The Right to Kill
Slash!
The moment I swung Jeoldanchamgeuk, the house-sized Blood Bear boss collapsed.
Thudddd!
Perhaps due to its massive size, the ground shook violently as if an earthquake had struck the moment it fell.
"Whoa! The 45th floor is cleared!"
I heard Woo Jumin, who had been hanging back, shouting at the top of his lungs.
Sigh, I told him not to let his guard down until we actually return, and here he goes again.
I gave Woo Jumin a light flick on the forehead as he came running over in excitement.
"I told you to wait for my signal before coming out."
"Ow, ow!"
"Are you going to keep slacking off?"
"B-but I only came out after seeing the boss die...!"
"Zip it."
Woo Jumin shut his mouth instantly.
"Just open your chest."
Cha Yerin, Woo Jumin, and Baek Harim all got Silver Chests.
And I got a Gold Chest.
It was only natural, considering I had landed the most critical hits and dealt the killing blows.
"Wow! You got a Gold Chest again, Taepyeong!"
"Impressive, Taepyeong."
Cha Yerin and Baek Harim looked on in admiration.
But instead of feeling pleased, I just felt a bit embarrassed.
"...I feel bad, like I'm hogging all the good stuff."
The moment I voiced the thought I'd been harboring, their expressions stiffened.
"What are you talking about?"
Cha Yerin looked at me with a serious face and spoke in a firm tone.
"Don't tell me you've been thinking that way this whole time?"
"...Huh? Well, honestly, I kind of have."
"If it weren't for you, Taepyeong, we wouldn't have even dreamed of seeing the 40s."
Cha Yerin cut me off flatly.
Baek Harim nodded in agreement.
"N-no, that's not true. You both are incredibly skilled."
"Yerin is right, Taepyeong. Honestly, my current strength is something I could never have dreamed of without you."
"Hyung, I think you're exaggerating a bit..." I said to Harim.
Just then, Woo Jumin chimed in.
"It's not an exaggeration, it's a fact, Hyung."
"You shut up, punk."
"But it's true!"
Feeling embarrassed, I gave Woo Jumin another flick on the forehead before opening my chest.
Click.
What emerged from the chest was a bottle of water containing something that looked like it absolutely should not be consumed.
◈ Effect: Temporarily enter a state of non-existence for 3 hours.
The bottle contained a liquid of a color that transcended the very concept of black.
What on earth is this...?
I knew about invisibility potions. They made the body completely transparent upon consumption, making them highly useful in various situations.
But non-existence?
Rather than just being invisible, did it mean entering a state where I literally didn't exist...?
...Well, if I keep it, I'm sure it'll come in handy later.
I put the Deep Sea Water of the Void into my inventory.
Anyway, everyone looks happy.
The 40s floors yielded pretty good items even from Silver Chests. Thanks to that, the team members' faces were bright as they checked their rewards.
Actually, what I was looking forward to from today's battle wasn't the chest. Though the chest was nice, of course.
What I was truly anticipating was...
A level up. After crawling through the sluggish late 20s, I had finally entered Level 30.
Once you pass Level 30, a second trait manifests.
However, this was random. Having a second trait manifest was a rare occurrence; most hunters ended up never obtaining one.
But...
...I have a good feeling about this.
Indeed. Killing the Blood Bear boss in a single strike was one thing. The feeling was just too good.
A second trait. No, I felt like I could even get a third!
Processing... Please wait a moment.
With a system window that looked like a glitch at first glance, this was a hundred percent guarantee for a second trait!
Hurry up and load...
No, actually, it's fine if it's slow. Just give me that second trait!
Gulp.
My throat went dry from the anticipation.
"Hyung, should we return now—"
"Wait! Just wait a second!"
I gestured for Woo Jumin to stop and stared intently at the system window.
Dots flashed and disappeared. Dot. Dot. Dot. Dot. Dot. Dot.
And then,
Ding!
Along with a familiar and welcome chime,
Your second trait has been unlocked.
"Yes!!!!!!!!"
Confirming the system window, I let out a roar of joy.
Globally, very few people possessed a second trait. Maybe barely a hundred?
It was safe to assume that most famous hunters had a second trait.
Some hunters announced it publicly, while others were merely suspected by the public.
Choi Muryeong fell into the former category. The Bureau had publicly announced his second trait awakening.
Seo Inha, the Guild Master of the Baekya Guild, was the latter. He had never announced it, but everyone presumed he had a second trait.
Having a second trait wasn't always a blessing.
While it could be a great trait that synergized well with the first, it could also turn out to be completely useless.
It wasn't unconditionally good; its value depended entirely on what kind of trait it was.
Please...
As long as it wasn't something stupid like "Eat Pork Cutlet in 3 Seconds," I'd be happy.
◈ Effect 1: The right to "kill" any entity that enters your Absolute Domain (1.5m) belongs solely to you.
◈ Effect 2: Gain an additional 10% EXP when a kill occurs within your Absolute Domain.
...Right to Kill?
What a brutal name.
Gulp.
I swallowed hard and slowly read the description again.
The right to "kill" any entity that enters the domain... Does that mean only I can kill those who enter my domain?
"This is insane."
It meant no one could ever steal my kills.
But that wasn't all. The fact that only I could kill entities within my domain meant...
...If worst comes to worst, couldn't I use this for defense?
For example, let's say Jumin entered my domain. That meant the right to "kill" Jumin belonged solely to me.
Even if a crazed goblin suddenly rushed at Jumin to kill him, the goblin's attempt to "kill" him would be nullified because the right to kill belonged only to me.
It was a bit of a shame that the Absolute Domain was only 1.5 meters. But depending on how I used it, it was an incredibly useful trait that could serve as both a spear and a shield.
No, it was beyond just useful. Wasn't this practically a cheat? It was basically up to me whether someone lived or died.
Of course, I'll have to execute it well...
First of all, 1.5 meters was narrower than I thought. It might be fine for offensive purposes, but using it defensively would require quite a bit of practice.
Still, I liked it a lot. Above all, the fact that I could gain an extra 10% EXP was huge.
"Hyung, did you get something good?"
At Jumin's innocent question,
"Yeah. Something amazing."
I replied with a grin.
"What is it? A Resurrection Herb? An Auto-Clear Ticket?"
"Those only come from chests."
Jumin looked surprised.
"Weren't you looking at your inventory?"
"No."
"Then what is it?"
"..."
I paused for a moment. In the meantime, Cha Yerin and Baek Harim gathered around me.
"What's going on?"
I just smiled at Yerin's question.
"Oh my, did you get something good?"
"Well..."
"Don't tell me it's another Elixir?"
"No, not that."
I had gotten the Elixir a long time ago. And I had already put it to good use on Park Woojun.
"I just broke through Level 30."
"...Don't tell me?"
Baek Harim was the first to catch on. The mention of Level 30 immediately made him think of a second trait.
"A second trait?"
"Haha, yes."
"Wow, so it really exists?"
Looking at the astonished Harim, I scratched the back of my head awkwardly.
"I didn't expect a second trait to actually manifest either..."
"My goodness."
"I just got lucky, I guess."
When I tried to brush it off, Harim shook his head with a serious expression.
"A second trait isn't something you get just by being lucky. It only manifests for truly 'special' people."
Well, isn't there someone in America or somewhere whose second trait is 'Glutton'?
Then again, even I had to admit I had obtained a cheat-like trait. Especially for someone like me who possessed the Heavenly Slaughter Star trait...
Anyway, it felt great to receive an unexpected gift.
"Alright, what the hell!"
I shouted, clenching my fist.
"Dinner is on me tonight!"
Sizzle...
Sizzle...
Celebratory dinners were always beef.
You'd think we'd be sick of it by now, but it was still always beef.
Was it because of the memories of my poor days, when we could afford chicken and pork but never beef?
Sizzle...
I placed a well-cooked piece of beef in front of Jumin and popped another piece into my own mouth.
Ah. It literally melts in my mouth. Melts!
"Congratulations."
Go Juhee smiled warmly as she filled my soju glass.
Having joined the dinner midway, Juhee rejoiced as if it were her own achievement upon hearing about the second trait.
Perhaps it was because, to some extent, it was her business.
Me getting a second trait meant my value would skyrocket. And my value skyrocketing meant the value of the Typhoon Guild would rise along with it.
"Everything is going so smoothly. We've safely recruited the team members to the Typhoon Guild, and now you even have a second trait, Guild Master."
"Let's keep the second trait under wraps for the time being."
"...What?!"
Juhee jumped up from her seat, utterly shocked.
I stopped grilling the meat and looked up at her.
"W-what... Guild Master?"
"Yes."
"This is a massive opportunity. It could propel the Typhoon Guild to the top in an instant..."
"We're not doing it."
As I cut her off flatly, Juhee slumped back down into her seat.
Geez, just how big were the dreams she spun in that short moment?
"I have my reasons, so please trust me on this."
"...Sigh, I'm only trusting you because you're the Guild Master."
Gulp! Juhee downed her soju in one go.
If it had been anyone else, she probably wouldn't have let them off so easily.
It wasn't that I had no intention of revealing the second trait. I just wanted to take my time and be cautious.
If the news leaked without any preparation, it would stir up all kinds of talk, starting with the skill name "Right to Kill."
It wouldn't be too late to announce it after testing it out in various ways.
Thanks to my stubborn refusal, the topic of the second trait was dropped, and the conversation shifted to guild life.
"I'm still a bit dazed too. It's my first time officially joining a guild, rather than just being a temporary member," Cha Yerin said, looking quite pleased.
"Representative Go, I can join here officially as soon as I become an adult, right?" Jumin asked persistently.
"I looked over the terms, and I'm wondering if the guild even makes a profit after giving us so much..." Harim muttered, feeling apologetic about the generous contract terms.
One way or another, it seemed everyone was satisfied with their contracts.
Of course they were. I had made sure they were well taken care of. It didn't even compare to the Bureau's salary.
"Now, now. There's no need to feel sorry or burdened."
I said with a bright, completely honest smile.
"After all, I only made this guild for my own convenience!"