Haseirin spent a significant amount of money collecting information on Hunters that could be targeted.
“Ugh, this is so annoying. Stupid monsters.”
In the end, she had no choice but to embark on a dungeon exploration, which she hadn’t done in a while.
Once she obtained the target’s information, she would immediately follow them and try to get as close as possible to the point where the target would meet their lover to make her move.
The temptation effect drastically decreases against opponents of higher status, and it won’t activate if the target doesn’t genuinely love the other person.
Still, after taking the time to try it with several people, she believed she would eventually succeed, just like the two Hunters protecting her.
Time passed, and now she had four A-rank Hunters as her bodyguards.
Originally, she could only enslave three Hunters, but through her desperate efforts over the past few days, she unexpectedly gained enlightenment, allowing her to increase that number.
“Hehe, I’m a woman who can do anything. What am I gonna do with this talent?”
Seeing her bodyguards, who were outputting magic power without restraint, made her regain her shaken mental state.
Unlike her, who had only been an A-rank for a little over a year, her bodyguards were already skilled enough to be in the mid-range of A-ranks.
‘With this much power, even if an S-rank Hunter comes, we won’t go down easily, right?’
Typically, it was said that at least ten mid-tier A-rank Hunters were needed to fight evenly against an S-rank Hunter, but she was putting significant faith in her own strength.
‘Come on. I’ll tear you to shreds.’
Haseirin was quietly preparing for the imminent danger.
* * *
After losing one life, I found myself back in the Dark Space once again.
However, something amazing awaited me, different from usual.
– [Trace of Existence] has been activated.
– The ‘Trace’ containing the potential of ‘Black Flame Sorcerer Il-wol’ rises.
‘Ah… that ability I got from defeating that huge slime, the Great Beast. I almost forgot about it.’
– Il-wol’s ‘trace’ is recognized as ‘Small Skeleton’ due to the ‘Fragment of the Seeker Corrupted by Chaos.’
– ‘Small Skeleton’ clearly recognizes the Lizardman as an enemy.
– ‘Small Skeleton’ wants to move quickly toward the enemy.
‘Huh?’
– ‘Small Skeleton’ activates the potential of [Lightning Step]!
– ‘Small Skeleton’ slashes its dagger, dealing damage to the Lizardman!
‘What, what is this?!’
Messages started popping up one by one, almost like a real-time text commentary.
It also belatedly mentioned that it hadn’t properly mimicked the Lightning Step and detailed that it only managed to cut off two fingers of the Lizardman.
‘Wait a second… are they fighting because of my trace after I died?’
– ‘Small Skeleton’ sadly failed to activate the potential of [Adhesion]!
– It struggles to climb the pillar!
‘No way, it managed the Lightning Step on the first try but failed the adhesion?’
Even if it followed my potential, it seems it couldn’t replicate all my abilities.
In the end, the Small Skeleton implemented dozens of small thorn-like hooks on its hands and feet, moving along the ceiling like a spider.
‘But why is it climbing the ceiling?’
– ‘Small Skeleton’ is aiming for a strong strike!
‘No way…?! That’s pretty bold for a trace I left behind, isn’t it?’
Thinking back, the message about absorbing the Great Beast’s aura and getting bold might have influenced the ‘Small Skeleton’ through some unknown process.
‘It plans to deliver a strong blow while dropping down… but that won’t work, will it?’
It managed to successfully attack but considering the Lizardman’s playful personality, it was likely just a moment of carelessness on its part.
– ‘Small Skeleton’s decisive strike is lightly blocked by the Lizardman!
‘Damn it! I knew that would happen! Just run away instead! Find your own survival!’
I hoped the creature that had split from me would at least run away to survive.
But, of course, luck wasn’t on my side.
– ‘Small Skeleton’ is completely ensnared by the Lizardman’s tail!
– ‘Small Skeleton’ senses death and realizes the potential of [Blast of Madness]!
Along with that message, an image of a pillar of light rising somewhere came to mind.
It was an illusion.
But it was evident that the ‘Small Skeleton’ had delivered a spectacular finish.
– ‘Small Skeleton’ has perished!
‘… damn.’
The last message stated that it dealt meaningful damage to the Lizardman.
Though I couldn’t even see what the skeleton looked like, an inexplicable fury boiled within me.
However, preparing for ‘Small Skeleton’s’ revenge required me to gather my wits.
I stared blankly into the void, calming my mind.
<02:56:58>
‘Three hours…’
The resurrection time had already been halved during my job change.
‘Six hours and three hours feel completely different.’
I organized my thoughts on what to do next.
Setting traps in the cave and luring the Lizardman was a confirmed strategy.
‘It said the Small Skeleton dealt significant damage… When I take my next shot, will the memories of being defeated by the Small Skeleton still linger in the Lizardman’s mind?’
If so, it would definitely rush at me the moment it saw me.
‘If those memories aren’t there, I guess I’ll have to provoke it somehow.’
I would have liked to have the Ddak-ddak-i or Dotted One with me, but that was regrettable.
Assuming I manage to lure it into the cave, what I ultimately lacked was sheer power.
No matter how much I filled the cave with powerful poison, how effective would it be against a physically capable Lizardman?
‘It was incredibly fast, wasn’t it?’
Speed is relative.
My power had already reached the brink of A-rank.
But even in the sky, there exists a sky.
When a being with a speed of 100 sees an opponent moving at 110, fear is the inevitable response.
‘Kang Yeon-su…’
Suddenly, she came to mind.
Few skills but a physical strength pushed to its limits, hers is among the best in the country.
Ultimately, if you are faster and stronger than your opponent, you can often overcome the gap in techniques.
‘If I can combine that level of physical ability with my various capabilities…’
Though it was difficult for now, I had to set that as a goal.
‘What can I do to raise my strength and agility a bit more?’
Leveling up would undoubtedly slow down from here, and while there were still artifacts to uncover, finding them was limited.
‘… I need to look into the mutants related to Evolved Creatures and the Blue-eyed Deities. I need to hunt down that scum.’
Coincidentally, it was a sinister group that had vanished around the same time.
I needed to find and eliminate them to enhance my physical capabilities and discover possibilities in new dungeons.
‘Once I grow stronger, I’ll deal with the Great Evil One Haseirin and will also need time to get used to Bin Chi-seung’s ability, ‘Sanctuary of Vigilance,’ as a reward.’
Naturally, I shifted my steps toward Rainy while sorting out my future plans.
The less urgent task of finding Yoon Han-gyeol, who was still alive in this world, had completely slipped my mind.
*
At the same time.
After Il-wol broke, Yeon-hee and her comrades, who were flung out of the gate, struggled intensely with their heads down in pain.
“Ugh…”
Yeon-hee sighed heavily after confirming that one life of Il-wol had been lost.
She already knew about Il-wol entering a new quest and its dangers but her heart felt heavy nonetheless.
‘At this rate, the lives will go down to the 80s…’
It had already happened.
But thinking through various thoughts, one answer arose.
‘I must grow stronger; there’s no other way.’
So how should she do that?
‘Even if it’s tough… that’s all there is to it.’
Yeon-hee was slowly realizing that venturing dungeons with Il-wol doesn’t always lead to happy outcomes.
Gazing at her comrades beside her, who were coughing up water, she thought.
‘We need to struggle a bit together. Overcome some walls that are hard to pass.’
Of course, situations were different for Il-wol and Yeon-hee.
Everyone knew the value of one life, but it was unsustainable to continue like this.
Il-wol was quickly gaining experience for them, but it also felt like living with an unquenchable thirst.
The biggest problem was having long since reached ‘enlightenment.’
While Il-wol ascends through job changes, for Yeon-hee, who had already advanced to her second job, all she could hope for was enlightenment, which had stagnated.
And it was the same for her companions.
Somehow, they had blended into a sweet companionship with Il-wol.
“Hey… should we go get coffee or something at the café?”
“Huh? Uh… okay.”
“Sounds great! When did Yeon-hee start requesting company outings!!”
“No, it’s not a company outing. It’s coffee—”
“Ugh! What are we doing having coffee at this hour? Let’s go get some meat!!”
Sensing that Yeon-hee had something to share, her comrades felt curious and a bit anxious as they moved together to Helen’s shop.
At Helen’s store, they received good news.
Helen had gathered only her family for a simple wedding ceremony.
“I wanted to see your wedding, sister!”
“But you said the date isn’t set yet…”
“I should’ve at least sent something if I’m going to see you more often.”
“Hehe, weddings just cost money, there’s not much to see. Just take my heart.”
Helen and her friends briefly talked about their postponed updates and then began their meeting in earnest.
Sizzles filled the air—
Since Yeon-hee’s mood was noticeably different than usual, Helen quietly grilled meat while keeping her ears open.
Helen had recently dived into a new venture.
Along with her existing connections, she started a small information organization.
Among them was Song Jin-kyeong.
“Is Jin-kyeong okay? Can she already work?”
“I’m gradually handing over the administrative tasks. Don’t worry.”
“Oh, I see—”
Ji-woo had returned to Jeju, where her family is, saying she needed a proper break.
She sent her apologies for leaving without a proper farewell.
Yeon-hee learned for the first time how precious connections could drift away silently.
Anyway, the information organization that Helen created may be akin to a private detective agency, but it was no easy task when conducting surveillance.
However, it was infinitely safer than entering a dungeon, and the income was quite substantial too.
The key to the information organization was the possession of high-quality information.
Thus, simply listening to the conversations between the unique class Lee Yeon-hee and the next ace of the Vision Guild, Noh Ha-yoon, was a great benefit for her.
Yeon-hee ate a few pieces of meat that Helen grilled and honestly laid out her concerns.
“We need change. I feel like we’ve been stagnant lately.”
“Change?”
The conclusion was to explore a dungeon without relying on Il-wol’s help.
“Wow… I see.”
“Why the sudden idea?”
After hearing Yeon-hee’s opinion, her comrades felt a bit taken aback, yet they easily gathered their thoughts.
“Exploring with Il-wol is always welcome, but it does feel like we’re going too safe. Of course, I appreciate that too, but I genuinely understand Yeon-hee’s point.”
Ah-rin agreed to explore without Il-wol.
Of course, she was worried about her younger siblings left behind, but just like Joo-ah, she needed a lot of money.
To do that, they had to follow Yeon-hee’s opinions to a degree; otherwise, Yeon-hee would form her own team at any time.
‘Thinking about Sua, I need even more money…’
Her younger sister, who had just entered middle school, was hospitalized due to some unknown illness, and that was a big reason.
Although it wasn’t yet confirmed as ‘mana disease,’ it was only a matter of time.
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