Chapter 16: The Hill Of Storms (2)


    Euhuhuhu! Euhuhu!


    It took only a few seconds for the four hunters trying to harass the woman to meet their harsh fate.


    Kang-hoo quickly ended the fight by targeting their vital points.


    In fact, it wasnt much of a battle.


    He aimed for areas that would not be fatal if treated immediately.


    Of course, this assumed they received prompt hemostasis; otherwise, they might die from excessive bleeding.


    Kang-hoo took her hand and moved as far away from the scene as possible.


    While heading toward the approaching safety bus, she did not let go of Kang-hoos tightly held hand.


    Thank you. I tried to go home early and took a path I dont usually take, and then


    Her choice of path seemed odd, but there was a reason for it.


    There were plenty of rtively safe paths to choose from.


    She had thought she would be fine even in a dangerous area, but she ended up in this predicament.


    It would be rtively safer to follow the light, even if it takes a bit longer. Its not good to be close to darkness.


    As Kang-hoo calmly reassured her, she sighed with relief and responded.


    Thank you. I was so flustered that I didnt even have time to use my self-defense items or make an emergency call


    Here ites.


    Kang-hoo pointed to the approaching safety bus.


    My name is Lee Seon-hee. May I ask your name? I really want to thank you. Really.


    Its okay. I didnt do it for a reward.


    Kang-hoo waved his hand dismissively.


    However, the name sounded familiar.


    Lee Seon-hee.


    It was a name from the original story.


    She would awaken about a yearter and be somewhat of an ally to Shin Kang-hoo.


    Her unique emerald-colored hair and the long cross tattoo around her eyes made her memorable.


    Well, it doesnt matter.


    He thought about giving her a prophetic word about the future but decided against it.


    She wasnt a very important character in the original story, and it was okay to let such characters flow naturally.


    But still


    Lets go. Be careful next time.


    Kang-hoo turned around and waved casually, disappearing into the dark alley.


    The person who had just advised Lee Seon-hee against being close to darkness


    Now weed it, quickly vanishing into its depths.


    <hr>


    Time remaining until dungeon entry: 5 minutes.


    Precisely, it was the time left until the inside reset and was ready for a new raid.


    Kang-hoo waited leisurely for the entrance to open, knowing that being in a hurry wouldnt speed it up.


    In front of the dungeon, guards hired by Lee Ye-rin were already positioned, having arrived early.


    They meticulously checked the surroundings, ensuring Kang-hoos safety before his entry.


    Kang-hoo calcted numerous scenarios and conducted simted battles in his mind.


    To others, it might seem impossible, but for Shin Kang-hoo, it was feasible.


    He, the creator of the character, had shaped this person and endowed him with innate senses and abilities. It couldnt be impossible.


    [You''ve grown remarkably. I didn''t expect such explosive growth in just a few days.]


    All I need is time.


    Kang-hoo spoke calmly.


    Time to unfold his talents, time to conquer dungeons.


    That was all he needed.


    [Since you first became a hunter, your life has been like aption of tragedies and trials. I found that interesting.]


    A Constetion that usually doesnt speak much was just that.


    He felt delighted to receive such attention from it.


    Even without ttering praise or support, his conversations carried value.


    [Originally, I nned to observe more, but I reached out to you, drawn by your audacity. Looking back, I would have surely regretted it if I had waited longer. Keep proving your value.]


    Just by speaking?


    [Soon, there will be a harsh test for you. You''d better be nervous.]


    With those words, the presence of the Dimension Plunderer faded away.


    An important answer was received.


    The word verification.


    A Constetion that contracted with a hunter could trigger special quests, risking a significant portion of their divine power.


    These quests were the only times when the concept of a quest, virtually nonexistent for hunters, became active.


    The quest was a test to see if the contractor was worthy of receiving more of the Constetions power.


    Thus, if the contractor died during the quest, they actually died, just like in a real dungeon raid.


    Moreover, if the contractor died, the contract with the Constetion automatically terminated.


    Sometimes, this was used as a tactic by Constetions wishing to cut losses with their contractors.


    Of course, if the quest was sessfullypleted, they became permanently bonded.


    In the meantime, as five minutes had swiftly passed, one of the guards at the dungeon entrance nodded to Kang-hoo.


    Its ready. Please enter.


    The hunters appeared to be over level 150, at a guess.


    There were four guards in total.


    A significant amount of money was being spent on dungeon escort.


    However, they neither wondered nor judged anything about Kang-hoo.


    They just moved around the dungeon, staying loyal to their assigned task.


    Kang-hoo entered the dungeon.


    Five mid-bosses.


    One main boss.


    If he seeded without mistakes, it would be the start of a lucrative raid with at least six skill-plundering opportunities.


    <hr>


    Swoosh!


    Kuk!


    One shot.


    Upon entering the dungeon, Kang-hoo steadily defeated the monsters, assessing hisbat power.


    Any monster below level 20 was taken down in one shot.


    They couldnt even respond to Kang-hoos leap skill.


    Typically, a level 20 hunter held a slight advantage against a level 20 monster.


    Slightly better than an equal-level monster, capable of winning one-on-one battles.


    But thismon sense didnt apply to Kang-hoo, whose abilities and level discrepancy were ridiculously vast.


    Already level 22?


    About an hour after entering the dungeon.


    His strategy of luring small groups of monsters and eliminating them suited the assassin ss well.


    He took breaks without overdoing it and struck the monsters when ready, avoiding triggering hypersensitivity.


    Indeed, by hoarding all the experience for himself, he leveled up noticeably fast.


    Now then.


    Kang-hoo nodded as he spotted something approaching from below the slope.


    A mid-boss monster.


    He habitually allocated the bonus points gained from leveling up into his stamina and then assumed a fighting stance.


    Iceman.


    The name was in, yet it conveyed a clear identity.


    Its ability, epassing both trait and skill, was frost attribute infliction, which froze upon contact.


    During their reconnaissance phase, as they began to charge toward each other,


    Kang-hoo gained a tactical advantage over Iceman bybining sight theft and shallow chaos.


    Normally, an intelligent-type monster would resist or at least attempt to dodge.


    But Iceman, more of a brute-force type monster, rushed in, intending to confront the skills head-on.


    As a result, having taken both skills squarely, Iceman experienced a suddenly altered world.


    Uruk?


    He could not see anything and lost his sense of directionhe couldnt discern front from back, up from down.


    As Kang-hoo was gauging the distance, nning to respond with ateral movement at the right moment,


    Uryak!


    Iceman, having charged in the direction of the slope, suddenly missed his step and started tumbling down.


    ?


    Kang-hoo watched disdainfully as Iceman slid down and struck his head on a rock.


    Crack!


    A sound that unmistakably indicated a broken bone emanated from Icemans head.


    [The following skill can be plundered from the target under Plunder activation.]


    [Frost Attribute Infliction]


    And Plunder was activated.


    Whats this, a shortcut


    An unexpected shortcut had opened up.


    Afterward,


    Kang-hoo easily dispatched Iceman and his mid-boss counterpart, Fireman, with simr ease.


    Using the Frost Infliction ability he had just acquired yed a role, but this guy was also not the brightest.


    Not all mid-level bosses are intelligent, so it wasnt much of a surprise.


    [Frost Attribute Infliction]


    [me Attribute Infliction]


    Two more skills joined the list.


    Thanks to Plunder and their maxed proficiency, these two skills became versatile and useful in many ways.


    Firstly, enchanting a weapon with elemental power could cause more pain to the enemy or hinder their healing.


    Given enough mana, it was possible to freeze or burn upon contact.


    Of course, it wasnt an immediate ignition or freezing, so using them cleverly together was key.


    Im starting to deviate from my original ss specialty.


    Kang-hoo was happy to see his skill set expanding beyond his swordsmanship.


    Its always essential and advantageous for a hunter to enhance their abilities, whatever the reason.


    This was particrly true for someone like Shin Kang-hoo from the original story, who was notably weak in team battles, almost to the point of being ineffectual.


    He definitely needed topensate for that.


    In the future, Jang Si-hwan, the main character, would exploit Kang-hoos inability to handle multiple opponents.


    Aware of such a ring weakness, Kang-hoo had no ns to leave it unaddressed.


    In that light, the ability to imbue and wield attributes would surelye in handy.


    Now it feels like Im warming up.


    As his body became more limber, Kang-hoo began to move quicker.


    Three mid-level bosses remained to be defeated, not to mention the mob monsters he would encounter along the way.


    Then, suddenly.


    Whoooo.


    The dungeons sandstorm, quiet until now, started to pick up again.


    Though the desert area wasnt visible on the horizon, the preliminary data indicated it was close by.