hotmtlnovel Chapter 135:
Chapter 135:
Chapter 135:
After finishing their meal, they continued to attack [The Deepest Place]. The second floor of the dungeon had just a few more monsters, but the composition of the enemies remained the same, so they were able to pass through without much trouble.
“Ahh!”
“Get in front, quickly!”
But on the next day, upon arriving at the third floor, they faced an unprecedented crisis in the heart of the dungeon.
[Red Commander]
[Rank: A]
[Description: A named monster of the dark attribute. Continuously summons a ghoul with weak physical attack resistance as a subordinate.]
This monster, possessing a transparent body, cannot be defeated without a specific strategy. It truly resembles a ghost; no matter how many times you slash its body, it regenerates.
“I, I am sorry...I am sorry....”
“This isn’t the time to apologize. Focus!”
The strategy to defeat the commander is to destroy its hardened heart hidden nearby.
But here, the new member caused a major accident. An item meant for the strategy, which was on a high rock, was hit by her skill and fell into a deep lake
‘I thought I could break it in one hit since it was said to be a fragile item.’
Splash.
The monster’s heart sank into the endless depths of the water.
‘I, I shouldn’t have done that. Ahhh, I should’ve pulled the box with binding first...!’
They tried to retrieve the heart that had fallen into the lake right away, but that attempt also ended in failure. And that’s how things ended up in such a mess.
“%&@#!@%~!”
From beyond the lake, the commander’s eerie incantation echoed. It was the sound of the monster creating a new subordinate, and the team leader shouted in shock upon hearing it.
“Youngest! Climb up quickly. Go outside the gate and call for support!”
However, the monster wouldn’t allow even that. Soon, the new monsters it summoned began to wriggle out of the walls.
“We’re completely surrounded...”
Things got really messed up. They had wasted too much time searching for the item that fell into the lake, and in the meantime, the monster had activated its minion-summoning skill four times in a row.
“Tsk, it doesn’t usually use that pattern often. Why is it causing such a commotion today!”
Whoosh.
The woman with the crossbow threw a magical tool that ignited flames, eliminating some of the enemies. However, there was no sign of their numbers decreasing. The monsters, swarming together, had already blocked their escape route. Now that they were surrounded like this, the distinction between front and back no longer mattered.
“Ugh!”
The formation collapsed. The hunters became uneasy. This was a sign that the attack force was about to collapse.
“...If...”
Whisper.
Only one Awakened who played the role of the tank of this team kept his concentration and repeated a short sentence.
“If it were Hyung-nim.”
That was the signal. Yoonseung shouted to the team members behind him as if he had finished preparing himself mentally.
“Let’s go straight ahead!”
“What did you say?”
“Ignore the monsters and just run straight to the boss room! Let’s kill the leader as quickly as possible and get out of the dungeon!”
Is he suggesting to do a speedrun now?
The act of skipping the small group and going straight for the boss at the Blue Gate. This is referred to as a speedrun in the industry, but in reality, it is rarely attempted.
“Crazy.”
The path leading to the boss is lined with countless guards, so if they were to pull them all and face the boss battle... Unless they can end it quickly, there’s a 100% chance of complete annihilation.
“It’s too far to climb up to the surface from here!”
“Well, we’d probably get tired from running first.”
“When we reach the boss, I’ll try to delay the minions as much as possible. Hurry!”
What was needed in times like this was quick thinking. The team leader made a quick decision.
“After counting to three, Ahn Yoonseung and I will clear the path. The rest of you, grit your teeth and run!”
One, two, three. At this signal, the awakened skills of the high-ranking hunters erupted.
[Magic Strike], [Judgment], another [Magic Strike]...
And in that moment, Yoonseung cast defensive buff skills on the bodies of his teammates.
‘Not from the skin, but slowly from the inside. Not from the skin, but slowly from the inside...!’
Stone Skin. This is the magic that, after receiving Kim Giryeo’s advice, possesses several times the power of a typical Stone Skin.
– Yoonseung, do you think you can use a skill called Stone Skin just by applying magic on the surface?
– Then?
Abnormal mutation gates.
Flame bats.
Golden Fragrance.
And so on...
Although Yoonseung hadn’t always seen Kim Giryeo fight, he had definitely learned one thing by observing him.
‘Calmness.’
Kim Giryeo doesn’t show much emotional fluctuation in front of monsters. And not falling into panic is a significant advantage for a hunter. They always had to fight against unknown entities that breathed fire and flew through the sky.
“If it were Hyung-nim.”
In a way, Ahn Yoonseung’s rapid improvement in skill was due to this mindset.
At times like this, if it were Kim Giryeo. He would mutter this phrase to himself each time he felt himself wavering, firmly maintaining his composure.
“Wow! An A-rank Red Gate cleared in just 14 minutes? Guys, is this maybe a new guild record...?”
Yoonseung worked hard to get closer to his idol. It took a tremendous amount of practice to raise his skills to this level.
“Damn, this isn’t it!”
However, the problem was that this person’s goal setting was somewhat wrong.
“If it were Giryeo Hyung, he would have used a cleaner method to deal with the boss! Why am I so stupid? I made three small mistakes today alone...”
“Why is he like that again?”
“Leave him alone.”
A certain A-rank hunter greatly overestimated Kim Giryeo, and the illusion in his mind kept him running relentlessly. It was a contradictory situation, like a stork tearing its legs apart in an attempt to follow a sparrow.
‘Unlike other hunters, I have to do better because Hyung-nim took the time to teach me!’
However, if he looked at the results, it wasn’t such a bad thing. Unlike a certain F-rank who is scamming the entire nation, at least effort doesn’t betray a person.
“Everyone, get off work first! I have to stay at the gate and practice my skills.”
“I was planning to have pork belly after this, though...”
“I’m sorry, senior!”
Yoonseung was becoming a better wizard day by day, and as his skills improved, he naturally gained more recognition.
[Hello. I am Kim ○○, the producer in charge of a program called ‘Hunter Review.’ I would like to extend an invitation for you to appear, A-rank hunter Yoonseung...]
A rising star in a large guild. There’s no better figure for boosting ratings. Following the advice of the director, who warned that constantly refusing broadcast offers could reflect poorly on him, Yoonseung decided to agree to a few interviews.
Of course, he made sure to follow the warnings Kim Giryeo had given him in advance.
‘Hyung-nim told me not to spread the word about how he corrected my skills. Oh, and the Golem strategy.’
...That part was the only problem.
***
At the airport, Giryeo received his luggage and completed the procedures before exiting through the arrival gate. Now that he had safely returned to Korea, all he had to do was take a taxi home. However, having been unable to use his phone for over 10 hours during the flight, he thought he might check the internet for a moment.
‘Let’s see. What’s the weather like today..’
Tuk, tuk.
Giryeo set his suitcase down in a suitable spot and logged onto the portal site.
[A-class awakened Ahn Yoonseung appears on ‘Hunter Review’]
[“The Secret to Strength? Learn from Kim Giryeo”—Interview with the Rising Star]
[A-Rank Gate Speedrun Clear by Hunter Ahn Yoonseung. Yet, in response to the MCs’ praise, he shook his head, saying he was still far behind compared to a certain hunter...]
[A Figure Who Makes Even the Top 3% Look Insignificant]
Tuk.
And as soon as Giryeo saw the site’s main page, he promptly turned off the screen.
But no matter how many times he closed and reopened his eyes, reality remained unchanged. While he was away attending a founding anniversary party, Korea had been set abuzz by someone’s interview.
“....”
Ahn Yoonseung was a person who had recently been receiving a lot of attention in the hunter industry. Although he had only recently awakened, he had acquired excellent skills through great effort.
But why would someone like that single out someone else and show endless respect? Naturally, the other’s reputation soared in turn. People murmured, wondering just how incredible Kim Giryeo must be if even an A-rank hunter would bow his head so deferentially.
“No.”
The alien touched his forehead with his tentacles—no, his right hand.
“I stayed quiet this time.”
It’s hard to live quietly.