The officials managing the Nando dungeon intervene only minimally.
They don’t particularly stop anyone from entering the dungeon alone.
And if you’re someone powerful like Victor, solo play could be possible.
However, there’s a reason why most hunters play in parties.
Unless you have a specific goal like stealing skills, exploring alone is inefficient.
‘Is he waiting for his companions?’
Even if that’s the case, typically, they’d move to a quieter place to distance themselves from the hunters following behind, yet this guy was still arguing with the god who clobbered him from behind.
Step—
Victor, who immediately reacted to the sound of my footsteps, widened his eyes and displayed exaggerated gestures.
“Oh! Hahaha, it seems you have also failed? You can’t see it because of the armor, but I can understand how you feel. I’m in the same boat. Damn Bellastright! That malicious goddess who always puts in the effort to tease me.”
He speaks as if he’s interested in others, but it all comes back to him.
“It’s nice to meet you, but we should part ways now. The monsters in this dungeon are quite strong, so it might be difficult for now.
I plan to gather proper equipment and party members before I really dive in. How about you?”
‘You’re leaving…? That won’t do.’
[Camouflage]
“Hm? Your aura…”
Like Maeng Seong-yong, Victor immediately reacted to the camouflage.
It seems it’s hard to hide changes when all stats drop at once.
I tilted my head lightly a few times and spoke to him.
“How about exploring the dungeon together? I thought I’d loosen up and adapt in the initial hunting grounds.”
“Ooh! So you’re not mute?”
“…The first hunting ground is ten minutes away.”
“Haha, are you requesting my company? It seems my powers have captivated you. Hmm… Alright. If it’s just a taste, I might as well join you.”
It was easy to draw him in without even making direct eye contact.
He was supposed to be moving toward the hunting ground but intended to leave. Lies should have limits.
Step— Step—
After walking alongside him for a while, the outlines of the dungeon began to emerge.
Even amidst it all, Victor kept chattering away, but honestly, I didn’t pay him the slightest attention and had no idea what he was rambling about.
I completely diverted my gaze somewhere else.
‘What a mysterious atmosphere.’
Countless marine creatures engraved on the walls shimmered like holograms, and the sound of crashing waves heard from somewhere carried a freshness that seemed to filter out the waste piling up inside while giving a chilling feeling that pulled me into the deep sea.
“It’s starting to feel like a sea dungeon. By the way, I apologize for the late introduction. My name is Victor Cruel.”
“I’m Seo Kang-jun.”
“Seo Kang-jun? It’s a name I’ve never heard before. I have a decent memory, having memorized the names of A-rank to S-rank hunters in Korea. As far as I recall, there’s no such name…”
“………”
“Hahaha, that’s fine. Many are reluctant to reveal their real names. Of course, I am using my real name.”
He may seem careless, but he’s a veteran with at least 20 years of experience.
He’s definitely not someone to underestimate, especially not in the A-rank where finding a match for him is tough.
Step— Step—
“………”
“………”
Before long, we found ourselves walking in silence.
Eerie—
[Sharp Hearing]
I could hear the precise sounds of numerous hidden machines working together inside him.
A minuscule noise that you could barely hear without auditory-related traits.
I had no idea how his body was structured to enable such a thing, but it was certain that Victor Cruel was starting to switch to attack mode.
Could it have been from the moment I hid my real name? Or was it when I reached into the gate and he saw that my body hadn’t frozen?
‘…Maybe he decided to kill me from the moment he first spoke to me.’
It seemed more likely that he had been waiting for me.
I recalled the system message that described him.
– Killed a total of 205 people; brutally raped and murdered 27 women of Asian descent.
‘205 people killed… He probably hasn’t only killed women.’
I had passed by the ingrained image of him being a murderer specifically targeting certain women, but it seemed more likely he was just a psychopathic killer who didn’t discriminate.
Step— Step—
The silence of just the two of us in the sparsely populated dungeon might have provoked him.
‘Hmm…’
I spread out the waves of my senses.
There were about thirty hunters positioned within a radius of two hundred meters.
Once the battle begins, those lurking like wolves would come close to seize the moment.
Ending the contest quickly would be better.
Whoooosh─
With a mere 50cm between us, we both began to draw up our magic powers without hiding it anymore.
“Hehehe… I can’t bear this moment. Being able to feel alive is indeed a great blessing, isn’t it? Don’t you think, Seo. Kang. Jun?”
“………”
“I love black-haired Oriental women. Looking at hair and eyes that seem to symbolize darkness makes my heart race uncontrollably. Ah! Of course, there’s a certain thrill in killing arrogant male bastards too. Though you’re quite distant from the arrogant type, there’s something oddly stimulating about you. Unfortunately, that is.”
‘Of course you would.’
“When I heard that people could move via the intercontinental transport system, I was overjoyed. Of course, the cost was ridiculously high, but I wasn’t strong enough to penetrate those ‘monsters’ ruling the skies and reach Asia, so I had no choice.”
“So you came here to do what you were doing over there, huh?”
“……… What do you mean… do it forcibly? I wonder what you know about me to say something like that.”
“You already killed twenty-seven women.”
“??!! How… do you know that? Were you a hunter from ICHO?”
“I’m not in such a formidable organization.”
“Huhuhu… What does it matter? Let me tell you one thing. I never forcibly violate women. If you see my prepared state, you’ll know that with just a few kind words, women will offer themselves willingly. Of course, the process of enjoying it before dismantling each part carries its own special significance, but I don’t need to go that far.”
“Can you… please shut your mouth for a moment? You seriously never take a break.”
“Seo Kang-jun. Unfortunately, that’s impossible. Hahaha— Huup!!”
Bang──!!
Our blades were drawn and collided simultaneously.
Boom──!!
Kwahahhaha—!!
“Ugh?! What the… nonsense?!”
As I sliced through the ominous-looking machine device that Victor drew out, I instantly activated [Stealth] and rapidly moved behind him, looking for an opening.
But his machine devices displayed an agility that preemptively occupied the direction I was moving toward, leading to a fierce back-and-forth chase between me and Victor.
‘I can’t keep this up.’
[Mutated Green Bind]
Swish!
“Hmph! Armored existence is just bluffing! You’re an assassin, aren’t you? Your movements are remarkably swift. Even possessing bindings!! But such trivial tricks—!”
Boom boom boom!!
Before the bindings could fully activate, the ancient Ent branches scattered like dust.
This happened the instant a light shone from his core.
‘Is that the power of a god?!’
“Wowhahaha!! Bindings and control techniques are meaningless to me!! Thanks to that damned ‘Bellastright’ who only prefers face-to-face clashes! How about it!! Why not enjoy my enhanced physique a bit more? I still have plenty left to show!!”
“You really talk way too much.”
[Flame Armor – Combat Type]
Fwoosh──!
“Kyah! It’s hot! You damned bastard!!”
A technique that triggers a flame explosion simply by looking at the opponent’s face.
With an ability close to being guard-invincible, I found this technique was charming the more I used it.
‘Let’s shift up a gear.’
[Blood Frenzy]
As my stats rose, I swung the sword following the momentary glimmer of light on his body.
[Frost Enamel]
[Void Slash Flame Cut]
Swooosh!!
“My body?! Do you really think a knight like you could do anything—”
Fwoosh──!
“Kuhhh…! How is this…?!”
‘Tch… Couldn’t slice through. But as long as the outcome is good.’
Although a massive device emerged from his body to obstruct my sword path, my thrusts pierced his abdomen cleanly.
‘It’s getting easier to feel how smoothly my training translates to real combat.’
It seemed that due to my limited talent, there was a delay in how well my practiced techniques manifested in reality.
Thud—!
Bang! Thud!
“Kuhh…”
I didn’t give him even a moment to recover.
I struck him several times on the jaw to knock him out cold and swiftly moved to escape the scene.
By then, hunters had gathered closely, watching our fight intently.
They were likely waiting for the moment of conclusion to snatch the dropped items.
– Damn, he disappeared?! That was incredibly fast.
– Ah, he’s done for. Finished.
– That foreigner seemed really strong, he subdued him in the blink of an eye?
– That armored existence doesn’t feel right. We should avoid this route.
– That armor… it seems familiar. Where have I seen it before?
‘Even with all the changes, they still feel familiarity? I might need to beef up the bones. After all, the burning armor definitely stands out.’
While the whispering voices of the hunters faded into the background, we reached a small alcove that was less frequented.
Tock— tap—
Inside the cave, there was a small pond with water reaching up to my thighs.
I placed Victor onto a rock in the center of the pond and took out an evolution potion from the Space.
I pulled out one randomly, and it turned out to be filled with harpy energy.
This must be the kind the mutant I had faced in this life, the red-hooded hunter, had consumed.
Evolution Potion (Harpy type)
– A potion filled with numerous sacrifices. Its effectiveness has been maximized after several enhancements.
– It can instantly double physical abilities upon the first consumption. The duration depends on the awakened one who consumes it.
– The effect decreases with each subsequent consumption.
– It causes significant side effects. Consuming gradually over time can somewhat reduce the side effects.
– It has a high chance to trigger one harpy ability.
‘Crazy… Doubling my physical abilities?! This is way better than what I’ve made?’
Even if it was a one-time boost, the performance was outrageous, and I could even gain one of the harpy’s abilities.
Of course, looking at stability and usability, mine was far superior, but this item’s effect that contained a living being’s sacrifice was tough to surpass.
‘Alright, down the hatch.’
Glug- glug—
I pried open Victor’s mouth and poured the evolution potion in.
Glug- glug—
He eagerly accepted it without knowing what it was. Guess he thought someone was feeding him a potion or something.
“Kuhack! Cough-! Guhhh…!”
After pouring in the potion, I waited a moment for his reaction.
Eerie—
Clunk! Eerie, clunk!
The numerous machine devices he operated buzzed back to life, but the main body couldn’t stand up.
“…No change…”
His response was a bit slow, and considering the ones from the underground factory started reacting actively right after consuming the evolution potion, I couldn’t quite grasp the situation.
“What… what did you feed me…?”
“You’re awake?! Feel anything yet?”
He’s an A-rank Hunter, so that makes sense.
Seeing him quickly regain his consciousness was a relief.
“What you just consumed is called evolution potion. Do you have something like this in your country? It originated from the life potion manufacturing method that started in Europe.”
“Evolution potion?! You… you bastard!!”
It looks like the effects of the evolution potion were starting to kick in. Considering how the mouth of the dying guy suddenly responsive again.
‘Looks like it takes a while for someone of his strength to activate the initial effects.’
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