Chapter 67
Monster Hunting (3)
Kim Dokja finally made his decision, and the group set off to hunt monsters.
Before leaving, Cheon Inho insisted that one member of his group accompany them. After a brief hesitation, Han Myungoh was chosen.
Kim Dokja and Arthur took the lead, while the others followed with clear caution.
As they walked, Jung Heewon approached Arthur and glanced at his waist, where the Tyrant King's Sword was firmly fastened.
She spoke quietly,
"So… you use a sword, Arthur?"
He nodded slightly.
"Yes. Are you a swordswoman too?"
Her eyes widened a little.
"I like dueling… and I like swords."
Arthur paused for a single step, then asked in a strange tone:
"What do you think… of a swordsman without a sword?"
Her brows furrowed in confusion.
"What? Does that question even make sense?
A swordsman without a sword is an easy target. A swordsman must always carry their blade… and if they lose it, that's the moment of their death."
Arthur remained silent for a few seconds.
He lowered his gaze to his hands, as if seeing them for the first time.
Before anyone could comment or question him, red windows appeared before them.
{Sub Scenario}
Find Food
Category: Sub
Difficulty: E
Clear Conditions: Hunt monsters that can be cooked and eaten
Time Limit: None
Reward: 500 coins
Failure: ????}
The group stopped at once.
On the ground before them…
were massive rats, dead and rotting, emitting a suffocating stench.
A faint, unreadable smile formed on Arthur's lips.
He and Kim Dokja stepped forward and began dissecting the corpses, extracting bones. Dokja carefully gathered them, then handed them over.
Arthur drew his sword and began refining the bones, then wrapped a strip of skin tightly around the handle.
Within minutes, the bone had been transformed into a sharp, elegant sword.
Kim Dokja distributed the weapons to everyone.
Lee Gilyoung and Yi Shun received bone hammers suited to their small size.
{You have successfully obtained weapons}
{Several constellations are interested in your primitiveness}
{Constellations have donated 100 coins}
Relief spread across everyone's faces.
For the first time… they were armed.
Arthur suddenly stood still.
"…Do you feel that?"
Kim Dokja spoke quickly,
"Everyone has coins.
If you can, invest everything into strength and agility… and survive."
Before they could process his words,
heavy footsteps echoed.
Everyone turned toward the source.
They were level 9 rats.
Huge, fast, and terrifyingly strong.
Their true power wasn't their size… but their speed.
Lee Hyunsung moved first, driving his bone sword into one rat before it could attack.
In the next moment, the group charged after him.
The hunt began.
After only a few minutes…
Yoo Sangah and Jung Heewon stopped, each having taken down four monsters.
Lee Hyunsung killed three.
Meanwhile, Yi Shun and Lee Gilyoung each managed to defeat two.
The pressure gradually eased.
They gathered near Kim Dokja…
then noticed something strange.
"Where's Arthur?" Dokja asked.
They looked around…
no sign of him.
Unease crept in.
They moved forward quickly.
Suddenly, Kim Dokja's foot struck a rat's corpse.
He lifted his head.
There…
stood Arthur.
His hands were drenched in blood.
Around him lay a pile of corpses.
Only two monsters remained alive before him.
Arthur turned, a joker mask covering his face.
He smiled and said calmly,
"A swordsman… is not just his sword.
If a swordsman reaches a high level, he can do this."
He opened his hand—then dashed forward.
He swung—
his palm pierced through the first rat's chest.
He pulled his hand free and leapt toward the second.
The creature dodged swiftly.
Arthur smiled.
He pressed down with his left foot, spun his entire body, building momentum—
then drove his hand straight toward its head.
The rat didn't even realize what happened…
until its head split apart.
Silence fell.
Fifteen monsters.
Arthur had killed them alone.
At that moment…
he could be considered the second strongest human in the second scenario, after Yoo Joonghyuk.
He turned toward the group.
Shock paralyzed everyone…
except Yi Shun and Kim Dokja.
Both had seen this power before.
Dokja sighed and said,
"Don't you think you…"
"What?"
Arthur raised his bloodshot eyes.
His hands were stained with fresh blood,
and his mask painted red.
Their bodies trembled at his demonic appearance.
Kim Dokja simply sighed, saying nothing.
Yoo Sangah tried to change the subject, her voice trembling:
"H-how can we eat these things?"
Before anyone could answer—
A sharp scream of pain tore through the air.
"AAAH!!"
Everyone turned.
It was Han Myungoh.
One of the rats had bitten his leg and was dragging him into the darkness.
Arthur immediately rushed to save him.
Despite his hatred… he did not hesitate.
But Yoo Sangah was closer.
She reached out to him.
In a cowardly moment—
Han Myungoh grabbed her tightly…
and dragged her into the darkness with him.
Arthur froze.
{Constellation Prisoner of the Golden Headband is displeased with this coward}
Arthur snorted in clear disgust and said in a sarcastic tone hiding real anger:
"Oh, believe me… you're not the only one displeased. We all are."
Then Kim Dokja spoke calmly, without hesitation:
"Let's go."
The group moved, and after only a few steps, they stopped.
Before them was a massive pit stretching deep into the earth, as dark as the mouth of a beast. Along its edge were heavy drag marks carved into the dirt and stone.
No explanation was needed.
Everyone understood instantly.
Yoo Sangah… and Han Myungoh
had been dragged here.
Kim Dokja made his decision quickly.
He, Arthur, and Lee Gilyoung would go down, while Lee Hyunsung, Jung Heewon, and Yi Shun remained outside.
Inside the pit, the space widened unexpectedly.
A vast hollow extended below, darkness clinging to the walls like a living entity.
The three moved carefully.
After a short distance, Lee Gilyoung broke the silence in a low voice:
"Hyung…"
"Yes?" Kim Dokja replied without turning.
The child hesitated, then said bluntly:
"You… let them be taken, didn't you?"
Kim Dokja paused for a step.
"What do you mean?"
Gilyoung raised his eyes, filled with awareness beyond his age:
"When the rat dragged the woman and that coward away, everyone was shocked…
except you.
You were very calm.
Your expression didn't change.
You let them go."
A faint smile appeared on Arthur's lips at those words.
'This kid… was watching Kim Dokja even in the most desperate moment.'
'If he noticed that, Kim Dokja… what will you do now?'
Kim Dokja sighed and answered honestly,
"I did that because it's a habit of rats.
They don't eat their prey immediately.
They take it somewhere safe…
and store treasures and valuables there."
Then he glanced slightly at Gilyoung.
"Are you upset with me?"
The boy shook his head immediately.
"No. I'm not upset.
Hyung isn't good at lying…
and if you were really that kind of person, you wouldn't have saved me in the subway.
I trust you, hyung."
{Many constellations are moved and begin to shed tears}
{200 coins have been sponsored}
Arthur smiled lightly, enjoying the unfolding drama.
After a few moments, the three continued forward.
Gilyoung suddenly said,
"We're close…"
Then, seconds later, he spoke again, his eyes fixed sharply on Kim Dokja and Arthur:
"Are you… rulers? Or the main characters?"
Kim Dokja's expression stiffened immediately.
Truly sharp… Lee Gilyoung. Smarter than many adults.
Arthur, on the other hand, let out a low laugh.
"Kid, if I were the main character, would I be suffering like this all the time?
Or bargaining with constellations just for coins?
And if I were the main character…
I wouldn't need to wear this mask all the time."
His voice lowered slightly:
"I'm not the main character…
but I envy that person—and pity him at the same time."
This time, Kim Dokja spoke:
"And why do you envy and pity him?"
Arthur answered in a dark tone:
"I envy him because he's unbelievably powerful…
power enough to destroy the world if he wanted.
And I pity him because…
no matter how strong he is,
he loses in the end."
Kim Dokja's face froze.
'Arthur… don't tell me you…'
Arthur sighed softly, then felt a strange aura ahead.
At that same moment, Gilyoung spoke:
"We're here."
{Sub Scenario Updated}
{You have reached the Monster Rat Treasure Storage}
Kim Dokja immediately signaled, and they hid.
From inside, loud screams echoed.
Yoo Sangah and Han Myungoh…
were arguing, fear evident in their voices.
Arthur leaned close to Kim Dokja and whispered very quietly:
"Dokja… this place is saturated with black ether.
To an unnatural degree."
Kim Dokja observed the surroundings in surprise.
Arthur's senses… truly weren't normal.
He was right.
The entire place was covered in a shroud of darkness, saturated with dense black ether.
Kim Dokja gripped the weapon he had used before—
a solid piece, sword-sized, heavier and harder than metal.
He pulled it back with all his strength…
then threw it toward Han Myungoh.
It flew swiftly, embedding itself right beside his head.
At that moment—
The wall shattered.
And something else appeared.
Kim Dokja spoke steadily:
"When this much black ether gathers,
a Dark Wall Core forms.
And with the core…
comes the Guardian of Darkness."
A skeletal figure draped in a black cloak emerged.
It was the Guardian of Darkness.
Dark smoke rose from its eyes,
and the aura of death around it was suffocating and cruel.
Behind it, solid black tentacles extended—empty, yet terrifying.
{Sub Scenario Updated}
{Sub Scenario: Kill the Guardian}
The guardian moved slowly, as if it wasn't looking at anyone directly…
but sensing everything.
Kim Dokja moved calmly and freed the captives.
But the demonic guardian turned toward him immediately.
{The demonic guardian has received the favor of the demon king it serves}
The guardian opened its mouth, muttering incomprehensible words—
then a deadly wave of darkness exploded outward.
{The demonic guardian has released Death Aura}
Everyone collapsed under the weight of fear and pressure—
Everyone…
Except two.
Kim Dokja, who activated the Fourth Wall and resisted the aura.
And Arthur…
who remained standing, unaffected,
ready for battle.
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