[ Sometimes, You Get Stronger (3) ]
C-rank defense-type hunter Park Sanghoon. His eyes widened in shock as he saw me.
“What the—how did you—!”
“Where’s the key to the Flame Horned Lion’s cage?”
Park Sanghoon, momentarily startled, then let out a mocking snort.
“Wow, an F-rank who got lucky and escaped thinks it’s smart to come crawling back here instead of running? You’re not wearing an inventory-sealing bracelet, so you must’ve used some kind of item. But no matter how good your gear is, it won’t work against a C-rank. I guess a newbie who’s barely even been inside a dungeon wouldn’t know that, huh?”
He got up leisurely from his chair, clearly confident that he could catch me easily even if I tried to run.
“I said, where’s the key to the Flame Horned Lion’s cage?”
“Wow, you’re really acting like it’s your baby, huh? It’s in my inventory. So what’re you gonna do about it?”
He laughed, taunting me as if daring me to attack.
If it’s in his inventory, it must be a key made of dungeon-grade metal. This is going to be annoying.
An inventory is a space that can’t be accessed by anyone other than its owner. The only way to retrieve something from it is for the owner to do so voluntarily.
“Why don’t we start by you taking out the key and then we can talk?”
“And why would I do that?”
His smug expression was getting on my nerves. Clearly, he wasn’t going to give it up willingly. Well, guess it’s time for a little pain.
Slap!
“Ugh?!”
I whipped a tendril across his face. It wasn’t laced with venom, so it didn’t poison him, but a bright red mark was left behind. Park Sanghoon touched his cheek in confusion.
“Wh-what just…”
Didn’t see that? Then let’s do it again.
Smack!
“Argh!”
This time I hit the other cheek, harder. His head jerked to the side from the force. He still looked baffled, but he seemed to have realized that I was the one who hit him.
“…Is it an item?”
“Nope.”
“Then…”
What else would it be? A skill, of course. I flipped him the middle finger and then—
Thorn Trap.
“Gaaaah!”
With a loud crash, Park Sanghoon’s chair toppled over, and he flopped around like a fish out of water.
Gamdung, your skills are really coming in handy. If it weren’t for the seven-day limit, I’d use this in everyday life. Like reaching for a remote from the couch or opening the fridge without getting up.
…Poor Gamdung.
I let out a sigh and walked over to the trembling Park Sanghoon. When I nudged him with my foot, he looked up at me with teary eyes. Ugh… I hate that pitiful look.
Cancel Thorn Trap.
As soon as I deactivated the skill, his convulsing stopped. He twisted his upper body, then—
“Aaaaah!”
While screaming and drooling, he charged at me. Ugh, disgusting. I didn’t even want to touch him, so I easily sidestepped.
Crash!
He slammed into a metal locker, which crumpled on impact. Papers fluttered from the gap in the now-dented locker door. Park Sanghoon lifted the locker and threw it at me.
Clang!
“Go ahead, smash everything.”
While I backed up a few steps, he pulled out weapons and armor from his inventory.
“Looks like you’ve got some hidden skills, but you’ve got no combat experience—”
Ugh, enough. Thorn Trap.
“Gaaah!”
He collapsed again, writhing in pain. Looks like his armor doesn’t have enough curse resistance.
“If you hand over the key, I’ll let you live.”
Not that I really plan on letting him live.
When I canceled Thorn Trap again, Park Sanghoon slowly got up, staggering, his face a mix of confusion and anger.
“…Damn it, why the hell did you even get captured?”
“You don’t need to know that. And by the way, that wasn’t the only skill I’ve got.”
I pulled off my glove and grabbed a pen from the desk. As I activated Sticky Venom, the pen turned black and dissolved. I shook off the melting remains, and wherever the venom landed, it left searing, blackened holes. The acrid smell of burning material filled the air—it was quite the gruesome sight.
I slipped my glove back on and smiled at him.
“Now, are you going to give me the key, or do you want to start melting from your toes?”
Finally, fear appeared on Park Sanghoon’s face.
“I-I’ll give it to you! Just sign a contract!”
“Sure, why not.”
Ten out of ten, this contract would be illegal.
As expected, the contract he pulled out from his inventory wasn’t certified by the Hunter Association. It was cursed, too—not with a temporary skill seal or stat reduction, but with permanent vision damage.
“I’ll give you the key in exchange for a guarantee of my safety.”
“No vague promises. Let’s be clear. I won’t attack you for the next 24 hours. You’re on your own after that. And you’re going to take the key out of your inventory and never speak a word about me for the rest of your life.”
I spelled it out in detail, just in case he got suspicious. Park Sanghoon seemed a bit relieved and wrote the conditions on the contract. He signed it first, then I signed as well.
“Here’s the key.”
Believing in the contract, he tossed me the key without hesitation. His tone had even gotten shorter. I put the key in my inventory and held up the contract.
“I’m really sorry to crush your hope like this, but…”
I grabbed both ends of the parchment and slowly twisted.
“One of my hobbies is tearing up contracts.”
There was some resistance, but there wasn’t a contract in the world that could withstand my L-rank curse resistance.
The curse that had been embedded in the contract fizzled away like smoke. The plain parchment ripped horizontally. I dissolved the torn contract in venom until it was completely gone.
“Now it’s your turn.”
I would’ve liked to leave his body intact, but there’s a lady who can read memories from corpses.
After dealing with Park Sanghoon, I returned to the room where Kim Woojae was.
“Ugh, what’s that smell?”
This bastard had pissed himself. Tears, snot, and drool were dripping down his face, but his eyes were still glaring at me with hatred.
“From the look on your face, you’re not going to talk.”
There’s nothing else I need from him. If I keep pressing for details on his backers and get caught by whoever’s coming to rescue me, it’ll just complicate things. There are still four others left, and there’s probably plenty of evidence in this building. I’ll leave the rest to them.
I removed the inventory-sealing bracelet from Kim Woojae’s wrist and put it back on mine.
I didn’t want to get blood everywhere, so I took off my glove and dripped venom onto Kim Woojae’s face.
“Guh, urk!”
He couldn’t even scream properly because of Thorn Trap. But it wasn’t long before he stopped struggling altogether. His head dissolved from the venom, followed by his upper body, leaving a black, gooey mess.
Yerim’s White Corpse skill requires at least two-thirds of the body to remain intact, so there’s no way they’ll be able to extract any of Kim Woojae’s memories.
‘When they see this, they’ll probably think a hunter with poison and curse skills did this.’
They might even suspect it was some sort of internal conflict.
The sight of his destroyed body left a bitter taste in my mouth.
‘I thought I wouldn’t have to kill anyone this time.’
Yet I’ve already killed two. It’s their fault, of course, for kidnapping me. Seriously, why mess with someone who just wants to live in peace? Just leave me alone, already.
“…This is getting to be a real headache.”
I turned to look at Gamdung’s body. If anyone else found it, they’d probably collect it for materials. The remains of a Curse Dragonkin could be used in many ways. Letting that happen didn’t sit right with me.
I dissolved Gamdung’s now-hardened body with venom. As a Curse Dragonkin, his resistance was stronger than Kim Woojae’s, but it didn’t take long.
When the body was completely dissolved, a red gem-like stone remained.
A mana stone.
I stared at it for a moment before picking it up and placing it in an empty mana stone powder bottle.
After finishing up, I returned to where Peace was.
The remaining four I had just left cursed and immobilized. They didn’t see me, and they weren’t the ringleaders.
They weren’t innocent, of course. They worked for a guild that bred monsters to use for malicious curses on people who didn’t comply with their demands. I’m sure they’ve committed a few crimes themselves.
But once they’re restrained, the people coming to rescue me will find them and handle things.
“Peace, you still asleep?”
I unlocked the cage and stepped inside. The cage was big enough that I could stand upright without hitting my head.
I could probably escape, but staying put seemed like the better option. If I stayed with Peace, someone would come rescue us soon enough. Still, there was a nagging worry—what if the wrong people found us first? But surely no A-rank or higher would show up now. If there were any, they would have made their move by now.
‘Even if an A-rank did show up, I could probably handle them if they’re off guard.’
I reached out from inside the cage and locked the door again. After that, I stashed the key in my inventory. Maybe I should pretend to be asleep, too.
I lay down next to the softly snoring Peace, feeling the comforting warmth of his fur. Hugging him, I felt the drowsiness I’d been fighting off finally begin to take over. I had stayed up late last night, after all. Maybe I’ll close my eyes for just a little while. Now that my stats were beyond B-rank, I’d be able to sense anyone approaching long before they got close.
I stroked Peace’s soft, warm fur and closed my eyes.
“You better not die before me.”
You’re an S-rank dungeon boss monster, after all. You should live at least a hundred years longer than this F-rank human.
Park Yerim bit her thumbnail. It was a nervous habit she had picked up after she lost her parents and started living with her uncle. After her awakening, she thought she’d never find herself in that kind of anxious, helpless situation again.
But right now, she was anxious and on edge.
She wanted to rush out immediately, but forced herself to stay still. Instead, she opened her status window and stared at a skill she had never used before.
[White Corpse (S)]
She raised her hand, her fingers hovering just above the skill’s name.
It was a skill she found unsettling and had always hoped she’d never need to use. But at this moment, it felt more reassuring than any other skill she had.
Just then, the phone of Kim Jiyeon, who had been sitting beside her, buzzed softly. At the same time, Park Yerim’s body tensed up.
“We’ve arrived.”
Kim Jiyeon said.
Park Yerim shook off her tension and strode forward confidently.
Waiting for her was Han Yuhyun, the guild master of Haeyeon. His face was cold and unreadable as he looked at her. Her sharp senses caught the faint scent of blood in the air.
“He’s inside that room.”
Yuhyun said.
Yerim cast a frosty glance back at him before heading toward the room.
Han Yujin had always wished for the two of them to get along, but that was nearly impossible. The stronger an Awakened individual’s stats were, the more keenly they could sense the presence of other high-level Awakened ones. While they couldn’t see each other’s specific stats or skills, they could sense a kind of “scent.”
It was a reflection of their attributes.
Especially for Awakeners with combat aptitudes, those scents were particularly strong and hard to ignore. And the stronger they were, the more unpleasant it became.
Park Yerim exuded an icy aura, while Han Yuhyun radiated heat. The two were not only complete opposites, but they also represented weaknesses to each other. It was impossible for either of them to feel comfortable in the other’s presence.
Had their ranks been more disparate, it might have been different. But they were both S-ranks, albeit with a gap in levels. Naturally, this led to them not only being wary of each other but also actively avoiding one another.
Once Park Yerim entered the room and the door closed behind her, Han Yuhyun let out a small sigh.
Both of them were on edge—so much so that even being in the same space was a strain. It felt as though the last threads of their patience were being stretched to their limits.
At that moment, Han Yuhyun’s phone rang. The caller ID showed it was Seong Hyunjae of Sesung. Han Yuhyun frowned slightly before answering the call.
[How’s the situation, young master?]
Seong Hyunjae’s voice was light and slightly amused.
[It’s really quite ridiculous, isn’t it?]
“Do you find this funny?”
[Of course. It’s amusing. I never would have thought Choi Seokwon would lose control to this extent.]
There was a brief chuckle on the other end, followed by a small tut of disapproval.
[You know as well as I do, don’t you? It’s almost impossible for hunters directly affiliated with an S-rank to betray them, especially if they’ve cleared an S-rank dungeon together.]
Han Yuhyun remained silent, tacitly agreeing. High-level dungeon clears—especially S-rank dungeons—had a profound psychological effect on A and B-rank hunters. After experiencing the sheer terror of facing an S-rank dungeon boss, most would naturally want to remain close to the S-rank hunter who had saved them.
It was almost a survival instinct.
Facing a dungeon boss they couldn’t hope to defeat on their own and witnessing an S-rank hunter fight on equal terms with it triggered a deeply ingrained desire to stick close to that power. After all, they were constantly reminded that S-rank dungeons could erupt at any time.
This dependence was almost inevitable.
Of course, it wasn’t a guaranteed outcome.
Experienced hunters, or those with high mental stats or fear resistance, weren’t as affected. Hunters below C-rank, who couldn’t fully grasp the power dynamics of S-rank bosses, were also less likely to feel this way. And even those who became dependent on an S-rank could be swayed by another powerful influence.
Still, with a little attention and care, it wasn’t hard to cultivate a loyal core of A and B-rank hunters who would stick by the S-rank’s side.
This was one of the main reasons Han Yuhyun had been able to establish himself at such a young age. No matter how powerful an S-rank was, growing a guild this quickly would have been nearly impossible without that loyal base.
And that’s why Han Yujin’s personal guards had always been B-rank or higher and directly affiliated with guild masters.
[Park Mingyu sent his deputy guild leader, and Moon Hyunah sent one of her most trusted companions, her sister in all but name. I even had plans to send one of my own, the perfect candidate for a Monster Mount skill boost. But now, Choi Seokwon went and ruined everything.]
The hunters sent from each guild were there for more than just bodyguard duty. There was a deeper reason behind their presence.
Han Yujin’s nurturing skill was most effective when he personally invested care into the monsters. However, no one could demand that he stay up all night training their monsters. Especially not someone who had openly declared his desire to live a laid-back life.
Thus, the idea of forging bonds between Yujin and the hunters who would benefit from his skills came into play. If the Monster Mounts user had a personal relationship with the hunter, they would naturally pay more attention to nurturing their mounts.
It was like setting up a one-on-one matchmaking session, but instead, the hunter decided to kidnap the target.
“Are you sure you didn’t anticipate this incident?”
[Didn’t I tell you I was in the dark about it? I get that you’re angry because your brother got kidnapped, but you don’t need to take it out on me.]
Seong Hyunjae’s tone was like an adult chiding a child.
[The Haeyeon guild has a strict rule that no outsiders above C-rank are allowed in certain areas. You had direct bodyguards and people with a personal stake in securing Monster Mounts in place. Given those precautions, unless some crazy S-rank showed up, your brother should’ve been perfectly safe inside that building.]
In certain restricted areas of the Haeyeon guild’s headquarters, only C-rank or lower outsiders were allowed. B-ranks and above rarely received permission to enter, and even then, they would be closely monitored by Haeyeon’s A-rank hunters.
So, this kind of fiasco should never have happened. And yet, it did.
[Looks like MKC is more rotten than we thought. I figured they’d last another three years at least, but they’re in worse shape than expected.]
“You weren’t completely unaware of the possibility.”
There was a hint of accusation in Han Yuhyun’s voice. Seong Hyunjae chuckled softly.
[Don’t act like you had no idea, either. Both Moon Hyunah and Choi Seokwon made some poor decisions. We’re not ordinary humans anymore. We’re far too removed from them to be considered the same species.]
Han Yuhyun didn’t respond, neither confirming nor denying it.
[Even so, they chose to leash themselves and live under someone else’s rules. But regular humans who haven’t experienced upper-rank dungeons will never understand us. Especially not the backers of Breaker or MKC—they’re just fattening themselves up on the scraps from the dungeon’s leftovers. It’s no wonder things like this happen when they don’t understand.]
Seong Hyunjae’s voice had a rare note of excitement.
[A skill that can raise top-tier Monster Mounts—it’s such a lovely thing. What S-rank in their right mind would try to harm Han Yujin? Especially those guilds that just got their hands on such a valuable resource. They’d protect him, not squander their chance. Isn’t that why you stopped keeping your brother hidden, unlike before?]
“…At least, I thought he would be safe in Korea.”
[That’s only natural. I don’t know the full details, but it’s clear that Choi Seokwon is losing influence in his own guild after this mess.]
Unlike Moon Hyunah, who had created a fortress for herself and severed ties with outsiders, Choi Seokwon had tried to spread his influence within the guild and among his backers. But dealing with dungeon monsters was a far cry from navigating the treacherous waters of corporate backers and guild politics. To truly establish control, he would’ve needed something like Park Mingyu’s strategic marriage alliance.
Or, he could have just broken free and started anew, like Seong Hyunjae and Han Yuhyun.
But instead of choosing either of those routes, he had overreached and exposed his weaknesses.
Seong Hyunjae laughed, sounding genuinely pleased.
[It’s a little earlier than expected, but it’s time to start carving up that meat, don’t you think?]
“I’m really not in the mood for this conversation right now.”
[Because the meat came courtesy of your brother’s kidnapping? Don’t worry too much. I’ve already stationed people at the harbor. Or do you want me to come personally?]
“I’ll pass.”
Seeing Park Yerim emerging from the room, Han Yuhyun ended the call. She walked over, surrounded by a cold, pale light, like fireflies swirling around her.
“It took a bit of time since it was my first time using the skill, but I found him,” she said.
“Good work. Let’s move out immediately.”
–TL Notes–
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