One Week of Slaughter
Wragjak!
A week had passed.
A faint tremor rippled through the hand gripping the dagger.
It was a lie, of course, but in a Red Gate dungeon, any hesitation felt dangerously close.
“Huff.”
Dojin exhaled softly and checked the rations he had brought along.
Most of it was compact dried meat, so he could survive until the break point if he rationed it carefully.
The only real problem was water, but even that could be solved when he looked around—he had the snowballs piled up everywhere.
Dojin scooped up a handful of snow and shoved it into his mouth, then lightly massaged his right hand.
A mere week.
He had been devoting himself to hunting while sparing even time for sleep.
That was what he did best.
Slaughter the enemy. Slaughter again. Slaughter again and again.
In one week, the number of Ice Goblins he had killed had surpassed eight thousand.
And from those eight thousand alone, his level had already climbed twelve.
What he gained from killing them was right here.
Status Window.
Name: Ha Dojin
Level: 112
Strength: 240.7 + 31
Agility: 698.4 + 64
Vitality: 218.2
Spirit: 308.8 + 17
Bonus Stats: 0
The additional stats gained from slaying Ice Goblins were for agility alone.
“……About a hundred more, maybe a little more?”“LT__/p>
If it was 0.1 to 0.2 per kill, that would only be a few hundred at most.
When he dealt with the Stone Giant before, it had been almost one boost every two or three kills…….”“LT__/p>
‘With so many of them, maybe.’”“LT__/p>
Or perhaps the probability of granting additional stats had dropped.
He had no idea why, but this time it was around 8 percent.
Still, even so.
“Agility is almost 700…….”“LT__/p>
In just one week, he had become a different person.
Now he was the one who was dazed.
So fast.
‘Were there even any traits that let one grow this quickly?’”“LT__/p>
Dojin checked his skills.
[Unique Skill (Passive): Table of the Apocalypse]
―When the user kills a target stronger than himself, he can steal the opponent’s strength.
‘This so-called strength…… is it really just about leveling up?’”“LT__/p>
That made no sense otherwise.
Ice Goblins measured at level 110.
That was why the additional points had cut off the moment he reached 110.
But Dojin already knew.
The moment he had become this strong, the balance had completely broken.
‘All I need to do is hunt monsters higher than my level.’”“LT__/p>
Under the current standards, that meant around 120-level monsters.
But his strength already far surpassed 200.
The gap would only widen from here.
Whether it was even possible here, or…… if by some miracle…….”“LT__/p>
‘If I could reach 150……’”“LT__/p>
That feeling back then.
He would be able to leap over the overwhelming Kang Seungho in an instant.
Dojin stood up from his seat shortly after.
The short ten-minute break was over.
It was time to deal with those creatures again.
‘At this hour, they surely weren’t just sitting around.’”“LT__/p>
Eventually, Dojin walked across the frozen wasteland, heading toward the pack of Ice Goblins.
* * *
A heavy tension had settled over the entire Red Circle Guild.
Especially the high-level hunters, who had gone almost into emergency mode, unlike their usual activities.
Clop clop.
The staff in the lobby tensed up the moment Jang Gwangho entered.
Jang Gwangho, who usually kept a low public profile.
Even those who had worked at the guild for a long time said they had seen him only a few times before.
But recently, he had been showing himself more often.
The Red Circle staff knew exactly what it meant.
It meant the guild’s situation was bad.
Someone who was supposed to stay out of sight appearing meant either severe manpower shortages or an emergency.
Jang Gwangho headed straight for the secretary’s office.
“Where is Master?”“LT__/p>
“He’s…… in a dungeon right now.”“LT__/p>
“Which dungeon?”“LT__/p>
“J-just wait a moment.”“LT__/p>
The secretary frantically clicked the mouse to check the schedule.
“It’s the Steel Golem Dungeon, an advanced dungeon. Level 180 and above.”“LT__/p>
“Steel Golem, huh.”“LT__/p>
How long had it been since Master entered a dungeon?
More than two years, at least.
But why now?…….”“LT__/p>
‘Something…… is pressing him urgently.’”“LT__/p>
Jang Gwangho, who knew Kang Seungho’s ‘true’ level, understood this.
Perhaps within the guild, or perhaps in the entire world, only a few people truly understood Seungho.
―Always hide three-tenths of your true ability.
That was the habit Kang Seungho drilled into his closest aide.
The hunter world was too unpredictable for anyone to reveal everything about themselves.
Only by keeping one’s strength concealed could one survive the most dangerous moments.
Jang Gwangho’s level had just passed 220.
A little under Seungho, but still top-tier in Korea.
Normally, hunting in dungeons raised levels.
A basic system.
Yet the reason few reached 200 was simple.
After receiving the 200-level special, leveling up had become almost impossible compared to before.
One level per one level was the brutal reality.
That was why Jang Gwangho had given up.
How many in Korea could even match him anymore?
But Kang Seungho…….”“LT__/p>
‘……He was the only one in the country who reached the 240s.’”“LT__/p>
He didn’t know the exact number, but 245 or 246?
And now he was entering a dungeon again.
There was only one reason.
“……He’s aiming for the 250-level special.”“LT__/p>
Specials were granted every fifty levels and made hunters much stronger.
If luck and talent aligned, the combat power could double or more.
But Kang Seungho, who had stopped leveling up years ago, was now chasing the 250 special again…….”“LT__/p>
‘That means the opponent is really strong.’”“LT__/p>
Ha Dojin.
Who the hell was that guy?
Jang Gwangho simply stared at the empty master’s office before turning away.
* * *
Looking at the snow-swept wasteland, Pakon and the other hunters couldn’t hide their shock.
“……What the hell happened?”“LT__/p>
“Is there an attack team that entered but we didn’t get notified about?”“LT__/p>
Pakon shook his head at once.
That was absurd.
If an attack team had entered the Red Gate, there should have been at least ten people…….”“LT__/p>
‘Remaining members: seven…… Did they form a new team with those seven?’”“LT__/p>
Pakon narrowed his eyes.
Ekkachai, standing beside him, stepped forward and said,
“Could it be they hired a foreign attack team?”“LT__/p>
“Possible, but they had been rejected right up until now. How?”“LT__/p>
When a national emergency was declared, the government sometimes hired elite hunters from other countries if domestic forces weren’t enough.
But that was only after weighing opportunity costs against expected damage and other hunters.
Hiring foreign hunters to clear the Red Gate Dungeon had cost astronomical fees.
The Thai government and Hunter Association had wanted to do it too, but the numbers didn’t add up, so they hadn’t.
In the Red Gate Dungeon, they could have evacuated civilians, stationed hundreds of hunters and soldiers outside, and minimized damage that way.
Of course, recovering the area would cost a fortune, but still.
“They must have decided that hiring foreign A-class hunters is far more expensive than just cleaning up afterward.”“LT__/p>
But now another team had shown up.
The chances were slim.
Yet at that moment,
“……Pakon, come look at this.”“LT__/p>
Ekkachai’s face hardened as he stared at the corpses of the Ice Goblins.
Pakon and the surrounding hunters gathered around, tilting their heads in confusion.
Even though they were struggling here, Ekkachai’s observation and analysis skills were top-class in Thailand.
Ekkachai pointed at the wounds on the Ice Goblin corpses.
“It’s one person.”“LT__/p>
“What?”“LT__/p>
“These Ice Goblins…….”“LT__/p>
Ekkachai stood up and surveyed the hundreds of corpses scattered around.
His expression, now pale with shock.
His lips were trembling from the sheer terror.
When Pakon looked at him with a puzzled face, Ekkachai said,
“A single person killed all of them.”“LT__/p>
* * *
Slash!
Invisible speed.
The Ice Goblin whose carotid artery had been severed didn’t even realize he had been cut.
By the time he thought something like spider threads had bound his body, it was already too late.
Puhak!
He was already dead.
[Initialization Condition Met. Time Distortion cooldown has reset.]
“Time Distortion.”“LT__/p>
Time around Dojin slowed by 1.5 to 1.6 times within a five-meter radius.
The eyes of the approaching creatures wavered, and in that slowed time,
Pa-bam!
Dojin had become a god.
Slash! Slash! Stab! Stab! Stab!
[Initialization Condition Met. Time Distortion cooldown has reset.]
All critical hits.
He could only maintain Time Distortion for four seconds, but with Reset, it was almost infinite.
One-versus-many.
The worst matchup for an assassin hunter like Dojin, but the unique trait Reset erased that weakness.
“Dark Absorption.”“LT__/p>
Fwoosh!
Soon, black flames flickered above dozens of Ice Goblin heads nearby.
The despair they carried.
Each flame was different in size, but the result was the same.
[Dark Absorption: 82%……]
[Dark Absorption: 99%……]
Despair rising in an instant.
The more enemies, the more despair could be absorbed.
Then Dojin dove into the center of the pack and swung his dagger.
“Explosion.”“LT__/p>
Kwaaahaaaaang!
“Kiiieeeek!”
“Kwaaaaaak!”
With a fierce explosion, the Ice Goblins were blasted in all directions.
Those nearby died instantly.
Those farther away screamed as the shockwave hit them.
It was a scene of pure massacre.
Dojin’s movements were too fast for the Ice Goblins’ eyes to follow.
The shortage of attack power was filled by Arkal’s Wrath.
A dagger forged from the fangs of the light dragon Arkal.
It could not be blocked by the weak hides of the Ice Goblins.
“Hoo.”“LT__/p>
Dojin exhaled briefly and adjusted his breathing.
Already over a hundred Ice Goblins lay around him, yet…….”“LT__/p>
‘Not even half of what’s left?’”“LT__/p>
The surrounding Ice Goblins hurled nets at him.
“Kiek!”
“Kiaak!”
Catch me, damn it!
It felt like they were shouting that.
Dojin slid across the snow, watching the ten or so nets raining down from above.
Pushing too hard against the ground could throw off his balance.
A very long time ago, during his first battle on slippery snow, a small mistake had nearly cost him his life.
But Dojin now was different.
He had experience in frozen wastelands, and in the water, underwater combat.
Even among these creatures that could call this place home, he was still…….”“LT__/p>
Chwaak!
“Kiek!”
There was no way to block or catch him.
Thud.
Two more Ice Goblins collapsed to the ground, blood spraying.
The surrounding ones froze.
Fear had taken root in their eyes.
Monsters or not, they were living creatures.
Seeing dozens of their comrades die right in front of them, how could they remain calm?
Eventually, despair spread across the entire area.
Terrified Ice Goblins neither attacked aggressively like before nor fled.
Just like their name, they had all frozen solid.
The ruler of the wasteland, Dojin had become the slayer of the Ice Goblins and slaughtered them mercilessly.
[You have reached level 130.]
When he hit 130, a message he hadn’t expected floated in front of his eyes.
[The trait of the being who reached the highest from the lowest has been revealed.]
[130-level special granted.]
“……Special?”“LT__/p>
Dojin’s eyes widened as the next message appeared before him.