Chapter 47: Dungeon Rampage
The third test proceeded smoothly.
Everyone was strong enough to be considered [E-] rank hunters, so the strategy was carried out without much difficulty.
My lingering unease, which seemed unfounded, was dispelled as they displayed no suspicious behavior or underhanded tactics.
I took this opportunity to remind myself that misfortune had not yet activated and started to interact with them more genuinely while progressing through the dungeon.
After about an hour since we entered the dungeon:
We had defeated over 80 of the required 127 enemies, and we had just finished off a large group of 12 goblins.
Then, starting from the entrance, an ominous, invisible wave swept throughout the entire dungeon.
“What’s going on?!”
A foreboding sense emerged. The nagging feeling I had been suppressing rose again. My face naturally contorted in response to the renewed anticipation of trouble.
〚An external item: Berserk Stone [Rare-SS] has started to exert a massive influence on the dungeon!〛
My eyes widened. The Berserk Stone!
I recognized the item. It was a state-prohibited object that rampaged a dungeon, randomly increasing its grade and rank.
“What the hell!?”
“Damn it! A Berserk Stone? What is that?!”
The party members, shocked, quickly readjusted their stances. While everyone was staring at the notification message with tension,
I looked at them and realized.
‘These bastards planned this from the start.’
Finally, I was sure that my subtle unease wasn’t just paranoia.
It was all an act. Although it seemed perfect, unless they were top-notch actors, there were bound to be instinctive signs of inconsistency. I caught onto that discrepancy quickly.
They pretended to be shocked, but all of them, almost reflexively, glanced at Seok Woon’s chest.
It must mean there was something inside that could protect them.
‘The one outside who used the Berserk Stone. And these four inside.’
They were all in on it. This was a trap specifically set to kill me.
Ha! It was absurd. The effort and meticulous planning involved indicated someone with considerable power and influence.
‘Have I done anything to earn the enmity of such a person?’
Chairman Lee Seoyong of Changseong? Would that old man go to such trouble just to kill someone like me?
Knowing his character, I was certain. Lee Seoyong wasn’t one for pointless schemes.
‘Then who could it be?’
No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t pinpoint anyone who would go to such lengths.
I shouldn’t have any enemies capable of this in my current state. So who orchestrated this?
‘Could it be other enemies pulling the strings?’
Just as Chairman Lee Seoyong knew about my awakening, others might have found out too. Could it be one of them?
I didn’t know. I sighed deeply, holding my throbbing head.
I noticed the four other members flinch at my reaction, but I didn’t care. Once I knew this was a trap meant to kill me, their act only seemed loathsome.
〚The dungeon has entered a state of rampage!〛
〚The dungeon’s grade has escalated from Common to Uncommon!〛
〚The dungeon’s rank has increased from B- to A+!〛
〚The dungeon’s name has changed.〛
〚Dungeon (Rampage) Quest: Forest Under the Madness of the Corrupted God〛
Grade: Uncommon
Rank: A+
Type: Extermination
Description: The Corrupted God has scattered power throughout the forest. The surviving goblins have sacrificed the bodies of their fallen kin to summon an Apostle, a servant of the god. They have become stronger, drenched in madness, and more ferocious.
Objective: Eliminate the goblins blessed by madness〛
At least the worst-case scenario didn’t happen. The grade increase from the Berserk Stone is limited to below its own rarity.
Thankfully, the dungeon hadn’t rampaged to an absurd level like Rare-SS.
‘If Misfortune had intervened, it might have ended up that way.’
For some reason, Misfortune remained silent, quietly observing this situation.
I wasn’t sure if I should be relieved that Misfortune hadn’t acted or dismayed by the gravity of the situation.
‘Status window.’
I needed to be prepared. I opened my status window, glancing at the four who were subtly watching me.
『Status Window
Name: Shin Juha
Title: World Destroyer [Legendary-SSS], Blessing of Ophiuchus [Mythical-C+], Ender of Calamities [Heroic-SSS]
LV 24 (19%)
Stats:
Mugeuk (Mythical) F (12+20/100)
Sun (Mythical) F (12+20/100)
Heavenly Fortune (Mythical) F- (11+20/100)
Misfortune (Legendary) F- (12+20/100)
Perseverance (Legendary) F- (16+20/100)
Remaining Points: 36
Authorities:
[Golden Tower LV2] [Heavenly Fortune LV1] [Noonday Sun LV2]
Unique Abilities:
[Curse of Misfortune (Legendary) LV MAX] [Mugeuk Heaven Pulse (Mythical) LV2] [Ultimate Soul (Mythical) LV2] [Equivalent Exchange (Origin) LV2] [Sun’s Eye (Mythical) LV1]
Skills:
[Wing of Arrogance (Mythical) LV1] [Heart of the Giant (Legendary) LV1] [Flowing Water Technique (Epic) LV1] [Power of the Ganggwi (Unique) LV3]』
The extra points I earned from overcoming Misfortune’s schemes, leveling up, and dungeon clear rewards totaled 36.
‘Use them all?’
My momentary hesitation ended quickly.
‘I’ll use them all. Saving them is useless now.’
The current situation was too urgent to hold back out of pride. Without hesitation, I invested all the points into Mugeuk.
Crunch!
Power surged through my body instantly, and the power of the sun also significantly increased.
Mugeuk (Mythical) F (30+20/100)
Sun (Mythical) F (30+20/100)
〚Golden Tower ownership has risen to 18%.〛
〚Authority up to High-S+ level has been granted.〛
Looking at my significantly improved status, I closed the status window.
Transformed, the forest no longer carried the scent of nature. Instead, it was filled with a sickening odor. I raised my sword and pointed it at them.
At my sudden action, the four members blinked and stared at me.
“What are you doing? We all have our tasks, don’t we? Stop wasting time with your tricks and let’s get this over with.”
At my words, their faces hardened, and after exchanging glances, they drew their weapons.
“Wow~ how did you figure it out?”
“I heard you were the top scorer in this license exam, and it wasn’t just an empty title, was it?”
“Unbelievable. I thought my acting was pretty good, but you guys were terrible!”
“So bothersome. Let’s finish this quickly so we can rest.”
There was no tension. They didn’t doubt for a moment that they would win.
“Who are you?”
I asked. How did they target me so precisely?
“What else? We’re the people hired to kill you. Ah, I was planning to skip this test, but our senior personally requested it. He even offered a rare-grade skill as a down payment. How could I refuse?”
So the skill was payment for the job. My intuition had been right.
“Sorry. You probably had dreams full of success as the top scorer and a promising talent. What a pity. But I couldn’t say no to my guild senior’s request.”
My eyebrows twitched at Lee Ji-ah’s words.
“A guild? A senior?”
“Huh? What’s this? You don’t even know who hired us. What a shame~~ Should I tell you? Or not?”
“Hey, hey. Stop with the chit-chat and let’s end this already.”
The one who cut their conversation short was Seok Woon, who had already prepared to release an arrow from his bow.
“Yeah, let’s finish this. It’s bothersome, but what can you do? Don’t blame me. Think carefully in the afterlife about who you made enemies with.”
The battle began.
“I’ll cover you.”
Whizz—
First, three arrows imbued with lightning aimed for my forehead, throat, and heart.
“It’s my first time dealing with a human, so I’m not sure if I’ll control it well. Don’t be too mad if I don’t kill you in one shot!”
Next, a swift and smooth spear shot toward me.
“Ahhh!”
With a roar, the tank slammed his massive tower shield into the ground, activating a taunt skill as he charged forward.
“Let’s finish this!”
The buffer generously cast buffs on them.
One against four. Anyone would say it was an unfavorable situation, but my eyes didn’t waver or falter.
I took a deep breath. Simultaneously, a divine wing appeared from my left shoulder, and a red sun rose above my head.
I felt my boosted stats and projected a new sword using Manbyun.
〚Manbyun projects the item: Flame-Scorched Ghost Sword [High-S+].〛
The red sun’s power enveloped my body and infused strength into the grotesque sword.
-Screeeeech!
As a shriek erupted from the sword, it amplified the sun’s power on its own.
“Is this all? Is this really your best?”
With a single swing, I neutralized the arrows’ speed.
“You think you can kill me with just this?”
Flowing Water Technique (Yu Su Hwa)
I parried the spear art, which boasted its fluidity, with an even more flawless and elegant movement.
“If that’s what you thought, congratulations.”
I condensed the sun’s energy and hurled it at the massive figure charging at me.
“All of you are going to die.”
The moment we exchanged a single blow, the four members’ faces stiffened.
A variable. No, it wasn’t a variable.
Ignorance. They were too ignorant.
They didn’t know my true strength, the power I had kept hidden.
Arrogance. They were too arrogant.
They overestimated their mediocre talent and rare-grade skills, underestimating their opponent.
And as a result, they would die by my hand today.
The ghost sword devoured the sun’s power even more voraciously. Through the sword, the sun expanded in size and intensity.
“Now I’m coming for you. Try to stop me.”
I raised my sword and charged toward them.
“Ma Dong-won!”
“How dare you! You may be stronger than we thought, but you’re alone!”
With a tower shield and a massive body, Ma Dong-won blocked my path.
“You’re nothing but four insects.”
As power surged through my body, I focused all my strength into my right hand.
I transformed the projected item in Manbyun.
〚Manbyun projects the item: Remnants of Volcanic Eruption [High-S].〛
On my hand, imbued with the sun’s power, appeared a crimson gauntlet. It immediately absorbed the sun’s energy and grew stronger…!
〚Skill: Power of the Ganggwi (Unique) activated!〛
〚Strength temporarily increases by 1.5 times!〛
Bang!
With a massive explosion, I struck the tower shield.
Crack!
Ma Dong-won was shocked. It happened in an instant. Since I held a sword, he thought I couldn’t break through the tower shield.
The shield boasted defense that was almost catastrophic for beginners.
Naturally, he thought that even a flaming sword would shatter helplessly before this shield.
He was wrong.
Although the sword’s form changed, he didn’t pay much attention. He assumed it was just part of its nature as an item.
The difference in experience. A high-grade hunter would have noticed and remembered even small changes like that. But as beginners, especially ones filled with confidence and conceit, they had no experience to remember such details.
And the result was devastating.
Crack!
The heavy shield buckled. My punch pierced the shield and smashed into Ma Dong-won’s sturdy abdomen.
At the same time, the gauntlet released the stored sun’s power, causing an explosion that sent Ma Dong-won flying into a tree, knocking him out cold.
“What… is this?”
“Damn it, we’re screwed.”
“Ah… Ahhh!”
One strike.
With a single blow, I showed the remaining three the gap in power between us.
That strike was enough to shatter their joy and hope.
—
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