Chapter 136 – Oh Yoon-sik  

Min Do-jun had always adhered to principles when it came to killing.  

He only resorted to extreme measures—murder—when dealing with those who posed a threat to him, stood in his way, or were morally corrupt criminals.  

This was the reason Oh Yoon-sik had survived until now.  

But that was only true before entering the pyramid.  

‘I let it slide when he ignored my warning and entered the Oasis Dungeon.’  

That was understandable.  

Who wouldn’t question being told not to enter an oasis in scorching heat?  

‘But the pyramid was different.’  

Before entering the pyramid, Oh Yoon-sik crossed a line.  

When Min Do-jun insisted that entering the pyramid was a mistake, Oh Yoon-sik briefly revealed his murderous intent.  

‘And when others sided with me, he glared at me like I was the problem.’  

Thanks to his ability to detect killing intent, Min Do-jun could sense it clearly.  

Oh Yoon-sik despised him.  

‘I thought he at least had the bare minimum qualities of a leader…’  

But in reality, he was just a trashy person consumed by inferiority.  

From that moment on, Min Do-jun could no longer see Oh Yoon-sik in a positive light.  

When Yoon-sik divided the team, ignored him with disdainful looks, and engaged in petty ego battles, Min Do-jun became certain of one thing:  

He wanted Oh Yoon-sik dead.  

‘Despite my warnings, he pushed forward with the vote and led the team into the pyramid.’  

A leader who drives his team to their deaths is better off dead.  

That’s why Min Do-jun left Oh Yoon-sik to die.  

He knew fighting the undead was a death sentence, yet he didn’t stop him.  

‘If he wants to die, let him. It’s his own choice.’  

Still, Min Do-jun had his ghost wolf memorize Yoon-sik’s scent.  

Just in case the bastard survived, he would kill him himself.  

And when he emerged after defeating Osiris, Min Do-jun was slightly surprised.  

‘I didn’t expect him to still be alive…’  

[Distance to target: 258m]  

The rising distance indicator confirmed it.  

‘He’s close.’  

Feeling the need to deal with him, Min Do-jun addressed the team.  

“Now that Osiris is dead, the monsters won’t revive anymore.”  

“Ah, really?”  

“Yes. You can hunt freely now.”  

Though they hadn’t witnessed the monsters reviving, the team trusted Min Do-jun’s words.  

“With that said, I’ll be hunting separately. It’s better for everyone that way.”  

The party members nodded in agreement.  

If Min Do-jun, who had soloed the boss, joined their hunts, there’d be nothing left for them.  

“Take your time hunting and find the exit when you’re ready.”  

“Ah, do you know where the exit is?”  

“No, I don’t. It wasn’t in the guide.”  

Pretending ignorance, Min Do-jun parted ways with the team.  

Now alone, he could hunt to his heart’s content.  

‘But first, Oh Yoon-sik.’  

He followed the ghost wolf leading the way.  

[Distance to target: 118m]  

……  

[Distance to target: 68m]  

……  

[Distance to target: 26m]  

As the distance closed, Min Do-jun activated stealth and prepared for an ambush.  

Oh Yoon-sik was in a standoff with a shadow hound.  

“Damn it. I even used my teammates as bait to escape, and yet…”  

Hearing Yoon-sik’s muttering, Min Do-jun’s expression darkened.  

‘So the reason he survived this long was because he sacrificed his comrades?’  

If so, he was even more of a human trash than Min Do-jun had thought.  

‘Not only did he lead them to their deaths, but he used them as bait to save himself… No way I’m letting him live.’  

He had already come to kill him, but now he felt even more justified.  

“Huh? A wolf?”  

Min Do-jun summoned the ghost wolf in front of Yoon-sik and quietly moved behind him.  

“What the—? Was there a monster like this?”  

“It’s not a monster. It’s a summon.”  

The moment Oh Yoon-sik turned around in surprise, Min Do-jun drove his sword through his chest.  

[You have killed Hunter Oh Yoon-sik.]  

[You have stolen the trait ‘Archmage’.]  

[You have stolen 7 pieces of equipment.]  

[You have stolen 3 magic stones.]  

[You have stolen 4 collectibles.]  

He felt no guilt over killing Yoon-sik.  

‘Killing evil is the only way to ease guilt.’  

Murder couldn’t be justified, but to continue this madness, he had to rationalize his actions.  

‘Let’s see what this trait does.’  

[Trait – Archmage]  

– Grade: S  

– Description: Magic damage increases by 25%, and spells can be controlled freely with thought alone.  

Min Do-jun was slightly surprised.  

Not just because of the high grade, but because of the trait’s effect.  

‘Controlling magic with just a thought… It’s exactly like the Magic Control Gauntlet.’  

Aside from the 25% magic damage boost, it was identical to his gauntlet’s effect.  

‘Now I don’t need the Magic Control Gauntlet anymore…’  

Until now, he had worn the gauntlet solely for its magic control.  

Though it was only a B-grade item with no additional stats, its value had been undeniable.  

‘Magic control alone made it worth it.’  

But with the Archmage trait, it was time to retire the gauntlet.  

‘You served me well.’  

He stored the gauntlet, which he’d used since level 350, in his inventory.  

Then, he searched for a replacement.  

[High Archmage’s Runic Gloves]  

– Type: Gloves  

– Grade: A  

– Defense: 7,000  

– Effect: +160 Magic Power, +5% Magic Power  

– Durability: 14,221/16,000  

– Requirement: Level 2,000 or above (Bound)  

– Description: A masterpiece crafted over a century by a high archmage.  

These were bound items Oh Yoon-sik had worn, notable for their high magic power relative to level.  

‘The percentage-based magic power boost is especially appealing.’  

Though only 5%, given Min Do-jun’s magic power exceeding 4,400, it promised a significant increase.  

[You have absorbed the target’s corpse.]  

[Your health has been restored.]  

Oh Yoon-sik’s corpse vanished, leaving only his clothes behind.  

Min Do-jun incinerated the remains with magic, erasing all traces, then walked down the hallway with an indifferent expression.  

Now, it was time to hunt alone.  

Just then, shadow hounds and mummies spotted him and approached.  

Grrrr—  

Groooan—  

To them, the scent of a human meant prey. But in reality, the opposite was true.  

Slash! Slash!  

Splat!  

The monsters died almost pitifully easily.  

With the full buffs of the Battle God active, this was an expected outcome.  

[EXP +64,800]  

[EXP +64,800]  

Seeing the monsters grant normal EXP, Min Do-jun smiled in satisfaction.  

‘This is why I hunted the boss.’  

He had eliminated the undead’s revival to farm EXP.  

Since he’d entered the dungeon to hunt, he couldn’t afford to miss out on the monsters’ EXP.  

‘They’re all dead now.’  

Min Do-jun fully immersed himself in the hunt.  

—  

[Your level has increased!]  

Ignoring the repetitive message, he sprinted toward his next prey.  

Slash!  

Thud!  

A shadow hound died before it could even turn to face him.  

[Distance to nearest target: 32m]  

Tracking scents with the ghost wolf made finding prey effortless.  

Coupled with his presence detection trait, he could pinpoint and eliminate targets with precision.  

Slash! Slash!  

After hunting relentlessly, he soon found no more prey.  

[No targets detected.]  

[Tracking unavailable.]  

His tracking skill no longer activated.  

Even memorizing the scent of mummies instead of shadow hounds yielded no results.  

‘No monsters are showing up on presence detection either.’  

It seemed he had wiped out every monster in the pyramid.  

‘Well, I did kill hundreds.’  

Though he hadn’t counted, he estimated over 300 kills.  

Thanks to that, his level had soared to 2,025.  

‘Before entering the dungeon, I was only 2,008…’  

Seventeen levels in a single day.  

‘It’s frustrating that S-rank dungeons have a 3-day re-entry cooldown.’  

Most dungeons required a 12-hour wait after clearing, but S-rank dungeons demanded 72 hours.  

Once cleared, he’d have to wait three days before re-entering.  

‘Even so, this leveling speed is insane.’  

Seventeen levels in a day was unheard of, especially past level 2,000.  

‘No more monsters left. Time to leave.’  

Despite nearly three hours of hunting, Min Do-jun still wore a reluctant expression as he searched for the exit.  

Having memorized the path, it wasn’t hard to find.  

‘There it is.’  

Stepping through the portal, the scenery shifted instantly.  

“Ah! It’s the hunter!”  

“The hunter’s back!”  

His teammates, who had exited earlier, greeted him enthusiastically.  

“Hunter, you took a while.”  

“Were you waiting long?”  

“We got out two hours ago.”  

“It was too hot to stay any longer…”  

If the Oasis was freezing, the pyramid was unbearably hot.  

Without fire resistance, enduring it like Min Do-jun—let alone hunting for over three hours—was impossible.  

‘The more I see, the more amazing he is.’  

The team looked at him with admiration.  

As men, it was natural to idolize a powerful hunter.  

Especially one who could solo a boss with overwhelming strength.  

“Did the others not come out yet?”  

Though he knew Oh Yoon-sik’s group was dead, Min Do-jun pretended otherwise.  

“Not sure? When we came out, it was just us.”  

“Maybe they’re still inside.”  

But when the dungeon portal disappeared, they had to retract their words.  

“Huh?! The portal—!”  

Sub-dungeons only close and vanish once all entrants have exited.  

Meaning no one was left inside.  

“So that means…”  

“Only the people here survived…?”  

The party members realized belatedly.  

Oh Yoon-sik’s group was dead.  

They were the only ones left.  

“How could this…”  

“Sigh…”  

The mood instantly turned funeral-like.  

The team bowed their heads, silently praying for the dead.  

Yet, beneath that, they also felt relief.  

‘Thank goodness. We almost died too.’  

‘We made the right choice by siding with him!’  

‘If we’d followed the other side… I don’t even want to think about it.’  

‘Following Min Do-jun was the right call.’  

They all credited their survival to him and looked at him with newfound respect.  

Without anyone saying it, Min Do-jun had become their new leader in their hearts.  

“What do we do now?”  

At the question, Min Do-jun replied calmly,  

“What else? We hunt with who’s left.”  

Clearing the sub-dungeon didn’t mean the hunting grounds were empty.  

Plenty of monsters still roamed the fields.  

“We still have a day left before the dungeon resets.”  

As Min Do-jun took the lead, the seven remaining party members followed.  

They knew instinctively.  

Following him was their only path to survival.  

And so, Min Do-jun’s party successfully cleared the S-rank dungeon and emerged victorious.