Chapter 111: Thanks for the Meal (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 111: Thanks for the Meal (2)
A black leg, gleaming in the soft moonlight, flew toward me like the sharp tip of a spear.
A sudden attack.
But I didn't feel like I was in any danger.
Because the creature's charge looked like it was in slow motion.
“Hup.”
I pushed off my legs and jumped back. At the same moment, its massive body crashed down where I had been, letting out a tremendous roar.
KWAANG!
Dirt and dust billowed up.
Kiiieek!
From within the cloud, the creature shrieked in frustration as it straightened its legs and rose.
I conjured a light breeze to blow the dust away.
Finally, I got a clear look at it.
“Oh? It's gotten bigger.”
It seemed it hadn't been idle for the past ten years; its enlarged body was the first thing I noticed.
Its exoskeleton, covering its entire body, also seemed to have grown stronger, gleaming under the moonlight.
“It was C-rank when I saw it last...”
I didn't have a scanner, so I couldn't get an exact measurement, but based on my vast experience, I’d guess it was now barely a B-rank.
“Pretty fierce.”
The top of C-rank and the bottom of B-rank.
At first glance, it might seem like it's only climbed a single step, but the reality is different.
For a monster, moving from C-rank to B-rank means it has undergone an evolution.
In other words, it's not like climbing one step, but more like jumping up an entire floor.
In terms of numbers, it must be at least 1.3 to 1.5 times stronger.
Pshhhk!
The creature shot a web from its spinneret.
I made a wide movement to dodge the web as it spread out in mid-air like a net.
Thwack!
Having missed its target, the web fell and stuck to the ground.
Just by looking at it, you could tell it was sticky enough to not let go easily if you stepped on it.
Letting it keep shooting webs would be a pain in its own right.
“Then I'd better end this quickly.”
Monsters like spiders and scorpions are covered in hard exoskeletons.
Thanks to that, they have high defense, making them difficult to pierce.
So, what's the most effective way to hunt creatures like these?
As I've already demonstrated in the Ant Nest Dungeon with my team members, attacking the joints is the most effective method.
I immediately gathered my mana and formed a sharp blade of wind.
「Wind Cutter.」
The blade flew, precisely targeting the thin joints exposed between the plates of its exoskeleton.
Unlike the ants that had been helpless against this attack, this creature swung its legs one after another, swatting away all the blades aimed at its weak points.
Its guard is tougher than I thought.
Kikikiki!
Its triumphant chittering made it seem like it had been waiting for revenge after getting beaten once before...
“Ah.”
It's because of me, isn't it?
Right. The first time I met it, I was investigating the flower's condition, and it was being such a nuisance that I fired a volley of Sword Ki and severed every single one of its leg joints.
“...This bastard really holds a grudge.”
It probably didn't know I was the same person from back then, but it seemed to have been waiting for a rematch anyway.
Pshhhk! Pshhhk!
Another volley of web clumps rained down.
I closed the distance while dodging the webs, then gathered mana in both hands.
If ranged attacks don't work, I have no choice but to drive them directly into its joints.
A chillingly blue mana formed a pure white dagger in each of my hands.
「Ice Dagger.」
A modified version of Ice Needle, a spell that shoots out sharp awls of ice.
Kiaaak!
The durability of the daggers, woven stitch by stitch from hilt to tip with a considerable amount of mana gathered in an instant, was...
Kaaang!
...so great that they didn't get a single scratch even after blocking the creature's foreleg, despite being made of ice.
I immediately engaged it in close combat.
I've only held a blade a handful of times in this body, so it felt a little unfamiliar, but it wasn't a problem.
A few swings were all it took to get reacquainted with the weapon I'd wielded my entire life.
Excluding the four legs supporting its massive body, the other four rained down on me.
They were fast and sharp, each strike feeling like a large-caliber bullet.
If one landed, it would be a fatal wound, dangerous even for a Hunter's body, but...
That's only if it hits.
They were fast, but they were simple attacks that couldn't deviate from a straight line.
It would be difficult to get hit by such a ridiculously simple attack—one I could predict the moment it lifted its leg—unless I deliberately stopped moving.
“Hup!”
Using a sudden burst of acceleration, I spun out of its attack range and simultaneously plunged the dagger in my hand into the leg joint right in front of me.
Kwajik!
Kwadeuk!
One dagger for each leg, sinking deep.
Kkiiieek!
The creature's scream followed.
For us, it would be like having a dagger shoved deep into the knee connecting the thigh and shin. Of course it would hurt.
My movements didn't stop there.
I continued to repeat the same process, dodging the creature's desperate, flailing attacks.
Form a dagger, plunge it into a joint.
By the time I had made a full circle around its massive torso...
Kuuung!
Its giant body collapsed to the ground.
It was nearly impossible for it to support that huge frame on its mangled legs.
“Time to end this.”
I aimed my palm at the neck of the creature as it trembled feebly.
Mana gathered and split repeatedly around its neck.
Soon, eight spears of pure white ice materialized.
「Ice Spear.」
An intermediate ice-attribute spell that not only pierces the target sharply but also freezes the wound so not a single drop of blood can escape.
The sharp tips, honed with chilling frost, would be more than enough to pierce its carapace and end its life.
“Farewell.”
With a small gesture, the eight spears floating in the air simultaneously pierced the creature's head.
Puk! Puk! Peogeok!
The life drained from the eight eyes on its head.
A black mist of mana rose up like the regrets of a life cut short.
“A shame.”
If I had Mana Absorption, I would've taken all of that.
Licking my lips in disappointment, I turned away.
Before its corpse disappeared, I took a few necessary parts and then headed for my real objective.
A single, beautiful flower that had been growing in the same spot for 99 years and 360 days.
That flower was the reason I hid this dungeon.
It feeds only on that moonlight—I have no idea by what principle it pours down—and it only reaches full bloom after exactly 100 years, at which point its effects are maximized.
Back then, I couldn't find a way to replace that mana, so I had no choice but to do that. But things are different now.
Because this body's talent allows mana to become anything.
I used earth magic to create a trowel and began to slowly dig up the soil around it.
Careful, careful not to damage a single root...
“Got... it!”
Thanks to the delicate work, I succeeded in digging up the flower with every root intact.
Just as I'd made the trowel, I used earth magic to create a small flowerpot.
I carefully laid down the soil I'd dug up, then gently placed the flower in the middle.
Then, I covered it with more soil.
“Phew!”
Now, only the final step remained.
The mana imbued in the moonlight that endlessly shone down on one side of the cavern.
I copied its form and arrangement exactly and embedded it into my own mana.
If I draw this out and shine it on the flower and soil...
“Oh...!”
The still-unfurled petals trembled lightly, as if pleased.
It seems to have been a complete success.
“Hehe, now that I've secured it nicely...”
Lastly, I'll leave a note so my guild members don't get a shock when they arrive in five days...
“There.”
Time to go home.
* * *
Early dawn.
A black sedan departed from a high-rise building in Gangnam.
There were three people on board, including the driver.
Having successfully escaped Seoul before the morning rush hour traffic clogged the roads, their destination was Mount Taebaek.
The three men got out of the car and walked in silence.
In the heavy atmosphere, one of the men spoke up.
“W-Wow! The Madam will be so pleased today!”
Another man chimed in.
“Hmm... Indeed. Even for the Madam, an item like this would be difficult to obtain...”
As the two men worked hard to lighten the mood, a small smile appeared on the lips of the man who had been walking silently.
“...I hope so.”
A sliver of hope had emerged.
A small hope that perhaps today could be the day he broke through the blockage in their frustrating relationship.
His pace quickened in response.
His highly trained body allowed him to run up the tall mountain as if it were flat ground.
“Master! That's not the way.”
“Ah...”
I guess I got too excited.
He tried to hide his awkward expression and followed the other two as they forged a path in a different direction.
After walking for about thirty minutes, they safely arrived at the tree where they had left a marker.
“Let's begin.”
“Yes, sir! Leave it to me!”
The younger man rolled up his sleeves and slammed his fist into the ground.
Kwaang-!
Dust billowed up, and a huge crater formed where the flat ground had been.
The blow was so powerful that even the rock they had used to block the entrance below was shattered to pieces.
The man who was suddenly covered in dust glared at the younger man, covering his mouth and nose with a handkerchief.
“...Control your strength a little.”
“Haha... My apologies,” the young man said, embarrassed.
After some time, once the dust had settled, the three men descended into the crater.
Before them was a small earthen tunnel.
The younger man took the lead, clearing the way as he pushed forward.
The remaining two followed slowly along the path he had widened.
Soon, the three of them reached a rift and placed their hands on it.
Unfazed by the sudden change in atmosphere, they walked silently along the path.
“You said the boss was still alive, right?”
“Yes. It's C-rank, so it won't be dangerous.”
“Haha! Then one punch should be enough to finish it.”
The young man laughed heartily and clenched his fist.
“I'll head in now!”
With a confident stride, the young man pushed open the door to the boss room.
He quickly slipped inside, but soon turned back with a bewildered expression.
“...It's not here.”
Urgency filled the faces of the two men who had been following at a leisurely pace.
A missing boss monster could only mean one thing: someone had already cleared the dungeon.
As the two men crossed the vast cavern and reached the far end, a shocking sight greeted them.
The small space where the soft moonlight shone down had been dug up.
“N-No...!”
“......”
On top of the dug-up mound of earth lay a small, neatly folded note.
The middle-aged man bent down, picked it up, and unfolded it.
[Thanks for the meal.]
Kkilkkilkkilkkil!
The moment he read the words on the note, he heard an auditory hallucination and strained to listen.
It was the sound of laughter, as if mocking him.
The middle-aged man silently crumpled his face and the paper at the same time.
The other man, pale and at a loss, cautiously asked him, “What should we do? Should we track them...?”
“...Forget it.”
He shook his head.
He had a good idea who the culprit was.
However... there were too many complications to confront him.
Strictly speaking, the flower had simply found its rightful owner.
It was just that.
“Life is bitter...”
He could only shake his head at the bitter taste filling his mouth, a taste born from a difficult life.