Chapter 50
Chapter 50
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 50
Chapter Title: Off to Steal Again
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Iron Mask Man.
His skills were more than enough to send shockwaves across the entire world.
Kotaro, a top-tier player acknowledged by Roxy, the number one rookie.
Kenny, the poison expert who dominated the battlefield alongside him.
He didn't just overwhelm the two of them—he utterly crushed them in a massacre.
Especially his movements and reaction speed during the fight drew gasps from countless experts and analysts.
'Oh, Iron Face. No human!'
'Truly astonishing. Dynamic vision, reaction time, combat sense, precise maneuvers—not a single flaw.'
'Skills so superhuman you have to wonder if he's even human. He must've scored top marks in the ability measurement simulator!'
'Haven't seen a player like this since Luke.'
Iron Mask Man became the talk of the town overnight.
Naturally, comparisons to other top rankers' past exploits were inevitable, with the fiercest debates centering on none other than Luke.
These kinds of debates were par for the course.
Iron Mask Man's impact was so massive that even high rankers and top rankers jumped into the debates themselves.
He set every community and forum ablaze.
But that buzz faded quickly, buried under the next big thing.
Ranker Hunter.
News of Gu Hwi had resurfaced.
The emergence of powerhouses was more than enough to get Agas players hyped.
And so...
The debates only grew more heated.
Iron Mask Man and Luke.
Completely unaware that they were the same person.
Shwoooong!
The massive scythe chained to the ceiling sliced through the air, swinging left and right.
A narrow straight bridge lay in its path.
No other passages in sight.
Everything beyond the narrow bridge was a sheer drop into the abyss.
To reach the other side, one had to cross that cramped bridge amid the scythe's swings.
'Gap between the chain scythes is about two footsteps, plenty of room to dodge in between. Roughly how long until the scythes reach the ends...'
But Luke's face showed no tension whatsoever.
Instead, he calmly calculated the scythes' angles, distances, and swing times as he stepped forward.
Shwoong!
A bit slower.
Shwoong!
No.
This one was slightly faster.
He adjusted to the tempo bit by bit.
One step.
Then two.
Adapting to the chain scythes' pattern.
Crossing the bridge with steady composure.
Haste invites disaster.
Hesitation brings death in an instant.
'If it sticks to this pattern all the way...'
He could definitely make it across this damn bridge.
Luke was confident—but that thought was quickly revised.
'What the hell, the speed changed?'
The forward and backward swings altered in speed.
Some chain scythes even twisted at irregular angles.
"Po, Poko!"
Poko, watching from afar, shouted urgently, but it was too late.
'Too late to dodge!'
No choice but to deflect the arrows in this stance.
'Here they come.'
His eyes gleamed sharply.
Braincleaver gripped reverse in his hand.
In the slow-motion flow of time, Luke's eyes darted rapidly.
He could see it.
The incoming arrows' trajectories.
Analyzing angles and paths in a split second.
Tingtingting!
Deflect.
Shwoong!
Dodge.
Shooshook!
'Fucking developers!'
Another volley fired mid-movement.
No helping it—Luke bent backward at the waist to evade, Matrix-style.
"Grrgh, Yong Ho-seop, you bastard!"
"Po, Poko!"
"Heh heh, don't worry, I won't die... Urk!"
Shwoong!
He nearly died.
A split second slower pulling up, and he'd be gone.
He barely made it to the other side.
The rewards for clearing the trial arrived, just like the first one.
But unlike before, two stats rose at once.
The reason was simple.
Achievement rank.
The number of stat increases depended on that rank.
'A-rank and below: one stat. S-rank and above: two!'
That was the rule.
'A dungeon that boosts stats via traps and mechanisms. Even for a hidden dungeon, I've never heard of this.'
Indeed.
The Hunter's Trials.
This section that raised stats through traps and gimmicks was a first even for second-year player Luke.
One stat point per level-up.
But here, one or two—or more—per trial.
Even experiencing it firsthand, he could hardly believe it.
'Jackpot.'
It was a jackpot.
Seventh trial.
13 stat points gained getting here.
And each type varied based on the traps and structures.
Magic traps: Mana.
Strength challenges: Strength.
Others: Health, Agility, Luck, and more.
A well-rounded boost.
'I've been lacking in stats and skills lately...'
Shadow's Grudge.
First awakening.
And now this dungeon, filling those gaps all at once.
Click!
Luke grinned as he pressed the hidden switch.
The chain scythes halted instantly.
Only then did Poko dash across from afar.
'Can't miss a jackpot like this.'
Achievement depended on perfect clears.
He'd slipped up once early on from ignorance, but not after.
The other six trials? All S-rank clears.
'If I S-rank the rest too...'
He could grow even stronger here.
Luke turned with a sly grin.
"Alright, let's move. Poko, full speed ahead!"
"Poko!"
Plenty of trials left.
'Holy shit.'
15 trials total.
All but the first cleared at S-rank.
Total stat gains...
'29!'
Equivalent to 29 level-ups.
'Kuh, as expected of a hidden dungeon... no, a hidden scenario-class one!'
A dungeon worth sighing in awe over.
To think he'd lived without knowing about it.
Regret gnawed at him.
At the same time, he marveled anew at the greatness of the Great Thief job that led him here.
'Can't even compare to that trash.'
Thief?
No, different.
He was a thief, proper.
"Anyway..."
Luke turned.
The room at the end of the trials came into view.
A pillar in the center.
A button atop it.
A massive door opposite.
Didn't look ordinary at a glance.
"Press that, huh?"
Examining the pillar's button closely.
Then he spotted the inscription on the wall, belatedly.
His face twisted in disgust.
Trap gauntlet followed by monster waves.
Nothing easy from start to finish.
'Fucking hate this.'
Not five or ten, but twenty battles.
And "stages" implied escalating difficulty.
'Illusions probably mean ghost-like monsters...'
Physical attacks mostly useless.
Lightning and poison damage might cover some ground.
But limits there too.
'Poison Essence absorption won't last long.'
Luke narrowed his eyes.
Any other way?
Something easier, simpler to bypass the room.
"Pokopoko!"
"Huh?"
Poko's sudden cry turned his head.
His gaze fixed on the sole exit.
The massive iron door.
'Oh, that...'
A hole beneath the door.
Tiny keyhole compared to the door's size.
'Said the key comes after winning all battles, right?'
The wall inscription.
Seized by possibility, Luke approached the wall.
It worked.
Unlock skill applicable, message clear.
But...
'Of all things, level 2.'
One step above his skill level.
'Tch, about to hit level 2 soon...'
No time more frustrating.
'Maybe a lockpick won't even fit?'
In regret, Luke tried inserting one anyway.
'Huh? It fits?'
'...Wait, does that mean attempts are possible?'
If so, game-changer.
Why?
Unlock, like Steal, raised proficiency on failure.
Considering that, Luke jammed in his iron dagger.
Then slowly twisted the inserted lockpick upward.
Snap!
It broke almost immediately.
Proficiency though?
It rose.
Just 0.10%, but still.
Failures on level 2 locks still granted proficiency.
"......"
Luke stared at the broken lockpick.
Like a plant, it regrew to perfect condition.
At the sight, both corners of his mouth split into a wicked grin.