Chapter 48
Chapter 48
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 48
Chapter Title: Dungeon Rampage (2)
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I switched Myriad Changes back to the Hundred-Times Scorched Ghost Sword and pointed it at the remaining three. They instinctively staggered backward.
"Not coming at me? Weren't you all so confident? Hurry up and let's finish this so I can rest."
I sneered at them. They had no will to fight. Nor were they particularly skilled.
If you're set on killing someone, you should know you might get killed yourself.
"For people doing this kind of work, you're awfully clumsy."
In the hunter world, survival of the fittest was the basic law.
The weak inevitably submit to the strong. It wasn't a rule that only applied between hunters and monsters—it held true between hunters as well.
They didn't divide hunter ranks into letters for no reason. The higher the rank, the stronger the power, the more you became the predator. The lower the rank, the weaker the power, the more you became the prey.
And in this situation, it was already clear who was the predator and who was the prey.
"Fuck. No one said anything about a monster like this!"
The thug Kim Woo-rim spat curses while gripping his spear with trembling hands.
Kim Woo-rim was already half-turned, clearly thinking of fleeing at any moment. Lee Ji-ah was the same.
"Hoo... This guy's way stronger than we thought."
In that moment, one of the prey bared its teeth at the predator, bristles rising as it let out a low growl.
"Damn it. This wasn't meant for here."
Seok Woon, the Hunter Association examiner, sighed and pulled something from his pocket.
"Ah! That's right. Fuck yeah! We're not done yet!"
It was a horn flute with a greenish glow. Even at a glance, it looked extraordinary.
Sun Eye.
That's the one. The key they'd prepared to escape this rampaging dungeon unscathed.
It was certainly a fitting item for this dungeon. A rare one at that, and probably worth a fortune.
Moon Gang-woon, who the hell are you to hand out items like that to mere assassins?
How much had they spent just to kill me? Four rare-rank skill books, one rare-rank item, plus assassination fees, examiner bribes, dungeon pre-booking costs, and more.
At least tens of billions. Overkill preparations, really.
Their determination to absolutely kill me was plain as day.
"This is getting annoying."
Even with my boosted stats, if dozens of goblins swarmed me at once, it could be dangerous.
It wasn't an issue of stamina or mana. Recovery was a breeze for me.
I could offset some costs with divine item effects and chug the infinite potions in my inventory.
The problem was if multiple goblins attacked simultaneously, I might not have time to recover and could get overwhelmed.
Of course, I still wouldn't die. But the risk itself was the issue.
Ignoring my grim outlook, Seok Woon activated the item without hesitation.
Bwooooooo!!!
The horn flute's sound echoed through the entire forest. The tone controlled the madness, issuing a single command to every goblin consumed by it in these woods.
"Kill the lone human!"
Couldn't give more detailed orders. The monsters had lost most of their intelligence to madness, and the item description specified simple commands only.
But this would suffice. The four of them would stick together to the end, leaving me as the only one alone.
I couldn't deal with both goblins and assassins, so I glared at them before turning and bolting into the forest.
Kieeeek!!!
Shrieks erupted from all over the forest. The amplified madness was controlled and received the command, and the goblins began to obey.
"Hoo... Fuck. Thought I was dead for real."
Kim Woo-rim finally let go of his spear from his sweat-soaked hands and wiped his brow. For a moment, he'd truly felt death.
If not for Seok Woon's item, they really would've been in danger.
He wasn't the only one exhaling deeply. Seok Woon shook his head at the horn flute in disbelief, while Lee Ji-ah collapsed to the ground, tension draining from her body.
In the brief silence, they gathered their thoughts.
"Get up. Grab your weapons. We don't have time to slack off either. Wake that bastard too. After an hour, we'll have to clear this dungeon on our own. We need to kill as many goblins as we can in the meantime."
Seok Woon coldly assessed the situation. The horn flute hadn't been meant for killing Shin Juha originally.
It was a contingency to clear the dungeon after killing him—once it rampaged, boosting tiers and ranks to make it impossible.
But the plan had gone awry. To survive this hell and escape, they had to move.
"Fuck. If we kill goblins, won't Shin Juha survive?"
"These are high-tier, A-rank goblins. Minimum level 25. No E- rank hunter could handle them. Well, that monster might take down a few. But dozens? He'd lose for sure."
Spot on. Even Shin Juha wouldn't easily kill this many goblins and make it out alive.
"For now, head the opposite way he fled and kill every goblin we see. We're grouped up, so they won't attack us. Just pick them off."
Kim Woo-rim nodded, slapped the unconscious Ma Dong-won awake, and they set off immediately.
Kieeek!!
"Damn bastards!"
The Ghost Sword amplified the sun's flames, piercing a madness-consumed goblin's chest.
"Hah... Hah...!"
Damn. Already over twenty goblins down. Tough fight—my level had risen twice.
Yet more than ten goblins still lurked in this forest, plus that "Apostle" from the description hadn't shown yet.
As the filthy sensation of death creeping closer tried to overwhelm me, I pulled a potion from my inventory, chugged it, and caught my breath.
Stamina and mana began recovering rapidly. Potions had limits, though.
Stacking same-effect ones reduced efficacy. Not a big deal for me.
If it diminishes, just drink more.
Potions were infinite. I could pull them endlessly without notice.
"Luckily, haven't run into groups of three or more yet."
Something felt ominous. My senses rang alarm bells. A foreboding of them swarming all at once.
Recover as much as possible.
Still manageable. Worst case, Equivalent Exchange remained, and the First Wing of Pride too.
"And the new skill's pretty useful."
Giant's Might. Acquired from clearing the dungeon. Simple, clear, and outstanding effect.
1.5x strength for 5 seconds. Cooldown 10 minutes.
A straightforward 50% strength boost with direct, effective results.
Turn enemies that wouldn't die in one hit into one-shots. Reach destructive power otherwise impossible.
Level up, and these numbers should climb.
Then I might gain the absurd strength of the giants. One thing was sure: intuitive, effective skills beat vague ones.
"Hoo... Guess it's my turn to prepare?"
Breath steady. Time to prepare my escape from this crisis.
If they turned crisis to opportunity with their item, I'd find my way out too.
Inventory opened, endless items filling my view.
No time. Needed something effective for this situation, fast.
Stealth items?
No. Hard to maintain stealth for the full hour left. Plus, high-tier/rank foes might detect me.
Bombs then?
Grab some. Pulled out a few from the giant's cave, pondered blast radius, and set them around.
But not enough. Might not faze the Apostle.
Damn, wish there was a search function.
Too many items. Without prep, couldn't find the right one quick.
"Goblin. Anything goblin-related?"
Eyes and fingers flew. Screens flipped rapidly. Minutes passed.
Kieeeek!!!
Goblins found me. Roars suggested at least ten.
"Found something?"
Ambiguous. Frowned at the item in hand briefly, then inspiration struck on its use. I moved.
Climbed a tree, wary of unknown approach directions.
Goblins steadily tracked my scent and presence, closing in. The moment they crossed my prepared line...
Mana flowed. Bombs to the north detonated in unison.
Kieeek!!!
Shrieks rang out as some goblins got swept away. But that was it.
Even giants took more damage from the cave collapse than the blast. Low-grade mana bombs couldn't one-shot these.
And they weren't dumb, brute-strength giants.
Smoke cleared, revealing goblins. Wounded, bleeding, pained—but none dead.
Hardly any critical hits either.
"The Apostle, huh..."
I scowled at the mad goblin behind them, staff raised, mumbling and dancing.
Seemed it'd sensed the bombs' faint mana and cast a barrier skill.
Damn. No choice.
Run. Fighting was suicide. Twelve goblins alone. All remaining ones gathered to kill me.
Not unwinnable. With Equivalent Exchange, First Wing of Pride, and potions like water, victory possible.
But a hollow win.
What if I head outside like this?
Dragged around helplessly, suffering pointlessly. If the four assassins coordinated lies that I betrayed them?
Headache just thinking. No evidence—they dealt no real damage. I'd clearly attacked the tank, smashed his shield, knocked him out.
Couldn't end like this.
I gripped the item tight, unfurled the First Wing of Pride.
"Time to dope up."
Poured movement-speed buff potions down my throat and bolted toward where the four assassins had gone.