Chapter 5
Chapter 5
Joo Do-gyeom let out a short, quiet exhale.
"Hmm..."
Surprisingly, he wasn't as startled as he expected to be.
He had known Jin Woo-seong well enough to never let his guard down, even until the very end.
That said, the situation was undeniably troublesome.
'The Cannibal's Awakening...'
The weakened effects of the Tutorial Zone had all but faded, and the Cannibal had grown stronger.
Up until now, Do-gyeom had been confident he could overpower it—but then—
Kiki, kiki, kikikikikeke!
The Cannibal, now swollen with mana, regenerated its severed arm and began expanding in size, its frame multiplying several times over.
At that moment, Do-gyeom knew.
'This won't be easy.'
A cold, rational assessment.
In his current state, defeating this Awakened Cannibal would be difficult.
The bigger problem?
His escape route was already cut off.
His decision was swift.
First, he sought out the darkest corner of the cavern, where the blue flames burned brightest, and suppressed his presence.
[Skill: Vanishing Shadow (2-Star) has been upgraded.]
Just then—
KRRRAAAAA—!
A roar, incomparably deeper and more guttural than before, erupted from the Cannibal as it completed its transformation.
THUD. THUD.
Heavy footsteps descended from the altar as the Cannibal lumbered down, its pitch-black eyes scanning the surroundings.
It hadn't noticed Do-gyeom yet.
Even so, its lips split into a grotesque, grinning smile.
It knew.
This place was an inescapable prison, and Do-gyeom was already trapped inside.
'Treating me like a rat in a cage, huh?'
After a brief pause, the Cannibal began moving again.
THUD—!
One step forward.
WHOOSH—!
Its elongated, thickened arm swung in a wide arc.
Then another step.
Another swing.
Given the cavern's vast size, this methodical approach would take time—but for the now-massive Cannibal, it wasn't a bad strategy.
Do-gyeom couldn't help but think:
'Did its intelligence increase too?'
Separately, his luck was terrible.
The cavern was wide and circular—yet the Cannibal had, by sheer chance, begun moving directly toward him.
Even so, Do-gyeom remained calm, running through possible options.
Option 1: Keep increasing the distance, buying time.
Verdict: Useless.
Unlike the kitchen earlier, there was no food here, no safe space to rest.
More importantly—
The Awakened Cannibal's heightened intelligence suggested its other senses had likely sharpened as well.
'At the 2-Star level of Vanishing Shadow, the moment I move, it'll detect me.'
The maximum time he could hold out was until the Cannibal's swinging arms reached him.
Accepting this, Do-gyeom coolly assessed the situation.
'There must be another way to defeat it.'
His reasoning was simple.
First, one of the Mansion of the Cannibal's defining traits:
This dungeon has no fixed rank.
The Cannibal's strength varies wildly depending on the level of the Hunter or team that enters.
Of course, even if a low-rank Hunter enters, the dungeon can't impose something as extreme as the Tutorial's weakening effect.
But the Cannibal's Awakening?
It was powerful enough to override the Tutorial's debuff.
Do-gyeom didn't know exactly when Jin Woo-seong had obtained Heaven-Slaying Star, but one thing was certain—
At some point, Jin Woo-seong had faced a challenge similar to this.
Yet, he had undoubtedly succeeded.
Meaning—
He had killed this very Awakened Cannibal.
While the difficulty might have been lower for him (since he wasn't freshly entered and weakened by the Tutorial), he couldn't have done it effortlessly.
'I need to find that method.'
Do-gyeom could admit it—
Jin Woo-seong had always been more cunning than him.
Tracking him down had been a nightmare.
But in the end, Do-gyeom had been the victor.
Because while Jin Woo-seong excelled in deception and chaos, Do-gyeom had his own strengths—ones that couldn't be replicated.
THUD. WHOOSH!
THUD. WHOOSH!
The Cannibal drew closer.
The wind from its swinging arms brushed against Do-gyeom's hair, yet he didn't so much as blink.
He widened his focus, analyzing both the Cannibal's movements and the environment.
If there was a way to defeat it, it had to be here.
Amidst the silence—
THUD—!
A particularly heavy footstep struck his ears.
The distance had narrowed.
WHOOSH—!
The Cannibal's fist grazed the tip of Do-gyeom's nose.
And then—
'...!!'
He saw it.
One of the blue flames from the ritual braziers—
Flickered out.
A second glance confirmed it wasn't an illusion.
His conclusion was immediate.
'The brazier flames extinguish over time.'
And if all the flames went out—
THUD—!
The Awakened Cannibal took another heavy step.
Its transformation would end.
Right then—
WHOOSH—!
The Cannibal's fist crashed down where Do-gyeom's head had been.
He ducked.
Simultaneously, he channeled his inner energy violently and launched himself forward.
[Skill: Lightning Flash Step (1-Star) has been acquired.]
The Cannibal's arm swept just above him as he shot past.
Noticing him at last, the Cannibal let out a deafening shriek.
KRRRAAAA—!
A cry of joy.
THUDTHUDTHUDTHUD—!
It charged toward him.
Do-gyeom ignored it.
Looking back would only slow him down.
He sprinted forward at full speed, then swung his knife at another brazier's blue flame.
WHOOSH—!
'Did it go out?'
The answer came instantly.
WHOOM—!
The flame reignited.
'...So that method doesn't work.'
Amidst his thoughts, his instincts—honed in countless life-or-death battles—screamed at him.
Dodge.
Without hesitation, Do-gyeom dropped low.
At the same moment—
CRASH—!
The Cannibal's arm smashed into the brazier, shattering it.
Do-gyeom's eyes gleamed.
'As I thought...'
He kicked off the ground again.
KRRRAA—!
The Cannibal's enraged roar exploded behind him.
Its arms swung wildly as it pursued.
But Do-gyeom could feel it.
Only two flames had gone out, yet—
'It's slowed down.'
WHOOSH—!
He twisted his body, narrowly avoiding a fist large enough to punch through air.
At the same time, a barrage of jagged teeth rained down.
CRUNCHCRUNCHCRUNCH—!
Do-gyeom deflected them with a slanting slash of his knife.
Then, as he reached another brazier—
KRA—!
The Cannibal, now visibly furious, leaped high and crashed down.
BOOM—!
The ground fractured. The brazier shattered.
'Three down.'
Do-gyeom's calm gaze counted the remaining braziers.
'Twelve.'
His body moved.
Braziers broke.
The Cannibal's rage intensified.
KRARARARA—!
It seemed to be saying—
Stop running away.
By the time three more braziers had been destroyed—
Huff—!
The Cannibal halted, panting heavily.
Its posture suggested confusion.
Do-gyeom stopped as well, watching it.
Those grotesque, pitch-black eyes.
They stared at him, tilting its head.
"Hmm... Tired already?"
Kra?
"Honestly..."
A deliberate smirk.
"Pathetic."
This was uncharacteristic of Do-gyeom.
But as he pondered how Jin Woo-seong might have overcome this obstacle, the action came to him unbidden.
If anything, it was more Jin Woo-seon's style.
(Though Jin Woo-seong would have been far more flippant.)
Either way, it worked.
KRAAAA—!
Enraged anew, the Cannibal charged, destroying another brazier.
Remaining braziers:
'Eight.'
Seven.
'Six.'
Then, five.
CRASH—!
Now visibly smaller, the Cannibal heaved ragged breaths.
Krirr—!
Its voice, once deep and rough, had grown higher and thinner.
Right about then—
It stopped completely.
Do-gyeom considered taunting it again but decided against it.
'No point now.'
The change was obvious.
Even with its diminished intelligence, the Cannibal had realized—
The braziers it had been destroying were its lifeline.
Kreek, kreek, KEEEE—!
It pointed at Do-gyeom accusingly, as if calling him a coward.
Do-gyeom ignored it.
He ran the numbers.
When all fifteen brazier flames had been lit, he had judged the Cannibal impossible to face head-on.
Now?
'Still difficult.'
Of course, it was nothing compared to before.
But a direct confrontation still wasn't ideal.
Time was on his side.
'The brazier flames go out on their own if I wait.'
If he could reduce them to four—no, three—
'Then I can finish it.'
But why rush?
The Cannibal's reaction no longer mattered.
Do-gyeom tightened his grip on the knife, focusing solely on its movements.
Then—
Ki, kiki, kikikiki, KEEKEEKEE—!
The Cannibal burst into laughter, spun around, and sprinted toward the hexagonal altar at the center—the Hexagram.
Alarms blared in Do-gyeom's mind.
Its severed arm had regenerated.
What was stopping the destroyed braziers from reforming?
'Nothing.'
He channeled his inner energy to its absolute limit and kicked off the ground.
Lightning Flash Step accelerated his movement.
But it wasn't enough to catch up to the Cannibal, which had already bolted ahead.
The roles of pursuer and pursued had reversed.
Consciously, Do-gyeom split his surging inner energy into two streams—
And collided them.
BANG—!
A detonation echoed inside him, rattling his eardrums.
Agony wracked his organs, muscles twisting violently.
He ignored it.
Instead, he used the explosive force to propel himself even faster.
'Faster.'
[Skill: Soaring Roc Wing Art (1-Star) has been acquired.]
[Temporary Agility Rank Up: F+ → E-]
[Duration: 10 minutes.]
Still not enough.
So—
'Again.'
Faster.
BANG—!
[Skill: Soaring Roc Wing Art (2-Star) has been upgraded.]
[Temporary Agility Rank Up: E- → E]
[Duration: 7 minutes 30 seconds.]
He could feel it.
Almost there.
Just a hair's breadth away.
If luck was on his side, he wouldn't need to push his body further to secure victory.
His mind urged him to stop now—his body was screaming in protest.
A familiar sensation.
In his past life, most of his battles had been like this.
So once again, he ignored the pain.
'One more time.'
Even faster.
WHOOM—!
[Skill: Soaring Roc Wing Art (3-Star) has been upgraded.]
[Temporary Agility Rank Up: E → E+]
[Duration: 5 minutes.]
KEEKEEKEE—!
The laughing Cannibal's pitch-black eyes widened in shock.
Just a moment ago—
SHWEEE—!
A blade of wind howled past as Do-gyeom, who should have been scrambling behind it, overtook the Cannibal in a flash.
"......!!"
Standing atop the altar now, Do-gyeom came to a stop.
The bewildered Cannibal was still charging forward.
"Huuu..."
Do-gyeom exhaled deeply—then stomped the ground again.
[Skill: Lightning Flash Step (2-Star) has been upgraded.]
His body shot forward—
Straight toward the oncoming Cannibal.
The Cannibal raised its arm in fury, jagged claws poised to rend Do-gyeom apart.
It shrieked.
KEEEE—!
'Prey! No matter how fast you've become—I'm still stronger!'
Do-gyeom's gaze remained tranquil, undisturbed by the noise.
His focus narrowed to a single point—
The thin, almost imperceptible line running across the Cannibal's neck.
The seam.
The optimal point to cut.
In such a high-speed clash, striking a moving target's weak point should have been impossible.
For an ordinary person.
But Do-gyeom was no ordinary person.
Even if he had lost all his former power and returned to this frail body—
In his past life, he had been the God of War.
A man who had reached the pinnacle of martial arts.
WHOOSH—!
The Cannibal's claws blurred past as Do-gyeom evaded with a ghostly step.
[Skill: Shadowless Divine Step (2-Star) has been upgraded.]
His knife flowed effortlessly through the air—
Aligned perfectly with the seam on the Cannibal's neck.
That was all he needed.
No additional force was necessary.
Their high-speed collision.
The blade following the natural flow of the seam.
SHLICK—!
With a chilling sound—
THUD.
The Cannibal's head hit the ground, its eyes filled with disbelief.
Keee...
Its black pupils dimmed as its eyelids slowly closed.
The headless body crumpled limply to the floor, motionless at last.
A message echoed in Do-gyeom's mind.
[User: Joo Do-gyeom. You have demonstrated exceptional performance in the dungeon, Mansion of the Cannibal.]
[A powerful reward has been granted.]
[Unique Trait: Heaven-Slaying Star is now available. Y/N]
Without hesitation, Do-gyeom answered.
"Acquire it."