Chapter 166 – A Colluding Relationship

“Yes, hello.”

“Why didn’t you answer the phone yesterday?”

“Ah, I was in a dungeon all day yesterday. But why are you calling? Mr. Justin Walker?”

In response to Xu Zhiping’s question, Justin Walker spoke in fluent Chinese.

“It’s about what I asked you before.”

“Ah, you mean the operation to reclaim the legendary sword?”

“Yes. I was wondering how it’s progressing.”

“As you instructed, we leaked the sword’s location to the Black Sea Guild, and it seems they successfully retrieved it. However, a problem has arisen.”

“A problem?”

“Yesterday, we tried to recover the sword through the Black Sea Guild, but we failed.”

“Does that mean there’s no possibility of finding it ever again?”

“Ah, that’s not what I mean. We plan to send our subordinates to Korea soon to search for it. Those bastards won’t be able to hide for long in such a tiny country.”

“Korea may be a small country, but it’s strong. Don’t you know that the new first place in the Tower of Infinity came from Korea?”

“What? Isn’t first place Mr. Justin Walker?”

“It changed as of yesterday. Someone from Korea took first place with 150 million points.”

“150 million?”

Xu Zhiping had also challenged the Tower of Infinity before.

His position was 4th place with about 76 million points.

But with the emergence of a new first place, Justin Walker had been pushed to second, and he himself was now barely hanging onto 5th place.

‘There’s a hunter in Korea who surpasses Justin Walker?’

While Xu Zhiping was showing a surprised expression, Justin continued.

“Anyway, so you weren’t able to recover the sword.”

“I apologize. But it shouldn’t take long to find those bastards.”

“Take your time. What’s important is that the Association President of Korea failed to protect the sword.”

* * *

Min Do-jun, who was monitoring through Gao Zhihong’s perspective, couldn’t help but be surprised.

The name Justin Walker had come out of the mouth of Xu Zhiping, the boss of the White Snake Guild.

‘Justin Walker was colluding with the White Snake Guild, which used to be the Triad?’

It was such an unlikely combination that anyone who heard it would have shouted not to talk nonsense.

It was a stark contrast between a good role and an evil role.

‘I was suspicious of Justin Walker, but I never imagined he’d be connected to the White Snake Guild.’

Although he was watching through a third party’s eyes, he could roughly understand the content of the conversation.

‘So Justin Walker colluded with the White Snake Guild to pass on the sword’s location to the Black Sea Guild, and the Black Sea Guild acted on it? If the Black Sea Guild obtained the sword, the White Snake Guild was going to step in and forcibly recover it?’

He had grasped the situation roughly.

But the questions weren’t resolved.

‘The crucial reason is missing. Why? What does Justin Walker lack that he’d stage such a play?’

Justin Walker’s purpose was unclear, but in any case, his actions had put Hwang Eui-cheol and his family in danger.

Before the regression, they had actually died.

‘If I hadn’t intervened in time, neither the teacher nor Da-yeon would be alive.’

Thinking that way, anger towards Justin Walker and Xu Zhiping surged.

After all, they were behind the Black Sea Guild’s actions.

[A new target has been added to the revenge list.]

[Current applicable targets: Monster, Shin Kyung-min, and 7 others.]

Originally, it was Shin Kyung-min and 5 others, but two more had been added.

Justin Walker and Xu Zhiping.

‘I can’t let those who were involved in the teacher’s death in the past live.’

It was only natural that they would be added to the revenge list now that he knew the mastermind wasn’t just Ahn Gwang-hyun.

‘I need to level up quickly.’

There was no time to waste if he wanted to confront them.

He needed to become stronger by leveling up as fast as possible.

‘First, I need to reach level 2,500.’

Getting stronger wasn’t difficult.

It was just a matter of not having enough time.

* * *

Three weeks.

That was how long it took Min Do-jun to go from level 2,370 to 2,500.

‘If I could have entered the Tower of Infinity again, I would have done it in a day.’

Knowing that the opportunity was only once, he briefly complained and let it go.

‘Anyway, am I finally going to learn this?’

Min Do-jun looked at the skill book in his hand.

[Skill – Soul Extraction]

-Grade: S

-Effect: Stores the souls of dying targets and can explode them when needed. Can store up to 10 souls.

-Damage: 300% of magic power per soul

-Usage Restriction: Level 2,500 or higher

-Description: A skill that deals powerful area damage of the darkness attribute. Can also converse with stored souls.

It was a skill mainly used by dark mages, and he had obtained this skill book after killing the cult leader Kim Bedro.

‘I thought I’d learn it someday and kept it in my inventory, and that day has finally come.’

Although it was a skill more suited for dark mages, there was no reason not to learn it as long as he used magic power as his main stat.

‘Acquire.’

[The skill slot is full. Do you want to remove one skill and learn this?]

‘Learn it. Remove Fire Blast.’

He removed the flame magic he had been using effectively without hesitation.

The Soul Extraction skill was several times more powerful than that.

‘Status window.’

-Name: Min Do-jun (Born 2000)

-Level: 2,500

-Rank: A

-Combat Power: 1,187,656

-Domestic Ranking: 85th

-World Ranking: 2,728th

-Strength: 2,121 Health: 2,459

-Agility: 2,298 Magic Power: 3,716

-Unallocated Stats: 0

-Characteristics: Revenge(S), Hunter Slayer(EX), Magic Swordsman(S), Indomitable Will(B), Rapid Growth(S), Weakness Detection(S), Robust Health(D), Weapon Sharpening(D), Flame Resistance(D), Durable Equipment(C), First Strike(B), Weapon Mastery(S), Energy Recovery(S), Strong Mind(A), Avatar of the Battlefield(S), Reflection(S), Low-grade Resistance(F), Presence Detection(C), Intermediate Stealth(C), Intermediate Resistance(C), Iron Will(A), Agility Enhancement(B), Slightly Faster Growth(B), Parasite(S), Quick Step(C), Regeneration(C), Durability Enhancement(C), Killing Intent Detection(C), Archmage(S), Pet Master(S), Intuition(S), Courage(D), Cat’s Step(C)

-Skills: Enchant Sword(A), Mana Sword(A), Ghost Wolf Summon(S), Invisibility(S), Gust Blade(A), Magnum Burst(A), Soul Extraction(S)

Thanks to rapidly raising his level, his domestic ranking had risen to the 80s.

‘It’s surprising that there are 80 people above me.’

Given that the current rank 1, Shin Kyung-min, was at level 3,500, it meant there were 80 people between levels 2,500 and 3,500.

‘And I have 33 characteristics now.’

Seeing that his combat power was approaching 1.2 million, he had almost reached the level he was at as rank 1 before he died.

‘Should I enter a dungeon right away to try out the new skill?’

Min Do-jun made a phone call to someone.

Coincidentally, there was someone who could introduce him to a suitable dungeon.

“Hello, Kyung-min.”

“Hello, Hunter Min Do-jun.”

“I’m calling about the promise we made before.”

Now that he had reached level 2,500, it was time to share the personal dungeon with Shin Kyung-min.

“You mean the dungeon? I’ve been waiting for this.”

His tone suggested he had been observing Min Do-jun’s growth rate.

“Are you going to enter the dungeon right away?”

“Yes.”

“Then I’ll come to meet you now. Where should I go?”

At the mention of coming to meet, Min Do-jun gave him a location slightly away from his home.

After making the appointment, he went to the meeting place at the agreed time.

Vrooom-

Shin Kyung-min, who arrived in a McLaren, waved his hand out the window, ignoring the stares from people around.

“Over here, Hunter. Get in.”

As Min Do-jun got in, the sports car moved with a roaring sound.

An awkward silence fell between them.

Trying to break the silence, Shin Kyung-min spoke first.

“I didn’t expect to see you this quickly, Hunter.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. You were at level 2,200 then, so you had to raise 300 levels, right? I thought it would take at least half a year.”

But he had called in less than a month, which was surprising.

Of course, there was an even more surprising fact.

“Actually, I check your level every day, Hunter. No other intention, just out of curiosity. But at some point, I saw that your level had increased by 120. I was so surprised then…”

On the other hand, Min Do-jun wasn’t surprised or flustered that his actions had been discovered.

This was what he had expected.

“Honestly, it’s impossible to raise 120 levels in a day, right? So when I thought about it, I realized your level was suitable for the Tower of Infinity.”

Glancing sideways to gauge the reaction briefly, Shin Kyung-min got to the point.

“You entered the Tower of Infinity, didn’t you?”

“Yes.”

“And you got first place there, right?”

“Yes.”

Min Do-jun didn’t bother to hide it.

It was bound to be revealed someday anyway.

‘It’s probably already known in the hunter industry.’

Although no articles had been published, hunters who had entered the Tower of Infinity or those knowledgeable about information would know.

That the new first place in the Hall of Fame came from Korea, and that it was the record of the hunter who had stopped the recent Hongdae break.

Yet the reason hunters were keeping it to themselves was because the Tower of Infinity was a hidden dungeon.

It was an unspoken rule in the hunter industry not to easily share information about hidden dungeons.

‘Of course, that will only last until next year.’

As people seeking hidden dungeon strategies even for money increase, that unwritten rule will be broken next year.

‘Anyway, it’s not bad that it’s known I’m in first place.’

While there were some annoying aspects to receiving public popularity, gaining popularity among hunters was certainly not a bad thing.

‘Idiots who look down on me for having a low level when forming parties will decrease, and I might be able to lead dungeons in the way I want as a leader.’

Moreover, he could build trust by appealing his strength to Shin Kyung-min.

Hunters tend to be drawn to the strong, after all.

Sure enough.

“You’re really amazing. I was only in 5th place, but how… no, I guess I’m in 6th place now.”

Although he looked bitter, Shin Kyung-min was also looking at Min Do-jun with a gaze full of awe.

“We’ve arrived.”

After driving for an hour, they arrived at a remote mountain village.

“This is Mount Rabong, a small mountain in Ansan, Gyeonggi-do. It’s good because it’s a secluded place where we don’t have to worry about being seen. The transportation is inconvenient, so you must use your own car when coming, and from here, we have to walk as cars can’t go in.”

Min Do-jun got out of the car and followed Shin Kyung-min up the mountain.

After climbing for a short while, Shin Kyung-min veered off to a side path and stopped in front of a rock.

“Please remember this location. This is where my personal dungeon is.”

Min Do-jun looked around but couldn’t see anything that looked like it could be a portal.

“Where is it…”

At that moment, the rock in front of them lifted slightly and moved to the side.

Shin Kyung-min had moved the rock with his telekinesis.

Thud-

As the rock was moved aside, the entrance to the portal finally became visible.

‘To think he had hidden a personal dungeon in a place like this.’

As he approached the portal, an information window appeared.

[Mount Rabong Spirit Forest Dungeon]

-Difficulty: A

-Player Limit: 4 people

-Entry Requirement: Level 2,500 or higher

-Conquest Goal: Exterminate 1,000 spirits

-Failure Penalty: Random destruction of 10 items

-Time Limit: 24 hours

-Time remaining until dungeon break: 83 hours 16 minutes 51 seconds

‘This is it. The place where the worst dungeon break in history occurs.’

It was certain given that it was the Spirit Forest and located in Ansan, Gyeonggi-do.

‘The Spirit Forest has a fixed number of monsters, so once it breaks, it’s extremely dangerous.’

Dungeon breaks naturally release the number of monsters specified in the conquest.

‘1,000 spirits coming out into the world is obviously dangerous.’

It was surprising that Shin Kyung-min had been conquering such a dangerous dungeon alone and privately.

‘If you’re going to conquer it, you should take responsibility until the end, why go off the grid… Tsk.’

Anyway, now that Min Do-jun knew about it, there was no chance of a dungeon break occurring here.

“What do you think, Hunter? Do you like it?”

At Shin Kyung-min’s question, Min Do-jun smiled slightly.

“Yes. I like it.”

“You can come and conquer it comfortably whenever you want to use it. Don’t worry about dungeon breaks, I’ll manage it regularly to prevent that from happening.”

“I understand.”

“Are you going to enter now?”

“Yes.”

“Will you be okay killing 1,000 monsters alone? Or…”

Shin Kyung-min spoke cautiously.

“Shall we go in together?”