Chapter 14
Chapter 14
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 14
Chapter Title: Hunter X Hunter
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“Oh, Necro buddy! Over here, over here!”
The afternoon after Bone-1’s focused training session ended.
Kang Jae-ho and his crew greeted me at the promised spot.
“You showed up as agreed. I sent the dungeon info via text—hope you checked it.”
“Yeah, of course.”
The details were straightforward.
A new dungeon, rated C-grade by the Association about a week ago.
Main objective: exterminate monsters and take down the boss.
Field type: desert.
“Like you said, I slathered on the sunscreen and packed extra ice water.”
“Good.”
Kang Jae-ho nodded.
Seven people stood beside him in total.
‘Seven?’
Wasn’t it five originally?
Seeing my puzzled look, Kang Jae-ho spoke up.
“You’re officially on the exploration team now. These five are my regular crew, and we hired a pair of F-grade porters. Don’t worry—we’ve already covered their fees, no extra charge to you.”
“Oh, got it. Thanks.”
Fair enough.
What’s the biggest reason they’re hitting this dungeon?
To make money, plain and simple.
Inside, you find magistones brimming with pure mana.
Or occasionally high-end ores like luminous pearls or mithril, so porters are a must.
If dungeon rewards are the main haul?
The scraps the porters pick up are bonus change.
“…….”
I glanced at the two porters.
They looked like fresh-faced young adults, a boy and girl who could pass for siblings.
They shyly nodded hello, and I gave a light bow in return.
Just days ago, I’d been in their shoes as a porter, so I felt a strange kinship.
“Alright, greetings done—let’s head in! Haha, I’m already itching for action!”
“Yeah, wanna check out the new Necro guy’s skills too.”
The hunters laughed, loosening up.
*Click!*
Kang Jae-ho loaded his revolver and spoke.
“Okay, reported to the Association—let’s go. Dong-hoon, porters, stick close.”
They seemed more relaxed than tense.
‘Typical aggressive hunters.’
It did strike me as odd, though.
Even with me here, a C-grade dungeon was life-or-death.
Where’d that nonchalance come from?
‘Whatever, doesn’t matter.’
I wasn’t joining for their safety.
It was faith in my bones—and myself.
Not blind confidence.
‘My bones took down a top-tier D-grade orc in one shot.’
Plus.
With advice from an old man even rankers couldn’t handle?
Clearing a C-grade should be no sweat.
I raised my staff.
[Using skill, ‘Awakened Skeleton Summon’ (D-grade).]
Creak! Grind!
First, sword-wielding Bone-1 and spear-wielding Bone-2 appeared on the flanks.
[Using skill, ‘Awakened Skeleton Summon’ (D-grade).]
Bow-armed Bone-3 and staff-wielding Bone-5 in the rear.
And finally.
[Using 10 mana.]
[‘Bone-4’ appears.]
Thud!
Bone-4 showed up front, propping a massive shield against the ground.
I smiled, pleased with their solid formation.
“Ooh.”
“Necro buddy! They feel even stronger than last time.”
“Yeah, no big visual change, but the vibe’s different. Those skeletons’ eyes look sharper.”
The hunters’ praise lifted my spirits.
I shrugged.
“Let’s head in.”
* * *[Entering the dungeon.]
Whoosh!
Scorching heat enveloped me the moment we stepped in.
[Exposed to harsh environment!]
[All stats reduced by 10%!]
‘Ugh.’
Blinding sunlight beat down, making it hard to open my eyes.
The desert sand cracked and parched.
Withered dead trees lay scattered here and there.
“Whoa, way hotter than I thought.”
“Gotta tough it out. Think of it as a sauna session.”
“Easy to say—can you actually handle it?”
The hunters grumbled, rolling up their sleeves.
The F-grade porters already looked beat, lips pressed tight.
‘That rough?’
I tilted my head.
Hot, sure—but bearable.
Compared to the old man’s hellish steam bath? Child’s play.
‘Pain Resistance at work?’
Creak!
My bones, being dried-out husks with no moisture, shrugged off the heat too.
“Everyone, huddle up.”
Kang Jae-ho, face unchanged by the swelter, sharply rallied the team.
He was a true vet, knowing exactly how to act in a dungeon.
“Focus. Monsters here are scorpions and snakes.”
“S-Snakes?”
“No whining. I already told you everything.”
“Keuk.”
Ignoring the joker, Kang Jae-ho continued.
Key points: the dungeon layout we knew and the boss room’s location at the end.
“C-grade desert dungeons are all similar. Cut through monster waves, reach the boss door. Open it, kill the boss. Done.”
“Boss type?”
“Always random. We’ll see when we get there.”
The porters gulped dryly at the hunters’ chatter.
Kang Jae-ho grinned at them.
“You two just follow along. Pick up what we tell you, pass what we ask for. Got it?”
“Yes, sir!”
“Yessir!”
The porters snapped to attention.
And so we moved out.
The path was simple.
Assuming we spawned west, head east toward the blazing sun. Done.
Per Kang Jae-ho, monsters got tougher the farther in we went.
-Kieeeek! Kyahat!
As we advanced, desert scorpions and snakes began appearing one by one.
All tough enough for C-grade rating.
“Here they come?”
“Get ready!”
*Click! Clank!*
Hunters drew weapons.
‘Guess I’ll handle some.’
I started controlling my skeletons too.
No clue why Kang Jae-ho was so nice to me.
But he’d granted me free rein.
-Kieeeek!
Three scorpions charged my way.
Their momentum rivaled that open-field ‘orc’.
Old me would’ve been helpless.
“Bone-5!”
I called out boldly.
Compared to the old man’s ferocity, this was nothing.
Humm!
Bone-5 swung his staff, chanting a spell.
[‘Bone-5’ uses skill, Air Shield (Lv.1).]
Secure my safety first.
Then.
“Bone-4, pull aggro.”
[‘Bone-4’ uses skill, Lesser Taunt (Lv.1).]
Boom!
Bone-4 slammed his shield down, shaking the ground.
Sand dust billowed.
-Kieeeek! Kieee!
[‘Desert Scorpion’ targets ‘Bone-4’!]
[‘Desert Scorpion’ targets ‘Bone-4’!]
[‘Desert Scorpion’ targets ‘Bone-4’!]
Their scattered aggression locked onto Bone-4 alone.
‘Phew, good.’
Even a Lv.1 skill working meant my bones weren’t pushovers.
Whoosh!
Bone-1 charged first, swinging his sword.
That ‘slash’ from the old man’s training.
Clang!
But the scorpion’s tough hide repelled the blade.
-Kieeeet!
It roared, so some pain got through.
“Keep hitting!”
Creak!
Bone-2 and Bone-3 moved in.
Bone-2 jabbed his spear into hide gaps.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Bone-3 alternated arrows on each one.
-Kiet! Kieeet!
Yet the scorpions, entranced, hammered only Bone-4’s shield.
No counterattack.
My bones pressed on relentlessly.
Bone-2’s repeated thrusts cracked the hide.
Whoosh!
Bone-1 smashed the gap with his greatsword.
Crack!
The brutal strike severed a leg.
Dark red blood sprayed.
[‘Desert Scorpion’ defeated.]
‘Too easy?’
The rest fell the same way.
Bone-1’s upward slash sent chunks flying—
Bone-3’s arrows nailed the wounds.
‘Weak. Not C-grade level.’
Wrong rating?
Or had I leveled up?
Desert scorpions were low-tier C-grades, anyway.
D-grade strength, but C-rated for swarming.
“Damn, Necro buddy, you already cleared three?”
“Must’ve scored some real opportunity.”
I glanced sideways.
Kang Jae-ho’s team had finished theirs too, wiping blood from weapons.
Their flawless coordination impressed me.
‘That their level?’
In the old man’s dungeon, no way to gauge.
We’d all been weak survivors there.
‘Anyway.’
One team member kept mentioning ‘opportunity’.
It nagged at me.
Image changed? Muscles bulked, face sharpened?
Eager to test my skills.
Sudden chumminess.
‘Too friendly.’
With their skill, they didn’t need me.
If they wanted me on the team like Kang Jae-ho said.
Shouldn’t we sync up instead of giving free rein?
‘Am I overthinking?’
Gut feeling of wrongness, no proof.
‘You never know.’
If they targeted my opportunity?
If they were way above their badges?
Why pick me out of all hunters?
Me, publicly E-grade.
‘What the hell.’
I frowned.
Puzzle pieces clicking.
‘They know I got rewards from that high-difficulty dungeon.’
But the secrecy pact with ‘Blue’ kept me from spilling or asking.
Even pros wouldn’t break promises with rankers or Gi So-yul.
‘Then.’
One way to satisfy greed without breaking rules: dungeon dive.
No CCTV, no evidence.
Dungeon accidents outnumber car crashes.
‘Stay cautious. Just suspicion for now.’
Someone once said it.
Humans scarier than dungeon monsters.
A hunter’s hard truth.
Step, step.
We cleared mobs, advancing slowly.
About two hours in.
The boss room appeared.
A massive ‘door’ in the desert center, flanked by altars etched with patterns.
[Ring!]
[Stage: Ancient Desert Scorpion King]
[To unseal the Ancient Desert Scorpion King, offer sacrifices.]
[Place offerings on the two engraved magic circles.]
[Sacrifices must be living F-grade-or-higher hunters.]
“Sacrifices, F-grade…….”
I muttered low.
News to me—they hadn’t mentioned this.
‘Living lives mean…….’
Instinct drew my eyes back.
The porter siblings stared wide-eyed, panicked, at the message.
At the same time.
“Hmm, sacrifices? Tricky boss type.”
“Yeah, why this one? Tsk.”
The hunters smirked, utterly unconcerned.
The source of my unease crystallized.
‘Ha, these bastards.’
I clicked my tongue.
Yeah.
They weren’t Monster X Hunters.
They were Hunter X Hunters.
Hunters who hunted hunters.