Chapter 2395 – 2395. A-Rank Hunter
The notification window popped up as soon as I entered the closed dungeon.
A-Rank Dungeon, Bloodbath Arena of the Law of the Jungle.
I wasn’t surprised because I had received information from Ciel in advance. And I didn’t come in alone. Ciel and Han Ah-young were next to me.
‘There are cases where closed dungeons have special missions or special rules.’
Most hunters avoid such dungeons. It’s not a dungeon that can be conquered just by being strong. Even S-Rank hunters don’t take on these dungeons often.
‘There are guilds that specialize in conquering these complex dungeons. I heard that they receive subsidies from the association and make a lot of money because they are usually avoided by hunters.’
Dungeons with such special rules and missions usually have generous rewards. It means that the probability of hitting the jackpot is high.
‘The Bloodbath Arena of the Law of the Jungle is a place with special rules but a simple strategy.’
Bloodbath Arena.
As you can guess from the name, it is a place where you fight monsters one-on-one.
If you break the one-on-one rule, the difficulty of the dungeon increases due to a violation of the rules.
‘S-Rank hunter Lee Yeon-sook deliberately broke the rules in this dungeon to keep raising the dungeon difficulty. I wonder if it was because she was curious. She’s such a crazy woman. And the result was… the difficulty increased to an S-Rank dungeon after breaking the rules 5 times.’
The strategy for the Bloodbath Arena of the Law of the Jungle is simple. You just need to win 10 times in a one-on-one battle. If you have companions, you don’t have to win 10 times alone.
‘There’s S-Rank hunter, Han Ah-young, the Eternal Frost, here, so there’s no way we’ll fail.’
It’s safe to say that safety is guaranteed as long as I’m with Han Ah-young.
“It reminds me of the old days.”
Han Ah-young said, looking around. This dungeon looked like a colosseum. The wide arena was made of packed earth, and the spectator seats were roughly carved chairs made of rock.
“The old days? Have you been to this dungeon before, Noona?”
“About three times? But that’s not what I’m talking about. It’s about before I became an S-Rank hunter candidate. I had to show my strength to the World Hunter Association like you. And if my potential was recognized, I would officially become an S-Rank candidate.”
Official and unofficial. The difference is quite significant. It wouldn’t be bad to be officially recognized as an S-Rank candidate this time.
“Yujin, fighting!”
“I will intervene if I judge it to be dangerous.”
Han Ah-young and Ciel moved to the spectator seats.
30 seconds.
Preparation time was given. Preparation was over in one second. All I did was summon the Hwaryeon Flying Daggers from my inventory. I put the blade of the Hwaryeon Flying Daggers on my shoulder and waited for the enemy to appear.
‘I heard that the enemies in the Bloodbath Arena are random. I want to finish this quickly and go back… How much power should I show? Hmm. Do I need to hide my power?’
It’s a bit much to show everything. There’s a saying like this in the martial arts world, isn’t there? Hide 30% of your power.
‘First, I’ll fight with my skills and abilities without using items.’
I can’t use the Hwaryeon Flying Daggers’ domain. It hasn’t been long since I used it in the [Modern Magic War] world. Honestly, if I use the domain, wouldn’t I be able to become an S-Rank right away? Even if it’s because of my weapon, it wouldn’t be bad.
‘But I can’t use it.’
Thud.
A bipedal cow over 3m tall appeared in the air. It was wearing armor and holding a spear in its hand. It was a Minotaur, an A-Rank monster. It has excellent physical abilities and uses mana. Its intelligence is estimated to be higher than a dolphin.
‘It’s my first time seeing a Minotaur. I heard that there are individual differences, so there are also S-Rank Minotaurs?’
The monster in front of me was definitely not an S-Rank monster.
“Kwoooaaaaaaar!”
The Minotaur roared as soon as it saw me.
The roar filled with mana was louder than an airplane. If it were a normal person, their eardrums would have burst.
“Fall.”
Clang!
A bolt of lightning struck the Minotaur. The Minotaur lost its balance for a moment and staggered, but quickly regained its balance.
‘Is that all? It seems like it’s not completely ineffective, but it’s not very efficient.’
The opponent is an A-Rank monster. It would be stranger if it died from one lightning strike.
‘I have to kill 9 more after killing that one. I have to distribute my stamina well.’
I gripped the hilt of the Hwaryeon Flying Daggers tightly and took a stance.
Just because it’s an A-Rank monster doesn’t mean it’s equal to an A-Rank hunter. Hunters must be able to hunt monsters of the same rank. The story would be different if the opponent was a boss-level monster, but they would naturally win against a normal monster of the same rank.
The Minotaur charged at me, breathing hot air.
[Using Acceleration. It will last for 10 minutes. Remaining stacks: 11]
I lightly dodged the Minotaur’s spear falling towards my head. The spear hit the ground, creating a small crater.
I almost scoffed. Its strength is great, but my speed is higher. Above all, the Minotaur’s posture when wielding the spear was excessively clumsy. It was just swinging it around, relying only on its strength without any technique.
The Minotaur turned its body to the side, chasing after me.
Thunder Sky Style (雷天流) Thunder Flash (雷光).
Swish!
A red trail cut through the Minotaur’s head.
• • •
Ciel’s eyes sparkled as she watched Sung Yujin’s battle with the Minotaur.
“Amazing. It’s said that Minotaurs are easy to deal with among A-Rank monsters… but to hunt a Minotaur in less than 10 seconds.”
“I was surprised too. I knew Yujin’s growth rate was absurd… but I didn’t know it would be this much already.”
Han Ah-young was also impressed.
“His fighting style is unexpected. I thought he would fight using electricity since he has the ability to manipulate electricity… but he has learned martial arts. Is it a unique Korean martial art?”
“I don’t know much about that. But it’s a clean fighting style.”
Han Ah-young stared at Sung Yujin. Sung Yujin looked even more handsome today. Regardless, Ciel looked at Sung Yujin as if she was analyzing him.
“It’s an efficient fighting style. That’s good. However… from my point of view, I would like to see him use his abilities. His potential is higher in that area.”
“But even just looking at his current appearance, you can see his potential, right? Yujin first awakened as a hunter two years ago. To be exact, it’s almost been three years… It’s originally impossible to be at this level in three years. You know that too, right?”
Looking at it globally, becoming an A-Rank hunter in three years is an incredible feat. It’s a talent that wouldn’t be strange to call a genius among geniuses. The World Hunter Association took notice of Sung Yujin because of this tremendous growth.
“Amazing. But as you know, there is a huge gap between A-Rank and S-Rank. The reality is that many promising talents who were called geniuses are frustrated by not being able to overcome that wall.”
“Yujin will overcome that wall and stand side by side with me. And it probably won’t take long. By then, will the whole world try to cling to Yujin? A lot of women will stick to him too, right? That’s a bit… not good.”
The third battle ended quickly. Sung Yujin easily sliced through the monsters.
Difficult monsters appeared from the fourth battle.
Great Wraith.
An A-Rank ghost-type monster made up of dozens of wraiths. The characteristic of the Great Wraith is that physical attacks do not work.
Han Ah-young wasn’t worried about Sung Yujin. Sung Yujin doesn’t just have martial arts.
Crackle.
Static electricity occurred. Han Ah-young and Ciel grabbed their floating hair and protected their bodies with mana. Immediately after, red lightning soared from the center of the arena. The Great Wraith disappeared, leaving behind a magic stone.
“Ciel. I think it’s time to make a decision? What do you think?”
“…That’s right. Just based on the combat power he’s shown so far, he has exceeded the level of an ordinary A-Rank hunter. If he continues to grow steadily like this… he will be more than enough to become an S-Rank. I will report to the World Hunter Association as I saw it.”
“Wow. It’s the moment a new S-Rank candidate was born in Korea. People will be happy. Will Harin… be jealous? Or…”
Han Ah-young closed her mouth with a strange smile.
Sung Yujin continued to fight. Originally, Han Ah-young was planning to intervene at an appropriate time. No matter how good an A-Rank hunter is, fighting A-Rank monsters one-on-one in a row is physically burdensome.
But Sung Yujin was calmly hunting A-Rank monsters without showing any signs of exhaustion.
“…He knows all the A-Rank monsters. That’s unexpected. According to you, he didn’t seem like a model student.”
“According to Harin, he did well in university until he awakened. He probably learned it then. Most of what you learn in the hunter department is about monsters, right?”
“Hmm. But he fights too well for that. He’s not like a hunter with less than 5 years of experience, but like a veteran hunter who has been rolling around for decades.”
“That’s true. Why does he fight so well? Is it because Yujin is a genius?”
Han Ah-young tilted her head. Ciel smiled bitterly. From Ciel’s point of view, Han Ah-young was also a genius comparable to Sung Yujin. She became an S-Rank hunter in her 20s, so what else could she be if not a genius?
“Ciel. This is another personal matter… I heard a rumor that someone from another world was encountered in a dungeon in the United States. Is it true?”
“Where did you hear such a rumor?”
“I’ve built up connections as I’ve traveled around the world. Is it a false rumor?”
“…It’s probably true. But don’t ask me about it. I don’t know the details either. It’s not under my jurisdiction.”
“The World Hunter Association must be in trouble.”
“Hmm. I don’t know. The atmosphere in the association was the same as usual? It seemed like they didn’t think much of it. As if they knew about it in advance.”
“Sometimes the World Hunter Association feels like the mastermind behind this world. What is that place anyway?”
“A place for the order of the world? If you’re really curious, you can become a member of the World Hunter Association. You would definitely get a high position.”
“No thanks. I’m satisfied with the current situation.”
The 10th battle had already begun. Sung Yujin looked exhausted from the continuous battles. His breathing was rough, and sweat was dripping from his forehead. Han Ah-young clenched her fists tightly and focused her concentration. She was planning to intervene immediately if it looked dangerous.
The opponent for the 10th battle was the A-Rank monster, Berrycane. An insect-type monster over 5m in size. It is famous for rolling up its body like a pill bug and spinning around, turning everything around it into a wasteland. And its carapace is so hard that most attacks don’t work.
Sung Yujin took out a piece of metal from the air. The fist-sized metal was fixed in the air by electromagnetic force. Then, he punched the metal with his fist.
Railgun.
The overwhelming physical force pierced through the Berrycane.
Han Ah-young opened her mouth slightly.
“Was that a railgun just now? To be able to use a railgun with his bare hands… his ability to apply his powers is outstanding. As expected of Yujin. Amazing.”
“…Ah-young. Would you be able to block that attack?”
“If I know the attack is coming, I can block it. Two ice walls would be enough.”
If Han Ah-young wanted to, she could create ice that was several times harder than steel. Does that not make sense? S-Ranks are originally beings like that. Ability users who deny common sense itself.
The battle was over.
Sung Yujin gulped down the bottled water he took out of his inventory. Han Ah-young cheered for him.
Then, a cluster of light gathered in front of Sung Yujin and turned into an object. It was the dungeon conquest reward.
