At the far end of Red Fang Hill stood a massive stone gate.
It was a grim-looking entrance decorated with the crude patterns characteristic of Orcs.
Min Hyung-sik raised a hand in front of it, stopping the team.
“This is the boss room.”
Every member of the party naturally turned toward Siul.
“Are you really… going alone again?”
Park Do-hyun asked in a worried voice.
“What if we support you from behind, as long as we stay out of the way of your fighting? That way, we could respond if something unexpected happens….”
“No. It is fine.”
Siul firmly refused.
“I can handle it by myself. Please mine Mana Stones while you wait.”
A quiet murmur spread among the team members.
“Is there a particular reason you have to do that?”
“That is right. At the very least, we could provide some support….”
Truthfully, Siul would have found it extremely reassuring if Min Hyung-sik's party supported him.
His circumstances simply did not allow it.
'I cannot afford to let even the slightest bit of information related to the Judgment Dragon leak out.'
One wrong move might bring his notified death date forward to tomorrow morning.
He still did not fully understand what counted as leaking information or how broad the restriction was, so he needed to be even more cautious.
“I appreciate your concern, but having you accompany me would actually interfere with my fighting.”
Siul had anticipated a situation like this and prepared an explanation in advance.
“The Trait I possess is a dangerous ability that can injure not only enemies, but allies as well. For your sake, it is better for me to enter the boss room alone.”
That statement was half true.
The sight of Siul's head exploding.
The sight of dislocated bones and torn flesh regenerating through grotesque twisting motions.
Even an experienced Hunter would probably be traumatized after witnessing that up close.
“Ah, so you have that kind of Trait? Now I understand.”
“I have heard about that before. Apparently, some powerful Traits are so dangerous that they are nearly impossible to control.”
“As expected of Mr. Siul!”
Fortunately, convincing them was easier than Siul had expected.
Their expressions now held more trust than anxiety.
“If you think you are pushing yourself too far, signal us immediately. We will wait close enough to hear you.”
Min Hyung-sik said this as he saw Siul off toward the boss room.
Siul smiled and nodded.
“It may take a little while. But I promise I will come back without dying, so please wait without worrying.”
With that final promise, Siul turned away.
The moment he placed his hand against the enormous stone gate, a violent vibration rang out as the doors slowly began to open.
RRRRUMBLE!
An eerie surge of Mana drifted out from within.
Siul took a deep breath and stepped into the boss room.
* * *
The smell alone was enough to tell him that something was wrong inside the boss room.
The foul stench of rotten blood, burned bones, herbs, and resin filled the air.
Red cloth and scraps of leather hung from the walls, while crudely drawn ritual symbols had been painted over one another across the floor.
'It looks like the hideout of some primitive tribe.'
That impression only grew stronger the farther inside he went.
The scenery ahead suited a primitive tribe all too well.
A stone altar had been piled together, and dried human skulls lay scattered haphazardly across it.
And in front of that altar….
“…?”
An Orc with a bizarre appearance was dancing.
BOOM— BOOM— BOOM—.
The beat of a drum shook the ground.
The performer was none other than the Orc itself.
It was a strange Orc adorned with ornaments all over its body, wearing a mask carved from bone, dancing as it struck the drum in its hands.
Thanks to the Dungeon manual Park Do-hyun had given him beforehand, Siul knew what it was.
A Shaman Orc.
The master of this Dungeon.
【Continuous Quest Generated!】
【Eliminate the Threat to Your Life】
Directly eliminate the obstacle threatening your life.
Obstacle Danger Level: 10
Success Reward: 3 Level-Up Points
“Ooh! Ooh! Ooh!”
The Shaman Orc continued swaying its body through incomprehensible movements.
Dozens of Orcs surrounded it.
Together, they moved in a circle around the altar while letting out rhythmic battle cries.
'What are they doing?'
At a glance, it looked exactly like a group of primitive people performing some sort of ritual.
“Hey. A human just walked in. Could you at least pretend to notice me?”
Siul spoke first to announce his presence.
However, neither the Shaman Orc nor its subordinates paid him any attention, remaining completely absorbed in their dance.
“…Suit yourselves. I have my own work to do.”
Whether the Orcs danced or performed some kind of sorcery did not matter.
What mattered to Siul was that the Quest Window he had been waiting for had appeared.
As planned, he opened his Inventory and entered hunting mode.
WHOOSH—!
The Tracker's Blade cut through the air.
'Let us clear a path first.'
The Tracker's Blade pierced a vital point on the Orc standing in the front row.
“Ghhk!”
One Orc collapsed.
Only then did the Orcs circling the altar stop moving.
“Finally decided to look at me.”
Siul threw the returning Tracker's Blade again and again.
SHNK—! CRACK! FWOOSH—!
The Tracker's Blade tore through the Orcs' bodies at a vicious speed.
A path gradually opened, leaving the space in front of the Shaman Orc clear.
If Siul charged now, he could confront it directly.
Yet even then, the Shaman Orc continued dancing alone.
'Let us see how long you keep that up.'
Siul aimed the Tracker's Blade at the Shaman Orc and stepped forward.
At that exact moment, he stopped.
“Ghhk….”
Several of the Orcs that had fallen began climbing back to their feet.
The bleeding from their torn wounds stopped, and the injuries started closing.
'…Regeneration?'
BOOM— BOOM— BOOM—!
The drumbeat grew louder.
The Shaman Orc increased the speed of its dance.
At the same time, red Mana extending from the altar wrapped around the Orcs' bodies.
“Ah.”
Siul finally realized what was happening.
The Orcs that had just risen had been healed by the ability of the Shaman Orc dancing before the altar.
'Do the Orcs recover whenever that bastard dances?'
Indeed, the more violently the Shaman Orc danced, the faster the wounded Orcs recovered.
Before long, not a single injured Orc remained in front of Siul.
The situation had returned to exactly how it had been when they first encountered each other.
'So this is why they said this Dungeon so often turns into a battle of stamina and endurance.'
The pieces fell into place in Siul's mind.
Orcs already possessed naturally sturdy bodies, and with the boss's healing ability added on top of that, clearing the Dungeon could not have been easy.
“Interesting.”
Siul tightened his grip on the dagger once more and stared directly at the Shaman Orc.
“Let us find out which is better. Your healing ability, or my regeneration.”
As if responding to Siul's provocation, the Shaman Orc's dance became even more frenzied.
Both of them unleashed murderous Mana as though each was certain of victory.
* * *
【Quest Complete!】
【You have successfully eliminated an enemy threatening your life by piercing its heart.】
【You are awarded 3 Level-Up Points.】
【Current Accumulated Points: 6】
“Phew… it is finally over.”
Siul caught his breath and checked the time on his wristwatch.
“Forty-four minutes of fighting… Compared to last time, that went pretty well.”
When he had defeated the Giant Golem, the battle had lasted for more than three full hours.
Considering that healing was the Shaman Orc's specialty, this was an impressive improvement.
'This thing helped a lot.'
Siul smiled as he looked down at the Tracker's Blade in his hand.
“It feels great now that I do not have to listen to that irritating drum anymore.”
Siul snorted and looked around the boss room.
The altar had collapsed, and the drum lay cracked on its side.
The Shaman Orc was dead, sprawled face-down in the middle of the pile of skulls on the altar.
The Orcs, no longer receiving healing, did not get back up again.
“Healing and immortality are on completely different levels.”
Siul raised his chin proudly, looking thoroughly pleased with himself.
For the moment, he seemed to have forgotten that becoming terminally ill had been the price of gaining that power.
DING!
“Hm?”
As Siul celebrated his victory, a notification window he had never seen before appeared in his vision.
【Consecutive Quest Condition Achieved!】
【You have successfully completed 3 Quests in succession. 1 Bonus Level-Up Point will be awarded.】
【Current Accumulated Points: 7】
“Oh.”
Siul's eyes lit up.
“There is a bonus system too?”
As though answering his question, the Quest Window displayed an explanation.
【Bonus rewards increase in stages according to the number of consecutive successful Quest completions (3, 5, 7, 10).】
The word bonus was always pleasant to see, but it was even more welcome when attached to Quests where his life was at stake.
'If the bonus reward increases based on the streak, that means completing the fifth one will give me something better than the 1 point I just received, right?'
That was enough to make his mouth water.
And with that additional point, his accumulated total had now reached 7.
If he defeated just one more B-Rank Monster, his total would reach 10.
His Awakening Rank would rise by one level.
'At this rate, I might be able to aim for A-Rank Awakening before long.'
A-Rank was considered part of the upper ranks.
An annual salary in the billions of won was practically a given, and even the scope of activities available to a Hunter changed entirely.
It was a world Siul had never even dared to imagine entering.
'Me, becoming a high-rank Hunter….'
Siul happily imagined himself standing alongside the people he had only ever seen on television.
At the same time, the face of the Judgment Dragon appeared in the corner of his mind.
'I do not know what you are trying to accomplish by doing all this, but I am not going to just lie down and die either.'
He still had a long way to go.
But he was undeniably getting closer to that bastard.
That alone gave Siul hope that he could keep living.
* * *
At the entrance to a sunlit alley somewhere in Jongno, several elderly men sat around a Go board.
“If you play there, he will capture it.”
“No backseat advice, you brat.”
Each time a Go stone landed on the board with a TAP, relaxed sighs and laughter passed among them.
Kang Ho-cheol and Baek Ga-hyeon sat side by side on a nearby bench.
Kang Ho-cheol had his arms crossed as he looked down at the Go board, while Baek Ga-hyeon sipped coffee and watched the street.
At a glance, they looked like two ordinary office workers spending their lunch break outside.
In reality, however, their attention was focused elsewhere.
At the end of the alley stood a restricted Gate-access area protected by three layers of security personnel.
“This is not bad. There are plenty of people around, so the surveillance looks natural too.”
Baek Ga-hyeon said as she enjoyed the afternoon sunlight.
“Yeah. Better than drawing attention to ourselves somewhere on the outskirts.”
Kang Ho-cheol answered without taking his eyes off the Go board.
“Senior.”
“Yeah?”
“You should probably stop watching the Go game now.”
At Baek Ga-hyeon's warning, Kang Ho-cheol's eyes immediately shifted.
People had begun emerging from the Gate one after another.
Siul and the party members approached the security personnel and reported the results of their Dungeon clear.
There was little dust or blood on their protective gear, and their expressions were bright.
Even the security personnel applauded as they recorded the report.
“They successfully cleared the Dungeon.”
At Baek Ga-hyeon's words, Kang Ho-cheol nodded.
“Do you not find it strange?”
“What?”
“That man is officially registered with the Hunter Association as D-Rank. So how does he join a B-Rank Dungeon raid party and walk out looking perfectly fine?”
Without taking his eyes off Siul, Kang Ho-cheol continued.
“There is even a record connecting him to the elimination of an A-Rank Wyvern Goblin. A D-Rank Hunter.”
Baek Ga-hyeon waved a hand dismissively.
“That was handled by Executive Director Jang Jin-young of the Great Tiger Guild. Did you not properly read the incident report? We should not overestimate him without reason.”
Kang Ho-cheol turned his narrowed eyes toward Baek Ga-hyeon.
“Then does this look normal to you? A newly awakened D-Rank Hunter doing all this?”
Baek Ga-hyeon could not answer immediately.
She silently watched Siul exchange farewells with the party members before they began going their separate ways.
Then she finally spoke.
“Of course…… it does not.”
Baek Ga-hyeon rose from the bench.
Buttoning her jacket, she cast one last glance in the direction where Siul had disappeared.
“We will know once we confirm it ourselves. He will probably go on another raid soon, will he not?”
Kang Ho-cheol stood as well and nodded.
“Judging by his recent movements, probably. He has been extraordinarily active.”
The corner of Baek Ga-hyeon's mouth rose.
“Good. Then let us accompany him on his next raid.”