Chapter 98: Proving Worth (5)

Chapter 98: Proving Worth (5)

Not even half a day had passed before Kang-hoo and his party were already facing the last room.

It goes without saying.

The Death Knight that Kang-hoo had faced in the previous room of proliferation did not rise again after being defeated.

This was because Kang-hoo had focused on attacking the neck and then cleanly finished it off with Blood Flower.

A level of proficiency beyond the maximum. As an Ultimate skill, its power was formidable.

The strategy of speed had worked.

Thanks to this, Kang-hoo was able to raise his level to an impressive 98 before facing the last room.

Before entering, he had thought that reaching level 97 would be a significant achievement.

The abundance of experience gained through swift attacks alleviated his concerns.

At this rate, reaching level 99 seemed possible after tackling the last room.

If he meets Yun Sang-mi after conquering the maze dungeon and goes through the dungeon once more, reaching level 100 was guaranteed.

Silence of the Commanding Dead

Skill Proficiency: Lv Max

Consumes 10 mana per second to disguise as an undead, emitting their unique aura so as not to be detected.

However, beings with holy energy cannot use the Silence of the Commanding Dead.

I wont ever be in a situation where I cant use it, even if I were to die and come back.

Kang-hoo read the tooltip related to the skill Silence of the Commanding Dead he had stolen from the Death Knight and laughed.

Holy energy usually refers to divine power, also known as sacred power.

For example, the well-known Hunter Elizabeth, the Saint of Salvation, primarily uses sacred power.

She is also one of The Thirteen Stars.

Recalling memories related to sacred power naturally brought Elizabeth to mind.

Indeed, she was also one of The Thirteen Stars, probably becoming a member around this time.

However, it wasnt until 5 years from now that it became publicly known she was a member of The Thirteen Stars.

This was because she had perfectly disguised her identity and acted as the Saint whom people praised.

Anyway, 99.9% of hunters fight based on magic power, but there are exceptions like Elizabeth.

Dark Age.

Another thing that came to mind was the Dark Age.

If divine power represents light, then the Dark Age represents darkness.

The skill, Silence of the Commanding Dead, which belonged to the Death Knight, allowed one to indirectly experience the Dark Age.

While Silence of the Commanding Dead uses mana to disguise as undead,

the Dark Age inherently possesses the aura of the undead. In other words, Silence of the Commanding Dead offers a taste of it.

In the original work, the Dark Age was an unattainable dream. There was no being with the ability to steal it.

The concept of the Dark Age exists within the worlds setting.

In specialized dungeons or dungeons of a higher level than now, skills exclusive to the Dark Age often appear.

If one could steal those skills, they would be able to secure skills based on the Dark Age.

Being the Dimension Plunderer, Kang-hoo has the option to do so.

Meaning, other hunters, even if they know of the existence of Dark Age skills, cannot use them.

Then there must certainly be a skill that converts magic power into the Dark Age. Since Ive thought of that skill.

Kang-hoo trusted his subconscious.

As the original creator, his subconscious has shaped many elements of this world, even those he hadnt thought of.

Surely it exists.

And if he were to acquire the skill to convert to the Dark Age then his identity as a hunter would also change.

My writing wasnt too shabby. There are many usable settings. And quite a bit of plausibility.

Kang-hoo wiped the blood still clinging to his Blood Flower with a half-self-admiring (?) smile.

Yaaaawn

Just then,

the sound of Jeon Se-hyuk yawning, who had been sleeping in the previous room, was heard.

During their 30-minute rest, it seemed they opted for sleep to alleviate boredom.

Meanwhile,

Thanks to this, Kang-hoo easily inflicted a fatal wound on Dirude by swiftly moving to its back.

Although the battle against the boss monster ended anticlimactically, its significance was not to be taken lightly.

The mere possession of a skill that allows one to disguise oneself as undead was extremely rare.

Watching Dirude, who failed to recognize Kang-hoos presence until the end, Jeon Se-hyuk and Ban Se-yeong were astonished.

Dirude, which had followed their every move, completely ignored Kang-hoos actions.

Both understood that it was because Kang-hoo was treated as one of the undead. Thats why they were so surprised.

If he had been a dark mage or belonged to a buffer class with skills related to disguise, they might have understood.

But Kang-hoo was an assassin.

Moreover, it wasnt just a simple change in appearance; he had transformed his aura into that of an undead, hadnt he?

Exactly what skill did he obtain, and how did he manage to disguise himself so flawlessly? It was a mystery.

Even if they asked, he wouldnt reveal it, and not asking only made their curiosity grow.

Nevertheless, they succeeded in reaching level 99.

As promised, Ban Se-yeong handed over the hematite to Kang-hoo, and his collection of hematite reached a total of seven pieces.

Though they would disappear along with a skill upgrade as soon as he reached level 100,

Having seven pieces of hematite, which was difficult to obtain even one, was a significant asset.

Hematite was so valuable that not even a fortune could buy it. Thats how precious it was.

[After meticulously grading the entire dungeon's conquest process, you have been awarded an S+ rating.]

[In addition to the final rating, as a reward for successfully exploiting the shortcut route, you are provided with ten orange magic stones.]

Wow!

Wow. Is that a billion won?

At the moment the final reward was confirmed, including the previously awarded hematite, Ban Se-yeong and Jeon Se-hyuk exclaimed in astonishment.

The maximum reward they had received until now was two orange magic stones.

Which is worth two billion won in market value. It was not a small amount. It was indeed a huge gain.

But this time, they easily surpassed the maximum reward, receiving five times the compensation.

Kang-hoo tilted his head.

Is that a lot?

He wasnt pretending to be ignorant; he genuinely couldnt grasp the magnitude.

He had expected the reward to be satisfactory, but this was exceptionally generous.

Lets meet outside!

Jeon Se-hyuk immediately made his way to the dungeon exit.

As he had stated from the start, he had no interest in claiming the dungeons conquest process or its rewards.

He tactfully departed to avoid any discomfort, a testament to his good manners.

Just as Kang-hoo was about to discuss the distribution of the ten magic stones,

Ill take just one.

Ban Se-yeong spoke up first.

What seemed like a potential dispute over distribution was resolved in an instant.

Should one not refuse a favor?

Yet, Kang-hoo added an extra orange magic stone for Ban Se-yeong, keeping eight for himself.

There was a rationale behind his decision.

He could have taken nine orange magic stones, content with Ban Se-yeongs gesture

But he chose to reciprocate with another act of kindness, aiming to foster a beneficial relationship for the future.

It was an investment Kang-hoo was making in her, considering his limited opportunities for dungeon conquests.

As much as Jeon Se-hyuk could mitigate the dungeon issue to some degree, it was akin to bribery.

If offering a magic stone worth a billion won could secure multiple dungeon conquest opportunities?

Then it would be a bargain. Kang-hoo was thus looking at the bigger picture.

Meanwhile,

The orange magic stones acquired from the maze dungeon were all sold through a marketplace well-known to Jeon Se-hyuk.

Subsequently, his balance soared.

It became feasible to exchange for a second-grade weapon item without any trouble.