Into the Creations 165

Chapter 165 – 165. Dungeon Survival

165. Dungeon Survival

The arrow I shot flies towards Kang Seok-soo.
The distance is about 500 meters. I might not have been able to do this in the past, but now I have the shooting trait. Because of that, I’ve become quite confident in hitting things I throw these days.
I even imbued the arrow with mana, and Kang Seok-soo, being a mage, isn’t the type to move around a lot. Hitting him isn’t difficult.

‘Just get hit properly once.’

But, contrary to my wishes, Kang Seok-soo raised his hand and created a magic barrier. The arrow I shot bounces off the barrier.

‘He was watching me from the start, judging by his reaction speed.’

It’s kind of obvious. I’m the one who messed up the situation, after all. Kang Seok-soo has no choice but to be wary of me, not knowing what I might do next.
I kept shooting arrows. All seven were blocked by the magic barrier.

‘Kang Seok-soo’s mana isn’t infinite. He’s using the barrier while also paying attention to the others, so he’ll get more tired. I’m at an advantage.’

Since I ran out of arrows, I discarded the bow without any regrets. Then, I chased after the hunters trying to escape and eliminated them.

‘Where do you think you’re going to run while I’m watching with my eyes wide open?’

I look around.
The chaotic meadow has become deserted.
Now, there are only three hunters left. Me, Kang Seok-soo, and Han Ha-rin. The rest have all been eliminated. Kang Seok-soo’s priority attack on the allied hunters was a big factor.

‘What should I do about those troublesome monsters…?’

The Basalt Golem is fighting Kang Seok-soo. The black body of the Basalt Golem is cracked all over. It’s on the verge of breaking.
And the Little Kraken, who just eliminated a hunter, spots me and approaches. Only four tentacles remain, and red blood is pouring from the wound on its head. The overwhelming force it had when I first saw it is gone now.

‘I can handle that much on my own.’

Since there’s no way to control the Kraken, it’s better to get rid of it cleanly before dealing with Kang Seok-soo. If I leave it alone, the Kraken might interfere at a crucial moment.

‘Peng… peng… what was it. There was a four-character idiom for this kind of situation, but I can’t remember it. Ah, damn it. If this happens suddenly, it’s hard to concentrate on the fight.’
After desperately racking my brain, I remembered. Tosagupaeng. The hunting dog that has become useless is boiled and eaten.

‘Squid. Let’s taste you.’

I gripped my sword and ran towards the Kraken.

•••

Dungeon Survival Reforged Studio.

“The Gukcheon Great Hunter Team! They’re bringing the C-rank boss monsters, Little Kraken and Basalt Golem, to the final battleground…! How can they even think of something like this…”

Jo Seok-hoo clicked his tongue.
And soon after, the Little Kraken and Basalt Golem began rampaging in the final battleground.
Jo Seok-hoo’s mouth slightly opened. It was more chaotic than he had imagined.

“Th-this is! A cauldron of chaos! The battle on the meadow! The battle continues! The alliance is meaningless now! Even the strong favorite to win, Hunter Kang Seok-soo, is showing a flustered expression!”

Jo Seok-hoo shouted excitedly. The situation was a mess, but from a viewer’s perspective, it couldn’t be more stimulating and fun.
Dungeon Survival Reforged was about to end soon. He had a strong feeling about it.
Then, he suddenly looked at the director. What does the director think of this situation? Is he watching with a stiff face because of the messed-up situation?
But, contrary to Jo Seok-hoo’s expectations, the director was looking at the screen with a satisfied smile.

Dungeon Survival Reforged isn’t a real survival game. It’s just a broadcast program.
A smooth survival? That doesn’t attract much popularity. Why gather 150 hunters? It’s all for the sake of battle.
This chaotic situation is much more surprising and stimulating than Kang Seok-soo’s team winning smoothly.
The director had a hunch. This scene would be remembered as the best scene of Dungeon Survival Reforged.

“……Haa. Was it really necessary to do it like that? It’s too extreme.”

Hong Soo-won sighed, as if frustrated. Baek Ji-eun immediately opened her mouth in response.
Everyone here knew about the conflict between Hong Soo-won and Baek Ji-eun.

“The Gukcheon Great Hunter Team was ostracized from the alliance. Honestly, I thought the Gukcheon Great Hunter Team was done for from the moment the alliance was formed. But the Gukcheon Great Hunter Team changed the situation with an ingenious idea. Who would think of bringing the Little Kraken and Basalt Golem in that situation?”
“I admit it’s ingenious, but strictly speaking, that’s a monster shift. It doesn’t look good. And it’s too dangerous. There are two C-rank boss monsters in one place. It wouldn’t be strange if an accident happened.”

Monster shift.

It refers to the malicious act of passing a monster onto another hunter. It’s a clear crime. If caught, it doesn’t just end with a fine.

“This is Dungeon Survival. The hunters here are competitors. Here, it’s right to see it as a strategy, not a crime. And there are Hunter Association employees there. They’re at least C-rank hunters, and there are many B-rank hunters as well. There are even a few A-rank hunters. Even with all that, do you still think it’s dangerous, Hong Soo-won?”

Hong Soo-won paused for a moment to choose his words.

His Bluebird Guild is one of the top 10 guilds in Korea, but they can’t ignore the Association’s influence. In reality, the Association is the one that dominates the hunter world. It’s something to avoid, completely turning against the Association.

“…What I meant was that an accident could happen. It’s obvious that the possibility of an accident is low because the Association is there.”

Baek Ji-eun smiled.

“The Association employees are working hard to eliminate even the smallest possibility of an accident. I, Baek Ji-eun… no, I’ll say it in the name of the Korean Hunter Association, that Dungeon Survival Reforged is safe.”

Hong Soo-won closed his mouth.
If it was Baek Ji-eun’s personal name, he would have nitpicked here and there, but the Hunter Association’s name was on the line. Even if it was annoying, he couldn’t afford to turn against the Hunter Association over something like this.
The situation on the screen began to unfold rapidly.

“The alliance has collapsed! The allied hunters are attacking each other, prioritizing their own survival!”
“Hmm. That’s the right decision. The one who survives in that situation is most likely to win. The best thing to do is to go to the rest area and wait for the situation to calm down. But… the situation is so urgent that few people are thinking that far ahead.”
“The Gukcheon Great Hunter Team planned their strategy well. Hunter Seong Yu-jin is prioritizing chasing and killing the fleeing hunters, and Hunter Han Ha-rin is guarding the entrance to the rest area. The Gukcheon Great Hunter Team knows. Now is their last chance.”
“Ah! The last allied hunter is eliminated!”
“This… Hunter Kang Seok-soo prepared too well. Normally, it should have been devastated by the Little Kraken and Basalt Golem, but Kang Seok-soo spent over 30 hours staying up all night to prepare a magic circle that weakened the monsters to a severely injured state. There’s a saying that a prepared mage is the strongest… Looking at Hunter Kang Seok-soo, I think that saying is true.”
“The Basalt Golem’s body is being shattered by Hunter Kang Seok-soo’s Ice Strike magic. And Hunter Seong Yu-jin finished off the Little Kraken by stabbing it in the eye with a sword. Now there are only three people left. The Gukcheon Great Hunter Team has a numerical advantage, but… as you all know, Hunter Kang Seok-soo has a ‘resurrection’ treasure.”
“Using resurrection doesn’t restore the lost stamina or consumed mana. It only replaces the Energy Protect with a new one. Hunter Kang Seok-soo will definitely not forget that and will engage in battle.”
“That’s right. Ah! But Hunter Han Ha-rin is staggering!”

•••

Thwack!

I stabbed the Little Kraken’s golden eye with my sword. The Little Kraken, which had been twitching and struggling, soon lost its strength and slumped. It was dead.

‘The Basalt Golem is dead too. Now all that’s left is Kang Seok-soo. I can deal with Kang Seok-soo by cooperating with Han Ha-rin.’

I looked towards where Han Ha-rin was to signal her.
My face hardened. Han Ha-rin was staggering. Even from a distance, it was clear that she wasn’t in good condition.

‘Han Ha-rin is too exhausted.’

She used gravity manipulation in the volcanic zone to fly the Basalt here. She also played the role of guarding the entrance to the rest area. Unlike me, Han Ha-rin used her abilities continuously.
She was already at her limit.

‘……I can’t give up after coming this far. I’ll face Kang Seok-soo alone.’

I drew my sword and ran towards Kang Seok-soo. The good thing is that most of the magic installed around us was used on the Kraken and Basalt.

‘If it’s a 1-on-1 fight, there’s a chance. Acceleration.’

[Acceleration is used. It lasts for 10 minutes. Remaining stacks: 3]

My body speeds up. I think it’s more advantageous to use ‘Moment’ than acceleration, but to arrive quickly without giving Kang Seok-soo time, I have no choice but to use acceleration.

“So, you’re the last one. I never expected you to bring the Little Kraken and Basalt Golem here.”
“It was a bit of a struggle to bring them.”

As I ran, I looked at his right side. Mana flickered, and an ice sword appeared in the shape of a sword.

“No matter how hard you try, I’m the one who will win in the end.”

The ice sword is fired.
I swung my sword and easily deflected the ice sword. If I can’t deflect something that’s flying straight at me, I might as well quit being a hunter.

“There’s a limit to how much you can ignore me. With just this…”

I couldn’t finish my sentence. The ice sword that I had clearly deflected was flying towards me again.

“It’s a magic called Isperus. There are only two ways for the ice sword to stop. Either the ice breaks, or you fall.”
“Then I’ll just break it.”

This time, I used an excessive amount of mana to deflect the ice sword.

Clang!

The ice sword didn’t break. It was much harder than I thought.

“The ice sword’s strength is greater than steel. It’s impossible for you to break the ice sword with your strength. Just accept your defeat.”
“Now that I think about it, I don’t think I need to break it.”

Kang Seok-soo was right in front of me.
I swung my sword as if dancing. I deflected the ice swords flying towards me while simultaneously attacking Kang Seok-soo.
Kang Seok-soo frowned and dodged my sword. It wasn’t a coincidence.

‘He seems to be predicting and dodging rather than seeing and dodging my sword. Did he use the ability Sensory Maximization?’

His movements are clumsy, but he’s dodging all of my attacks. It doesn’t make sense unless he’s using Sensory Maximization.

“……”

Kang Seok-soo quietly flicked his left hand. I didn’t miss that small signal and quickly retreated. A wall of flames shot up where I had been.

“You have good instincts.”
“And you have good senses.”

Clang!

I deflect the incoming ice sword. It’s not threatening, but it’s annoying.

‘Let’s end this quickly, even if I have to push myself a little.’

Then. At the edge of my vision, I saw Han Ha-rin, who was barely standing, gesturing something to me. I understood her signal without moving my eyes as much as possible.

Clang!

I deflect the ice sword, push off the ground, and approach Kang Seok-soo closely. It was the moment Kang Seok-soo retreated. Han Ha-rin used a gravity field. My body and Kang Seok-soo’s body became heavy.

‘I spar with Han Ha-rin regularly. I’m used to the gravity field.’

On top of that, I knew it in advance through Han Ha-rin’s signal.

‘I’ll end it here. And if he resurrects, I’ll use ‘Moment’ three times in a row…’

My eyes widened as I was about to swing my sword. Kang Seok-soo was smiling triumphantly. I realized that things had gone wrong.

‘…Could it be. Did he read Han Ha-rin’s signal without seeing it with Sensory Maximization?!’

Kang Seok-soo extends his left hand towards me. A red magic circle is drawn on his palm.

‘Moment!’

The accelerated world speeds up. There was no time to save ‘Moment’. My sword heads towards Kang Seok-soo’s neck.
Kang Seok-soo leaned back and dodged my sword. He dodged it even though I used ‘Moment’.

‘I knew his physical abilities were better than mine. But to dodge like that… Did he read that short moment with Sensory Maximization!’

I gritted my teeth and activated ‘Moment’ again. I can’t back down without doing anything after coming this far.
I forcibly changed the trajectory of my sword. From horizontal to vertical. The recoil will be handled by the Energy Protect.
The sword cut Kang Seok-soo’s body from top to bottom.

“Kuh?!”

Kang Seok-soo knelt down. His Energy Protect turned red.