Chapter 57
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 57
Chapter Title: 헌터가 연금술을 잘함-57화
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 57
Chapter Title: Trial of Courage
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Yeon Sung-hun and Lee Ha-na came to a stop in front of the two forks in the path. The two exchanged words.
"The remaining trials were definitely 'Courage' and 'Willpower', right?"
"I'd prefer to go for the easier one if possible. Something like 'Willpower'."
"There's no guarantee that 'Willpower' will be easy, but it should at least be better than 'Courage'."
Yeon Sung-hun gave a wry smile before quietly surveying the forks.
Unfortunately, there was no way to tell which trial lay ahead on either path.
There was some writing inscribed on one side of the passage, but it was still impossible to decipher.
'So I have to pick purely on gut feeling...'
For someone like Yeon Sung-hun, who absolutely hated this kind of gamble, he couldn't help clicking his tongue.
'If only that talking statue were here.'
If they were going to prepare statues, shouldn't they place them in spots like this as a basic measure?
Not that he expected anything from those 'elves'. Still, in this regrettable situation, Yeon Sung-hun shook his head lightly.
"Which path do you think we should take?"
"Hm. What do you think, Ha-na?"
"Me? That's a bit burdensome..."
"No need to feel burdened. Just pick whichever feels right."
"Hmm..."
Lee Ha-na pondered Yeon Sung-hun's words for a moment before nodding firmly.
"In that case, this one."
The path she pointed to was the left one.
"Good. Let's head that way."
And so, Yeon Sung-hun and Lee Ha-na entered the left passage.
With that, a heavy wall slammed down with a thud, sealing the entrance.
They had anticipated it, so there was no great surprise, but the ruthless design that blocked their retreat after a single choice made him click his tongue.
"...Let's move."
Yeon Sung-hun glanced at the blocked entrance for a moment before hurrying along the path with Lee Ha-na.
As before, it wasn't long before the two discovered a tall iron door.
Without much conversation, they exchanged a glance and pushed open the iron door to step inside.
A vast cavern appeared, its structure slightly different from the previous one.
And in the center, as if it were the most natural thing, stood an elf statue.
Shortly after the two entered, the statue emitted green light from its eyes.
Having passed the first trial, welcome to the second trial, challenger of another race.
A calm voice devoid of inflection resonated.
Yeon Sung-hun immediately posed a question.
"What is the trial here?"
This is the path of 'Courage'. Challenger, prove your own courage.
Hearing that it was courage—not the seemingly easier willpower—the two let out quiet sighs, but it was already too late to turn back.
"Sorry, Sung-hun. I picked wrong."
"It's fine. Just because it's courage doesn't mean it'll be hard. It might even be better than willpower."
"You think so...?"
As Lee Ha-na's face clouded with unease, the trial began immediately.
Defeat the swarming magical beasts and prove your courage.
With the mechanical voice's announcement at an end, monsters began bursting out from various spots in the cavern.
Starting with imps and minotaurs like those they'd faced before, spiders, snakes, and plant-type monsters they'd never seen here also appeared one by one.
"Ha. Nice and straightforward!"
A trial that was refreshingly simple, with no traps or tricks.
He'd half-expected it from the word "courage," but Yeon Sung-hun let out a scoff at how straightforward the conditions were.
"Ha-na! Cover me!"
"Got it!"
Facing the endlessly pouring monsters, Yeon Sung-hun and Lee Ha-na leaped into action.
Kuwoong—!
Yeon Sung-hun's golem rose to confront a massive minotaur far bulkier than the others.
As the golem blocked that minotaur, Yeon Sung-hun hurled a potion at another one.
Kwaaang—
"Moooooh—."
The minotaur swung its massive axe amid the erupting flames.
Yeon Sung-hun quickly rolled across the ground while tossing another potion—not at the minotaur, but elsewhere.
A spider-type monster that had been lunging at him exploded limply in the blast.
"Whew... Not easy."
A trial that was utterly simple with no special conditions, but that made it all the more physically taxing.
'How long has it been?'
It felt like they'd been fighting for quite a while, but the trial showed no signs of ending.
Yeon Sung-hun glanced at the statue.
It continued emitting green light from its eyes, utterly motionless.
"Tch."
Yeon Sung-hun instinctively clicked his tongue as he dodged the minotaur's merciless axe swing with a 'kuwoong'.
Normal minotaurs were around C-Rank, but these were averaging B-Rank.
One alone was no issue, but three or four at once were a problem.
'Where are all these monsters coming from!'
Was there some monster-breeding plant somewhere in this labyrinth?
And the bigger issue wasn't just the minotaurs.
The other monsters were also slightly above average, and Yeon Sung-hun could guess the reason without much trouble.
"There's an enhancement spell over the entire cavern."
A magic circle emitting faint mana had been buffing the monsters all this time.
"...At this point, these aren't just magical beasts—they're guardians."
Yeon Sung-hun clicked his tongue again and hurriedly dodged.
Kwaang!
"Shhhh—."
A snake at least 10 meters long flicked its tongue toward Yeon Sung-hun.
"...Not easy at all."
Not even a moment to catch his breath.
Yeon Sung-hun leaped away from the monsters charging at him and glanced at Lee Ha-na.
She was steadily taking down other monsters while handling a minotaur.
Her nimble movements made Yeon Sung-hun feel a solid sense of reassurance.
'If I were alone, this would be a nightmare.'
Not just this trial, but the previous ones would have been major hurdles.
Feeling considerable relief at having Lee Ha-na with him rather than going solo, Yeon Sung-hun plunged his sword into the ground.
He then drew a handgun from his pocket.
Compared to the rifle he usually used, it lacked firepower, but its convenience and portability were superior— a hunter's pistol.
Above all, what Yeon Sung-hun liked most was that unlike a rifle, it could be used single-handed.
With his free hand, he grabbed a potion and hurled it.
Aiming his pistol at the potion arcing through the air toward a cluster of monsters,
Bang—!
A fierce explosion of flames erupted with the sharp gunshot.
"First time using it, but pretty satisfying."
Its versatility was far better than a sword that required close range.
Yeon Sung-hun smirked in satisfaction before unleashing a barrage at the other monsters.
Each bullet was expensive mana stone ammo, but he had no intention of skimping.
Millions of won vanished in that brief volley, but considering the value of his potions, this was the cheaper option.
After all, wasn't he the one tossing around items worth tens of millions at current auction prices on every expedition?
In terms of thrift, this was far better.
"Moooooh—!"
Bang—!
Yeon Sung-hun embedded a bullet right between a minotaur's eyes.
In truth, the biggest reason he'd suddenly switched to the gun was that he was getting worn out.
A gun let him move less than constantly swinging a busy sword—far more efficient.
"Whew..."
They'd already been fighting for quite some time, but this damned trial showed no sign of ending.
Yeon Sung-hun glared at the statue.
Despite his fierce glare, the statue merely continued emitting green light.
Prove your courage.
"...How much more proof do they want?"
Did the elves' idea of courage mean fighting until death?
'With those elves, that's entirely possible.'
The so-called elven courage.
Yeon Sung-hun clicked his tongue for the umpteenth time since the trial began.
"Whoa...!"
A spider the size of a human head lunged at Yeon Sung-hun during his brief pause.
He reflexively dodged and fired his gun.
But.
Click— click—
"Damn. Out of ammo?"
He'd been firing nonstop, so it was bound to happen, but at this timing of all times.
Yeon Sung-hun frowned slightly and swung the sword he'd picked up again.
'...A bit late?'
It was by a hair's breadth—or rather, the spider's attack seemed just a tad faster than his sword.
'Tch. Poison? I've got antidotes, but... yeah. It's gonna hurt.'
Better to think ahead than flail in an unavoidable situation.
Injuries could be healed with potions as long as there was no permanent damage.
Pukeok—!
"Sung-hun!"
As Yeon Sung-hun moved to minimize the damage, Lee Ha-na dashed in and burst the spider like a balloon.
Sticky fluids splattered across Yeon Sung-hun's face and body.
"You okay, Sung-hun?"
"...Perfect timing, Ha-na."
Yeon Sung-hun wiped the fluids from his face and gave her a thumbs-up.
Lee Ha-na returned the gesture.
"That's twice now you've saved me."
"You mean back in the king's tomb?"
"Yeah. Funny how the situations are so similar."
"Hehe. I didn't go down this time. Guess I've grown?"
"Absolutely. You've grown a ton."
Lee Ha-na grinned before leaping back into the fray against more monsters.
Watching her weave through the monsters like a storm, Yeon Sung-hun nodded quietly.
She had clearly grown tremendously compared to before.
To the point where he felt utterly secure relying on her, rather than the other way around.
"...If I slack off, she'll lap me soon."
Or had she already?
Yeon Sung-hun gave a wry smile before hurling another potion.
By the time Yeon Sung-hun and Lee Ha-na had felled who-knows-how-many minotaurs, the monsters stopped appearing.
Whether this signaled the trial's end was unclear, but at least for now, it meant dealing with the ones still present.
Sensing the end drawing near, Yeon Sung-hun moved to finish off the remaining monsters.
First up was the last minotaur his poor golem had been tangling with.
Pukeok—
With the final minotaur collapsing under the golem's fist, no monsters remained in the cavern.
Surveying the corpses piled like small hills everywhere, Yeon Sung-hun unwittingly clicked his tongue.
"Seeing it like this, we really took down a lot."
Just harvesting their mana stones and byproducts would be a huge task.
"You okay, Sung-hun?"
"...Holding up. You?"
"I'm good."
Lee Ha-na smiled brightly. She looked a bit fatigued, but as she said, no major issues.
"That necklace from earlier is great. Not sure exactly, but it seems to have a vitality effect too."
"Really? Glad it's performing well."
"You won't take it back later, right?"
Yeon Sung-hun chuckled at her playful grin.
"No sneaky plans to give and then take back. That necklace is yours now."
"Phew, that's a relief! So, is the trial over now?"
"Who knows. Seems like it for the moment, but..."
Yeon Sung-hun trailed off and turned to the statue.
As their gazes fell upon it, the statue's green eyes flashed.
The trial has not yet ended.
"...So it says."
"...This is insane. The wisdom trial felt easy by comparison."
"...That was easy because of you. Alone, I'd have been in trouble."
"Oh? Would even you say that, Sung-hun?"
As the two conversed, the statue prepared the final ordeal of the courage trial.
Kugugugu—
With a massive rumble, something enormous thudded into view.
It was.
"A golem...?"
"...Unbelievable."
Taller than the 7-8 meter statue by a fair margin.
A hulking frame that could cover the entire cavern.
An overwhelmingly massive golem that made Yeon Sung-hun's own look puny.
This is the final gateway. Challenger, show your courage.
With the same calm, inflectionless voice, the golem began moving its massive body.
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