Chapter 28
Chapter 28
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 28
Chapter Title: A Splendid Debut (2)
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This was one of the changes that came with upgrading the Customizing Room.
Unlike quests, which were inevitably passive, mana stones were an element whose yield varied greatly depending on how Kim Gunja moved as a Hunter.
'Being able to convert mana stones to points means the speed at which I acquire them will determine my growth rate.'
It was a simple formula that applied only to Kim Gunja, whose unique trait was the Customizing Room.
It was also one of the reasons why Kim Gunja's actions had become so unrestrained.
Kim Gunja's torrent-like momentum peaked during his confrontation with Baek Jincheon.
— I want it shortened to one year.
In exchange, he secured hunting rights to the prime gates in the country and a massive quantity of mana stones.
But Kim Gunja didn't stop there.
— Convert all my assets into mana stones.
This was his first order to Choi Jinseung.
He liquidated his assets and converted all the mana stones from the Hero Guild into points.
A total of 6,500 points.
This was the amount Kim Gunja had amassed in half a day.
Before entering the hunt, there was only one thing left for Kim Gunja to do.
Customizing optimization.
Gates weren't dangerous solely because of the monsters.
A significant portion of the threats came from unpredictable, human-unfriendly environments.
'Prepare for the worst-case scenario.'
Hunting wasn't a game.
No matter how skilled a Hunter was, the fact remained that they had to risk their lives every time.
And the lives of others hung in the balance on their hands as well.
Though he had chosen to become a Hunter to grow stronger, Kim Gunja hadn't forgotten the duties of a Hunter that he learned during the Hunter license exam.
Especially the necessity of a "prepared Hunter," as emphasized by Diamond Han Juyeong.
Perfection was impossible.
But he could prepare accordingly.
— Please prepare data on incidents, accidents, and peculiarities that occurred in gates with environments similar to the one I'll be entering.
This was his second order to Choi Jinseung.
Using that as a foundation, Kim Gunja conducted hunting simulations for various environments with Park Chunduk and Sin Yeji.
For efficient customizing.
'Truth be told, I hadn't even considered gills.'
No, more precisely, he hadn't been able to think of it at all.
Because he'd only been thinking within the limits of "human standards."
But then,
— Pfft, even if it's just some flappy gills, it'd give us half the advantage in underwater combat.
Sin Yeji's playful remark suddenly broadened the scope of his thinking.
Because he realized nothing was impossible.
Kim Gunja compiled his optimization list and headed to the Customizing Room's material shop, searching for the relevant organs to proceed with customizing.
After completing this optimization tailored for gate hunting, he joined the hunt—and Jang Mangil had witnessed one of those customizations: the [Merman's Gills].
"Cough!"
"Huuuuh... Air! It's air!"
"Haaahhh— I think I'm gonna live!"
"Seriously, cough. I thought I was a goner."
The team members poured in through the entrance Kim Gunja had carved open.
They all wore expressions of having narrowly escaped death, repeatedly catching their breaths.
"Kim Gunja. Thank you. You saved our lives."
Bae Yongdu was the first to express his gratitude.
"I only did what needed to be done."
Jang Mangil and Yu Ga-hye followed with their thanks.
And then,
"Thanks. You saved us. But if you had that kind of power, wouldn't it have been better to step in sooner...? Ugh, I really thought I was drowning."
Choi Jiyeon expressed her thanks too, but with a peculiar aftertaste.
Quite a prickly one.
"Choi Jiyeon!"
"Yeah, yeah, sorry. I spoke out of turn."
Jang Mangil scolded her.
Choi Jiyeon raised both hands above her shoulders as if it were nothing.
It was a gesture that didn't look sorry at all.
Jang Mangil sighed.
"Forgive her. She's on edge after barely surviving."
"It's fine. Truth be told, I hesitated a bit wondering if I should step in without orders. Sorry for being late."
Kim Gunja responded calmly, causing Choi Jiyeon to furrow her brow.
Jang Mangil glanced at her and then addressed his own shortcomings.
"No. My leadership was definitely lacking. It's practically the same as not grasping my team's abilities properly. I'm sorry."
Jang Mangil concluded that Kim Gunja's delay was due to his own poor orders.
A clean admission.
With the team leader stepping up like that, Choi Jiyeon couldn't argue further on that point.
In truth, Jang Mangil was preoccupied with a more pressing concern than such trifles.
'It was definitely... gills.'
He'd even considered that.
That the oxygen deprivation had caused hallucinations.
That it was his imagination.
Kim Gunja showed no trace of it now, which only added to the confusion.
Of course, he knew asking directly would be the surest way, but with so many ears around, he held back.
'If it's a Homunculus...'
Distrust could sprout among the team before the hunt even properly began.
Infighting in a gate was scarier than any monster.
And above all,
He had been saved by Kim Gunja's intervention, so part of him wanted to pretend he hadn't seen anything for now.
'Tricky...'
What was the right choice?
Jang Mangil postponed his decision.
Until after the hunt.
"Alright, let's regroup for a bit and resume hunting."
With that, the team took a short break before restarting the hunt.
The dark seabed cave.
Supporter Yu Ga-hye hung a portable mana stone lantern on her spear shaft, illuminating the path.
Twenty minutes had passed since they began advancing slowly in formation.
Something was off.
Not a single monster in sight.
No traps either.
Cold sweat began to bead on Jang Mangil's forehead.
A gate with this pattern came to mind.
"Don't tell me this is..."
Bae Yongdu, right behind him, seemed to read his mind and muttered,
"An Elite Gate...?"
At Bae Yongdu's words, the team's expressions hardened.
A peak on Bukaksan Mountain.
A well-maintained tomb overlooked Seoul's skyline in one glance—a prime spot.
Access restricted to civilians. That's when two men entered.
Bzzz—
The headquarters chief's phone vibrated.
His expression turned troubled as he checked the message, prompting Baek Jincheon to ask,
"What is it?"
"Report that the gate Kim Gunja entered has turned purple. Probably..."
"An Elite Gate, huh."
"Yes. First gate being an Elite Gate. The guy's got some rotten luck."
"Bad luck? Or heavenly fortune."
Baek Jincheon approached the tomb, a cryptic smile on his lips.
The chief stood quietly behind him.
Baek Jincheon placed a single lily before the grave.
"........."
After staring at the tombstone for a moment, he flicked his hand.
Then,
One of the dozens of stone statues prostrating around the tomb opened its back.
Inside were urns filled with countless Homunculus remains.
Baek Jincheon tossed one urn inside.
Jin Garyul's remains.
It settled atop the stacked urns.
Baek Jincheon flicked his hand again,
Grrrrr—
And marble lid closed over them, casting shadows.
Thus, the statue would continue its vigil.
Repenting eternally.
"Cockroaches, all of them."
Baek Jincheon muttered while gazing at the tomb.
As if conversing with someone.
After lingering indifferently for a while,
"I'll come again."
With those parting words, he turned away.
As Baek Jincheon descended, the chief bowed deeply toward the tomb.
"Rest in peace... I'll visit again."
Headquarters chief Baek Do-yeol followed Baek Jincheon.
Elite Gates had three key characteristics.
One: A special, powerful boss appears.
Two: All enemies gather in the boss room.
Three: Artifact drop rates skyrocket.
From a Hunter's perspective, they were gates of love and hate.
A place that could be opportunity or grave.
'But right now, it feels more like a grave.'
Kim Gunja thought so, and he wasn't wrong.
"You damn bastards!"
Bam! Crunch!
Jang Mangil swung his shield savagely, shattering a Skeleton Warrior's skull as it crumbled.
But another Skeleton filled the spot immediately.
Kim Gunja eyed the front.
The vast cavern with its domed ceiling teemed with hundreds of Skeletons and Ghouls.
And they were barely holding at the entrance.
"Raaargh—!"
Crackle!
Bae Yongdu's hammer pulverized two Ghouls into mincemeat at once.
Thwack! Thwack!
Mana bullets from Choi Jiyeon's mana gun checked enemies targeting Jang Mangil and Bae Yongdu.
Slash!
Kim Gunja's sword finished them off in the gaps.
Stab!
Supporter Yu Ga-hye covered openings between attacks with her tri-pronged spear.
At a glance, the hunt seemed to be progressing smoothly.
'If not for that Necromancer boss.'
Deepest part of the cavern.
The black-robed Necromancer's staff emitted dark light.
More undead rose from the ground than they'd felled.
That was the biggest problem.
"Damn it!"
Jang Mangil spat a curse.
The original plan wasn't this brute-force frontal assault.
Upon checking enemies from the boss room entrance, Jang Mangil had said,
— Lots of undead, but the Necromancer isn't far from the entrance.
And proposed rushing in before they noticed to swiftly take down the Necromancer.
The numbers were too overwhelming for a head-on clash, and it didn't seem like a bad call.
If not for one person's mistake.
"Sorry! I'm so sorry!"
As evident from Choi Jiyeon's repeated apologies, the plan failed spectacularly.
During the advance, her belt snapped, equipment hit the ground with a clamor, alerting the boss room before they even entered.
The moment the Necromancer boss widened the distance and erected an undead wall, the chance vanished.
"Less yapping, more killing!"
Jang Mangil snapped irritably at Choi Jiyeon.
"Yes! Got it!"
Kim Gunja gave her a meaningful glance before turning to the Necromancer.
'About 200 meters...'
Too far to breach the horde.
Waiting for an opening while holding wasn't viable either—the boss's mana reserves were immeasurable.
They were enduring via the narrow entrance for now, but stamina wasn't infinite; exhaustion was inevitable.
Wipeout was just a matter of time.
'Another way...'
There was one.
A bit risky, but a quick-resolution method.
Slash!
After decapitating a Ghoul, Kim Gunja called Jang Mangil and calmly outlined his plan.
Jang Mangil's eyes widened.
"Y-You're serious?"
"Yes."
"But even if you have that skill..."
Perhaps because it involved dropping right into the enemy center.
Jang Mangil looked worried.
Kim Gunja smiled reassuringly and cut straight to it.
"Do you have another option?"
As Jang Mangil pondered with a troubled face,
Choi Jiyeon's sharp voice rang from behind.
"Who does this newbie think he is, trying to lead the hunt? Shut up and follow the team leader's orders!"
Suspicious indeed.
Even the earlier "accident" felt questionable now.
Why raise her voice in this situation?
As he pondered while slicing another Ghoul's neck, Kim Gunja replied.
"I was just offering a suggestion."
"You cocky little—!"
Crack!
Bae Yongdu smashed a Skeleton and spoke up.
"I'm for it. We'll wipe at this rate."
"Good. Let's do it."
"Team leader!"
"Choi Jiyeon. This mess is from your screw-up. If you're against it, suggest something else. Well? Got a plan?"
Jang Mangil lowered his voice, silencing Choi Jiyeon.
The decision was made.
Kim Gunja assigned roles to each.
Deliberately excluding Choi Jiyeon.
Yu Ga-hye replied uncertainly.
"W-Will that really work?"
"It will. Trust me. I trust you too, Senior Yu Ga-hye."
Yu Ga-hye nodded at Kim Gunja's unwavering words.
They exchanged a glance, and Jang Mangil signaled the start.
"Raaargh!"
He slammed his mana-charged shield into the ground.
Using it as a lever, Jang Mangil uprooted a massive chunk of earth.
Rumble—!
The overturned soil buried the front-line Skeletons and Ghouls.
The undead assault halted momentarily.
In that gap, Bae Yongdu knelt and laced his fingers; Kim Gunja, waiting behind, sprinted full tilt.
The moment Kim Gunja's foot hit the laced hands,
"Here— goes nothingggg!"
Veins bulging on his forehead, Bae Yongdu hurled Kim Gunja upward with all his might.
With a running start plus Bae Yongdu's power, Kim Gunja soared high.
Whoosh—!
From the apex, Kim Gunja saw the tops of the swarming undead.
'Disgustingly numerous.'
But height alone wasn't enough.
It fell short of the Necromancer.
Just before peaking, Kim Gunja shouted.
"Now!"
Yu Ga-hye, poised for javelin throw, responded.
"Hup!"
Shiiiing—!
Her spear arced higher than Kim Gunja, lantern attached to the tip.
Flash!
It was an instant.
Kim Gunja's shadow loomed massively over the cavern.
That sufficed.
To reach it.
Kim Gunja's left foot stepped on the shadow as if on solid ground.
Shadow Walker
Shadow Lord's Technique
Kim Gunja's form slid across the shadow, leaving illusory afterimages.
"Whoa—!"
"My God!"
"Kyaaah!"
Ignoring the team's awe, Kim Gunja reached the Necromancer's face—sword gleaming white in hand.
One chance.
Kim Gunja's mana circuits and Dual Stream activated; crimson haze rose from his body.
And then,
Heaven-Shattering Sword Link: Sky Piercer Single Flash
Firing like a machine gun
Like unleashing a machine gun.
Dozens of beams erupted from Kim Gunja's right hand.
Dat-dat-dat-datta—!
"———!"
It was over in a flash.
The Necromancer's body turned into a beehive.
And collapsed like a sandcastle.