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Ranobes » Updates » I Came Back And Conquered It All » Chapter 25
           
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Chapter 25
I Came Back And Conquered It All
Measure
Grading was not available every day, but every other week at the Hunter Center. If I missed this opportunity, I would have to wait more than a month, so I had to go.
The grading process that I experienced after a long while was still primitive.
"Mr. Seo Jin-wook? I will verify your identity… Yes. That's good. Please put your hands on the stone here."
It was complicated to measure potential Mana, so measuring active Mana was really the only way to do it.
"It has almost been a month since you Awakened. Do you have basic Mana control? Then pour all the Mana in your body on this stone."
It was a method to quantify the Mana when the hunter himself injected Mana into a stone-shaped artifact.
The problem with this method was that they couldn't catch the hunter in the act when they chose to pour just a little amount of Mana. By the logic of the current era, since a hunter had nothing to benefit from having one's active Mana measured less than it was, they would stick to this method.
'How much should be suitable?'
Meanwhile, my capacity had increased.
-Active Mana: 7,200 (+4,100) / 3,100
-Potential Mana: 76,000
The Constitution Department had no means to measure the potential Mana, so that was out of the question. My real active Mana capacity was 3,100, which belonged to the upper class of the D-Class Hunter.
If I included all active Mana created from Mana drain that could not be recovered when consumed, it was 7,200, but this was the amount of Mana that could earn a B-Class rating if I did well at the promotion test.
And, in the first place, a D or B rating was never given to a hunter immediately after the Awakening in this era. Therefore, it was a number that was unacceptable by common sense right now.
I read in the report that Seo Jin-wook, of his previous life, received an E-Class rating at the time of the first measurement.
'So a reasonable number based on E-class standards should do it.'
I began mulling this over.
'Since there's a background that people are aware of, it's complicated even if it's too normal, perhaps to a reasonably excellent amount?'
Unfortunately, I had never seen the average and peak active Mana data for hunters who had first measured their rank in 2038.
Since I had never seen it, [The Successor's Eyes] did not work, and I had no choice but to rely on the vague memory of 'Was it this much in these times?'
When Mana was poured into the stone, the official's eyebrows in charge of the measurement rose. He couldn't hide the surprise as he looked at the machine.
The official then asked.
"…Are you finished?"
In my sense, it was no different from scooping out a few spoons of water from a well, but I spoke confidently, pretending.
"Yes, I made sure to scoop the last handful and put them all in."
I harbored a strange feeling of stupidity.
When I thought about it, Choi Seung-hyun of his previous life had said similar things.
The official who was in charge of the measurement urged me to concentrate a little more and push with more strength.
Then I answered, 'I put in until the last grain of it.'
The official shook his head, saying it couldn't come out so little, but the result did not change. As my system message told me in advance, Choi Seung-hyun's active Mana was 9.
In shame, I used to think that he must faint if I told him that my potential Mana was '1'.
"Ah, yes."
Returning to reality to myself now, the official in front of Seo Jin-wook operated the device and printed out my hunter certificate.
He spoke with a shaken glance.
"Congratulations. You are in E-class. Active Mana is… 760."
I asked as I received it.
"Thank you. Is this better than average?"
"Average? Originally, I shouldn't be telling you in this way… I will tell you since it seems that our bosses are likely to give private messages of congratulations to Mr. Seo Jin-wook's father anyway. It came out so much better than great. Probably would remain a record considering that it's the first measurement after Awakening."
The officials still looked at me with disbelief.
Looking at him, I muttered inside. If he found out that my potential Mana was 76,000, he would faint.
However, from the Constitutional Department's perspective, there was no way to verify the potential Mana other than one's statement. Therefore, there was no mandatory reporting required.
"Keep up the good work."
I opened the door and came out.
-We will deliver the next news.
Secretary Kim was fully concentrating on watching TV in the waiting room.
-…the police spoke about the inter-Hunter violence in a warehouse the day before yesterday evening placed in Okcheon County, Chungbuk, an investigation set to examine the injured, four arrested at the scene. Meanwhile, they plan to set up the special headquarters for a joint investigation with the Hunter Management Department.
-The unidentified dungeon, also known as the illegal dungeon, currently found in the building was found to be in a 'somewhat unstable' state, increasing anxiousness among nearby residents. According to the relevant laws, the Hunter Management Department must assemble an expedition unit to be assigned to the dungeon within two weeks.
I approached him and spoke up.
"It's done. Let's go."
"Yes."
Secretary Kim jumped up. He then asked in a whisper as he came up to me.
"Is it···?"
The question was obvious. I immediately answered.
"It's 760."
"…I am not surprised anymore."
"Speak up after you relax those wide-open eyes."
Seeing Secretary Kim and I moving along, other hunters in the waiting room murmured. As it's being measured every other week, there were quite many crowds, from the newly Awakened hunters to the hunters who visited for promotion.
"Did you hear that? They said they came from the Celestial Dragon Guild."
"Oh, right. The eldest son there was the same age as us, right?"
"Oh, I envy him. Those kids even have bodyguards when they come to be tested."
"Then, is that the guy behind those rumors? That his potential Mana will be huge!"
"Is his measurement results good? Since he has potential, he shouldn't have a small amount of active Mana, right?"
"Oh, those kids have instructors attached to them 24/7. Wouldn't he have already activated as much as he can?"
I held back my laughter while listening to their murmurs. Instructor? He did try to stay near me 24/7. It was difficult to play along.
On the other hand, unlike most hunters who just envied, the conversation between a few people in the corner was negative.
I gave a little glance to them with the waiting number on their chest—two women and one man. What they had in common with me was that they were each accompanied by an attendant like me.
They tried to lower their voice as much as possible, but my body, which had already been significantly upgraded with Mana, captured all the smallest sounds.
"Sister, that's him. Seo Jin-wook. Seo Gyu-cheol's eldest son."
"I was wondering if I'm going to see him next month or so, but I get to see him here. I heard that he's a complete lunatic? My brother despises him."
"Well, I'm okay with a shitty personality with that face. Is he a 'bad guy' style? It's charming, you know."
"Sister, please wake up. You fall by looking at his face. Celestial Dragon defends him as much as possible, but the rumor has spread through most major guilds. They said that he's not just a bad guy but is a maniac. More than the personality, they say it's an illness."
I can hear you all, people.
Secretary Kim also deliberately turned the topic, quickening his steps as if he heard their conversation, too.
These days, I had changed like a completely different person, but he must be worried that if it got into my ears, I would cause trouble in the same way as before.
Away, what did he mean when he said he would see me next month? I familiarized their faces for now.
"Oh yeah. Team Leader."
Secretary Kim whispered quietly. "You do know that you have to see the Guild Master right away when we get home, right?"
I nodded.
It turned out that after Awakening a month ago, Seo Gyu-cheol only had an instructor attached to me. He never ate a meal with me.
And the time to find me again was the day the level measurement results are released?
I could see through him so clearly that it made me sick. What kind of father-son relationship worked this way?
For a moment, I thought that Seo Jin-wook's mental illness might not have been 100% due to the curse.
*
Instead of working in the guild office today, Seo Gyu-cheol was working in the office of the company house.
Was it because of me?
As I stood at the door, I heard a conversation inside. A hunter in the level of Seo Gyu-cheol would have noticed the presence of a person standing outside the door even if he could not see Mana. I waited without knocking.
The conversation between them followed.
"···As they withdrew, almost all of the machines that were left on the site were damaged, so there is no data. The police and the Constitutional Department interrogated the arrested gang members and sent the contents primarily."
"It's not that big for an E-class dungeon."
"Yes, it is."
"How is the Constitutional Department holding the bottom line?"
"They hope that the expedition teams will be deployed at least by the beginning of next week. Statistically, if the state is 'somewhat unstable,' there will be a time of at least three months, but the residents are anxious, so to appease the public sentiment…"
"You say it's a dungeon with clear conditions? We wouldn't have to rush like that."
"Because the perception of ordinary people is somewhat different."
" Hmm… Okay. You can leave now. Come in."
The word to leave was for the person he was talking to, and the next phrase was to me in the hallway.
I opened the door and entered. Seo Gyu-cheol's secretary bowed to greet me and went outside. After a few steps, I made eye contact with him sitting at the desk.
He gave a dry gaze that even a handful of emotions can't be felt.
"I heard that you got an E grade. 760, right?"
While returning home from the Constitutional Office, I didn't see Secretary Kim contacting him.
As the official said, did the high-ranking official of the Constitutional Department directly contact him?
I answered briefly. "Yeah."
"I think it's okay to conduct live practices in the dungeon now."
As soon as I got the rating?
He continued.
"The original plan was to select an appropriate F-class dungeon to send you. A suitable hunting ground that has already been explored and waiting to be cleared. It's a common practice for just Awakened hunters."
If that was originally the plan, did that mean the plan had changed?
"However, strictly speaking, such a hunting ground is a dungeon for the mining team, and it is not suitable for the exploration team."
Seo Gyu-cheol planned to remove me from the support team I belong to and insert me into the exploration team sooner or later.
"What's more, hearing the results today strengthens my conviction that you don't have to follow common hunters."
He tapped the top of the desk, which was also used as a touch screen. A huge hologram floated in front of my eyes.
"It is an illegal dungeon found in Chungbuk. The grade is E."
Deliberately, I pretended that I was unaware.
"Illegal dungeon?"
"Yes, an uninhabited dungeon that has not been reported. There are dirty things that mines in that kind of place unbeknownst to the government to make a few more pennies. Well, they're not worth that you must know…"
Perhaps I knew more about the guys he described than Seo Gyu-cheol himself.
"Anyway, they are battling and fighting among themselves these days for some reason, and it is a dungeon where the government found out about its existence. Now it is passed to us."
I read the description.
I understood the situation. The war between the Gangdong Revival Alliance and the United Clan had already begun, and the illegal dungeon that one of the sides had hidden in a mess had been exposed.
Looking back at the memory, in the days of Choi Seung-hyun's life, this dungeon also collapsed before being taken care of by the government.
History had changed because of the advanced war between the two organizations.
I began to ask Seo Gyu-cheol.
"Is this my first practice site?"
"It would be better not to think of it as a practice, but to think of it as the first mission."
Unbelievable. This was a ridiculous case, based on the standards of this era.
To push a just Awakened hunter, even more, his son, into an E-class that hadn't even been explored yet?
This wasn't even Spartan. It was just illogical.
"It's a low class, but the state is 'somewhat unstable.' So I have to attach an exploration Team Leader level with you…"
The name that made me say 'no way' came out of his mouth.
"I am thinking of Park Chang-hee."
Even though he knew clearly what happened between his son and Park Chang-hee, he did not take that into account.
Instead, I…
Instead, I thought it went well.
Seo Gyu-cheol's cold gaze looked at me.
"What do you think?"
It was a question with many implications.
The eyes seemed to be experimenting with me. I smiled and answered.
"That's good. It will be a great opportunity to improve our relationships with each other."
Only then did Seo Gyu-cheol put on a light smile on his lips.
"Yes, you can go now. The support team will prepare detailed data and skill cards."
Yes, it would be an excellent opportunity to improve our relationship. Sometimes, getting rid of one of the components at all could be the best method of improvement.
'But this is not enough.'
The scheduled entry date for the dungeon was about ten days from now. Until then, I had to be prepared.
'I should be hectic for the time being .'
*
"What? What the hell are you saying! Nonsense. It would be safer to get into the tiger's den at your own will!"
Secretary Kim jumped when he learned that I would be exploring the dungeon with Team Leader Park Chang-hee, but I persuaded him.
"Actually, there aren't many opportunities left for the perpetrators and other forces that are targeting me."
It was known that the guild members had learned about my potential Mana, and the activation speed was extremely fast.
If left like this, they were afraid that soon I would grow out of their reach.
Seo Jin-wook's current specifications that they knew were an inexperienced E-class hunter with over 700 active Mana.
If they were trying to hurt me, now was their time.
"So, I'm going to put out some traps."
This was for them to be able to rush and do whatever they want to do. The environment of a dungeon was optimized for burying a person.
If I died in an unfortunate accident, the primary criticism would go to Seo Gyu-cheol, who pushed the newly-Awakened hunter into the E-class dungeon rather than Park Chang-hee.
Secretary Kim listened to me and thought about it for a while, and finally spoke, as if he had decided on something.
"Okay. In return, I will go in with you."
"I'll try to suggest that."
I delivered the contents to Seo Gyu-cheol, and it was accepted right away on the same day.
The day after, it was confirmed that Secretary Kim would also accompany me.
On that day, less than ten days left from the exploration of the uninhabited Okcheon dungeon, Secretary Kim and I sneaked out of the company house and headed somewhere.
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Ranobes » Updates » I Came Back And Conquered It All » Chapter 26
           
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Chapter 26
I Came Back And Conquered It All
[I'm in the process of replacing the Editor with a better one.]
Accompanying The Enemy (1)
As soon as I applied for reinstatement to the guild for dungeon exploration, the personnel team processed the notice of dismissal and approval simultaneously as if they were waiting for it.
"Congratulations on being released as the Team Leader."
Secretary Kim approached with a cheerful voice.
With this announcement, I came down from the support 6 Team Leader position, which was rather superficial, and became a trainee in the headquarters.
Seo Gyu-cheol planned to let me build experiences for a few months this way and assign me to an appropriate exploration team. This was because an exploration team that ventured into the unexplored dungeons was genuinely the flower of the guild.
"Thank you. By the way, please don't call me 'young master.'"
The [Successor's Eyes] continued to assemble and collect Seo Jin-wook's memories, and now I remembered many different scenes. Before taking the position of Team Leader with the connections, I remembered that Secretary Kim called me so, and I mentioned it before anything else.
"Then I will just call you the Team Leader, then."
"When you just said congratulations on being relieved as the Team Leader?"
"Everything will pass in a blink of an eye, and you will be Team Leader or Part-Leader soon, anyways."
It would have been the case with Seo Gyu-cheol in power.
Since he was in a hurry to put me, a newly Awakened, into an E-class dungeon, he would be willing to skip all the unnecessary formalities. He was the type of man who would defecate in his pants if he was in a hurry.
"By the way…"
Secretary Kim quietly approached and whispered.
"I dropped by the guild yesterday and heard something."
It seemed that as we secretly went out together yesterday, he must have passed by the office before leaving work.
"It's about the position of the Okcheon Dungeon Expedition Leader, and Park Chang-hee applied first. If the exploration Team Leader level had to go anyway, he wanted to be the one."
Would you look at this?
"Well, knowing in advance that I am going?"
"In chronological order, the application by Park Chang-hee happened before the Team Leader was notified to go to the E-class dungeon."
"It's ambiguous."
"And it's suspicious."
Did Seo Gyu-cheol first speak about me to the Team Leaders?
"And another one…"
Secretary Kim's eyes sharpened. "So, the dungeon is limited to five people, right?"
"Yeah."
"As soon as the Guild Master's approval on letting the Team Leader participate as a trainee fell, the sub-Guild Master suddenly decided to go as well, saying that it's too dangerous for a hunter who's just Awakened."
My expression stiffened without me noticing.
Han-seol was going with us?
*
"The members of Celestial Dragon Guild who will enter this time, please gather here."
A few days later, in front of Okcheon's gate…
Five guild members gathered to the call of a public official dispatched to manage the dungeon. I looked around as I prepared to enter.
The number of exploration personnel for this time was one from A-class, Park Chang-Hee, and one B-class, only Secretary Kim.
Besides, there were two D-class and me. Fortunately, it was concluded that Han-Seol wouldn't join, contrary to the rumor previously heard.
'Han-Seol isn't here, but it's more than enough just with Park Chang-hee and Secretary Kim. For the composition of an E-class dungeon expedition.'
The reason for this arrangement was to protect me. I looked at the two D-class hunters accompanying us.
All guild members' details were already stored in my head.
'Even for D-class, they're numbnuts.'
Coincidentally, both of them had been newly promoted, and the time they were in the guild was short.
'More coincidentally, neither of them belong to the Exploration Team 2.'
Park Chang-hee was the Team Leader of Exploration Team 2.
Even if Secretary Kim and I said it was force majeure, why did he not include his people for the rest of the slots?
"For sure, they're not the line of Han-seol.'
Was he worried about making witnesses?
After understanding, his intentions were revealed clearly.
"Now, I'll check your belongings."
Government officials checked whether we had anything other than previously declared items. It was logical to check because humanity did not yet have a concept of subspace.
Park Chang-hee, who assumed the position of the expedition leader, checked with the official. He then asked while looking at the snake-shaped bracelet on my wrist.
"Mr. Seo Jin-wook… that…"
He suggested leaving the past behind at the preliminary briefing, but he still threatened to obey his orders as he was now in the expedition leader's position, and I, the crew.
And, of course, how he addressed me also changed.
"Wouldn't it be better to go without that Auto-Heal bracelet? I heard there were side effects."
It was natural for the exploration leader to note the artifacts the crew possessed in advance, so I reported to the guild in advance about the [Five-Snake Bracelet].
Of course, the content of real abilities and side effects was shortened.
I couldn't report it as a fine Auto-Heal artifact without any side effects because it was something that couldn't be bought with the budget that Seo Gyu-cheol gave me.
"Wouldn't it be difficult if you were suddenly bitten during battle? Even if there is no such thing, I can provide enough protection. It is only an E-class dungeon."
I spoke, looking straight into Park Chang-hee's eyes.
"No, thanks. If it seems like that would happen, I will take it out in advance."
His intentions that he couldn't even hide were visible in his eyes.
He would pretend to protect me thoroughly in front of others, so there would be no Auto-Healing.
However, at the crucial moment when he tried to send me, he was afraid that, if I was wearing something like this, it might be in the way.
"Well, do whatever you want. Instead, you should report any signs of side effects immediately."
"Okay."
I kept the bracelet whilst sighing in relief.
"Then, we will proceed."
As the guild support team and officials watched, we followed Park Chang-hee's lead and stepped into the oscillating gate.
*
"Squeal!"
An arrow flew into the goblin's eye. In a faintly lit cave, we were confronting a group of goblins.
"Kim Byeong-ho! On the side!"
Secretary Kim jumped out in the direction of Park Chang-hee, who omitted the honorific title and position.
Swoosh!
As he swung his sword as if dancing, the goblins rushing from the right were swept away. Blood splattered along with the sparkling Mana, limbs fell, and the intestines scattered.
"Keeeeek!"
The goblins in this dungeon had no weapons, let alone clothes. They ran wildly with their naked body and with a bunch of things hanging from everywhere—a horde of creatures, literally close to beasts.
[Fireball!]
The runestone on the neck flashed, and the magic circle rose with the activation of the skill. A flame erupted from the hand of a D-class guild member.
Boom!
"Swoosh!"
A flame storm swept over the goblin. Instant death was relatively lucky. The surviving ones were lit on fire on the whole body and struggled with all their limbs. Secretary Kim swung his sword and cut off their breath one by one.
The goblins had no organization and no strategy. They followed their violent instincts and rushed in.
Their difference from wild beasts was that, unlike normal creatures that would have run away at this point, they were engulfed in unknown anger and continuously repeated to attack.
Shook! Swish!
"Gnar!"
Park Chang-hee, who blocked my front with his back towards me, struck the goblin's head with a sword, looking around.
After confirming that the amount of monsters in the area had decreased, he looked at me.
"Are you okay?"
I was about to yawn inside, but I replied, pretending to be nervous.
"Yeah."
"Then, try to take this guy out."
He kicked a goblin running, which staggered with its whole body wounded.
"Khagh!"
If he were determined, the stomach would have burst, and its intestines would have been crushed at once, but the goblin stood up even as it staggered. It was as if Park Chang-hee controlled his force.
'What is this, hunting practice for wolves? To bite it once and then toss it to the baby?'
As I complained inside, I faced the approaching goblins.
Park Chang-hee seemed to confront it and then quickly pulled out his body. Then, now, the goblin and I faced each other in a straight line.
"Kyauk… Kyaahak!"
The goblin hesitated for a moment and then ran to me.
Instead of Lorto's dagger, an unreported item, I grabbed a long sword lent from the guild and aimed at it.
'Moderately, very moderately. Mixing in unnecessary movements.'
I moved into a state of full consciousness.
Shh!
The guy ran.
I blocked the goblin's movement, pouring in my sight like slow motion. The body creaked by itself under the control of the brain.
A moderately flimsy sword path was made.
Slice!
A blue line was drawn—the slight resistance of the bones and muscles breaking tickled my hands. Soon, as if to go against gravity, the head of the goblin soared vigorously to the ceiling of the cave.
Chack!
"···Haap!"
The guild member who was reloading the bow from behind opened his mouth.
I was conscious for a moment.
'Was it too neat?'
The movement was clumsy, but the power was too strong.
Thump!
A headless goblin corpse fell to the cold cave floor. The cut above the neck was neat.
Park Chang-hee once again made an unexpected look. He stared closely and then raised his sword again.
He said, spurring the ground toward the next one.
"…That was great."
It was the least happy compliment in the world.
*
After the battle was over, Park Chang-hee came up to me and asked me as if pretending to take care of me.
Was I feeling nauseous? Was my body okay? Were there any injuries or wounds I hadn't seen? And the likes.
I got up from the seat because it was uncomfortable to talk any more than this.
"While taking a break, I'll have to go dump a big one."
"Let's go together."
I looked at him with a tired look.
"…Even if I'm going to poop?"
"It's because one of my tasks this time is to protect Mr. Seo Jin-wook."
When even Secretary Kim got up and joined him, I had no choice but to go along with two men.
Meanwhile, I began to think while watching Park Chang-hee's actions.
'At this point, everyone will take it as a given that Park Chang-hee follows me everywhere.'
And someday, an environment where only Park Chang-Hee and I were left without Secretary Kim would be created naturally.
'He will be aiming at me then.'
*
The break was quickly over.
"Let's resume."
After that, until the middle of the dungeon, there were no injuries, and the exploration went smoothly.
The Okcheon Dungeon was enclosed, and the interior was similar to an ant cave. It was a structure that connected small rooms with numerous passages arranged like spider webs.
Each room was almost big enough to accommodate a few people, but there was a large cave, comparable to that of an auditorium, where dozens of passages sometimes met at once.
We mainly fought in such a large cave.
If we fought in a narrow passage or a small room, we were likely to get caught up with each other and injure ourselves.
"I think we're halfway there now. Let's take a rest here."
When his signal fell, everyone threw one's air sofas all over the place and laid back.
Park Chang-hee looked around them once and then came to my side again. As expected, after a formal confirmation followed, I stood up.
"I'll have to excuse myself."
Park Chang-hee's face was distorted. "Again?"
It was a process that had been repeated many times while coming here.
As soon as he said that we would rest, I replied that I had to take a dump, so his reaction was valid.
Between his distorted eyebrows, the words 'How many liters of shit do you make every day?' were omitted. I calmly spoke while watching Park Chang-hee.
"It's because I have irritable bowel syndrome."
As I turned around, he tried to follow me.
"Then I, too…"
Even Secretary Kim, who heard our conversation, tried to get up from his seat like a familiar protocol, but I shook my hands.
"It's fine. We can't do this every time, and this time I'll go alone. Honestly, it's unpleasant to see two guys standing nearby whenever I dump a big one. I will be right there."
I deliberately pointed to a corner with no openings.
I imprinted on Park Chang-Hee that I couldn't wander or run away anywhere else.
"···Sure. Go ahead."
Indeed, Park Chang-Hee did not follow me this time. As he didn't move, Secretary Kim also sat quietly.
Thus, I was alone for the first time after entering the dungeon. I felt Park Chang-hee's gaze poking to my head as I walked.
'Good.'
I turned around the corner and settled.
[Silence (Rank: E)!]
First, I blocked out the surrounding noise. I looked down at my wrist from a place that was not captured by anyone's eyes.
Wriggle! Wriggle!
Upon receiving my signal, the snakes on the bracelet moved.
"Hey, get up!"
Hearing my voice, the black snakes relaxed and stretched.
"No, not all of you, just you, 'Snake 1'!"
Despite being told only one to stand up, the two snakes inflated to their huge original form.
"Hiss!"
"Hiss! Hiss!"
I was swamped before coming to this dungeon. It was because I had to absorb as many cores as possible through the Mana drain. In any case, I had to fight with an A-class hunter, so it was a needed preparation.
While going to and out of the dungeon like that, there were many opportunities for the bracelet to trigger Auto-Heal, while feeding the snakes several times.
In the meantime, it seemed that the snakes had some degree of trust in me. 'Oh, unlike the bastards before that, this owner at least does not starve us…' type of faith?
And, the belief that they didn't starve seemed to be a pretty important factor for them.
Thanks to this, from some point, the black snakes understood my words to some extent without being forced to use Mana. Only after that did I learn some of the hidden abilities of unknown guys that the system message didn't point out.
"Hiss! Hiss!"
I rebuked the smaller of the two swollen snakeheads.
"Hey, I said you're 'Snake 4', not 'Snake 1.' you still can't remember your name. Go back!"
"Hiss…!"
Snake 4, who got scolded, returned to its original bracelet shape with low spirit, and now only the largest snake 1 remained.
I spoke to the guy.
"Vomit that back."
Mana began to move in a strange pattern in Snake 1's body.
The guy opened his mouth wide, and…
Roll!
report in advance came out.
*
Watching the bracelet shape and the body of a giant snake convert freely, I guessed in advance that this bracelet had spatial properties.
However, it was only recently that I discovered where it could be used while traveling through the dungeon, saving time to eat.
I took a break after a battle and muttered, "Oh, I'm hungry."
At that moment, the snakes weren't even ordered to, but they tried to return to their original form.
I panicked a little, but I thought if anything could go wrong, I allowed them to change. Then, among the guys who had raised their bodies, 'Snake 2' swelled his throat and vomited something.
'What is this?!'
Seeing it, I couldn't help but freeze.
'That's just great.'
It was because what he vomited was a human forearm whose shape was almost intact.
Looking closely at it, I looked at the tattoo on my wrist and realized it.
'Isn't that the Optimus Guild guy?'
Snake 2, who had vomited, looked at me with bright eyes like a pet waiting for praise.
As if to say, 'What are you doing? Go ahead and eat it!' as it stuck its tongue out.
'If they are full while eating, do they store it in their body instead of leaving it?'
The next thing I noticed was the condition of the arms.
It's been a while since I've fed the Optimus guys, but it was completely fine, and I couldn't find any signs of decomposition.
Items that performed the same function as this phenomenon in the future were called…
'Inventory item!'
It was a concept not yet known to humanity in this era.
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Ranobes » Updates » I Came Back And Conquered It All » Chapter 27
           
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Chapter 27
I Came Back And Conquered It All
[The new permanent editor + a better proofreader already started working on this series. The quality is much better from Chapter 49+]
Accompanying The Enemy (2)
After taking the Lorto's dagger and a few items that the snake had been storing, I hid it in my battle uniform.
Then, I picked up an item that Secretary Kim and I had bought when we snuck away.
[Clarice's Red Stone]
-Item Description: This small stone, made up in pairs, confirms the holder's safety. The other stone glows red and guides the way under the following conditions.
If either stone is broken
When a person who has one of the stones becomes unconscious due to another person
When a person who has one of the stones suffers a severe injury
In dungeons, where radio wave communication was impossible, we had no choice but to rely on artifacts. Still, there were only such inconvenient and basic types of objects that were available.
There was another one as well.
[Mirage's Shield]
-Item Description: Creates a powerful shield surrounding the caster for 3 minutes after activation. As long as the shield is maintained, the user's movement is also limited.
※ Please note that it cannot be recast once activated.
I bought this for a pretty high price.
I didn't have enough cash that I could divert, so I gave incomplete information about the source and sold some of the items I collected in the dungeon.
Secretary Kim reminded me.
'Do you understand? When he reveals his true color, break the stone immediately, and open the shield.'
We agreed to stay at a distance that he could run up in 3 minutes, considering that he was a B-Class hunter in the dungeon, which was about 2 km in radius.
It was an artifact I bought because Secretary Kim nagged that I would have to be ready with something like this, or I could never go with Park Chang-hee.
"Are you done?"
I came back as I pretended to be clueless while hiding items all over my body. I did not forget to hand over one of the red stones to Secretary Kim, avoiding Park Chang-hee's eyes.
"Let's continue."
*
The clear condition for the Okcheon Dungeon was the destruction of the Hive.
Park Chang-hee did not speed up because he was being considerate of me, so we got there after spending a night in the dungeon.
"This is the Hive."
I nodded my head lightly. The walls and floors of this enormous room were covered in organic matter, much like scarlet flesh.
I could see the veins that ran across the organic skin that spread like a carpet, body fluids that had accumulated and wrinkled holes that spewed
'It's been a while, so it's even more disgusting.'
In the center was a vast mass connected to the ceiling and floor by a mucous membrane. The lump kind that looked like a pocket and the several tubes connected to it made it seem similar to a heart.
"Can you see that big lump? A monster is born through a long gap in the middle."
Unlike the field-type, in this closed-type dungeon, monsters were respawned through the Hive.
"Hmm, your contribution rate is mediocre."
He frowned at the estimates on the terminal.
"You take care of the Hive, please, Mr. Min Seok-Gi."
A member of the guild called by name stepped forward and activated a magic skill.
[Sonic Wave!]
A magic circle was created, and violent atmospheric vibrations spread out.
Whoosh!
The vibration wave struck and started tearing the soft tissue in front.
Pa-pa-pakk!
Soon, the remnants of ripped flesh, blood lumps, and strange things room. At the same time, a message that everyone could hear resonated.
-You have satisfied the dungeon clear conditions!
-Clear condition: Hive destruction.
-The boundaries of the dungeon are weakened.
Rumble!
The air in the dungeon vibrated.
The movement of Mana that was connecting all over the space like the pulse became rowdy. I felt that the overall Mana composition had changed.
-The user's ranking on clear contribution is 5th (contribution: 2%).
I was the 5th.
And the number one was probably…
Weeing!
A light flashed in front of Park Chang-hee, and the key to the dungeon appeared.
'The first place is, of course, Park Chang-hee.'
After that, Park Chang-hee and Secretary Kim disappeared simultaneously, and both reappeared with something in their hands.
Even though Park Chang-hee only gave directions at the end, the system judged that only those two had filled the contribution needed in order to receive additional rewards.
Seeing that it took less than a second for them to disappear and return, it was clear that they picked arbitrarily as soon as they entered without thinking too deeply about it.
'Well, it's random from their standpoint anyway.'
It was such a waste.
"Compensation is rather worth nothing."
Park Chang-hee shrugged at the card and immediately put it into the battle backpack. Secretary Kim also got a crappy item.
"There is no jackpot."
Park Chang-hee looked around the expedition team as he talked.
"Now we just have to go back the way we came. As you can see, the dungeon clear does not mean that the monsters have disappeared. It's likely that the combat noises we've made as we got here have made them more sensitive and packed around the path we passed. Monsters that have lost the Hive go into a frantic state by chance, so be more on guard from now on."
On the outside, it was the appearance of the impeccable expedition leader.
*
On our way back, we passed by huge caves, and those became our hunting ground. It was to lure goblins hiding in the path ahead of us and deal with them in a wide area.
Secretary Kim, who had been on reconnaissance, reported to Park Chang-hee while looking at the movement information recorded on the terminal.
"1.4km ahead, and the number is about 70."
Park Chang-hee frowned. "A lot had flocked. Let's use bombs."
Knowing that no crew had mastered Earth Mastery, he took the scroll out of his arms, infused Mana, and tore it. The spell was completed in an instant, and the magic circle shone in the air.
[Dig!]
The hard rock floor wobbled like clay, then created a vast pit.
Following the instructions, a guild member pulled out a Mana core bomb from the battle backpack and placed it in the hole.
As could be seen from its characteristics replacing fuel, high-density energy was contained inside the core. This bomb was a weapon made for anti-monsters using the attributes of a core that exploded when given a severe impact.
"Of the weapons that can be made with science and technology, it is the most effective against monsters. Mana storms emanating from the explosion rips up their shields. A bomb contains only a few grams of the core, but it is difficult to manufacture and is quite expensive."
Park Chang-hee explained to me and added, "If we can make guns with this principle, there will be no hunters who use swords or that sort."
There were no races that possessed such a civilization, at least at the tutorial dimension, even in the future.
"Now, then."
After covering the ground again, he pulled an artifact out of his arms. It was a flute with five small crystals embedded in its body.
"You said 1.4km? One would be fine."
As Park Chang-hee infused Mana, one of the crystals lit up. In that state, he put his mouth on the flute.
"…"
He played the flute eagerly, but it was quiet without an audible sound. The two guild members whispered among themselves.
"It's my first time seeing that. Does it really make a sound?"
"I know, right. That's amazing."
Park Chang-hee spoke, taking his mouth off the flute as if he heard the whisper.
"It's outside the human audible frequency, but the goblins can hear it. Beyond just listening, they rush in wildly as they go frantic. Be prepared. They will come soon."
As everyone took out their weapons and waited, a group of goblins jumped out like a flock of dogs from a small burrow in the front.
"Kyaaah!"
"Roaar!"
Just in time, Park Chang-hee pressed the switch. Then, a loud blast that sounded like it would tear my ears apart resonated.
Boo-boo-boom!
In the place where the blue Mana storm swept away, the goblins' torn limbs and guts lay around.
"Squeeeal!"
Those who luckily survived rush blindly without giving a glance to their colleagues' remains as if they couldn't feel fear like a zombie. It didn't take long to finish everything.
Park Chang-hee spoke after the last one fell as it made a sound of being slaughtered.
"Please wait without letting your guard down. All the bastards that heard the blast within the range of the explosion will be rushing. We'll clean it up, then move on."
After that, crowds of goblins were pushed out of the narrow caves, and we took turns killing them.
*
"Phew, I think it's over now."
How long must it have been? No more goblins appeared even after we waited. Organizing the battlefield briefly took place after that.
"I have completed collecting the cores."
Collected Mana cores extracted from the corpse were placed in a separate backpack. In front of everyone, I thought it was a shame that I could not absorb it.
I glanced at my backpack and began to think.
'How much should it be if to absorb all those?'
Park Chang-hee looked at the terminal as if trying to input the amount collected.
And then, he frowned.
"Damn, I finished another one."
Guild members approached.
"Is the terminal broken again?"
He pushed it out as if to let them look at the jammed screen.
The terminal manufactured for the hunters records the user's battle and movement path to estimate the contribution and automatically generates a three-dimensional map.
It was designed to withstand strong impacts due to the characteristics of hunters who fight violently. Still, the damage rate was high because it was an industrial product, not an artifact. In the present age, the probability of being damaged when exploring dungeons would be well over 20%.
Park Chang-hee shrugged.
"It's a given that a close range is bound to damage a terminal. Mr. Min Seok-Gi, I'll request a spare terminal. Is it the last one?"
"Yes. This is the last of what I brought."
"If I break another again, I will have to roam around without a terminal."
Secretary Kim and I quietly exchanged glances.
Park Chang-hee, that bastard, was building up reasons very diligently. If I disappeared here without clear evidence, the guild and the constitution department would first check the survivor's terminal black box.
And at that time, Park Chang-hee's terminal would be broken with 100% probability.
They would suspect him, but no physical evidence would remain.
'He would make a move soon.'
*
On the way back, we resumed the move after staying for a night as well.
"We will arrive at the gate within the day."
The faces of the guild members who accompanied us were bright. They relaxed their faces as if they thought they could comfortably stretch their feet and sleep.
I began to think as I looked at them.
'Usually, they loosen a lot of tension at this point.'
At this time, when people thought that they could return to Earth and home within today.
'The only opportunity is today anyway.'
He must have waited deliberately for this moment when my alertness was lowest.
"Let's do mass hunting here before we go."
When the last big cave came out, Park Chang-hee spoke.
"After all, only two people, Mr. Kim Byeong-ho and Mr. Yoon Taek-soo, have been scouting until now, right?"
While the two went on reconnaissance, Park Chang-hee and I, and Min Seok-gi, who possessed magic skills, had a routine to rest and make traps in advance.
"This time, Seo Jin-wook and I will scout. He will also have to learn how to scout."
Secretary Kim then spoke up. "Then, I will go with you."
Park Chang-hee shook his head. "Then there will be only two D-class hunters left here. It's dangerous. The power distribution is right only when Mr. Kim Byeong-ho remains."
For a moment, there was tension.
As I watched, I interrupted the conversation.
"Okay. Only both of us will go."
As I talked, I slipped my hand into his chest pocket. This is where [Clarice's Red Stone] was placed. He looked at me with an anxious look. I nodded slightly, as if to say that he should be relieved.
I made a discreet gesture that I would open my shield and break the stone if I feel any abnormality. Park Chang-hee, who settled the situation, looked at me and spoke.
"Then, let's go."
*
Park Chang-hee and I moved while looking through the narrow passage. I looked closely at the path he was taking.
'He avoids the goblin trail amazingly well.'
One could notice the monsters' traces as they passed by, but he avoided those places on purpose.
'He is sure that I won't notice.'
Moving on, we arrived in a small empty room. Park Chang-hee paused to see if he was far enough away from the group.
I got tense.
'It's now!'
He turned his gaze toward me.
'He reveals his true color.'
Park Chang-hee did not explain why he brought me to this place without goblins, as he only held a knife in his hand.
Swoosh!
He swung his sword and ran into me. His shadows poured out before my eyes.
'This is bad.'
Bad was not enough to describe the sword flying towards me as a threat.
'Damn, I tried to dig up some information while pretending to be scared.'
It was because of the situation where I had no choice but to show my actual color right away.
-Clang!
Park Chang-hee's eyes widened.
In the room where we are alone, terrible murderousness, the reverberation of the metal crackling, and the bloody silence flowed together.
"You···"
His gaze was fixated on my longsword that parried his blade that burned with Mana.
I sensed the rush and prepared myself for defense. The two blades taunted against each other without being leaned to either side.
The confrontation was close enough to hear each other's breath. His expression was distorted over the crossed blades.
"Did you just block it?"
Considering the Mana on the sword, it was a blow that could not be blocked by an E-class hunter unless it were to be avoided.
He started attacking, but I had no intention of calling Secretary Kim by breaking the stone in my arms. I couldn't show him what would happen from now on.
"Haab!"
He tried to press me with more power, but I shed his sword.
-Cling!
We both kicked the ground and fell at a distance. Park Chang-hee, who regained his posture, did not run right away as he aimed the sword.
He muttered at me.
"I was right."
The murderousness, like a pointed needle, poured out.
"E-class cannot parry my sword like this. I knew you had Awakened way back before."
I stared at him silently, yet let him keep talking.
His harsh words continued.
"How did you trick the Constitutional Department? Did Seo Gyu-cheol offer another bribe? That's why the report didn't work, and even on the day of Awakening, you passed it safely."
"···"
He glared at me and threw every word as if he was spitting each one out.
"How long have you been Awakened? One year? Five years? Seo Gyu-cheol, when did that greedy piece of trash prepare you? That unworthy bastard that does not have anything, aside from the ego that he was the first in this country to receive S-rank, must have planned to crown you as the youngest to receive an S-rank. Idiot! If this were to be heard by 'That Person,' they would surely be angry, so you must have kept this to yourselves!"
It was clear who he referred to as 'That Person.' However, there were still things that I didn't understand.
I looked at Park Chang-hee and asked as I was aware of the terminal on his wrist.
"Why the hell do you assume so? For what reason do you point out that I Awakened early?"
In Park Chang-hee's eyes, there was a terrible murderous intention. He shouted as he was filled with angst.
"The day you attacked me… because you survived my counterattack!"
··What?
'Because I had survived?'
The moment I heard that shout, I remembered what Secretary Kim said to Park Chang-hee before. Protests poured out, accusing Park Chang-hee of attacking me.
'I heard that you hit our Team Leader? Witnesses say that it was an impossible move without using Mana… Whatever it may be, a hunter using Mana against civilians? What if he dies? Wasn't it intentional?'
The day that Seo Jin-sook attempted to fly-kick Park Chang-hee. Park Chang-hee said that he had retaliated by using Mana.
However, everyone thought it was Park Chang-hee who controlled his strength so that I would not die.
Seo Gyu-cheol also thought so.
'If Park Chang-hee responded sincerely in the first place, this guy couldn't have woken up again. Even if he used Mana, it wasn't a fatal attack. It is thanks to the brilliance that he controlled Mana output even at that moment.'
I even thought so.
Seo Jin-wook of the previous life survived the incident and died a year later for another reason.
If Park Chang-hee sincerely attacked, the non-Awakened Seo Jin-wook would have died on the spot.
However, he survived. That was why I…
"Yes, you survived! How the hell?" Park Chang-hee burst into anger.
"When I went to see you for an apology as an excuse, I realized the moment I saw you walking around in good shape. The fact that you were already Awakened! Not at the moment that you got attacked, but even before that!"
He gritted his teeth and continued his words.
"Because that day, when you ran into me, I was determined to be impulsive for a short moment. To give up my career and position as a hunter, and all of that for the rest of my life…"
He burst into anger and shouted at me.
"I attacked you with the determination to kill you, who was a non-Awakened!"
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Ranobes » Updates » I Came Back And Conquered It All » Chapter 28
           
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Chapter 28
I Came Back And Conquered It All
Curse (1)
Did he attack Seo Jin-wook with the determination to kill him?
"Was it an instruction you received from Han-Seol? To kill me?"
A much more intense flame burned in the eyes of Park Chang-hee, who heard me. It was a different type of anger than before. A violent reaction emerged, as if asking how I dared to say that.
"Crazy, delusional bastard!"
He poured out profanities, and I was more and more confused by his reaction.
Seeing that he was getting mad all by himself made it seem like he was the crazy, delusional bastard. Were the symptoms of Seo Jin-wook like that before the possession?
In the middle of thinking about that, he moved. I ran as well.
Clang!
Park Chang-hee swung his sword like a gust of wind. I also blocked it with my long sword. Whenever the blades clashed, sparks appeared. Park Chang-hee's movement was relaxed until the first few hits, and there was a determination and assurance to cut my throat right as soon as possible.
However, the more the clash continued, the more surprised his expressions became.
"How?!"
When all attacks were blocked, he displayed a face full of disbelief.
'It was fortunate that I took extra time to prepare it well because of this!'
-Active Mana: 13,500 (+8,700 )/4,800
-Potential Mana: 79,000
Thanks to core absorption, my active Mana had already reached the level of an A-class hunter.
Clang! Clang!
The offense was getting more and more brutal. As I swung the sword, I saw the pattern of artifacts he had all over his body.
As an expedition leader and a melee line, he possessed the most number of equipment, including the supporter type that stabilized Mana's flow, the dispel type and detoxification type of rank A and the defense type of specific attributes.
I could see all of them. However, unlike me, he couldn't see what I have.
Cling!
Swoosh!
As I let his blade flow, a curved shock wave cut the cave wall behind my back. I moved my body and noticed the condition of my long sword.
'It's already starting to deteriorate.'
The quality of artifacts that would be assigned to E-Class was apparent. After blocking a few times, the durability was almost seeing its end.
As if he noticed it as well, he continued to attack heavier rather than critically. A master plan to destroy the sword for good.
Clang!
He aimed for the neck and stabbed, but it was easily blocked—the moment when the blades intersected, and tension was tight. I released the long sword from my hand and removed my body.
"···?!"
His response was a little late, as if he didn't think I would give up the weapon so quickly.
At that moment, I took out Lorto's dagger. The eyes of a guy who saw an unreported item, where there would be no way to bring it in, widened. I did not miss the opportunity and cut him in the blink of an eye.
Swish!
Thanks to that brief moment, the blade touched Park Chang-hee's arm. His skin cut open, and blood splattered.
Weeeng!
His detoxification artifacts emitted Mana.
Realizing that he was about to be poisoned, he frowned for a moment and immediately launched an attack. There was no sign of paralysis. He continued his attack on me with caution.
Knowing that the artifact was disposable, I swung the dagger even more intimidatingly.
'If I stab him once more, he would be poisoned!'
The problem was that Park Chang-hee would also be thinking about it. He clenched his jaw.
"Damn it!"
He couldn't believe that he was struggling with me like this. Park Chang-hee activated a skill as if he couldn't keep this up. Red Mana created a storm and wrapped around Park Chang-hee's body.
'Unique skill!'
[Flame Skin (Rank: B)!]
Boosh!
Insane amounts of heat burned in the narrow space where we were confronting.
A high intensity-heat flame covered Park Chang-hee's body, like wearing an armor that smelted flames instead of metal. The guy's equipment, which was commissioned by the world's best enchanters and applied intense flame immunity, stood without any soot in flames.
On the other hand…
Crackle!
Tiny sparks popped up and fell all over my combat suit. Sparks scattered through the fiery air.
"Keup!"
It was damaged by this much just by being nearby without even direct contact. The temperature was enough to destroy the airways and lungs when inhaled. However, I did not fall, and he guessed why.
"Did you also bring an item for flame immunity?"
Park Chang-hee, who checked together, knew that there was no such thing in my belongings. It was natural because it was an item that was stored and brought inside by the [Five Snake Bracelets].
Boosh!
Whenever Park Chang-hee swung his sword, a fierce flame flew in. The heat that burned the cheeks followed the trajectory of the pillar of fire that I managed to avoid. Without a break, it poured out fierce flames as it followed the path of the sword. I managed to block it with a dagger.
Cling!
The two blades clash with each other once more.
Flames were burning in front of my nose. The existence of Park Chang-hee, who wrapped his whole body in an incandescent flame, was also a weapon.
Sizzle!
The simple act of narrowing the distance was like an attack. He poured high heat as it pierced my Mana shield and through the artifact effects. Pain ruled my whole body. It smoked as the skin was ruined and burned. The smell of burning hair and flesh pierced my nose.
At that time, white light covered the burnt area. The burnt wound disappeared in an instant. Auto-Heal was triggered by the [Five Snake Bracelets].
But the problem was, injuries happened endlessly.
Boosh!
Weeing!
While confronted with force, the figure of Park Chang-hee, who was burning in my sight, disappeared and reappeared. This was because the cornea burned due to the high temperature, and the loss of vision and recovery were repeated.
'It's dangerous to keep up in this way!'
Knowing that the snakes would soon run into their limits, I made a critical move.
By surprise, I drove a tremendous amount of Mana into the blade. Even A-class hunters ran the risk of ruining their organs doing so by the sudden movement of Mana.
"You!"
Park Chang-hee seemed to be baffled, increasing his force, but unlike me, he took time to collect the corresponding Mana.
As a side effect, when the Mana supply to the shield covering his body seemed to decrease, the embarrassed opponent mobilized another energy instead of Mana. The fiery flames and flame skins that wrapped his whole body are concentrated in the sword. Park Chang-hee condensed all the fire only on the blade. He intended to explode the flame bomb after focusing it all on the sword.
Naturally, the body of the guy wrapped in flames appeared again. It was the timing I had been waiting for.
"Now!"
On the signal of my yell-
"Kyaaaak!"
"Hiss!"
Five black snakes in the form of bracelets suddenly returned to their original state and attacked. They bit all over Park Chang-hee's body, where the shield weakened, and even the flame disappeared.
Crack!
Crush!
"This···"
Before their scales burn out by high temperatures, I quickly put the snakes back into bracelets.
"Such a cunning move!"
Park Chang-hee did not care about the bite and struck down the blade. There were ugly tooth marks all over his body.
I was waiting. It was enough just to bite it once.
'It's done!'
The flame that was driven by the sword had now weakened.
"······"
In the meantime, I found out another ability of the snakes.
Written on the bracelet's description, the black snake's 'circulating power' was to provide healing from fed flesh and blood, and it was more than returning items as it functioned as an inventory.
Without knowing when to give up, these guys who continued to eat the poisoned prey by the dagger and repeatedly awakened from being paralyzed were able to spew poison from their firm, sharp teeth, incomparable to any snakes of the Earth.
It was of the same properties as stored in Lorto's dagger.
"My… God!"
As Park Chang-hee felt the danger, he distanced himself.
The detoxification artifact that had already been used was useless, but the A-class hunter's reinforced body was resisting paralysis poison a little.
"Lunatic!"
He took a stance while swearing. He didn't collapse right away, nor did he completely lose his freedom of movement. But he was definitely slow, and that was enough.
I activated the Mana I have left so far for only one skill.
Dash!
Unlike the light rays of Mana, there was a light that anyone could see in my arms. Park Chang-hee, who knew the source of the light, was surprised.
"Even magic!"
A runestone that cannot be distributed to me who hasn't officially learned magic skills shone in my arms. A magic circle floated in front of my eyes.
At the same time, Park Chang-hee moved.
"Gaaah!"
Boosh!
He, who couldn't read the magic circle, rushed to me like a cannonball, leaving a ray of heat like a shadow. It was an act of trusting in a piece of equipment that could reliably block A-rank or lower spells at least once.
The moment Park Chang-hee jumped on the ground, and I spat out the spell.
[Neutralizing Chains!]
The magic circle expanded and covered all the sides.
If the poison had not spread, it was of enough speed to avoid, but instead of avoiding, Park Chang-hee crashed into the spell as he was. He would have imagined a scene where his artifacts would negate magic, and a sword that ran without hindrance would split my head open.
Of course, that expectation was betrayed.
Rumble!
Park Chang-hee widened his eyes.
"This… this…!"
He trembled while screaming. Then, there was a moment of silence.
"······"
His pupils looked around, flustered.
"What the hell… are you?"
When the magic was activated, he couldn't move anymore. A thick chain had been created through the distortion of space.
The summons that protruded from all sides tied Park Chang-hee's hands and feet together. Park Chang-hee, whose body was locked, hung with his limbs outstretched in the air. He struggled, but the chain refused to move. The flame was burned more aggressively as if to melt it, but the heat was not conducted through the chain that violated the laws of the physical world.
Only then did he realize the situation.
"S-rank magic?!"
He shouted as if he couldn't believe it.
"Nonsense. This is nonsense. How?!"
His body kept struggling, but the chain stood firm. He began shouting in agony.
"No matter how powerful Seo Gyu-cheol is, he does not have ways to deliver S-rank magic cards to you!"
It was like that in this era.
Among the randomly given cards, magic was rare, and certain international guilds were collecting most of the S-rank or higher magic skill cards.
I watched Park Chang-hee consuming Mana while burning only the flames as he was completely tied up. His rebellion, closer to a struggle, did not work. It was an S-rank skill that I unleashed by consuming almost all of my remaining Mana just because I had to.
Gulp! Gulp!
I took out a Mana potion and drank it, and my active Mana recharged.
-Active Mana: 4,800/4,800
-Potential Mana: 79,000
Mana that could be recovered with potions had a limit of 4,800, matching the original Mana capacity.
If there had been a time for Park Chang-hee to drink potions during the battle, I would have been defeated. Unlike me, he can restore to the entire Mana capacity.
"Shall we start the conversation again?"
My eyes met with those of Park Chang-hee, who had been disabled. He stared at me as if he was going to eat me alive. The process of finding out the answer I want from a hunter with a physical condition like that of him would be complicated, so I grasped the knife.
'This motherfucker, he just babbled some strange words.'
He made an analogy as if Han-Seol was not involved in all of this. I can't believe it as it is. Above all…
"I will ask again. If not for Han-Seol's instructions, how did you curse me? I do not think you have that kind of ability."
"······"
His reaction was strange. It's not the look I expected.
"······ curse?"
His face was distorted.
"What a crazy bastard! Can't you distinguish between reality and delusions? What? Curse?! If there was such a thing in the world…" He spat out words full of malice.
"I would have melted you alive without leaving a single piece of bone!"
Watching Park Chang-hee's reaction, I continued to feel uncomfortable.
Although it was said that he was impulsive, trying to kill Seo Jin-wook while there were many witnesses in the conference room…
Who in the world wanted to kill the Guild Master's son during a meeting by impulsive anger?
Since Seo Jin-wook first attacked, would he have gone for negligence or over-defense? But it was considered as a Hunter attacking the non-Awakened?
'There were so many lunatics in the guild.'
No, this bastard was more severe.
Seo Jin-wook also did many crazy things before becoming possessed. Still, self-injury was most dominant, and attempting to give a flying kick to Park Chang- Hee was the worst physical violence against others.
'Is Park Chang-hee originally this kind of a person? Why didn't anyone know?'
Even now, considering how emotional he was, his words and actions were strange. He was literally mad and mentally ill. I could tell just by looking at those flipped eyes.
"······"
At that moment, I stopped thinking because his Mana boiled in a strange direction.
'My God!'
He would have thought that I wouldn't notice. When the magic chain absorbed all the Mana that Park Chang-hee released, he began to reverse the flow direction.
I could see it. He was condensing all Mana in his core.
"Why does 'that person' deal with a bastard like you to…!"
When the torrent of blue light, which was initially supposed to erupt from the heart like a waterfall, flowed in the opposite direction, it collided with the flow in the expected direction, creating a terrible stagnation and pressure.
If he forced Mana to move like that, the nature of the core in it will…
'Self-destruct!'
I rushed. A smile of giving up everything hung on his mouth, flowing irrational and blind hate.
"I will at least… kill you. At least you!"
The last attack created by the A-class hunter by destroying all of himself. Will the chain be able to stop it all?
I couldn't gamble. I had judged and acted simultaneously. Reflexively, I poke the tip of my hands toward the boiling Mana core.
Crush!
His ribs broke, and my fingers made it through.
"Keup!"
Blood emanated from Park Chang-hee's mouth.
His phenomenal physiology avoided immediate death and maintained consciousness even in the case of a pierced heart. The man who continued to live his limited life force with my finger in his heart opened his eyes and glared at me.
Thanks to this, I was able to do something I couldn't have tried with other hunters so far. After clearly reaching his core with my fingertips, I activated the skill.
[Mana Drain!]
Woong!
Park Chang-hee spat out a silent scream with his whole body.
In that short moment before death, I touched his Mana core, absorbing the Mana that was about to explode. The blood vessels were thrilled, and the feeling of excitement rose.
'Is it… a success?!'
I absorbed the rest of the energy in it. The time it took was close to an instant. Eventually, even the last vortex of Mana left in the body disappeared.
"Huh… Ugh!"
The expression of panic, anger, and meaninglessness gradually faded. Park Chang-hee's self-destruction failed.
The light disappeared from his pupil. Then…
"······"
I saw something in my eyes, and an unexpected system message resounds.
-The unknown caster's skill [Seed of Mercardius (Super Moderator Rank: SSS Semi-Active)] was activated!
"What?"
I thought of it in the agitation.
'The day I first opened my eyes as Seo Jin-wook!'
There was so much potential Mana stored in my core that I couldn't find anything alien hidden in it.
It was similar this time. Park Chang-hee's potential Mana was not remarkable, but unlike me at the time, he who had already awakened was always releasing intense active Mana from his core. I didn't see it because of the blue waves.
Mana possessed by one hunter hid it as if wrapping it.
I faced the bafflement I felt at the time again.
Geeeeeek!
The cry of a little beast. But this time, it didn't come from my body.
I could feel it at my fingertips. The red energy that I hadn't yet absorbed remained where Park Chang-hee's Mana core was.
Because it was in contact with the skill effect, [The Successor's Eyes] read the identity like then.
[Seeds of Mercadius (Rank: SSS, Semi-active)]
Skill effect: Intervenes in the host's mind to amplify the most intense desires and emotions and induce thoughts. After growth is over, the seeds that encroach entirely on the host will bloom, and what it will become depends on the caster's intention and the characteristics of the host.
Restrictions: As the host's mental health and resistance are stronger, the encroach rate slows down, and there is the danger of the 'voice' being exposed.Novels online
Ranobes » Updates » I Came Back And Conquered It All » Chapter 29
           
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Chapter 29
I Came Back And Conquered It All
Curse (2)
Woong!
Park Chang-hee's Mana raged all over my body. It was the first time that I had absorbed this much at once. But now, there was no time to worry about it.
'Park Chang-hee was also cursed by the same kind!'
It was like the one Seo Jin-wook suffered from.
I could feel red Mana at the tip of my hand. It was a seed that was the composition and result of a curse that looked like a sphere with entangled blood vessels.
It was baffling that the host died, so I poked the Mana in the form of bloody tentacles all over Park Chang-hee's body.
However, there was no response. Park Chang-hee, who was hung on the chain, laid cold as he was lifeless.
'Geek…?'
A low and small cry from the seed continued endlessly.
'Geek! Geeeek!'
The sound grew louder and then louder… And finally tore my ears, almost as if it was groaning.
'Geeeeeeeek!'
At that moment…
Swoosh!
An aggregate of red Mana, free from the material's resistance, jumped out of Park Chang-hee's heart and ran toward my heart like in a blink of an eye.
As if it was trying to change its host!
But then…
'Geeek! Queek! Queek!'
What unfolded was a very unexpected scene.
The curse's energy originally residing in Seo Jin-wook's body, the seed that was dormant in the Mana after being blocked by the [The Successor's Eyes] at first, and that was unable to speak again, suddenly revealed its power.
It wrapped itself around my heart as if to threaten me. It was almost as if it was telling me that this core was at its place, so I shouldn't invade it, like a beasts' territorial battle.
It was only then that I could see that the size of what was in my heart was much larger than the seed of Park Chang-hee.
'Geek… Geek!'
Park Chang-hee's curse couldn't penetrate my heart in the end.
Then, this time it turned its direction towards my head.
At that moment…
-The skill [The Successor's Eyes (Rank: EX)] resists the skill [Mercadius' Seed (Rank: SSS)].
[The Successor's Eyes] thoroughly defended this time, suppressing Seo Jin-wook's curse.
Unlike Seo Jin-wook's seed that existed before the possession, Park Chang-hee's curse could not even penetrate my body.
'Geeeeek!'
The [Mercadius' Seed] protruding from the corpse stretched out something like a red tentacle in all directions. However, there were no hosts around for it to live on.
As there was no other way, it stretched back to my body, but the [The Successor's Eyes] and the seed that was originally in the body defended.
Eventually, the momentum of Park Chang-hee's curse began to falter.
'Geek!'
Losing host and without taking over my brain or the heart, the seed, which trembled outside the corpse, gradually decreased in size.
Then…
Swish!
As if it was aiming for the window of opportunity, the curse that was hiding in my heart stretched out its tentacles and attacked Park Chang-hee's seed.
'Geeeek!'
It penetrated the seed of Park Chang-hee. It was seen that the energy of the red sphere that constituted it was scattered and gradually disappeared.
Like a scream in the agony of death, I began to hear a particular 'voice' from the thing in contact with me.
'How can you think that way, knowing how much Ms. Han-seol has cared for you so much? Her instruction to hurt you? You are ungrateful for even thinking that way. Why… What would 'The One' have to do with this bastard… Why this psychopath··· Yes, let's kill him. This kind of bastard isn't worth living!'
At first impression, it sounded like Park Chang-hee's own voice, which was frowned upon with delusions of being the victim, but there was a difference.
It was not that things like voices and speech were different.
That telepathy was not human in the first place.
'The voice of the seed!'
It must be the voice that had led his thought process until now.
'Was Park Chang-hee not aware of this as he listened to it?'
He may have mistaken all of those impulses and thoughts as Park Chang-hee's natural things, his raw feelings, and his own choice.
Unlike Seo Jin-wook before the possession.
The original Seo Jin-wook recognized this voice, so he suffered because something that was not his thoughts forced him to act.
He resisted trying not to be manipulated, and when he felt the urge to harm someone, he repressed it and even hurt himself. Meanwhile, Seo Jin-wook went crazy for a genuine reason, and he became suspicious of everything.
'Until which line of the guild are affected?'
As the leader of the exploration team, who was in the top tiers in the rankings of strength, was affected, I could imagine even the worst situation. I thought it was fortunate that I didn't tell Seo Gyu-cheol about the curse. If this was the situation, I shouldn't trust anybody.
'Seo Jin-wook in the past life must have felt like this.'
I could understand his attachment to suspicion.
'Why such a curse?'
Park Chang-hee and Seo Jin-wook. Apart from them belonging to the guild, if I were to find a narrower commonality…
Both of them were endeared by Han-seol.
The curse's effect was to amplify the host's most intense desires and emotions and induce thoughts. In the case of Seo Jin-wook before possession, it was clear what it was.
'Anger. The wrath that cannot be suppressed. And the desire to express it.'
Did the curse take place during his childhood?
Perhaps from that age, he might have lived with anger that could not be resolved in his heart. The curse slowly amplified it. On the other hand, in the case of Park Chang-hee…
I heard the voice again.
'Ms. Han-seol… All the rest of my life is for her.'
It had blind loyalty to Han-seol.
'Ah, Ms. Han-seol…!'
The voice of the seed and the memory of Park Chang-hee resonated, and I listened to it. Then, like a fantasm, a person's life unfolded in front of my eyes.
*
It was a typical story.
An E-class hunter who was rejected from the guild because his growth rate was too slow.
It didn't work even if he insisted that he had A-class potential Mana. Many hunters died without activating even half of their potential Mana that they insisted on having. It was tough to train hunters with verifiable abilities, even indirectly, that even the country had ultimately given up.
There was no guild to use such means for an E-class.
Han-seol came to him who lived in despair in that way.
'You, the training method is completely wrong. And you don't even know what you're good at… Why is your use of unique skills that way? Do you wanna be a human stove?'
Han-seol's teaching was magical. After joining the guild she led, Park Chang-hee's growth was remarkable. The day he was finally certified as an A-Class hunter, he cried. Life had changed.
Park Chang-hee decided to repay Han-seol this grace throughout his life.
But then…
'The Celestial Dragon Guild? Come on, our guild is small in size, but we do not lack in skill. What's so disappointing that we integrate ourselves to be absorbed there?'
Han-seol smiled bitterly in Park Chang-hee's memory.
'I have already made a decision. If you don't like it, you can leave. But, if you want to be with me, believe in my choice and support me.'
He eventually came to Celestial Dragon, following the Han-seol like other guild members, and found a thorn there.
Seo Gyu-cheol and Seo Jin-wook.
'Why should Ms. Han-seol be under those guys?!'
Since he couldn't accept it, Park Chang-hee decided to act for himself.
Seo Gyu-cheol only despised it because it was like an already setting sun, but did not care for it much. However, he collected the evidence step by step. When the crucial moment comes, he could let out a few of the corruptions connected with the constitutional office, limit them to personal faults, and blow them away. In terms of skill, he thought it was only a matter of time before Han-seol surpassed him.
On the other hand…
'Seo Jin-wook is the problem. That prick!'
This was a prospect who was evaluated to have the highest potential in the history of the Korean Hunter Society. However, he was a lunatic that made a mess everywhere because of the mental illness that didn't fit him.
And such a being was receiving Han-seol's love solely. It was absurd. It was nonsense.
As Seo Jin-wook got closer to adulthood, twisted thoughts began to sprout in Park Chang-hee's mind.
'Let's get rid of him. If the bastard is gone… Ms. Han-seol will be the next guild leader.'
He barely turned away from jealousy. The purpose of bringing down Seo Jin-wook was only to make Han-seol into a Guild Master.
He decided to think so. At some point, he did not realize the irrational madness permeated his loyalty to her.
'…Do you dare to attack? Then, I will give up my life, and I'll kill the bitch!'
And so, he tried to kill Seo Jin-wook, who kicked him.
'He is alive? Seo Gyu-cheol, that greedy piece of trash must have Awakened him early!'
He thought Park Chang-hee himself had found a way to get rid of Seo Jin-wook while remaining beside Han-seol without being arrested. He attempted clairvoyance and failed and reported to the constitution. This was only to make Seo Jin-wook unable to return to the Celestial Dragon.
'···Since there is one hunter and one non-Awakened, the work should be simple. Although the hunter will make a mess not to make it easy, target the non-Awakened first.'
Although he tried to provocate him through the Gangdong Revival Association to expose the truth of being Awakened, no traces were left on the scene.
'Okcheon Dungeon Expedition Leader, I will apply for it.'
He volunteered for Seo Jin-wook's first expedition. He thought it might be the last chance.
Suddenly, on the way, Han-seol said that she would be accompanying, so the opportunity was almost in vain. At the last minute, Seo Gyu-cheol rejected Han-seol's participation.
There was also a problem of excess power, but it was mainly because Han-seol had a mission to be dispatched to urgently.
'The Gangdong Revival Association and the United Clans fought without watching their backs that led to civilian casualties, so the Constitutional Office had been taking care of them. I don't think I can go with you because I'm called there. Chang-hee, please take care of it on behalf of me instead. Okay?'
In this piece of Park Chang-hee's experience, there was a voice of seed he had not noticed.
'For Ms. Han-seol… Thi is all for Ms.Han-seol. Get rid of Seo Jin-wook. Kill him!··· He must be finished in this dungeon!'
*
Click-click-click!
When I removed the chains, Park Chang-hee's body laid on the floor.
'This curse is a unique skill.'
Who was it? There was only one suspect in my head.
'There is only one in the guild who knows Han-seol's unique skill, Seo Gyu-cheol. It also wasn't witnessed by any enemies in battle.'
I unwrapped my wrist accessory and destroyed it.
'The terminal is completely burned.'
The storage device, both Park Chang-hee's and mine, burned irreversibly due to the high heat.
I took his other belongings and, most importantly, the keys to the dungeon. In Park Chang-hee's thrown-away backpack, I found the goblin-provoking flute. It wasn't something to bring while scouting.
After killing me, I think he was planning to call the monsters and destroy the evidence.
'That's an obvious plan.'
If we go outside the dungeon without Park Chang-hee like this, the Constitutional Office will not allow the gate to be closed.
They would send an investigation team inside. Of course, that would have been the same even if I went missing.
Therefore, for the same reason that Park Chang-hee had planned, I was about to play the flute. Even when the goblins flocked in, it was easy to escape. While messing up this place, I would join the group and leave the gate. No one would think that an E-class hunter could have killed Park Chang-hee.
At the moment, I was trying to play the flute, inheriting Park Chang-hee's plan. Suddenly, the system messages resonated.
-The boundaries of the weakened dungeon have been broken.
"···What?!"
Without knowing, I shouted out loud. The message content continued.
-Reason for border-collapse: external entry.
Unconsciously, I hardened my entire body muscles. The curse came out.
"Fuck!"
Fortunately, the gate was not collapsing, and monsters would not be pouring into the Earth. It was not the collapse of the gate but the collapse of the boundary. It meant that the wall on the other side other than the Earth's was broken.
In the previous life, this dungeon did not experience this kind of thing because the gate collapsed without clearing.
'Which dimension is it from?'
The world in which the dungeon existed was called the 'middle dimension.'
The ant-den-like space classified as the Okcheon Dungeon was only a part of a vast middle dimension, and we could only roam within the boundary now.
It was the same as having occupied only one room (dungeon) in a mansion (middle dimension) with more than a hundred rooms.
What if you wanted to go to another room?
First, you must clear the dungeon to weaken the border, and instead of closing the gate with a key, you must expand the border and expand the dungeon, like tearing down the walls of a room that has become flimsy.
That was how the second stage began, and the expeditions could once again attack the expanded dungeon. It was possible to expect more Mana cores and another reward.
'If this were all of what's around, there would be no problem.'
However, as the word "intermediate dimension" implied, the gate connected to this giant ant pit was not pierced only through the Earth. There was also a gate connected to this middle dimension in the other worlds, and the explorers from there would also roam the den within a given area like Earthlings. At first, that was.
But what if they chose to continue expanding the dungeon instead of closing the gate after clearing? What if they desired more cores and rewards that they continued to expand the boundaries?
Won't the boundaries not touch each other at one point?
The explorers could then go beyond the wall they touched as the middle dimension as their medium, from their dungeon to the dungeon of another dimension.
What's next? They would be able to penetrate the dungeon they have visited further and enter another dimension.
And now the problem was…
'The time difference between was less than a few days since we cleared and they entered.'
The unknown ones must have already widened their borders enough to make contact with our dungeon wall. It must have been waiting for this site to be cleared and the borders weakened.
They weren't savages, as observed from their behavior.
'Rather, I prefer those with low civilization levels!'
Assuming we encountered each other in the dungeon, the ideal foreign beings are civilized and peace-loving. However, it was only a wish, and humanity would realize it in the future.
That sophisticated culture and peace-loving tendencies did not necessarily accompany each other.
It was while I was hoping that it was not the worst-case as I was in a hurry…
Weeing!
Suddenly, bright red rays emanate out of my arms. I reached my hand in my pocket and pulled it out.
[Clarices' Red Stone]
-Item Description: This small stone, made up in pairs, confirms the holder's safety. The other stone glows red and guides the way under the following conditions.
If either stone is broken
When a person who has one of the stones becomes unconscious due to another person
When a person who has one of the stones suffers a severe injury
The rays emanating from the item were pointing to the place where Secretary Kim would be.
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Natsu-gildarts
Natsu-gildarts18 Apr 2021, 09:55
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How did a B-class hunter get injured?
Each book is a new life filled with new adventures.
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Natsu-gildarts
Natsu-gildarts18 Apr 2021, 09:40
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I didn't understand shit about this skill.
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kardus315
kardus3154 Jun 2021, 05:22 ➥ Natsu-gildarts
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hmm so mr park is also a victim of the curse..
Each book is
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Natsu-gildarts
Natsu-gildarts18 Apr 2021, 08:48
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Ouchie
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Natsu-gildarts18 Apr 2021, 08:36
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So, the snakes can also be an inventory? Nice.
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Natsu-gildarts
Natsu-gildarts18 Apr 2021, 08:22
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That A-class hunter is definitely dying.
Each book is a new life filled with new adventures.
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