Chapter 179
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 179
Chapter Title: Masterless Golden Goblin (2)
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Hunters are people who hunt monsters.
The hardest part for hunters when they first enter a dungeon is the revulsion that comes from having to kill monsters—living creatures.
For those who've lived their whole lives with the moral belief that killing humans, animals, or any living being is wrong, the harsh reality of fighting monsters that want to kill you—protecting your own body while also having to kill the enemy—is truly the first trial hunters face.
It might not be quite so tough if it were just a game.
But reality forces you to confront the corpses of dead monsters, sometimes making you vomit from the disgust, and that torment lasts quite a while.
These days, after ten years, everyone wants to become a hunter or awaken as one. People even practice in virtual reality simulations that are 99% identical to the real thing to desensitize themselves beforehand, so hardly anyone fails to enter a dungeon over such issues anymore.
Even so, getting used to killing monsters doesn't make killing people any easier.
Humans and monsters are different.
Dungeon monsters usually have grotesque appearances that provoke disgust, so once you get accustomed to killing them, you just see them as otherworldly enemies that must be slain—tricky, but not resisted out of revulsion.
But every now and then—more often in higher dungeons, though even low ones aren't immune—hunters encounter rare situations where they must kill another person.
For whatever reason.
Whether it's a scuffle over magic stones or an ambush by criminals after gear or artifacts.
Even veteran hunters with years of experience don't find it easy to kill in those situations.
That's why there are plenty of annual incidents related to this, and places like NewTube are full of tips on handling such scenarios.
Nothing special.
'Think of them as monsters.'
The simplest mental trick.
They might look human, but if you imagine them as dungeon monsters, killing them won't be so hard.
Of course, it's not as easy as it sounds, but there are plenty of testimonials from people who've solved problems this way.
Especially those who've hunted humanoid monsters in dungeons say it's even easier.
Hunting humanoid monsters successfully is pretty much the same as hunting humans anyway.
Not every Sky Guild hunter has been through this, though.
Even in an SS-rank guild, large guilds actually face fewer threats that require killing people.
Yet they all fought without hesitation.
No experience against humans, but to ensure neither they nor their comrades die, they must fight incoming 'enemies' without a shred of doubt—that's lesson one in big guilds.
The scythe-wielding guy and the explosion-casting mage.
Precise Scan pegged both at estimated S-rank or higher.
It'd be great to pierce through their skills, abilities, and stats completely, but that'd be too overpowered.
We roughly estimate based on skill firepower and info, so they could be SS or even SSS.
Or maybe A-rank bloated by artifacts to look S-rank.
Whatever the case, the overall intel doesn't lie. Despite being outnumbered, they used monsters up front to hold their own pretty evenly.
Even accounting for the ambush, equal numbers would've put Sky Guild at a disadvantage.
We had SS and S-rank hunters too, but the Chinese had more solid combat experience.
In the end, treating them as 'enemies' and 'monsters' only goes so far if you've only fought real humans to build that experience.
Human and monster combat patterns and intelligence differ fundamentally—it's like the gap between PVE and PVP.
But the Chinese had one bad break.
Their fight was being watched by an SS-rank skill, Precise Scan, boosted by an SSS-rank ability gathering real-time intel better than any AI.
'Precise Scan is already a thirsty SSS-rank skill.'
Not just because I'm using it well now—it's genuinely exciting what it'll be at full SSS-rank.
There has to be a clear gap between SS and SSS. If SS is this good, SSS might outdo AI intel collection entirely.
To get there, I need that S-rank vitality to pop the 0.5% reinforcement chance, but that's pure luck—no helping it, so I just wait.
If it were Im Hyeji, the goddess of luck, I'd have some hope.
"Seung-jun! Go stealth and circle behind—take out the mage first. He's defenseless briefly when he casts explosion. Now!"
With an SS-rank skill like that, I can pull this off from afar—no need to rush.
The evenly matched fight was tilting our way as time passed. With our numerical edge and the Chinese unable to protect their mage, it started with the assassin circling back and stabbing the explosion mage's nape at the perfect moment—he couldn't dodge, and they crumbled like dominoes.
The one clinging to the Spring of Abundance.
The dagger plunged into the explosion mage's throat, severing his breath as he toppled.
"Dodge! Scythe!"
The scythe guy darted in to cover.
But too late.
He couldn't overwhelm our hunters pressuring the tamer's monsters defensively.
With the mage down in a similar setup, flipping the battle was tough.
"Tch."
Quick judgment call.
The scythe guy merged with the tamer in a flash, mounting a surviving wolf and bolting the other way.
"He's fleeing! Heading to link up with the other group. Chase him!!"
Meanwhile, the third party was already battling two Chinese hunters.
Being only two, they were getting pushed a bit.
If they linked up, the battle could shift unpredictably.
No time to loot corpses—everyone charged.
"Nice."
Worth hanging back in stealth to watch.
Hurried back to the fight-ravaged spot, rifled the bodies.
The robed guy's neck gushed blood, body cold. Flipped the robe—surprisingly, a woman.
"Rest well."
Glanced at her face, closed her eyes.
Pretty enough to wonder if she had a story worth saving, but she needed the good afterlife.
Yanked the ring off her left ring finger.
Blue-glowing ring.
Clear, cool azure that stood out sharply.
"Bit flashy to wear."
Stolen goods like this need to be subtle, not eye-catching.
Plainer, common designs are safer.
But plenty of ways to handle that minor issue.
Tucked the ring in sub-space, rummaged her chest for stones.
"They always carry magic stones."
Not hordes like Ri Hei-an, but maybe like Hunter Gallery rumors—some trick with them?
Two B-ranks, three C-ranks. Not much, but profitable for me—grateful anyway.
Carefully repositioned the body, raced back.
On the way, saw the third party struggling hard.
The fifth party's tamer didn't join them directly—instead headed to a horde of A-rank monsters, tossed magic stones, tamed them, and looped back.
"Aren't magic stone mana uses inefficient..?"
China acts like they won Nobels. They amplify skills or pull weird stunts with stones constantly.
So the situation wasn't great.
Except I snagged an S-rank gear artifact.
"Fall back. We gotta meet them head-on."
Now four Chinese with nearly 30 monsters pushing down forced our detached hunters to retreat like prey.
Stationed hunters geared up and joined, gearing up for a Mars-scale brawl.
Tense moment.
"Don't panic—watch. It's my ability."
Sky Guild hunters' vision filled with Kang Hana's worldview.
"....!"
"This is..!"
3D maps are clunky in combat.
But enemy intel flooded their sight.
Their weaknesses, plain as day.
* During 'Special Effect' activation, 'Information Sharing' is possible.
The effect from reaching level 5 on SSS-rank ability 'Ruler of Space' and its first awakening debuted.
Heat flared in Sky Guild hunters' eyes.
Not tension, not fear.
Excitement.
And skyrocketing morale.
Conviction they'd win sparked bold moves—they charged first.
Kim Gap-su, shield up, stormed ahead too.