When the article reporting that Eraser had carried out a terrorist attack was published, the internet boiled over.
It was not merely fear or terror.
The fact that a Villain had taken interest meant that Korea was standing out.
The appearance of Meteor Lord had created that much of an impact.
That was why, following the news of first place in the dungeon and then the news of the Villain’s terrorist attack, people felt a strange sense of anticipation rather than fear.
[If S-Rank Villain Eraser VS Meteor Lord happened, who would win?]
-Seolmeng: Still, he is S-Rank, so would Eraser not win? Meteor Lord should probably lie low for a while.
└Jugi: 222222222
└jjm: 33
-andre: You never know. There is almost no information about Meteor Lord.
└Myeongwang: A mindless Meteor fanatic, I see. Let us acknowledge what should be acknowledged. How is someone who just awakened supposed to beat an S-Rank?
-rmswjekd: A terrorist attack happened, and this is seriously what you are curious about?
└Sentiboy: They said there were zero casualties~ Have a drink~
└Myeongwang: Exactly. Then are we supposed to sit around trembling?
‘Oh, this Eraser fellow must really be strong.’
On the internet, the dominant opinion was that Eraser would be stronger.
And seeing those reactions made him feel relieved.
After all, the reason he had visited the community in the first place was to check the reaction to the terrorist attack.
Was the internet not much faster than the news when it came to raising doubts or pointing out suspicious details?
But unexpectedly,
the internet was only interested in who would win if the two of them fought.
Of course, there would be no chance of him actually meeting Eraser.
‘That person probably is not even in Korea…….’
In any case, with this, there were no suspicions directed at Seonghyeon.
Only after confirming that did his tension finally ease.
Then posts on other topics in the community began to catch his eye.
[Ah, with this, I withdraw my support for Meteor Lord.]
From today onward, I will leave the relationship of support behind, and Meteor Lord and I shall become one body.
An attack on Meteor Lord will be considered an attack on me.
If there are seven billion Meteor Lord fans in the world, I will be one of them.
If there are one hundred million Meteor Lord fans in the world, I too will be one of them.
If there are ten million Meteor Lord fans in the world, I will still be one of them.
If there are one hundred Meteor Lord fans in the world, I will still be one of them.
If there is one Meteor Lord fan in the world, that person will probably be me.
If there is not a single Meteor Lord fan in the world, only then will I no longer exist in this world.
[Hahaha, who on earth even likes Meteor Lord?]
Hello. I am “Who.”
‘They are really funny people.’
These were the over-the-top fan posts he had only heard about.
As he quietly read them, he felt somewhat awkward and ticklish.
But rather than simply disliking them, there was a kind of fun that was difficult to explain.
After all, they were a kind of “fan” who liked Meteor Lord.
Now, even seeing the words “Meteor Lord” in the post list made his hand move on its own.
[Compilation of Buffs We Want Meteor Lord to Bring Back (F-Rank)]
100 DP Barrier (Gargoyle’s Castle) Difficulty ★★☆
A buff like blessed rain for glass-bodied Hunters.
It is known as a dungeon where taking first place is difficult because the boss Gargoyle’s barrier is so sturdy, but if Meteor Lord’s skill is burst damage, it seems possible.
1% Vitality Regeneration (Forest of Ancient Insects) Difficulty ★★★★
Even named Hunters would like this buff.
The clear condition is not well known, but judging by how first place rarely changes, I think it would be fairly difficult even for Meteor Lord.
Mental Manipulation Resistance 10% (The Witch’s Hut) ★★★★★★★
A nearly essential buff from C-Rank or higher dungeons onward.
Apparently, paying to receive this buff costs hundreds of millions.
This dungeon’s boss uses mental-type attacks constantly, so it is hard to clear without resistance. The current first-place record is also one that an S-Rank buff Hunter barely managed to set ten years ago after hacking away for five hours.
If we get this, the money Korean Hunters spend on buffs should drop by a lot, right?
-Matchumbeopgamshija: “hard to clear” × “difficult to clear” O
-alscjf33: Ask for something realistic. Even if he can clear everything else, how is Meteor Lord supposed to clear the Witch’s Hut?
└Chief Jo: Was the first-place holder “Baoro”? I heard he barely got it because of matchup advantage.
-flowerwind: I think aiming for Gargoyle’s Castle is reasonable.
└Yong Bicheon: Even if we want it, can he even go there? Entry is random.
└SubiSubisu: If he keeps running dungeons for a few years, one of them should come up eventually.
‘Ahem…… So these are the dungeons I should avoid, right?’
He felt sorry for the people who were looking forward to it.
But he had no intention of going from dungeon to dungeon just to offer them buffs.
It was true that the Meteor skill was powerful.
But honestly, he did not know what might happen inside a dungeon, and one wrong move could put his life in danger.
And for what? To help the country?
When he thought about risking his life, that was not exactly a sufficient reason.
What Seonghyeon wanted to achieve as a Hunter was the bare minimum of work needed for self-realization, the wealth he could obtain through it, and the well-being of his family.
‘For today’s dungeon, maybe I should enter a little later…….’
He had the money he had exchanged for Magic Stones at the Association, and entering a dungeon was not particularly urgent.
It would not matter at all if he entered around nine or ten at night.
More important than that was something he could enjoy right away.
“Mom, what time does Father get off work? Should we eat out today?”
***
CRUNCH—
CRUNCH— CRUNCH—
Six in the morning, in the HIA training room in the United States.
It was far too early even to call it early.
Clumps of flame flew endlessly toward the targets.
“Hey! Aiden. Are you not pushing yourself too hard just because you lost first place in the Tutorial?”
“Haha, do you know how much has been invested in me? I have to take it back.”
America’s prospect. No, someone who had been a prospect.
Until he met the monster called Meteor in the Tutorial Dungeon…….
He had already been wary of the Hunters from Russia, Japan, and China.
Thanks to that, he had even reached the Goblin Fortress first.
But then an entirely unexpected Hunter had appeared…….
‘I could not even properly feel his skill…….’
Aiden was afraid.
He had thought he had trained sufficiently for the situations that could occur inside a dungeon, but then the ground shook, his body was sent flying, and that was the end of it.
If he met that guy again, would he even be able to notice him?
That was how great the gap had felt.
After that, he had not entered any dungeons and had devoted himself only to training.
Michael had told him that it was all right, that it had been an unavoidable situation.
But contrary to Michael’s comforting words, the dedicated team focused on that Meteor bastard.
They collected his dungeon entry times, estimated location, rumors, and so on.
That was exactly why Aiden could not stop.
‘I am supposed to be the prospect.’
Although he could not even see that guy right now, if he trained more, he should be able to reach him.
And someday, he would surpass him and take back first place.
“Whew, my, my. The heat in this training room is something else.”
While Aiden’s training was in full swing, someone appeared in the training room.
“Michael, what brings you here?”
It was Michael Moore, the leader of Aiden’s dedicated team.
Michael had a somewhat awkward way of speaking and exaggerated gestures.
That was only natural, as Aiden was a Hunter Michael had personally selected.
Michael knew better than anyone how Aiden felt.
“Hey, have you been doing all right lately? I heard you have not even been entering dungeons.”
“Until now……”
“Hm?”
“Until now, I think I was complacent because people called me a prospect.”
“That was not your fault. The prospects so far, no, even the foreigners were probably the same. Even I was.”
“But now, it is different. Only now do I feel as though I have truly prepared.”
“Well, now that is something pleasant to hear.”
Michael smiled in satisfaction.
This was perfect timing. If Aiden was going to return to dungeons, now was the moment.
Challenging first place again?
He was not even that greedy.
The problem now was the sense of helplessness born from such an overwhelming failure.
If he competed against ordinary Hunters, Aiden undoubtedly had the skill to achieve a high-ranking record.
“Would you like to challenge a dungeon right now?”
“Whew. It has been a while since my last dungeon, so I am a little nervous…….”
And so, Aiden and Michael headed to the situation room.
“Now, I will brief you on the dungeon situation. The current time is 8 a.m., 10 p.m. in Korea. We will exclude ‘him’ from the list of targets to watch. His entry pattern has always been before noon, Korean time.”
“That is a shame. It would have been a chance to compete with him again.”
“Do not be too arrogant. There are many monsters in the world.”
“Yes. I am one of them too.”
His confidence had filled him once more.
After leaving those final words, Aiden headed into a dungeon again.
[F-Rank random dungeon transfer in progress…….]
***
A dark forest filled with silence.
An eerie energy hovered around Aiden.
He felt goosebumps rise all over his body.
[Transfer to F-0008/The Witch’s Hut complete.]
【F-0008/The Witch’s Hut】
『Primary Monsters: Hollow Puppets』
『Boss: Mo Enchantress』
『Main Mission: Subjugate Boss (Mo Enchantress) (0/1)』
『Progress Requirement: Hollow Puppets (0/10)』
『Time Limit: 7:00:00:00』
‘!!!’
The dungeon he had entered after so long was no easy place.
After being flustered for a moment, Aiden quickly regained his composure and assessed the situation.
The Witch’s Hut was already formidable in itself.
No, it was a dungeon known to be impossible to clear.
Without the Mental Manipulation Resistance buff, one could not even attempt to attack the boss.
‘But even the boss monster is Named?’
Boss: “Mo Enchantress.”
A very rare phenomenon in which a boss had a name attached.
Normally, that was naturally not a good phenomenon.
The dungeon’s patterns became stronger, and its attacks could not be predicted.
However, in the current situation, perhaps it was actually better.
If her traits had changed because she became Named, there was a chance she would not use mental-type attacks.
Of course, this too was ultimately a battle of probability.
Aiden braced himself.
‘Now that I have entered a dungeon again, I will not run away.’
Aiden calmly gathered his resolve and waited for the signal.
[F-0008/The Witch’s Hut is starting.]
And the moment the dungeon began,
Aiden reacted faster than anyone.
[Flame Arrow]
He detonated the skill against the ground, created a shock wave, and flew into the air.
The goal that had to come first was finding the boss’s base.
He had to find a building that looked like a hut.
Then he had to confirm the boss’s style.
‘Huh? Where have I seen that…….’
In the sky some distance away, a certain mass fell toward the ground.
It moved at an incredible speed, a speed the human brain could not follow.
However, for an instant, it appeared to Aiden’s eyes in slow motion.
That alone showed how remarkable Aiden’s abilities were.
‘Oh! What the fuck…….’
KABOOOOM!!
Though his ambitious goal was not achieved.
[Dungeon F-0008/The Witch’s Hut has been cleared.]
[With 100% contribution, first place is awarded to Hunter ‘It’s Me Meteor’.]
[As the first-place reward, a 10% Mental Manipulation Resistance buff is applied to the affiliated country (Korea).]
Michael, who had been monitoring the situation from the situation room, met the eyes of Aiden, who had returned.
The two of them repeatedly blinked in silence while staring at each other.
After a moment, Michael asked,
while looking toward the place where his god dwelled.
“Again?!”