Episode 96

“Deal!”

With Ban Se-yeong’s agreement, the deal was struck—a significant wager involving the rare material known as Hematite.

She didn’t accept Kang-hoo’s proposal lightly.

The Expansion Room was a place Ban Se-yeong had visited several times before, alongside Jeon Se-hyuk and Park Dong-jae.

Even Jeon Se-hyuk, with his overwhelmingly superior stats, couldn’t match half the room’s expansion speed.

No amount of acceleration buffs and agility items could change the impossible.

Especially Park Dong-jae, who had a penchant for recording and analyzing data, concluded:

Only a professional assassin hunter, specializing in skills and beyond level 500, could possibly manage it.

Trusting this assessment, Ban Se-yeong had faith in Park Dong-jae’s judgment.

He was never off the mark. If he doubted his conclusions, he wouldn’t voice them at all.

Swoosh.

Instantly, the barrier blocking the path to the Expansion Room crumbled.

Pop!

Simultaneously, Ban Se-yeong made her way towards the previously mentioned one-man army point.

Securing that spot meant there were no issues with defense in the Expansion Room. Simply enduring was sufficient.

Meanwhile, Kang-hoo entered an accelerated state and immediately executed a leap.

Just as the 12m leap was concluding, he seamlessly used Shadow Step to continue his movement.

Upon activation, Shadow Step caused three shadows to extend forward from Kang-hoo’s body.

This move also had a leaping effect, with the shadows stretching about 8m in front instantly.

Using Leap consecutively places a significant strain on the body.

However, combining Leap, Shadow Step, and then Leap again significantly reduces this strain.

For instance, if the strain from the former sequence is considered a 10, the latter sequence only exerts about a 5.

Kang-hoo continued to intersperse acceleration skills between each move relentlessly.

Normally, this wouldn’t be a good choice.

The advantage of acceleration skills is that they can accelerate infinitely without limit, but that’s also their downside.

Because it mechanically applies acceleration, ignoring the physical limits the body can endure.

In other words, thoughtlessly using acceleration could result in the body not withstanding the pressure and breaking.

Breaking would be rather fortunate; unluckily, it could burst or be torn apart, leading to death, which wouldn’t be strange.

‘It’s starting to come.’

After using acceleration about five times, his body started sending signals.

It’s enough at this point. Going further will cause problems. Moderation is key.

But in a world where a single mistake could cost a life, where does ‘moderation’ fit?

It was a word that didn’t suit him. Living moderately means growing moderately and dying moderately.

He didn’t want to live that way.

The dystopian world was made bearable only by pushing to one’s limits.

The original creator filled it with a dark, damp worldview, filled with resolute determination.

Therefore, one must give their best at every moment. Only then can one grow and transcend a level.

At the same time.

“What’s with that guy? He’s scary…”

As Ban Se-yeong started to pick up speed, she saw Kang-hoo’s figure, which began to blur with afterimages.

Exaggerating a bit, it felt like a tail had formed behind Kang-hoo, like a comet.

Initially, she thought he was just fast, really fast, but now her impression changed to, is that even possible?

Indeed.

Kang-hoo seemed to have reached a realm beyond what a human, no, a hunter’s body could endure.

Looking back, Jeon Se-hyuk was also moving as far forward as allowed to observe the situation.

It was secondary whether the body could endure it; could the mind withstand the pressure of the skills?

No matter how you looked at it, Kang-hoo was using skills non-stop.

Skills always require mental focus, so continuously using them in such a manner made it impossible for the mind to endure.

Yet, from Ban Se-yeong’s perspective, there wasn’t a single hint of faltering in Kang-hoo’s figure.

Like a beast silently stalking its prey, Kang-hoo quietly pursued the increasingly distant altar.

“…….”

She had thought of and tested this method countless times.

Naturally, she had concluded it was absolutely impossible. At least, she never expected to experience it herself.

Flutter.

Her fingertips trembled.

Monsters were just starting to appear, swarming towards Ban Se-yeong.

These creatures could simply be dealt with one by one from the position she was holding.

Bang! Bang!

Ban Se-yeong mechanically pulled the trigger, keeping her eyes on Kang-hoo.

At some point, Kang-hoo’s surroundings blazed red. He had become faster.

For the first time since becoming a hunter, Ban Se-yeong found herself in disbelief at the capabilities of another hunter.

Through her growth to level 250, she had encountered many skilled hunters.

She had never thought their abilities were ‘impossible.’ Because they were hunters.

Being hunters meant turning the impossible into possible, and their abilities were thought to be limitless.

But Kang-hoo’s ability was an exception.

It was inconceivable for a hunter under level 100 to display such capabilities.

It was like.

Seeing a toddler who just learned to walk running 100m in under 10 seconds. That’s absurd, right?

Yet, that was happening with Kang-hoo.

‘I must be quite mad.’

At that time, Kang-hoo was smiling.

His body, which had reached its limit long ago, had been silently screaming for salvation.

His entire body felt like ice cream melting in intense heat.

Of course, the friction with the air, amplified by acceleration, was being withstood by a protective barrier.

However, the barrier didn’t free him from all pressure, just lessened it slightly.

The burden on the body was one thing, but the real issue lay in the pain from continuous skill usage.

Blackouts kept occurring; his vision turned completely black, and his brain felt as if it were about to burst.

“Ugh.”

Kang-hoo swallowed the cough that almost escaped. Even a minor cough would significantly disrupt him now.

As the pressure on both body and mind increased, paradoxically, he felt himself entering a state of trance.

He was devoid of thoughts.

Despite the acute mana sensitivity triggered by excessive mana use and his rapidly declining physical strength.

Strangely, his mind was clear.

The more intense and distinct the pain became, the clearer everything in the world seemed.

‘It feels like it’s going to burst, like I’m going to fall, but paradoxically, it seems like nothing will happen.’

That was his conviction.

It seemed as though his body and mind were reveling in this severity. An unbearable exhilaration, perhaps.

‘Madman.’

Kang-hoo thought of the word that suited him best and laughed.

By now, constellations were competing to send out messages.

He hadn’t looked at the content, but they were likely praises or astonishments for his far-surpassed limits.

And then, at some point.

The altar, which had only seemed to grow more distant, began to rapidly approach.

He had caught up with the room’s expansion rate and even surpassed it.

He pursued it stubbornly.

Focusing solely on one goal, he had no interest in anything else, not even his own body.

How long had he pursued?

The altar, which had rapidly approached as if fast-forwarded, was now right in front of him.

Thud!

Kang-hoo pressed the button on the altar. At that moment, everything in the dungeon stopped.

The endless expansion of the room, and the flow of monsters swarming towards Ban Se-yeong.

Everything turned into a handful of ashes, and that became the outcome for the two people in this room.

“Phew…”

Kang-hoo exhaled a hot breath.

At the same time, he felt the experience points from all the vanished monsters being settled all at once.

His level jumped to 96 in a flash.

Even though he had only conquered one room, his level had immediately climbed a step.

Usually, when approaching level 100, it was difficult to gain even one level from a single dungeon.

It’s not for nothing that hunters stake their lives on leveling up. It’s truly a long and arduous path.

“So… it is possible.”

Thump.

He slumped to the ground.

He was paying the price for pushing his body and mind to the extreme, beyond even the utmost limits.

Though he thought he had just slumped down, Kang-hoo’s gaze was now directed towards the sky.

His body, devoid of any strength, had succumbed to the flow of gravity.

After investing in stamina points as usual, Kang-hoo checked his status for the first time in a while. It was time for a mid-check.

‘Who would believe these stats belong to an assassin not even level 100?’

The corners of his mouth naturally lifted.

Thanks to his congenital mana hypersensitivity, he didn’t need to invest stats in mana.

He could focus all his growth energy on stamina.

His current stamina was much higher than that of a same-level tank-type swordsman who considers stamina their main stat.

It meant he could perform the tanking role even better than a same-level professional tank.

The same went for magic resistance and toughness.

The notable point is that Kang-hoo is neither a tank-type swordsman nor a hunter specialized in defense.

Yet, all related stats are high. Not to mention his countless skills.

For an ordinary hunter, a magic power of 20 might seem pitiful.

However, congenital mana hypersensitivity transformed this low total mana into an advantage rather than a drawback.

The Age of Barbarians, a berserker-exclusive skill acquired through a loophole, was the cherry on top. Who else could claim such a unique combination?

“One Hematite… secured.”

Clutching the blood dew tightly, Kang-hoo closed his eyes and whispered.

The bet with Ban Se-yeong was serious business.

The difference between upgrading a skill with a Hematite or not was truly significant.

It wouldn’t be surprising if that one skill ended up determining life or death later on.

Of course, Ban Se-yeong must have been confident she wouldn’t lose in this incredible bet.

He felt the dungeon’s breeze for a moment.

The scent of flowers in the wind, which he hadn’t noticed while running absorbed in a trance, now caught his attention.

Yes, it was the scent of dandelions.

The tickling at the tip of his nose was a very pleasant fragrance.

But it was too peaceful a scent for a dungeon filled with blood and flesh.

How much time had passed?

“Crazy brother! You’re really crazy! Even if it’s for a Hematite, to create such an unbelievable situation?”

“Put down the gun for now.”

Opening his eyes, Kang-hoo was startled to see Ban Se-yeong’s face upside down and the gun barrel right in front of him.

Ban Se-yeong was looking down at him with trembling eyes and hands.

Her gaze still couldn’t believe the situation.

Right.

It would be stranger to believe it.