Chapter 15. You Have a Skill Too? (3)
Chapter 15. You Have a Skill Too? (3)
3
A week passed.
-Grrgle.......
The monster staggered, making the sound of a boiling pot. The Goblin King. The monster that was practically the boss of the 5th-floor hunting ground finally collapsed with its throat slit.
I looked down at the Goblin King's corpse with a solemn face.
"Gor."
Over the past week, the monster before my eyes had been the strongest opponent. Ah, how many times had I died to kill this thing? As an honorable warrior bidding farewell to a rival, I gazed upon the Goblin King.......
-What bullshit. You're like a goddamn crazy zombie.
"Oh, come on. I barely hunted it after 6 coins. Can't you let me have a moment?"
For reference, 6 coins meant I'd staked my life 6 times. Since this was the 6th coin, that meant I'd died 5 times trying to kill the Goblin King.
The guardian spirit snorted.
-Getting all sentimental over killing one monster is what makes you a nutjob. I only speak facts.
"Wow, is that so. Our Sword Emperor sure has a lovely personality."
As you could already tell from how freely I conversed with the guardian spirit, I'd gotten used to Aura by now. Even now, time was flowing sluggishly due to the elixir's effect.
It was just that I was concentrating Aura on my tongue and speaking "much faster" than usual.
"Grrgle."
Though I'd won through trickery rather than a head-on fight.
I pulled out a shit-colored card and checked it.
+
[Goblin High Society]
Rank: F
Effect: The Goblin King agonized. 'Our goblin culture is far too lowbrow. Every language ends in kerruk, kerruk. At this rate, I cannot possibly shine with the dignity befitting this great one!' At that moment, the Goblin King's genius flashed. 'That's it! From now on, this great one shall say gorruk instead of kerruk. Gorruk! A pronunciation befitting this great one's refined sensibilities.'
※However, internal conflict within the tribe intensifies.
※This is a skill copied from the monster Goblin King.
+
I clicked my tongue.
"Goblins really do fuss over the most pointless things. Kerruk or gorruk, it's all the same."
-That's why they're goblins. Humans aren't much different either.
"Excuse me?"
-Nothing. Just thinking out loud.
The moment I was about to ask what he meant, a voice rang in my head.
[Your existence becomes even more distinct.]
A sound I'd never heard before.
But I knew what it meant. Countless hunters had testified about it in interviews, and some had even shown it directly in personal videos.
"I-it's finally!"
A level up!
[Hunter Kim Gong-ja's level increases.]
"Ah......."
I was moved. I'd lived my whole life as an F-rank hunter. I'd been anxious that I might live like that forever. But after obtaining the copy skill and the regression skill, after overcoming countless pains... the moment of leveling up had finally arrived for me too.
[Skill slot expands!]
[Your hunter rank is now E-rank!]
Even if it was still only E-rank.
[May fortune be with you all.]
Whoosh!
Red Aura shot up from beneath my feet. Flames. Or something resembling a simple red stream of water—it covered my body once. Then it flowed back down and vanished.
-...Flames?
The guardian spirit narrowed his brow in front of me.
-No, blood? Tch. It's confusing. It's either flames or blood.......
"That was the level-up effect just now, right?"
-It's not just an effect that exists to look cool.
The guardian spirit scratched the back of his head.
-It's a kind of hint.
"A hint?"
-Mm. Depending on what effect manifests when you level up, your [Aura form] gets determined. For example, that Flame Emperor bastard you killed. That guy's Aura form was definitely [fire].
"Flames, huh."
I recalled the memory. The sight of Flame Emperor burning Saintess to death in some slum alley. It was an unpleasant enough memory that I didn't want to recall it, but... Yoo Soo-ha really did seem like someone who handled Aura in the form of flames.
-What form your Aura takes is usually determined by the hunter's trauma.
Trauma.
-An event, scene, or memory significant enough to define your life. That kind of thing manifests as the form of your Aura. The shape of your unconscious, you could say? Well, it doesn't necessarily have to be negative trauma. But usually it is.
"I see."
-From what I can tell, zombie, you're either flames or blood.
Listening to him made me a bit curious.
"Now that you mention it... what form is Sword Saint's Aura?"
-Moonlight.
The guardian spirit said it like he was tossing it away.
-Old man Marcus got lost in the mountains as a kid. He didn't want to die, so he desperately climbed to the peak, and as he got closer to the top, the leaves blocking the night sky grew sparser and sparser. When he finally reached the summit, the pitch-black night sky spread out brightly before him.
Moonlight.
-At that moment, he thought: that moon doesn't shine on its own—it only receives the sun's light. Yet a life of simply receiving can be beautiful enough. Ah. I want to shine by receiving, like moonlight.
"......."
-He said it left such a deep impression that he carried it in his heart his whole life.
I was dumbfounded as I listened.
"You said he was a child?"
-Yeah. Said he was 12.
"What kind of 12-year-old kid thinks that deeply?"
The guardian spirit nodded.
-That's why old man Marcus is a born boomer. Tsk tsk. When I was 12, all I thought about was how to efficiently beat the shit out of the thug in front of me.
"No, that's also... not exactly normal......."
If Sword Saint was a born boomer, then what was the guardian spirit in front of me? A born delinquent?
-Anyway, you've gotten used to the 5th floor. Let's head up to the 6th-floor hunting ground.
"Ah, about that."
I spoke.
"Can't we just go straight for the 10th-floor boss?"
-What?
"I've confirmed I can copy monster skills, and I've gotten fairly used to Aura. From what I can tell, I can definitely take the 10th-floor boss too."
The guardian spirit fell silent for a moment.
The gaze he fixed on me was sharp.
-Kim Gong-ja, are you already getting cocky when you're still a greenhorn?
"Absolutely not."
I answered firmly.
The 10th floor!
In our world, no one had cleared the 10th floor for years. It was a place called impregnable. I'd dared to say I'd clear such a high-difficulty zone, so from the guardian spirit's perspective, he had every reason to be concerned.
"I'm really confident."
But I truly was confident I could clear it.
No, I was certain.
"If I can't take down the 10th-floor boss within 2 coins, I'll call you Master."
-Huh? 2 coins?
The guardian spirit's expression suddenly turned icy.
-A guy who took 6 coins just to kill a goblin chief says he'll take down the 10th-floor boss in 2 coins? Really? You don't seem to know this, but I've never gone easy on anyone in a bet.
"However! There are conditions."
-Hm?
I raised my index finger.
"Tell me everything about what skills the 10th-floor boss has without hiding anything. No lying about this. Fudging the cards is also forbidden."
-Hmm. Well, that much is.......
"And!"
I grinned.
"If I win, you call me Master Gong-ja. As politely as possible. With full courtesy and decorum."
-.......
"Why? Scared? Come on. If you're scared, just back out."
Twitch.
If you had to pick the one thing a delinquent hates hearing most, it'd be "You scared?" And the guardian spirit was no ordinary delinquent. He was the strongest delinquent from another world who'd cleared all the way to the 99th floor.
The guardian spirit's facial muscles twitched.
-Kak, ptoo! This little shit thinks he can disrespect the great Sword Emperor just because he got some cheat skills? Ohhh, fine. Let's make a bet!
"Deal."
-Deal! Kim Zombie, you'll fail to clear the 10th-floor boss and spend your whole life calling me Master until you die. Ha! You can't even die, so you'll just have to live with "Master" on your lips forever.
"Do you have a delusion skill? Get ready to serve your Master Gong-ja."
-Heh heh heh.
"Kekeke."
We glared at each other and let out sinister laughs.
Hunters who'd been hunting goblins in the distance whispered among themselves.
"Hey, that guy's been muttering to himself for a while now."
"Now he's even laughing by himself. Does he have mental issues?"
"Shh! He might look this way. Pretend you don't notice, pretend you don't notice."
"......."
...I should cut down on the talking to myself as much as possible.
I quietly shut my mouth and headed for the 10th floor.
4
Unlike other hunting grounds, a manager stood in front of the 10th-floor boss room.
The person dispatched from the Hunter Management Bureau listened to what I said and furrowed his brow.
"You want to challenge the boss alone?"
"Yes."
It took less than 2 seconds for the manager's expression to change to 'Who is this lunatic?'
"Look. I don't know if you saw the news recently... The Black Dragon Guild put together a raid party of 30 elite members. They even added 4 top-rankers. They failed. Solo hunting is suicide."
"So what?"
I was confident.
"Bureau regulations say any hunter who wants to attempt a clear must be let through."
"Well, that's true, but......."
The manager's face grew troubled.
"Excuse me, but I record every hunter who enters here. Later, my superiors at the Bureau will look through the records... then I'll become the bad guy who let in a hunter who was obviously going to die, won't I? Please consider my situation too."
"Hmm."
What to do. I calmly stroked my chin.
-What? Management Bureau? In our world, we didn't raise these kinds of bastards when clearing the Tower!
Of course, I meant I alone was calm.
-These bastards, I swear! Making a Management Bureau, making guilds, playing politics—I've hated that shit for ages. Wasting mental energy on crap like that is why you're still groveling on the 10th floor! Hey, Kim Zombie! Just beat this bastard up and walk into the boss room.
'No, why would I hit someone who's done nothing wrong?'
-He's daring to block my path.
As expected of a psychopath, human rights were at mosquito level to him.
"Manager."
Clicking my tongue inwardly, I reached into my pocket.
"I can see you work hard every day. You're right, Manager. Challenging it alone is nothing but suicide. But... I really do want to kill myself."
"Excuse me?"
"Things have been so hard lately......."
I put on a bitter smile.
"My lover died a year ago. Not long ago, the Alchemy Ministry diagnosed me with a terminal illness. They said I have six months at most, and I don't have the confidence to endure those six months without my lover."
"Ah......."
-What?
The guardian spirit scrunched up his face.
-What kind of bullshit is this zombie bastard spouting?
I ignored him. And I kept whispering to the manager in front of me.
"But even if I'm low-ranked, I'm still a hunter. I don't want to end my life hospitalized at the Alchemy Ministry, waiting to die today or tomorrow. Even if I die... I want to challenge monsters until the very end."
"So that's the story......."
As the manager listened to me, his expression gradually turned sympathetic. You know that face people make when they hear about a complete stranger's misfortune—that 'Ah...' face. That one!
"Here's the money I saved up for treatment."
I handed the money pouch to the manager. It was heavy. The pouch contained one hundred gold.
"It's useless to me now anyway... please take it, Manager."
"I-I can't accept money like this!"
"It'll disappear anyway. I want to leave lightly, without leaving anything behind in this world. Manager, please don't record that I entered here either. This is the last request of my hunter life......."
The manager's expression grew heavy. Almost like he was about to tear up. That heaviness probably had a bit of the money pouch's weight added to it too.
"...Understood. Go on. I saw nothing......."
-Well, well.
The guardian spirit was dumbfounded.
-Hey, are you two filming a movie? This isn't some hidden camera prank, is it?
Whatever he said, the manager let me through.
I parted ways with the manager and moved my feet. A stone path. The place where the 10th-floor boss resided was a mansion as lavish as an old noble house. I walked the stone path leading to that mansion.
'The 10th floor that Flame Emperor Yoo Soo-ha originally cleared.'
I stood before the mansion's front gate.
I slowly pushed the doors open with both hands.
'This time it's different. Instead of Flame Emperor... no.'
Creeeeak.
The hinges trembled as the mansion's front gate opened.
'I'll write a legend even more dazzling than Flame Emperor's.'
I took one step forward.
And then it began.
-Kekekekeke!
Laughter echoed from all directions. At the same time, the gate I'd opened and entered through slammed shut. Boom! The surroundings went dark in an instant, and from the darkened depths, the chilling laughter grew thicker.
Candles lit one by one.
-Will you play with us?
Here. There. Though no one touched them, the candles stuck to the floor ignited. Wherever a candle lit, a doll was invariably placed there. Lady dolls that young children often played with.
-Will you play with us?
The dolls opened their mouths.
-Freeze tag? Red Light, Green Light? Hide-and-seek?
-The ice melted. The flowers all got torn up. Let's play hide-and-seek!
-Yeah! Play with us! Play hide-and-seek with us!
-Kekekekeke!
I took my stance.
"Fine. I'll play with you."
The Aura I'd trained over the past week bloomed from my body.
As if it had been waiting for that reaction, a voice rang in my head.
[You have entered the Boss Stage.]
[Challenger: Hunter Kim Gong-ja. 1 person.]
[May fortune be with you all.]
A stage that no human had yet cleared.
The so-called "Hide-and-Seek of the Fire Hell Mansion" had begun.