Chapter 23 - Gu Poison (蠱毒) (1)
Gu Poison (蠱毒) (1)
Gu Poison (蠱毒) (1)
Some time later.
After leaving the Association, Lee Jeonseok took out his phone.
Then he made a call to someone.
The recipient was none other than Yeon Seonhwa.
Since she hadn’t replied to his text messages, he figured he’d try calling instead.
But then—
━ This is Secretary Yoo Hanseol. May I ask what you’re calling about?
What came through the receiver was a man’s voice.
Secretary?
Why was he answering instead?
When Jeonseok asked about it—
━ The Chairwoman is currently unavailable.
“Unavailable?”
━ An urgent matter came up in Japan… When she returns, I’ll let her know that you contacted her.
“Ah, yes. Understood.”
Jeonseok hung up the phone.
Yeon Seonhwa was unavailable.
‘No wonder there’s been no contact.’
Was it really such an urgent matter that she even left her phone behind?
‘Then for now…’
Jeonseok paused for a moment after leaving the Association.
He checked his wristwatch.
Just past 2 p.m.
Too early to head home.
‘This works out well.’
Yoonjin.
His rank was probably A by now.
Against an ordinary hunter it might’ve been manageable, but…
If the opponent was a seasoned inspector with plenty of experience dealing with people, even Jeonseok would have a hard time.
Not to mention that, unlike his previous life, he was currently far weaker than an average inspector.
That was why he needed to raise his level, even if only a little.
Jeonseok immediately set off.
His destination was a massive open area where a huge gate—about ten meters tall—stood in place of a building.
※ ※ ※
“I’m sorry, but an F-rank cannot enter a B-rank dungeon.”
In front of the massive blue gate.
A gatekeeper hunter blocked Jeonseok’s path.
Jeonseok immediately pulled a badge from his pocket.
A gold badge given only to inspectors.
Even as a mercenary, an inspector held status and authority comparable to theirs.
“…Ah, you’re an inspector! Verification complete!”
After checking the badge, the gatekeeper quickly stepped aside.
The look in his eyes toward Jeonseok visibly changed.
Respect, admiration, and fear.
That was the status of an inspector.
A hunter protected by the Association, the government, and the World Federation.
Even if temporary, it was not a position to be taken lightly.
“Thank you.”
Jeonseok gave a brief nod and entered the gate.
[Entering ‘Blood-Soaked Plains’.]
His vision wavered, and the environment shifted.
Jeonseok slowly looked around.
A grassland scorched by blazing sunlight.
Dried blood scattered everywhere.
Then a system window appeared before his eyes.
━
Blood-Soaked Plains
Rank: B
Description: Orcs were originally golems born of the earth. However, corrupted by demonic energy, they gained physical bodies and began hunting humans as mindless monsters.
Either flee from the bloodthirsty monsters and survive, or hunt them down and conquer them.
━
A B-rank dungeon featuring orcs.
By no means a low-level place.
Among ordinary hunters, B-rank dungeons were infamous as death zones.
Accordingly, the rewards and experience were substantial.
However—
Even that felt lacking to Jeonseok.
Naturally so.
In his previous life, he had solo-cleared even SSS-rank dungeons.
Compared to that, B-rank rewards and experience were hardly satisfying.
He wanted to enter an A-rank dungeon right away, but—
‘It’s still too much.’
An A-rank dungeon.
If he really tried, it was possible.
But he’d be limited to one or two monsters at best.
In dungeons where monsters often attacked in groups, even Jeonseok would struggle to survive.
So he chose a B-rank dungeon instead.
Specifically, one with orcs.
‘It’s been a while since my last level-up.’
Orcs, with their unusually large populations, were the best monsters for leveling.
Of course, due to their unique regeneration, many hunters ended up dying instead of leveling up…
But that wasn’t something Jeonseok needed to worry about.
No matter how troublesome or strong they were, they were still just orcs.
He’d killed countless of them in his previous life.
Their behavior patterns and strategies were already engraved in his mind.
Slash—.
Jeonseok dragged the Crimson Dagger across his palm.
Infusing the blade with sharpness.
[The Stalker’s Cloak erases your presence.]
At the same time, he held his breath.
His presence vanished completely.
He didn’t use full stealth.
The mana cost was too high.
Quietly—
Jeonseok moved across the crimson plains.
※ ※ ※
A hunter’s growth is not infinite.
From F-rank to SSS-rank.
Depending on the grade of one’s traits, there is a cap to how far a hunter can level.
Then how far could Jeonseok, with an EX+ trait, grow?
That was something even he was curious about.
‘In my previous life, I reached around 500.’
And even then, the level didn’t stop increasing.
S-rank caps at 100.
SS-rank at 200.
SSS-rank stops at 300.
But Jeonseok, who had an EX-rank trait back then, surpassed 500 without reaching his limit.
So what about now, with EX+?
He couldn’t even imagine how high it could go.
‘I can become stronger.’
Stronger than anyone else.
No—
Stronger than his past self.
With that anticipation, he swung the Crimson Dagger.
From behind an orc.
Approaching while suppressing his presence—
Slash—.
He severed the orc’s neck in one strike.
But—
“Grrraak!”
Letting out a monstrous cry, the orc swung the axe in its hand.
Jeonseok quickly jumped back.
The axe blade barely grazed his bangs.
‘As expected, fast regeneration.’
Jeonseok calmly observed the orc.
He had clearly cut the artery.
Not a glancing blow.
Yet the wound was already healing.
A speed incomparable to mere gigantification.
This wouldn’t be enough to deal a fatal blow.
To kill it for sure—
‘I need to destroy the heart.’
Jeonseok released the breath he’d been holding and kicked off the ground.
In that instant—
“━━━!!”
The orc roared, eyes rolling back.
An attack commonly referred to as Fear.
Not a trait—
but an innate physical ability of orcs.
They were originally earth golems, sometimes called distant descendants of dragons.
The shockwave of sound wrapped around Jeonseok.
But it was useless.
Fear attacked the mind.
And Jeonseok bore the Mark of Eternity.
His mind would never break.
“Grr?”
The orc was confused to see Jeonseok unmoved.
In that moment—
Jeonseok closed the distance and slashed its leg.
As deep as possible, to spill as much blood as he could.
Splaash—!
Blood sprayed like a fountain, soaking the Crimson Dagger.
“Grrraak!!”
The orc swung its axe again.
Jeonseok deftly dodged, inflicting wound after wound—none immediately fatal.
A monster he’d killed countless times in his previous life.
Even weakened, it wasn’t an opponent he’d struggle with.
And then—
[The Crimson Dagger absorbs blood.]
[The Crimson Dagger’s attack power increases by ‘100’.]
The dagger’s power continuously increased with every drop of blood it absorbed.
Checking the status, its attack power had reached 2000.
But—
‘This is the limit.’
Jeonseok glanced at the dagger.
The blade vibrated faintly.
Absorbing any more blood might damage it.
Still—
‘This is enough.’
He lowered his stance and leapt at the orc again.
Tap—!
“━━━!!”
The blood-soaked orc used Fear once more.
A testament to its stupidity.
Either it hadn’t realized it didn’t work—
or it had already forgotten.
Either way, it didn’t matter to Jeonseok.
Whoosh—!
The axe swung diagonally.
He sidestepped lightly.
The orc panicked and reached out with its left hand, trying to grab him.
But at this point—
what difference would that make?
[You activate Berserk.]
[All physical abilities greatly increase.]
In an instant—
Jeonseok’s pupils turned red.
Slit like a serpent’s—
and crimson vapor erupted from his body.
Moving at a speed far greater than before, Jeonseok slipped free of the orc’s grasp, dove straight into its chest, and drove the Crimson Dagger in.
Thud—!
The blade pierced precisely into the solar plexus.
Its extreme sharpness sliced through skin and flesh like tofu, skewering the heart.
“Graaahhh…!”
Even so, the orc was still alive.
Muscles regenerated, clamping around the dagger.
Jeonseok used Incantation.
Whoosh—!
Dark crimson flames flowed from his hand into the dagger.
Then—
Boom—!
An explosion.
From the tip of the dagger lodged in the heart, flames erupted, shattering it completely.
Blood and chunks of flesh burst forth with the fire.
Jeonseok quickly retreated, avoiding the spray.
“Grrr…”
The orc collapsed, its chest blown open.
It still wasn’t dead.
‘What absurd vitality.’
And this wasn’t even due to a trait—
just raw physical ability.
In a mere B-rank monster.
That was why orcs were infamous as hunter killers.
[You deactivate Berserk.]
Jeonseok turned the trait off.
Not losing his sanity was good—
but the mana consumption was heavy.
Incantation was manageable, but combining it with stealth or Skel seemed difficult.
Slash—.
He finished by cutting off the orc’s head.
The fanged head rolled across the ground.
The orc met its end in a gruesome state.
Jeonseok usually finished enemies by beheading them.
There wasn’t a special reason.
It was simply more reliable.
Monsters that survived decapitation were rare.
So if you cut the head—
most things die.
And the orc before him was no exception.
[You have hunted an Orc.]
[Congratulations!]
[Level Up!]
The system message appeared.
At last, his level rose.
Just one level.
A pitiful increase.
But Jeonseok had no intention of stopping.
‘There’s still plenty of time.’
Checking his watch again, he moved on.
Holding his breath erased his presence.
Soon, he reappeared in another area.
A group of three orcs.
At their center—
[Skel uses Gigantification.]
[Skel uses Charge.]
Skel, enlarged, burst in like a blender, shredding the orcs.
The mana cost was high and the duration short, but—
‘With stats increasing by 50 each, the power’s worth it.’
With Charge added on, Skel displayed power on par with an A-rank hunter.
While Skel fought—
Glug—.
Jeonseok pulled out a potion and drank it.
A blue liquid slid down his throat.
Then—
[Mana recovers by ‘10’.]
Some mana was restored.
A mana potion purchased from the item shop before entering the dungeon.
It was expensive, but a worthwhile investment for growth.
On the other hand—
‘I need to treat my right hand too… those potions are ridiculously expensive.’
Jeonseok clicked his tongue, recalling the price.
A dispel potion.
Just a low-grade curse—
yet it cost 40 million.
No matter how he thought about it, it was absurd.
The clerk had said demand far exceeded supply, naturally raising the price—
but it was clearly nonsense.
There were plenty of potion makers.
A specific corporation was simply restricting supply to maintain a monopoly.
Having lived through the future, Jeonseok knew this better than anyone.
Still, he couldn’t just march in and demand they stop.
‘…Should I go find that person?’
He recalled a connection from his past life.
A man who worked as a master alchemist.
‘Not sure if he’s awakened at this point.’
Still, it was worth looking into.
“King…”
Skel, having finished off the orcs, knelt before Jeonseok.
[Congratulations!]
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
Two levels rose in succession.
At the same time, Skel shrank back to normal size.
The duration of Gigantification had ended.
It seemed he’d taken quite a beating—his body was damaged in several places.
Probably couldn’t be used again for now.
Jeonseok dismissed Skel.
[Your summon has taken heavy damage.]
[You may resummon in 30 minutes.]
‘So damage causes a cooldown.’
What if it was completely destroyed?
He was curious—but not enough to test it now.
Once again, Jeonseok concealed his presence.
Moving from place to place, hunting orcs.
Perhaps thanks to the mana potions, he continued fighting and leveling without much fatigue.
By the time evening approached—
he defeated the boss and completed the dungeon.
※ ※ ※
[You have hunted the Orc Lord.]
[Congratulations!]
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
The Lord—twice as large as a normal orc—collapsed in a spray of blood.
Its severed head rolled across the ground.
At the same time—
[You have stolen a life.]
[A random trait will be acquired.]
[You have acquired Authority of Strength (D)!]
He stole one of the Orc Lord’s traits.
However—
‘Of all things, the lowest grade.’
The Orc Lord also possessed a B-rank trait, yet he obtained the much lower D-rank instead.
Still, it wasn’t a bad trait.
━
Authority of Strength
Rank: D
Effect: Permanently increases Strength by +10.
━
A passive trait with no mana cost.
Equivalent to ten level-ups.
Meanwhile, Jeonseok had gained 12 levels this time.
[You have used ‘12’ stat points.]
[Agility increases by ‘12’.]
He invested all of them into Agility.
Mana was important too—
but for now, Agility took priority.
It was the foundation and pillar of Jeonseok’s combat style.
Then, he checked his status window.
━
Lv. 38
[Strength - 20] [Agility - 42]
[Stamina - 20] [Mana - 20]
Stat Points - 0
Good Karma - 24050 (600)
Evil Karma - @#%^@#TF
Owned Traits
└ Heavenly Calamity Star (EX+), Mark of Eternity, Incantation (B), King of the Dead (C), Karma Shop, Stealth (A), Berserk (B), Authority of Strength (D)
━
Levels, stats, traits.
Everything had changed beyond comparison from when he first regressed.
Stat-wise, he was roughly on par with a B-rank hunter.
Considering the number of traits and his combat sense, he could handle A-rank opponents without much trouble.
Moreover—
‘If I factor in Skel and Stealth… I could barely take on an S-rank.’
He might win.
But he wasn’t confident he wouldn’t lose either.
Jeonseok picked up a round stone from the Orc Lord’s corpse.
A core—also called a mana stone—commonly found in boss monsters.
Hunters usually appraised and sold these for profit.
‘No item drop.’
A bit disappointing—but expected.
Item drop rates were extremely low.
He hadn’t expected anything in the first place.
‘Time to head back.’
Holding the mana stone, Jeonseok exited the dungeon.
Just as he was about to take a taxi—
“Hmm?”
His phone suddenly vibrated.
An incoming call.
The caller was none other than Choi Eunha.
The fact that she—who had quickly distanced herself to avoid getting involved—was calling now meant—
‘Something’s wrong.’
Without a doubt.
Jeonseok answered the phone.
From the other end—
a trembling, tearful voice came through.
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