The Blood Trio.
It was the name of a team formed by three Hunters who enjoyed bloodshed.
It was nothing as grand as a guild, merely a group of like-minded Hunters who fought together.
By all rights, they should have been infamous.
Had their crimes ever come to light, they would have been locked away in a Hunter Prison rather than entering Dungeons.
However, their atrocities had never become known to the world.
That was because every one of their victims had died.
Even today, they had claimed another victim.
“AAAAARGH! Please save me!”
A Dungeon Porter was being chased by a Monster after the Blood Trio had abandoned him.
He wept and begged for his life, but they had no intention of saving him.
They intended to let him become Monster food.
Their reason?
There was no particular reason.
Something about him had simply displeased them.
“Heh heh heh! Once that bastard dies, we’ll have killed more than ten Dungeon Porters already.”
“You’ve been keeping count of all that? You sick bastard!”
“What a waste of time. We’re going to kill plenty more in the future, so why bother counting them?”
The Blood Trio snickered as they watched the Dungeon Porter flee for his life.
Their grins widened even further.
“Oh! Look at that Monster! It looks unusual. Don’t you think it’s a Boss Monster?”
“Hahaha! We hit the jackpot! Let’s kill the Boss Monster and make some money!”
“I’ve never seen a Monster like it before, but the three of us should be able to handle it.”
Naturally, the Blood Trio had no idea.
They did not know that the unfamiliar Monster was far stronger than they expected.
Nor did they know that they would meet the Dungeon Porter they had once believed they had killed.
***
Living as a Dungeon Porter meant encountering many dangerous situations.
That was unavoidable when one regularly entered Dungeons teeming with Monsters.
However, there had only been one occasion when I had truly come close to death.
‘It was when the Hunters who hired me as a Dungeon Porter abandoned me.’
It had happened recently, so I remembered it vividly.
They had cursed at me, mocked me, and then abandoned me inside a Dungeon inhabited by Monsters.
At the time, the Kirak’s sword had slashed my back twice, and I had nearly died.
That was why—
“It’s good to see you bastards again.”
I was particularly pleased to see the three Hunters in the distance.
- Do you know those fellows?
“Yes. They’re the ones who tried to kill me.”
- I am curious about what happened.
The three Hunters were currently fighting the Boss Monster, the Red-Wrinkled Tiger.
They had not noticed me yet, so I told Jin Cheon-woo what had happened between us.
- Good heavens! If what you say is true, they deserve to die.
“Right?”
- Anyone who seeks another person’s life must be prepared to lose his own.
Martial God Jin Cheon-woo’s words made me smile.
I felt exactly the same way.
‘Their situation looks bad.’
The three Hunters who had tried to kill me were struggling through the battle.
They appeared completely occupied with blocking and evading the Red-Wrinkled Tiger’s attacks.
However, the longer I watched the battle, the stranger it seemed.
“They look really weak. When I was a Dungeon Porter, they seemed incredibly strong.”
None of the three Hunters looked strong at all.
Even the Red-Wrinkled Tiger, despite being a Boss Monster, did not appear particularly powerful.
- Just how weak were you if the likes of them seemed strong?
“I was very weak.”
As I answered Martial God Jin Cheon-woo’s question,
I approached the site of the battle.
Once I drew close enough for us to spot each other easily, the three Hunters reacted.
“What the hell? Isn’t that the Dungeon Porter bastard from before?”
“What? It really is him. Why is that Dungeon Porter bastard here? Didn’t you die?”
“How strange. How did you survive?”
The Hunters recognized me with astonished expressions.
Then they shamelessly began making demands.
“Hey! Don’t just stand there like an idiot! Get over here and help us!”
“We worked together before, didn’t we? You aren’t just going to stand there and watch, are you? We’re struggling, so give us a hand!”
“Hey! Can’t you see that we’re in danger? Get your ass over here! Come and at least pull your own weight!”
There was no possibility that they had forgotten trying to kill me.
Did they not feel even the slightest guilt?
A hollow laugh escaped me.
“You lunatics.”
Their expressions stiffened the moment they heard me.
“What did that bastard just say?”
“Did he call us lunatics? A mere Dungeon Porter bastard dares to say that?”
“Ha! Has that bastard lost his mind? Judging by your appearance, it looks like you became a Hunter, but do you think you can handle all three of us? If you don’t want to die, get over here right now and serve as a meat shield!”
I saw no reason to wait any longer.
How desperately had I wanted to meet them again?
I had continued training while suppressing my desire to repay them for what they had done to me.
WHOOSH!
I used Limitless Footwork to close the distance between myself and the Hunters.
The Red-Wrinkled Tiger attacked me along the way, but—
WHOOSH! SWISH!
I lightly evaded it with Limitless Footwork and swung my sword.
Rather than using the blade, I struck with the flat of the sword.
The attack landed squarely against one of the three Hunters.
WHAM!
“GACK!”
Blood sprayed from his mouth as he was sent flying.
My sword then struck another Hunter.
CRACK!
The sound of breaking bone rang out.
It came from my sword smashing into his knee.
His bones were probably no longer intact.
“AAAAARGH!”
The Hunter clutched his unsteady leg and screamed.
At that moment, the Red-Wrinkled Tiger swallowed his forearm.
CRUNCH! SPLURT!
Blood erupted into the air.
Unable to use either his leg or his arm, the Hunter fell into a panic and called out to his companion.
“Fuck! H-Help me!”
The last Hunter was the only one who remained unharmed.
He chose to flee.
He abandoned both of his companions and began running in the opposite direction.
“AAAAARGH! I don’t want to die!”
The sight reminded me of what I had experienced.
They had cackled and mocked me when they saw me running from the Kirak because I did not want to die.
“No. You’re going to die.”
I mocked him in return
as I caught up to him in an instant.
WHOOSH!
I swung my sword.
The flat of the sword struck the fleeing Hunter like a baseball bat.
WHAM!
“GAAACK!”
The Hunter was launched into the air with a scream.
The Red-Wrinkled Tiger swung its forepaw at him.
THUD!
He completely lost consciousness and collapsed.
Not a single Hunter remained standing.
“Ugh…… You son of a bitch…… How dare you……!”
“Please…… help me! If you save me…… I’ll reward you, I swear……!”
One glared at me with spite, while another begged for his life.
The last remained unconscious.
None of them were capable of continuing the battle.
“This should be enough.”
- What do you intend to do now? Will you spare them?
Martial God Jin Cheon-woo’s question.
I could not determine exactly what he meant by it.
However, I did not care.
I intended to do what I wanted.
“No. They have to die. They deserve it.”
I kicked off the ground and retreated.
WHOOSH!
There was no need for me to intervene directly from this point onward.
There was something else here that could spill their blood for me.
“GRRRRR!”
It was the Red-Wrinkled Tiger, the Boss Monster of this Dungeon.
Drool streamed from its mouth as it approached the fallen Hunters.
“D-Don’t come any closer!”
“AAAAARGH! Are you just going to stand there and watch? We’re really going to die!”
The Red-Wrinkled Tiger first bit into the unconscious Hunter and devoured him.
CRUNCH! CRUNCH!
It then tore into the Hunter who had screamed at it not to approach.
CRRRUNCH!
Finally, it turned to the most shameless one of them all.
CRACK! CRUNCH!
The Red-Wrinkled Tiger carefully chewed and swallowed him.
***
The three Hunters who had tried to kill me were gone.
Not a single fragment of bone or scrap of flesh remained.
All that was left of them were bloodstains.
“You have a talent for cleaning up, don’t you?”
The Red-Wrinkled Tiger roared loudly in response.
It showed no fear toward me.
Its eyes openly displayed its desire to devour me as well.
“ROOOAR!”
The Red-Wrinkled Tiger charged with threatening agility.
As expected of an E-Rank Dungeon’s Boss Monster, it was remarkably swift.
However—
‘It still doesn’t look very strong.’
It seemed well within my ability to handle.
With even greater confidence, I swung the Limitless Sword.
SLASH!
From above to below.
I timed my strike to coincide with the Red-Wrinkled Tiger’s charge.
That single strike was enough
to split its body in two.
THUD!
The Red-Wrinkled Tiger collapsed, its body severed in half.
At the same moment, several messages began appearing before my eyes.
[Vitality has increased. +1]
[Inner Arts has increased. +1]
[Attack Power has increased. +1]
[Defense has increased. +1]
[Evasion has increased. +1]
[Magic Resistance has increased. +1]
Messages stating that every one of my Combat Stats had increased by 1 appeared first.
Two more sets of messages followed.
[You have eliminated a target against whom you held a grudge!]
[Achievement added - Avenger]
[You have killed at least three members of your own kind!]
[Achievement added - Kinslayer]
“I obtained two Achievements?”
- What do you mean?
“I think I’ve become stronger.”
- Already? It has barely been any time since you last grew stronger.
“I know.”
My mood improved.
Martial God Jin Cheon-woo appeared surprised by the speed of my growth.
Moreover, I had finally taken revenge on the bastards who had tried to kill me.
【Achievement】Avenger
[Description] An Achievement awarded to one who kills a target against whom they held a grudge
[Effect] Attack Power +2
The new Achievement was quite useful.
An Achievement that increased my Attack Power by 2 was always welcome.
I then examined the second Achievement.
【Achievement】Kinslayer
[Description] An Achievement awarded to one who has killed at least three members of their own kind
[Effect] Attack Power +1, Defense +1, Evasion +1, Attack Power increased by 3% when fighting one’s own kind
This one was even better.
It increased three Combat Stats in total and even came with a special effect.
‘Attack Power increased by 3% when fighting my own kind? That means my Attack Power becomes stronger when I fight other Hunters.’
I liked both Achievements.
I dismissed their information with satisfaction, but—
“What is this?”
Another message appeared.
[Attack Power Rank has increased: E → D]
‘Already?’
It was fast.
My growth was absurdly fast.
It was so extreme that it went beyond surprising and became almost bewildering.
【Name】Yu-gwon
【Trait】Martial God’s Successor (SSSSS)
【Vitality】D[101] 【Inner Arts】E[76]
【Attack Power】D[100] 【Defense】E[96]
【Evasion】E[98] 【Magic Resistance】E[85]
【Skill】[Limitless Mind Method (SSSSS)][Limitless Sword Method (SSSSS)][Limitless Footwork (SSSSS)][Swing (E)][Thrust (E)]
【Achievement】[Special Beginner][One Who Learned the Martial God’s Mind Method][One Who Astonished the Martial God][One Who Learned the Martial God’s Sword Method][One Who Learned the Martial God’s Footwork][Goblin Hunter][Efficient One][One Who Accomplished the Impossible][Avenger][Kinslayer]
My Attack Power had risen to D-Rank, and two new Achievements had been added.
I was looking over my Status Window with satisfaction, pleased by how much had changed, when Martial God Jin Cheon-woo shouted in displeasure.
- Are you not going to collect the material?!
“Ah! Of course I am.”
I had become so distracted by my growth that I had nearly forgotten the most important thing.
The reason I had come here in the first place was to obtain the Red-Wrinkled Tiger’s Fangs.
I needed to take as many as possible.
SWOOSH!
I opened the Red-Wrinkled Tiger’s mouth wide.
CRACK! RIP!
Then I began pulling out its teeth.
I removed every last one without leaving a single tooth behind.
As I continued working,
“What is that?”
I noticed something glittering near the Red-Wrinkled Tiger.
Based on the discerning eye I had developed while working as a Dungeon Porter,
there was a high chance that it was an Item.
A remarkably valuable one at that!