Chapter 26 – Rapid Growth

Min Do-jun examined the items looted from the unconscious Jung Tae-sik.

‘All C-grade.’

The equipment Seok Ho-cheol was wearing was top-quality among C-grade items.

However, due to his warrior class, they all had strength options attached.

‘Nothing I can use.’

It was disappointing there were no magic options, but it didn’t matter much.

‘I could sell these for a good price.’

He estimated he could get at least 400 million won.

‘Of course, I don’t plan to sell them right away.’

Min Do-jun then examined the characteristics.

[Characteristic – Indomitable Will]

– Grade: B  

– Description: Reduces physical damage by 15%.

‘A tank characteristic.’

But being B-grade, its effect wasn’t great.

Of course, that’s in comparison to other characteristics.

‘If it were S-grade, it would probably reduce damage by 50%.’

This showed how much a characteristic’s grade determines a hunter’s growth.

‘Still, it’s better than nothing.’

The more characteristics, the better.

That’s why Min Do-jun planned to kill Jung Tae-sik as well.

Of course, he had no intention of letting him go easily.

“Wake up.”

Tap tap-

He tapped Jung Tae-sik’s cheek with the flat of his blade, and Jung Tae-sik opened his eyes.

“Ugh…”

The first thing Jung Tae-sik did upon regaining consciousness was scream.

“Aaaaagh!”

Min Do-jun tapped the stump of his severed arm with his foot.

“Kuuuugh!”

The man screamed in pain and writhed like a worm, but he couldn’t escape Min Do-jun.

Tap tap-

“Aaaagh! It hurts! Stop!”

“That’s the point.”

“I-I’m sorry! I was wrong!”

“What did you do wrong?”

“Th-that…”

Min Do-jun tapped the stump again.

Blood spurted out each time he touched it.

“Uhuuuh! Stop! Please spare me! Sir!”

“I asked what you did wrong.”

“I-I dared to insult you and act cocky, sir. I’m sorry.”

“Is that all?”

“A-and…”

As Jung Tae-sik hesitated, Min Do-jun swung his sword.

Jung Tae-sik’s ankle was severed.

“Kuuuuaaaagh!! Aaaaagh!”

“If you don’t shut up, I’ll cut off the other foot too.”

“Kuhk! Kuuk!”

Forcibly enduring the pain while shedding tears and snot, Jung Tae-sik was asked by Min Do-jun.

“Be honest. What were you trying to do to me?”

“Kuhk, w-we were going to rob you.”

“With that b*st*rd?”

Min Do-jun pointed to where Seok Ho-cheol’s corpse lay.

‘To think Ho-cheol hyung would die so pitifully…’

Jung Tae-sik gulped.

“Y-yes. But I was trying to stop… Kuaaaagh!!”

Min Do-jun cut off his remaining ankle as well.

“Don’t say such nonsense.”

“Kuhuuuuh…”

“Lie one more time and your neck is next.”

At those words, Jung Tae-sik shouted as if having a fit.

“Fine! Kill me! Just kill me already, you b*st*rd!”

Finding his reaction amusing, Min Do-jun smirked.

“Now you’re begging to be killed. Good, that’s what I was hoping for. But I’m not going to kill you yet.”

“…”

“I’ll torment you to the end. You need to feel the pain I went through.”

“F-fuck! What did I do so wrong? Just cursing a bit isn’t… Kuaaaagh!”

Jung Tae-sik continued to scream.

Every time Min Do-jun pressed on his wounds, Jung Tae-sik felt like he was going to lose his mind.

“S-stop… Just kill me…”

“Why should I?”

“Please kill me… I’m begging you. I was wrong…”

After torturing him for about 30 minutes, Min Do-jun realized he didn’t have much time left.

Jung Tae-sik’s health was nearing its end.

“I’ll kill you if you answer my question.”

“Ask… ask me anything.”

“You know Shin Kyung-min, right?”

Before his regression, Jung Tae-sik had disappeared but somehow reappeared with Shin Kyung-min.

Calling him “hyung-nim” and sucking up to him.

Min Do-jun was curious about their relationship.

“Shin Kyung-min?”

Jung Tae-sik was puzzled by the sudden mention of the name, but soon spoke as if it were obvious.

“Of course I know him. He’s the rank 1 hunter, isn’t he?”

“Not that, do you know him personally?”

“How could someone like me know him?”

“I see.”

Min Do-jun wasn’t disappointed.

As expected, it seemed he had just latched onto him like a leech.

“Alright.”

“Then will you kill…”

Shunk-

Without dragging it out, he granted his wish and stabbed him in the heart.

[You have killed Hunter Jung Tae-sik.]

[You have stolen the characteristic Rapid Growth.]

[You have stolen 8 pieces of equipment.]

[You have stolen 3 magic stones.]

There was no particular feeling.

He just checked the equipment and characteristics he had acquired.

[Characteristic – Rapid Growth]

– Grade: S

– Description: Monster experience gained is doubled.

‘So this is why his growth was so fast.’

Seeing the characteristic, it made sense how he had gained 450 levels in just one year.

It also explained why he had resorted to crime to earn money.

‘Certainly, if you level up quickly, there are many places that need money.’

In some ways it could be seen as a disadvantage, but Min Do-jun wasn’t worried.

He had plenty of ways to make money.

‘Just killing these guys drops hundreds of millions of won.’

Selling just the equipment Jung Tae-sik left behind could net over 300 million won.

Of course, there was nothing worth equipping since it lacked magic options.

‘I also got 3 C-grade magic stones as a bonus.’

The price of a C-grade magic stone was 42 million won each.

Including the equipment, he had earned over 400 million won from killing Jung Tae-sik.

‘Not bad.’

Including Seok Ho-cheol’s equipment, it amounted to 800 million won.

And that was in just one day.

It was the same amount he had earned when he reached S-rank before his regression.

‘Plus I’m set to receive 2 billion won in reward money.’

He wouldn’t have to worry about money for a while.

Of course, it was thanks to his Hunter Hunter characteristic that he could loot so easily. Otherwise, the items would have disappeared as soon as they died.

[All party members have died.]

[Touch the button below if you need help.]

☞Request Help☜

The help request button was activated when all party members died.

But he casually ignored it.

It wasn’t a situation where he needed help.

‘It’s not time to press it yet. I should press it when there’s about 20 minutes left after hunting for a while.’

Min Do-jun planned to claim that a boss appeared and killed his party members, just like when he killed Shim Jin-seop.

‘That’s the cleanest way.’

The reason for deliberately pressing the help request button later was for that purpose as well.

To avoid suspicion.

However, it was better to press it somewhat late.

‘It would be troublesome if someone responds to the help request and comes in.’

Still, to prevent any possible variables, Min Do-jun hid the corpses.

He also covered all the bloodstains with dirt.

‘This way, even if someone comes in when I request help, they won’t discover anything.’

Now the only thing Min Do-jun had to worry about was clearing the dungeon.

‘I need to clear it as late as possible. If I clear it too early, it will only raise suspicion.’

After all, Min Do-jun was in the position of receiving help, so he needed to use up the full time limit.

‘It works out well since I was planning to hunt here anyway.’

Min Do-jun no longer had any business in the Mantis Dungeon.

He had obtained the Sealed Ring he so desperately wanted and received the set effect.

‘The next thing to do is break the seal.’

As the name suggests, the rings have their power sealed.

If he could break the seal, he could become much stronger than now.

‘For that, I need the Snake’s Fang Venom.’

Two types of venom are needed to break the ring’s seal.

Snake’s Fang Venom and Tarantula’s Spider Venom.

Both were by-products that dropped at a low rate but were essential items for breaking the seal.

Hisssss-

At that moment, a snake appeared from the forest.

Hisssss-

Another snake appeared from behind.

It was a Little Snake.

But despite its name, it was as big as an anaconda.

‘It’s on the smaller side among monsters though.’

Min Do-jun summoned Charge Lightning at the tip of his sword and cast buffs.

Crackle- Crackle-

As soon as the attribute transferred to the blade, he fired off a skill.

Zzzzzap!

The Little Snake that was hit directly slid back.

It didn’t die in one hit, but being weak to the water attribute, it must have taken considerable damage.

Shaaaah-

As if seeking revenge, the snake behind approached at high speed.

Given a snake’s crawling nature, it was inevitably awkward to slash with a sword.

But Min Do-jun didn’t lower his sword.

Rather, he held it upright.

As if facing a person.

The reason became clear shortly after.

Whoosh-

The moment the snake came within reach, it sprang up like a coiled spring.

Then it opened its jaws wide, aiming precisely for Min Do-jun’s neck.

Shaaaah!

This is how Little Snakes attack, springing up like a coiled spring when they get close and trying to bite the nape of the neck.

That’s why it’s important to hold the sword upright rather than lowering it.

This way, he could flexibly deal with their attacks.

Slash-

Min Do-jun slashed the Little Snake with its jaws torn several more times.

Meanwhile, as soon as the skill cooldown reset, he fired another Charge Lightning at the snake that had been pushed back.

[Experience increased by 1.5 times due to Solo Challenger’s Necklace effect.]

[Experience doubled due to Rapid Growth characteristic effect.]

[Experience +1,860]

[Experience +1,860]

The necklace effect seemed to apply because his party members had died.

The base experience had tripled.

‘With the characteristic added, the experience gain is enormous.’

The faster the growth, the better.

It might cost some money, but it’s fine as long as he earns that much.

Shaaaah!

Hisssss!

As he went deeper into the forest, Little Snakes began to appear in earnest.

At least 2, and up to 5 at most.

But knowing their attack patterns, it wasn’t a particularly dangerous situation for Min Do-jun.

‘Come on.’

Min Do-jun began hunting snakes in earnest.

* * *

“Yawn.”

Seok Ho-cheol’s manager, who had returned after finishing his business, was looking at the dungeon entrance with a bored expression.

“I wonder when they’ll come out?”

Although 30 minutes remained on the time limit, there was no sign of the three people coming out.

“Well, since they’re receiving help, it will take a while.”

He didn’t think for a moment that something might have happened.

Considering Seok Ho-cheol’s level, Little Snakes weren’t even a threat.

Just as he was waiting comfortably like that…

“Huh?”

Suddenly, the purple dungeon entrance turned green.

“H-help request?”

While green usually gives a stable feeling, it was an exception when looking at dungeon entrances.

It meant everyone except one person had died.

“Ah! What on earth happened? A help request!”

In the worst-case scenario, the manager clutched his head in distress.

“There’s not much time left either, what should I do?”

There were no hunters nearby to request help from, and even if he asked the guild for support, it would take 20 minutes just to get here.

Either way, there was no way to help.

“For now, I should contact the guild master…”

The manager hurriedly reported the situation to the guild master.

But even the guild master seemed to have no good solution, only letting out a despairing sigh.

In the end, they decided to wait and hung up.

“Haah… Who could have survived? Maybe Ho-cheol hyung?”

He didn’t know who the one survivor was, but Seok Ho-cheol was most likely.

As far as he knew, he had the highest level among the three.

“Oh! Someone’s coming out.”

But shortly after, the person who walked out of the dungeon was unexpectedly Min Do-jun, who had the lowest level.

“M-Min Do-jun, right? The one Ho-cheol hyung introduced.”

“Yes, that’s right…”

“I’m An Jung-sik, manager of the Prism Guild. Did you press the help request…?”

“I did.”

“That means…”

Min Do-jun nodded with a gloomy face.

“Ah…!”

Though he didn’t say it, Min Do-jun’s expression spoke volumes.

That the two had died.

It was hard to believe that two people with higher levels had died.

“How on earth…”

“We were almost done clearing. But unfortunately, the boss appeared…”

“Ah…”

But he had to accept it at the mention of the boss.

There was no other monster that could threaten Seok Ho-cheol and Jung Tae-sik.

“Haah, how could this happen…”

The shocked manager collected himself after a moment and said,

“Hunter-nim. I’m sorry, but you’ll have to come to the guild with me. We need to write an incident report.”

“…Alright.”

Min Do-jun followed the manager and got into the vehicle.

Glancing at Min Do-jun, the manager shook his head seeing his dark expression.

‘Surely this person couldn’t have killed those two. His level is low, and his complexion doesn’t look good…’

But Min Do-jun’s expression wasn’t bad because of the two who died.

‘Damn, the fang venom didn’t drop.’

It was because the item he wanted didn’t drop even after killing 200 snakes.