Chapter 25
At the same time, he prepared to channel his inner energy to unleash the ultimate move of the Heaven-Destroying Blood Technique.
Among the moves of the Heaven-Destroying Blood Technique, this was the most destructive one, imbued with the Blood Sect's cruel will to utterly annihilate the enemy before them.
Naturally, the world in his vision began to turn blood-red.
The power of the Heaven-Destroying Blood Technique had started to consume Seong-jun Lee's mind.
Even now, he felt he could wield power beyond his limits.
But it wasn't enough yet.
This level wouldn't be sufficient to kill the Earth Worm before him in one strike.
He poured all of his inner energy into it.
As the inner energy converged into one point, the aura of the Heaven-Destroying Blood Technique swelled instantly.
It felt as if the thread of reason he was forcibly holding onto could snap at any moment.
However, Seong-jun Lee fully embraced the rising madness and added it to his inner energy.
"Keeeeek-!"
At that moment, as if it had been waiting, the Earth Worm looked up at Seong-jun Lee's falling form and opened its maw wide.
Sharp teeth filled his vision, but Seong-jun Lee didn't change course.
To be precise, there was no reason to dodge.
The martial art he was unleashing now was focused solely on one point - destruction.
This head-on collision was actually the situation he had been hoping for.
Woong-!
Seong-jun Lee strongly drew up his blood energy, propelling his entire body at the maximum speed he could currently muster.
As the blood energy raced through Seong-jun Lee's body like a high-speed highway, his whole body grew hot as if his blood was boiling.
At the peak of this, as the Earth Worm with its mouth gaping wide approached, Seong-jun Lee unleashed his killing technique.
'Heaven-Destroying Blood Technique, ultimate move, Ten Thousand Demon Asura Fist.'
The materialized blood energy enveloped Seong-jun Lee's fist and arm, leaving a long trail like a falling comet as it plunged towards the ground.
Kwaaang-!
A sound like an exploding bomb rang out.
The sand dunes, unable to withstand the force that violently struck the desert floor, shot up into the sky before pouring down like a waterfall.
Kwagwagwagwa-!
As these intense destructive vibrations shook the surroundings.
Seong-jun Lee, who had landed with his fist touching the ground and one knee bent, his eyes closed, coughed briefly.
A thin red line trickled down from his lips.
"Cough."
Indeed, unleashing a martial art beyond one's level was not easy.
But what he had gained from it was clear.
Seong-jun Lee slowly opened his eyes, stood up, and turned his head back.
Shwaaaa-!
As the dust cloud created by the roughly falling sand waterfall gradually dissipated, a large black hole like a huge cave became visible.
Of course, it wasn't that an actual cave had suddenly appeared.
It was the trace left by the killing demon fist, the Ten Thousand Demon Asura Fist, as it tore through the Earth Worm's massive body.
'The result is satisfactory.'
Seong-jun Lee wiped the blood from his mouth with the back of his hand, smiled, and then looked up.
There, he saw the Earth Worm, frozen stiff with its mouth still open towards the sky where Seong-jun Lee had been, not even realizing its own death.
It was an instant death, without question.
He had claimed victory.
However, there was no time to savor this joy.
'The after-effects are more severe than I thought.'
It wasn't just his physical body.
As the price for drawing out power beyond his level, madness was trying to consume his mind.
Seong-jun Lee bit his lower lip hard and struggled to control these terrible emotions.
'There are no more enemies here.'
There was no reason to fight.
There was no reason to unleash emotions like anger or killing intent.
As he quickly imprinted the reality before him into his mind, the madness clouding his thoughts began to recede gradually.
"Phew..."
Finally, as he slowly exhaled, completely expelling the remaining madness, a cheerful sound rang in his ears.
Ding-!
[You have defeated the C-rank boss monster, Earth Worm.]
[You have defeated a boss monster alone.]
[Additional experience points will be awarded.]
[Experience gained as a first clear reward is doubled.]
[Confirmed as a Frenzy Gate boss monster, additional rewards will be given!]
[Experience gained is increased by 5 times.]
[Experience gained is greatly increased!]
[Congratulations! As you have met the required experience, your level has increased to 36.]
[You have successfully survived alone within a Frenzy Gate.]
[You acquire the lower-rank title 'Survivor'.]
A smile curved Seong-jun Lee's lips as he checked the green hologram windows that kept popping up.
"This is... beyond my expectations."
Titles were one of the means by which hunters could gain additional stats or special advantages.
Therefore, acquiring a title for the slot that had been empty until now was quite an achievement in itself.
But the rewards weren't limited to just the title.
'The experience gained is also substantial.'
He had expected to gain a considerable amount of experience for hunting a C-rank boss monster alone, and for the first time at that.
However, the additional experience points given far exceeded his expectations.
'...5 times, huh.'
Thanks to this, his level had risen by six whole stages.
Despite being in the gate for only a few hours, he had reached level 36.
Considering that average hunters in their 30s usually need about ten days to gain a single level, this was truly an astonishing speed.
A smile curved Seong-jun Lee's lips.
'Good.'
The rewards he had gained so far were already satisfactory results, but alarm sounds continued to ring in his ears.
Ding-!
[You have resisted mental contamination with strong willpower.]
[You acquire the S-rank skill, Indomitable Will.]
He had merely controlled his own will to drive out the madness emitted by the Heaven-Destroying Blood Technique, yet he had acquired an S-rank skill.
'Excellent.'
He could have reveled in his immediate growth, but unfortunately, his physical condition wasn't good at the moment.
The price for wielding power beyond his level.
His muscles were screaming in protest as they twisted, and his legs were threatening to give out on their own.
'It would be best to rest as soon as possible.'
Seong-jun Lee postponed savoring his joy for a while and headed towards the gate's exit that had been created.
* * *
One hour, a short time if you think about it.
However, it was enough time for Han Seok-gyu's face, who had been guarding the Frenzy Gate, to turn pale.
'...Is there really no way?'
Despite Jo Kang-hyun, his childhood friend and the team leader of Returnee Management, leaving to search for a solution, no notable news had come back.
Unable to hide his anxiety, Han Seok-gyu was gnawing on his thumbnail while staring at the Frenzy Gate when Ha Min-jae, who couldn't bear to watch anymore, approached and spoke.
"If Returnee Lee Seong-jun is prioritizing survival, it might take quite a long time. Wouldn't it be better for you, Team Leader, to return to the association and rest a bit to conserve your strength?"
It could have been considered a reasonable suggestion, but Han Seok-gyu firmly shook his head.
"Don't say such nonsense. This accident happened because I didn't check properly, how could I rest comfortably?"
He had blocked the path of a friend he had known for a long time.
No, before that, a life had been needlessly lost.
Although he couldn't turn back time and change the past.
As the person responsible for this incident, he would show proper respect so that Returnee Lee Seong-jun could close his eyes as comfortably as possible.
'I will definitely... avenge Returnee Lee Seong-jun.'
Although he didn't possess overwhelmingly strong power, as a hunter ranked A+, he wouldn't lack the necessary strength.
Moreover, he would recover the body as quickly as possible before it could be damaged, and return it to the family.
'That's the best I can do right now.'
It was then, as firm resolve shone in Han Seok-gyu's eyes.
"Huh? The gate?!"
The surprised voices of Ha Min-jae and the soldiers guarding the area could be heard.
"The gate is changing!"
"The veil has been lifted!"
As news came from all around, the resolve in Han Seok-gyu's eyes began to burn.
The time had come.
It was time to do what needed to be done.
Just as Han Seok-gyu nodded and was about to step towards the interior of the gate.
"So-someone is coming out!"
"It's Returnee Lee Seong-jun!"
Han Seok-gyu's eyes widened.
'He came out alive?'
Even though he was clearly seeing Lee Seong-jun walking out with his own eyes, he couldn't accept it.
Wondering if he was suffering from auditory and visual hallucinations due to extreme stress, he hurriedly rubbed his eyes and shook his head, but nothing changed.
It was clearly reality.
Indeed, the association staff guarding the entrance were all rushing towards Lee Seong-jun.
'This is impossible.'
A hunter who had been active for less than a month had hunted a C+ rank boss monster.
Han Seok-gyu wasn't the only one unable to hide his surprise.
"Im-impossible! He defeated a C+ rank boss monster alone?"
Kim Dong-jun, the director who had been smirking while watching the entrance of the Frenzy Gate for the entire hour, was also unable to contain his shock.
Immediately after, he pushed through the association staff with his large body and approached Lee Seong-jun.
"You, you! What kind of trick did you use?!"
"..."
Despite raising his voice and throwing questions right in front of him, there was no answer from Lee Seong-jun.
It wasn't that he was showing an expression of anger either, he was just looking on expressionlessly.
'There's no need to deal with these lowlifes one by one.'
This was a situation he had already anticipated.
The higher one climbs, the more people there are who are blinded by jealousy and greed.
And the man shouting in front of him now was just one of them.
As Lee Seong-jun, showing no reaction, was about to brush past Kim Dong-jun.
"Where do you think you're running off to! Tell me now! What kind of trick did you use?!"
Kim Dong-jun reached out his hand to grab Lee Seong-jun's shoulder.
Even if his physical condition wasn't good due to the after-effects, there was no way Lee Seong-jun wouldn't be able to counter such a slow movement.
Tak!
Having brushed off the hand, Lee Seong-jun spoke in a low voice.
"Why should I?"
"I am Kim Dong-jun, the director of Returnee Management."
Kim Dong-jun's expression was overflowing with confidence as he revealed his identity.
For returnees, an official from the association with the power of public authority, especially someone with the position of director of Returnee Management, was a difficult figure to deal with.
However, Lee Seong-jun showed not even a hint of agitation.
"So what?"
Kim Dong-jun's face twisted at Lee Seong-jun's cold response.
"A returnee who hasn't even been back on Earth for a month hunting a C+ rank boss monster alone, it's unbelievable. So I, no, anyone would think that you must be lying about your identity in this situation... So it would be better for you to answer my questions obediently."
It wasn't a simple question.
It was like an interrogation, treating him as if he were a criminal.
Naturally, Lee Seong-jun's gaze turned cold.