Park Il-sang’s brain went into full operation.
It had been decades since Dungeons appeared all over the world.
The world was half-ruined, and humanity had long since begun an uncomfortable coexistence with Dungeons and the Monsters that poured out of them.
Now, the only ones who remembered the peaceful old days were the elderly, and people like Park Il-sang belonged to a generation born only after the world had already become this sorry sight.
And during all that time, not a single Dungeon had ever vanished.
The Constellations had never taught them anything about the destruction of Dungeons either.
And yet, a Dungeon had disappeared because of Park Il-sang himself?
How? Why?
“All I did was run the Dungeon in an endless loop… Ah. Was that the problem? Does that mean its energy is not infinite?”
Humanity did not know why Dungeons appeared. The Constellations did not teach them that either.
However, it seemed there had never been a madman who farmed resources by entering and exiting a Dungeon without rest in such an ignorant fashion, the way Park Il-sang did.
That was why no one had known this!
It was only a conclusion drawn in hindsight, but it seemed that if one extracted resources beyond a Dungeon’s limit, it collapsed.
He could not think of any other reason.
“But… this is a world-first feat, so could they not give me a more spectacular reward? My abilities are doubled. No… it is good. It is certainly good… But they could have given me an even better ability.”
For instance, they could have allowed him to use the knowledge from his previous life without restrictions.
To Park Il-sang, this Hunter System was actually a shackle.
Had he not once reached the level of an Arch Lich?
Honestly, with the corpse resources he had right now, he would have jumped straight to the 4th Tier, then produced all kinds of Undead, created Undead Structures, and crafted Undead Items!
“Tsk. Well, there is nothing I can do.”
Park Il-sang looked around.
He wondered if perhaps someone had seen him.
When he checked the time, it was three in the morning.
Because of the Achievement [So Diligent and Industrious, Are You?], he did not become tired, and so he had been running loops until dawn. He did not think anyone had been watching him.
“If a rumor spreads that I obtained a world-first feat for no reason, things will become bothersome…”
Park Il-sang quietly decided to hide himself.
***
-The first person to destroy a Dungeon has appeared.
-The appearance of a human who has accomplished a world-class feat!
-One Dungeon has been destroyed.
-The world has become a little safer.
-Monster activity will be reduced to less than half for one month.
The Achievement System was basically visible only to the individual, but world-class Achievements were sometimes sent like this to all Hunters belonging to the world’s System.
Because of that.
Every Hunter in the world ended up seeing this message.
“What the fu….”
Even in America, the strongest nation in the world, whose population had increased compared to before the world became this sorry sight and now reached a staggering three hundred fifty million, she belonged among the very highest tier of Hunters.
Hyper Girl.
As a Physical-enhancement-type Hunter who had contracted with a Constellation, and whose Rank had currently reached S+-Grade, she was a Hunter standing at the very peak of humanity.
She possessed an immensely powerful and durable body, Monstrous Strength capable of lifting buildings, and even the Flight Ability to fly through the sky.
Because she had abilities similar to those of , the comic beloved by Americans, people called her Hyper Girl.
Trademark issues were serious business, after all.
Of course, she did not simply possess a transcendent body and Flight Ability. There were several differences between her and Superman. She had a Skill called ‘Indomitable Faith,’ which allowed her to withstand mental-type attacks, and a Skill called ‘Food Creation,’ which created food.
In addition, there was the fact that her speed was not as fast as Superman’s.
That was why she was Hyper Girl.
The strongest person representing America!
That woman had been smashing apart the head of a Monster called a Drake, which boasted a gigantic body, in the Demonized Wilds along the border with Mexico when she ended up seeing the World Message.
“Hey. Watch your language.”
“Shut up. Can you really say that after seeing this?”
A Drake was an A+-Grade Monster. However, just because it was A+-Grade did not mean an A+-Grade Hunter could defeat it one-on-one.
First of all, its body was enormous. Its body length alone exceeded thirty meters, and its weight was just as tremendous. It was like a giant monster that would appear only in a movie, and its scales contained Mana and a strange power, so even tank cannons could not leave a single scratch on them.
If that thing went on a rampage, it could easily wipe out a city.
If they were A-Grade Hunters, a dozen or so of them would have to form a team to clear it, and even if they were S-Grade Hunters, around three of them would have to team up.
The fact that she had killed such a thing alone was enough to show just how strong she was.
With sun-bright golden hair and slightly tanned skin, she was of mixed race, with white, Latin, and Hispanic blood.
Her appearance seemed to embody the word beautiful itself, so Americans also called her Nike, the Goddess of Victory.
Her real name was Atheniad Miller.
Beside Atheniad Miller, a handsome man of Indian descent spoke to her while riding on a carpet.
He was Amid Sresh, the Sapphire Wizard known as Hyper Girl’s companion, and he was known as a powerful and outstanding Mage.
He was of Indian ethnicity, but he was a fourth-generation immigrant in America. Therefore, one could simply call him American.
“What? Dungeons could disappear?”
“Exactly. I did not know it was possible. They had never disappeared in all the countless experiments until now, had they?”
“Damn it. Who was it, and where? I should have been the one to do it…”
“The world is wide, my friend. You are special, but you cannot do everything. You know that, do you not?”
Amid shrugged.
At his words, the Hunter with an appearance like the sun glared at him.
“Wow! You look as though Heat Vision might shoot out any moment. Of course, you do not have that ability.”
“Find them. We have to find whoever did it.”
“Of course we will find them. Our friends in the government have probably already started searching too. Oracle must be moving as well.”
Oracle.
A person with a powerful Foresight Ability.
“I hope it does not become an obstacle…”
Atheniad’s expression turned worried.
“You know too, do you not? The world is not that far from destruction.”
“That does not mean we can force something impossible, does it? There is an Eastern proverb: the more urgent it is, the more you should take the long way around. So calm down.”
“Haa…”
Atheniad, Hyper Girl, exhaled and tried to calm herself.
Those two were not the only ones thrown into chaos by the sudden World Message.
The entire world had been turned upside down.
***
Whether or not the entire world had been turned upside down, Park Il-sang decided to set out on a journey to become stronger according to his own plan.
He would enter an E-Grade Dungeon!
Normally, one would have to form a party before entering, but Park Il-sang was someone who did not particularly need a party.
So he searched for several nearby Dungeons that he could run in loops all day long like the Frog Nest, then moved.
And the place he arrived at was none other than.
A Dungeon called Kobold Mine.
It was a Dungeon that appeared after one left Seoul and went to the Gimpo City Field, and as its name suggested, it was a mine-cave Dungeon filled with Kobolds.
He had already come here several times during his old Menial Worker days, so it was familiar as well.
“Dungeons are meant to be entered at a run!”
Spouting nonsense, Park Il-sang stepped into the Dungeon.
Around Park Il-sang, who was riding on Kitty’s back, dozens of Necro Guards each carried a [Corpse Box] on their backs and held swords and shields.
In the space where one appeared after entering a Dungeon, a Safe Zone formed for a certain period of time. In other words, one would not be attacked and killed the moment one entered.
“Then, let us go, children.”
RATTLE. RATTLE. CLACK. CLACK, CLACK.
The skeletons advanced.
***
The kobold remembered that day.
The fear of the day when they had been massacred by cruel and wicked humanity.
“Walta! Walta!”
“Walwalwal!”
“Warkhata!”
They said Kobolds were life-forms born through mutation from Earth Spirits in the past. Though they were classified as Monsters, their roots actually came from sacred Spirits, and they were both natural-born miners and blacksmiths.
Hearing that alone, they sounded similar to Dwarves, but there were several differences.
First of all, their intelligence was low. And their wild habits were strong.
They made and used tools, but those tools were not magnificent or remarkable like those made by Dwarves.
As a result, Kobolds were creatures who lived by occupying mines and making crude, moderately usable weapons and armor.
Warta, one of those Kobolds (apparently, every word in the Kobold language had the syllable ‘wa’ at the front), saw the oncoming enemies and raised his shovel-spear and shield.
To protect my young and my kin, I will fight those evil human creations to the death!
RATTLE. RATTLE. RATTLE.
However, that fighting spirit soon faded.
The things approaching while radiating an evil and sinister aura were hideous masses of skeletons.
His tail curled on its own and tucked beneath his rump.
Warta’s entire body trembled just from looking at them.
Undead!
Humanity was finally toying with death through Black Magic!
Moreover.
He saw something unbelievable.
STEP. STEP. STEP. STEP.
His friend, his comrade, his kin was walking toward him as a corpse.
“Warrrraaaaaaaaaa!”
Rage! Unbearable righteous fury burst out as a cry.
Hatred strong enough to overcome the fear of death welled up within Warta.
TAP TAP TAP TAP!
Together with him, his other kin also shouted and rushed forward.
Kill the human! Destroy the Undead!
The moment they charged while shouting that.
“Meow.”
Something gigantic and vicious dropped down.
CRUNCH!
His kin were crushed where they stood.
That enormous thing slaughtered his kin mercilessly, as though playing with toys.
“Wa… War…”
Warta trembled.
Be cursed, human. Be cursed. Though I die here, you will be cursed!
He bravely lunged at the beast made of enormous bones.
CRUNCH!
And his consciousness cut off.
***
“Kobolds are nothing special either.”
Our Mr. Park Il-sang knew nothing whatsoever of the Kobolds’ feelings.
Today as well, he is destroying a peaceful Kobold community.
And now, soon, he will go all the way to the inner Kobold village, kill every last Kobold regardless of whether they are men, women, young, or old, and turn them all into Undead.
Terrifying!
Of course, Park Il-sang did not care at all.
“Still, these guys do at least drop Items.”