Chapter 7
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 7
Chapter Title: Entering Babel (2)
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Final Dungeon: Babel
1st Floor, Zone 3349.
Under a blood-red sky stood a village surrounded by stone walls.
Within it, 201 hunters had been summoned.
Some had been summoned in the middle of a shower, water still dripping from their bodies. Others had been pulled in halfway through a raid, their wounds still fresh.
The diverse group of hunters calmly looked each other over.
“Damn it. I didn’t want to come.”
“Fuck. Fuck!”
Once they had grasped the situation, the hunters began murmuring among themselves while warily watching their surroundings.
It wasn’t the kind of uproar you would expect if ordinary civilians had suddenly been thrown into the situation.
Most of these people were hunters who had slain countless monsters.
Ju Gonghyeok and Ha Yeonsi were there as well.
Suddenly, bright lights converged on the central platform.
BOOM!
“Welcome, human hunters, and thank you for answering the Seventh Great Summoning!”
A flashy fanfare erupted, and a troupe of demons appeared around the platform, instruments in hand.
Bwaaaam—
Trumpets, horns, and all sorts of instruments rang out in a passionate performance.
A flamboyant demon wearing a tuxedo stepped onto the center of the platform.
“I am Cluesti, subordinate of Demon King Bel Marduk and one of the Four Heavenly Kings, the Thunderlight Pursuer!
“To all you hunters who have graced us with your presence here in the Final Dungeon, Babel, I offer my deepest thanks! And my thanks again!”
Cluesti rattled off the words like a machine gun.
“I, the Thunderlight Pursuer, boast the greatest speed among all demons! I absolutely hate pointless chatter! I hate it! So let’s get straight to the point!”
“What the hell is this guy...?”
Someone finally voiced the bewilderment shared by all the hunters.
Thud.
It was nothing more than a moment of carelessness.
The head of the hunter who had spoken suddenly exploded.
Bone fragments and chunks of flesh splattered across the faces of the surrounding hunters.
The headless body spurted blood from its neck like a geyser several times, as though expressing its final agony, before collapsing forward.
Jingle, jingle, jingle.
“See that person who just went to heaven? When you die, you immediately drop twenty percent of all the coins you’ve earned up to that point! Hmm... Looks like that one had about 300 coins!”
“300 coins... Gah!”
The hunter who had involuntarily blurted out his shock at the unimaginable amount quickly clamped a hand over his mouth.
“Hmm? Looks like someone else is talking again. Shall I give you another little demonstration?”
Cluesti smiled and snapped their fingers, sending an unprecedented shockwave flying toward the crowd.
BOOM!
But the shockwave was blocked by two spears that suddenly appeared from nowhere.
“Cluesti...”
“Oh, Azazel. Welcome.”
The sky parted, and an angel descended amid radiant light.
Azazel, the Angel of Weapons, carried dozens of weapons on her back.
She had adorable red hair and a cute appearance, but right now her face was twisted with fury, dozens of veins bulging across it.
“I won’t tolerate you killing participants for any reason beyond the rules.”
“Agreed. Now then, let’s begin the explanation! The rules are simple—very, very simple!”
“On this first floor, you’ll be ranked from first to two-hundredth according to your hunting performance! Rewards have been prepared for places one through ten! And...”
Cluesti lightly waved a finger.
“Everyone from 51st to 200th place will die by my hand.”
The atmosphere around them instantly froze.
“The time limit is three weeks! Clear the dungeons on this floor, then clear them again and again! The stronger you become, the more the potential of this dimension develops, and the richer our power becomes! It’s a win-win for everyone! Let’s all take advantage of the opportunity together! Wahahahahaha~!”
Cluesti spun around like a madman and left.
Azazel sat cross-legged on the now-empty platform.
Conditions appeared in the air above the platform.
Rule 1. Any human who fails to place within the top 50 within three weeks will die.
Rule 2. Demons and angels assign different achievements and quests. Whichever side you choose is entirely up to you.
Rule 2-1. Demons and angels cannot directly harm humans, nor can they influence human actions beyond giving quests.
Rule 3. Upon death, humans drop 20% of the coins they have earned up to that point.
Rule 3-1. Killing people within the village zone is prohibited for the first two weeks.
Rule 4. Score Table
10 points for killing a monster.
100 points for killing a named monster.
300 points for killing a boss monster.
1,000 points for clearing every floor of a dungeon.
===
Hunters swarmed the platform where Azazel sat.
“Hey—no, I mean, Angel! What exactly are those conditions up there?”
“Where are we supposed to get food? What about drinking water?”
“Oh, Lord. Here stands your servant. Please look down upon us with mercy.”
“What are we supposed to do now? Angel, please explain!”
Azazel frowned at the hands reaching for her from every direction and the shouting all around her.
“Enough. I’ll explain everything slowly. First, as for food...”
Before she could finish, several screams rang out at once.
“The man who just died was my companion! Angel, please save him!”
“I’ve never hunted a monster in my entire life! So why was I summoned here? Just because someone is an Awakened doesn’t mean they’re a hunter!”
“Angel, please! Have mercy! Mercy!”
Order collapsed in an instant.
As two hundred humans cried out in complete pandemonium, two shadows quietly slipped toward the exit.
Ju Gonghyeok and Ha Yeonsi.
“O-Oppa. Is it really okay for us to leave like this? That angel might be able to do something...”
“She won’t.”
That red chicken bitch can’t do a damn thing. She’s just a useless quest NPC who does nothing but nag.
Swallowing his inner thoughts, Gonghyeok pulled Yeonsi along with him.
Several cold gazes followed Ju Gonghyeok and Ha Yeonsi as they left.
Those hunters wanted to head out and start hunting immediately rather than waste time on this pointless gathering.
But they lacked information.
They didn’t know what kind of monsters were waiting outside, nor did they know what useful information the angel might provide.
Besides, whenever people gathered together, rules were bound to be established.
What if they created rules that benefited only themselves while he was away?
For example:
“Let’s kill any selfish hunter who skips the first day’s meeting to go hunting and divide their coins among ourselves.”
No one knew what might happen.
The few hunters who managed to remain calm decided to observe the situation rather than impatiently rush out to hunt.
===
Once Gonghyeok left through the village gates, he organized the information he knew about the first floor in his head.
There were seven dungeons in total on Babel’s first floor.
Of those, three were particularly important.
‘Tot’s Great Temple, Hellgate Labyrinth, and the Sewer Dungeon. Of the three, the Sewer Dungeon has to come first.’
Hidden within the Sewer Dungeon Gonghyeok was heading toward was Babel’s comic shop, Pezelon’s Cradle.
Even in his previous life, it had been a place known only to a select few.
Dozens of people had risen to the ranks of humanity’s strongest by discovering the Pezelon’s Cradles hidden on each floor.
‘It’s safe, too, making it a better base than those dangerous villages. Besides, we can’t let the others figure out where we’re headed.’
That was why he had left at the most chaotic time, when no one else was venturing outside the village.
To avoid leaving footprints, he leaped off the path leading to the dungeon and into the bushes.
“Observer, display map. Coordinates (664.489).”
A blue map window appeared before his eyes.
- Arrival time at current speed: 2 hours 28 minutes.
- Eight hostile monsters detected within a 50-meter radius.
- Red Star Tribe hobgoblin gang.
He turned his gaze toward the red dots appearing on the map.
He couldn’t see the enemies.
He quickly climbed onto a large boulder and looked down.
In the lowlands beneath the hill, he spotted a hobgoblin and seven goblins sitting in a circle.
[Living Hunting Manual (SS) activated]
- The owner possesses exceptional strategic planning abilities.
- The owner possesses extensive knowledge of the opponent’s physiology and habits. Weak points are displayed within sight.
- Against monsters previously encountered, most attacks and behaviors can be predicted.
They hadn’t noticed him yet.
He was on high ground. They were in the lowlands.
‘A quick ambush. Crush their skulls before they can arm themselves. Take five out of action, then deal with the hobgoblin leader. Goblins and kobolds generally possess neurotoxins, and the “Red” designation means...’
“Oppa, what’s over there?”
“Quiet. Get down and stay back. I’ll handle it.”
He set down his backpack.
Gripping the steel bat firmly with both hands, he charged straight down the hillside.
Gonghyeok leaped from above and landed directly on the head of one of the goblins chatting away below.
“Why does the meat taste especially good today?”
“It does. That’s because it’s your brother’s meat. We only caught him this morning.”
“!? That one was supposed to be cooked for the High Priest tomorrow!”
“Not my problem...”
Crack!
The skull of the goblin shamelessly devouring its own kind exploded beneath the steel bat.
“Hi, friends. Mind if I take a look at the color of your meat?”
“Enemy! Arm yourselves!”
The red hobgoblin dropped its meat and grabbed its red greatsword.
A goblin who had been standing watch while half-asleep raised its crossbow.
“Prediction Path activated.”
[Prediction Path (U.S) activated]
- Crossbow fires in 1 second. Estimated impact point: right chest. Estimated damage: instant death.
- Five goblins will finish arming themselves in 2 seconds.
- Hobgoblin is cautious due to the sudden appearance of an enemy.
‘Alright. Let’s take them out before they can come to their senses.’
Before they could arm themselves, he drew his katana with his left hand.
He swung it in a single sweeping arc.
“Squeeeek!”
“Ukiiiyaak!”
Three goblins scrambling for their weapons were cut down.
Blood beaded along their slashed throats and across their eyes before gushing out in streams.
Ping!
- Goblin 4 has fired its crossbow. Trajectory displayed.
The crossbow bolt was released in that instant.
But Prediction Path drew its trajectory in three dimensions before Gonghyeok’s eyes.
He placed the steel bat in the bolt’s path with his right hand, and the projectile ricocheted away.
“Strong!”
“But one hit from an iron flail takes you down, and it’ll take me down too!”
- Hobgoblin approaching from behind.
- Crossbow reloading. Fires in 5 seconds.
“Grrr...”
The hobgoblin prepared a surprise attack from behind with its red greatsword, while two goblins charged from the front, swinging iron flails.
Gonghyeok couldn’t help but smile.
‘Even on the first floor, Babel is still Babel.’
Unlike the Tutorial dungeons, these monsters didn’t panic just because a few of them had been taken down.
They charged without fear, and they even had the sense to prepare a rear ambush.
The adrenaline rushing through Gonghyeok’s veins made his blood run hot.
‘The bat isn’t useful anymore.’
He threw away the bat in his right hand and picked up the red iron flail one of the goblins had dropped.
[Master of All Martial Arts (S++) activated]
- Regardless of type, any weapon that exists in this world can be wielded at the level of a master.
- Unless the opponent possesses an A-rank or higher master-class skill, defending against the owner’s attacks is hopeless.
He struck the chain of the incoming flail with the katana in his left hand.
The two flails became entangled around the blade, and the flail in Gonghyeok’s right hand swept across both goblins’ faces with exquisite precision.
“Kiyaaaaah!”
The goblins dropped their weapons and writhed in agony.
The reason their weapons were red was because they had been coated with the Red Star Tribe’s secret neurotoxin.
“Grrrgh!”
- In 0.7 seconds, the red greatsword will strike the waist directly! Estimated damage: internal organs damaged. Spine severed.
Using the sacrifice of his subordinates as a stepping stone, the hobgoblin unleashed a decisive slash at Gonghyeok’s waist.
Despite the urgent warning, Gonghyeok remained calm.
He turned as though performing a spinning back kick and raised his foot.
Then, with audacious precision, he placed his foot against the blade of the greatsword.
He carefully bent his knee, absorbing the momentum of the strike.
The impact lifted his body slightly off the ground, but all it did was split the sole of his hunter combat boot.
“G-Grgh!?”
The hobgoblin was dumbfounded by the bizarre footwork that had stopped its attack.
And, of course, while it was still stunned...
[One-Strike Firework (F) activated]
The poisoned flail came crashing down onto its shoulder.
“Grrrghghgh!”
The hobgoblin’s eyes rolled back as its body trembled violently.
Gonghyeok ignored it and looked toward the goblin farther away.
“Kiiiek!”
The last remaining goblin threw down its crossbow and fled.
Gonghyeok flashed a grin as he watched it run.
“Get off the express train to hell halfway there, and you’re still going to hell.”
He pulled the Root-Cutting Axe from his inventory.
Gripping it with both hands, he spun around like a hammer thrower, building up centrifugal force.
“Prediction Path, projected route.”
- In 1.3 seconds, advance two steps and throw at a 44-degree angle to the left. Estimated hit rate: 93%.
He threw the axe exactly as the calculated route indicated.
The axe tore through the air with a menacing whistle before burying itself in the goblin’s back.
[Equipped Title: Merciless Butcher effect applied.]
[50% increased instant-kill chance against enemies in a state of fear.]
The goblin struck by the axe crashed to the ground and rolled.
It twitched a few times, but, just as the title effect dictated, it died instantly.
Gonghyeok looked around.
Two goblins were frantically drinking the pool of blood created by the wounds in their slit throats.
It seemed they thought drinking the blood they had spilled would somehow allow them to survive, but it was pointless. Blood continued to pour uselessly from the cuts in their throats.
The hobgoblin and the other goblins, poisoned by their own neurotoxin, writhed on the ground in terror and frenzy.
They were all completely consumed by fear and madness.
“What a pain. This kind of cleanup isn’t fun. It’s not like I’m doing the dishes.”
Gonghyeok untangled the chain from his katana and gripped it lightly.
The groans soon died away.
[Current score: 80 points]
〈Chapter 7 - Entering Babel (2) End〉