chapter 532
532 – There Is Not Enough Time
Poop-!
I hit Victor’s face without mercy, knocking him out of consciousness again.
“Let’s have another bottle. “I don’t have time.”
Gurgling-
“Krrreuk-kk!”
In the end, Victor’s body consumed two bottles of Jinhua water, showed an explosive reaction at some point.
Bulging- Bulging-
Squeezing── fluttering!
The body started bouncing around at will, and at some point, two pairs of huge wings protruded from the lower part of its neck.
What’s interesting is that the wings that make up are made of a similar material to the mechanical devices he used.
“Khaaah… That’s awesome…!!”
It seemed quite satisfied with becoming a mutant.
“This overflowing power…! Each cell is being reorganized anew! Is this what it feels like to be reborn!”
He was so engrossed in the pervert process that he didn’t even notice me staring at him right in front of me.
‘This is a good lesson too. If you eat evolution water, your rationality will collapse to the point where you will not be able to look at your surroundings.’
That won’t happen, and I hope it won’t happen.
I had to watch it carefully in case I ended up consuming Jinhua Water.
‘Because you don’t know a person’s future.’
On the other hand, I was a little curious.
If I, a mutant, die and come back to life, will I be able to be my original self?
‘Ugh, useless thoughts.’
I shifted my gaze to the guy again.
Slurp-srurr-
‘What is resilience…? Are you OMG?’
When I saw the wound that had left a gaping hole in my abdomen recovering rapidly, I decided that I was slowly reaching a dangerous level.
Sereung─
To finish, I took out my greatsword again.
‘You feed them evolution water to keep them alive and then kill them again. It’s really not even funny.’
It’s even surprising that that is the path suggested by the system.
“Hehe?!”
When I took out the great sword, he, who had not yet fully recovered, jumped up and begged me.
“Kakek…! Now, wait…! Wait a minute! Wait a minute!!”
The guy must have finally recognized me and cried out at me with an expression that looked like he was about to cry.
“Well, let’s make a deal! My, the amazing artifact I hide in my secret safety is-“
Seogeo-eok──!
Splash──!
With my swing, Victor’s head turned exactly six and a half times and fell onto the water.
The head of his, which had been submerged under the water for a moment, floated above the water and was looking up at me with astonished eyes.
At that time, its closed mouth began to twitch like a freshly caught fish.
“······ Why… Am I still alive…”
Surprisingly, it did not die, but it seemed to be the result of it becoming a mutant due to the evolution tree.
However, when he saw his vitality rapidly dropping, it was clear that he would soon cease to breathe.
“Hey, take out everything you have and I’ll save you.”
“What I…Have…”
After hearing my words, the guy struggled to gather his energy and summon subspace.
Then, the pouches began to fall one by one.
I sat down on the rock, put my arm around Victor’s shoulder as he reflexively flapped his wings, and quietly watched what he was doing.
“Please save me… I have a wife and children…”
I can’t believe he can speak so well even with his head cut off. If that is a talent, it is a talent.
“Oh my. Are you married and have children? That doesn’t mean I can save you, right? That’s stupid. I’ll put to good use what’s in the pocket you took out. There’s no need to tell me about the artifact you said you hid, because it’s probably a lie.”
“Dog … b*stard … This Victor is so … Vain … Still … He has a lot to show …”
Pogororock-
That was his last will before being submerged under the pond.
– Obtained ‘Fragment of Contaminated Elixir of Life’. (79/100)
“Oh, you gave me ten? I didn’t expect much since I just became a mutant.”
– [Compulsion] Searches Victor Cruel’s body thoroughly.
– We have acquired and are in the process of arranging Advanced Manastone
The pocket he took out after being deceived by my words was full of magic stones.
Even the magic stones were neatly aligned to the ends, which made me feel refreshed.
“Why are you carrying so many magic stones? Did you bring them for exchange?”
The pocket that kept falling from subspace was full of high-quality magic stones.
I think I would have made hundreds of millions just by selling the magic stones, but I left after giving runes and artifacts as gifts.
Rune of Steel (Rare)
– Designate one piece of armor and grant it a hardness of 75.
– When the designated armor is released, the rune is automatically released.
Geminis Knee Pads
– Defense +100
– Movement speed +5
– When striking with a knee protector, it causes great pain to the opponent.
“It’s somehow hard, and it has a steel rune. It’s like an A-class hunter and it has artifacts. Sounds good, right?”
The expression of causing pain may not seem like a big deal, but it surprisingly has a useful effect in battle.
It’s similar to how a man’s fighting power is greatly weakened when he is hit in a vital area.
“Seup- It’s a little disappointing.”
Considering his confident attitude, I thought he should have at least two or three more artifacts, but how could he have even one?
Considering Victor’s temperament as a psychopath, he may have sold the artifact he was carrying to come here.
I decided to wear the artifact right away and keep the steel rune for now.
There aren’t many instances where you’ll be attacked, so there’s no need to change runes to reduce your stats.
“The equipment evaporated right away. Well, it doesn’t matter. Now, system. Tell me the next target!”
– ······.
“Are you telling me to jump with my feet…”
Since the system was quiet, I had to move to the hunting ground first.
After storing the corpse of the villain Victor Cruel in subspace, they moved to the place where the monsters were most concentrated. The most urgent thing for me right now is to find the evildoer.
If you find a place with a lot of monsters, hunters will follow.
‘Damn it… Even though I caught Victor, I can’t level up. As expected, it’s not good for the time being.’
I can feel the experience point accumulating, so it will go up someday.
‘Ten… We need to work on twelve more Victor-level hunters in the future. Time must be tight, right? Even though Lainey’s purification speed has become faster these days… I think it might be possible if I provide magical support. The priority is to hurry up and collect it.’
Maybe it was because of my impatience, but before I knew it, I was moving on a high-speed flight.
Cheolpak-snap-
‘This is the first hunting ground. It’s not an unfamiliar environment.’
The first hunting ground we reached on the route where the hidden dungeon begins was an endless swamp.
Oh my gosh─
‘It would be perfect to isolate something sticky.’
It’s a dirty terrain where if you don’t use magic power around your legs to push them out, your legs will be submerged up to your thighs in the swamp and you won’t be able to move properly.
That’s why just standing still consumes a lot of magic power, so you have to wear the Runes of Wealth one by one.
However, the Rune of Floatation only has the effect of making you rise from the ground to a certain height, so you get the penalty of having to fight the enemy with your stats reduced by one rune.
Of course, it will be much easier with a wizard who possesses [Fly].
It is known that fly magic is not that difficult to manifest or use. Even if it is the same magic, its effects are divided into several levels depending on skill level and talent.
There were levels that only allowed the body to float, like the Rune of Floating, to levels that allowed the body to fly at walking speed, high-speed flight, and even to allow the body to move without much difference from movement on the ground .
Of course, it is very difficult to recruit a wizard who knows how to properly use Fly, so there were quite a few people who explored without a wizard.
Kwaaa─ Kwakwakwakwakwa───
‘There is no such thing as a thunderbolt.’
In this damn dungeon, water bombs suddenly rain down from the sky, and the humidity is so high that it makes you feel irritated even if you stay still.
‘Of course I don’t mind.’
The mimicry time passed, and now that I was in the form of a skeleton, I didn’t feel any unpleasant feelings, whether it was wet or not.
In fact, it is the most satisfying part of becoming a skeleton.
‘There are a lot.’
There were already numerous parties active in the hunting ground, but since it was such a large area, each team was maintaining a distance of at least two hundred meters.
‘The main monster here was the ‘Fallen Sea Fairy’.’
It is a siren-type monster, and like the ‘Nixy Siren’, it sings to confuse enemies. Rather, they specialize in close combat by attacking targets caught in traps.
‘The invisible mines they planted are a real headache.’
It is a powerful water bomb hidden in the mud, and when a certain amount of pressure is applied, it explodes and causes great damage.
Those in ambush nearby rush in at the same time as the explosion and attack by swinging the sharp thorns and claws on their fins.
They eat people alive, and they have a habit of chewing off the legs first, so they were considered the first barrier to breaking the will to challenge the dungeon.
‘Wow – look at the number of mines. There are so many.’
The number of mines detected by the waves of sensation reached hundreds of thousands. Since it is encroaching on 1/3 of the wetland, it can be considered a minefield.
And there will be as many ‘sea maids’ hiding in the mud as there are mines.
‘These guys are really hitting the nail on the head. Is this level of difficulty right from the start?’
Therefore, a guide in the sensing field like me was essential.
Moreover, each monster is so powerful that the battle time becomes longer. Therefore, exploration often continues for more than a week to obtain satisfactory results, and hunters with large subspaces are treated relatively well.
In the end, if you fill in the essential personnel one by one to easily conquer the dungeon, the total number of people, like the party I am looking at now, will be well over ten.
– We have discovered a villain nearby who has the potential to grow into a major villain!
After arriving at the hunting ground and following the message that came to mind, one guy caught my eye.
He was one of the party members who had just finished a battle with a group of sea nymphs and was taking a rest. He was a solid-looking man with the appearance of a typical dwarf.
‘Therefore. They say we need to pick on that one guy at that party and catch him. It’s not easy.’
The badges on their chests depict an anvil and a huge hammer.
Just looking at the guild mark had the power to make me think twice.
‘Dwarf Guild… It’s not easy. They make a living off of equipment…’
Moreover, since there were two detection type hunters, it was not easy to approach them in stealth mode.
As I look at him, a kind message comes to mind.
Suncheol Jang
– Class A hunter.
– Killed 46 awakened people.
– We will do whatever it takes to produce high-quality equipment.
‘······ You mean you killed 46 people to make good equipment? Are they grinding human bones or something?’
My rough guess is that there may be times when you discover rare materials or rare monsters within a dungeon. It would be an extreme choice in a situation where the owner is not clearly determined or where ownership is unfortunately lost.
‘That guy is the strongest among the thirteen. It’s not easy to beat the rest and kidnap that guy alive. It would have been much easier if it was just a kill mission. Hmm… That’s a little ambiguous. Shall we just watch for a moment?’
– Ah-oh! Let’s just get out of the swamp quickly. What if I’m still wandering around here all day? I feel really uncomfortable.
The party members, which consisted only of those with dwarf characteristics, were complaining rather than complaining with irritated faces.
– Even though it’s made of breathable material, it’s still like this. Should I have just paid a little more and bought it at Vulcan Castle?
– Hey, even if you wear something made there. It’s a little better. Just hold on.
– I was prepared, but the hunting speed was too slow. It takes time to find a way. I don’t know if I’ll be able to catch even one Lesser Hellachne at this rate. I want to get the required achievements quickly and hammer away!
– Ah… Why am I, who should be in the blacksmith shop, in a place like this…
Their conversation, which seemed to have no hope at all, continued for quite a long time.
It was when they noticed another party passing by with their hands raised about 40 meters away that they all closed their mouths at the same time.