Chapter 165
Chapter 165
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 165
Chapter Title: Dungeon Survival
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My arrow flew straight toward Kang Seok-su.
The distance was about 500 meters. It might have been impossible back then, but now I had the sharpshooter trait. Lately, I'd gained a ton of confidence in hitting things by throwing or shooting them.
I'd infused the arrow with mana, and Kang Seok-su, being a mage, wasn't the type to dart around erratically. Hitting him wouldn't be hard.
'Just land once properly.'
But against my hopes, Kang Seok-su raised his hand and conjured a magic barrier. My arrow bounced off it.
'His reaction speed means he's been watching me from the start.'
In a way, it was only natural. I'd been the one who turned the situation into this mess. From Kang Seok-su's perspective, he had no idea what I might pull next, so he had to keep an eye on me.
I kept firing arrows. All seven were blocked by the magic barrier.
'His mana isn't infinite. Maintaining the barrier while watching the others must be tiring him out even more. This works in my favor.'
Once I ran out of arrows, I ditched the bow without a second thought. Then I chased down the hunters trying to flee from here and eliminated them.
'With me watching like a hawk, where do you think you're going?'
I looked around.
The meadow, once filled with chaos, had grown quiet before I knew it.
Only three hunters remained now: me, Kang Seok-su, and Han Ha-rin. Everyone else was out. Kang Seok-su targeting the alliance hunters first had made a big difference.
'What about those headache-inducing monsters...?'
The basalt golem was facing off against Kang Seok-su. Cracks spiderwebbed across its black body. It was on the verge of crumbling.
And the little kraken that had just eliminated one hunter was heading my way now that it spotted me. Only four tentacles remained, and red blood poured from the wound on its head. It no longer had that overwhelming presence from before.
'I can handle that thing on my own.'
There was no way to control the kraken, so it was better to take it out cleanly before dealing with Kang Seok-su. Leaving it alive could lead to interference at a critical moment.
'Once bitten, twice shy... no, that's not it. There's an idiom for this, but I can't remember. Damn, it's bugging me. This kind of thing distracts from the fight.'
I racked my brain desperately, and it came to me. Kill the dog after the hunt.
'Squid. Let's see how you taste.'
I gripped my knife reverse-style and charged at the kraken.
???
Dungeon Survival Repodge Studio.
"Gukcheon University Hunter team! They've brought the C-rank boss monsters, Little Kraken and Basalt Golem, right to the final battlefield...! Who could even think of something like this...?"
Jo Seok-hu clicked his tongue in amazement.
And soon after, the Little Kraken and Basalt Golem began rampaging across the battlefield.
Jo Seok-hu gaped slightly. It was even more chaotic than he'd imagined.
"Th-this is it! A cauldron of chaos! Battles are erupting across the meadow! Battles everywhere! The alliance has lost all meaning! Even the strong favorite Kang Seok-su Hunter's bewildered face is on full display!"
Jo Seok-hu shouted excitedly. The situation was a disaster, but for viewers, it couldn't be more thrilling or entertaining.
Dungeon Survival Repodge is about to end soon, he thought with strong conviction.
Then he glanced at the director. What would he think of this? Surely staring at the disaster with a stiff expression.
But contrary to Jo Seok-hu's expectations, the director was grinning contentedly at the screen.
Dungeon Survival Repodge wasn't a real survival game. It was just a broadcast program.
A bland survival? That wouldn't draw crowds. Why gather 150 hunters? All for the fights.
This chaotic mess was far more twisty and stimulating than a smooth win for Kang Seok-su's team.
The director had a gut feeling. This scene would go down as the highlight of Dungeon Survival Repodge.
"...Phew. Was there really any need to go that far? It's too extreme."
Hong Su-won sighed in frustration. Baek Ji-eun jumped in immediately.
No one here was unaware of the rivalry between Hong Su-won and Baek Ji-eun.
"The Gukcheon University Hunter team was rejected by the alliance. Honestly, I thought they were done the moment it formed. But they turned the tables with a brilliant idea. Who else would think to drag in the Little Kraken and Basalt Golem in that situation?"
"I'll grant you it was brilliant, but strictly speaking, that's a monster shift. It doesn't look good. And it's too dangerous. Two C-rank boss monsters in one spot. An accident wouldn't be surprising."
Monster shift.
Passing monsters off to other hunters—a heinous act. A clear crime. Getting caught meant more than just a fine.
"This is Dungeon Survival. The other hunters here are competitors. It's strategy, not crime. Besides, Hunter Association staff are there. At least C-rank hunters, plenty of B-ranks, even a few A-ranks. You still think it's dangerous with all that, Hong Su-won-ssi?"
Hong Su-won chose his words carefully.
His Bluebird Guild was one of Korea's top 10, but they couldn't ignore the Association. It dominated the hunter world. Completely antagonizing it was unwise.
"...I meant there's a possibility of accidents. With the Association there, of course it's low risk."
Baek Ji-eun smiled.
"Even that tiny risk is being handled by the busy Association staff. I, Baek Ji-eun—no, the Korean Hunter Association—guarantee Dungeon Survival Repodge's safety."
Hong Su-won shut his mouth.
If it were just Baek Ji-eun personally, he'd nitpick. But with the Hunter Association's name invoked, he couldn't afford to clash over this.
The action on screen sped up.
"The alliance has collapsed! Alliance hunters are turning on each other, prioritizing their own survival!"
"Hm. Smart move. In that mess, survivors have the best shot at winning. Best would be holing up in a rest area until it calms. But things are too urgent for most to think that far."
"Gukcheon University Hunter team played it perfectly. Sung Yu-jin Hunter chases and eliminates fleeing hunters first, while Han Ha-rin Hunter guards the rest area entrance. They know this is their last chance."
"Ah! The final alliance hunter is eliminated!"
"This... Kang Seok-su Hunter prepared too well. Normally, the Little Kraken and Basalt Golem would raze everything, but he pulled an all-nighter investing over 30 hours into magic circles that critically wounded them. 'A prepared mage is the strongest'—Kang Seok-su Hunter proves it."
"Kang Seok-su Hunter's Ice Strike shatters the Basalt Golem. And Sung Yu-jin Hunter finishes the Little Kraken by stabbing its eye. Now only three remain. Gukcheon University has the numbers advantage, but... as you all know, Kang Seok-su Hunter has the 'Revival' treasure."
"Using Revival won't restore lost stamina or spent mana. It just refreshes Energy Protect. Kang Seok-su Hunter won't forget to fight on."
"Exactly. Ah! But Han Ha-rin Hunter is staggering!"
???
Puuk!
I drove my knife into the little kraken's golden eye. It thrashed briefly before going limp, drained of strength. Dead.
'Basalt Golem's down too. Just Kang Seok-su left. We can take him with a pincer attack alongside Han Ha-rin.'
I looked toward Han Ha-rin to signal her.
My face hardened. She was staggering. Even from afar, her condition looked bad.
'Han Ha-rin's exhausted.'
She'd flown here from the volcanic zone using Gravity Manipulation on herself to drag the basalt golem. Plus, she'd guarded the rest area entrance. Unlike me, she'd used her ability non-stop.
She'd hit her limit.
'...Can't give up after coming this far. I'll face Kang Seok-su alone if I have to.'
I raised my knife and charged at Kang Seok-su. At least most of the magic traps around were spent on the kraken and golem.
'One-on-one, I've got a shot. Acceleration.'
My body sped up. Moment might be more efficient, but Acceleration was necessary to close in fast without giving him time.
"You're the last one. Never expected you'd lure the Little Kraken and Basalt Golem here."
"Wasn't easy dragging them."
As I ran, I glanced at his right side. Mana rippled, forming an ice sword.
"No matter how hard you try, I'll win in the end."
The ice sword shot toward me.
I swung my knife and deflected it easily. Flying straight at my face—if I couldn't block that, I should quit being a hunter.
"There's a limit to underestimating me. With something like th—"
He cut off. The ice sword I'd deflected was flying back at me.
"It's called Ice Perse. The ice sword only stops in two cases: it shatters, or you fall."
"Then I'll shatter it."
This time, I poured in excessive mana to smash the ice sword.
Kaang!
It didn't break. Far tougher than I'd thought.
"The ice sword's hardness surpasses steel. You can't break it with your strength. Accept defeat quietly."
"On second thought, no need to break it."
Kang Seok-su was right in front of me.
I swung my knife like a dance, deflecting the incoming ice sword while attacking him simultaneously.
He frowned and dodged my knife. Not luck.
'Not reacting to my knife—predicting it. Using Sensory Maximization?'
His movements were clumsy, yet he dodged everything. Nothing short of Sensory Maximization explained it.
"......"
Kang Seok-su subtly twitched his left hand. I caught the signal and retreated fast. A wall of flames erupted where I'd stood.
"Good instincts."
"You've got good senses yourself."
Kaang!
I knocked away the incoming ice sword. Not very threatening, but annoying.
'Push hard and end it quick.'
Then, at the edge of my vision, I saw Han Ha-rin desperately signaling me. I interpreted her gestures without moving my eyes much.
Kaang!
I deflected the ice sword, kicked off the ground, and closed in on Kang Seok-su. The moment he stepped back, Han Ha-rin activated her gravity field. Our bodies grew heavy.
'I've sparred with Han Ha-rin plenty. Gravity fields are familiar.'
Plus, her signal had warned me ahead.
'Finish here. If he revives, hit him with three Moments in a row...'
My eyes widened as I swung. Kang Seok-su smirked triumphantly. I sensed things going wrong.
'No way. Did Sensory Maximization let him read her signal without looking?!'
Kang Seok-su thrust his left hand toward me. A red magic circle glowed in his palm.
'Moment!'
Time accelerated in my world. No time to conserve Moment. My knife headed for Kang Seok-su's throat.
He leaned back, dodging it. Even with Moment, he evaded.
'I knew his physical stats were better. But dodging like that... Sensory Maximization read that split-second?!'
I gritted my teeth and triggered Moment again. No backing down empty-handed now.
I forced the knife's trajectory to shift—from horizontal to vertical. The recoil would be handled by Energy Protect.
The knife slashed down from above.
"Kuh?!"
Kang Seok-su dropped to one knee. His Energy Protect turned red.