Chapter 52
Chapter 52
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 52
Chapter Title: The Hermit of the Dragon Temple
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Kang Jin-hyuk had also considered using lightning to wipe them all out.
Unlike the golems that took the form of knights, these were fully living creatures, so it might prove highly effective.
But with only two uses of lightning remaining, he didn't want to expend them now.
Kang Jin-hyuk decided to save the lightning for a true emergency and kept fleeing.
In the end, after a fierce battle, the wolves fell first.
One by one, they collapsed as time wore on, until even the leader of the vanguard stuck out its tongue and keeled over.
Kang Jin-hyuk wasn't unscathed either—far from it. He was utterly exhausted, and even breathing felt like it might bring back up all the potions he'd chugged.
“Urk~.”
Letting out a refreshing burst of gas from his mouth made him feel a bit better.
Kang Jin-hyuk dragged his baseball bat along the ground as he approached the fallen wolves.
“Who says monsters aren't monsters? These guys are seriously huge.”
They only resembled wolves in appearance.
Their massive builds were several times larger, packed with developed muscles, and their long fangs and claws were far more threatening than any ordinary wolf's.
But no matter how fearsome they looked, once their stamina was depleted and they lay collapsed, there was nothing to fear.
“Bunch of nobodies putting me through hell.”
Kang Jin-hyuk let his guard down as he approached, only for his eyes to meet those of the vanguard wolf.
With its eyes half-lidded, it barely seemed to be looking at him. He figured it would die on its own if left alone.
Intending to put it out of its misery painlessly, Kang Jin-hyuk raised his baseball bat.
But at that moment, he received a signal from the bat.
“Huh?”
Realizing what the signal meant, Kang Jin-hyuk froze.
And right then, a red glint flashed in the eyes of the wolf that had just been lying there on the brink of death.
The wolf sprang up like lightning, lunging straight for Kang Jin-hyuk's nape.
“Where do you think you're going!”
Thanks to the baseball bat's presence detection ability, Kang Jin-hyuk had sensed it coming.
Without panicking, he took a step back, narrowly dodging the wolf's fangs, then swung full force at its face.
With the crisp sound of an aluminum bat connecting with a ball, the wolf flipped in midair and crashed to the ground.
The sprawled wolf didn't move again.
It had used up its last reserves for that ambush, and now it had taken a powerful blow on top of that—it couldn't possibly endure.
[Your level has increased.]
Kang Jin-hyuk confirmed the wolf's death from the message in front of him.
“Talk about tenacity.”
Without the enchanted ability on his baseball bat, Kang Jin-hyuk wouldn't have made it out unscathed.
Imagining those fangs—at least 30cm long—sinking into his neck made his shoulders involuntarily hunch.
“Can't let my guard down for even a second in here.”
Every moment since entering this dungeon felt like a crisis.
After smashing the heads of the remaining wolves, Kang Jin-hyuk stored their corpses in his inventory and checked his position.
“Now, which way did I come in...?”
Kang Jin-hyuk racked his brain trying to remember.
But he'd run so frantically that he couldn't recall the path he'd taken in or out.
The labyrinthine surroundings all started looking like the same corridors.
“Damn. I remembered the way out perfectly until they started chasing me.”
Even backtracking to where he'd come from was impossible now.
Wandering off blindly would just get him lost for sure, so Kang Jin-hyuk pulled out his radar first.
“At the very least, I need to avoid clusters of monsters.”
Normally, he might not care, but with his belly bloated full of potions right now, he wanted to avoid fights as much as possible.
Even if he had to hunt, picking off small groups one by one would be better.
Fortunately, the radar screen showed no immediate blips.
Kang Jin-hyuk leaned against the wall for a moment and let out a long sigh.
He could always use a return scroll to get out anyway.
No need to rush finding the way—better to wait until his bloated stomach settled.
“...Oh shit, this is bad.”
After spending quite a while standing there, Kang Jin-hyuk broke out in a cold sweat, his face paling.
He'd only thought about his stomach deflating, completely forgetting about the physiological consequence that followed.
“There sure as hell aren't any bathrooms here...”
His overfilled bladder began protesting, demanding release.
No one was around to see, but Kang Jin-hyuk still felt uneasy about handling his business right there.
Public urination in a place called the Dragon Temple?
He half-worried lightning might strike him down.
“Who cares, damn it. Gotta stay alive first!”
Just before it could release on its own, Kang Jin-hyuk dashed to a corner.
Once he'd emptied out the potion remnants, a wave of refreshment washed over him.
He felt so invigorated that his earlier hesitation about the temple seemed foolish.
“Phew, feels like my body's lighter now. Time to get moving.”
Sticking around would mean the ammonia smell assaulting his nose, so better to clear out.
Kang Jin-hyuk straightened his clothes and turned toward the nearest passageway.
“...”
As his body turned, so did his gaze—and his expression hardened at the figure right in his line of sight.
How long had that person been standing there?
He was certain no one had been nearby when he'd urgently handled his business.
“No blip on the radar, and the bat didn't react either...”
None of Kang Jin-hyuk's detection tools had picked up anything until the figure was within about 10 meters.
That alone told him the stranger was no ordinary person.
“So, finished with your business?”
The other side spoke first.
It was an elderly man who looked over 80, stroking his long platinum beard as he spoke.
He appeared aged, but there was no sense of frailty about him.
Far from seeming enfeebled, he exuded the dignified air of a hidden master.
“Do you live here?”
“Indeed. In a way, you could call this my home.”
Hearing the reply, cold sweat trickled down Kang Jin-hyuk's forehead.
“Uh... I'm really sorry.”
Even with a homeless person, it's polite to avoid their spot if there's any sign they've been there.
Especially when someone claims it as their house—relieving himself without permission was a huge mistake.
Kang Jin-hyuk regretted his thoughtless action.
But the old man laughed heartily, unperturbed.
“Hoho, no need to mind it. Anyone in a pinch might do the same.”
Even if he said that, could he really not be offended deep down?
Just in case, Kang Jin-hyuk checked the old man's karma value.
But no matter how he looked, there was no noticeable number.
No—there was a number, but it was utterly unbelievable.
‘Zero?’
Karma rises even for deceiving others.
A value of zero meant he'd never done anything his conscience pricked at, not once in his life.
Kang Jin-hyuk couldn't imagine such a person actually existing.
Unless he was some flawless sage, who could live like that?
“Did you see something you shouldn't have? Your face looks pale.”
“Ah, it's nothing.”
Feeling exposed, Kang Jin-hyuk looked flustered.
The old man nodded with a kindly face, as if understanding his reaction.
“To you, it might seem strange that no karma weighs on me.”
Hearing the old man's words was like getting smashed in the head with a hammer.
Karma values reveal a person's sins.
For the old man to mention “karma” meant he'd seen right through Kang Jin-hyuk's skill.
“How did you...?”
“Hah! Living a long life sharpens such instincts.”
Kang Jin-hyuk didn't buy it.
No amount of experience alone could let someone instantly discern a skill.
‘Just who the hell is this old guy?’
Unable to peg him as an enemy, the uncertainty only deepened his confusion.
The old man stopped laughing and fixed Kang Jin-hyuk with a serious gaze.
“So, what brings you here?”
Kang Jin-hyuk hesitated.
Be honest, or spin some plausible lie.
Neither option felt certain.
In the end, he went with honesty.
“Came to grind some levels. Oh, and I've got a favor to ask, too.”
“Levels... So that's the 'power' people here talk about.”
The old man understood without further explanation.
“From the way you talk, you must be from another dimension, elder.”
“Didn't you guess as much the moment you saw me?”
Stung, Kang Jin-hyuk shut his mouth.
The old man's words and actions seemed to pierce everything.
“No need to be so wary—I mean you no harm.”
“...Then why show up in front of me?”
“Boredom. Haven't met anyone in ages.”
The old man tapped the ground with his staff.
A ornate antique chair materialized out of nowhere with a thud.
He leaned back leisurely in it, meeting the eyes of the stunned Kang Jin-hyuk.
“Now, you mentioned a favor? Speak it.”
“What the...”
“No need to play dumb. The situation makes it obvious, doesn't it?”
A temple deep in the dungeon.
And a mysterious old man appearing from within.
In this clichéd setup, the old man was blatantly presenting himself as a chance for fortune.
With the meal laid out before him, Kang Jin-hyuk couldn't help but suspect a catch.
“Popping up out of nowhere to grant wishes or something?”
Nothing in life is free.
Kang Jin-hyuk figured the old man would demand a price equal to any wish granted.
But the response was unexpected.
“Not granting wishes—giving you an opportunity.”
“An opportunity?”
“Yes. A chance to seize what you desire.”
Hearing it stated so openly only made it more suspicious.
Still, nothing to lose—Kang Jin-hyuk pulled out the ore the dwarf had entrusted to him.
“First off, the reason I came here was to purify this.”
“Iron grown by devouring people. Where on earth did you get such a vicious thing?”
“Too complicated to explain, so let's just say I beat the crap out of someone and took it.”
“Hmm...”
The old man stroked his beard, paused, then snapped his fingers with his left hand.
“Done.”
“Huh? What's done?”
“The purification. The vengeful spirit bound to that iron should be at rest now.”
Kang Jin-hyuk wondered if he should take the words at face value.
Had a curse really been lifted with such a childish gesture?
Having expected something more elaborate, he felt deflated.
“I did grant that one, but it's hardly your true wish.”
The old man smiled enigmatically.
Kang Jin-hyuk didn't like how it felt like his innermost thoughts had been read.
“If you know so much, why don't you guess it yourself.”
“Hohoho. Quite the bold young one.”
The old man tapped the ground with his staff again, and the surrounding lights went out.
Kang Jin-hyuk was suddenly trapped in pitch darkness, unable to see an inch ahead.
“What the hell is this, with no warning?”
“Your true desire is power, isn't it? Then show me your strength.”
“You bastard...”
Kang Jin-hyuk pulled a scroll from his inventory.
Tearing the one inscribed with Light Burst, a bright orb floated up, illuminating the area.
But the old man was gone from his restored vision.
Instead, there stood a blond young man clad in armor.
He had drawn his sword and faced Kang Jin-hyuk.
“Take your stance.”
“What?”
“One warning only.”
The blond youth stepped forward instantly, slashing at Kang Jin-hyuk's throat.
There was no time to react.
Before Kang Jin-hyuk could even draw his baseball bat, he felt the cold bite of metal across his neck.
Seeing the blood spraying from his neck, he realized he'd died.
Unable to bear the oncoming pain, Kang Jin-hyuk screamed.
“Arrrghhh!”
His throat was severed—he shouldn't be able to make a sound.
Yet the scream rang clearly in Kang Jin-hyuk's ears.
“...Huh?”
He realized he was lying on the ground.
Scrambling up, he touched his neck—no wound, perfectly intact.
“What in the world just happened...”
Kang Jin-hyuk was no longer inside the temple.
The tightly shut temple doors greeted him, along with Lucia's face waiting outside.
Lucia crunched her candy to pieces and approached, offering her hand.
“What happened in there? You pop out screaming like that.”
Kang Jin-hyuk took her hand with a dazed expression and stood.
“No idea. Thought I died, and suddenly I'm here.”
As he rose, a small piece of paper fluttered down from him.
Picking it up, he saw it covered in indecipherable script.
“What's this?”
“Lemme see.”
Lucia snatched the paper and read the unfamiliar characters fluently, as a native of this world would.
“Says come back after you get stronger?”
In short, he'd failed.
“What kind of test is this?”
Give a guy time to prepare at least—instead, instant slash to the throat and fail?
Fuming, Kang Jin-hyuk stormed back to the door, but it stayed shut.
“Why won't this open now? Is it stuck?”
“Only one challenge per day.”
Lucia read the back of the note he hadn't gotten to.
“Fine, we'll see about that.”
Kang Jin-hyuk ground his teeth, his competitive spirit ignited.
If that's how they wanted to play, he had plans of his own.