Johan focused on the sound of the footsteps. Standing at the spot where the rocks jutted out , he tightened his muscles as the approaching footsteps grew louder.
Step by step , dhap dhap dhap dhap- He held the handle of the stick tightly. In his other hand was a small bomb , which he always treasured.
" Should I use a bomb , or just try to stop them with a stick ?"
Johan had always relied on the advantages of his weapons to win battles , as his awesome stats alone couldn't crush the monsters. Bombs , arrows , bows , close combat - each weapon had its own advantages. If none of these were suitable , he would resort to fleeing.
" There are four kobolds visible right now."
He looked down to confirm the number. Normally , Johan would look for opportunities to flee , but things were different now. He was no longer the old F- rank adventurer. He could now take on kobolds without fleeing.
" The bodies of the dead will be placed in 'bottomless depths'. You may use the coffin without hesitation."
As soon as he made up his mind , he swung the stick with full force-
Bang! With a terrible noise , the stick blew away the Kobold in front of it.
blast!
The creature flew like a cut thread. Its front bones were broken , and it was writhing on the ground in between.
" This is unbelievable."
The solid and sturdy stick was like a rock. For a small kobold weighing less than 30 kilograms , it was equivalent to a traffic accident.
Kwang!
Seeing their companion fall lifeless , the other Kobolds instinctively retreated.
Boosted by his newfound confidence , Johan closed the distance between them.
" My body feels lighter , as if gravity has decreased."
His truly awakened body was quite different from before.
He struggled to keep up with the unexpectedly lighter body and stumbled for a moment.
Crow!
The kobold swung his battle axe without avoiding it. Johan didn't dodge either , instead raising his stick slightly.
Ting!
A ringing sound resounded. Due to the axe blow The sound boomed , and the kobold stumbled , his arms showing signs of numbness.
" What if I use a stick to crush them ?"
He immediately put his plan into action. Swinging the stick like a hammer , he struck the kobold on the chin.
Kojik!
With a terrible crack , the creature's figure vanished. When he picked up the wand , the kobold's head lay scattered on the ground.
" There are two left , right ?"
Lifting his head , he saw that the two remaining kobolds were trembling , preparing to flee. Even these ruthless creatures , who had not been afraid to retreat despite their enormous destructive power , were now filled with fear.
" Oh , this stick is so heavy!" Johan knew this and deliberately exaggerated , pretending to drop the stick. He waved his empty hands proudly.
Ki-reuk!
Seeing him throw away the dangerous weapon , the two kobolds' expressions changed. Without the rock-like weapon , Johan looked pretty easy.
" Come to me! There are still some things I want to test."
Of course , he didn't leave the staff just to show off. Johan wasn't foolish enough to be arrogant on a battlefield where life and death were at stake.
[ species]
Rank: S
– Creates creatures with higher stats. Strength is determined by their abilities from past lives.
It was a tool designed to obtain a rare skill ranked at Grade 5. It seemed similar to the skill of a "necromancer" who raises skeletons , but what kind of performance did it have to have to be an S-ranked skill ?
" Analyze it."
He first examined the relatively intact kobold corpse in front of him.
[ Kobold]
Rank: F
Karma: 30
– A demon who enjoys tormenting enemies since birth. It killed and devastated two people and slaughtered many herbivorous animals for pleasure rather than survival.
The kobold actually had more "karma" than the limbless corpse. This was a suitable value for using species skills.
Zing-
From the corpse , Yohan saw a strange ' grey ' light , which could only be seen by those who could use the skill.
" species "
Without hesitation , he used the skill. As he spoke , there was a subtle movement within the coffin.
Swoosh-
The lid opened without any noise.
Like a living organism , the coffin opened its lid to reveal straps that resembled the tentacles of a ' Kraken ' in the dark .
Even though Yohan had used the skill directly , he was shaken by the terrifying sight.
Bandages were quickly wrapped around the corpse as if healing it.
Then , the coffin carried the repaired body inside.
After the corpse was disposed of , the coffin closed its lid automatically.
Its strange appearance left Johan speechless. The kobolds , who were about to advance , also took a step back in fear.
[1 species relic is stored. 'Magic' stats change to 'Deception' stats.]"
The magic stat had changed. It was also a stat that Johan had never seen before.
Whoosh—
Instead of emitting a pale blue light , the surrounding darkness absorbed a deep black energy that seemed to soak up the surrounding light.
Even though it was his own energy , it felt bone-chillingly cold.
" Every time I use a skill that increases stats , it consumes a small amount of energy , depending on the number of species I can control."
Although it served the same purpose as magic , Johan could not increase this stat through personal effort in the past. However , now it was completely different. He could now raise stats to the realm of absolute genius.
Thap… then , the creature appeared.
Johan's half-stupid mind struggled to understand this strange sight.
" M…Meera ?"
Instead of scaly and rough skin , his entire body was wrapped in white bandages.
Although the eyes should have been in place , there was a blue glow instead , and the form was unmistakably that of a kobold.
sniff-
Mira wiggled her nose and walked up to Yohan , kneeling down before him in a submissive posture.
Dedication was visible in Meera's attitude.
" Well done."
After the initial surprise , joy overwhelms Yohan.
Although Mira was a small kobold , her presence was not small. She felt that she could crush anything in front of her if she was given the order , which was evident in her heart. It was as if they were connected.
" Kill them both and bring them to me." Nodding slightly , Mira walked towards the axe lying on the ground.
Although it looked strange with bandages covering its skin , it also looked somewhat cute, like a doll.
Kiruk kiruk—the two surviving kobolds looked at each other , unsure of what to do.
They were undoubtedly of the same caste , but Meera's hostile attitude confused them.
Kirrr—
However , he soon calmed his mind.
Kobolds were a species bred to torment and mock enemies.
He who attacks , kills. This was the essence of their existence.
The kobold rushed towards Mira with the axe. With a powerful blow , he tried to bring the axe down on Mira's neck.
Puk-
However , the sharp blade could not cut through the tough strips. Instead , the axe got entangled in them.
Explosion-Mira grabbed the kobold's arm , preventing it from escaping, and swung the axe casually.
Puk-Mira's axe slammed into the kobold's neck.
The only difference was that one's body was immortal and the other's was not.
The creature spat blood like a fountain , but it could not move , only convulsed. It was clear that it would die soon , and Mira grabbed one of its legs and pulled it to Yohan.
" You really brought them." Mira obeyed and moved on to the next target.
The last remaining Kobold trembled for a moment , then began running away in fear.
Despite being a battle-crazed demon , he was no match for Mira , who killed creatures like herself by wrapping them in bandages.
Whirr—
Instead of chasing him , Meera threw the axe with great force.
The axe flew in a circular path at a very high speed.
Pook—The axe struck the kobold in the back.
The creature running at full speed was injured by the axe and could not stand , only convulsing.
Thump—Mira grabbed his ankle and pulled him towards Yohan.
Both kobolds were brought before Johan in an instant.
Kneeling before Yohan, Meera looked proud of her successful mission.
" Good job. Now go inside. See you next time."
Stoke—
Without a sound, Mira entered the staff. Yohan imagined dozens of Mira coming out of the black wood.
A one-man army , capable of hunting without any team. Now Yohan had become a perfect hunter equipped with skills.
Twinkle-
He pulled stones out from the bodies of dead kobolds. The large stones caught Yohan's attention.
" Today , I didn't even use a weapon. All pure profit!"
Except for a handkerchief that was ruined before using the skill , he did not use any weapon. Now that he had a stick , he did not even need the handkerchief.
There will be no expenses , and all the money earned will go into Yohan's account without any wastage.
" I am dead , Mr. Mangle , please take care of me in the future."
" Here!"
When he came out of the dungeon , instead of the management office staff , someone else called out to Johan excitedly.
It was a middle-aged woman with tightly permed hair.
Looking at the woman with heavy brows furrowed , Yohan suddenly remembered an item he had collected from the remains earlier.
" By any chance… you're my landlady , aren't you ?"
" Yes. You are a customer on request."
" Ah , yes , I see . So , is this what you want ... ?"
He pulled a lottery ticket out of his bag and tossed it in. It was the only valuable item among the collectibles.
" This is a 5th prize winning lottery ticket. Would you like it ?"
" Oops , you're smart! So , does this mean I have to give away all this prize money ?"
The angry woman stepped on the wheel that came out of the portal. Even after facing her aggressive behavior , Yohan didn't blink an eye.
It was a scene he had seen dozens of times before. Money was one of the reasons he was scared.
He burned 20! Twenty thousand!
" So , most people give up looking for them. Even if they find them , it's not worth any money…"
" Who will compensate for this ? What about my money ?"
Stifling a sigh that threatened to burst out , John took a deep breath. It would not be respectful to sigh in the presence of the dead .
" I lost half my deposit too. I thought you hunters would at least have something. I should have just kept the room and pretended I didn't know!"
His anger was completely justified. It wasn't just some money ; it was practically a surprise attack.
In fact , this was a situation in which even the thugs could not intervene.
" Some even asked me to sell my organs for money. They said that hunter organs were useless because of their toxicity." Yohan quietly waited for the aunt's anger to subside. By the end of the ninth rage , someone would finally give in.
" Ah. Still , he was a good gentleman to me…" Aunty fell silent. All that was left after the anger was regret.
" Oh , I have a will. Would you like to read it ?" He unfolded the carefully folded paper and handed it to her. The disheveled will was torn in several places. She had lived as an extra all her life And now she could finally rest. It was a life full of sighs , but now she could finally rest.
" I'm sorry for causing trouble. I've caused nothing but trouble. I'll go to my wife."
" There are a lot of spelling mistakes… The hunter pension will come soon , so please be patient…" She secretly glanced at his red eyes. Yohan once again silently accepted the will.
" I'm sorry for getting angry , Hunter Sir."
" Okay. You finally showed your gratitude , and that's enough."
Human beings are always weak and fickle. However , what cannot be hated is feeling regret like this.
" Yes."
After he calmed the aunt down and saw her off , an employee from the management office came waving his hand just in time .
" You left early. It must not have been easy to find clues in such an old crime scene."
" You've come at the perfect time. Meeting a client is always awkward."
" Hehe , how can I be so rude ? Even if she is the queen , she is still a client!"
The employee's laughter was strange , but it was a laughter that further emphasized his certainty about the situation.
" OK what you want ?"
" Did you take good care of the body ? As a special offer , we will add 20% to your reward today !"
The exaggerated body language of the employee was irritating , but money is always the best medicine for all troubles. Making Rs 20,000 with little noise was a profitable business.
thud-
He made the employee lie on his back. The unexpected appearance of the employee forced the employee to retreat.
" What is it ?"
" Is this your first time seeing the employee ?"
" Have you been promoted to manager or something ?"
By the way , that was a strange comment. Show me your handkerchief. I have to remove the body."
The confused employee walked slowly forward and held out a handkerchief. His expression showed that he had no idea what was going on.
Nevertheless , Johan turned the staff over to the handkerchief.
" If you turn it like this , the body will be damaged!"
Ignoring the employee's screams , Johan touched the list of bodies that appeared like an 'inventory window' in front of him.
Stoke-
A light breeze was blowing along with the dead body. With the help of the breeze , the body landed gently on the handkerchief.
The body touched the handkerchief like flower petals.
He handed the handkerchief to the speechless staff member. The staff member changed his speechless expression along with the handkerchief.
" are there any problems ?"
" Johan , are you some kind of medical examiner ?"