well.

How did Seong Jin-Woo know that there was a dual dungeon hiding within a rank C Gate, and that a monster capable of exceeding everyone's imagination was waiting for him there?

Hunters who had heard of this before coming here were all feeling quite puzzled from this unanswered question.

Rumble….

The cavern they were in trembled. The Gate sent them the signal that it'd close not too long from now, yet the attention of these Hunters were solely focused on Jin-Woo's answer.

"The dungeon…."

Jin-Woo decided to be as honest as he could be.

"…It summoned me here."

"…..Wait, it summoned you here?"

Woo Jin-Cheol asked back, his expression showing his disbelief.

"Yes. I received a message telling me to come here."

"Can we view that message, as well?"

Jin-Woo shook his head. Then, he pointed to his temple with his finger.

"I'm sorry. It was a message that appeared in my head."

The answer nobody expected to hear rendered everyone utterly speechless.

Jin-Woo didn't lie here, though. It was just that he chose to omit a few other unnecessary details and simply delivered the core of the truth, that was all.

His straightforward expression of hiding nothing managed to overpower other Hunters.

Woo Jin-Cheol could legitimately claim that he knew Jin-Woo the longest out of this group. Even then, he had no choice but throw up the white flag with a shake of his head.

'He's… not someone I can read with my common sense.'

The dungeon summoned him through his head?

Could this youth be some kind of an incarnation of a godly being sent to this world so he could smash apart all the dungeons that appear here?

'Why am I even thinking of such nonsense….?'

Woo Jin-Cheol inwardly gave a wry chuckle. While he was doing that, Jin-Woo soundlessly brushed past him.

He walked past the broken doorway and re-entered the chamber. Cha Hae-In panicked and called out to him in a hurry.

"Hunter Seong?? If we don't leave right now, it could get dangerous!"

Jin-Woo turned around after hearing her worried voice and made his reply.

"I know."

How could he not know of the dangers?

Jin-Woo had walked on this lengthy passageway to get here twice already. It was almost an hour's distance even with the walking speed of Hunters. If they wished to get out of here before the Gate closed, they certainly couldn't tarry any longer.

Not only that, Jin-Woo's own old man went missing inside a Gate, too.

He heard that his dad, despite getting grievously injured, still managed to carry out his comrades from the boss chamber one by one before he himself got left behind as the Gate closed.

There was no one out there who understood the dangers of a dungeon better than Jin-Woo. That was why his reply of "I know" was filled with his conviction. Even then….

"I can't leave behind the Hunters who came running for my sake, now can I?"

Hunters getting anxious to leave all froze up in their spots after hearing his words. Every single one of those who lost their lives inside that chamber was a comrade to them. If possible, they didn't want to leave anyone behind.

However, there simply wasn't enough time to take all the deceased with them. Not only were these Hunters far too exhausted, but trying to locate the remains buried under the debris of the stone statues would mean they had to search through all corners of the chamber, as well.

And that was why they turned around to leave with bitter tears in their eyes, but now….

"I'm taking them back with me."

One sentence from Jin-Woo and the Hunters began shuddering as if a bolt of electricity was travelling within their bodies.

No one argued that there was no time, that they had to get out of here. No, they simply watched on in a daze.

Choi Jong-In, who had been silently enduring until then, spoke with a powerless voice.

"Can we… ask you for this favour?"

These Guild members were like his family. If it was possible, he didn't want them to rot away stuck in a cold corner of this d*mnable cave.

Jin-Woo nodded his head and turned around.

Ba-thump, ba-thump!

His hearts were quietly beating away.

'I need to sense a little deeper.'

Basically, his two hearts always beat as one. He needed to concentrate really hard to separate the sound of the Black Heart beating from his regular heart. Jin-Woo gathered the magical energy sent out by this mysterious heart towards his fingertips.

'Did he do it like this?'

Jin-Woo tried to mimic the hand gesture of the Shadow Sovereign he saw within the data's playback.

His hand reaching up as if he was grasping something – without a doubt, he could sense enormous magical power going crazy within his hand right now.

'I can do this.'

Jin-Woo felt this powerful self-assurance enter his mind.

He immediately located the whereabouts of the deceased Hunters through their magic energy emission. His eyes gleamed brightly. Shortly afterwards, he stopped silently studying the interior of the chamber and spoke up.

"Ruler's Authority."

And when he did….

Dududuk….

All the remains of the Hunters buried under the rubble of the stone statues all uniformly rose up into the air.

"Heok!!"

"But, how?!"

Hunters watching Jin-Woo with bated breaths all cried out in shock.

Never mind the fact that he was able to locate all the dead Hunters in such a short span of time, he even managed to lift them up without touching them? Wasn't this like one of those telekinetic superpowers often seen in movies?

The floating Hunters were carried out of the doorway via invisible hands.

'How can this be….?'

'How can something like this even be possible?'

Just like how normal people would get surprised by the Hunters, these Hunters were getting even more astonished by Jin-Woo's feats.

Even Choi Jong-In, who could be called very knowledgeable when it came to the manipulation of magical energy, couldn't quite believe what he just witnessed with his own two eyes.

'Just what kind of a skill is that?'

It was certainly a skill he had never even heard of before.

After seeing Jin-Woo's powers personally, Choi Jong-In realised that he had been greatly mistaken about something. When he saw the angel statue for the first time, he thought that such a 'thing' would obviously be able to defeat Jin-Woo.

However, his thoughts were wrong. It was a complete miscalculation.

Which monster would be able to deal with a Hunter capable of wielding powers like this as if it was nothing to him? Not realising that he was doing it, Choi Jong-In began shaking his head.

'Utterly impossible….'

In actual fact, the angel statue was eliminated in an instant almost as soon as Jin-Woo opened his eyes. Only sighs of amazement could come out after seeing this young man's capabilities.

Jin-Woo carefully moved the cold, unmoving corpses of the Hunters to one side and summoned out his Shadow Soldiers. The restriction only applied within the temple itself so he could call them out no problem outside the doorway.

While the living Hunters couldn't close shut their slack jaws, the Shadow Soldiers proceeded to pick up the dead Hunters. Everyone forgot what they wanted to say and simply looked at Jin-Woo as he addressed them.

"Let's get out of here."

It was then, the dungeon rumbled one more time as if it was waiting for this moment. The Hunters all nodded their heads.

Soon after they set off, the Shadow Soldiers ran right behind them. Jin-Woo remained behind and watched them move, before turning around to face Cha Hae-In who also hadn't left yet.

Although her physical wounds had been healed, her expression showed how fatigued she was.

'That is obvious, though.'

Even he himself needed to put in a lot of effort to defeat that angel statue. She'd definitely be exhausted trying to defend against such a creature all by herself.

Jin-Woo walked over to her and asked.

"Would you like me to carry you?"

Cha Hae-In formed a thin smile and shook her head.

Grasp.

He reached out to grasp her wrist again, and she quietly stared at him. He wanted her to feel at ease, at least by a little bit, so he relaxedly spoke to her.

"We should get going, too."

Nod.

Cha Hae-In, depressed by the deaths of her comrades, wordlessly nodded her head.

Hunters began emerging one by one from the Gate.

Right up until then, those waiting around outside the Gate had no idea the scale of the event taking place within. However, they all realised that something really bad had happened after seeing the deceased Hunters being carried out by the Shadow Soldiers.

"Oh, my god…."

"Are those all….?!"

The members of the Bravery Guild who had reported this matter, and the female Association employee standing by, all saw this procession and their complexions turned ashen in an instant.

The number of casualties was just far too great.

Weren't these people the elite Hunters of the country? The Hunters belonging to the Hunters Guild and the Monitoring Division were called some of the very best, yet….

After everyone had emerged, Jin-Woo and Cha Hae-In simultaneously stepped out of the Gate. Enough time had passed on the outside and it was night-time already.

Reporter Kim had been staying put until then to keep an eye on the situation, and when he saw the conditions of those two, his eyes grew extraordinarily wide from sheer shock.

The heavy traces of intense battle were clearly visible on the bodies of these two rank S Hunters – dried up, caked blood; torn, ripped clothing; their dishevelled hair.

Sure, Cha Hae-In still looked quite lovely even then. But Hunter Seong Jin-Woo gave off a feeling that he'd been through a bitter war all by himself.

'This is it…. This really is it!'

Reporter Kim raised his camera with his trembling hands.

This was the reason why he became a reporter in the first place. And that was to document event such as this one.

He wanted to let others know that there were some people who willingly put their lives on the line to fight for the masses in some forgotten corner of their country, even though everyone's attention was focused on the events taking place in Japan.

Almost twenty of the country's top Hunters had perished here today. If such a Gate had broken open, then the scale of destruction and losses to life would have exceeded imaginations. These people and their sacrifices had prevented a future tragedy.

However, if Reporter Kim wasn't here, would others ever get to know about these folks and their heroic battle today? He had been circling around the Association just so he could stumble into a story like this one day.

Click, click!!

He was so emotionally moved that tears were forming in his eyes as he busily snapped away photos.

Woo Jin-Cheol lost all the strength in his legs right after leaving the Gate and settled down on the ground. Jin-Woo looked for him and walked closer.

"….Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim."

Woo Jin-Cheol tried to get up, but Jin-Woo stopped the older man. Instead, the latter pointed at Reporter Kim over yonder.

"He's taking my photos, but is that allowed?"

Woo Jin-Cheol smirked and made his reply.

"It is indeed disallowed to film you in an individual capacity, Seong Hunter-nim. However, just like how it was back in the Jeju Island raid, it's impossible to block the report on the incident itself."

Jin-Woo nodded his head.

Mom would get worried if she saw his messed-up appearance, though. He was sort of worried about that happening, but then again, it didn't mean he could forcibly stop the reporter from doing his job.

Indeed, that reporter was doing what he was supposed to be doing.

He also wished for someone to let the world know of the ultimate sacrifices these Hunters made while fighting to ensure that no tragedy would unfold in the near future, as well.

A quiet wind seemed to blow by. The sounds of distant sirens from approaching ambulances were carried by the winds.

Next morning.

Every newspaper carried the front-page headline of the dungeon break happening in Japan, except for one publication. It was the only one that carried the news of the dual dungeon incident.

This paper sold the most number of copies that day.

Chapter 165 Fin.

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Chapter 166: Chapter 166

The American Hunter Bureau mobilised its agents from the Asian branch office in order to assess the current situation in Japan.

A helicopter set off from the safe zone and eventually, entered Tokyo's airspace. A senior agent from the Hunter Bureau, who had risked his life and volunteered for this trip, looked out of the vehicle's window and clicked his tongue.

"How tragic."

The current status of Tokyo was far worse than he had imagined. The city itself was completely destroyed after the dungeon break occurred.

Buildings no longer possessed their former appearances; cars folded and crumpled like bits of paper; street lamps bent at their waists; burning flames, rising smoke, scorched remains, and unidentifiable structures turning into ash.

Surely, the word 'tragic' was invented just for a sight as wretched as this one.

The agent's forehead unconsciously creased up. If someone were to ask him in the future if he had seen hell, then yes, he could now say that he indeed have seen one.

Unfortunately, he didn't come here to mourn the now-destroyed city.

No, his mission was to assess the current situation. He continued to film and carefully observed the carnage below, before asking the Japanese representative next to him.

"Even though the city has been destroyed to such an extent, I don't see any human remains?"

The senior agent remembered seeing the images of the rank S Gate opening up on the island of Jeju during his training back in the Hunter Bureau's HQ.

Whether it was from a video clip or a still photo, the streets of the Jeju Island were filled with dead bodies. Ants had killed every single resident who couldn't escape the island in time.

It was one of the worst tragedies ever in history, and the Hunter Bureau kept detailed records of what happened then.

But now, even though the city of Tokyo was wiped clean off the face of the planet, it was hard to see any corpses. No, there were no traces of dead people to be found, actually.

The Japanese representative spoke up.

"That can't be helped, actually. The Giants have been eating humans, you see."

He was a young man working for the Japanese Hunter's Association. It wasn't all that hard to figure out what his life had been like recently from his bloodshot eyes and the overgrown beard he couldn't trim yet.

He continued to speak with worries forming deep creases on his face.

"Those b*stards are acting as if to erase all traces of Japanese people from Japan itself. They destroy all the buildings, eat humans, and they even pull out trees from the streets, too."

Nod, nod.

The Hunter Bureau agent agreed with that.

These Giant-type monsters that came out of the rank S Gate displayed a certain difference in behaviour from other monsters. While other monsters concentrated on killing humans, this batch of monsters was actively trying to destroy everything they could see.

Only the destroyed remains of the civilisation were left behind in these creature's wake. No matter where in Tokyo, one couldn't see a building, no, a single house still standing intact.

"But, thanks to that, we were able to buy ourselves a bit of time."

He said, 'thanks to that.'

The Japanese Association employee formed a smile full of self-mockery.

Should he be thankful or feel sorrowful for the monsters proceeding to destroy everything in their path, thereby buying enough time for people to escape from their carnage?

Such complicated emotions were writ large on the employee's face.

The Hunter Bureau agent looked at this Japanese man and thought to himself.

'It's already something that he's able to hold on like this.'

After all, the capital city of his country had fallen into such a wretched state in an instant, had it not?

The sense of loss felt from monsters raping one's country wasn't a foreign concept to this American agent.

The United States also lost a portion of their Western Seaboard about eight years ago from the single monster that came out of the rank S Gate, 'Kamish'.

And, was that all? South Korea right next to Japan also had to surrender the biggest island in the country to monsters for nearly four years, only to somehow recover it recently, didn't they?

The American agent got to confirm something while watching the footage of that raid's ferocious battles.

He had no relations with South Korea at all, yet when he saw the lone Korean Hunter sweep away all those ant monsters and even smack that mutated ant a really good one, he jumped up from his seat and let out an elated cry.

That wasn't simply because he worked for the Asian branch of the Hunter Bureau. No, he saw that battle of Jeju not as a fight between a small nation of Korea and monsters, but as a proxy war between humanity and the waves of monsters, instead.

And here, on this land called Japan, there were more battles taking place between humanity and monsters.

'The result of that is this…..'

Tatatatatata-!!

The spinning rotors of the helicopter remained an incredible racket, but the situation on the ground was severe enough to steal away the agent's attention from the noise.

He felt angry and frustrated. However, there was nothing he could do here. All he could do was to carry out the mission he was given. The agent continued to operate the camera and asked the Japanese the questions that popped up in his head every now and then.

But then, he discovered something that took him by great surprise and he fell hard on his a*s.

"Heok!! T-that thing over there!"

Cold sweat poured out of the American agent as he began calling out to Jesus. The Japanese Association employee helped him to stand back up.

"So, you saw it."

"O-over there! There's a Giant over there!!"

"Yes. There is one Giant still remaining here. No, rather than calling it 'remaining', should I say that it's not budging from the spot, instead?"

The employee's gaze shifted outside the window. The American agent wiped the cold sweat off his brows and cautiously looked in the same direction as well.

A massive monster, bigger and taller than any monster this agent had ever seen, stood proudly in the downtown area of the utterly-devastated city of Tokyo.

'That is the Giant-type monster….'

The helicopter began flying closer according to the employee's instructions. The agent hurriedly inquired as his face paled instantly.

"W-will it be fine to get this close to that thing?"

The American definitely heard this before coming on this trip. All Giant monsters had left Tokyo now, which meant that the abandoned city was as safe as it could get under the circumstances.

But then, wasn't this way too different from that declaration?

The Japanese Association employee calmly explained the situation with a tone of voice indicating that there was nothing to worry about.

"It'll be fine. As long as we stay in the altitude that the creature's hands can't reach and we don't attack first, we'll be 100% safe. This has been confirmed through multiple observation efforts so you can rest easy."

Gulp.

The American agent swallowed his saliva.

'Confirmed through multiple observations, is it?'

'Observation.'

The Japanese employee spoke of that word as if it didn't mean much, but just how many people had to be sacrificed at the hands of that Giant monster in order to come to that conclusion?

Just thinking about those unlucky few who flew too close to the reach of the Giant sent an eerie shiver down the agent's spine.

In any case, it was highly valuable information for this agent who was tasked with compiling data on the rank S monsters, as well as to report on Japan's current status back to HQ.

His brows gradually rose up as he studied the Giant. Now that he took a closer look, this creature's face seemed familiar to him.

'That's right….'

It was none other than the super-giant b*stard that shattered Yuri Orlov's magical barrier with its body. Unlike other monsters that had been scattered elsewhere, only this Giant monster, designated as the boss rank by many others, chose to remain here.

The Japanese employee spoke with a bitter expression on his face.

"Do you also think that the monster is guarding that Gate, too?"

"Ah…. Well, I…."

"This is my third time seeing that b*stard, but every time I do, I keep thinking of different things."

"What did you thought of just now?"

"To my eyes, that thing is…"

The Japanese employee took his time before carrying on a beat later.

"That thing is waiting for something. That's what it looks like to me."

"I… see."

The agent shifted his gaze back over to the Giant.

Indeed, it certainly looked like that in a way. He thought that it wouldn't be much of a stretch for this Japanese employee to read the current situation that way.

As these two people conversed regarding the boss rank Giant monster, the helicopter had arrived near the absolute limit of the safety.

Even though there was a helicopter buzzing above its head, the Giant didn't even lift a finger. As if it hadn't even perceived the presence of the man-made contraption, it remained utterly docile.

However, according to the employee's explanations, it wasn't as if this thing would never attack, either.

"The creature will definitely attack whatever enters the fixed range. Whether the targets of its attack are people or machines, nothing can escape from it."

Just how many observation attempts were needed to find that out?

The final moments of Yuri Orlov overlapped with that of the employee's face in the American agent's eyes as the Japanese calmly explained the situation.

The boss monster's agile movements as it broke past the barrier and rapidly snatched up Yuri Orlov left a huge mental shock with all the viewers watching the broadcast at home. The Russian's death had been shown live in that manner to the rest of the world.

The report on the rank S Hunter compiled by the Bureau described Yuri Orlov as such:

– A man who craves after wealth and fame.

He may have failed in extracting money from Japan, but well, he had definitely become one of the most famous Hunters in the entire world through this incident.

'Not sure if that was the result he'd have liked to see but, oh well.'

The agent frowned deeply after recalling the final moments of Yuri Orlov. Meanwhile, the Japanese employee spoke up.

"This is also from a personal point of view, but….."

He said it was a personal point of view. But the American agent found this man's opinions rather interesting, even the one about the Giant monster waiting for someone or something.

"Alright, please tell me."

The agent nodded his head, prompting the employee to continue on.

"When I look at that thing, I don't really get the feeling that the creature is truly 'alive', you see? Yes, it's obviously breathing in and out, and can move around because it's alive, but well, should I say that it's like looking at a machine that only acts according to how it was programmed?"

"A machine, is it….?"

Quite regretfully, the agent couldn't agree with that assessment.

The imposing figure of the Giant monster when looked at from up close was, in a word, overwhelming. When subjected to the chest-tightening pressure emanating from the creature, the agent simply couldn't think of that thing as a machine at all.

It was then.

The Giant's eyes shifted in their direction.

"Heok!!"

Tumble!!

The agent fell on his a*s once more. As if he was waiting for that, the Japanese agent supported the American back up. He then spoke as if to calm his charge down.

"That thing's simply looking at us. As long as we maintain this distance, it won't attack."

The agent nodded his head. He thought his heart just fell out of his chest just now. He belatedly raised his camera up and recorded the creature in great detail. The reason for the viewfinder shaking ever so slightly like that was probably not entirely due to the helicopter busily buzzing around in the air.

The agent only spoke up again after he figured he had captured enough data by now.

"How many Giants came out from that Gate?"

"A total of 31. Excluding the boss rank, the rest have evenly dispersed throughout the countryside."

"….And how many have been killed so far?"

"Only two."

"Which means, with the exception of the boss over here, there are 28 Giants destroying Japan as we speak."

"Well, there aren't any Hunters left to fight against the Giants, you see. Everyone's been preoccupied with escaping at the moment."

The complexion of the employee was gloomy.

On the day the dungeon break happened, Hunters participating in the crucial battle to buy the residents of Tokyo enough time to evacuate were all killed.

They were able to kill two monsters in the process, but they had no other methods left to stop the remaining 28 from spreading out to the rest of the country.

This here was the reason why the Japanese Association employee said 'yes' without resistance to the request for assistance from the Hunter Bureau when he should have been far, far too busy trying to put out the fire burning on his foot – no, make that on his entire body.

Right at that moment.

"W-what are you doing?"

The American agent jumped up and tried to stop him, but the Association employee finally managed to bow his head down. His knees were bent all the way down and his forehead was pressed to the floor.

Stuff like pride or dignity no longer mattered. No, if the only cost to pay were his pride or his dignity, then he'd not have hesitated to do something even more drastic.

And so, still remaining in the kowtowing position, the employee spoke up.

"Please, aid us, the Japanese."

The American agent was about to help his Japanese guide up but stopped in the middle of his actions. He couldn't say anything back to the grave determination of the employee.

The Japanese spoke in fluent English and emphasized his plea.

"If America doesn't help us, then Japan as a nation will be finished. Hasn't Japan been a trusted ally of the United States all this time? Will you not consider taking on the risk, just this once, for Japan, the allied nation of America?"

It was unknown whether this was coming from the employee's own heart or he was being ordered by the Japanese Hunter's Association. However, regardless of where it was coming from, this young man's desperation could definitely be felt in his voice.

The agent chewed on his lower lip and pondered for a bit before replying with some difficulty.

"I'll lodge a request for aid to the HQ."

"Thank you. Truly, thank you very much."

The American agent couldn't tell the Japanese employee bowing his head several times in a row that he shouldn't get his hopes up.

Would the Americans, after having lost many of its high-ranking Hunters from the 'Kamish' incident, and thus began obsessively managing the well-being of their remaining Hunters, make a move just for the sake of the Japanese?

'I'm pretty sure they won't.'

However, how could the agent tell this young man lowering his head for the sake of his nation, that his beloved country was already as good as finished?

'All you can do is to leave it to the will of heavens….'

The agent looked at the sky above.

Unfortunately, the heavens simply stared at the world below in disinterest, just like how it had been, like how it was doing right now, and how it would continue to do so in the future.

The agent dazedly stared at the heavens before muttering to himself.

'Oh, dear God…. Please, don't forsake us.'

Jin-Woo woke up early in the morning and went to the Guild office while doing a light jog.

'Yup, as I suspected.'

His eyes brimming with happiness looked slightly above from the dead centre of his vision. And he could see the current status of the Daily Quest there, just like how it had been until now.

Tti-ring.

[The distance run: 10km]

[You have completed 'Running: 10km.']

Even though he got rid of the self-proclaimed architect, nothing seemed to have changed from before. The System continued to function as it had so far, and just like before, the Daily Quest arrived as soon as he opened his eyes in the morning.

His physical condition was at its peak, too.

Ever since this 'Black Heart' took root within his body, vitality was overflowing within him. He deliberately held back his speed, yet each of his steps felt light and airy.

However, thanks to the d*mn b*stard getting killed off like that, he was now left with a ton of unanswered questions.

'Just what was that recorded footage I saw?'

He kind of figured that watching it was one of the conditions to unlocking this 'Black Heart', but everything else remained a mystery.

Just as his thoughts were getting deeper….

"Excuse me!! Hold on!"

"Mister Yu Jin-Ho!! May I ask you some questions?"

Jin-Woo raised his head at the noises coming from afar. And that's when he spotted the big cordon of reporters camping outside the Guild building.

Yu Jin-Ho was currently being surrounded by them, unable to do anything to extricate himself. It seemed that he got ensnared by the reporters during his morning commute.

The reporters began their barrage of questions.

"Mister Yu Jin-Ho, were you aware of the tragedy of the Hunters Guild that happened yesterday?"

"Please provide us with a statement as the Vice Chairperson of the Ah-Jin Guild."

"What is Hunter Seong Jin-Woo's connection to that incident?"

"Japan is going through a crisis at the moment, but did Mister Seong Jin-Woo express his thoughts on aiding the Japanese?"

'Aha.'

Jin-Woo nodded his head.

These reporters couldn't interview him personally, so they resorted to clinging onto Yu Jin-Ho, who must've come across as an easy mark to them.

Jin-Woo was about to take a step forward, thinking that he should help the kid out, but then, he discovered something and he stopped moving altogether.

'Mm….?'

For some reason, Yu Jin-Ho's expression didn't seem so bad right now.

He outwardly looked to be somewhat troubled, but Jin-Woo's exceptional eyes definitely caught the kid trying to forcibly suppress his smile every now and then.

'Hah, this Jin-Ho. I didn't know that he enjoyed stuff like this.'

Jin-Woo was dumbfounded but still formed a soft smirk anyway. It seemed that his help was not strictly necessary here.

'So, what should I do instead, then?'

Should he just drag Yu Jin-Ho into the office quietly, or go back the way he came so the kid could enjoy himself a bit more?

As Jin-Woo seriously considered his options, a car rolled to a stop right behind Jin-Woo. And its window silently rolled down next.

"Are you Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim?"

Jin-Woo heard that unfamiliar voice and turned around to see who it was without thinking too much about it.

However….

'Huh?'

His brows rose up slightly after he confirmed who it was.

Chapter 166 Fin.

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"It is indeed you."

The man sitting in the car confirmed that the person turning around to face him was Jin-Woo, and stepped out of the vehicle right away. As it turned out, he was actually quite a familiar face to Jin-Woo, as well.

Heck, he didn't even need to dig through his memories to recall this man's name, either. Because this man appeared almost non-stop in South Korea's financial news segments. Not to mention, he was also 'familiar' to Jin-Woo in another meaning of the word, as well.

"I'm Yu Myung-Han from Yujin Construction. It's a pleasure, Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim."

Yu Myung-Han's back remained straight as he lightly lowered his head.

It was a greeting neither disrespectful nor lacking in confidence.

As if he had learned that this was how to greet someone properly, his action was tidy and disciplined. Jin-Woo was inwardly taken by surprise.

It was because he didn't expect a chairman of a huge corporation to greet a total stranger like himself in such a dignified manner.

Since the other party came out so dignified and respectful, Jin-Woo also returned a dignified greeting.

"I'm Seong Jin-Woo. It's also a pleasure."

After their brief introductions were over, Yu Myung-Han got right down to the topic.

"I apologise for coming to see you without prior communication, but if it's alright with you, can we speak in private?"

A small suspicion brushed past Jin-Woo's brain just then.

'If he wants to see me….'

It'd have been more convenient for the Chairman to contact Jin-Woo through his son rather than personally showing up here. Yet, why did Yu Myung-Han choose to come all the way out here at the cost of his valuable time?

Jin-Woo swallowed back such suspicions forming in his mind and asked something else.

"What can I help you with?"

Yu Myung-Han replied with an apologetic face implying that he had no choice but to do it this way.

"It is regarding a topic that's difficult to discuss here."

Now that Jin-Woo took a look around, he could see that, although no one recognised him in his current get-up of a comfortable tracksuit with a hood pulled up, several curious stares were rapidly landing on Chairman Yu Myung-Han.

There were a fair few passersby on the streets, so indeed, it was not possible to discuss something important in a place like this one. Jin-Woo understood that point very well.

The only problem was….

'….I don't have any important business to discuss with Chairman Yu Myung-Han.'

He couldn't even take a wild guess here.

If he were to really, really think about it, then maybe, something to do with the Chairman's second son and the Vice-Master of the Ah-Jin Guild, Yu Jin-Ho?

While Jin-Woo's reply got delayed, more and more people began looking at Yu Myung-Han now. Some even pulled out their smartphones to take snapshots as well.

The Chairman began feeling a bit more urgent compared to before, as more and more eyes were being directed in his way.

'If I miss this opportunity, it'll only become harder to converse with him.'

He had a very good reason why he needed to speak to Jin-Woo. So, he worked up his courage and asked for this favour.

"Seong Hunter-nim. If it's not too much trouble, would you like to accompany me for a little while? I promise that I'll never speak about a disrespectful subject."

Jin-Woo took a look behind him first.

He spotted Yu Jin-Ho's happy, no, 'troubled' mug as the kid was surrounded by the extreme levels of interest from the reporters. Jin-Woo hurriedly swallowed back his laughter once more.

'Looks like Jin-Ho will be preoccupied for the rest of the day, then.'

Since he had been monopolising high-ranking Gates lately thanks to the consideration of other major Guilds, he thought that now might be a good time to take a break from going on raids for a while.

Jin-Woo nodded his head.

"I will."

"Thank you."

Chairman Yu Myung-Han bowed slightly and, as if he was treating a super VIP, he even opened the rear door of the car for Jin-Woo.

"Please, get in."

Jin-Woo climbed aboard first, and the Chairman actually went around to the other side to enter the back seat next to him. The car was so big that even with two well-built men sitting on the back seat, there was still plenty of space left.

Before the car started, though, Jin-Woo asked first.

"Where are we going?"

"We haven't decided on a destination. Is there a place you'd like to go to, Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim….?"

Jin-Woo shook his head, prompting the Chairman to give the signal to his chauffeur. He then looked back at his guest.

"I know of a place where we can chat without worrying about the interruptions from other people. Allow me to take you there."

Jin-Woo leaned against the back of the seat. Maybe because this was a really expensive car, the suppleness of the cushions was indescribably amazing.

The car glided forward without making any noise and eventually, they arrived in their destination.

"We're here, Hunter-nim."

The chauffeur walked over to open the Chairman's door, but Yu Myung-Han shook his head, prompting the former to approach Jin-Woo's door, instead. He then opened it for the youth.

Jin-Woo stepped out of the vehicle and looked up at the tall, tall skyscraper in front.

'So, this is where we can converse without worrying about others, is it…?'

As Jin-Woo stood there utterly speechless, a group of attendants suddenly came rushing out of the building to surround him and bowed their waists 90 degrees.

"Welcome back, sir!"

"Welcome back, sir!!"

Jin-Woo heard these six people shout out in complete harmony and could only express his admiration inwardly. Just how many times did they have to train together to match each other's timing this well?

"Let us head inside, Hunter-nim."

Chairman Yu Myung-Han displayed not one hint of putting on airs and took the lead, walking straight into the building. The words 'Yujin Construction' were clearly legible on the windows near the top of the building's roof.

Soon, Jin-Woo followed after Yu Myung-Han and entered the building. The Chairman had been waiting for the youth to enter and matched the latter's walking speed.

"This way."

Employees bent their backs immediately after discovering their Chairman.

Yu Myung-Han maintained an expressionless face but still didn't forget to reply to all the greetings coming his way with simple nods.

A real big shot – the atmosphere Jin-Woo once felt from the President of the Hunter's Association Goh Gun-Hui could also be felt from Chairman Yu as well.

Jin-Woo silently followed after him while gaining a rough understanding of the man named Yu Myung-Han's character through the gazes of these employees who seemed to wholeheartedly trust him.

Meanwhile, the employees bowing their heads to Yu Myung-Han naturally became interested in Jin-Woo walking alongside their boss.

'Who is he?'

'Huh? Isn't he….?'

'Could he be….?'

The jaw of every employee fell to the floor after they recognised the rank S Hunter, as he had taken the hood off upon entering the building.

The top Hunter of the nation and the top businessman of the nation. Two such people had stepped into the headquarters of Yujin Construction, so who would not be surprised by this amazing incident?

'Heok!'

The eyes of the employees nearly fell out of their sockets.

The hearts of the female employees began palpitating unsteadily, while the male employees nodded their heads in Jin-Woo's direction.

They didn't know why Hunter Seong Jin-Woo was standing next to their Chairman. However, when the two men who could be considered the best in their respective fields stood tall next to each other, their considerable age gap didn't seem to matter anymore, and this dazzling imagery now felt perfect and complete to the onlooker's view.

If you were a man, then you'd yearn to be a part of this amazing sight, too.

And so, as such adulating gazes fell upon them, the two men climbed aboard the executives-only elevator waiting for them with open doors. The assistance of the attendants lasted until here.

As the doors silently slid shut, only Jin-Woo and Chairman Yu remained within the elevator.

As Chairman Yu kept his mouth closed, Jin-Woo followed suit and didn't say anything. The elevator didn't stop and rose straight up to the top floor, the Chairman's office.

Ting.

Secretary Kim, the right-hand man of Chairman Yu, was waiting for their arrival in front of the office. He performed a quick nod of his head to Jin-Woo as his greeting and lowered his waist to his boss.

"My apologies, Chairman. There is a guest already waiting for you inside."

"A guest?"

The expression of Chairman Yu Myung-Han stiffened up.

"Didn't I say to not let anyone in whenever I'm not in the office?"

Secretary Kim rarely made mistakes, if ever. The reason why Yu Myung-Han's expression had stiffened wasn't because the emotion of anger but rather something much closer to surprise, instead.

Secretary Kim formed a troubled expression and blurred the ends of his sentence.

"Sir, I've already spoken to your guest regarding your wishes, but he was so insistent that I…."

"H-mm."

Yu Myung-Han only needed to hear that much to immediately figure out who the guest was. He shook his head helplessly and pointed towards the Chairman's office to Jin-Woo.

"It's nothing to worry about, so you don't have to pay any attention. Please, this way."

Wheeeiiing…

The door leading to the Chairman's office slid open.

An older gentleman sitting on the couch, passing the time by browsing through a newspaper, raised his head to look.

"Hyung-nim, why was it this hard to get in touch with you? You even cancelled our appointment for today, too."

The man sporting a smooth and reflective balding forehead was none other than the younger brother of Yu Myung-Han, Yu Seok-Ho.

As he got up to greet his older brother with a bright face, Yu Myung-Han returned a bit of a frown.

"Didn't I tell you that I have an important matter to deal with today? I'm currently occupied, so come back later."

"What do you mean? Hyung-nim, I know your schedule back to front, so what important matter could you be…..??"

Yu Seok-Ho's words came to a stop once he met Jin-Woo's gaze.

"Uh? Uh, uh???"

Didn't this young man's mug look familiar, somehow?

Other people would've recalled newspapers or images from the TV news broadcasts, but the first thing Yu Seok-Ho recalled was the SNS profile of his daughter, Yu Soo-Hyun, instead. He remembered seeing a photo of two young people looking quite comfy with each other.

'Is this really Hunter Seong Jin-Woo??'

In order to confirm the truth, he turned the newspaper in his hands to the front page. He kept blinking his eyes as he compared the front page photo and that of Jin-Woo's actual face.

This situation was weird enough to fluster Jin-Woo somewhat, but for some reason, he didn't find this unfamiliar half-bald uncle detestable at all.

'Is it because his eyes resemble Yu Jin-Ho's by a lot?'

Could a much older and balding Yu Jin-Ho look like this guy in the future?

Chairman Yu Seok Ho didn't know that he had instantly become the aged Yu Jin-Ho in Jin-Woo's mind. He didn't even mind the sharpened glare his older brother was giving him and extended his hand out with a bright smile on his face.

"Aigoo! Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim!"

"Oh, hello."

Jin-Woo unwittingly grasped the offered hand and shook it.

Yu Seok-Ho energetically shook hands as if he was greeting someone he met again after going through many years of hardship. He then introduced himself.

"I'm sure you have heard a lot about me, but well, I'm Yu Seok-Ho from Yu-il Pharmaceuticals."

And just where would Jin-Woo have heard a lot about this uncle now?

Still, it wasn't cool to shoot down someone greeting you so happily like this, so Jin-Woo said something suitable as his reply.

"Ah, yes. Hello. Nice to meet you."

Yu Myung-Han was worriedly watching on from the side, but he was now forming a surprised expression, instead. Meanwhile, Yu Seok-Ho's back straightened up in pride as if to show off a little, and he opened his chest up a bit more.

'See this? Hyung-nim, my little girl's standards for men are on this level.'

Yu Seok-Ho had been feeling a slight case of an inferiority complex over the fact that Yu Myung-Han's daughter possessed a genius-level talent in music. But now, he thought he could definitely regain his self-esteem with this event.

Because, well, there wouldn't be that many men as amazing as this youth in the whole of South Korea, after all.

'….Seok-Ho's connections run pretty deep, I see.'

Yu Myung-Han was planning to raise his voice at his little brother once Jin-Woo had left, but now, after seeing that these two seemed to have 'heard' of each other, his anger had rapidly melted away and disappeared completely.

It seemed that the talk could go down favourably because of this.

"Oh, my goodness. Where are my manners at?"

Yu Seok-Ho finally released Jin-Woo's hand.

"Right, you said that you two have something to discuss, didn't you? Looks like this is where I make my exit, so please, don't mind me."

He smiled in satisfaction and turned around to leave the office, but stopped next to Jin-Woo.

"Ah, and by the way, Seong Hunter-nim?"

"Ah, yes?"

"Please, do stop by at my home if you have some time in the near future. I shall eagerly await for you, if it's you paying us a visit!"

Stop by if he had time?

He'd eagerly await??

"Huhuhuhuht!"

The good-natured uncle said some mysterious things and left the office like a refreshing breeze passing by.

Even though his loud voice and bright expression ensured that he didn't come across as unlikeable, that uncle still came across as a weird quandary to Jin-Woo.

He stood there tilting his head a bit, and Chairman Yu Myung-Han cautiously asked him.

"Your relationship with my younger brother is….?"

Since the uncle in question was no longer around, was there a reason to mind his feelings anymore?

Jin-Woo's answer was rather straightforward.

"It's my first time meeting him today."

His reply caused Yu Myung-Han's expression to harden instantly.

'Yu Seok-Ho, you fool….'

Just as he suspected it. Unfortunately, there was an important guest present here. As befitting the nickname of 'Pokerface', Yu Myung-Han immediately masked his emotions and suggested that they take a seat.

"Please, have a seat."

Yu Myung-Han settled down on the opposite side to Jin-Woo. Secretary Kim entered the office with excellent timing and asked the Chairman.

"Sir, would you like some tea?"

"I'm fine, so please ask Hunter-nim."

"I'm also fine, thank you."

Jin-Woo shook his head.

Yu Myung-Han addressed Kim with a grave tone of voice.

"I wish to speak privately with Hunter-nim here, so can you leave us alone for a while?"

"Understood, sir."

Secretary Kim exited from the office and stood before the door to guard it. He had received the orders to do so earlier on.

From here onwards, no one could enter the office, even if it was the President of the nation coming for a visit. That was how heavy the weight of the matter today was.

Just like how it was back in the elevator, another bout of silence flowed between Jin-Woo and Yu Myung-Han. However, there was a certain difference in the weight of the silence this time.

Yu Myung-Han needed some moment to compose himself. This wasn't going to be a carefree conversation to catch up on old times or some such.

That was why Chairman Yu Myung-Han could only open his mouth after such a long time had passed by. Enough that one might start to get slightly bored by it, even.

"Seong Hunter-nim."

Jin-Woo had been patiently waiting until then and replied calmly as well.

"Yes?"

Yu Myung-Han pulled out a cheque from his inner pocket, issued under his name by a bank that often had dealings with Yujin Construction.

However, this cheque was somewhat different from a normal one.

Where there should have been numerical letters denoting the value of money represented by this slip of paper, there were none to be found.

"Here."

He pushed such a cheque forward.

Jin-Woo looked at this blank cheque for a little while before raising his head back up again.

Yu Myung-Han continued on with some difficulty.

"I'm not some arrogant fool who thinks he can buy anything with money. Especially even more so, when I'm dealing with a rank S Hunter such as yourself."

His mouth was drying up even further.

Compared to when he buried his father and inherited the corporation, back when he was about to give his first speech in front of tens of thousands of his employees, even when he was surrounded by hundreds of reporters and had to suffer from ignoble insults to his name – this moment made him tremble more than any of those times in the past.

But, it was obvious why. The importance of this matter greatly outstripped those moments in his past, after all.

Because, his desire to live, to see the future of the company he raised up by sacrificing his entire youth, and then, and then, the greed of a father wanting to see the growth of his offsprings for just a little bit longer – all of those were hanging in the balance right now.

"That is why… I'd greatly appreciate it if you consider this as nothing more than a small gesture of my sincerity."

Chairman Yu's eyes were burning in a determined light.

Jin-Woo could now guess the reason for him choosing this venue to hold this conversation. The things to be discussed from now on could not be leaked outside of these walls, that was why.

'This isn't about me joining his Guild or something like that.'

That was why the Chairman had chosen his own territory that he could control 100% per cent unless some kind of a natural disaster was to befall them.

Jin-Woo had always been quick on the uptake.

That was why he simply asked this question.

"Chairman. Just what is it that you wish to buy from me?"

Chapter 167 Fin.

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Yu Myung-Han spoke frankly about his current situation.

"Actually, I also suffer from the exact same illness as your mother, Hunter-nim."

That completely unexpected reply took Jin-Woo by surprise and he froze up momentarily.

"….Does Jin-Ho know?"

Yu Myung-Han shook his head.

"Aside from my personal physician, only three others know of my condition. Myself, my wife, and my secretary."

"And now, it's four."

"Indeed."

Jin-Woo nodded his head.

Only now did he understand why Chairman Yu didn't bother to go through Yu Jin-Ho and instead contacted him secretly like this. Yu Myung-Han wanted to hide his own illness from the rest of his family.

'But then again – his shoulders are carrying the fate of several tens of thousands of employees, aren't they….'

If the rumour of the days that Chairman Yu could freely move about being numbered got out, then it didn't take a genius to see what might happen to Yujin Construction as well as its subsidiaries in the near future.

The reason for hiding the status of his illness even from his family and keeping a tight leash on the information – Chairman Yu simply carried far too much weight on his shoulders to accept his reality as it was.

Even then…

'He revealed this secret to me.'

It was probably because he had figured out that he needed to take the risk this time.

Yu Myung-Han was a businessman. Not only that, he was someone whose vocabulary didn't include the word 'failure'. He was, simply put, a general undefeated in all of his battles so far.

Such a man would not jump into anything while carrying significant risk if there was nothing to gain from it.

Jin-Woo could pretty much guess what Chairman Yu was about to say.

Sure enough – the older man spoke up with a determined expression.

"I have been scouring the world for a cure, a method, to rid myself of this illness for a while. In the process, I was able to discover that a single patient has gained her freedom from this dastardly illness."

As Jin-Woo expected, the conversation was heading down the path he thought it might.

"I don't think it a coincidence that the sole patient recovering from the illness happens to be your mother, Seong Hunter-nim."

Jin-Woo had left many in sheer shock and astonishment with his never-before-seen mysterious abilities. Could he have somehow cured his mother's illness with his strange but wonderful abilities?

Chairman Yu had used various avenues to investigate Jin-Woo, which meant that him arriving at such a deduction wasn't so far-fetched at all.

Jin-Woo didn't deny nor agree with the claim and quietly stared at Chairman Yu. The latter swallowed his saliva.

'I cannot afford to make a mistake here.'

If the talk so far was nothing more than a practice match, an appetizer, then the real game was about to kick off now. This was the most important moment.

Yu Myung-Han let out a deep but short breath and spoke up with some conviction.

"What I'd like to earn from you is the truth, Hunter-nim."

He then pushed the cheque forward a little bit more with his hand.

"And as your compensation, this is just merely a small part of what I'm willing to provide you with, Seong Hunter-nim."

Not everything, but merely a part, he said.

Meaning, he was prepared to hand over something else besides money if that's what Jin-Woo wanted.

"If you help me out on this matter, Hunter-nim, I shall never forget this favour for the rest of my life."

The tiger of the financial world lowered his head and asked for help. If those people who knew Chairman Yu saw this spectacle, they would have cried out in sheer shock just then.

However, perhaps surprisingly, Jin-Woo remained calm even though he was on the receiving end of this plea. His collected gaze quietly studied Chairman Yu.

'Doesn't seem like he's lying to me.'

The older man's raised heart rate, his quickened breathing, and the desperately pleading expression hidden beneath the facade of unflappable calm told Jin-Woo everything he needed to know.

Chairman Yu was being truthful here.

However, just because someone earnestly wished to get his hands on something, that didn't mean he'd be successful every single time. After a short deliberation later, Jin-Woo finally opened his tightly-shut mouth.

"I'm sorry."

That one short sentence caused Yu Myung-Han's eyes to tremble quite powerfully.

"It is unfortunate, but that's not something I can help you with."

"I-in that… case."

As his hopes riding on this talk had been far too great, Chairman Yu couldn't easily accept his defeat here.

"…How did… your mother become cured, Seong Hunter-nim?"

"Chairman."

Jin-Woo's expression became rather serious.

The surrounding air began to grow chilly all of a sudden. That was enough to remind Chairman Yu just what kind of a person he was dealing with right now.

Jin-Woo continued on.

"Hypothetically speaking, if I knew how the illness had been cured and I wished to get rich from that, why would I have kept my mouth shut until now?"

A handful of possible answers fleeted in and out of Chairman Yu's mind. Was it because Jin-Woo was scared of becoming a target of someone influential? But, that couldn't be.

Chairman Yu immediately shook his head.

Jin-Woo was the currently-active rank S Hunter. Not only that, he was an especially powerful one, too. Just who would dare to think of him as a target, then?

Did this mean he wanted something else besides money?

Unknown to himself, Chairman Yu's own head moved from side to side once more. The current Hunter Seong was capable enough to get all the fame and recognition one could desire, if that was what he wanted. But then, he hadn't done that, either.

'….Ah.'

Chairman Yu belatedly realised what his mistake was this time 'round.

One of the basics in negotiation was finding out what the other party wanted in advance. You'd bring in something the other side wanted and in turn, you got what you wanted from them. That was how a negotiation worked.

However, Chairman Yu didn't know what Jin-Woo wanted. Not even one thing. It was only obvious that the negotiation would fail like this.

'So, it must be one of the two possibilities.'

Either Jin-Woo really didn't know what cured his mother, or Yu Myung-Han simply didn't have what he wanted. Whatever the case may have been, it was still a despairing result for Chairman Yu either way.

"….I see."

Chairman Yu no longer clung onto Jin-Woo.

"Well, in that case."

The older man saw that Jin-Woo was getting up to leave, so he also got up in haste and summoned Secretary Kim. The latter guarding the door quickly entered the office.

"Chair…"

The moment he took his first step inside, he immediately read the frozen atmosphere flowing between Jin-Woo and Chairman Yu. This meeting was the final ray of hope for his boss so even Kim's complexion darkened rather quickly.

"Sir, have you called for me?"

Chairman Yu powerlessly nodded his head.

"Hunter-nim wishes to return. Please take him back to his residence."

"No, I'll be fine. Thank you."

Jin-Woo tactfully declined the offer, and after leaving short goodbyes to both Yu Myung-Han and Secretary Kim, he climbed aboard the elevator all alone.

Weeeiing…

The lift moved at a frightening pace from the penthouse floor right down to the lobby.

He hadn't noticed it while riding it with someone else, but now that he was alone, he could tell for sure – this elevator was simply far too large and wide for only one person to ride in.

Jin-Woo spat out a long sigh,

"Fuu…."

He didn't feel so well after rejecting the request. Wasn't that man the father of someone he treated like a little brother? He could've extended his helping hand while pretending to be defeated by his emotions.

However….

'I don't know him.'

He didn't know just what kind of a man Chairman Yu Myung-Han was. He didn't know whether he was really suffering from the illness, or he was scheming something else.

The 'Divine Water of Life' used to cure his mother might possess an otherworldly healing property, but its supply was also limited. And that was why he simply had to be more circumspect with their usages.

The terms put forward by Chairman Yu indeed had been incredibly tempting, but in the end, they failed to change Jin-Woo's mind. This was the end result.

Ting.

The elevator arrived on the ground floor in no time at all and opened its doors. Jin-Woo pulled his hood up and got out of the lift. Unlike when he was accompanied by Chairman Yu, no one seemed to recognise him now.

Even those giving him cursory glances simply carried the looks of 'Who could he be that he's using the executives-only elevator?'

Jin-Woo paid them no mind and walked over to the exit. One of the waiting employees tasked with guiding people spotted Jin-Woo's approach and opened the door for him to pass through.

Jin-Woo continued on and crossed the lobby, but then, his steps came to a halt after he heard a voice coming from somewhere.

[This is the latest update coming from Japan.]

Jin-Woo's head shifted in the direction of that sound. A giant TV in the lobby that had been switched off earlier was now showing the real-time footage of the situation in Japan.

It was the breaking news regarding the dungeon break and the massive calamity spreading at an alarming rate.

Jin-Woo walked to the front of the TV.

The sight of the ruined city captured from the TV station's helicopter was truly gut-wrenching.

The Giant monsters were demolishing the buildings. Those unfortunate citizens failing to evacuate in time were captured and immediately thrown into the mouths of these Giants. What little remained of armed forces poured out all their firepower but that proved to be a useless endeavour.

It was still impossible to kill monsters without the powers of Hunters, after all.

Although it was impossible to accurately calculate the death toll, the rough estimate had come out to well over a million.

In a word, it was an unspeakable tragedy.

Jin-Woo's expression hardened. This would be his first time seeing the current status with his own eyes. But then, that made sense.

It was only yesterday that, after emerging from the dual dungeon, he asked Woo Jin-Cheol to take care of the aftermath and went back home to crash into a deep, deep slumber.

He half-expected the worst, but the situation in Japan was far graver than his initial expectations. This whole thing reminded him of the nightmare unfolding on Jeju Island four years ago.

Maybe one could claim that it was a silver lining among the storm of misfortunes. The dungeon break back then occurred on an island and the uniqueness of landscape meant that Korea was spared of the situation possibly becoming even worse than before.

However, it was a different story for Japan.

It was far too large to simply be called an island. A whole country was facing total destruction at this rate.

Ba-thump, ba-thump, ba-thump!

Jin-Woo's heart quickened as he watched those Giants.

He was feeling rather displeased right now. When he thought about how such weaklings were stepping on humans like that, a powerful sense of disgust welled up from deep inside of him.

But then….

'Wait a sec….'

Jin-Woo quickly broke out of his reverie.

What did he mean, such weaklings?

He had never fought Giant-type monsters before. And he couldn't sense its magic energy through a TV screen. So, why did he subconsciously think of the word 'weakling' almost right away when he saw a Giant monster?

Was this coming from his self-confidence?

Jin-Woo tilted his head this way and that, before shaking it altogether.

'Huh. Because my head's so messy right now, I'm even beginning to think up some weird stuff, too.'

He turned around to leave.

He managed to slip out of the cordon of people watching the broadcast with worried expressions, and quietly left the building.

The second day of the dungeon break.

The attention of the entire world was focused on Japan. What was their plan of action against the dungeon break? Did Japan have any methods left to employ, anyway? If not, would America really step up to help them?

And then…

Was there a possibility that the Giants, having finished laying waste to Japan, would cross the ocean and start causing destruction in other countries, too?

Worried gazes and ones filled with concern descended upon Japan as it continued to crumble.

Of course, those nations that held an antagonistic relationship with Japan inwardly thought of different matters altogether, but outwardly at least, they sent over some token words of sympathy.

Unfortunately, what the Japanese needed weren't some words of comfort. No, they needed actual, physical help.

They needed comprehensive power to rescue Japan from the monsters. Indeed, they needed the power capable of 'saving' them.

As the announcement from the Americans was nowhere to be heard, the grim news of one-tenth of Japan already being destroyed became public. The plight of Japanese refugees filling up the highways continued to travel in the airwaves. They all abandoned their homes in order to survive and travelled to the east and west.

However, just as it was the case with every nation on Earth, the landmass of Japan wasn't infinite, to begin with. In the end, these people would eventually be pushed to a corner. The prophesied end was drawing near for them.

And the world began asking more questions as it watched this pitiable sight unfold.

– What is South Korea doing?

– Why isn't South Korea helping Japan?

– Do they not know what owing someone means?

The world remembered seeing the Jeju Island raid that took place only a few weeks ago.

Japan had lost over half of their participating rank S Hunters for the sake of the Koreans. So, the world was asking, why were the Koreans only watching on the crisis unfolding in their neighbouring country and not doing anything to help?

The scale of destruction and the death toll continued to be revised hourly. People grew outraged and grieved for the losses.

As the feelings of sympathy grew larger and larger for the Japanese, the criticisms towards Korea grew harsher and harsher in turn.

– Make a move already, South Korea!

– Do they not know of the concept of loyalty?

– Have the Koreans forgotten about Jeju Island?

The mass media of the world was boiling over.

And before long, another question rose up – the one about why Japan hadn't requested South Korea with the subjugation of the monsters.

And so, as the fourth day dawned on this tragedy….

The Association President Goh Gun-Hui, having decided that now was the right time, stepped in front of the crowd of reporters.

Noisy, noisy….

Goh Gun-Hui swept his gaze over the tightly-packed wall of reporters as well as the cameras pointing at him and quietly opened his mouth to speak.

"I express my condolences at the tragedy unfolding in Japan. And also, I'd like to reveal the position of South Korea's own Hunter's Association."

And also….

A little earlier in the day, the American Hunter Bureau also released a statement, as well.

Chapter 168 Fin.

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In the venue for the press conference held by the American Hunter Bureau.

The United States of America had opened her mouth to make her statement.

"We're currently gathering Hunters to one location."

Was America finally revealing her hand in order to save Japan?

Reporters had all rushed to attend this press conference after the Hunter Bureau announced that they would clarify their position. They all cried out in elation from this announcement as if this matter concerned them personally.

No one alive would wish for tens of millions, no, hundreds of millions of people to die a gruesome death. That was why these reporters were so enthusiastic about this announcement.

As the atmosphere within the press conference venue heated up to an astounding degree, the spokesperson ruefully shook his head.

"However, it's not for Japan's sake."

What was that?

The gathered reporters began exchanging glances as hushed murmurs grew louder. It seemed that no one present here had received any prior warning about this as they were all cautiously looking at each other's reactions right now.

The spokesperson pointed to the giant screen behind him.

"….Heok!!"

"What the hell…"

The mouths of the reporters were clamped shut by the image now shown on that screen.

The chaotic atmosphere cooled down in an instant and it was replaced by deathly silence instead. And then, as this weighty silence persisted, shocked gasps could occasionally be heard in between.

The prepared footage indeed carried that much of an impact.

"This is the image of the Gate discovered earlier today in eastern Maryland."

The size of the Gate was not normal. It was smaller than the one in Japan, but still, its sheer scale was uncommonly massive.

The rank of a Gate didn't always match up to its size. But then again, a Gate with an enormous size never led to a low-ranked dungeon, either.

The spokesperson continued on with his explanation.

"According to the measurement taken by our investigative team, this Gate is also a rank S, exactly like the one that has appeared in Japan. This nation's top Hunters will focus all their efforts in closing this Gate, instead."

Some reporters covered their faces, some shook their heads in helplessness, some spat out pained sighs to display the despair each of them felt in that moment.

An unprecedented event of two rank S Gates being generated close to one another had taken place.

Of course, the United States of America wasn't worried in the slightest. It was now time for the dozens of rank S Hunters she had reeled in from all over the world to step forward and easily take care of this Gate.

The problem was with Japan.

'America doesn't have the spare manpower to aid Japan.'

When this horrifying piece of news finally made its way over to Japan, the Japanese people desperately praying for the Americans' aid all cried out in despair.

Japan was finished.

The Giant-type monsters were advancing south as it destroyed everything in their path. People escaping up north were slowly but surely being forced onto a cliff, as well.

In this situation, Korea finally broke her silence over the matter and clarified her position as well.

Goh Gun-Hui stood in front of the reporters and spoke up.

"We will not get involved in Japan's matters."

A day before the press conference.

Just like any other day, the wide-open office space of the Ah-Jin Guild was occupied by only two people – Jin-Woo and Yu Jin-Ho.

The latter's eyes sparkled brightly.

"Hyung-nim? A rank B Gate just became available. Should I book it?"

"Is it within the Hunters Guild's jurisdiction?"

"Pardon? Oh, yes it is, hyung-nim."

"In that case, don't."

"Oh…. okay. I got it, hyung-nim."

Having sacrificed a lot of her elite Hunters, the Hunters Guild would be going through a seriously hectic time now. It'd not look good if Jin-Woo's Guild swooped in to take advantage of the situation and stole a Gate from under their noses.

Yu Jin-Ho scratched the side of his head before shifting his head over to Jin-Woo.

"Hyung-nim? What have you been you looking at so intently like that?"

Jin-Woo tore his eyes away from the computer screen and leaned his back against the chair.

"Hey, Jin-Ho?"

"Yes, hyung-nim?"

"Should I go over to Japan for a while?"

"Excuse me?"

Yu Jin-Ho's expression hardened.

Of course, he hadn't forgotten just who was saying those words. He had seen hyung-nim's amazing feats closer than anyone else out there.

However, common sense simply didn't apply to rank S Gates. It was impossible to measure, to begin with. Didn't that imply such a Gate was beyond the scope of what's considered normal?

Just like how there was an unscalable wall even among the rank S Hunters, no one could tell just what kind of dangerous monsters would pop out from a Gate that was impossible to measure.

And that was why Yu Jin-Ho simply couldn't think of Jin-Woo's words of going to Japan as him simply kidding around.

Abruptly, his head shifted over to the computer screen Jin-Woo was looking at.

'Ah….'

It was filled with the breaking news regarding Japan.

'Hyung-nim was worried about them.'

Unlike Yu Jin-Ho, hyung-nim possessed incredible powers. It was quite obvious that he'd also suffer from the distress that the responsibility of his power level brought along.

"Hyung-nim, hold up."

"Mm?"

Jin-Woo only lightly threw that suggestion out but Yu Jin-Ho's reactions were rather serious.

Yu Jin-Ho vacated his spot and hurriedly extracted a photo album from the file cabinet before bringing it over. When he flipped that thick book open, all sorts of newspaper articles were clipped onto its pages.

'What's this….?'

All of them were articles related to Jin-Woo.

From the incident of the Red Gate – which the media still didn't know that Jin-Woo was a part of – to the raid of Jeju Island; when he solved the issue of the traffic jam; and even when he took care of the strange, unidentifiable stone statues alongside the Hunters Guild recently, too.

Jin-Woo was dumbfounded by this spectacle and asked Yu Jin-Ho.

"You were collecting all of these?"

"Yes, hyung-nim."

Yu Jin-Ho's face was slightly flushed red.

"Okay, fine. But, why are you showing me this all of a sudden?"

"You know what the common theme among these articles is, hyung-nim?"

"I wonder….?"

'….Surely, he's not trying to say that I'm involved in all these incidents.'

A short while later, Yu Jin-Ho spoke with a voice softer than the buzzing of a mosquito.

"It's that I'm nowhere to be found in all of them, hyung-nim."

If it weren't for Jin-Woo's high Perception reinforcing his hearing, he'd have missed that voice.

"What?!"

Jin-Woo looked back, and Yu Jin-Ho raised his drooped head and stared straight into the former's eyes.

"Hyung-nim. If you're planning to go to Japan, please take me along with you."

Jin-Woo was baffled here.

He expected Yu Jin-Ho to either stop him or cheer him on when he said he'd be heading over to Japan, but never did he imagine the kid would say 'Take me with you!'

However, Yu Jin-Ho was being dead serious.

"Although it is embarrassing to say this out loud, hyung-nim, you're my pride. You're the only thing that I can proudly boast about to other people, you know."

"But, you…."

Jin-Woo quickly shut his mouth up.

Yu Jin-Ho looked outwardly as if he had possessed more than anyone else in the world. According to his own words, however, all of those were shackles that only managed to torment him, and to him, they were nothing to be proud about.

But then, it was Yu Jin-Ho's own decision to stick around Jin-Woo, and then to continue developing the Ah-Jin Guild. All his, and no one else's.

Jin-Woo could more or less understand where Yu Jin-Ho was coming from when he said this was his sole source of pride.

"That is why I'd like to be there where you are, hyung-nim. Please, please take me with you, hyung-nim."

"You, you haven't forgotten where I want to go, right?"

Even if Yu Jin-Ho was a naïve, immature kid, he surely would have heard about what was happening in Japan.

That place was currently a true hell on earth. Demons called 'Giants' were judging mankind in the most gruesome manner imaginable.

Even then, Yu Jin-Ho nodded his head with a determined expression on his face.

"As long as you're unhurt, hyung-nim, I'll be alright as well. If you get hurt somehow… eiii, I don't wanna even think about that."

Yu Jin-Ho looked back with a strong light of trust burning in his eyes.

The feeling you'd get from someone trusting you to such an extent certainly couldn't be described as bad in any shape or form.

Jin-Woo felt this strange warmth tickling him in his chest and he happily ruffled Yu Jin-Ho's hair. The latter was flustered but he didn't withdraw his head.

"H-hyung-nim?!"

"I was only joking, you know? Why would ever I go to Japan when times are like this?"

Jin-Woo stood up from his spot.

"Hey, that's enough for today. Let's just go home. You worked hard anyway."

"Uh? You're going home already, hyung-nim?"

Jin-Woo stepped outside the office door while waving his hands. Yu Jin-Ho bowed his waist deeply to send him off.

"I'll see you tomorrow, hyung-nim!"

Clunk.

Jin-Woo stepped into his house.

A truly mouth-watering savoury scent of stew tickled his nostrils. He stood on the spot and soaked in the evening's smell.

'This is so good.'

One of the great things about mom being discharged from the hospital was that now, he had someone to welcome him back home every day. The dark and quiet home of the past no longer existed in his life. Not anymore.

"Son, you're home?"

He heard his mother's voice coming from the kitchen.

"Yes, Mom."

He took off his shoes and neatly arranged them before walking into the kitchen himself. His mother was looking behind her and he sent her a smile as a greeting.

"I'm home."

"Will you eat dinner?"

"Yes. What about Jin-Ah, though?"

"She says she's got no appetite."

Jin-Woo's hand suddenly stopped before it finished pulling out his chair.

"Even now?"

"She couldn't get a wink of sleep last night. She only fell asleep not too long ago."

Jin-Woo hid his presence and cautiously opened the door to his sister's room.

"Mm… Mm….."

Jin-Ah was rolling around in her bed, struggling to fall into a deeper slumber. She normally maintained such a bright appearance, but it seemed that she hadn't gotten over her mental trauma yet.

'Then again…. She had to go through such an experience, didn't she.'

His rage towards monsters boiled over whenever he saw how much his sister was struggling like this.

Why were those things endlessly tormenting humanity?

It was then, Jin-Woo recalled the sight of those silver-clad winged soldiers pouring out from the Gates in the sky to sweep away the monsters. The army with its unfathomable size, burning with clear animosity against the horde of monsters. If such an army actually existed, then….

'Are they our allies?'

Wasn't there an old saying about an enemy of an enemy being a friend?

Jin-Woo studied his sleeping sister quietly for a little while, before closing the door behind him.

"Thank you for the meal."

After finishing his dinner, Jin-Woo headed off to the Association's gymnasium to get a little bit of exercise in. It indeed proved to be really convenient to have a Shadow Soldier stationed inside the gymnasium.

Sweating a lot was the best cure when one's head became clogged full of complicated thoughts. And so, he wanted to sweat buckets for the first time in a while.

Jin-Woo summoned Beru out.

As he began to lightly loosen his body, the former king of the ants politely knelt before him and lowered his head.

"Oh, my king…"

Beru was the sole soldier among Jin-Woo's Shadow Army that could withstand his attacks, at least for a little while. But even he flinched grandly after sensing the extent of Jin-Woo's change and shuddered where he stood.

"I offer my unreserved congratulations, my king. I sense from you a far greater amount of power than ever before."

Beru sensed an electrifying shiver run down his body after sensing that incredible amount of magic energy oozing out of the 'Black Heart'. His head, still lowered to the ground, was trembling noticeably now.

Jin-Woo didn't summon his Shadow Soldier out to boast of his growth, though. He gestured to Beru to stand up.

The former ant king tilted his head after picking up Jin-Woo's worried eyes, which would be the first time he had sensed such a thing ever since becoming a part of the Shadow Army.

Jin-Woo spoke under his breath.

"Attack me with everything you have."

"Oh, my king. How dare I even….."

"It's fine. I just want to shed some sweat for a little while. And you know no one else besides you can do that."

"I… I am truly honoured…."

Feeling touched, Beru was about to kneel down again, but then, Jin-Woo glared at him with a pair of very sharp eyes.

"Hang on a minute. You know, your vocabulary seems to be increasing every day. You haven't devoured someone else somewhere, have you?"

Beru's shoulders flinched somewhat, but Jin-Woo soon let go of the matter. He clenched his fists and issued his order again, instead.

"Remember to hit me with everything you have."

"If my Sovereign's wills it, then I shall follow…."

Beru raised his head as his claws lengthened.

"Kiiiieeehhk-!!"

There was no burden on Beru as he knew that his claws would never touch his Sovereign. Jin-Woo grinned after seeing that and nodded his head. This was what he wanted, anyway.

"Kiiieehhk!"

Along with the thunderous roar that shook the interior of the gymnasium, Beru pounced on his master.

Boom!

Beru slammed down on the floor and was laid out flat on his back.

"K-kiiieck…."

127 times fought, 127 times defeated.

Indeed, even though he threw everything he had, he failed to touch even the hair on his master's body. In the last few days that Beru didn't see his king, Jin-Woo had become far stronger than ever before.

The display of power today only deepened the level of respect and loyalty Beru held towards his king.

While the former ant king remained sprawled on the floor unable to move, Jin-Woo settled down next to him. There were a few strands of sweat on his forehead. But this was as far as he could take it.

If he moved any harder than this, then this gymnasium would have been demolished in no time at all.

Jin-Woo remained seated and stared into the far distance.

Beru silently sat back up and knelt down before asking him.

"Oh, my king… Is there a matter that's troubling you?"

"Troubling me, is it?"

"A portion of our consciousness and the Sovereign's are connected as one. The king's troubles are transmitted as pain to us, the subjects."

To think, he'd get consoled by a Shadow Soldier. Not only that, from a dude who originally was an insect, too. Jin-Woo couldn't help but form a wry smirk.

Now normally, he'd simply chuckle and put the matter to bed, but this time, things were a little different.

"There's something I want to do, but I'm not sure how I should go about doing that."

The events taking place in Japan were, strictly speaking, someone else's troubles.

Who knew what kind of dangers were in hiding and waiting for him there? Besides, it wasn't as if he could resolve every single incident that happened in the world, either.

And not to forget, there was that resolved emotional baggage between the Korean Hunter's Association and its Japanese counterpart to consider, as well.

All these thoughts only served to make the inside of his head more complicated than ever before.

It was then, Beru suddenly raised his head.

"Oh, my king!"

Jin-Woo looked at Beru with surprised eyes. This was the first time this guy expressed his thoughts this strongly ever since becoming a Shadow Soldier.

"Nothing must become a hindrance in the path of my king."

Beru's voice filled with conviction made him sound more like a close aide that stayed by Jin-Woo's side for a long time rather than a monster that got turned into a Shadow Solder recently.

"The one that does what he wants to. That is what it means to be a king."

"Hold on. I keep telling you, I'm not a king."

Indeed, the Class he got coincidentally through the System just so happened to be the Shadow Sovereign. That was all.

However, Beru strongly denied Jin-Woo's assertion.

"That is incorrect, my king. My king, you possess the power to achieve anything you desire."

Jin-Woo's eyes shook around heavily.

Ba-thump.

For some reason, his heart began pounding away rather violently.

"You are, without a doubt, a king."

'That stuff about being a king again.'

However….

However, his heart that began racing on its own didn't want to calm down that easily at all.

'Anything I desire, is it…..'

Jin-Woo shifted his gaze back to the distance, but his eyes were gleaming with a cold light now.

Next day.

The United States of America made her announcement, and the Association President Goh Gun-Hui also clarified the position of the Korean Association.

"We will not get involved in Japan's matters."

Click, click, click, click!!

Camera flashes ceaselessly exploded all around him.

The Association President then proceeded to reveal every little detail of what the Japanese Hunters were trying to do back then to these reporters. The proofs he presented only solidified the inscrutable truth even further.

The CCTV footage of the President of Japanese Association, Matsumoto Shigeo, brazenly yelling at the top of his lungs at his Korean counterpart even after he put into motion such a dastardly scheme left a serious shock to all the reporters watching on.

And the Japanese reporters, hoping for South Korea to come to their aid, could only watch the footage with utter devastation.

Before long, their hands holding the cameras were pointing down to the floor.

Only a short moment ago the Americans said that they couldn't help Japan. In such a situation, the explosive revelations from the Korean Hunter's Association were no different from passing a death sentence to the Japanese people. Thick, burning tears began falling from the eyes of the Japanese reporters.

"…..This is everything I wanted to say."

The Association President Goh Gun-Hui finished saying what he came to say.

Normally, this would be the time when countless questions started inundating him, but no reporter present here could unshackle their mouths from the nasty shock and astonishment to do so.

The poor atmosphere of the press conference was broadcast live to the rest of the country through the various TV cameras. Only then did the viewers watching on realise why the Koreans had maintained their silence over the crisis unfolding in Japan.

But then….

"However…."

Goh Gun-Hui looked as if he'd be turning around to leave as the press conference had come to an end but then, he continued to speak on.

"This is the decision of the Hunter's Association, and ours alone. We won't stop any individual Hunters from doing what they wish to do."

What was he even talking about now?

Noisy, noisy….

Like animals lazily waking up from their winter hibernation, the reporters still frozen in shock began slowly exchanging glances with each other again.

"There is one such person. There is one Hunter who wishes to go to Japan and get rid of the Giant monsters."

Who could that be?

Who wanted to head to Japan under the current situation all by himself?

The bottomed-out atmosphere of the press conference venue suddenly began boiling over. Even the Japanese reporters shedding tears raised their cameras with their trembling hands.

'Please… Please….!'

The lone strand of hope was busy hammering away in their hearts now.

One of the Korean reporters raised his hand up. The Association President pointed to this man. Perhaps fearing that his turn would be snatched away from him, he quickly asked his question.

"Just who is this Hunter?"

The attention of everyone present in the venue was directed to Goh Gun-Hui. He took his time for a moment or two, before pressing his lips as close to the mic as possible.

"It's Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim."

Click, click, click, click, click, click!!

That one sentence caused hundreds of cameras to explode in a wall of blinding flashes.

Chapter 169 Fin.

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"It's Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim."

Hunters of the world got to hear the voice of the Association President, Goh Gun-Hui. Some through the breaking news coverage, some through being contacted by someone else, and some through video file sharing sites.

And their reactions were almost identical.

– He wants to go to Japan in such times?

– What is he thinking?

These Hunters also knew.

They knew that it'd be difficult to imagine just how grand the Japanese government's financial reward be like if they managed to put out the urgent fire burning down their country right now.

However, no sane-minded governments out there would want to throw their top-ranked Hunters into a crisis of an unprecedented scale like this one.

The lessons learned from subjugating the monster of the rank S Gate, 'Kamish', the creature that managed to decrease the number of top Hunters in the world by a great deal, had made the Hunter communities rather closed and uncooperative in nature.

So, the current situation was, no one could go even if they wanted to. But then again, who'd actually want to go even if they were allowed in the first place?

"It's just sheer madness."

Rank S Hunters possessing American citizenship had begun gathering in the most luxurious hotel in the State of Maryland by the time news broke from South Korea and indeed, they all got to hear it.

Most of them had received a boost to their abilities through the power of 'Upgrader', Madam Selner.

It wouldn't be much of a stretch of one's imagination to call this gathering as the world's greatest armed force.

And, it was precisely a gathering of such individuals that they could simply laugh off the story of some nameless Hunter living in a small Asian nation.

"It hasn't been long since his Re-Awakening, and he's already drunk with his own powers."

"That idiot, maybe he thinks fighting some measly bugs is the same as fighting against Giant monsters?"

"A Hunter who overestimates his ability will die 100% of the time. Who knew that the fame he got from killing the ants would end up shortening his life. How ironic."

All these people had seen Jin-Woo's brilliant performance in Jeju Island.

The power 'Seong Jin-Woo' possessed was certainly quite strong. However, the race of Giants was a whole different ball game.

Ants pushed forward with their overwhelming advantage in numbers, and that was why his ability to summon out countless creatures worked so well against them.

Even if he was physically strong, could he be able to fight alone against the Giant monsters, each one of them powerful enough to appear as bosses of the hardest difficulty dungeons found in the rank A Gates?

Besides, what about the boss-level Giant that used some truly astonishing agility to snatch up Yuri Orlov? That movement reminded one of a wild beast, not a humanoid creature.

Such a huge creature possessing incredible speed and agility – how could a single Hunter kill a monster like that?

These American Hunters jokingly began making bets.

"I bet my yacht on him getting killed in less than one day."

"I bet my mansion on two days."

"Well then, I…."

It was then.

"Will that really happen, I wonder?"

Thomas Andre, quietly dining all by himself in the corner, lowered his utensils and opened his mouth. He was one of the five Special Authority-rank Hunters in existence.

Strong Awakened continued to appear after the 'Kamish' subjugation operation had ended, but none were able to exceed the levels of those Hunters who managed to survive the worst crisis to go down in the history of mankind.

When such a man formed a smirk, everyone else ceased their useless banter right away.

"I shall bet the Scavenger Guild on him surviving till the end."

He leisurely scanned the other Hunters from beneath his sunglasses and left the restaurant.

Once he left, the uncomfortable silence descended on the crowd. Eventually, though, one of the Hunters frowned in dissatisfaction and broke this stifling quietness.

"That man, he just knows how to ruin the atmosphere, doesn't he?"

"This ain't the first time that freak did this, anyway. It's better to just forget about him, man."

"Right. Even if that Korean Hunter is really strong, it's almost impossible for him to stop all those rank S Giants alone."

A Hunter listening quietly to the side chimed in just then.

"I heard that he's not alone, though? That another Hunter is going with him?"

It was as they suspected. Even if that Korean was a madman, surely he'd not think of walking into hell all by himself. Other Hunters nodded their heads, and one of them threw a question.

"Which other stupid rank S is following him now?"

"No, I hear it's not a rank S."

The three Hunters listening began exchanging strange glances.

That Korean was going to fight rank S Giants, yet he was taking along a Hunter who was ranked below S?!

"Is he taking a rank A Healer, then?"

"Nope. A rank D Tanker named Yu Jin-Ho or something."

As if they had made a prior arrangement, the three Hunters all forgot what they wanted to say and kept their mouths shut.

This Hunter named Seong Jin-Woo, he must've misplaced not just one screw, but several of them in his head. Maybe, these crazies all shared some sort of an understanding?

A single thought brushed past the brains of these three Hunters that just maybe, it might not be a coincidence that Thomas Andre happened to support Seong Jin-Woo's endeavour.

Incheon International Airport.

"Ah, hold on. We're passing through!"

Yu Jin-Ho parted the sea of people blocking his path and walked forward in an imposing manner.

A huge pair of sunglasses hid his face, and both of his hands were carrying two suitcases packed full of their gear.

The determination oozing out of his expression was serious enough to shame the top movie star about to make his grand appearance in the climactic battle scene.

"We're passing through-!!"

Yu Jin-Ho carved out a path, and Jin-Woo wordlessly followed behind.

Click, click, click, click, click!!

Reporters continued to click away with their cameras, afraid that they might miss even a second of Jin-Woo. Quite unlike Yu Jin-Ho, who was quite clearly excited about the trip, he remained calm and collected, though.

Japan had sent a private plane once they heard the news of Jin-Woo wanting to go there. And of course, all entry procedures had been wavered away, as well.

Just before he climbed aboard the plane, Jin-Woo discovered a couple of familiar faces coming to see him off. They belonged to the Association President Goh Gun-Hui as well as Section Chief Woo Jin-Cheol.

They exchanged simple nods as their greeting and huddled together to converse among themselves. It was rather chaotic inside the airport, but all three of them were top Hunters with highly-attuned senses. So, there was no need for them to raise their voices high.

Goh Gun-Hui was first to speak, his expression still one of rueful unwillingness.

"Even now, I wish I could change your mind."

Jin-Woo could be seen as the strongest fighting force out of all the Hunters that South Korea currently possessed. Rather obviously, Goh Gun-Hui didn't want to let such an asset travel somewhere else.

Put bluntly, who could tell what might happen in South Korea during his absence? Unfortunately, Jin-Woo had made up his mind already.

"I'm sorry. I want to go there."

He wanted to kill those Giants and raise his level, as well as to increase the number of his Shadow Soldiers.

This was the reason why he demanded all rights to these monsters be handed over to him, and the Japanese government welcomed that very obvious demand with wide open arms.

Goh Gun-Hui let a genial chuckle escape from his mouth.

"Is it because of the monsters over there?"

Jin-Woo grinned as well.

"I simply wish to fight against the monsters."

"If that's what you wish for, then there's nothing we can do."

Goh Gun-Hui extended his hand out and Jin-Woo firmly shook that hand. As their clenched hands rose and fell, the former bade his earnest goodbye.

"I pray that you'll come back to us safe and sound."

Click, click, click, click, click!!

Hundreds of camera lenses captured the sight of these two men shaking their hands in its full glory.

The news of Jin-Woo coming over became the sole ray of hope in the storm of darkness for the Japanese survivors. Those few still-remaining TV stations continued to play the footage related to Jin-Woo over and over again.

People watched his feats and continued to hold on to this renewed thread of hope.

They all felt this electrifying jolt course through their bodies whenever the rank S ant monsters were swept away in their TV screens. Many Japanese who didn't show much interest during the Korea-Japan united raid operation now clung desperately to the rebroadcast of that raid.

And as the news that the Giants' relentless march southward had picked up its pace entered their ears, their desperation also grew heavier and heavier as well.

"They said that Hunter Seong Jin-Woo has arrived in Japan!"

A young boy shouted out as he listened to a radio. The complexions of people around him brightened in an instant.

However, not everyone had discovered the ray of hope, unfortunately.

Those trapped in locations where electricity and gas supply had been cut off from the attacks of the Giants, they weren't able to hear about the arrival of the timely help.

Instead, their sole ray of hope remained with the arrival of the rescue party.

"The JSDF is here!"

Two soldiers carrying pale faces stepped into a small rural nursing hospital run by an old couple.

The aged doctor and his wife let out a sigh of relief after seeing the young soldiers, as they had been praying for the rescue parties to come by.

Unfortunately for them, the situation was not as good as they have been hoping for.

The soldiers shook their heads helplessly.

"We simply don't have the space to carry every patient you have. At a push, we can only accommodate three, four more."

The old lady addressed the soldiers.

"But, that can't be…. We have over ten patients who suffer from mobility issues."

The old doctor nodded his head in agreement. Regardless, the young soldiers from the JSDF stomped their feet in anxiety.

"Now isn't the time to worry about those people who might die any second, anyway! Giants are heading this way as we speak!"

The young JSDF soldier, his face caked with sweat, got angry and shouted out.

The residents of the surrounding area had been evacuated already. This was the sole place where the scent of humans could be found, so it was only a matter of time before a Giant would show up here.

The old doctor looked down at the floor for a moment or two, before raising his head up.

"I can't abandon my patients. My wife and I have promised that we'll stay by the sides of our patients until the end."

The doctor's voice carried his strong determination. The two young soldiers glared angrily at the doctor, but in the end, had no choice but to pick up their walkie-talkies.

"….Civilians have refused to be evacuated. We are withdrawing from this location."

They deliberately spoke loudly as if to let others hear them, and urgently left the building once they finished their communication. Soon, the sound of the car's ignition coming to life could be heard. The old couple sighed at length and quietly consoled each other.

But then, one of the soldiers they thought had left suddenly rushed back inside. He was carrying a cocked rifle to boot, as well.

"W-what are you doing?"

The old couple was taken greatly by surprise and held onto each other. The soldier yelled out loudly, veins popping up on his throat.

"If you stay here, Giants will rip you to death! Rather than dying such gruesome deaths, it's better to just die by my hand!"

The muzzle was pointed at the old doctor before shifting over to his wife next. The old couple flinched every time that happened.

"This is your final warning. Will you come with us? Or will you die by my hand?"

The young soldier stopped talking there and took aim with his gun.

The old couple didn't say anything for a long while. How could they not know that the young man in front of their eyes wanted to take them with him?

However, the old couple couldn't reply that easily. Because, doing that would be akin to turning his back on his belief, the one that led him to serve his community and its people for his entire life.

Moments that felt like an eternity passed them by.

The young soldier's face was already a mess of dried sweat, but then, another thick strand of fresh sweat rolled down his forehead. It travelled along his brow and entered his eye, blurring his vision and stinging him somewhat in the process.

He furrowed his brows just then. Then, this happened.

Growl.

The young soldier's stomach let the world know of his hunger. However, he didn't pay any attention to that and maintained his murderous gaze. But then….

"Excuse me, young man."

The young soldier was taken greatly by surprise by the sudden voice coming from his side and quickly took aim at the sickbed.

"W-what do you want?"

In that darkened corner of the hospital ward, a grandmother was sitting on one of the sickbeds. She quietly pushed forward a tray. There was a couple of 'onigiri' on it.

The grandma offered them with a gentle smile.

"If you're hungry, eat these. I just can't work up an appetite nowadays."

Only then did the young soldier lower his rifle.

"Come. Hurry."

As he received the onigiri, the young soldier's hands trembled. At that moment, he remembered the reason why he decided to put this uniform on in the first place.

Didn't he choose to become a soldier so he could protect and fight for these kind-hearted citizens? Yet, to think, he was about to ignore them and run away just because some monsters were coming to attack this place.

He became so deeply ashamed of his powerlessness.

Tears he couldn't understand began streaming down his face.

He quietly picked up his walkie-talkie and sent his comrade away. The old doctor was taken by surprise and hurriedly grasped the young soldier's shoulder.

"What are you planning to do, young man?"

"I'll stay behind with you."

The young soldier of the JSDF slung the rifle over his shoulder.

"I am a soldier, sir. I can't run away by myself knowing that there are citizens remaining here."

He then somehow managed to chew and swallow down the onigiri, even though his throat was currently choked up with emotion. He deeply bowed towards the grandmother.

"Thank you for the meal. It was really delicious, ma'am."

It was then.

Thud, thud, thud!!

The ground began quaking all on their own.

The young soldier formed a resolute expression as he ran out of the nursing hospital. He found a single Giant monster approaching this location at a frightening speed. It was crawling on all fours like an actual wild beast.

'Isn't that….??'

As the young soldier took aim, his sights spotted something off.

The Giant was currently biting on his comrade that had set off a little earlier. The eyes of the young soldier reddened in an instant.

"Uwaaaahhh-!!"

The soldier fired his rifle at the approaching Giant.

Blam, blam, blam, blam, blam!!

Unfortunately, the weapons of modern civilisation couldn't harm these monsters. The Giant easily brushed off the hail of bullets and arrived before the young soldier in the blink of an eye.

Click, click…

The ammo-less rifle could only spit out empty coughs and nothing else. More tears formed in the eyes of the young soldier.

'Oh, dear god, please….'

The Giant monster raised its head to swallow the human it was gnawing on, before leaping towards the young soldier.

It was right at that moment.

A massive Naga slammed into the side of the Giant monster without warning.

Chapter 170 Fin.

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Chapter 171: Chapter 171

The Giant monster was flung away and violently rolled on the ground, before bouncing back up again with a spring-like movement that didn't really suit its large frame.

"Gururuk."

The Giant monster didn't immediately counterattack, instead opting to bare its fangs as it remained prone on the ground. Meanwhile, the giant Naga responsible for flinging it away stood before the growling monster.

It was none other than 'Jima', previously the boss-level monster of the Naga species that were inducted into the Shadow Army not too long ago.

Jima reached his right hand out next to him. When he did, a black spear slowly rose up from the shadow on the ground.

Grab!

Jima powerfully grasped the spear and aimed the weapon at his front. One could sense his unbreakable will to not let anything pass by him.

"Uh….? Uh…..??"

The young soldier from the JSDF couldn't quite figure out whether the spectacle unfolding before his eyes was a dream or reality.

To think, a monster was protecting him from another monster right now.

He thought he'd end up inside the Giant monster's mouth for sure. But, having taken a look at the wide, imposing back of the other monster, he felt several powerful emotions welling up from deep within his heart.

"Just what is going on here…"

Could they survive?

Could they survive against the Giant monster?

Not just the young soldier, but the old couple and the patients, too?

The soldier's thoughts reached this point, and suddenly, all the built-up tension left him and tears rushed up to his eyes.

"Use this."

Someone pushed forward a colourful handkerchief towards the young soldier. He turned his head to the side to take a look.

A youth who looked to be way younger than the soldier pointed at the handkerchief with his chin and nodded his head afterwards.

Since this youth didn't speak in Japanese, the soldier didn't understand him, but it wasn't all that hard to figure out what he wanted to say in the first place.

'Is he Korean?'

The young soldier wiped the streaming tears away with the offered handkerchief and asked his questions.

"By the way…. just who are you? Wait, why are you even here?"

The Korean youth silently shook his head before raising his thumb up high.

"Good."

"Excuse me?"

"Very Good."

"T-thank…. you, I guess?"

While the young soldier dazedly expressed his gratitude, another man who seemed to be the comrade of this Korean youth appeared from behind him.

Even though this soldier didn't know a whole lot about Hunters, he saw all the blood splatters on this man's clothing and realised that he was now looking at a powerful being who existed on another realm altogether from everyone else.

"This might get dangerous."

Jin-Woo had taken a look inside the rural clinic before showing up here, and he told Yu Jin-Ho while pointing behind him.

"Looks like we'll have change locations. We're too close."

Yu Jin-Ho had witnessed the battle against the Giants a few times by now so he figured out what Jin-Woo was saying almost immediately.

"I'll be on standby over here, hyung-nim."

"Right."

Jin-Woo looked at the young soldier next and saw his scared eyes.

He walked past the soldier and lightly patted the scared, tearful Japanese man on the shoulder. The gesture meant to say that the soldier had done excellent work.

What he did, standing off against a monster all by himself with just a single rifle, was not something any regular person could even try to imitate.

Jin-Woo had entered many dungeons as a rank E himself so he knew better than anyone just how courageous this soldier had been.

The young JSDF soldier looked at the back of Jin-Woo walking by and let out a gasp of admiration.

"Ah."

That weightiness brushing past his shoulder, and that warmth from his hand. Just a single touch, and the terror he felt forcing him to get ready for his demise completely washed away.

A powerful sense of relief rushed out from the deepest part of his heart.

It was then, the young soldier recalled the story of two Koreans roaming around in his country while subjugating the Giants.

He recalled the name of one of the two. The name of the Hunter who also subjugated rank S monsters almost all by himself in South Korea, was…..

'Seong Jin-Woo…. Hunter Seong Jin-Woo….'

It had to be. That man had to be him.

Ba-dump!

The soldier's heart began pounding hard after running into a person he only heard about in passing. He quickly questioned the Korean youth still standing next to him.

"Is he that person? The rank S Hunter from South Korea??"

Yu Jin-Ho nodded his head and provided his answer.

"Good."

Meanwhile, Jin-Woo walked over to where the two monsters were in a violent melee. His forehead was creasing up.

"Kiiaaaahhk-!!"

The Giant dug deep into Jima's front in the blink of an eye and proceeded to powerfully rip into the Naga's shoulder.

He used to be a boss-level monster of a rank A dungeon. Even if his attention had been diverted a bit in order to protect the humans behind him, he should still be a much more powerful being than other, regular Shadow Soldiers.

To think, he was being suppressed by a regular monster that wasn't even on the same 'boss-level' as he used to be. This situation easily demonstrated how strong these Giant-type monsters were.

Besides all that, Jin-Woo never enjoyed the sight of his soldiers getting beaten down like this at all. His expression hardened as he bent his knees. An unbelievable amount of strength filled up his thighs and shins.

Crack, crack….

The asphalt below that was supporting his legs began splitting as cracks ran underneath his feet.

Ka-boom!

Jin-Woo exploded up from the ground and shot right towards the Giant's face in an instant. In that short moment, the monster's darting eyes discovered him flying straight at it.

A glint of understanding filled the flying human's eyes.

'As I thought, these guys aren't your average monsters at all.'

Jin-Woo's fist slammed into the forehead of the Giant. However, the damage dealt was less than he had expected. The monster pulled its head back just before the hit landed to minimise the impact as much as it could, that was why.

The monster possessed a massive frame, as well as surprisingly agile movements. From the perspectives of the Hunters who had to face off against these b*stards, those two aspects alone would have been enough to give them a sense of helplessness.

The thing was, though, that only applied to regular Hunters.

Jin-Woo immediately summoned a 'Demon King's Shortsword' in the air. And then, he extended his other free hand not holding anything towards the Giant's face.

'Ruler's Authority!'

An invisible hand yanked at the Giant's face with irresistible force. The distance between Jin-Woo and the monster rapidly closed up.

"Kureuk??"

The monster didn't expect the airborne opponent to immediately start attacking again, and it began thrashing about in a panicked frenzy, but in the end, it was all for naught.

Jin-Woo flew in front of the Giant's nose in an instant and activated his skill.

"Violent Slash."

Dududududududu!!

Rapid-fire attacks so fast that they left behind a series of afterimages turned the Giant's face into a complete mess.

"Kuwaaaak!!"

Boom!!

The monster covered its face and rolled around on the ground. It lost its eyesight from that attack and wildly thrashed about in unbridled pain.

Tap.

After lightly landing back on the ground, Jin-Woo looked on and sensed that this hunt was drawing to a close.

'It's done.'

But then, the Giant sensed Jin-Woo's approach; its shoulders flinched greatly before it began running away in haste, without even bothering to look behind it.

'It can also sense the presence of others?'

The more Jin-Woo fought these things, the more surprised he got.

He was speaking from his observations, and it said that these Giant-type monsters were like specialised weapon systems that happened to possess large biological bodies.

The Giant quickly distanced itself. Of course, he wasn't planning on letting it go.

'Quicksilver.'

Jin-Woo's frame slid forward like a bolt of lightning.

The Giant monster ran with all its might on all fours, but rather than the distance increasing, it rapidly shrank, instead.

The monster felt terror. It sensed a bone-chilling aura emanating right behind its back.

The Giant creature belatedly realised that it could never escape no matter how much it struggled. So, it came to an abrupt stop, spun around, and tried to pounce on its enemy, but…

The presence of the human that had been closing in at a scary velocity suddenly vanished. And then….

The presence reappeared behind the creature.

Even though its eyes were not working anymore, the Giant reflexively turned its head around.

That made it easier for him to slice up the monster, however.

Jin-Woo jumped up straight and powerfully swung down the 'Demon King's Shortsword'.

Swish-!!

The blade overflowing with the magical energy oozing out from the 'Black Heart' vertically split the face of the Giant monster in one slice.

Slice!

"Gu-urk…."

Like a tree that got hacked by an axe, the monster slowly tipped over backwards, not even able to scream out properly.

THUD!!

With that, the third Giant was successfully hunted down.

Jin-Woo cleanly landed back on the ground and let out a light sigh filled with lingering emotions of victory from his lips.

"Fuu…"

"Hyung-nim!!"

Yu Jin-Ho had been standing far, far back while waiting for the battle to finish. Once it was safe, he hurriedly ran over and presented the lid of the thermos containing refreshingly cool tea.

Jin-Woo grinned brightly and accepted the lid.

"Thank you."

The tea in the lid slid down his throat while issuing the familiar gulping noises.

'Mm?'

He sensed a presence and looked behind him, only to find Jima and his slumped shoulders approaching him. The Shadow Soldier was evidently depressed from losing the one on one fight earlier.

'You fought well, regardless. Get some rest.'

Jin-Woo encouraged his underling and had it return. Jima returned to being a shadow and got absorbed back below Jin-Woo's feet.

Yu Jin-Ho stared at that process before raising his voice.

"Hyung-nim?"

Jin-Woo returned the empty lid and replied.

"Yeah?"

"You sent out all your other summons on their own, but well, is there a reason why you decided to act alongside your Nagas?"

Yu Jin-Ho was feeling puzzled by this.

Just now, hyung-nim was almost solely responsible for killing this Giant. It seemed as if he didn't really need the Naga's help at all.

Even then, he always sent out the Naga first, in the beginning of the battle, and only participated after his summon was pushed to its backfoot.

Yu Jin-Ho was curious as to what Jin-Woo's aim could be. The actual reason was simple enough, though.

'Because, I just wanted to level these guys up, you know.'

The Naga Shadow Soldiers had become a part of the Shadow Army relatively recently, and as a result, their levels fell quite behind that of his other soldiers.

That was why he figured that, since he would be fighting these Giants anyway, he'd raise the levels of the Nagas in the process as well. However, as it turned out, these Giant-type monsters weren't easy enough opponents for his new recruits to deal with by themselves.

Although it was a bit tedious, this method was still the best one if he wanted to increase the Nagas' battle experience.

'Of course, I can't really tell Yu Jin-Ho any of this, now can I?'

Jin-Woo formed a smirk.

"Well, I feel like I'm still not too familiar with these Nagas, you see? If I keep them around me for a little longer, wouldn't I become friendlier with them?"

"Oh."

Yu Jin-Ho nodded his head.

What an easy kid to lie to, this guy – thought Jin-Woo.

But then, Yu Jin-Ho suddenly fell into deep contemplation, before raising his voice as his eyes sparkled brightly.

"You even make sure to look after every single one of your summons, hyung-nim. As expected of you!"

And also, Jin-Woo felt really bad for lying to him, as well.

"Excuse me…."

Jin-Woo's head shifted to his side.

The young soldier who courageously stood up against the Giant was walking closer while continuously glancing at the dead monster's mountainous corpse. Jin-Woo could also see the old couple responsible for protecting the hospital behind the soldier's shoulder, too.

He hadn't spoken to them yet, but he could already tell what they wanted to say simply from their expressions alone.

That was all he needed.

For now, he didn't have enough time to receive their gratitude one at a time. Even as he stood around here, these Giants were busy going on a rampage in other locations.

Jin-Woo took a long look at the Giant's corpse.

The biggest reason why he came to Japan was lying on the ground right in front of his face.

"Stop! Stop!!"

Yu Jin-Ho quickly stopped the Japanese survivors from approaching the location.

Jin-Woo had been feeling it lately, but well, Yu Jin-Ho's wits seemed to have quickened up considerably since their first meeting. Thanks to that, the job of extracting shadows had become that much easier.

He smirked and looked at Yu Jin-Ho for a bit, before shifting his gaze back to the dead Giant.

He extended his hands out and quietly murmured to himself.

"Rise up."

"Dear viewers at home…. It's hard to believe, but the scene before me is truly happening!"

Tatatatatatata-!!

The reporter riding on the helicopter continuously spat out gasps of astonishment as if he could hardly believe his own eyes.

The camera began transmitting the scenes below. Several hundreds of ant monsters were uniformly marching towards a certain direction. And in front of them, there was a mutated ant monster with wings on its back.

Of course, it was none other than 'Beru'.

He had been advancing up ahead of the marching ant army, but he abruptly raised his head high up in the air.

"Kiiiiieeehk-!!"

The loud explosion of his screech prompted the reporter to hurriedly cover his ears. Meanwhile, the ants marching behind all came to a stop right when they heard Beru's call.

There were three Giants to their front.

The differences in size were like looking at an elephant and a mouse.

However, Beru displayed not one hint of fear as his claws extended out like lengthy blades, and he dashed forward.

"Kiiieeehhhck!!"

And behind him, the army of ants began covering the land in black.

The intense and bloody battle ended not too long afterwards.

"Oh my god!! Oh my GOD!!"

As the reporter cried out in sheer astonishment over and over again, the ants successfully brought the Giants down. They then began chomping down with their sharp mandibles and ate the corpses.

Wooduduk!!

Kwajeeck!!

Of course, under Beru's orders, they didn't forget to leave some part of the monsters behind so more Shadow Soldiers could be created later. As for those ants that got too greedy for their own good, swift kicks from Beru flew in to sort out the situation immediately.

The reporter was shouting out in a clearly-excited voice now.

"The Giants are being devoured right now!! These Giants are being devoured by the insects right now!!!!"

These Giants that instilled unbridled shock and fear with the actions of devouring humans were in turn, getting devoured by the ants. The Japanese people watching this scene felt a certain sense of inexplicable gratification.

That was perhaps the reason why the most amount of interest was focused on the ant army, since Jin-Woo himself refused to be filmed from the get-go.

The only problem being….

"Heok!!"

The reporter and the cameraman flinched in surprise and hurriedly backed away after spotting Beru flying right next to the helicopter.

The former ant king didn't even hesitate and snatched away the camera pointing at him and destroyed it immediately.

Kwajeeck!!

"Keok!"

The reporter and the cameraman embraced each other and shuddered pitifully in fear.

Beru alternated his quiet gaze between the two trembling humans before returning back to the ground below.

"Whew…."

"Pant, pant…."

Both men spat out sighs of relief right away.

There was a reason why they followed around the monster ant army even as the cameras worth tens of thousands of dollars were being lost every single time. The countless viewers were going absolutely crazy with ardent fervour for these creatures, that was why.

The cameraman quickly picked up the spare camera prepared for this eventuality, while the reporter spoke the closing words to the mic as if he was already used to this whole situation.

"….I'm Kitamura, reporting from the location."

"Kkyaaahk!"

She must've graduated from elementary school not too long ago. This young girl was running away screaming with a tear-strewn face.

"Ah, ah ah!!"

Right behind her, a Giant gave chase with a disgusting smile on its face.

How far could she go when running on her still-short legs? The distance between them closed up in an instant.

The Giant must've found this game of tag with a certain winner set in stone rather amusing to play, because it continued to form a toothy grin.

It reached out with its arm that was at least 1.5 times longer than other Giant's. And, just before such a rough hand got to snatch the young girl up, a cold flash streaked past the monster's wrist.

And the blue-coloured lightning that exploded out afterwards began burning up the cut surface of the now-missing wrist with extreme heat.

Crackle!!!

"Guwaaaaahahk!!"

The Giant shot up to its feet and screamed out in pain as it held its wrist.

The owner of the blue-coloured blade was none other than 'Igrit'.

He spun around and lifted up the pale-faced girl that was on her knees shivering, before quickly evacuating from that place.

The Giant angrily glared below. The creature that had cleanly severed its wrist was busy escaping with its prey.

The eyes of the enraged Giant were quickly dyed in red.

"Gureuk…."

The scene was scary enough for any observers to wet their pants. But even then, someone still stood before such a terrifying monster. It was, of course, 'Iron'. His armour had become even more enhanced after his grade rose up to 'Elite Knight'.

Iron stabbed the shield down on the ground and stood proudly with his chest wide open. And then, a truly loud roar exploded out from beneath his helm.

Wooooowuuuuuhhh-!!

[Iron has activated 'Skill: Roar of Provocation'.]

[The enemy has fallen into a provoked state.]

The glare of the Giant previously aimed at Igrit was instantly switched over to Iron.

As if to say 'Come if you dare', Iron pounded on his chest vigorously and raised up high the shield as huge as himself.

"Guwuuurk!"

The fist of the enraged Giant mercilessly punched down on Iron.

Ka-boom!

However, Iron was not forced back an inch. The effects of his grade rising up had pushed him to a whole new plateau of power.

Boom! Slam! Bam!

Iron ably defended against dozens of punches and loudly cried out again.

"Wuuoouuhh!!"

When he did, the army of Shadow Soldiers and Ice Bears, the ones that had been with Jin-Woo the longest, attacked at the same time from either side of the Giant.

The leader of the Ice Bear troops, Tank, shook its head around and roared out loudly as if he got excited by the prospect of entering the battlefield after a long time of inactivity.

"Krrroooarr!!"

His roar was so loud and explosive that even those far away could feel the faint tremor in the air.

The reporter watching this scene unfold from afar with bated breath shouted at the camera next to him.

"Can you see this, everyone? These summons, these creatures summoned by Hunter Seong Jin-Woo, are raiding the Giant by themselves!"

Could this truly be reality?

This very reporter didn't believe Yuri Orlov's claims from the word go, and quite obviously, he also didn't hold much hope with Jin-Woo, as well.

But then, not just Seong Jin-Woo himself, but even the summoned creatures he ordered to go out on their own were speedily hunting down these Giants, as if they were nothing.

Maybe, just maybe….

When the reporter thought that, just maybe, Seong Jin-Woo could possibly save this country all by himself, something warm and powerful gushed up from the deepest part of his chest.

It was precisely then.

"L-look! Over there!"

The cameraman pointed at the Giant. The reporter hurriedly shifted his tear-soaked gaze in the general direction of the monster.

"How could this be…..!!"

The reporter spat out a moan.

The Giant's posture was already crumbling. Countless screaming bolts of lightning, shooting out from the tip of Igrit's sword, were pounding down on the faltering monster's head.

It was such a mesmerizingly beautiful sight that all those who looked upon it forgot what they wanted to say next.

Chapter 171 Fin.

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Chapter 172: Chapter 172

It was obvious that the Japanese Hunter's Association HQ used to be located in the central district of Tokyo, commonly seen as the beating heart of Japan.

But, that was only until the Giants began pouring out from the Gate, of course.

On that fateful day, as Shinjuku's rank S Gate morphed into a full-on dungeon break, the President of the Japanese Association Matsumoto Shigeo managed to save his life through the sacrifices of the Hunters and soldiers stationed on the frontlines. He hurriedly re-established the HQ of the Association in the city of Osaka's local government offices.

There was only one reason why he chose this city, rather than some others located on the north-west of the country.

He figured that, if they failed to protect the city of Osaka and its 2.66 million inhabitants, then there was no hope for Japan, either. In other words, this was their last defence line – their Maginot Line.

And that was also why Association President Matsumoto experienced the event of his sights darkening from despair when he heard the news of Nagoya, which wasn't that far away from Osaka, falling at the hands of the Giant-type monsters.

The nation's utter annihilation was practically around the corner, but it became impossible to beg for international help.

The dastardly scheme cooked up by the Japanese Association was laid bare in full by the President of the Korean Hunter's Association, Goh Gun-Hui. No one wanted to lend their aid to Japan because of that.

After Goh Gun-Hui's press conference was over, the Japanese government, temporarily relocated to Kyoto, summoned Matsumoto Shigeo to appear before them.

He had to kneel down in front of the government's higher-ups baying for his blood.

"The responsibility for this crisis rests solely on me. However, you need someone to sort out this situation. Please, won't you delay the handing out of the punishment until then?"

The Prime Minister of Japan, standing his back to the kneeling Matsumoto Shigeo, made his reply after a short deliberation.

"….Fine."

Without a doubt, the Association President Matsumoto had brought this crisis upon them, but just as he said, someone still had to take care of the mess created by the dungeon break.

The punishment could come afterwards.

It wouldn't be too late to make an example out of this man after the flame not just burning on the foot but on the rest of the body was put out first.

It was around at this point that Jin-Woo landed on Japanese soil.

The very first person to rush out and welcome him while forgetting to even put on his shoes properly was Association President Matsumoto.

His fate was already sealed. That didn't mean he wanted to let his mother nation suffer the same fate as him. That's what he thought.

When he first saw Jin-Woo at the airport, his entire body was overcome with goosebumps of nasty shock.

'How could this be…??'

This man was strong.

Matsumoto had been the Association President for many years, and he got to meet many powerful beings up until now. That was how he could tell from just one glance.

He stood next to countless Hunters in his life so far, but hadn't encountered many situations where the hair on the back of his neck stood up straight from the unbelievable chill he felt.

No, actually, this would be his first time.

If only he had a chance to meet Jin-Woo just once before the Jeju Island raid took place, he'd have immediately rescinded the plan to drive the Korean Hunters to their demise.

The words of Goto Ryuji from back then, when he personally met Jin-Woo, were definitely not wrong. This Korean Hunter right in front of his eyes possessed such a powerful pressure.

However, the enemies this time were the Giant-type monsters emerging straight out from a rank S Gate.

Matsumoto judged that, no matter how strong Hunter Seong Jin-Woo was, he alone would not be enough to contend with all those monsters. So, he made a desperate plea.

"Please, I beg of you to focus on defending us, with Osaka as the centre."

The Japanese Hunter's Association wanted Jin-Woo to focus solely on defence and buy them enough time so that they could negotiate with either the Americans or with the Russians.

Too bad, that plan was immediately thrown out the window with one short sentence from the man in question.

"I refuse."

Jin-Woo curtly stated his position.

It was only obvious that the Association President Matsumoto Shigeo and all the other Association-related parties would jump up in sheer fluster. Did he suddenly have a change of heart and no longer wanted to kill the monsters?

Matsumoto could only ask with a tightening chest.

"Then…. Then, what will you do, instead?"

Instead of a verbal reply, Jin-Woo answered with his actions.

He separated his summons into three parties and had them operate on their own, while he too began moving by himself as well.

The number of creatures he summoned out was already astonishing enough, but even then, Matsumoto Shigeo was swallowing his worried gasps over something else entirely.

'Is he really trying to fight against all of the Giants?'

Every Hunter in the world had all said in one voice that such a feat was impossible. But, was he trying to do precisely that?

He had no way of knowing. The best he could do now was to wait while entrusting his, and everyone else's, fate to the heavens above.

He returned to the Hunter's Association HQ and focused on gathering information on the unfolding situation.

Unexpectedly, the answer came back soon enough.

"The city of Nagoya, it's been successfully taken back!!"

"What was that?!"

Matsumoto Shigeo shot up from his chair from that shocking news.

It hadn't been all that long since Hunter Seong Jin-Woo had set off, yet the Giant-type monster in Nagoya had been brought down already?

Even before the Japanese Association President had a chance to calm his fluttering heart, messages began pouring in from all corners of the country.

"A Giant's corpse has been discovered in the city of Nakatsugawa!"

"The city of Shizuoka has been successfully reclaimed!!"

"The cities of Takayama and Nagano both have been….."

Hunter Seong Jin-Woo and his summoned creatures were eliminating the Giant-type monsters scattered throughout the country of Japan as they closed in towards Tokyo.

It was truly an unbelievable speed of advancement.

The Association President Matsumoto Shigeo saw the power of the Korean Hunter capable of changing the impossible into the possible and began shivering where he stood.

His pounding heart showed no signs of slowing down at all.

And finally….

"T-the city of Kofu…. Hunter Seong Jin-Woo, he has arrived in Kofu, sir."

He plopped down on his butt after hearing the news of all the Giants being killed off in Kofu, a city only 130 kilometres removed from Tokyo itself.

"Association President!!"

"Sir, President Matsumoto!!"

His trembling legs didn't want to listen to him at all.

That Korean Hunter was really planning to kill every Giant-type monster found in this nation. A certain thought suddenly entered his mind, then.

'What he's doing right now….. Isn't that what I planned to do to South Korea?'

He was planning to destroy Korea's Hunter system, and by utilising the strengths of the Japanese Hunters, squeeze South Korea as he willed it. But now, the situation had flipped on its head.

Japan and its collapsed Hunter system now found itself under the thumb of one single man, Seong Jin-Woo.

The plan that Matsumoto himself, the Japanese Association, the top Japanese Hunters, and the government combined their resources together to put into motion, and ultimately failed to carry out, was being ably carried out by just one person. He was being successful in doing so, as well.

He dazedly sat in his chair, and issued a new order to the Association's staff members standing around and worrying about him.

"Can you all leave me for a while? I'd like to be alone for a minute or two."

Soon, his office became emptied. His head slowly drooped real low.

A powerful sense of defeat the likes of which he had never tasted before in his life crashed into him like a tidal wave.

He had lost.

He had completely, utterly lost.

However, the emotions rushing in after the sense of defeat finally left him were a brief moment of self-reflection and remorse, and an infinite amount of gratitude.

On that day, he silently sobbed.

And also on that day, Jin-Woo and his summons starting from Osaka and moving eastward, while killing every Giant they ran into, finally arrived on the doorsteps of the city of Tokyo.

THUD!!

Two more Giant-type monsters fell lifelessly to the ground.

[Level up!]

It had been so long since he got to level up so freely like this. He could barely remember the last time it happened.

Jin-Woo tightly clenched his fists.

As he approached closer and closer to where the dungeon break originally started, the city of Tokyo, he alone had hunted down 13 Giant-type monsters. His level rose up by six during this time.

Each of these Giant-type monsters was on the level of a boss creature, so the experience points they gave out were rather substantial. Of course, experience points earned by his Shadow Soldiers in other locations also played a pretty large role, as well.

Every time that message of [Level up!] popped up in his view during his journey, he felt his enthusiasm soar up even higher and higher.

Just like now.

[Level up!]

'That's what I'm talking about!'

Jin-Woo clenched his fists again from that wonderfully-timed message of a level up entering his view. He also heard a familiar voice talking to him in his mind.

'Oh, my king. We have killed off yet another enemy.'

The ones that sent him extra experience points were Beru's ant army, who also happened to possess the fastest marching speed as well.

It was a rather obvious result, though, when considering the fact that Beru was the strongest Shadow Soldier he had, and that the number of ants was also quite large, to begin with. The former ant king always reported back to Jin-Woo every time after killing their enemies.

Jin-Woo congratulated the achievements of the ant army.

'Nicely done. You all did well.'

'I thank thee, oh my king.'

Jin-Woo ended the communication with Beru and used the 'Sensory Sharing' to check up on the status of each of his three armies.

Although it wasn't to the extent of the ant army led by Beru, the army of High Orcs led by Fangs and the army of elite soldiers led by Igrit were also unhindered in their progress as well.

Jin-Woo felt really pleased by the levels of his soldiers that had shot up to a noticeable degree.

"Hyung-nim, should we set up camp here tonight?"

Jin-Woo opened his eyes and ended the 'Sensory Sharing'.

Yu Jin-Ho was asking a question while holding a tent he took out from the vehicle's trunk. Jin-Woo raised his head to see that the day was coming to an end, the dusk casting its shadow on the ground below.

His 'Tiredness' gauge wasn't all that high due to the effects of stamina recovery potions he bought from the Store, as well as from levelling up. However, his mental fatigue had certainly piled up recently.

'Looks like I should take a break.'

Jin-Woo nodded his head.

Today's campsite had been decided. They quickly set up the tent and got ready to eat dinner.

The heat had cooled off before long and the breeze of the encroaching evening felt chilly. It was already autumn now.

Jin-Woo thought to himself that winter was just around the corner as he warmed up the food the Japanese Association had supplied him with.

Winter.

If he were to split the rise and fall of the human civilisation in terms of seasons, then the appearance of Tokyo's outer edges certainly gave off the aura of winter in full bloom.

For some reason, though, Tokyo that no longer resembled a city came across as a somewhat familiar sight to him.

'Where have I seen this before?'

Jin-Woo combed his memories for a little while before finding his answer.

'….The Demon's Castle.'

The sight of the ruined, crumbling cities he saw back then resembled Tokyo's current appearance. The only difference being, there were no flames burning right now.

When his thoughts arrived at this point, a dark shadow crept up over his expression.

'Could it be….?'

From the very first floor of the Demon's Castle, all the way up to its final floor, every city found within the dungeon was destroyed almost beyond recognition.

If that was the System's way of giving away hints, then what was the so-called architect trying to tell him?

Jin-Woo smirked to himself.

'Does it really matter now?'

The so-called architect, the manager of the System, was dead and gone inside a dungeon. Seeing that there was no further contact after that, the chances of that guy still being alive were slim, to say the least.

'And, even if what I saw back then was the prediction of the coming events…..'

'….I shall stop them.'

That was why he continued to grow stronger. He chased after greater strength, because he didn't want to be toyed around with by powers he couldn't fight against.

Raise his level, get his hands on new skills, and raise his level up even higher…..

And eventually, he had arrived at this point in time.

Ba-thump.

The 'Black Heart' beat loudly once as if to react to his thoughts.

Jin-Woo pressed his hand to his chest to feel that as a thin smile spread across his lips. The doctor in the hospital told him that he was completely normal.

["We haven't found any abnormalities with you. Hunter-nim, you're perfectly healthy."]

The day before his departure, Jin-Woo went to a hospital to get a complete check up on his health.

The doctor had him scanned from top to bottom but still failed to discover the second heart or anything similar to that.

The 'Back Heart', then, couldn't have been a physical change taking place within his flesh. It did exist and he could definitely feel its heartbeat, but it also did not exist in reality, too.

'What the heck does that even mean?'

Jin-Woo wryly laughed to himself.

He was sort of relieved by the fact that his body structure was no different from other people's, but if that was the case, where was this tremor from his chest coming from?

It was then – a light breeze blew in from the city centre of Tokyo. And it carried this sticky and utterly horrifying magical energy that was hard to even fathom how dense it was.

"Hyung-nim…."

Yu Jin-Ho formed a worried expression. This was truly an astonishing power level that even someone like him with a lower threshold of perception could sense.

Jin-Woo wordlessly nodded his head. He didn't have to think too hard where this breeze blew in from. It was from that massive Giant guarding the Gate in Shinjuku.

This aura was on another realm altogether compared to what he sensed from other Giants so far. He was this far away, yet goosebumps broke out on his arms just for a moment there.

However, a smile still formed on Jin-Woo's face.

As if it was responding to that powerful wave of magic energy, the 'Black Heart' began pounding even harder than before.

How many levels would he gain after killing that monster? Also, what kind of a soldier would come out from its shadow?

Anticipation was bubbling up within him already.

Chapter 172 Fin.

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Igrit's elite soldier army was the first to arrive in Tokyo.

Fang's High Orc army was the next to arrive.

Igrit discovered the approaching High Orc army and lightly nodded his head as his greeting to their Chieftain. The corners of Fang's lips, hidden under his black hood, arched up as he too, nodded his head.

The elite soldiers army, the division of Ice Bears that acted alongside them, and the High Orc army had now gathered in one spot. And a short while later.

Tap, tap, tap.

The sounds of marching footsteps uniformly resounded out in the surrounding air. Just beyond the ash-grey fog, a large-sized battalion of Shadow Soldiers approached the location.

As befitting of the soldiers that had taken the longest route but also hunted down the most Giants, Beru and his ant army were the last to arrive. The former ant king led the pack and emerged from the settling fog of dust first.

Just like before, Igrit sent out a greeting first.

However, Beru didn't display any hint of acknowledgement and walked right past Igrit, strode up to Jin-Woo's back before kneeling down on one knee in a dignified manner.

"Ah. You all have arrived."

Only then did Jin-Woo tear his eyes away from the distant Giant to take a look behind him.

"Everyone, you all did well."

As he welcomed them all, every Shadow Soldier followed after Beru's example and knelt down on one knee. Ice Bears couldn't physically kneel down, so they simply prostrated, their noses pressed to the ground below.

Everyone, including the elite soldiers, Ice Bears, ants, High Orcs, and Nagas, as well as other types of Shadow Soldiers he had recruited in between – nearly one thousand of his Shadow Soldiers had gathered in one spot.

"All of you, stand up."

Jin-Woo gestured them to rise to their feet and his soldiers all stood up straight. It was truly a mesmerising spectacle.

Yu Jin-Ho was utterly arrested by this sight and stared dazedly at the Shadow Soldiers.

'What a relief that this is just one of hyung-nim's skills, otherwise if these were real monsters….'

Even though he knew no bad things would happen, his body still shuddered as he imagined the scene of these many monsters that also boasted such levels of power moving around as one.

It was indeed a relief that these guys were allies. Where would he find anyone more appropriate to attach that description to other than his hyung-nim?

Unfortunately, there was an even more shocking scene waiting for him right behind him.

Gulp.

Yu Jin-Ho just barely managed to swallow his dry saliva and cautiously took a look behind him. There was a lone Giant standing over yonder.

The size of this Giant-type monster was on another scale altogether compared to the others he saw during his trip to this place.

Simply by staring at the head of a Giant so, so, so far up in the sky, he couldn't tell whether he was looking at an actual monster or a high-rise building, instead.

"Wowsers…."

A gasp of shock leaked out from his mouth.

There was just too great a difference between seeing it from a video clip and with his own two eyes like this.

Jin-Woo smiled and placed his hand on top of Yu Jin-Ho's head, as the latter found himself unable to shut his mouth at all.

"Hey, dude. Your jaw will fall off at this rate."

"H-hyung-nim."

Yu Jin-Ho finally regained his wits and embarrassedly scratched the back of his head. Jin-Woo withdrew his hand from the kid's head and wordlessly glared at the boss-level Giant-type monster.

'How can a massive being like that even exist?'

That life-form was simply far too large.

The horrible magic power oozing out from that thing even made him think about getting away from this place as soon as he could. It was that unpleasant to behold.

There were two ways of getting rid of this unpleasantness he felt.

Either running as far away as possible from the source of this unpleasantness and forget about everything, or, root out the cause of the problem itself.

Which choice he'd go for was set in stone the moment he left Korea – no, the moment Jin-Woo had Awakened, as a matter of fact.

Ba-thump, ba-thump….

He closed his eyes and quietly enjoyed the tireless beatings of his heart and before abruptly opening them back again.

"Get to a safe distance."

"Yes, hyung-nim."

Yu Jin-Ho nodded his head with a determined face and quickly ran in between the Shadow Soldiers to get away from there.

'Good.'

Jin-Woo patiently waited for the kid to get to a safe enough distance away, and then summoned up his newly-added family members.

"Come out."

Although not as huge as the boss-level Giant, several massive Shadow Soldiers rose up from the ground.

From No.1 up to No. 13.

Jin-Woo named his Giant Shadow Soldiers No.1 to No.13, according to the order of who got extracted first.

He felt rather pleased from the sight of these massive figures standing in front of his Shadow Army, which made his entire troop seem even more dependable than before.

'This should be enough.'

Jin-Woo figured that this was enough preparation and raised his hand. As his fingertips pointed to the heavens above, all of the Shadow Soldiers got ready to attack.

Clang!

"My soldiers."

His soldiers, all decked in black armour and enveloped in rising smoke – Jin-Woo scanned his Shadow Soldiers one by one before turning back to face the boss-level Giant.

The creature was indifferently staring down at him as if any opponents not entering in its fixed range wouldn't interest it at all.

'And that's what I don't like about that guy.'

Jin-Woo was quite unhappy at the fact that a measly monster was looking down on him from that high up.

A vicious grin broke out of his face, then. And the hand pointing to the sky was pointed towards the Giant next.

"Advance!" (TL note at the end)

Beru raised his head up high and screeched loudly.

"Kiiiiieeeehhhkkk!!"

Ants, Ice Bears, Giants – no, almost every single Shadow Soldier gathered there dashed forward all at once towards the boss-level Giant monster.

RUMBLE-!!

The fierce march of the Shadow Army rocked the ground below. The earth shook and mighty dust storm kicked up. And soon, Jin-Woo's soldiers entered the territory of the Giant.

It happened then.

The surrounding air suddenly transformed.

"What the hell?!"

A scream-like cry of shock exploded out from Jin-Woo's mouth.

The boss Giant had disappeared from his view, and when it reappeared, already half of his Shadow Soldiers had been annihilated.

'It did a sliding tackle??'

There was no other fitting term to describe the boss Giant sweeping away his soldiers with its stretched leg other than a 'sliding tackle'.

It was an unfathomable destructive power.

With that single attack, a huge entity that was the Shadow Army got split in half. Of course, his soldiers weren't simply standing back to get massacred out there, either.

Even before the dust kicked up from the Giant's foot had settled down, Fangs finished gigantifying himself and stood before the monster's face.

Fuu-heuph!!

He then sucked in a deep, deep breath as his chest expanded greatly. A nonsensically massive pillar of flames erupted out from his mouth.

Kuuuwaaaahhhh-!!

This attack from Fangs was capable of even melting down those monsters with innate resistance to fire in a single breath. Unfortunately, the Giant blocked this blazing inferno with the palm of its hand.

Jin-Woo could sense Fangs getting astonished by what was happening.

While still in the lowered position, the Giant snatched up the ankle of a Giant Shadow Soldier in the vicinity.

His Giant soldier, as big as a regular building, resembled a small child after it got caught by the hand of the boss-level monster. And this creature threw the Giant soldier straight at Fangs.

He was about to suck in another breath for his second attack, but he was struck down by the flying soldier before he could and got disintegrated.

Jin-Woo's eyes narrowed to a slit like a blade as he witnessed Fangs get scattered away in black smoke.

It proceeded from that point on – one thousand against one.

The proper battle between his Shadow Soldiers and the boss-level Giant truly began. No – this was a far too one-sided display of violence to be called a battle.

"Kkiiieeehk!"

"Ku-uh-uuhk!"

Shadow Soldiers were crushed constantly and endlessly by the Giant's attacks.

A punch, a slap, an elbow drop, a knee, the back of the foot, and the bottom of it – one movement from the boss-level Giant, and dozens of soldiers were swept away.

Boom!!

Boom!!!

Boom!!!!

The boss-level Giant's flashy movements easily exceeded that of the highest-ranked melee-type Hunter's speed.

"Kiiehk."

Beru watched the ant army being trampled on and was about to dash forward, but Jin-Woo raised his arm and stopped him.

"Not yet."

Beru took a step back.

Both Beru and Igrit standing next to Jin-Woo and waiting for his orders displayed visible hints of wanting to join the battle.

'However, now isn't the time yet.'

Jin-Woo's lips were shut tight in a straight line.

The soldiers repeatedly went through destruction and revival, resulting in his MP decreasing at an alarming rate. In fact, the rate was so severe that even the massive reserve of MP he possessed now thanks to the 'Black Heart' wouldn't be able to keep up.

However, Jin-Woo remained patient and didn't move. He calmly observed the Giant from the distance.

He sent out his immortal army as bait and searched for the creature's weaknesses. That was his plan for this raid.

BOOM!!

The Giant crushed Shadow Soldiers with its knee, and proceeded to punch the ground with its fist.

Ka-boom!!

The ground shook as if there was an earthquake breaking out and dozens of soldiers disappeared in black smoke.

It was a nightmarish battle situation created by the perfect defence and the horrifying destructive power of the monster.

However, he did gain something from all of this.

Within this desolate wasteland that once used to be the centre of Tokyo, Jin-Woo's irises were gleaming brightly from his frightening level of concentration.

'As I thought….'

As expected, no attacks could damage the hardy skin of the Giant as it had worn its enormous magic energy around itself like an impregnable carapace.

The creature must've been aware of its own defensive capability, because it didn't even bother to defend itself and continued to pour out one attack after another.

However, there was one single exception. There was one moment that the Giant chose defence instead of offence. That would be when Fangs spat out the 'Fire Dragon's Breath' in the face of the Giant before.

Only then did it raise its arm to protect its face.

If, by chance, that was not a simple coincidence, then…..

"Kaisel!"

Jin-Woo summoned out his Sky Dragon.

Kaisel emerged out from the shadow at once and spread out its massive wings in a spectacular fashion.

Cha-aaahk!

"Kiiiiaaahk!!"

Jin-Woo quickly climbed aboard Kaisel's back.

"Beru, Igrit!"

Beru's wings extended out from Jin-Woo's call, while Igrit climbed up behind his Sovereign. Soon, Kaisel flapped its wings and took off while carrying his two new passengers.

Kiiahk!!

The ground quickly grew further away.

'Let's go!'

The four of them flew up high in the air and flew in a straight line towards the Giant monster's head. It was then.

Sneak.

The eyes of the Giant shifted to its side.

Even though it was in the middle of a violent tangle with nearly a thousand Shadow Soldiers, it still had time to discover Kaisel and Beru approaching it at an ultra-high speed.

Seeing that, Jin-Woo nodded his head in understanding. That solidified another one of his theories.

This monster could definitely split time itself during the battle and use it to its advantage just like Jin-Woo would do with his Agility Stat. And that was why this thing could display such an astonishing level of speed compared to other Giant monsters.

The boss twisted its body around. Jin-Woo's vision caught the sight of the creature's massive shoulders moving.

'Evade it!'

Jin-Woo and Igrit kicked away from the back of Kaisel.

A blink of an eye later, the Giant's fist slammed into Kaisel.

Ka-boom!

Jin-Woo watched Kaisel explode into black smoke, his brows quivering. It was still a rotten feeling to watch his soldiers get destroyed like that.

If there was one saving grace, then that would be the fact that the target for his anger was right in front of his face.

Igrit was the first to attack. He jumped high up in the air and swung the 'Demon King's Longsword' down.

Crackle!!

A blue streak of lightning crackling into life from the end of the sword rained down on the Giant's face. The boss rapidly tilted its head back to evade the lightning.

'Did it again!'

Once more, it dodged an attack aimed at its face. Jin-Woo was now sure of where its weak point was. He immediately used 'Ruler's Authority' to reel himself in closer to the Giant's face.

Beru followed closely behind.

'Demon King's Shortsword.'

Jin-Woo tightly grasped the two shortswords suddenly appearing in his hands. Beru's claws had been extended to full in no time, as well.

The combined assault of Jin-Woo and Beru unfolded in the sky high up above. The Shadow Soldiers on the ground succeeded in fully reviving themselves, took aim at the Giant's ankles, and pounced on their targets.

BOOM!!

BANG!!

Flames flying away from the hands of the Magic Soldiers crashed into the Giant's body and continued to explode. Bolts of Lightning crackled and stormed down, pillars of flames erupted forth, and Giants continued to bite and tear.

Yu Jin-Ho watched this hallucination-like battle from beginning till end without missing a beat.

He was completely at a loss for words.

This was no longer a battle between a Hunter and a monster. No, it was a fight between a monster and another monster.

The monster the size of a high-rise building, and hyung-nim commanding nearly one-thousand summons all at once – if someone asked Yu Jin-Ho who was even more monster-like in this picture, he thought that he wouldn't be able to answer right away.

'Truly….'

It was truly a lamentable thing that he was the only one witnessing this battle. Yu Jin-Ho did his absolute best to calm his heart, that was ready to explode in his chest, and kept his eyes firmly locked on Jin-Woo's position.

That was also the moment when Jin-Woo's shortsword stabbed deeply into the eye of the Giant.

Stab!!

The boss rocked its head violently from side to side and desperately rampaged around. However, Jin-Woo wasn't flung away from his spot despite all the shaking.

'It's working.'

He grasped tight the shortsword digging into the eye of the monster and activated a skill with his other hand.

'Violent Slash!!'

Dudududududududu!!

This particular eye of the Giant was soon torn to shreds. The monster contorted its upper torso and resisted, but still, Jin-Woo remained impossible to shake off.

While he tenaciously clung onto the Giant's eye, he took a look behind him.

'Beru!'

'Your wish is my command!'

Beru understood immediately what his Sovereign wanted and flew in at an unbelievable speed to enter the hole in the Giant's eye.

On the outside, Jin-Woo, while from the inside, Beru. The combined attacks from the two began ripping apart the giant face from inside and outside simultaneously.

The Giant monster's mouth shot wide open as it issued a soundless scream.

Just as the huge monster stopped attacking for a moment, ants focused their efforts on the creature's ankle and finally succeeded in their goal.

Snap.

After losing a tendon in one of the legs, the Giant powerlessly crashed down on one knee.

Kwa-boom!

The ground couldn't deal with the massive collapsing weight and quaked quite viciously.

Even then, Jin-Woo and Beru's combined assault continued on.

"Violent Slash!!"

Dudududududu!!

"Violent Slash!!"

Dudududududu!!

"Violent Slash!!"

Dudududududu!!

The Giant thrashed about in pure madness, but the more it did, the more intense and crafty Jin-Woo's attacks became as he clung onto the monster's face.

From a certain point onwards, the Giant's resistance stopped. Its humongous body slowly began tipping to the side. And finally…

KUUU-WUUOONG!!

The Giant's truly huge body came crashing to the ground.

It was then, Jin-Woo heard the familiar mechanical beeps going off in his head.

Tti-ring.

[You have defeated your enemy!]

[Level up!]

[Level up!]

[Level up!]

[Level up!]

Jin-Woo's clenched fist gripped even harder.

'I did it!'

Jin-Woo lightly landed back on the ground and was about to sigh out in relief, but then, he realised something was amiss and stopped his movements altogether.

Chapter 173 Fin.

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'Hold up.'

Jin-Woo hurriedly brought the message windows back up.

He didn't even have time to enjoy the notices of his level going up four times in a row, as his eyes were currently fixed to the very first message.

'Oh, my god.'

Jin-Woo's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

[You have defeated your enemy.]

'This wasn't the boss monster??'

His shocked gaze shifted over to the Giant sagged on the ground, with no focus to be found within its dull eyes.

The incredible power that was on another realm compared to other Giants, and the overwhelming aura that even left Jin-Woo surprised. No matter what, this creature looked, sounded, and smelled like a boss, yet it was apparently not. The System's message clearly said that this thing was a 'regular' monster.

It was then.

"Hyung-niiiim-!!"

He heard the overexcited voice of Yu Jin-Ho coming from a distance.

Jin-Woo raised his hand quickly to signal the sparkly-eyed Yu Jin-Ho running over here that he should stop right there.

"Heok!!"

It was unknown whether he was a good listener, or maybe he was just scared easily, but regardless, the kid froze up right in his tracks.

Meanwhile, Jin-Woo's glare became even more serious than before.

The message of [You have killed the owner of the dungeon] hadn't appeared yet. Which could only mean that this raid was far from over.

That wasn't the only suspicious thing here, either; it was impossible to perform 'Shadow Extraction' on this massive monster, as well. He couldn't see any black smoke rising up from the corpse, a telltale sign of it being a candidate for the extraction.

And, just as he suspected….

When he glared hard at the Giant's corpse as if to bore a hole through it, a mechanical beep went off in his head.

Tti-ring.

[It's impossible to perform Shadow Extraction on the target.]

'What's going on?'

Jin-Woo's brows furrowed deeply as the situation began exceeding his expectation in more ways than one. But then, he heard the sounds of bones clattering against each other coming from somewhere.

The jaw of the Giant was suddenly moving again.

The creature's mouth was pried open and a humanoid-shape of something emerged from there.

Jin-Woo reflexively got into a battle stance. Flashes of sharp light gleamed off the blades summoned into his hands. Fortunately, the voice coming from the Giant's mouth turned out to be a familiar one.

"Oh, my king…. It is I, Beru."

The former ant king managed to extricate itself and stepped out, before displaying the appropriate courtesy towards Jin-Woo.

"….It's only you."

Jin-Woo lowered his vigilance.

After Beru entered the Giant's body, his presence got hidden by the huge monster's near-bottomless magical energy and as a result, it became momentarily impossible to differentiate him.

After confirming that it was Beru for real, Jin-Woo returned his shortswords back to his Storage.

Beru trudged out forward while covered from head to toe in the Giant's flesh and blood. It wasn't that difficult to imagine how hard the former ant king struggled within the monster's head.

Jin-Woo was about to heartily praise his underling with a smile but his expression crumpled in an instant.

'What the hell is up with this stink…..?'

A truly disgusting odour was getting stronger as Beru got nearer. Perhaps he could also smell it, his expression was also deeply crumpled as well.

He eventually stood before Jin-Woo and bowed his head in a dignified fashion.

"Well, then….."

Jin-Woo was about to pat his ant soldier on the shoulder as a gesture of a job well done, but discovered a yellowish liquid of unidentifiable nature there and sneakily withdrew his hand.

"You did well, Beru."

"….I thank thee, oh my king."

Jin-Woo was probably mistaken when he thought that he heard a slightly sullen tone of voice coming from the ant soldier.

In any case, what he needed to concentrate on was not the identity of this weird liquid on Beru's shoulder. If this super-massive Giant-type monster was not the 'owner of the dungeon', then where was the real owner?

Just as that thought worked its way into Jin-Woo's brain, this happened.

Wuuuuu….

Suddenly, the air all around him trembled.

Sensing yet another change taking place, Jin-Woo hurriedly raised his guard up. Beru also sensed the danger only a beat slower and quickly increased his overall body size to stand guard before his Sovereign.

"Kiiieeehhk!!"

A powerful gust of wind assaulted them right afterwards.

'Keuk.'

Jin-Woo's forehead creased up.

The stormy winds violent enough to rip out trees, roots and all, swept all around him, but then, they abruptly slithered off to somewhere else.

The commotion died down almost instantly.

Beru decided that the situation had been normalised and stepped away from Jin-Woo's front. Meanwhile, the latter surveyed the surroundings only to gasp out in pure shock.

'How could this be?!'

What suddenly 'attacked' him just now weren't some gusts of wind. No, what he mistakenly thought as storm winds was simply the horrifyingly disgusting and bottomless magic energy the dead Giant possessed.

That massive amount of magical energy clawed and swept everything in the vicinity away as it moved entirely elsewhere.

'What about Yu Jin-Ho?!'

Jin-Woo hurriedly turned to look behind where Yu Jin-Ho had been. Thankfully, the kid was unscathed due to Igrit shielding him.

Jin-Woo sighed in relief.

'Fuu.'

Now that he found more leeway to search his vicinity, Jin-Woo quickly snapped his head in the direction where that vast magic energy had disappeared to.

It was deep within the Gate.

Every single drop of the magical energy the dead Giant possessed was sucked into the Gate.

It was as if the Gate itself had swallowed up that magic energy.

The black 'barrier' blocking the Gate had shattered a long time ago during the dungeon break. The interior of the Gate, which was the inside of the dungeon, could be seen clearly from the outside.

Guuoooo-….

The air itself seemed to cry out softly.

Jin-Woo thought that he had experienced all sorts of trials and tribulations in his life so far, but even he had never seen nor heard of a bizarre event like this one before.

'Something else is in there.'

His Perception Stat was telling him as much. Jin-Woo stared at the interior of the dungeon, his eyes progressively getting narrower and narrower.

Whatever was waiting for him in there, the moment that he recognised its presence, the hair on the back of his neck all stood right up. A deathly chill came knocking and goosebumps broke out all over his body.

Ba-thump, ba-thump, ba-thump!

As if it was resonating with the crying air, his heart began beating faster and faster.

"Hyung-nim…."

Yu Jin-Ho had crept up closer and closer until he was standing next to Jin-Woo. He too stared at the gigantic Gate.

This might get very dangerous. Jin-Woo looked at Yu Jin-Ho and spoke in a heavy voice.

"You stay here and wait for me."

"Yes, hyung-nim."

Yu Jin-Ho nodded without raising a fuss. His desire to follow was quite strong, but at the same time, he figured that he'd be more of a hindrance than anything else.

Jin-Woo left the kid on standby outside, and led his Shadow Soldiers into the mouth of the Gate, entering into the dungeon itself.

'This is really…..'

While entering a few top-ranked dungeons, he thought that he got pretty used to the idea of things being 'massive' by now. However, his thoughts had to be revised the moment he entered this particular dungeon.

'…..Way too huge.'

Jin-Woo walked within the passage that seemed so limitlessly tall and wide. It was as if the word 'massive' had been invented just to describe this place, and he continued to swallow back his gasps of astonishment.

He still didn't make any noises inside the dungeon, though.

He continued to maintain this habit formed during the time when he was a lowest ranked Hunter and lacked any means to protect himself from the monsters, even though he greatly exceeded the levels of 'regular' rank S Awakened by now.

It was never a bad thing to remain cautious of one's surroundings, after all.

Jin-Woo's eyes glowed softly within the darkness.

He didn't lower his vigilance, not even for a moment, and continued to advance towards the end of the dungeon. The soldiers, having recovered to their perfect state despite being involved in such a fierce battle earlier on, silently followed right after him.

And so, just how long did they have to walk?

Jin-Woo's steps eventually came to a stop.

Beru, walking right behind him, raised his hand to signal the Shadow Army to stop, as well. Perhaps because he was formerly an ant, the species optimised for life in a large group, he was rather adept in commanding the large army.

Chut.

The entire Shadow Army came to a perfect halt. Beru scanned the soldiers once, before sticking close to Jin-Woo's back.

"Oh, my king…."

"Shh."

Jin-Woo raised his index finger, and continued on a short while later.

"Can you hear it?"

Beru concentrated on the ambient noises for a little bit, before nodding his head.

"….Yes, I can hear it, my king."

Beru could also hear it now.

Just over yonder was the end of the dungeon. From the location where the dungeon's boss should usually be, laughter came out from there. It was so soft that only the beings on the levels of Jin-Woo or Beru could perceive it.

The good-natured laughter of a man continued to resound out as if he was genuinely pleased about something.

Jin-Woo couldn't help but get puzzled here.

Even though the darkness of the dungeon had masked them and they couldn't see each other, the other party must've felt Jin-Woo's approach by now. It'd be the same story for the Shadow Army extending far behind him, too.

'Even then, it can still laugh like that?'

Of course, Jin-Woo had already assessed the situation.

Incredible magical energy, one so powerful that it even made breathing difficult, was hidden in the darkness just over yonder. The enemy's aura that gave him a foreboding sensation easily exceeded that of the Giant's magic energy when it was still alive.

However, Jin-Woo himself was no pushover, either. He unleashed all of his cloaked magic power, too.

Wuuoongg-….

Ripples spread out to Jin-Woo's surroundings.

The massive wave of magical energy rippled out, one strong enough to knock away all the Shadow Soldiers in the vicinity if it had contained any amount of malice.

Even then….

Hahahaha-

The opponent didn't stop laughing, even then.

The corners of Jin-Woo's lips also arched up in response.

'Aren't you an interesting fella.'

With a smile on his face, he stepped into the boss chamber. He was greeted by an unfathomably huge and open space that should have served as the home for the super-massive Giant monster.

Jin-Woo continued to walk towards where the laughter was coming from without a shred of hesitation.

His Shadow Soldiers followed after him and marched forward, as well.

Chut, chut, chut, chut…. (TL: SFX for metal boots walking on a hard surface.)

The spectacle of so many monsters enveloped in black smoke advancing forward in unison was more than enough to instil fear in the hearts of every enemy watching.

However….

"Hahahaha!!"

However, such a thing wasn't applicable to a certain man, whose entire body was tied down by chains, with the sole exception of his head.

Was it him simply being tied down?

No.

It wasn't as simple as that at all.

The black chains connected to the walls of the dungeons not only wrapped tightly around this unknown man several times, some of them even pierced straight through his body, the emerging ends seemingly taking root within his flesh.

It was such a wretched sight that anyone watching would immediately start wondering, if that was punishment then just how big was the crime committed to warrant such treatment?

Jin-Woo furrowed his brows.

On the other hand, the man formed a bright smile while looking at Jin-Woo as if he had run into a very close friend.

"Oh, how humorous this is! So very humorous!! All of you detestable Ruler b*stards, take a good look at who had come to see me first!"

Jin-Woo came to a stop, not too far but not too close.

The man quickly carried on.

"The chains… hurry and undo these chains. I know all the plans of the Rulers. I need to let the other Sovereigns know of the tru….."

The man's words suddenly came to a halt, then. His eyes, filled with joy only until a moment ago, had cooled down in an instant as if it had all been a lie.

This unknown man quietly peered into Jin-Woo's eyes. While that was happening, the latter also carefully studied the former. And it was in that moment he realised that this man's face and that of the super-massive Giant guarding the Gate were exactly the same.

'It's not…. a human.'

The ripples of magic energy coming from it were too different from a human's. Besides, the fact that it was speaking the language of monsters so fluently could only mean this guy was not human, for sure.

However, why was a monster being restrained inside a dungeon in this fashion?

In the ensuing ten years since the first Gate opened up, all sorts of different monsters made their appearances, but this would be his first time hearing about the appearance of a monster that was all tied down and couldn't move inside a dungeon.

However, if there was one clue given away now, it was the term this being used with such disgust – 'Rulers'.

A short bout of silence flowed in between them.

Only after a while did the lips of this unknown man part open.

"You are…. not the one that I know of."

Jin-Woo had no idea who this guy mistook him for, but he wasn't planning to deny that, either. Well, he also had never seen the face of this tied-up man before. Excluding the dead Giant outside, of course.

Jin-Woo threw a question.

"Did those Rulers or whatever make you look like this?"

"They are trying to use me. As the stepping stone for laying the foundation of the true warfare about to take place."

This was the first time something like this happened. Jin-Woo had tried to initiate conversations with intelligent monsters up until now, but none of them were able to explain their origins at all.

But then, the one right in front of his eyes had revealed the reason for its existence for the first time ever.

It said, to lay the foundation of the true warfare.

Whether those words were truth or lies, Jin-Woo realised that they could become an important clue to unravelling everything.

"Just what are these things called Rulers?"

"Ancient enemies of the Sovereigns."

'Sovereigns….'

The angel statue back then began to go berserk as it was being pushed to the corner. It cried out something about other Sovereigns not taking this lying down. For the time being, even if he were to set aside what kind of existence these Sovereigns were….

He kind of realised just where one of them could be right now.

"In that case, the reason why those beings tied you up like this is that…."

"That's right."

The man replied with sorrowful eyes.

"I am also a Sovereign."

And then, he explained further with a desperate voice.

"It is quite likely that both the Sovereigns and Rulers are aiming for you right now. However, you lack the strength to fight against them. In order to stand a chance against them, you'll be needing influence, too."

Out of all the hard-to-fathom words being spewed out, Jin-Woo still managed to catch what this man wanted to say the most.

"Influence?"

The man nodded his head.

"Release me from my seal. I shall aid you."

Chapter 174 Fin.

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Jin-Woo could only doubt his own hearing just then.

Who wanted to help who now? A monster helping a human?

He was so flabbergasted that he ended up blurting out what was on his mind.

"You seriously think I'll believe you?"

The unknown man formed a serious expression.

"Then, I shall make you believe me."

He began chanting some kind of a spell as his lips moved at an incredible speed that looked like a video playback sped up tens, no, hundreds of times.

At that moment, Jin-Woo sensed the magical energy present within this empty, open arena suddenly coagulate around this man. In the blink of an eye, he summoned his shortswords out.

If the gathering magic energy carried even a hint of aggression, then the blade of his weapon would have pierced into the man's forehead already.

However, Jin-Woo patiently waited.

The amount of magic energy being utilised was very small when compared to the reserves both Jin-Woo and the man possessed. And he couldn't sense any aggression or hostile intent from the gathered energy, either.

Jin-Woo readied the ultimate version of the skill 'Dagger Throw', 'Dagger Rush', and waited with bated breaths.

The needle-like tension continued to prick him in his skin.

Eventually, the strange language flowing out of the man's mouth came to an end, and a System message popped up in Jin-Woo's view along with the familiar 'tti-ring'.

[King of Giants, the Sovereign of the Beginning, 'Reghia' has activated the 'Skill: Pledge of Trust (Negotiable)'.]

[Once the 'Skill: Pledge of Trust (Negotiable)' has been agreed upon, both the initiator and the acceptor cannot lie to one another.]

[Will you accept the 'Skill: Pledge of Trust (Negotiable)'?] (Y/N)

What attracted Jin-Woo's attention, first of all, was not the contents of the man's suggestion, but the title denoting what the man's true identity was.

'The King of Giants, is it…..'

He remembered the Giant-type monsters he hunted down on his way to here. Most likely, there must be some kind of a connection between this revelation and the reason for the face of the super-massive Giant protecting the Gate being the same as this man's own mug.

As Jin-Woo fell into a contemplative silence, the man patiently waited for an answer.

'What should I do?'

Jin-Woo looked at the blinking 'Y/N' and pondered his options.

Seeing that the System even bothered to give him an alert like this, the effects of this skill or whatever must've been for certain.

He needed to think about who'd be in more of a disadvantage when unable to lie to the other party here. However, there was no reason to think too deeply about this as the conclusion was already clear in his mind.

'Obviously, it'll be a loss for him.'

After all, this side was standing on an advantage.

In case a question Jin-Woo could never provide an answer for comes around, all he had to was to kill this creature, even if that sounded callous and cold-hearted.

This deal was suggested by the other side, to begin with. And Jin-Woo wasn't naïve enough to feel guilty for a monster, of all things.

'Yes.'

Tti-ring.

A System message appearing simultaneously with the mechanical beep quickly informed him of the successful completion of the negotiation.

['Pledge of Trust (Negotiable)' has been initiated.]

[Through the mutual consent of both the initiator and acceptor, the two parties involved cannot lie to one another until the contract has been terminated.]

The King of Giants urgently repeated what he said before as if he was waiting for Jin-Woo to accept the Pledge.

"Please, free me from this seal. I shall help you."

"Euph…. Euph….??"

Jin-Woo's eyes went extra round from surprise. His voice didn't want to come out of his mouth as if his throat had been blocked off.

A smile crept up on the face of this King of Giants after seeing Jin-Woo's struggles.

"That's right. That is the power of the Pledge of Trust."

Indeed, the effect had been confirmed to be real.

Half out of curiosity and the other half out of testing purposes, Jin-Woo was about to answer 'I shall completely trust you. Let me undo those chains right away'. But he really couldn't say any of those words at all.

'So, this is the Pledge of Trust at work….'

Jin-Woo confirmed the effects of this 'skill' and felt his heart beat faster.

With this, he could trust to a certain extent what this King of Giants had to say to him. There was a simple reason why he didn't trust 100%, though.

If they had no choice but to speak only the truth from now on, then it was rather obvious that the other party would withhold information that might prove to be damaging to itself.

Jin-Woo's glare became sharper than when there was no Pledge between the two.

"How come it's possible to converse freely with you, unlike how it is with other monsters?"

"Monsters?"

"Creatures emerging out from the Gates."

"…Ah, ah. You must be referring to the denizens of the Chaos World."

The King of Giants cracked a mocking grin.

"I shall ask you something in return. How could you even think of placing mere denizens of the Chaos World on the same pedestal as a Sovereign who rules over them?"

He then formed a dignified expression truly fitting for a 'King'.

"All the denizens of the Chaos World emerging from the so-called Gates are, without exception, remnants of the defeated army. They have lost the battles against the army of the Rulers and become captives. They had to remain tied to a leash for an uncountable number of years, so it's only obvious that their ego has been eroded somewhat. However, I am the King. I am different from them. I have patiently waited for the fated day when I can make my escape from their grasp."

The King formed a thin smile next.

"And that's how I got to encounter you."

Jin-Woo worked hard to keep his emotions in check and to analyse what this guy was saying as objectively as possible.

'If he's really an existence on a higher realm than other monsters, then….'

….Then, he might really find himself with some important clues here.

Gulp.

His saliva travelled down his throat.

He had a ton of stuff he wanted to ask right now. But, before he did that, he needed to confirm something else first.

"By any chance, when you said the army of the Rulers, were you talking about those wearing silver armour with wings on their backs….?"

"That's right. Those dogs are the soldiers of the Rulers."

As expected. It felt as if another puzzle piece had clicked into its rightful place.

He suddenly thought that the 'video playback' the angel statue showed him was not some make-believe crap, but someone's real memories of an event that did happen, instead.

Just what the hell was going on in this world, then?

Jin-Woo asked another question.

"Why do those b*stards called Rulers keep sending these monsters to us?"

The reason for the existences of the Gates. If he could find out the reason why these Gates kept popping up, then couldn't he be able to do something about it and stop that from happening again?

Jin-Woo biggest concern lay with that.

"I have told you that already, have I not?"

The King of the Giants spoke with much more emphasis in his voice.

"They are preparing for war."

"War?"

"They will change this world into a suitable battlefield to engage the Sovereigns in yet another warfare."

"I don't quite follow you here… Just by sending monsters to Earth, this planet suddenly becomes a warzone?"

Well, it was true that sometimes, a situation far more horrifying than a warzone could develop from a Gate, but still.

Jin-Woo momentarily recalled the event that took place in Jin-Ah's school. Even then, those were matters that involved humanity. He just couldn't see how those would serve as preparations for some kind of a war involving non-human races.

"It is all to inject magical energy into your world."

THUD!

Jin-Woo felt as if he was struck in the back of his head just then.

If monsters were calamities emerging from the Gates, then magic energy was the blessing coming from the Gates. Not just the Hunters, but many civilians thought similarly along these lines.

Magic crystals, as well as Mana stones. These items containing magic energy were treated as the greatest source of energy in the modern world.

But then, that energy was actually nothing more than footholds for the upcoming war?

The King of Giants continued on with his explanations.

"There is simply no better way to propagate the type of energy that didn't exist before than by sacrificing the blood of those that possess the necessary energy. So, the Rulers decided to utilise the captives they had in their possession."

There was no need to even mention that the density of the magical energy around the world was gradually getting thicker every day.

That was not a naturally occurring phenomenon. No, more than likely that was the fruits from the trees first germinated from the fertile field cultivated from the blood of the monsters.

"The magic energy fortifies a world. They plan to fortify your world so it wouldn't get destroyed from the impacts of the warfare."

"In that case, this warfare is….?"

"Yet another blood-soaked struggle between the Sovereigns and the Rulers. Not too long from now, the world you're living in will become a true hell."

A battle between the armies of the Rulers, and the monsters – no, creatures before they were unwittingly turned into monsters. Jin-Woo did clearly witness their enormous battle from the 'data'.

If Earth had been selected as ground zero for such massive scale warfare, then the assertion of this King of Giants, the one about this planet becoming hell, could not be dismissed as a simple exaggeration.

The complexion of the King suddenly darkened.

"There isn't a lot of time left."

"Once the truth about you coming in contact with me gets out, both the Sovereigns and the Rulers will not simply stay back and watch on anymore. It is even likely that the Envoys of the Rulers have begun their schemes already."

"You've been implying that those b*stards will be aiming for my life, but… Why is that?"

"You really don't know anything, do you?"

The Kings continued on with his explanations in a tone of voice thickly laden with pity.

"The power that you possess actually is not yours."

Nod.

Jin-Woo agreed with that.

The abilities of the Shadow Sovereign were something he got from the System. He couldn't deny the notion that this power was not his from the very beginning.

"The mere fact of that power now residing within you could only mean that the original owner had betrayed other Sovereigns."

When Jin-Woo heard that, he remembered the angel statue saying something similar in nature. It was likely that the statue was also one of the denizens of the Chaos World that followed the Sovereigns.

As the questions in Jin-Woo's head kept sprouting up one after another, the King of Giants spoke up.

"You have become the enemy of both the Sovereigns, as well as the Rulers. However, only I pledge that I shall stand by your side and fight for you. So, will you not help me?"

The King of Giants had assessed that this much convincing was enough and formed a serious, determined face. Unfortunately for him, Jin-Woo calmly asked a question in return.

"If you wish to stand by my side, then wouldn't it be simpler for me to turn you into a Shadow Soldier, instead?"

The King of the Giants flinched in surprise.

It was only for a second then, but for that briefest of moments, the King saw the actual face of the Shadow Sovereign and this human's overlap.

What the human said was not wrong. To him, there would be bigger merit in having one more absolutely loyal underling than forming a brand new alliance with a complete stranger.

The King inwardly admired the fact that this human didn't miss that crucial point. He spoke up and explained the situation.

"We, the Sovereigns, as well as the Rulers, are made up of spiritual bodies. Once such a spiritual body dies, it is destroyed and can't be turned into one of your Shadow Soldiers. Meaning, I can never become your soldier."

Jin-Woo nodded his head again.

'So, that was why.'

Here was the reason why the King thought Jin-Woo would lend a helping hand when there was clearly a much easier method, to turn him into a Shadow Soldier. As the Pledge of Truth was still active, there was no need to decipher if that was a lie or not, too.

Jin-Woo stopped swimming within his thoughts and raised his head.

The King of Giants asked again.

"Are those enough reasons for you to help me now?"

Jin-Woo wordlessly stared at the King.

This being titled the King of Giants, it was carrying an expression of certainty as if it knew that the restraints tying it down would soon be undone.

Of course, Jin-Woo had no such weird tendencies of feeling jealous after seeing someone else being happier than him. Also, this guy said he'd become his ally out of its own volition, so he didn't have any reason to reject the offer, either.

However, why did he keep feeling this uneasiness in his heart?

'Something… I've definitely overlooked something here.'

One cold sweat drop after another began forming on his forehead.

The King of Giants, meanwhile, made another plea.

"Unshackle me, I beseech you."

Jin-Woo took in a deep, deep breath.

No matter how hard he pondered his options, he couldn't think of a reason to reject this King's plea. The longer he thought about what he had missed, the more he felt as if he was getting sucked into a quagmire.

'Am I being too paranoid here….?'

Jin-Woo approached the King of Giants while carrying the 'Demon King's Shortsword'.

And as he walked right up to its own nose, the King nodded his head. Jin-Woo reciprocated that nod.

He swung his shortsword laden with his magic power, and one of the chains powerlessly snapped in half.

Ba-thump, ba-thump, ba-thump!!

His heart was beating louder and louder for some reason.

Why did this indecipherable sense of ill omen continue to pull back at his hands, even though he had already made his decision?

Slice.

The second chain was cut in half, as well.

The King of Giants formed a reverential expression that was neither joyous or sorrowful and waited for his restraints to be undone.

The third chain.

Slice.

Jin-Woo leaned towards the back of the King in order to cut the chains taking root within its flesh there. But then….

Ba-thump!!

His heart pulsed incredibly powerfully, right then.

He felt as if his heart had crashed down to the pit of his stomach.

The chain of thoughts on what he had overlooked, and why he was feeling that way, violently crashed into his head, as if it was prying apart the small gap between the tight rock formation.

Jin-Woo stayed his hands trying to cut the chain, and looked straight into the King's eyes.

"You have said that you will stand by my side, yes?"

"Of course I will. If you help me, then I shall help you in return. This is a fair and absolute transaction between two Sovereigns."

He had already heard this reply several times. However, what Jin-Woo wanted to confirm wasn't that answer. So, he threw out the real question next.

"In that case, are you on the side of the humans?"

The King suddenly became silent.

The 'Pledge of Truth'. The condition of this spell meant that the King of Giants couldn't say anything.

Jin-Woo took a look behind this being's neck. A jet-black Mana Crystal embedded on the back of his neck coldly reflected the ambient light.

As long as that item was stuck in the body, this being would hear the voices of the Rulers in his head, too.

….Exactly like every other monster.

The words of 'Kill every human'.

For a brief moment there, a murderous intent flowed in the air.

With its now-free right hand, the King of Giants took aim at Jin-Woo's temple.

Too bad, it was still not enough to reach him. He lowered his head and evaded the attack, before stabbing the shortsword into the King's chest.

Stab!

As if the chains wrapped around its body didn't even exist, the sharp blade dug deep into the chest cavity of the captive King.

"Keo-heuk!!"

The King of Giants suddenly vomited out a mouthful of blood.

However, that single hit wasn't enough. Letting this thing live was far too risky. This thing… could become an untold calamity.

Jin-Woo analysed the situation as thus and, while evading the right hand of the King constantly attacking him with nothing more than tilting his upper body this way and that, continued to thrust the shortsword into the chest of his enemy.

Stab, stab, stab, stab!

He stabbed for the sixth time.

Only after his blade entered and left the chest cavity for the sixth time did the King of Giants stopped moving his right hand.

It was over.

Jin-Woo extracted his shortsword for the last time. The King of Giants stared straight into his eyes and formed a meaningful grin.

"It is regretful, but this here is the end of the road for me."

Jin-Woo took a step back and wordlessly shook the blood off his shortsword. In the meantime, the King continued to speak.

"As the battles between the residents of your world and the captured denizens of the Chaos World become more and more intense, this world will transform further and further into a battlefield."

Cough! The King coughed out another mouthful of blood and formed the last smile.

"I pray… that everything you wish to protect burn into ashes in the all-ending conflagration of the war…."

"That ain't gonna happen."

Jin-Woo curtly cut off the words of the King, and swung his shortsword hard to cut the being's head off.

Slice!

[You have killed the owner of the dungeon.]

The moment the King drew his last breath, the ocean-like magical energy sleeping within the creature exploded into the world outside.

The transformation of the world had begun.

Chapter 175 Fin.

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A few days before the death of the King of Giants.

A helicopter belonging to America's Hunter Bureau landed on the lawn of a certain ultra-luxurious mansion.

Tatatata….

The owner of this mansion, currently enjoying a belated lunch, stared at that helicopter through his window and stopped cutting into the juicy slab of steak.

"I haven't heard of anyone coming to see me today?"

"I shall go and confirm who it is."

The steward lowered his head and left with a quick trot.

Around the same time, the owner of the mansion spotted two people climbing out of the helicopter and his expression hardened in an instant.

"….This could get troublesome."

The housekeeper carrying away the empty plates heard his muttering by chance and tilted her head. The dignified gentleman sitting at the dining table, the owner of this grand mansion, was one of the only five greatest Hunters alive on this planet.

His name was Christopher Reid.

He was more commonly known as the 'Special Authority-rank Hunter' rather than by his birth name, though. In any case, who'd dare to trouble such a person?

The steward ran past the housekeeper and her curious expression to enter the dining room.

"Sir Christopher!"

"I already know."

Christopher Reid stopped the steward from speaking any further and quietly got up from his chair. With a smile on his face, he then greeted a middle-aged man entering the dining room one step later than his flustered steward.

"It's been a long time, Deputy Director. And…."

Christopher Reid's gaze shifted over to the African-American lady standing behind the Deputy Director of the Hunter Bureau.

"….Madam Selner."

It was already abnormal for someone as important as the deputy director of the Hunter Bureau to pay a personal visit like this. But, this lady making a move personally would be on a whole new scale of seriousness altogether.

Sure enough, the deputy director was carrying a deeply tense face as he scanned his surroundings. He spoke while anxiously rubbing his chin.

"We have an urgent matter to discuss with you, so can you send everyone else away for the time being?"

As Christopher Reid had expected – his prediction of being troubled had come true.

If his guest was only the deputy director, then he'd have made the latter wait for a few hours as the price for disrupting his peaceful afternoon without a heads-up.

However, he couldn't do something so impolite with Madam Selner present.

Christopher Reid quietly pondered for a moment while washing the inside of his mouth with a glass of wine. He beckoned the steward with his finger. Only after his employee got close enough to touch his forehead did the Hunter whisper his next order.

"Until my two guests leave, do not let anyone come anywhere remotely close to this room. Understood?"

"Understood, sir."

The steward bowed his head, and began ushering everyone else, including the housekeeper, out from this room. He then also exited from the room and held the door with both hands, before bowing his head once more.

Christopher Reid nodded his head, and the door was silently closed shut.

And so, only three people, the owner of the mansion, the Deputy Director Michael Connor, and Madam Selner, remained within this spacious room.

Christopher Reid swept his gaze over his two guests and couldn't help but smirk. It was understandable, really. Wasn't this the occasion where the worth of the second-in-command of the government's most powerful organisation had become the least important of the trio present?

Christopher Reid himself would be the second as the Special Authority-rank Hunter. And no one could even begin to imagine the potential value of Madam Selner, who could permanently enhance the abilities of a Hunter.

'Oopsie daisy, where are my manners.'

He couldn't let these important guests stand around like that, now could he?

Christopher Reid pulled out two chairs from the dining table and addressed them.

"Please, have a seat."

Once he confirmed that the deputy director and Madam had settled down, he too parked his rear on their opposite side.

"So, now…."

Christopher Reid alternated his gaze between the two guests and smiled amiably.

"What business brings you two to this distant abode of mine?"

Madam Selner searched for a sign of assurance from the deputy director first. He nodded his head to signal go ahead. But, just before Selner could open her mouth to speak, Christopher Reid raised his hand first.

"Before we start."

There were some hints of displeasure evident in his expression.

"If you have come here to speak to me about that rank S Gate appearing somewhere out in the east, then let me make myself clear. I'm still not interested in going."

He resolutely stated his case. He made sure to drive the point home so there would be no room for anyone to try changing his mind.

"As both of you should know by now, the United States government had promised me the full rights equalling that of an independent nation. Meaning, I possess the right to refuse any request made by the U.S. government. And, as I have stated in my communique sent out earlier, I have decided not to participate in this raid."

He was basically a 'different nation' within a country.

Such a thing as civic duty simply didn't hold any meaning for a 'Special Authority-rank Hunter', who was treated not as a citizen of a country but as a living, breathing nation in itself and was accorded the same treatment as every other nation on Earth.

Of course, he could lend a helping hand if he wanted to. However, there was a reason why he decided to refuse the invitation.

He figured that there was no need for him to participate in a raid where every rank S Hunter living in the United States was planning to show up.

Even if the deputy director showed up here while thinking of using Madam as a proxy, Christopher Reid held not one thought of changing his mind at all.

Too bad for him, just as he was firm about where he stood, Madam Selner too drew a clear line on where she stood.

"I haven't come to you because of that Gate, Mister Chris. We have an even bigger problem than that to worry about."

Right now, the country of Japan was being driven to the brink of destruction from a single rank S Gate. However, did she just say that there was an even bigger problem than a rank S Gate getting ready to open up within the U.S. borders?

Christopher Reid's torso leaned in closer towards the Madam.

"What is this big problem?"

Madam Selner hesitated greatly before she forced her lips to open.

"Mister Chris….. In the near future, there is a strong possibility that you'll get assassinated by an unknown assailant."

At that moment, an awkward silence descended on the room.

Christopher Reid had been wondering why the deputy director seemed so unsettled and nervous like that. As a matter of fact, Michael Connor even pulled out a handkerchief to dab away the sweat soaking his forehead right now.

"….Madam Selner."

His voice as he called out to her became heavy, low.

"I'll never forget the favour you did for me for the rest of my life."

Because of her ability, his powers had become stronger than ever before. He had exceeded his limit that felt like a wall he couldn't overcome no matter what. However, that didn't mean she was allowed to look down on him like this.

"Just who is supposed to assassinate who here?"

Just who would dare to touch even a single hair on the body of a Special Authority-rank Hunter?

A cat could never slay a lion. Only a lion could rip apart another lion to death. However, he was utterly confident of not losing to any of the lions on the same level as him.

This was the true reason why he opted to stay out of this raid. How unbecoming was it for a lion to butt in where the stray cats had gathered? Unless you were a low-class lion like Thomas Andre, of course.

Madam Selner had clearly sensed the quiet rage burning within Christopher Reid's mind, but she didn't stop with her explanation.

"Not too long ago, I had a dream related to you."

"A dream?"

"Yes."

Madam nodded her head.

Christopher Reid felt flabbergasted, but Madam continued on regardless.

"In my dream, you were surrounded by some men, and they….."

"Look here, Madam Selner!"

Christopher Reid couldn't hold back anymore and yelled out loudly.

"Just because of some dream you had, you flew all the way out to this place to tell me this nonsense, Madam?!"

"This is not nonsense, and I merely wish to…."

"I already know full well what you used to do before becoming an Awakened, okay?"

Some people believed that, because she used to work as a psychic, Madam Selner came to possess a unique ability that separated her from all the other Awakened out there.

However, her former profession still couldn't excuse this utterly nonsensical drivel. Christopher Reid's expression crumpled rather unsightly.

"I am a Special Authority-rank Hunter. No one can kill me."

"But, in my dream, you definitely…."

"You and your dream again!"

Christopher Reid spat out a long sigh and then, nodded his head.

"Alright, fine. Let's say I believe you, Madam. Let's say there are enemies powerful enough to kill me. In that case, if that is all real, who should I go and ask for help, then?"

Should he call the cops? Or, request protection from the Hunter Bureau? Against an opponent capable enough to supposedly kill a Special Authority-rank Hunter?

What a stupid notion that was.

Christopher Reid snorted in derision and continued on.

"If true, there's nothing that can be done, is there?"

Madam Selner silently deliberated for a long time before making her reply.

"There might be someone who can help you."

"And just who might this someone be?"

"Hunter Seong Jin-Woo. If it's him, he might be able to protect you."

Seong Jin-Woo?

Christopher Reid was listening without much interest, to begin with, and needed to comb his memories for a moment there. Although the name itself sounded unfamiliar, he was sure of hearing it from somewhere before.

But, where could it have been?

It must've been pretty recent when he heard that name 'Seong Jin-Woo', however.

'No, could it be….?'

The expression on Christopher Reid's face crumpled even more.

"Wait, are you talking about that Asian Hunter who went off to solve the Japanese dungeon break crisis?"

"That's correct. He's Hunter Seong Jin-Woo."

Madam Selner definitely saw it back then.

She definitely saw the near-infinite power sleeping deep within Hunter Seong Jin-Woo. If it was him, then he might be able to protect a Special Authority-rank Hunter.

She had spoken these words out of genuine concern regarding Christopher Reid's welfare. However, his immense pride heard them as nothing but insults to his dignity.

Boom!!

He slammed his fist down on the table reflexively and the furniture buckled to the floor.

"Get out right now, Madam. Right this instant!"

Christopher Reid shot up from his seat and pointed towards the door with his finger.

"I-if you could just listen a bit more…."

The deputy director tried to persuade Christopher Reid, but then….

"W-we shall be on our way…."

….He couldn't say anything else under the sharp, murderous glare of a Special Authority-rank Hunter.

He hurriedly accompanied the clearly-hesitant Madam Selner out of the mansion. The steward on standby outside the room saw the broken table and quickly rushed in.

"Did something happen, sir?"

"….No, not really."

Christopher Reid slowly shook his head.

If it wasn't Madam Selner who lent a huge helping hand when enhancing his powers – indeed, if it was someone else, then things wouldn't have ended with that person being chased out of his mansion.

He could only swallow back the still-burning rage and took a deep breath.

'She wants me to ask for help from some second-rate Asian Hunter?'

There was a limit to how much one was allowed to mock the one and only Christopher Reid.

He suddenly swivelled his head towards the steward. The latter flinched a little, but quickly regained his former composure.

"Do you have new orders for me, sir?"

"That….. That Hunter named Seong Jin-Woo. Do you know when he's supposed to start his Japanese raid?"

The story of Japan was one of the hottest talked-about topics in the world. America was no exception. Quite obviously, Seong Jin-Woo's name had become as famous as the dungeon break that happened in Japan or the Giants that popped out from the Gate.

The steward calculated the time difference using his wristwatch and made his reply.

"He should be arriving in Japan in one hour's time, sir."

"One hour, is it…."

….He shouldn't get bored for a little while, then.

Christopher Reid consoled himself with that thought and continued to glare at the rising helicopter containing the deputy director and Madam Selner.

[You have killed the owner of the dungeon.]

Drop.

The King of Giants lost its head. Jin-Woo quickly stepped away to evade the fountain of blood gushing out from the severed neck. It was then.

Tti-ring!

The familiar mechanical beep went off in his head. Initially, he thought it was just one of those normal alerts the System often sent out.

However, the message was definitely not normal in nature.

[You have killed one of the Nine Sovereigns, the Sovereign of the Beginning, 'Reghia'.]

[Calculating the total earned experience points.]

[Due to the enormous amount of experience points, this process will take some time.]

'What the heck?'

Jin-Woo was flustered for a moment there as he had never come across a situation like this one before. And a little while later….

Tti-ring! Tti-ring! Tti-ring! Tti-ring!

Mechanical beeps continuously rang inside his head.

And at the same time, Jin-Woo got to spectate on the grand feast of System messages utterly filling up his vision.

[Level up!]

[Level up!]

[Level up!]

[Level up!]

[Level up!]

[Level up!]

Jin-Woo's eyes opened progressively wider and wider.

Six times the message windows went past his eyes, and even then, there had to be two additional mechanical beeps ringing inside his head for the 'Level up!' alerts to come to their end.

Jin-Woo hurriedly summoned up his Stat Window.

'Status Window!'

Chapter 176 Fin.

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