Chapter 215 – Hellfire

Min Do-jun decided to kill Shin Kyung-min first.

‘The mastermind behind the coup and the root of all my suffering. And…’

The bastard who killed Cha Ye-rin.

That was reason enough to kill him.

[Revenge trait effect: Damage increased by 2x.]

[Hunter Slayer trait effect: Damage increased by 2x.]

Wooong-

After enveloping Excalibur with buffs, Min Do-jun placed the blade against Shin Kyung-min’s neck.

Even then, Shin Kyung-min showed no reaction.

He stood there like a wax figure, devoid of focus, completely ensnared by the hallucination trap.

‘If I slash his neck like this, he won’t even know he’s dying.’

He wouldn’t know who killed him or how.

‘I should make you feel the pain I endured…!’

The thought of Shin Kyung-min dying peacefully, unaware of his fate, filled Min Do-jun with rage. It even felt unfair.

Had he struggled all this time just for such an anticlimactic end?

‘Still… I have to kill him.’

Just as he tightened his grip on the sword, preparing to strike-

“Stop!”

Suddenly, Shin Kyung-min shouted angrily.

“Stop it, I said!”

“…”

For a moment, Min Do-jun was startled, thinking Shin Kyung-min had broken free from the hallucination. But seeing his unfocused eyes, it was clear he was still trapped.

‘Is he speaking from within the hallucination?’

A hallucination is a kind of dream. Just as one might talk in their sleep, it was possible to speak while under a hallucination’s influence.

“Don’t lie to me!”

His voice was filled with agitation.

Shin Kyung-min continued to shout, revealing glimpses of the hallucination he was experiencing.

“There’s no way my parents died so meaninglessly…!”

‘Looks like he’s reliving his most painful memory.’

Min Do-jun recalled a conversation over a meal where Shin Kyung-min mentioned losing his parents in a car accident.

‘It must be painful. And hollow.’

It wasn’t much different from losing one’s parents to monsters out of nowhere.

“Mom, Dad, what are me and Hye-ri supposed to do without you? Sob… sob…”

Shin Kyung-min wept bitterly.

Though no tears fell in reality, within the hallucination, his eyes were likely swollen from crying.

‘Having no parents and only one person to rely on… in that sense, we’re quite similar.’

Just as Shin Kyung-min cherished his younger sister, Shin Hye-ri, Min Do-jun had cherished Cha Ye-rin.

‘And yet, you mercilessly killed Ye-rin…’

Knowing the pain of losing a loved one and still committing such an act-Min Do-jun couldn’t forgive that.

‘No amount of emotional manipulation will work. No matter what, you’re still the villain who orchestrated the coup.’

Min Do-jun raised his sword once more, his eyes brimming with killing intent.

‘Farewell.’

Just as he resolved to kill him-

“Hahaha!”

Shin Kyung-min’s sudden laughter deflated Min Do-jun’s momentum.

‘Now it’s a happy memory?’

Min Do-jun lowered his sword.

‘Fine. Let’s see what kind of memory it is before I kill you.’

Postponing the execution for a moment, Min Do-jun waited to hear what Shin Kyung-min would say.

“It’s been so long since I’ve played with you like this.”

‘Who is he playing with?’

“If it weren’t for Hunter Min Do-jun, I wouldn’t have had the chance to laugh and chat with you like this.”

Hearing his own name, Min Do-jun could guess the content of the hallucination.

‘Looks like he’s spending time with his sister after a long while.’

As she was his only sibling, spending time with a sister he nearly lost must have been the happiest moment for Shin Kyung-min.

‘Come to think of it, to Shin Kyung-min, I must be something like a benefactor.’

Just as Min Do-jun followed Hwang Eui-cheol, Shin Kyung-min seemed to trust and follow him.

‘I’d feel the same. If someone appeared at the moment of the coup and saved Ye-rin, I’d consider them a lifelong benefactor and live in gratitude.’

Could it be that in this life, the coup wouldn’t happen?

After all, he had brought Shin Kyung-min into his fold.

‘If that’s the case, should I abandon my revenge?’

Until now, he had killed his targets preemptively, intending to strike before they could betray him.

But what if the future had changed?

What if the coup didn’t happen, and Cha Ye-rin wasn’t targeted by them?

‘I’m cutting them down preemptively because I don’t know. To eliminate even the slightest risk.’

Though he said that, Min Do-jun was aware deep down.

His revenge for the past life was, in a way, a form of venting anger.

That’s why he sought justifications, assessing whether his targets were truly evil, to rationalize his killings.

To make his murders seem justified.

“Damn it.”

Min Do-jun lowered his sword.

Shin Kyung-min hadn’t yet committed any act that could be deemed evil.

‘It’s all just potential.’

The targets he had killed so far had all committed verifiable wrongdoings.

‘Killing without confirming their misdeeds would break the rules I’ve set for myself.’

Beyond the rules, there was another reason to spare Shin Kyung-min.

‘If I kill him now, I’ll never uncover the reason behind the coup.’

Seeing both painful and happy memories, it was clear that Shin Hye-ri held a significant place in Shin Kyung-min’s life.

Just as Cha Ye-rin was the only person in Min Do-jun’s life.

‘And yet, this guy staged a coup out of nowhere after lying low for seven years?’

It didn’t make sense that someone with a loved one to protect would orchestrate a coup.

‘Would staging a coup and ruling as a king over a broken system make his sister happy? He doesn’t seem that thoughtless.’

No matter how much he thought about it, Min Do-jun couldn’t understand the motive behind the coup.

‘If I kill him now, I’ll never know.’

What if he killed him and the coup still happened?

What if Cha Ye-rin ended up in danger again because of it?

For Min Do-jun, that would be a mental breakdown.

‘There’s a chance of that, so I need to keep Shin Kyung-min alive and observe him longer. There might even be someone behind the coup.’

Deciding to monitor the situation further, Min Do-jun ultimately chose to spare Shin Kyung-min.

The same applied to Kang Hyuk-su.

‘I won’t kill anyone unless they’ve committed an evil act.’

If they turned out to be good people with no blemishes, unlike in his past life, he wouldn’t kill them.

‘But if there’s even a hint of wrongdoing…’

He would deem them pests and cut their throats without hesitation.

That was his way of justifying murder as revenge.

‘I’ll spare your lives for now. However…’

Min Do-jun placed his hands on Shin Kyung-min’s and Kang Hyuk-su’s heads.

‘You won’t escape my surveillance.’

[Parasite implanted in the target’s head.]

[Infected targets: 19/20]

[Infected targets: 20/20]

He applied Parasite to both Shin Kyung-min and Kang Hyuk-su.

‘With Heo Ji-pyeong and Gal Ji-hoong dead, I had exactly two slots left. Perfect.’

Even with Parasite applied so blatantly, neither showed any reaction.

They were still trapped in their hallucinations.

The other party members were in the same state.

‘To free them from the hallucination, I’ll need to defeat the boss.’

Min Do-jun stood before the boss room.

With the party members in this condition, he was the only one who could act.

‘I can monopolize the boss as planned.’

From the start, he had brought the party members here with the boss in mind.

[You have entered the Boss Room of the Ancient Temple of Magic.]

[You cannot leave until the boss is defeated.]

Min Do-jun, who had no intention of leaving anyway, smirked.

* * *

[You have defeated the Ancient Archmage!]

[Experience +6,600,000] (Contribution 100%)]

[Your level has increased!]

[An S-grade Magic Stone has dropped.]

[An S-grade Magic Stone has dropped.]

[An S-grade Magic Stone has dropped.]

[The Archmage’s Staff has dropped.]

[Skill Book: Hellfire has dropped.]

Defeating the Ancient Archmage wasn’t particularly difficult.

Especially since the Avatar of the Battlefield buff was fully stacked from hunting mobs.

‘The staff is nice, but I don’t need it… What I need is this.’

Min Do-jun pulled out the skill book from among the acquired items.

[Skill – Hellfire]

-Grade: S

-Effect: Inflicts painful burns.

-Damage: 1,000% of Magic Power + 20% of damage as burn effect

-Usage Restriction: Level 3,000 or higher

-Description: Burns with the flames of hell, delivering excruciating burn damage. A skill ideal for punishing sinners.

‘I’ll fill the remaining skill slot with this.’

With this, he had learned all the skills he needed.

‘As for items, everything is perfect except for the armor.’

He was still wearing the A-grade Glossy Tiger Leather Armor, but he couldn’t give up Frenzy.

‘I have the Legendary Armor, but it can’t compare to Frenzy.’

Unless enhanced with a Magic Core, it wasn’t worth wearing over Frenzy.

[You have defeated the boss.]

[You will be transported outside shortly.]

Emerging from the boss room, Min Do-jun saw the party members still standing there.

‘Still frozen, so the hallucination hasn’t broken yet?’

That thought lasted only a moment.

Perhaps due to a time difference, focus returned to the party members’ eyes.

The hallucination had been lifted.

“W-where are we…?”

“Isn’t this the temple from earlier?”

The team members, awakening from the hallucination, looked around in confusion.

“I feel like I had a dream…”

“Me too.”

“Same here!”

“So, you’re saying we all slept during the dungeon run?”

“What’s going on? Is that even possible?”

The party members thought they had merely dreamed.

‘A hallucination isn’t much different from a dream, after all.’

The only one who fully grasped the situation was Min Do-jun.

“Did you dream too, Do-jun?” Shin Kyung-min asked.

“Yes…” Min Do-jun replied in a dazed voice.

“Wow… A group dream? What’s happening?”

“Could there be some magical mechanism in this place?”

“Must be. Looks like we all fell under a Sleep spell or something. Good thing no one got hurt.”

Shin Kyung-min and Kang Hyuk-su had no idea.

They had no clue they nearly died at Min Do-jun’s hands.

“Let’s snap out of it and continue the run.”

The group resumed their dungeon conquest.

Unaware that just moments ago, they had been standing before the boss room.

* * *

“Good work, everyone.”

After three days, the dungeon run concluded smoothly.

Emerging from the dungeon, the party members parted ways, promising to meet again.

“Do-jun, I’ll see you next time.”

“Yes.”

Having joined Shin Kyung-min’s group, Min Do-jun could now meet them regularly.

‘Shin Kyung-min, Kang Hyuk-su. I’ve secured a tight leash on both of you.’

With Parasite applied, he could monitor them remotely with ease.

‘Now, I just need to track down Justin Walker and Seo Jin-cheol.’

He didn’t even hope to apply Parasite to them.

All he wanted was to memorize their scents with the Ghost Wolf.

‘By the way, it was unexpected that Seo Jin-cheol wasn’t in Shin Kyung-min’s group.’

As fellow S-rank hunters and high school friends, it was odd they weren’t together.

‘If I keep monitoring Shin Kyung-min, something will come up eventually.’

Hoping to find Seo Jin-cheol through this, Min Do-jun arrived home and lay down on his bed.

Bzzz- Bzzz-

At that moment, a phone vibrated in the drawer.

It wasn’t Min Do-jun’s phone, but Ahn Kwang-hyun’s.