Chapter 182: The Qualification Of A Friend (2)

Chapter 182: The Qualification Of A Friend (2)

“As expected.”

Kang-hoo laughed as he checked the notification on his suddenly buzzing smartphone.

It was because Takashi had sent a message through Huntergram. The content was as eccentric as Takashi himself.

-Hey, handle it like I asked.

-Oh, I sent this by mistake. I meant to send it to someone else. Sorry about that. Carry on.

It seemed he didn’t want to directly ask why there had been no contact, so he pretended it was a mistake.

“No fool would fall for such a clumsy act, but in this situation, it’s better to play along.”

Just as his laughter began to fade, another message popped up, making him chuckle again. Such a simple guy.

For the past week, Kang-hoo had been in a situation where he wanted to contact Takashi but couldn’t.

He was curious about the unresolved issues Takashi had left behind, yet he deliberately kept his distance.

It wasn’t a situation where he could meet Takashi just because he wanted to. For Kang-hoo, farming during the dark period was his top priority.

At that time, whether intentional or not, not contacting Takashi naturally turned into a game of push and pull.

It might seem odd to use the term ‘push and pull’ between two men, rather than between a man and a woman...

But if we’re talking about relationships between people, it’s clear that push and pull had worked to his advantage.

Right now, if you remove The Thirteen Stars from Takashi’s personal network, he would be completely alone.

It wasn’t surprising that loneliness clung to him like a passive skill. It was almost an inevitable outcome.

And so...

Kang-hoo pretended to fall for the content of the message and replied smoothly.

-Oh, I was so busy that I missed the chance to contact you. It’s great timing. How have you been?

He didn’t forget to boost Takashi’s pride a little. This much was easy.



Two hours later.

Kang-hoo was able to meet Takashi in a location not far from Osaka city.

Technically, he met Takashi’s clone, but seeing the clone was almost like seeing the real person.

The meeting place was in front of a slightly old, but still fairly well-maintained, five-story apartment building.

However, it didn’t seem like anyone lived there.

Usually, in such apartments, there’s a distinct human scent, but the surroundings were completely quiet.

As he wondered why, Takashi’s clone, standing next to Kang-hoo, spoke up.

“Several of the apartment’s front doors have become entrances directly connected to dungeons.”

“Did you buy the entire apartment?”

“That’s the conclusion, yes.”

“It’s the most certain way to manage a dungeon.”

Kang-hoo nodded as his question was answered.

This wasn’t an uncommon situation.

Dungeon entrances don’t always appear in predetermined places.

For example, they might appear in front of a subway exit or on an apartment rooftop.

In some cases, they even appear in the middle of a river or sea, which always makes access challenging.

“Convincing the last resident was the hardest part. But now that I’ve secured the entire dungeon, it’s fine.”

Takashi, with his arms crossed, nodded in satisfaction, which somehow looked amusing.

It seemed he wanted to boast but didn’t want to do so openly, yet he also wanted some reaction from Kang-hoo.

At this point, Kang-hoo was intentionally trying to dive into Takashi’s loneliness to strengthen their bond.

So, even though he understood Takashi’s ‘trivial’ intentions, Kang-hoo skillfully responded to his expectations.

“That’s impressive. By securing the area like this, it definitely makes it hard for other hunters to get involved.”

“If they interfere, they’ll all die.”

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Takashi swung his sword threateningly. His movements were indeed sharp—both light and destructive.

Takashi continued speaking.

“The dungeon connected to this apartment has a unique entry method. So, I’m having a bit of trouble with it.”

“Like what?”

“Depending on how you enter, the part of the dungeon you connect to changes. The scenery varies based on the method.”

Kang-hoo was certain.

There was an entity somewhere in the dungeon creating the flame swords, and the sword was falling at the farthest point from it.

Yes, it was a judgment based on the theory of patterns in all things that Takashi always insisted upon.

Sure enough.

Fsss.

The clone soon disappeared.

When Kang-hoo positioned himself at a distance, a connected ring of fire wrapped around him from somewhere.

Bang!

At the same time, Kang-hoo used Shadow Step to send a shadow trailing behind Takashi.

Then, just as the flame sword was fiercely plunging toward Kang-hoo’s main body from the air.

Flash!

Kang-hoo swapped places with the shadow. It was a perfect exchange.

He quickly moved out of the flame sword’s range, successfully handling the long-range pattern.

Afterward.

Kang-hoo’s ‘grind’ was repeated at regular intervals.

Each time the flame sword was about to fall, he would use his main body to ‘designate’ the target, then swap places with the shadow when the sword struck.

It was a process that needed to be repeated within 20 seconds, but Kang-hoo executed the pattern without complaint.

“Takashi, you’re testing me hard from the start? Well, this world is mine anyway.”

Kang-hoo laughed inwardly.

The numerous dungeons that appeared in the original work.

He had designed the patterns and content of the major dungeons, if not all of them.

Therefore, even if it was a pattern he had never experienced directly, he could quickly recognize and respond to it.

This time was no different.

From the moment he anticipated a long-range pattern, he immediately responded by using his skills.

If he had entered this dungeon without any thought, he might have been sliced in half and died right from the start.

Thinking about it, the situation was quite precarious. He could have lost his life.

Takashi must have known this.

He probably believed that only someone who could pass this level of test was qualified to get close to him.

If Kang-hoo didn’t have the skill to survive, there was no need to see more.

He wouldn’t have regretted it even if Kang-hoo had died. After all, he probably thought death was just a matter of time.

“I’ll show you.”

Kang-hoo began to speed up. The long-range flame sword pattern was now over.

What other pattern awaited him? It didn’t matter. He was ready to think on his feet.



“Interesting, this guy.”

As time passed, Takashi’s curiosity about Kang-hoo grew deeper. His intrigue only increased.

In fact, if Kang-hoo hadn’t responded properly to the pattern, Takashi was prepared to step in at any time.

Just as Kang-hoo had guessed, Takashi had already completed the pattern trials at various connected dungeon entrances.

He had given Kang-hoo bonus points right from the start when he used the cloning technique before entering.

Takashi liked Kang-hoo’s cautiousness, his refusal to take safety for granted, even when things appeared secure.

Next, Takashi was impressed when Kang-hoo recognized the long-range pattern as soon as he entered and used Shadow Step to deal with it.

It was also commendable how Kang-hoo continued to handle the long-range pattern every time the cooldown ended. He didn’t shirk responsibility.

Going forward, Kang-hoo continued to analyze the pattern, repeatedly moving closer and farther strategically.

At some point, he even began to lead Takashi, saying, “This direction is safe.”

“He’s as meticulous as me, or even more so. I really like this guy more than I thought.”

Takashi found himself increasingly attracted to Kang-hoo’s sharp and skillful handling of patterns as a hunter.

The theory of patterns in all things!

In the dungeon strategy theory that Takashi believed in, Kang-hoo was almost like a textbook.

It was as if he was the one who had designed this dungeon, considering even the smallest details in his response.

It was incredibly comfortable.