Chapter 95
Chapter 95
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 95
Chapter Title: New Skill
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[Your Permanent Organ proficiency has increased!]
[Your Permanent Organ stat has risen by 1!]
[Your Permanent Organ production efficiency has slightly increased!]
[The World of Despair (D) has been created.]
"This is even more broken than I expected."
Was it thanks to the new stat, Permanent Organ?
One of his main skills, World of Despair, had been unlocked.
[World of Despair: Drag the designated target into the World of Despair. Targets entering the World of Despair face restrictions on all actions. Targets that die in the World of Despair cannot return to their original point.]
A powerful skill that took both the caster and the designated target to an entirely different dimension—the World of Despair.
While trapped in that dimension, the target brought by the caster suffered all sorts of negative effects.
From breathing to moving, everything.
He could even adjust those restrictions himself.
"I've gotten a ton of mileage out of that skill."
Back during his days rolling around in that other world.
He had to claw his way up from the bottom, facing death hundreds—no, nearly thousands of times.
The World of Despair had more than earned its keep back then.
Without that skill, he might not have even set foot on Korean soil before dying.
"It's got a usage limit, but in the current situation, that's actually a plus."
Using that skill didn't consume any demonic energy.
It had a usage limit but no demonic energy cost.
In his current circumstances, it was worth its weight in gold.
And that was just the start.
In this modern era overflowing with CCTV cameras and car dashcams everywhere, it was a skill that enabled perfect crimes.
Not that he planned on committing any crimes, though it kinda sounded like he was one.
"That doesn't mean I'm going around killing people willy-nilly. Not humans, anyway. Monsters are fair game. I love Korea too much for that."
At its current low skill grade.
The short duration of just over an hour and the limit of one target were drawbacks.
Of course, even that was more than enough for now.
"And the rate at which it produces demonic energy has sped up too."
Kim Minjun shifted his gaze to his abdomen.
If he closed his eyes, he could feel the Permanent Organ slowly churning away.
Having poured the demonic energy he'd just acquired into it, there had been solid progress.
"It's such a weird stat. Feels like a virtual organ is actually sitting inside my body."
Of course, the production rate was still slow.
Even with increased efficiency, it was like going from a sluggish caterpillar to a tortoise.
He had to close his eyes and focus just to notice the difference.
"It took a bit longer than I expected to hit sergeant, but regaining my original strength is happening way faster than anticipated?"
The moment he cleared the staircase dungeon and got the item.
From that point on, his growth had accelerated.
Who could've guessed that using a gacha-style item he'd never seen before would grant him a new stat?
And that it would be one perfectly suited for a black mage, no less.
"I'll just have to mind my strength control from here on out."
Satisfied, he turned around—just as multiple sets of footsteps approached.
"Kim Minjun!"
"No matter how you slice it, taking on that thing alone is insane! Let us join in at least... Huh?"
They were the civilian hunters who had evacuated far away on his orders.
They must have reflexively rushed toward him the moment they heard the massive explosion.
"Leader! L-look at that!"
"That's..."
"The spider we ran into earlier... right?"
One of his comrades pointed somewhere.
There, eight spider legs lay scattered about.
The relatively sturdy leg parts were identifiable, but everything else had vanished without a trace.
"......"
"No way..."
Silence hung in the air for a while.
Lee Siwoo glanced cautiously at Kim Minjun before speaking up.
"Kim Minjun? Don't tell me... you took it down all by yourself just now?"
"Yes. I figured it would be too much for you civilian hunters, so I handled it."
It was a question that didn't even need asking.
Who else was in the dungeon besides them?
"And you did it without a weapon... how?"
"That thing wasn't normal. What kind of spider is big enough to chow down on orcs like snacks..."
"With this."
Kim Minjun raised his fist to the panicking civilian hunters.
"I pounded its belly with everything I had. And at some point, it just popped like a balloon."
"...With your bare fist? And it sounded like a bomb going off?"
"Hang two Mugunghwa badges on me, and yeah, that's doable. Oh! I'm on the strong side even for an officer."
"Huh..."
"So you're saying a sergeant did what a major or colonel could do?"
The civilian hunters alternated shocked glances between the scattered spider legs and Kim Minjun's face.
They had thought he'd used a mana bomb or something, but nope.
Strength beyond common sense.
They'd heard rumors that Hunter military folks with Mugunghwa or star badges could burst monsters barehanded.
"I thought those rumors were exaggerated..."
Lee Siwoo gave a wry smile.
Hunters were enhanced humans, after all.
Like those Captain Africa types you see in movies all the time.
Even the strongest hunters were known to rely heavily on weapons...
Who knew one could smash a non-standard monster with bare hands.
'In reality, even one Mugunghwa would've struggled with that thing.'
Kim Minjun quietly curled the corner of his mouth upward.
A giant spider-human hybrid packed with a hefty dose of demonic energy.
Barehanded? Probably take two captains to handle it.
Of course, with weapons, no need for that many.
"Take those leftover legs. Looks like I ended up clearing the dungeon for you guys."
He waved casually to the civilian hunters and strolled out of the dungeon.
"...Leader."
Now only the civilian hunters remained in the dungeon.
They let out heavy sighs.
Relief at surviving, sure—but disappointment at coming away empty-handed.
Three months of paperwork prep.
Rigorous Hunter military screening.
Regular joint training sessions...
All that effort, and all they got were those spider legs.
"Y-yeah?"
"We survived, that's great and all..."
One civilian hunter pointed at the spider legs.
"Giant spider-human legs? Good luck selling those for any real money."
"You'd be lucky to get a fried chicken out of selling that heavy crap."
"......"
"We're screwed."
In the end.
The dungeon had been a treasure trove for Kim Minjun—but worthless to the civilian hunters.
**
-Wait, Kim Minjun?
The moment he exited the dungeon, Yi Bonggu flapped frantically onto his shoulder.
-There was definitely demonic energy in that dungeon... but I can't sense any on you now.
Yi Bonggu spoke up with an anxious look.
He'd had demonic energy when entering the dungeon, but now it was all but gone.
Had something gone wrong?
He was sure he'd found proper demonic energy.
"Yi Bonggu."
-Yes, sir!
Yi Bonggu's worries didn't last long.
Because Kim Minjun grinned happily and pulled out his wallet.
"Do whatever you want with this. And take a break for a bit. Your demonic energy's running low too—impressive you made it here."
Kim Minjun handed him some demonic energy and cash, then headed back to base.
No idea what's up, but he looks super pleased. Still... what's with this feeling?
The demonic energy Kim Minjun gave him before... and the one just now.
Something was different.
He couldn't put it into words, but it felt... strange.
Whatever! He's happy, so that's what matters! Time for some Busan gukbap!
Oblivious that Kim Minjun could produce demonic energy himself, Yi Bonggu soared into the sky.
**
"Sergeant Kim Minjun?"
"What."
Back from leave, his squadmates stared at him with weird looks.
Did they have a grudge or something?
"You reenlisted as sergeant a while back, right?"
"Yep."
"...Aren't you going to the officers' dorms?"
Ah.
So that's what it was.
There was a reason for that, obviously.
"Heard the internet's slow there. Can't play Dungeon & Fighter if I go, so I'm crashing here."
"......"
"What, you think I'll eat you guys alive if I stay?"
"It's not that—normally officers go to the officers' dorms, right?"
Sergeant First Class Lee Seung-ho replied in disbelief.
This barracks was communal living, no privacy.
One perk of being an officer: single-room officers' dorms.
And here was a hunter turning it down.
"I told you from the start. Internet's too slow there for DNF. Plus, I like it here."
"You're one of a kind, seriously."
"Special, you mean. Anyway, how's the mana sword training going?"
At that, the squadmates slumped their shoulders.
"Going on four months now, and it's ridiculously hard."
"For real combat? Forget six months—feels like it'll take over a year."
It affected promotions big-time, so they were putting in the effort, but progress was glacial.
"Even someone like Sergeant Son Eunseo might barely get combat-ready in six months."
"Sounds rough."
Kim Minjun nodded sympathetically.
They'd been swinging standard military swords until now, and suddenly it was these fantasy blades you could wrap in aura.
Of course, even in combat, dungeons limited mana sword use to about ten minutes.
Mana swords packed a punch, but drained stamina hard.
"Gotta admit, I'm jealous of talented kids like Son Eunseo."
"Not something you should be saying, Sergeant Kim Minjun."
"Yeah. Where else are you gonna find a hunter like you?"
The squadmates shot that down firmly.
The military grapevine just hadn't spread it yet due to the whole army thing.
If this weren't the military, Kim Minjun would've been famous by now.
His short-term feats were that insane.
"Man... thinking about it, the new guy coming in as my direct junior is gonna have it rough."
"Ah..."
"Damn. Yeah. Direct senior's an officer and a sergeant? Never heard of that."
At Corporal Kim Kwang-sik's words, the others grimaced.
Hunter military followed the same seniority system as regular forces.
"I'll treat any direct junior right. And train 'em tough."
No clue when one would show up.
"Been here about six months now? Gangwon-do frontlines are notorious for seniority chains getting tangled, and here I am in the thick of it."
Gangwon-do.
Especially the front lines.
In places like Cheorwon, a tangled chain meant no direct junior for six to seven months.
Which meant extended maknae duties.
Kim Minjun's chain had tangled too—he'd just rocketed up ranks on overwhelming performance.
In the regular army, he'd still be the baby.
Tap tap.
Mid-chat with the squad, an urgent voice blared from the speakers.
It was the duty officer.
-Duty officer speaking! Emergency situation! This is NOT a drill!
2000 hours.
All personnel battle prep, plus a call for artillery hunters.
'Oh? Well, now.'
Wondering what was up.
Then Night Walker reported on the situation.
