Chapter 54: Chapter 54

Leveling Up In An Exclusive Dungeon chapter 54

In the blink of an eye, two of the companions were knocked down and lying on the ground.

And it was all just from a single opponent.

“It seems the rumor about him possibly being a hidden class was true.”

From the moment Kang Jin-hyuk captured the new monster, suspicions circulated that he wasn’t an ordinary hunter.

Most hunters denied it, saying that it was merely luck.

The hunters from Titan shared that sentiment too.

They believed the capture of the new monster was thanks to Seo Sang-ho’s assistance and insisted that it couldn’t have been solely due to Kang Jin-hyuk’s abilities.

However, experiencing it firsthand changed their minds.

“That red aura is a hidden skill, isn’t it?”

A hunter from Titan raised his finger and pointed towards the aura swirling around Kang Jin-hyuk’s bat.

Having spent a long time as a hunter, he had witnessed many skills used by various classes.

Yet, none had skills like Kang Jin-hyuk.

His skepticism grew, knowing this was a skill he had never seen before, one that even his veteran status didn’t yield.

“Why should I tell you anything like that?”

Kang Jin-hyuk smirked deliberately, trying to provoke his opponent further.

With a flourish, he swung his baseball bat and closed the distance slowly.

“What will you do now that you’re the last one standing? Are you going to run? Or will you fight?”

As Kang Jin-hyuk’s question hung in the air, the fallen companions turned their gaze to the last remaining Titan hunter.

They wanted to run away, yet with the other two watching, they couldn’t afford to look cowardly.

If they fled and the other two reported that they abandoned their mates, they would likely be kicked out from the guild.

“Dammit!”

The Titan hunter readied his most powerful skill.

He focused his legs, crouching to leap forward, causing a small crater to form beneath him.

Seeing the ground cave in made Kang Jin-hyuk’s eyes widen.

“What the hell is he doing?!”

The composure he had shown just moments ago evaporated.

The Titan hunter stiffened as he faced the intimidating aura of Kang Jin-hyuk lunging at him like a raging bull.

“Wait…!”

He desperately wanted to at least use his skill.

However, before he could finish his plea, Kang Jin-hyuk’s fist collided with his face.

* * *

The three Titan hunters, lying on the floor, could finally stand on both legs thanks to the potion Kang Jin-hyuk gave them.

However, there was not enough medicine provided to heal all their wounds.

Covered in blood, the hunters knelt in the middle of the living room.

Kang Jin-hyuk brought over a chair, sat down with the baseball bat in hand, and surveyed them silently.

As the heavy silence stretched on, Kang Jin-hyuk broke it first.

“Why did you make such a fuss searching for Seo Sang-ho?”

“…”

“Not going to talk?”

When he raised the baseball bat slightly, the hunters instinctively flinched.

Having received only one hit, the pain and fear were already deeply etched in their minds.

“I-I can’t say anything without getting killed…”

“And if you don’t say anything, you’ll die right now.”

“Please! Let us live!”

With no good options, the hunters bowed their heads, tears streaming down their faces.

“We were wrong! Just give us one chance!”

“We won’t mess with you again!”

It was humiliating to plead for their lives in front of a C-rank hunter when they were part of a guild.

However, the Titan hunters didn’t care about that at all.

Kang Jin-hyuk might be lower in rank, but he easily surpassed them as an A-rank hunter.

Begging for mercy in front of someone stronger was nothing to be ashamed of.

“What did you do wrong?”

“What?”

“I asked what you did wrong.”

Hearing Kang Jin-hyuk’s words, the three hunters felt a familiar smell of reprimand from their military days.

They never imagined this would resurface even after entering society.

“We, um… trespassed into your house without permission.”

“And?”

“We acted out of place and provoked you!”

“And?”

As the first two hunters spoke, they both looked at the one who had yet to say anything.

Under the scrutiny of his companions and Kang Jin-hyuk, the third hunter began to sweat profusely.

He racked his brain but couldn’t come up with anything due to his nervousness.

After a long silence, Kang Jin-hyuk’s patience wore thin, and he furiously questioned further.

“Can’t you see what’s right in front of you?!”

With a fierce gesture, Kang Jin-hyuk pointed to the small crater in the middle of the living room.

“What about that?! Huh?!”

“I’m sorry!”

“Sorry isn’t enough! What are you going to do about it?!”

“Please forgive us! We’ll take care of it! We’ll compensate you!”

Kang Jin-hyuk hesitated for a moment before going through the money the hunter displayed, confirming he could indeed cover the damages.

With a cough to clear his throat, he regained his composure.

“I don’t plan on causing any trouble either. But if you’re suspicious, feel free to search the house.”

“Um? Why would you say that…?”

“If you can’t find anything, then you’ll keep your mouth shut about what happened here today. How’s that for a give-and-take?”

The Titan hunters exchanged glances and all nodded in agreement.

“That works for us.”

They didn’t want to expose the fact that one of their members was beaten while searching for Seo Sang-ho.

It would only bring shame to the guild.

The Titan hunters cautiously stood up and began searching Kang Jin-hyuk’s home.

After checking all reachable places, they found nothing of interest.

The final place for an inspection was the attic.

Unless Kang Jin-hyuk opened the door, it would merely appear as an ordinary attic.

Confirming it was just filled with junk, the Titan hunters bowed deeply.

“We truly apologize for being suspicious!”

“We’ll keep today’s events quiet for sure.”

Concerned that a moment of impulse might lead to another misstep, the Titan hunters continuously bowed until they left.

When calm finally returned to the house, Kang Jin-hyuk let out a long sigh, showing signs of weariness.

“I’ll just ask Seo Sang-ho directly what happened… no need to stir up trouble here.”

Even if there’s no chance of being discovered hidden in the dungeon, confronting a large guild openly was dangerous.

Kang Jin-hyuk had no intention of throwing himself headlong into this extremely precarious situation.

“Now, shall we visit the actual person involved?”

Kang Jin-hyuk opened the attic door and entered the dungeon.

The figure of Seo Sang-ho, whom he had tossed out earlier, was nowhere to be found.

From the lack of leftover meat or bones, it seemed he hadn’t been eaten by goblins.

“Looks like the old man does fulfill his promises.”

Though unkind to elves, the dwarf was indeed a good-hearted individual.

Rushing towards the dwarf’s workshop, Kang Jin-hyuk found Seo Sang-ho laid out on the table, as anticipated.

“What kind of man just tosses an injured patient aside?!”

The small dwarf leaped up and swung his fist down on Kang Jin-hyuk’s head.

“Aaargh!”

The force felt like a hammer smashing down, leaving him momentarily stunned and his knees nearly buckled.

While Kang Jin-hyuk crouched down, he noticed Seo Sang-ho completely wrapped in bandages.

“I’m sorry. I had to leave quickly because there were people chasing me.”

“Then how did he end up like this? Is he a fugitive?”

“It’s probably not like that. I think I should hear the details directly.”

Based on his condition, it didn’t look like he’d wake up immediately.

There was no point in forcibly waking him, so getting the details would have to wait.

“He’ll wake up later.”

“That’s going to be tough.”

The dwarf wore a serious expression as he looked at Seo Sang-ho.

“It’s tough because it’s an emergency.”

Seo Sang-ho’s health had not improved at all.

Despite the numerous potions used, he looked even paler than when he was first found.

“Is he losing too much blood?”

“No, it appears he’s been poisoned.”

“Poisoned?!”

Kang Jin-hyuk finally understood why only three S-rank hunters had failed to shake off a pursuer and had fled in such a manner.

If the poison had severely wounded him, then not even an S-rank hunter would be able to perform at their best.

“What kind of poison is it?”

“Do I look like a doctor to you? I don’t know the specifics.”

“Maybe Lucia would know.”

“Ha! What difference does it make to know? She undoubtedly only has basic knowledge at best.”

“You’re just being prejudiced.”

Kang Jin-hyuk turned around abruptly at the sudden voice.

Just then, Lucia, who had been investigating a magic circle on the second floor, stood in front of the dwarf’s workshop.

“Why are you here again, you little ear freak?”

“It’s none of your business, so stay out of it.”

Lucia pulled out an empty candy wrapper from her bag and threw it at Kang Jin-hyuk.

“I’m out of candy. Go buy more.”

“Did you eat all of it in one day?!”

“Don’t talk back. Go hurry and get it, or I might just explode!”

Once addicted to sugar, Lucia would no doubt face severe withdrawal symptoms without any candy.

It seemed that without her sugar fix, her concentration waned, and her body grew jittery.

“Shouldn’t you be the one going to a hospital?”

Kang Jin-hyuk couldn’t help but think that Lucia might need medical attention before Seo Sang-ho.

Though it might be hard to get accurate test results on a half-elf, the implications were serious anyway.

“Do you think I would need one for just a little sugar?”n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

As Lucia’s voice entered his ears, Kang Jin-hyuk noticed she had arrived in front of him.

“Hey! The elder dwarf!”

Glimpsing the angle of the dwarf, Kang Jin-hyuk could tell he was clearly holding a weapon.

“Is it about the poison?”

“That’s right.”

Hearing Lucia’s response, a serious expression crossed the dwarf’s face.

“Do you know what kind of poison he’s afflicted with?”

“Yes, I know.”

Kang Jin-hyuk’s heart raced, recalling the constant chatter about that particular poison.

“It’s Basilisk poison. To obtain the antidote, you must capture the creature, but the monster is not found in this dungeon.”

Hearing the name made Kang Jin-hyuk forget to breathe.

Basilisk poison could quickly incapacitate even a large monster and lead to death.

The fact that Seo Sang-ho was somehow still alive hinted at a miracle as unexpected.

“Can we go out and catch one right now?”

“That’s impossible. There are people chasing him.”

Lucia heard the exchange between the dwarf and Kang Jin-hyuk during her time in the workshop.

In a situation where there were pursuers after Seo Sang-ho, searching for such a rare antidote would put them all at risk.

“Looking at his condition, he’s got about 20 minutes left. Can you find the antidote in that time?”

“…….”

There was no way that was possible.

Searching for where the Basilisk might appear while eluding Titan’s pursuers felt impossible, just naming it made it seem like a distant fantasy.

Yet, Kang Jin-hyuk couldn’t just stand by and let someone die.

“I will do everything I can.”

With a resolution in place, he set his mind to seeking out a way to achieve that goal, even at a high price.

First, Kang Jin-hyuk needed to get out of the dungeon and search for any information regarding the Basilisk’s appearance.

“Maybe there’s still some antidote left at the market?”

Searching online, Kang Jin-hyuk sighed as he pressed his forehead.

It was as if someone had emptied the stocks in their shopping mall; every antidote was sold out.

“What about Lee Jun-cheol?”

Searching for the underworld felt risky, but his potential connections didn’t just appear in thin air.

The moment he dug into his father’s contact book for the first time, the screen flipped unexpectedly.

His phone rang loudly, and the name appearing on the display brought hope.

Could it mean that he still had a chance? Perhaps it wasn’t too late after all.