Chapter 114
Chapter 114
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 114
Chapter Title: Isolation - 2
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“This is a great chance to raise my skill proficiency!”
Kim Min-jun dashed excitedly toward the depths of the dungeon.
He’d left a Night Walker near Son Eun-seo, so he’d know if anything happened to her.
From now on, this dungeon was his personal playground.
“Nice. Quite a pile-up.”
Deep inside the dungeon where Iron Golems appeared.
Over a hundred Iron Golems had already amassed.
For any other hunter, that number would spell despair.
“The gate’s at the far end over there.”
The dungeon’s relatively simple structure had changed a lot in a short time.
Probably due to the gate’s influence.
Even so, it was nothing compared to a labyrinth-type dungeon.
Ssssh.
The gate continued to writhe even after time had passed.
There was no sign of monsters emerging.
“Then I’ll just raise my skill proficiency in the meantime.”
In a reset-type dungeon, processing monsters yielded nothing no matter how many you took down.
However, that only applied to regular hunters.
Unlike other hunters, he possessed skills, making this a prime opportunity to boost their proficiency.
“You don’t gain proficiency just by spamming skills. You have to smash monsters with them to see real gains.”
He’d only watched other hunters fight lately, leaving his body itching for action.
With plenty of mana stockpiled, he decided to use this chance to level up his skills.
Thud! Boom!
The Iron Golem horde advanced with heavy footsteps.
“I’ll focus on the low-rank skills first.”
He fired a Dark Arrow at them.
Swoosh!
“Oh.”
It pierced right through the chest of an Iron Golem, famed for its sturdy defenses.
In a single shot, no less.
He hadn’t used it since hunter mobile training, but with the skill rank and mana stat boosted, it had grown considerably stronger.
“If it were the old power level, it would’ve just bounced off.”
Pleased with his ever-improving physique, he suddenly faced an incoming punch from an Iron Golem.
Not just one, but countless fists.
Even with their sluggish attacks, the sheer volume left no room to dodge.
“Feels good.”
So he didn’t dodge.
He took it head-on.
Thwack! Thunk!
The kind of force that would’ve killed any other hunter long ago.
But on Kim Min-jun’s body, it barely left a scratch.
“This is all thanks to Hunter Corps training.”
Before, he would’ve dodged or countered.
Sure, he had high stamina for a black mage, but not like now.
“Don’t get too cocky.”
As the relentless assaults continued, he conjured a barrage of mana arrows.
When they fell, he made more. When new ones appeared, he made even more.
Like a machine repeating the same motions for about six hours.
[Mana Arrow proficiency has increased!]
[Mana Arrow skill rank has risen to B!]
Finally, the skill rank-up message appeared.
“Whew. This isn’t work for a human.”
Kim Min-jun grimaced in exhaustion.
Maybe because these were relatively weak monsters.
The proficiency gain was painfully slow.
“Low-rank skill going from C to B, and I can barely feel it.”
At best, piercing power improved a bit?
He’d downed around six hundred Iron Golems with Mana Arrow so far.
And this was the result?
Way less efficient than expected.
“Used up a good chunk of mana too.”
With unknown monsters potentially spawning from the gate, he needed to conserve some.
Just in case.
“Guess I’ll smash them barehanded from here on.”
Changing tactics, he sat down in front of the gate.
He judged that raising his Perpetual Engine stat would be far more efficient than grinding black mage skill proficiency.
“Wonder if tanking these nonstop will level up my stamina skills too?”
Plenty of time, so he’d experiment.
With that thought, he closed his eyes peacefully.
Even as newly spawned Iron Golems lumbered toward him.
**
“Is the mana bomb intensity properly calibrated?”
“Yes, sir! We ran three confirmation checks!”
“Good. Start immediately once ready.”
“Understood!”
Outside the dungeon.
Near the entrance of the sealed reset-type dungeon stood just four hunters.
Division Commander Son Tae-ho of the 107th Division—a major general—and Division Commander Do Suk-yong of the 104th—a major general.
Plus two explosive ordnance specialists—sergeants.
“Ugh… Now I get why the platoon leader told us to come.”
“This is the kind of crap duty that makes you question your enlistment. We’re three-year vets, man!”
Hiding their tension as best they could, they finished installing and inspecting the mana bomb.
You might see a two-star general once in your whole service life, but two at once?
The pressure was immense.
“The two trapped inside are Sergeant Kim Min-jun and Corporal Son Eun-seo, right?”
“Yeah. Corporal Son Eun-seo is the 107th Division commander’s daughter. Sergeant Kim Min-jun is that famous hunter who captured an ogre alive.”
“Damn… If this goes wrong, we’re done for.”
“Done for? That’d be lucky. Stay sharp! No mistakes!”
Typically, when hunters got trapped in a dungeon, the first step was breaching the entrance with special equipment.
Mana bombs were a last resort, used only when all else failed.
Using one right away meant the situation was dire—and the trapped hunters were VIPs.
“Mana bomb! Ready!”
“Detonate the moment the safety perimeter is clear!”
“Yes, sir!”
“Got it!”
The explosive specialists completed final checks and quickly retreated.
“Mana bomb! Firing!”
“Brace for intense flash—avert your eyes!”
Click.
Three seconds after pressing the button.
KABOOOM!
A massive explosion rocked the ground.
“Is the entrance clear!”
“How’s the entrance!”
They’d used the maximum intensity safe for mana bomb entrance breaching.
Any ordinary dungeon entrance would’ve given way.
But.
“…The entrance didn’t breach.”
No such report came.
Despite the mana bomb, the dungeon entrance remained unscathed.
Major General Son Tae-ho’s face twisted in fury.
“Fuck!”
With civilians nearby, they couldn’t amp the power higher.
Plus, headquarters had authorized only one mana bomb.
Now, all they could do was wait.
“Please come out alive. Both of you!”
“Sergeant Kim Min-jun’s tough. He’ll handle it and get out. We have to believe that.”
The two division commanders stood vigil through the night.
**
Two days had passed since Kim Min-jun and Son Eun-seo got trapped in the dungeon.
“I’m so bored I could die. I wanna play Dungeon Fighter. My character’s fatigue is gonna reset!”
“Quiet down! What if monsters come this way?”
“If they do, I’ll handle them all.”
“Sigh… Being around you is messing with my head too.”
Unlike the nonchalant Kim Min-jun, Son Eun-seo couldn’t even sleep from anxiety.
A gate in a reset-type dungeon.
Monsters could emerge from it anytime.
Dragging this out was dangerous.
“No matter how monstrous his stamina is, I can’t count on it forever.”
Iron Golems spawning ten at a time every interval.
Handling them solo this long was insane.
But even a monster of a hunter had limits.
All they could do was hope a monster emerged from the gate soon.
“More importantly, that purple candy he gave me. What the hell is it?”
She’d eaten it yesterday out of desperation, and her condition snapped back to normal instantly.
When she asked what item it was, he just said it was a secret.
“Without him… I’d be dead already.”
Getting isolated alone in a dungeon was the worst-case scenario.
Even without monsters, the anxiety could trigger panic attacks.
That’s what dungeons were like.
No wonder hunters always moved in groups.
“Whew.”
Meanwhile.
Kim Min-jun had steadily raised his Perpetual Engine stat through relentless training.
He’d clear the piled-up monsters, then temper his Perpetual Engine.
Two days of mechanical repetition.
Ding.
“Oh?”
The results appeared before his eyes.
[Perpetual Engine stat has increased by 1!]
[Perpetual Engine stat has increased by 1!]
[Perpetual Engine reinforcement has generated an exclusive skill.]
Hitting Perpetual Engine stat 20 unlocked a new skill.
[Overload: Perpetual Engine generation speed massively accelerates for a set duration. After skill use, Perpetual Engine overheats and halts for a while.]
“This is basically… a booster?”
Perfect for moments needing a mana surge.
Incredibly versatile.
“Nice!”
He couldn’t help humming.
Son Eun-seo shot him a dirty look from the side, but he ignored it.
Thud! Boom!
“Oh?”
“Huh?”
The dungeon suddenly shook with a roar.
Kim Min-jun and Son Eun-seo’s gazes turned in unison.
No doubt about it.
A monster had emerged from the gate.
“I’ll take care of it quick, so stay here.”
“No, this time I’m coming too. You’ve carried it all alone so far.”
That resolute expression meant she’d follow no matter what.
“Hunter Corps doctrine is group action anyway. Leaving her solo forever isn’t right.”
Covering one Son Eun-seo was easy.
After telling her to follow his lead, he raced toward the gate.
“That one’s… a troll.”
The monster from the gate was a troll.
Known for its potent regeneration, the culprit behind burning through ammo.
“That’s… an irregular…”
Son Eun-seo’s voice trembled upon seeing it.
Normal trolls had green skin like goblins or orcs.
But this troll’s skin was red.
[The troll has been granted super-regeneration.]
[This monster will die in 48 hours.]
Helpfully, the system revealed the troll’s traits.
Not just regeneration—super-regeneration.
And it would die on its own if left alone.
“Super-regeneration, huh. Son Eun-seo, I’ll clear the Iron Golems first, so fall back.”
“Got it.”
Kim Min-jun drew his second-gen mana sword and enveloped it in aura.
‘Built up a lot in the meantime.’
A troll with top-tier regeneration, now boosted to super-regeneration.
He was curious just how fast it’d heal.
‘Mana of Desire.’
Activating the skill doubled all his stats.
Vrrr.
The mana sword vibrated from the temporary power surge.
“Let’s see how quick it heals!”
Aura fully charged, he slashed horizontally.
A simple side cut.
But its power was immense.
The horde of Iron Golems split in two at once.
“W-W-what the… How?!”
Son Eun-seo, watching from behind, gaped.
Aura overflowed from the mana sword.
Making the blade look over three meters long.
And that was the still-in-development second-gen mana sword.
Stronger than first-gen, but stamina-draining.
“Swinging that and still fine? What are you… Huh?”
Her shock didn’t last.
“T-That thing! Kim Min-jun! Watch out!”