Levelling Up In An Exclusive Dungeon

Chapter 45

“Okay, I got it.”

Lucia listened intently as she received the full account from Kang Jin-hyuk and immediately sought out Jeong Dae-yun, her gaze sweeping around the area.

“The dinosaur pattern on the shoulder…”

Muttering to herself as she scanned the surroundings, Lucia belatedly realized something important.

“But what is a dinosaur?”

Having come from a different world, she had no knowledge of dinosaurs.

From the sounds of it, it seemed like some kind of creature similar to a dragon.

But there was too little information for her to conjure an image in her mind purely through imagination.

As she pondered whether to reconnect and ask for clarification, her eyes caught sight of a distinctive hunter.

This hunter bore a different emblem than Titan tattooed on his shoulder and was currently engaged in a fierce battle against those hunters who bore markings similar to her own.

“Is that the one Jin-hyuk saved?”

Just then, she noticed Jeong Dae-yun was in a precarious situation.

“That damned bastard!”

“Where the hell have you been? Have you teamed up with those Titans?!”

The Tyrant hunters, having spotted their traitor, lunged at Jeong Dae-yun with ferocity.

Meanwhile, the Titan hunters seemed to be thinking more about using Jeong Dae-yun as bait than actually helping him out, taking a step back.

Lucia felt relieved that she had found him before it was too late.

“Seriously, these Titans are really getting on my nerves.”

Even if they belonged to different guilds, weren’t they supposed to be fighting together?

Turning their backs on someone in danger was clear evidence that Titan was no organization worth trusting.

Lucia quickly raised her bow, drawing back the string just before the blade of a Tyrant fell toward Jeong Dae-yun.

For an ordinary person, it would have been too late by a long shot, but she was an exception.

For Lucia, the time needed for aiming was a fleeting instant, less than a second, just enough while she drew back the bowstring.

“Cough!”

A single arrow struck precisely between the eyes of the Tyrant attempting to behead Jeong Dae-yun.

The remaining Tyrant hunters were rendered speechless, unable to react, as one by one they were hit by her arrows.

Even with her stats significantly boosted from Alraune’s elixir, Lucia was merely targeting a moving target that was slightly faster than usual.

While Jeong Dae-yun and the Titan hunters were surprised by the sudden turn of events, Lucia descended from the tree silently.

Approaching Jeong Dae-yun, she conveyed Kang Jin-hyuk’s message in place of him.

“They said we’re at the final stage now.”

Jeong Dae-yun, momentarily dazed, quickly grasped her words and regained his composure.

“Aha! You must be the one Kang Jin-hyuk mentioned!”

An expert in archery, it appeared his reputation was well founded.

“It’s nice to meet you. I’m Jeong Dae-yun.”

“Yeah, yeah. No need for introductions; hurry up and do what you need to do.”

“Haha… understood.”

Confirming that Jeong Dae-yun was on his way, Lucia once again gripped her bow.

Her target was Ha Jin-hwan, who was currently clashing with Baek Jin-wook.

While Baek Jin-wook was rampaging with berserker skills, Ha Jin-hwan’s movements were nearly impossible to track.

Lucia quietly observed Ha Jin-hwan, predicting his next move.

Once she had an idea of where he would go, she drew the bowstring back and shot an arrow without hesitation.

The arrow zipped through the air, cutting against the wind, landing perfectly on target without a single miscalculation.

“Ugh!”

With his ankle pierced by the arrow, Ha Jin-hwan lost his footing, howling in agony.

At the moment he was dodging Baek Jin-wook’s axe, that little moment of hesitation had already cost him dearly.

Instinctively recognizing the opportunity, Baek Jin-wook swung his axe with all his strength in that brief moment.

“Raaah!”

As the axe cleaved through Ha Jin-hwan, from his left shoulder to his right side, blood erupted like a fountain.

With his vital organs crushed, Ha Jin-hwan collapsed, lifeless.

Confirming the death of his foe, Baek Jin-wook plunged his axe into the ground and howled triumphantly at the sky.

“Woaaaah!”

As Baek Jin-wook shouted his victory, the morale of the Titan hunters soared.

The Titan hunters, now emboldened, charged forward with renewed vigor while the remaining Tyrant hunters began to lose direction without their commander.

The balance of the battle shifted drastically in an instant.

“Ugh!”

“Cough!”

As two of his comrades fell under relentless attacks, only three Tyrant hunters remained.

Even bolstered by Alraune’s elixir, facing more than twenty hunters was far too overwhelming.

“What should we do?”

“What do you mean? We need to survive!”

“Damn it!”

With no other option, the surviving Tyrant hunters chose to retreat.

Believing their stats had doubled, they thought fleeing would allow them to escape the pursuing Titan hunters.

Detecting the sudden retreat, Han Young-seok quickly shouted as he discerned their strategy.

“They’re trying to escape! Don’t let them get away!”

If they fled and reported back, it would be the start of a war.

With the guild leader currently overseas, if the war was initiated, Titan would undoubtedly be thoroughly crushed.

“It’s crucial to stop them!”

In response to Han Young-seok’s desperate shout, the Titan magicians fired off their spells towards the fleeing hunters.

Yet, the remaining Tyrant hunters had already started to move before the spells could reach them.

“If this keeps up, they’ll escape before we can hit them!”

Frustrated, Lucia gritted her teeth and lifted her bow once more.

“Those guys are nothing without me.”

Taking three arrows from her quiver, she strung them all at once to prepare for a volley.

As the arrows flew out simultaneously, they fanned out in a wide circle, targeting the fleeing hunters.

The Tyrant hunters may have been fast, but evading three arrows at once was beyond their capabilities.

One by one, the hunters collapsed, each clutching their right thighs as they fell to the ground.

As if they had all rehearsed the act, they collapsed in unison while the spells from the magicians rained down upon them.

Boom!

A massive column of fire erupted in a breathtaking explosion, dramatic in scale.

“There’s no need to search for their bodies.”

The exceptional eyesight of the half-elf easily caught glimpses of the flesh flying through the air amidst the flames.

Having spent her life as an adventurer, she was accustomed to such sights, even if they were unpleasant.

Not wanting to feel nauseous, Lucia turned her gaze and noticed Han Young-seok, who was laughing while clapping his hands.

“Hahaha! Well done! Good job!”

Unbeknownst to him, he was spitting as he continued to laugh, and his demeanor was just as unpleasant.

Approaching Han Young-seok, Jeong Dae-yun bore a serious expression on his face.

“This isn’t the time to rejoice. We need to escape immediately!”

“What do you mean escape? We must investigate the building that the Tyrant is guarding right now!”

Han Young-seok was entirely resolute, believing the Alraune’s elixir was hidden within that very building.

“What if Alraune has already completed its Hwandan?”

There was little doubt in his mind that Alraune was concealed within that structure.

“Should we not investigate?”

“No! We have no time for that!”

Jeong Dae-yun blocked the retreating hunters, arms wide open to prevent them from moving forward.

“Are you insane!”

Han Young-seok furiously grasped his collar.

“Are you going to cover for the guild now!?”

“No, that’s not it!”

“Then what’s this bullshit?”

“It seems the guild leader is on the way with support troops!”

“What?!”

“If we hesitate, we might have to fight Tyrant directly!”

With those words, Han Young-seok slumped down, his legs giving way beneath him.

“Seriously?”

“Yeah, the higher-ups don’t know I’ve already betrayed them. They ordered me to stall until the guild leader arrives.”

With his head in his hands, Han Young-seok contemplated the implications.

Jo Won-cheol, the guild leader of Tyrant.

He stood as the second strongest among S-ranked hunters in Korea and was a force to be reckoned with.

Even with Seo Sang-ho on their side, those fewer than fifty A-ranked hunters would face him?

It would be far better to throw oneself into a raging inferno, he thought.

‘What if he’s lying?’

Peering through the situation, hoping for a glimmer of light, Han Young-seok took in the sight of Jeong Dae-yun.

His expression was tense, yet he didn’t seem like someone who would lie about this.

‘But… what if I’m wrong?’

Han Young-seok directed a desperate gaze to the guild, ordering scouts to investigate quietly.

The scouts departed stealthily, moving towards the direction Jeong Dae-yun indicated.

As time passed, Han Young-seok’s heart raced with anticipation.

Please let it be a lie…

He did not believe returning empty-handed would turn out well.

While he pined for luck, the scouts reached out with urgent reports.

Upon hearing this, Han Young-seok’s hopes shattered in an instant.

‘If Alraune’s Hwandan is really there, they might be thinking of eradicating everyone to cover their tracks!’

Jo Won-cheol was precisely the type who would carry out such measures without hesitation.

“Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!!”

He could not risk so much with everything at stake!

As he bit his lip, Han Young-seok wrestled with two options.

The battle was all but won, yet to retreat without any spoils was an unthinkable loss.

In the end, he bit his lips so hard they bled.

It was incredibly unfair to walk away from a hard-fought battle with nothing to show for it.

No one among Titan’s hunters was willing to risk standing up against Jo Won-cheol.

With Jeong Dae-yun’s warning echoing in his mind, Han Young-seok understood there were no courageous fighters present.

“What about you? Are you going to join us or stay?”

In response to Han Young-seok’s question, Jeong Dae-yun shook his head.

“I’ll stay back as an alibi.”

“An alibi?”

“If I were to disappear right now, it might lead Tyrant to suspect I’m involved. So I’ll stay and provide false reports instead.”

“So, you’re saying you intend to frame somebody else for this?”

“Precisely.”

Han Young-seok admired Jeong Dae-yun’s cleverness.

If they could pin the blame on another, the Titans could avoid conflict.

Realizing the plan, a thought occurred to Han Young-seok.

“How about mentioning Kang Jin-hyuk’s name? He should still be in that building.”

“…I’ll consider it.”

“This is likely the most effective suggestion. Be sure to seriously weigh it.”

At that moment, Han Young-seok had a fleeting realization.

He noticed Lucia lurking far off in the distance.

Relieved that she didn’t seem to overhear their conversation, he felt slightly less anxious.

“Then I’ll trust you on this.”

Han Young-seok gently clapped Jeong Dae-yun’s shoulder to show his reliance on him.

But inwardly, he didn’t hold much faith in him.

While they weren’t fools, would Jo Won-cheol fall for such a far-fetched tale?

‘He’ll definitely try to extract the truth through torture.’

It was impossible to predict how long Jeong Dae-yun would hold up under such pressure.

Since he had already betrayed his guild once, he might crack easily with a little coaxing.

Therefore, it dawned on Han Young-seok that preparing for an all-out war was the best course of action.

‘Ultimately, the advantage lies with us.’

With the information gathered from exploring Tyrant’s base, coupled with the hostages they secured,

it wouldn’t be hard to ruin Tyrant’s image.

Even if Tyrant declared war in retaliation, public sentiment would surely turn against them in the aftermath.

‘Before it’s too late, I need to finalize that contract with the S-rank hunter I’m currently negotiating with.’

Han Young-seok’s mind drifted to the S-rank hunter busily preparing their weapons.

If he could successfully recruit that hunter, Tyrant would hold its ground.

By enduring the initial onslaught from Tyrant and rallying other guilds together under a common cause,

they could counter Tyrant, uniting against the common enemy!

“Ahahaha.”

Han Young-seok envisioned the vast rewards he would reap from dismantling Tyrant.

Even if he failed to acquire Alraune’s resources, the gains would still be tremendous.

There was no sense in greedily draining resources that would weaken them.

Thus, Han Young-seok sought to appease his restless heart.

“Let’s withdraw for now! Move quickly!”

To hasten their retreat, Han Young-seok began to coordinate with his guildmates.

They cleared out the chaotic battlefield wrought with magic, ensuring Titan’s traces disappeared as much as possible.

In the rush to complete everything before Tyrant’s reinforcements arrived, Titans struggled, tending to their wounds as they rushed.

While the guild members worked tirelessly to recover and retreat, Han Young-seok approached Lucia, who remained distant.

“Your companion is still in the building. Something must have happened…”

“Perhaps they’re searching for treasure or something.”

Lucia responded mockingly, employing honorifics she rarely used, catching Han Young-seok off guard.

Hearing that Kang Jin-hyuk had successfully acquired Alraune’s elixirs caused him immense frustration.

‘It could be anyone else, but why him…!’

Kang Jin-hyuk had dealt with Han Young-seok’s previously favored subordinates and had even snatched the new monster for himself, becoming an eyesore.

For him to possess Alraune’s elixir only solidified Han Young-seok’s disdain.

‘It doesn’t matter if he holds it—Jo Won-cheol will undoubtedly take it back.’

Since an item like an elixir could double stats permanently, once Jo Won-cheol was made aware, he’d undoubtedly hunt Kang Jin-hyuk down.

Kang Jin-hyuk could put on a strong front as a C-rank hunter, but to an S-rank, he was just a babe in the woods.

Considering Jeong Dae-yun’s plan to shift the blame onto him, there was no way Kang Jin-hyuk could escape unscathed.

“Too much greed can lead to ruin.”

“Your warnings are sufficient; now focus on your work.”

“Psh… they’re all tightly clustered in their own groups.”

Disregarding Han Young-seok’s annoyed responses, he turned his back on him.

He had hoped to recruit her due to her exceptional archery skills, but dealing with someone so insolent was infinitely more exhausting.

“It’s your choice to stay and die; I have no care left for you.”

As soon as Titan’s members finished their preparations, Han Young-seok slipped away.

Just like a ghost disappearing without a trace.

These seasoned hunters left no clues that might give away their actions.

Without testimonies, no one would suspect Titan of involvement in the corpses left behind.

In the desolate rural setting devoid of even a convenience store, after Jeong Dae-yun and Lucia, no signs of life remained.

Jeong Dae-yun cautiously surveyed the area, ensuring no threats lurked before bursting into laughter.

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