Chapter 59
Chapter 59
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 59
Chapter Title: Portal
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[Strange energy emanates from the Energy Stone.]
[The Energy Stone's effects are maximized!]
“Strange energy? Maximized?”
I had no idea what that meant.
I tilted my head and pulled the Energy Stone from my pocket. The stone, which had once shimmered blue, was now stained pitch black.
[Corrupted Energy Stone]
An Energy Stone altered by a peculiar energy.
When consumed, it grants maximum demonic energy for a set duration.
After 30 seconds, the acquired demonic energy dissipates.
“The system… is telling me the item’s info?”
Once before in the camouflage dungeon.
This made twice now.
“This damn system. I still don’t get how it works at all.”
Whether in the otherworld or on Earth.
Aside from the status window, the system only handled simple notifications like this.
There were even times I’d gotten annoyed at how unhelpful it was.
“From now on, keep giving me the good stuff. Got it? But man, this item’s performance…”
Kim Min-jun checked the item’s effects and grinned ear to ear.
“It’s insane!”
That basically meant unleashing full power for 30 seconds, right?
I’d been hoping for something good, but this was beyond ridiculous.
“Total power booster. Gotta save this for the clutch moment.”
Humming a little tune, he admired the black, rippling stone for a good while.
**
In front of the Black Mage Order in Isgard.
A black mage in a purple robe stepped into the empty order hall.
Dust and cobwebs piled everywhere suggested it had been abandoned for some time.
She swept back her hood.
Revealing a woman with fiery red hair and crimson eyes.
It was Kim Seo-hyun, the woman Kim Min-jun had named.
“It’s been 40 days since Lee Bong-gu dimension-shifted…”
She rummaged in her pocket and pulled out a crystal orb.
A Life Marble she’d used on Lee Bong-gu in secret.
If light entered this orb, it meant he was still alive.
And that the dimension shift had succeeded.
“Phew… Who’d have thought that idiot randomly picked Earth as his coordinates…”
She was the first to realize Kim Min-jun was heading back to Earth.
So every time he set coordinates to test a portal, she’d assisted from the side, memorizing them.
And then.
By eliminating coordinates one by one based on the info she’d gathered, she figured out Lee Bong-gu’s had been Earth.
“The order’s crumbling away naturally. Kim Min-jun…”
Kim Seo-hyun gazed around the order hall with longing.
It was only natural, really.
Every black mage in this order had joined solely for Kim Min-jun.
With him gone from Isgard, they saw no reason to stay and left the order one by one.
‘This must be what Kim Min-jun intended too.’
[I’m going back to my hometown where I originally lived.
Forget about me from now on and live your lives.
The king promised to improve treatment and perceptions of black mages, so go do whatever you want.
P.S. Don’t follow me. I’ll crack your skull.]
Those were Kim Min-jun’s final words left on the note.
“Kim Min-jun’s influence was bigger than I imagined… I expected it, but still.”
She’d wanted to keep the order he’d built alive somehow, but saving one that was naturally collapsing was impossible.
Without its sturdy pillar, Kim Min-jun, it was inevitable.
“Something far in the future, or maybe it won’t even happen… But if I don’t go tell him…”
After standing still for a long time, Kim Seo-hyun steeled her resolve and pulled several items from her bosom.
Holy relics secretly smuggled from the knight order the saintess belonged to.
“Acting all noble and saintly on the outside, while hunting for Kim Min-jun’s coordinates behind the scenes—that filthy bitch. Before the empire does something, I need to get there first.”
Kim Seo-hyun began generating a portal using the power of the holy relics.
**
The next day.
Kim Min-jun headed straight to the airport as soon as he left the base.
‘Timing’s perfect.’
Conditions for regular hunters going overseas were pretty strict.
Most got shot down at the platoon leader level.
But right now, he was a sergeant.
An officer.
‘Training schedule doesn’t start till next week. Now’s the time.’
Officers could go overseas easily as long as no major training was scheduled.
Hunter Corps officers didn’t even need passports.
Total free pass.
It showed just how much respect the Hunter Corps got abroad.
‘Lee Bong-gu, just landed in Japan. Report the current situation.’
-Yes. Not much different from before… Kim Min-jun?
‘What.’
-Um… A portal… seems to be generating inside the dungeon.
‘Stay put there. I’m coming right now.’
A portal inside a dungeon.
Something felt off about it, so he immediately hailed a taxi and headed for the Mt. Fuji area.
“Sorry, but if you’re Korean Hunter Corps, you must be on some mission… It’s extremely dangerous beyond this point.”
“It’s fine. Your Korean’s really good, by the way.”
“I lived in Korea for about 10 years. More importantly, you sure you’re okay?”
The driver stopped at the edge of the restricted zone, looking worried.
Word was, even the Japanese government had given up managing this area.
Toxic fumes leaking from near Mt. Fuji.
Human traffic had died off long ago.
“No real countermeasures, so it’s just been left alone. Already close to Mt. Fuji as it is, and they’re hush-hush in case someone pokes it and something blows.”
“Thanks for the ride. Don’t worry about me.”
He could already smell the thick demonic energy wafting in.
His heart raced.
-Kim Min-jun!
“Yeah, I’m here.”
As he reached the dungeon, Lee Bong-gu flew over and perched on his shoulder.
-See over there inside? The portal.
Where the creature pointed with its wing, a portal swirled in black and white.
Kim Min-jun launched himself straight into the dungeon.
[Entered the dungeon.]
“At this size, hard to tell what it is. Guess I’ll absorb the demonic energy first.”
One portal had appeared near the dungeon entrance.
It was about the size of a ping-pong ball.
He peered into it briefly, but got zero info.
“I’m gonna focus, so keep a good eye on that portal. Shout if anything comes out.”
-Yes sir! Leave it to me!
Kim Min-jun lay flat on the ground and closed his eyes.
Controlling this much demonic energy took serious concentration.
Ssssh—
As time passed, the demonic energy filling the air gathered inside the dungeon.
The thickened demonic energy slowly began absorbing into Kim Min-jun’s body.
[Demonic Energy stat increases by 1.]
[Demonic Energy stat increases by 1.]
[Demonic Energy stat increases by 1.]
Endless messages scrolling.
The demonic energy entrenched in Mt. Fuji for over 10 years vanished clean in just 10 minutes.
[Absorbed a certain level of demonic energy. Hell Ghost Explosion skill unlocked.]
[Corruption skill reinforced.]
[Full demonic energy detected. Rain of Corruption unlocked.]
[Grasp of Demonic Energy reinforced.]
[Demonic Energy Whip reinforced.]
“Phew… Nice.”
A moment later.
He opened his eyes, feeling demonic energy brimming inside him.
[Kim Min-jun]
Founder of the ‘Sister Celia is My Favorite Character’ Cult.
Strength: 77 Agility: 67 Stamina: 60 Demonic Energy: 35
Owned Skills: Corruption (C), Night Walker (C), Dark Arrow (D), Singularity of Demonic Energy, Grasp of Demonic Energy (D), Demonic Energy Whip (D), Basic Blunt Technique (E), Basic Swordsmanship (D), Strength (C), Agility Enhancement (E), Whip of Pain (C), Rain of Corruption (D), Hell Ghost Explosion (D)
He checked his status window right away—Demonic Energy had shot up by 5.
Not just that, reinforced skills and new unlocks too.
“Demonic Energy filled 30% in a flash.”
That was more than 15 demon-filled dungeons back in Korea.
“Ooh! Kim Min-jun! You absorbed all that demonic energy perfectly! Incredible!”
Lee Bong-gu, back in human form before he knew it, knelt before him.
Casually sucking in thick demonic energy without batting an eye—that nonchalance inspired awe.
“Good job, Lee Bong-gu. I’ll share some demonic energy, so take i—”
Before Kim Min-jun could finish, the dungeon shook hard.
Kugugung!
The entrance sealed shut in an instant.
A change from him absorbing the demonic energy.
“What’s this? Demonic energy’s enough to make you grateful, but EXP too?”
The dungeon roiled like it’d burst any second, but Kim Min-jun just grinned.
Kwoong! Thud!
Moments later.
Heavy footsteps echoed from deep inside, and a monster appeared.
A monster in a bright red tengu mask—the Red Tengu.
“Groooarrr!”
It wielded a massive iron club and bellowed fiercely.
Stronger than an orc, weaker than an ogre—but this one was the exception.
Huge enough to make ogres look small.
“Ah, the demonic energy was putting it to sleep and masking its presence. Me absorbing it woke it up, huh?”
Guess it’s on me, so I’ll handle it responsibly.
“Lee Bong-gu. Fall back.”
“Yes!”
At that moment, a massive iron club hurtled toward him.
Even a decent hunter hit head-on would turn to paste.
“What’s the rush?”
But to him, it was just a slightly heavy ball.
Kim Min-jun blocked the Red Tengu’s iron club with one hand, then raised the other high.
“Your hide looks tough. Let’s play a bit.”
Hell Ghost Explosion.
Red-eyed hell ghosts swarmed out of thin air.
“Go.”
“Kieeeek!”
At Kim Min-jun’s signal, the hell ghosts plastered themselves onto the monster’s body.
“Fire!”
Fwoosh! Fwoom!
“Grroooaaahk!”
The hell ghosts detonated on the spot.
The Red Tengu clutched its face in agony.
Chunks of flesh flaked off, but it didn’t seem fatal.
“Damn. Stronger skill than I thought, and it tanked it.”
“Groooaaar!”
Pissed off now, its skin heated red-hot.
The fire-breath pattern that triggered after enough damage.
“Can’t let it burn my uniform.”
Rain of Corruption, mini version.
Black clouds rose from Kim Min-jun’s palm.
They settled over the Red Tengu’s head and began pouring purple rain.
“Grrroooaaahk!”
It spewed fire from its mouth, but the clouds rained on regardless.
Thud!
Its face rapidly rotting away, the monster finally dropped dead.
A monster that’d take a squad of hunters and firepower to fell—dispatched in minutes.
“Unbelievable… Overwhelming power we can’t even compare to!”
Lee Bong-gu, watching it all, gaped without realizing.
It would’ve taken 20-plus black mages for that kind of output.
“Huh? Ugh! Kim Min-jun!”
“That’s… Hey! Get over here now!”
“Y-Yes!”
While Kim Min-jun handled the monster.
An anomaly erupted near the portal.