Chapter 30: Hunter in the Darkness
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 30: Hunter in the Darkness
Tug.
As the safety rope connecting them went taut, the Knight whispered in a hushed, urgent tone.
"Be careful."
"It’s pitch-black... I can’t see a damn thing."
The Mage’s whining made the Knight’s blood boil, but he suppressed his irritation.
He was the one doing the heavy lifting, fumbling down a cliffside in nothing but his undergarments, barely able to see his own hands. It was impossible not to be annoyed when the Mage, who was descending in relative comfort, did nothing but complain and get in the way.
"We’re almost at the bottom, so just bear with it. I spotted the bastard’s position from a distance earlier. We just need to reach the floor."
While descending into the valley, they had clearly seen a crimson pillar of light soaring into the sky. Their target likely thought they had given up the chase.
After struggling for a few more minutes, the Knight’s feet finally touched solid ground. He immediately began pulling armor from his subspace as he spoke.
"Good work. We're down."
Just as he was about to strap on his breastplate, instead of a reply from the Mage, a hot, viscous liquid sprayed across his face.
"Huh?"
Startled by the sudden warmth, he reached up to wipe his eyes. Only then did the metallic tang of blood hit his nose.
At the same moment, a sharp, searing pain flared in his side.
He instinctively twisted his body to avoid a fatal blow and retreated. Disoriented by the sudden ambush, the Knight snatched a glass orb the size of a fist from his subspace and hurled it into the air.
Flash!
The glass orb ignited mid-air, erupting in a brilliant aura of light.
As the radiance drove back the shadows, the Mage’s corpse came into view. His throat had been jaggedly slashed, and blood was still spraying from his mouth.
Beside the body stood their enemy, looking at a blood-stained dagger with a hint of regret.
"I wanted to end this quietly, but you’re quicker than you look."
Clutching his bleeding side, the Knight finally grasped the situation. He gritted his teeth and drew his Chainsword.
He felt a surge of bitterness looking at his armor lying uselessly on the ground near the enemy. He was exposed, but he had no choice.
The moment Seo-un dropped the dagger and lunged, the Knight’s Chainsword reacted a beat faster.
Swish—Boom!
He felt the enemy’s agitation as they narrowly dodged the whip-like strike, but the Knight wasn't satisfied. He should have caught the bastard with that first blow.
Seo-un, for his part, calmed his racing heart and kept his guard up.
An extending sword?
The Knight’s weapon was troublesome, closing the distance like a whip to deliver razor-sharp strikes. But that was the extent of it. The weapon was surprising, but it wasn't so fast that he couldn't react.
The Knight continued to swing his sword to keep the approaching Seo-un at bay, but the movements were clear to Seo-un’s eyes. He read the trajectory and dodged without much difficulty.
Thud, thud!
Seo-un closed the distance in a blur and landed two heavy fist strikes directly on the Knight’s unprotected chest. The Knight stumbled back, coughing up a spray of gore.
Sensing the end, the Knight spat out another mouthful of blood and wheezed.
"How... did you know?"
The question lacked a subject, but Seo-un understood perfectly.
"It’s weirder not to know when you’re radiating mana waves so blatantly."
"You bastard! You’ve learned magic too?"
"What are you talking about? Of course I have. Look at the world we’re in."
With those final words, Seo-un drove a Shattering Strike into the Knight’s neck. Unable to react, the Knight collapsed, dead before he hit the ground.
[Ding! You have obtained Dakan's Chainsword.]
[Ding! You have obtained a Plasma Orb.]
[Ding! You have obtained a Mana Explosion Scroll.]
[Ding! You have obtained a Troll Leather Vest.]
[Ding! You have obtained a Flame Orb.]
[Ding! You have obtained the Bird Flame Grimoire.]
Compared to the Knight, who only dropped one decent item—the Chainsword—the Mage yielded a diverse array of loot. Seo-un’s eyes filled with curiosity as he examined the items one by one.
Doesn't seem to have much merit if it's just used like a whip, Seo-un thought. Still, he tucked it into his subspace just in case.
So this is what that Knight used.
This will be useful.
It wasn't as grand as the Orichalcum Breastplate he had obtained in the previous round, but considering he was practically half-naked, this was more than enough to be grateful for. He donned the vest and moved around to test the fit.
Not bad.
Similar to the Plasma Orb. It was a shame it was a one-time use, but it was the kind of item that could turn the tide of a fight.
"Ah!"
It was a spell he had been hit by before. The heat was intense; it was a powerful spell that dealt massive damage on a direct hit.
If he was 5th Circle, he was actually quite formidable.
Seeing that such a Mage died in a single strike without even a shield, Seo-un confirmed once again that Mages suffered from severe physical vulnerabilities. After organizing the items, Seo-un felt a belated pang of regret regarding the Philosopher's Stone.
Since I have a 4th Circle Stone, I could have learned up to Bird Flame...
Pushing the regret aside, he pulled the hood of his cloak over his head and retreated. Avoiding the light emitted by the Plasma Orb, his figure merged with the darkness as he moved swiftly.
He could already sense the presence of another prey from above. As long as he wore the Cloak of Stealth, he was the apex hunter in this valley.
Numbers didn't matter. With the cloak and the pitch-black darkness, he was confident he wouldn't lose to anyone.
[Your final location is being revealed.]
Whoosh!
Along with the familiar notification, a pillar of light soared into the sky from directly above him.
"Whew... Haa..."
Seo-un slumped onto the ground. Twelve wooden boxes were scattered haphazardly around him. When he tossed a Plasma Orb above his head, the carnage became visible.
The scene was gruesome—blood splattered across the stone walls and puddles of gore surrounding the crates. Seo-un, covered in blood and minor wounds, stripped off his upper garment, which was now little more than a rag.
He wore the leather vest, a robe over it, and the Cloak of Stealth over that.
"Phew. I really cleaned up."
Slang he used to use during his old gaming days slipped out naturally. He had racked up 14 kills in this valley alone. The Cloak of Stealth had performed at 120% capacity, but most of the enemies were mindless fools blinded by the prospect of loot.
Considering it was only the second day of the game, he was certain he had the highest kill count of any player.
Survivors: 99/200
.
.
.
Jin Seo-un --> Gawain (Killed with Fist Qi.)
Jin Seo-un --> Bites (Killed with martial arts.)
Jin Seo-un --> Caravel (Killed with an arrow.)
As expected, the recent kill list was plastered with his name. At this rate, enemies would likely stop crawling into the valley altogether.
The handicap of revealing my location is over, too.
It would have been dangerous if not for this valley. Because this place was shrouded in 24-hour darkness, he was able to crush the swarming enemies; otherwise, it would have been a much harder struggle.
But the results were worth it.
Since it was only the second day, the general farming situation wasn't great, but a few of his victims had items that were actually worth something. Seo-un’s lips curled into a satisfied smile as he looked at the new ring on his finger.
This one is definitely the best.
Having obtained another Toka's Ring, he checked his stats.
With this much resistance, he could ignore the spells of mediocre mages and simply tank them with his body. Furthermore, as he accumulated a significant amount of Vitality, his Internal Power had increased considerably.
Special Stat - Internal Power: 210
After checking his condition, he looked up. The narrow strip of sky was turning red, indicating the sun was starting to set.
I’ll stay on guard for about 30 minutes. If no more enemies show up, I’m leaving.
Any player who had been tracking Seo-un would surely not dare to enter this slaughterhouse if they had a brain. Nevertheless, he waited. Then, he moved to a corner at the edge of the valley and pulled an item from his subspace.
The Jeokgong Pill. The wooden box containing the elixir he had obtained from the supplies looked incredibly beautiful. When he opened it, a fragrance that could only be described as "refreshing" wafted out.
The moment he placed the elixir in his mouth, it melted instantly, sliding naturally down his throat.
As expected! The high-grade stuff really is different.
The moment the stinging sensation passing down his esophagus reached his stomach and turned into a cool, soothing flow, he began his energy circulation.
Following the Baekmu Juyeongong, a massive surge of energy erupted from his core and raced through his entire body. It expanded blocked sub-channels and widened narrow Qi pathways, the energy of the Jeokgong Pill circulating through his meridians like a flood cleaning out a dusty tunnel.
After the energy had circulated for over three hours, it settled firmly into his Dantian, making it feel significantly heavier.
[My Info]
Special Stat - Internal Power: 310
His Internal Power had increased by exactly 100. This was a massive jump; his power had been only 90 when he wiped out his first team at the start of the second round. Compared to then, this was a vertical ascent.
And that was only yesterday.
Of course, this power would disappear once the game ended, but it didn't matter. He just had to find a way to take a Jeokgong Pill back to reality.
After filling his Dantian, he pulled out the Circle Stone. He hesitated for a moment, recalling the agony of using it last time, but now that he had obtained decent magic books, it would be foolish to wait.
"Phew."
Taking a long breath to steady his mind, he activated the stone.
"Ugh!"
As expected, a groan escaped his clenched teeth from the pressure that felt like his heart was being crushed in a vice. Once the physical pain subsided, it was followed by waves of intense dizziness and nausea.
Thr-three hours...
He truly resented the three-hour cooldown for the Circle Stone. The first time he had suffered because he didn't know what to expect, but enduring it while knowing exactly what was coming was much worse.
When the pain finally faded, he was drenched in sweat and his body felt completely drained.
"Haa... Haa..."
Even as he gasped for air, he pulled the magic books from his subspace.
[Would you like to learn the Wind Blade Grimoire?]
[Would you like to learn the Ice Lance Grimoire?]
As soon as the two books turned to ash, wind began to coalesce above his hand. The wind, which started as a simple sphere, transformed into a sharp, rotating blade. When he swung his hand, it carved deep into the stone wall.
Next, a spear of ice flew toward the wall. Upon impact, it instantly froze the surrounding area, emitting a frigid chill.
"Now that I'm at the 4th Circle, these are actually useful."
Having finished his preparations, he looked up at the sky. In the narrow gap between the valley walls, countless stars shone against the darkness. For the current Seo-un, the night was an environment that gave him wings.
Pulling the Cloak of Stealth over his head, he began to kick off the stone walls and climb. As his Internal Power had increased, his mastery of the Cloud Soaring Step had also improved significantly.
It truly felt like a lightness skill worthy of being a top-tier supply drop.
Lightly kicking off the stone walls and grabbing onto jagged rocks to maintain his balance, it wasn't long before his figure vaulted over the rim of the valley and vanished into the night.