Chapter 164
Chapter 164
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 164
Chapter Title: Dungeon Survival
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Dungeon Survival, day six.
I'd hacked into the alliance's strategy. They were planning to attack at 1 p.m., three hours from now.
They knew Kang Seok-su's position—probably had surveillance on him.
They also knew we'd crossed paths in the rest area and suspected we'd formed an alliance.
"Sunbae. Should I go over the plan again?"
"...No need. I know it."
"If it looks too dangerous, just give up."
My words must have rubbed her the wrong way, because Han Ha-rin shot me a glare.
"That won't happen. You focus on yourself."
I suppressed the urge to grope Han Ha-rin's ample chest. Damn cameras—eight of them were filming us from every angle. No openings whatsoever.
"Let's get started. We have to time it right."
"...Worry about yourself. I can fly, so I'm fine. You can't. This isn't child's play."
I grinned. No matter how she played it, Han Ha-rin was worried about me. Back in the day, she wouldn't have given a damn about me or my words.
"I'll be fine. I've got a plan."
We split up. She headed north; I went south. The association staff who knew our plan split into groups of four to tail us.
'Using B-rank Hunters for this... The association must be banking hard on Dungeon Survival Reboot.'
Still, if this aired, it'd be a massive hit. There hadn't been a show like this since Korea's first Dungeon Survival flopped spectacularly.
'Alright, let's move.'
I checked the tablet map and pressed on without hesitation. Han Ha-rin would be doing the same with the tablet she'd snatched from some Hunter, heading to her designated spot.
I arrived at sector W-7. A lake dominated by a massive waterfall.
'Water Walk.'
I activated the skill and strode across the lake toward the waterfall. The temperature dropped noticeably the closer I got.
Beyond the falls lay a cave half-submerged in water.
The treasure I'd acquired earlier—this real-time map showed not just humans, but monsters too.
Our survival points were scraping bottom, so even aggressive monster hunting couldn't beat Aqua Stone Team. Instead, we'd been ambushing Hunters to thin their numbers.
'The real-time map marks regular monsters... and bosses too.'
A boss monster lurked inside that cave beyond the waterfall.
I chucked a rock from my right hand into the cave.
Thwack!
Not a splash—something alive had taken the hit.
Rumble rumble rumble.
The cave shook, and the lake's surface churned into waves. I steadied myself to avoid falling and glared into the darkness.
A white squid tentacle lashed out. Without hesitation, I turned and bolted.
'One wrong move and I'm screwed.'
Soon enough, it emerged.
A colossal squid over 10 meters long.
Little Kraken, a C-rank boss monster.
Krakens varied in size by individual, which determined their rank and name. The S-rank boss, King Kraken, exceeded 50 meters.
The Kraken hesitated as it pursued me onto land.
'One rock wasn't enough aggro.'
Crackle!
I hurled lightning at the Kraken. It flinched, then locked eyes on me—eerie yellow orbs.
Over a dozen thick tentacles writhed, propelling it across the lake toward me.
'Pissed off now! Right on plan!'
I sprinted across the water without looking back.
'Acceleration!'
Acceleration
Maintained for 10 minutes. Remaining stacks: 4
The swimming Kraken was too fast; I had no choice. Reaching the shore, I glanced back. Just in case the aggro dropped and it retreated.
No such luck.
It splashed after me, murder in its eyes.
"Haha. Over here."
I grabbed a nearby tree branch and tossed it at the Kraken.
Sector F-3. The grassland with the rest area.
I arrived right on time for my target spot. A battle was already raging.
Aqua Stone Team versus the Hunter alliance's 25 members.
Incredibly, despite the numbers disadvantage, they were holding even.
'...That bastard laid a ton of magic traps.'
Kang Seok-su's pre-set traps were letting Aqua Stone Team fight on equal footing.
"Sung Yu-jin from Gukcheon University Hunter Team!"
"That guy's here? Wait—what the hell is that behind him?!"
"Little Kraken! He brought a C-rank boss monster, Little Kraken! That psycho!"
I smirked and charged toward the fray. The Hunters panicked. The magic arrays everywhere made escape tricky.
"R-Right, fall back first! We're not ready to face the Kraken and Aqua Stone at once!"
A lanky guy with four arms shouted. From his voice, I pegged him as Seo Oh-jun, the alliance leader. The extra arms were his ability, no doubt.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
"B-Behind us too!"
Han Ha-rin soared through the air via gravity manipulation, a 5-meter black golem hot on her tail.
"C-rank boss monster—Basalt Golem!"
Basalt Golem, also called Obsidian Golem—a boss-tier monster.
"Gukcheon University Hunters! You bastards are hell-bent on turning this into chaos!"
Spot on.
'Can't let you have all the fun without me.'
We wouldn't have gone this far if they'd included me.
'Short on allies? Recruit some monsters. Communication's impossible and they're out to kill me, but whatever.'
The Kraken and golem turned on the Hunters. Monsters instinctively prioritize humans. Plus, these two weren't the sharpest.
'Wearing the same Dungeon Survival gear—they can't tell us apart.'
Like distinguishing identical dogs in a pack, monsters struggle with uniformed humans.
I weaved through the alliance, slashing wildly.
Quick check on Han Ha-rin. Per plan, she guarded the rest area cabin entrance.
'Can't let them inside.'
Kang Seok-su picked this spot for the distance, open sightlines... and the rest area.
If things went south, they could flee to the no-combat zone. That had to be their thinking.
'No way in hell.'
Not just Kang Seok-su—if any Hunter holed up there till the end, we'd likely lose.
Our survival points: -4,825.
One Hunter bunkering down could seal our defeat.
'Luckily, the chaos means few are even thinking about it.'
Some tried, but magic traps and the Basalt Golem blocked them. With Han Ha-rin glaring at the entrance, no worries there.
'My job: take out the runners first. Let one slip to another sector's rest area, and we're done.'
Priority: fleers, then ranged attackers.
I scanned and moved.
Slashed the back of a fleeing Hunter.
"Such a cowardly move... Did you really have to go that far?!"
"No choice. And you allied to take out Kang Seok-su. Why act all righteous now?"
I swung at his crown. Energy Protect held—no penetration.
His shield flashed red as an association staffer zoomed in like a bullet, hauling him from the field.
Too dangerous now. Even the staff were on edge.
'One death here, and the broadcast's toast. Association'd face hellish backlash.'
They had to prevent casualties.
'Red shield means "unusable," but really 10% energy left. Insurance policy.'
Sharp Hunters probably knew.
I kept chasing and eliminating runners.
'Cameras rolling—no Complete Recovery. Pace my energy.'
Kang Seok-su would survive this mess. I needed strength left for him.
"...!"
I jerked my head aside, dodging an incoming arrow. Without hyper-alertness, it'd have hit.
I spun. At 300 meters, Yoo Jung-mi nocked another, aiming my way.
Good eye.
Chaos everywhere. Alliance shattered; Hunters fighting each other. They'd realized: last one standing wins.
Me and Kang Seok-su were methodically culling them most efficiently. From Yoo Jung-mi's view, I was priority one.
Ting!
I batted the arrow aside with my blade and charged.
'Yoo Jung-mi can't use mana. I'll win.'
Ting! Ting ting!
Frontal arrows? No sweat.
Distance closing: 200m, 150m, 80m...
A golden tiger materialized before her, lunging.
Yoo Jung-mi's "Golden Beasts." Summons golden animals to attack, as named.
Hacking had tipped me off—I vaulted onto the tiger and cleaved down. It crumbled and vanished.
I didn't stop.
At 30 meters, dozens of golden pigeons swarmed me.
'Those stick and explode.'
One of her tactics. Single blasts weren't much, but thirty-plus? Instant elimination.
I thrust my hand forward.
'Ten Thousand Thunders (卍雷)...!'
"Ten Thousand Thunders (卍雷)"
⟨ Discharge! ⟩
Lightning coalesced before my hand. Pigeons closed in.
'Discharge!'
Bolts exploded outward, sweeping the pigeons. They vanished without detonating.
1 meter.
I slashed at Yoo Jung-mi with all my might. Five strikes turned her Energy Protect red.
"...Hah. You really E-rank?"
"Yup. Been a Hunter less than a year."
"...What?"
A female staffer grabbed Yoo Jung-mi to evac.
I quickly called out.
"Hold up! Gimme the bow and arrows!"
"Here."
She handed them over. Yoo Jung-mi was out—spoils of war. Claim it before she vanishes.
"You're strong, I get it. But you can't beat Seok-su. He's got something huge."
I knew what, but played dumb.
"I'll manage. I'm huge too. You know that, right, noona?"
I hinted slyly. Her eyes flicked to my crotch, then away. She started to speak, but the staffer whisked her off.
I nocked an arrow, aimed at Kang Seok-su, and fired.
'At least harass him, wear him down.'