Chapter 73 -----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: uly
Chapter: 73
Chapter Title: Singing Treasure Hunter (2)
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"That fool has come here too."
Shhhk.
But then, sharp blades began pouring down from above the cliff toward Min Hyun-gi's head.
"Hup."
He, who had been climbing along the middle rope, quickly leaped to the rope on the right. At once, the blades poured toward the right-side rope as well.
"Eek."
Min Hyun-gi began darting from rope to rope to dodge the cascading blades. His movements resembled a scene from a game where one timed their dodges perfectly against the blades.
"Urk."
In the end, blades pierced his head and shoulders, sending him tumbling down the cliff.
The bottom was cushioned thickly with squishy slimes, so he wasn't badly hurt, but his entire body was drenched in blood.
"Damn it. Dammit!"
Min Hyun-gi yanked out the blades embedded in his body and started climbing the ropes again.
By now, quite exhausted, his arms trembled like aspen leaves as he gripped the ropes.
"At this rate, he's done for."
Watching him, the Heavenly Demon slowly approached the cliff.
However, a strange repulsive force pushed the Heavenly Demon's body back. No matter how he tried to advance toward the cliff, it was as if an invisible wall blocked his path.
"What is this? Why can't I go forward?"
[This is also a rule of the Castella Dungeon. The one who enters the trap first must clear it before those behind can proceed.]
"What?"
[The first to enter the trap must break through it or give up and return before anyone else can enter.]
The Heavenly Demon couldn't hide his incredulous expression.
"So, you're saying I can't go until that fool clears the trap or gives up."
[Yes.]
The Heavenly Demon let out a tsk and looked up at the cliff.
Min Hyun-gi's face, struggling up the wall with a case strapped to his back, was smeared with sweat and blood.
Yet an unquenchable flame burned fiercely in his eyes.
"Hmm."
Watching him, the Heavenly Demon plopped down right there.
[Why are you doing that, Heavenly Demon?]
"From the looks of it, he won't give up no matter what."
[Pardon?]
"It'll take quite some time, so I'll just meditate in the meantime."
As the Heavenly Demon closed his eyes in a cross-legged position, Nameless could only scratch its head in bewilderment.
One hour later.
Min Hyun-gi finally reached the cliff's edge. But at that moment.
Whirrrlk.
Three blades dropped from above his head. Their speed and spacing were so tricky that unless Min Hyun-gi moved like lightning, he'd fall back down again.
Whoosh.
At that instant, a fierce wind roared, slightly slowing the falling blades.
Simultaneously, white smoke rose from the Heavenly Demon's fingers, seated cross-legged. He had used the Supreme Demonic Flower Inferno Finger.
[Did you help him, Heavenly Demon?]
As Nameless turned its head, the Heavenly Demon yawned.
"Can't wait forever."
"Done!"
At that moment, Min Hyun-gi dodged all the blades and finally reached the top of the cliff.
His body was covered in large and small wounds, and his Nano Suit was in tatters, but he shouted in triumph.
"Who says I'm a tomb raider! I'm a treasure hunter!"
Hearing Min Hyun-gi's resentful mutter, Nameless scratched its forehead.
[I must have unintentionally said something hurtful.]
The Heavenly Demon slowly rose and said,
"Now can I go up?"
[Yes.]
The Heavenly Demon effortlessly scaled the wall using the ropes.
For one who had reached the pinnacle of martial arts, climbing ropes while dodging blades was as easy as lying down.
Tap, whirrlk.
Upon reaching the cliff's end, the Heavenly Demon flicked his toes and executed Supreme Void Step to land atop the cliff.
"What's this now?"
Before his eyes, frog the size of bulls lined up in rows, circling at a steady pace.
Not just one row, but at least twenty.
[This trap is Frog Swarm Breakthrough.]
"Frog swarm?"
Nameless pointed at the large frogs hopping about chaotically.
[Yes. It's like a rhythm game of sorts. Advance one step at a time, timing it with when the frogs pass by.]
Frowning, the Heavenly Demon observed the frenzied frog swarm.
They circled at regular intervals, so careful one-step movements were possible.
But due to their irregular speeds and gaps, timing it perfectly was extremely difficult.
"Damn it!"
As expected, Min Hyun-gi was getting battered by the frogs left and right and collapsing.
Each hit sprayed blood from his mouth, and instead of progressing, he was sent back to the starting point.
"I can sense it, so why won't my body follow!"
Min Hyun-gi, able to detect air currents, could easily grasp the swarm's subtle movements and breakthrough timings.
But grasping was all he could do.
His body didn't move as his mind willed, and no matter how precisely he timed his steps, he was flung high into the air each time.
"Urgh."
Bounced so hard he couldn't move, Min Hyun-gi collapsed to the ground and began to sob.
"A treasure hunter like me… unable to clear a mere C-rank dungeon trap."
Wailing bitterly, he pushed himself up and wiped away his tears.
"I'll just give up. Go back to being a porter or something, sob…"
Muttering, Min Hyun-gi trailed off.
In truth, Min Hyun-gi had started as a dungeon porter. But thanks to his air current detection skill, he could assist Awakeners in battle and easily find hidden treasures in dungeons.
"Fuck. Finding treasures but not getting any because I'm just a porter? Does that make sense?"
Porters and guides were hired for a fee by teams.
So even if they found treasure or relics, it belonged to the team members—nothing was shared with porters.
"Well, guys like me can't even enter dungeons without a team… haha."
Min Hyun-gi cycled through crying, laughing, giving up, and raging.
Watching him, Nameless felt sorry.
[I… mocked an Awakener striving to become a treasure hunter. I'm truly ashamed.]
Nameless approached the Heavenly Demon and clasped its hands.
[Heavenly Demon, please help him.]
"Help him?"
[You could easily get him through this place…]
Before Nameless finished, the Heavenly Demon's eyes flashed.
"And then what?"
[Pardon?]
"Next time we go to a dungeon. Or the one after that. Do I have to help every time?"
[Ah…]
Lost in pity, Nameless hadn't considered that far.
Only now did it realize why the Heavenly Demon didn't casually help Awakeners. Of course, mostly because he found it bothersome and uninteresting.
"This dungeon is no different from the martial world. You gain nothing without carving your own path."
Gazing sternly at the fallen Min Hyun-gi, the Heavenly Demon spoke solemnly.
"When hitting a limit, humans have two choices: accept it and return to a fitting place, or break through."
[But breaking through demands too high a price. He could lose his life.]
At Nameless's objection, the Heavenly Demon chuckled lowly.
"Do you think this dungeon is a playground?"
[Pardon?]
"This is a battlefield. Just like human life. And the only stake humans can put on the line is their life."
Nameless gained great insight.
Dungeons weren't mere workplaces where Awakeners risked danger for pay.
They were battlegrounds—and life itself—where one faced limits, grew or despaired, and struggled desperately onward.
[I had the wrong idea about dungeons. I'm sorry, Heavenly Demon.]
"You damn frog bastards!"
At that moment, Min Hyun-gi pounded the ground and cried out to the sky in anguish.
"Better to die as a treasure hunter than scrape by like a beggar every day! Aaaah!"
With a mighty roar, Min Hyun-gi charged straight into the frog swarm.
Nameless squeezed its eyes shut.
In the end, a wretched scream would follow as Min Hyun-gi got flung away and collapsed pathetically.
"He's doing well."
At the Heavenly Demon's voice, Nameless turned its head again.
Surprisingly, Min Hyun-gi's body moved swiftly, charging through the gaps in the frog swarm.
[No way, reawakening? He broke through his limit…]
Awakeners reawakened to surpass skill grades or physical limits.
But that required a major trigger or grueling training. Could something like this reckless charge cause reawakening…?
[Ah.]
About to be moved, Nameless froze.
Now it saw: the Heavenly Demon was blasting powerful finger winds to slow the frogs and forcibly propel Min Hyun-gi's body.
"If that fool dies up ahead, I can't proceed."
*Though that's not necessarily true,* Nameless thought but quietly said,
[That could be the case.]
"A young man with such courage is rare. He'll grow greatly soon enough."
As the Heavenly Demon unleashed finger winds, he also unblocked Min Hyun-gi's rigid meridians.
With his fear-stiffened body fully relaxed, Min Hyun-gi moved faster than his physical awakening degree should allow.
"Got it! Got it! Got it!"
Finally passing the frog swarm, Min Hyun-gi cheered.
"I did it!"
Elated, he dashed toward the dungeon core.
Succeeding in his life-or-death gamble restored his exhausted body greatly, filling him with indescribable euphoria.
Screeech!
Then, amid a blaring guitar riff, white light descended from the dungeon's apex. Atop it appeared a gorilla in flashy stage clothes.
It was the Castella Dungeon boss, Metal K.
From the ground, a small stage with an electric guitar rose up.
"What the hell is that?"
The Heavenly Demon looked utterly baffled.
Dungeons were places of blood and slaughter, like the martial world.
Yet a glittering-clad gorilla hovered in the sky, and strange objects lay on the floor below?
[The final trial. You defeat Metal K by playing the electric guitar on that stage.]
"What does that mean?"
[In short, pour your soul into playing that instrument on the stage, and Metal K retreats. It drops a relic matching your performance skill.]
At Nameless's detailed explanation, the Heavenly Demon's eyes twitched.
"So, I have to play that instrument to get the relic."
[Yes.]
"Great! I'm going!"
At that moment, Min Hyun-gi mounted the stage and slung the electric guitar over his shoulder.
His body was bloodied, his face pale, but his eyes blazed with burning passion.
"I'm a real treasure hunter now. I solo-cleared a C-rank dungeon."
Min Hyun-gi looked up at the gorilla, Metal K, and declared loudly.
"Listen well. This performance carries my passion and soul!"
Screeeang.
Strumming the strings unleashed a deafening guitar sound echoing everywhere.
He'd never played electric guitar before, but he channeled the passion and courage gained conquering this dungeon into his fingertips.
-I ain't no porter no more♬
Getting into it, Min Hyun-gi improvised lyrics while playing.
-I'm a treasure hunter♪ Seeking dungeon treasures, adventurer fulfilling my dreams♬
His hands sped up, the guitar sound growing hotter.
Instruments express the soul's voice, they say. Min Hyun-gi's soul became a blazing sun, spreading through the guitar across all directions.
-I'm a treasure hunteeeeeer!! Kyaaaooow!
Spreading his arms wide, Min Hyun-gi closed his eyes.
As the performance ended, the heat welling in his body drained away.
Silence briefly settled in the feverish dungeon, filling Min Hyun-gi with overwhelming emotion.
"My… soul's performance."
Opening his eyes, the gorilla was gone.
And at his feet lay a sparkling box.
The relic dropped by Metal K.
"It must contain an amazing relic."
Min Hyun-gi was confident.
No Awakener in the world could match the passion in his performance.
Suppressing his pounding heart, he slowly opened the jeweled box.
"Beetle… stone?"
Inside was a small, round beetle stone. Tiny enough to cost less than ten thousand won.
"What the hell is this…"
Unable to comprehend, Min Hyun-gi knelt and buried his head.
"What is this—!"
[Metal K. Quite generous, wasn't it?]
Nameless, who had plugged its ears, had its sensor eyes flicker dimly.
[The guitar was one thing, but singing was worse. Even a duck doesn't screech like that.]
The Heavenly Demon, arms crossed and standing tall, grimaced as if suffering major internal injuries.
He'd heard the Lion's Roar of Shaolin, but it lacked this level of lethality and destructive power.
Min Hyun-gi's playing and singing induced demonic possession in listeners… and above all, unprecedented rage and killing intent.
If the performance had lasted longer, he'd have shattered the stage with Thousand Hands Palm Strike.
"When he was getting hit by the frog swarm…"
Swallowing blood rising in his throat, the Heavenly Demon murmured lowly.
"I should've just let him be."
* * *
One week later, in the Heavenly Demon's rooftop room.
For once, with a fat paycheck, the Heavenly Demon had bought a ton of Gubongsan Makwa snacks.
Seated at the low table, about to turn on the TV and open a pack, a familiar face appeared on screen.
"That fool…"
-Do you know there's a 'sonic attack' among Awakener skills? Today we have Min Hyun-gi, the first in our country to awaken the rare sonic attack skill, our treasure hunter.
Nameless stared at the TV in disbelief and muttered.
[Heavenly Demon, isn't that the Awakener we saw in the Castella Dungeon a week ago?]
-I ain't no porter no mooooore♪ I'm a treasure hunteeeeeer♬
[Ugh… it's torture. Who knew the TV sound would pack such a punch.]
-Seeking dungeon treasures, dream-fulfilling me, treasure hunteeeeeer!!!
[That's not sonic attack awakening. It's noise pollution skill.]
As Min Hyun-gi's guitar-strapped song continued, the Heavenly Demon felt dizzy and quickly turned off the TV.
"Hmm."
With a grunt, instead of replying, the Heavenly Demon tore open a Gubongsan Makwa pack.
Popping one into his mouth—scented with apple and mackerel—he narrowed his eyes.
"I've done something pointless."
It should have been sweet and chewy, but instead, a bitter aftertaste of regret lingered intensely.
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