Killing Intent
From some point on, his nerves had grown increasingly sensitive.
Something kept pricking at him, like needles jabbing into his flesh, but he couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was.
Unable to shake the nagging unease, he kept glancing back every so often, but as always, there was nothing there.
What the hell is it?
The question lingered, unresolved.
So did the discomfort.
That's when a variant Hydra appeared ahead.
"Get ready to hunt!"
Yura shouted loudly.
Mu-hyuk snapped to attention and focused forward. He lent a hand in taking down the variant Hydra that had shown up.
Of course, all he did was fire arrows from the rear, but the fact remained that it helped.
Experience points increase.
Yura sheathed her sword.
"Good work, everyone."
As they pressed on, Mu-hyuk kept checking behind them again this time.
This is ridiculous.
He shook his head and looked ahead. Just then, Yura approached, tilting her head with a curious expression.
"Mu-hyuk-ssi?"
"Yeah?"
"Is something wrong? You keep looking back."
"Just a bad feeling I can't shake."
"A feeling?"
"Yeah."
"Hmm, what kind?"
"Hard to put into words."
Yura shrugged with a smile at Mu-hyuk's response.
Right, forget it.
Constantly checking behind him when there was nothing there was pointless.
The unease kept circling, but he forced it aside and focused forward.
He could see his summons scouting meticulously through the area.
Originally, he'd planned to keep his full strength hidden by sending only a small number for reconnaissance. But now he wondered if that was even necessary.
Hiding it on purpose feels like a waste now.
Yeah, I decided not to care.
About others' stares.
Plus, hadn't he resolved to push back against those who tried to overwhelm him with numbers? If so, maybe he should show them instead.
So he revealed them.
All his summons.
At first, Yura and the entire staff had been stunned.
Now they were used to it.
"Nothing here, it seems."
They'd scouted for about 15 minutes without finding anything.
"Then let's keep moving forward and search as we go."
"Sounds good."
Mu-hyuk dismissed all his summons.
About five minutes later as they advanced—
He stopped dead in his tracks.
This time, it wasn't his imagination.
Ah, so that's it.
Finally, he could define the sensation he'd felt all along.
Killing intent. This was pure killing intent.
He turned his head. Twenty users in robes were approaching from afar.
The moment he saw them, he knew instantly.
Player killers.
PK users who made a habit of it.
"Mu-hyuk-ssi?"
The staff behind him called out to the unmoving Mu-hyuk.
Only after two more calls did his gaze shift to them.
"Everyone, battle stations."
Sung Min-woo rushed up beside him urgently.
"What's up?"
"Those guys look like PKers."
Only then did everyone follow Mu-hyuk's gaze.
They spotted the twenty approaching users.
"Ah, the robes...!"
The program staff finally tensed up. Non-combat staff fell back while those who could fight clustered forward.
By then, the robed users were much closer—now within easy range for spells or arrows.
Yet they hadn't attacked. That made it awkward to strike first.
What if they're not PKers?
That thought muddled his mind.
At that moment, Mu-hyuk transformed his sword into a bow and nocked an arrow. Those who saw it widened their eyes in shock.
"M-Mu-hyuk-ssi!"
"Wait, hold on...!"
Before they could stop him, Mu-hyuk released the string.
Bang!
The arrow shot out like lightning.
One approaching user drew a dagger and deftly swatted it aside. But Mu-hyuk smiled.
Kaboom!
The storm exploded.
You deal 1,987 additional damage.
The man's lips twitched as he staggered back from the impact. His twisted expression screamed fury to anyone watching.
"The delicious scent is wafting from over there."
The man flicked his hand as he spoke.
The nineteen behind him reacted.
Whoosh.
They kicked off the ground and charged.
"Skeleton Cavalry summon."
But Mu-hyuk was a fraction faster.
Cavalry had already appeared, blocking their path.
Horses as massive as rhinos filled the space, their riders thrusting long lances to keep the foes at bay.
Yet the hostile users charged without hesitation, clashing with the cavalry.
Clang! Kagang!
Armor Cavalry 1 swung its lance, but the robed user dodged more easily than expected.
They closed the distance bit by bit, then focused on the horses instead of the armored riders.
The confined space made maneuvering difficult, and soon one horse leg shattered.
Crack.
Armor Cavalry 1 dropped to the ground and tangled with the user. Without the mount, its destructive power dropped significantly due to the cavalry's nature.
Armor Cavalry 1, fall back. Accelerated thrust.
But it seized a split-second opening and activated its skill.
"Hup!"
The robed user reeled back from the blinding speed of the thrust.
Bang!
In that instant, five of Mu-hyuk's arrows targeted him.
Four were Multi Shots, one a Powerful Arrow Shot.
All carried Storm, so even one hit would shave off a huge chunk of HP.
Splat.
But the foe chose evasion over blocking.
Probably because of that first attack.
As Mu-hyuk's brow furrowed, the robed user was already moving.
The timing was exquisite. He slipped through the subtle gaps between the incoming arrows.
Mu-hyuk's sure-kill strike flew harmlessly past.
Right after, he pushed back the Armor Cavalry relentlessly. His skill was genuinely impressive.
'Armor Cavalry 1' is unsummoned.
'Cavalry 1' is unsummoned.
'Cavalry 3' is unsummoned.
Hmm.
As Mu-hyuk frowned—
"Haaap!"
Sung Min-woo jumped into the fray.
"Fire, Flame Swing!"
He bellowed as he leaped into the battlefield, clashing with one user.
The other staff finally snapped to and joined the fight.
"Damn, they really are PKers?"
"Can't you tell?"
"Alright, let's clean this up first!"
Mu-hyuk smirked at their reactions and refocused on the battle.
Time to summon more.
"Skeleton Warrior summon."
White steam billowed behind the robed users.
Hiss.
The users flinched and backed off.
There, several Armor Knights knelt on one knee, clashing jaws with numerous Bone Swords.
As the Armor Knights rose, their massive frames were laid bare.
Thirty-six in total.
Twenty-three Armor Knights and one Burtan—what an intimidating sight.
Even the robed users hesitated for a moment.
Summons stop here.
He'd keep the archers and mages hidden. They might call reinforcements.
Better to prevent them from gauging his full power.
This was more than enough anyway.
Not just Mu-hyuk—Sung Min-woo, Yura, and plenty of other combat-capable users were there.
Armor Cavalry 2, charge forward.
Armor Cavalry 2, accelerated thrust.
He issued commands decisively while sniping robed users with arrows in between.
They desperately dodged his arrows above all else.
In that case.
No need to waste Storm on them.
Powerful Arrow Shot.
Multi Shot.
The rear skeleton warriors hadn't budged.
They just blocked the path.
Perhaps because of that.
The cavalry dropped fast.
In the end, he sent ten Armor Knights and eleven Bone Swords to the front.
The rest kept the hostiles from fleeing.
The enemies seemed to realize the rear skeletons' role, glancing back occasionally but not overly concerned.
That's when Burtan moved.
Slightly, very slightly.
And the long wait resumed.
No casualties on his side, sweep the enemies in one go.
One minute, two, then three.
Many Armor Knights and Bone Swords fell, but Mu-hyuk stayed calm.
Just a bit more.
Finally, his eyes turned ice-cold.
Clack.
Burtan's jaw snapped open.
Kieeeaaak!
The ki blast shot out, engulfing the hostiles in an instant.
An unavoidable massive wave.
The swept robed users staggered, unable to hide their panic.
Only then did Mu-hyuk shift his bow to sword form, using Wind Step to close in.
He approached who seemed the leader and swung indifferently.
Storm. Cross Slash.
But he didn't die, so he slashed again.
Stab, thunk.
One down, an armor piece dropped.
He picked it up, stowed it in his inventory, and eyed the next.
No reason to drag this out.
All Armor Knights, charge.
Once they surrounded them.
All units, powerful strike.
He unleashed skills en masse.
Boom, kaboom!
The remaining robed users all died, nineteen items glittering on the ground.
The others shot envious glances, but Mu-hyuk ignored them and collected everything.
The contract stipulated it: All items from the Treasure Dungeon belonged to Mu-hyuk and Sung Min-woo.
Meanwhile.
The PK user who logged out.
Asrahan, leader of the deep-hooded group, pulled out his phone and dialed.
"What's up?"
"Found a real tasty one."
"A tasty one? Fix that tone first, you psycho."
"What's wrong with my tone?"
"Illusion's gone to your head. That's why guildmates avoid you."
"Nineteen still follow me."
"You're insane. Made you strong?"
"Ranker."
"Rankers are a dime a dozen."
"Top ranker."
"Oho, really? Class?"
"Necromancer."
"Pass. No fun. Necromancers are predictable. And that rotting corpse stench? Hate it. Besides, you and your weird crew can handle a necro alone. Ignore summons, you know that, right?"
"Of course."
"Then what's the issue?"
"You'll see."
"See what?"
"Summons inherit stats."
"And?"
"Rank 51, Mu-hyuk. First to master it."
"Hm...?"
"Well?"
"That's the guy you're after?"
The voice on the other end turned serious.
"Sounds delicious, right?"
"Answer me. The guy who blew up a guild? The necro who fights with just skeletons?"
"Yeah, that's him."
"Kya, love it. Where?"
"Treasure Dungeon."
"Bringing the crew. Queue up."
"I'm already dead."
"Idiot. Then I'll hit first."
"No. I gave the intel, so we go together. Wait."
"Sigh, damn it. Fine."
"Hanging up."
Asrahan ended the call and laughed.
"Heh, heheheh."
A deeply sinister laugh.