The Dungeon Monsters Keep Offering Sacrifices

Chapter 9

EP.9 Golden Hunter of the Hunter Academy

Fifteen years ago, a major catastrophe occurred on Earth, and humanity faced a grave threat.

Monsters ran rampant, and in these dark times, Awakeners emerged like a ray of hope.

Around the time when their presence began to bring stability to the world, the government sought an effective way to nurture these Awakeners.

Hunter Academy.

Packaged as the nurturing grounds for Awakener hunters, the true motive was to attract substantial investments by emphasizing that, even though they had Awakener, if they died too quickly, it would result in a massive national loss.

Regardless of the actual agenda, the academy garnered significant support.

Who would oppose the idea of nurturing specialized hunters who would protect their lives?

The sentiment resonated across the political spectrum, and it didn’t take long from the establishment of the academy to admit its first batch of students.

And I am a graduate of Hunter Academy, known as the 4th generation Golden Hunter.

[Hunter Academy 4th Generation Graduate, Lee Kang Hyun]

Of course, I ranked last. Still, a graduate is a graduate.

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If I graduated as the last-place student from the Hunter Academy’s Golden Hunter program, it meant that there was a first-place student as well.

“Today, we have a very special guest. I’m sure you’re all curious about who it is.”

As the host spoke, the TV screen displayed the Top Graduate, who was about to appear.

“It’s none other than Kim Soo Ho, the Holy Knight who protects our country, just as his name suggests!”

The host’s announcement, along with prompting applause, created a lively atmosphere among the audience.

“Ha-ha-ha, it’s an honor to be welcomed.”

The young man with a somewhat ephemeral appearance smiled and spoke, prompting even louder applause.

With his light brown hair and a face that seemed evenly divided, along with his impressive skills, who wouldn’t like him?

Kim Soo Ho.

An A-ranked hunter.

The eldest son of the guild leader of the country’s top-ranked Divine Guild.

Top graduate of the 4th generation of Hunter Academy.

Just considering these credentials was awe-inspiring, yet, as always, life was unfair.

He had all of that and had even traveled to the El Dorad Continent, unlike me, who was kicked out for being incompetent.

Moreover, Kim Soo Ho had entered the continent’s only religious order, the White Order, and officially received the title of a Holy Knight.

It was well-known that he had received the Holy Sword during the process, even if it was a common-grade one.

Of course, the Holy Sword had a significant impact on his achievement of A-rank hunter status.

Since his return to Earth, it was only natural that he would be called a Holy Knight.

He even carried the title of a promising future leader for our country.

“Kim Soo Ho recently single-handedly conquered a C-rank dungeon, an incredible achievement…”

The host listed Kim Soo Ho’s achievements one by one, reminding the audience.

I had no intention of belittling his accomplishments.

Dungeons were places with many variables, and clearing a dungeon alone was an incredibly difficult feat.

Unless there was a severe gap in strength, it was nearly impossible.

However, defeating a C-rank dungeon alone was praiseworthy even to a kindergartener.

It was undoubtedly an achievement worthy of applause.

But still…

“Oh! By the way, there were rumors during your time at the Academy that you were known as an angel. It was said that you helped struggling fellow students. How did you…”

“Haha, an angel, you say? That’s not the case at all. I simply did what needed to be done.”

As Kim Soo Ho slightly stepped back, the host joked about being too modest, drawing laughter from the audience. It irritated me.

What? He was known as an angel during his time at the Academy? He helped struggling students? What nonsense…

I had a good reason to be so sure. If the Kim Soo Ho on the screen had really been that kind of person, I wouldn’t have spent my entire four years at the academy being beaten down.

He was a person deeply entrenched in an elitist mindset. Those without abilities were like insects to him, and he tried to squash me like a bug whenever he saw me.

I had endured my entire academic life receiving treatment that was less than human just to avoid getting kicked out.

“Well, could you send a message to the friend who received your help once? If that friend is watching the broadcast somewhere, they’d surely be delighted, right?”

No, not at all.

Far from feeling delighted, it made me nauseous. The host’s words had caused Kim Soo Ho’s lips to twitch slightly. Then he looked straight into the camera.

“Yeah. Hey, my friend, are you doing well? It’s been three years since we graduated from the academy. When can we meet up…”

Without listening to the end, I turned off the TV.

I didn’t need to hear that nonsense. Pretending to be good somewhere.

I’ll say it again, Kim Soo Ho occupied the position of the elite among the bullies who led violence within the academy.

Kim Soo Ho, who led violence within the academy, was now appearing on TV and talking like that? What a shameless guy. He had no conscience and had no qualms about speaking freely on television.

I wanted to write a revealing post about Kim Soo Ho on the internet right away.

If I had lost my rationality, I would have already written and uploaded it.

However, my rationality prevented me from taking action.

Whether in a regular school or at the Hunter Academy, the Awakener were top predators.

Even those who had been treated like me might become targets.

But staying quiet wasn’t because they were foolish. Among the Awakener, rankers were so powerful that ordinary people became powerless in their presence.

What would happen if I exposed what had happened to me in such a world?

Maybe if I were lucky, it would end with my death.

But the world wasn’t so kind.

What if I posted an article about Kim Soo Ho right now?

Immediately, it would gain attention.

But that would be it. Soon, the interest would wane, and Kim Soo Ho’s guild, the Divine Guild, would begin moving secretly.

I’d be dragged somewhere, and I might end up begging for death while being tortured.

The world was too harsh for a single topic to keep burning. Above all, those who protected people from monsters were Hunters.

If they were rejected, the consequences were evident.

Everyone knew that.

So, the past was just buried in one’s heart, and people like Kim Soo Ho went on living with a glorified image of the past.

“Sigh…”

I let out a sigh.

I resented myself for not being able to do anything even in this situation.

Even if the status window appeared late, I still couldn’t reach the level of Kim Soo Ho’s toes.

Just a few days ago, after receiving a magic power test, I met Kang Jin Soo, a fellow student.

He was in the lower-middle class during his time at the academy, but now he had become an existence beyond my reach.

He had become a government official working at the Awakening Center.

He didn’t do anything beyond speaking to me, but I felt powerless once again.

“Still, this is just the beginning.”

What gave me comfort was that at least the status window had appeared.

If it hadn’t, there would have been a 0% chance of catching up.

Now, even though it was a meager 0.1%, it was not impossible.

It might be a distant dream, but I still had the potential to become stronger.

So, now I needed to prepare. Hunting monsters immediately as an F-rank Hunter was impossible.

For the time being, I had to work as a porter to earn money. The money I earned would turn into equipment, and that equipment would be used to target the lives of monsters.

Dead monsters would leave me experience points.

Little by little, I would move forward. I would build my strength.

If the day came when I surpassed them, I would become the predator who devoured them.

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Celia was busy moving around the dungeon.

“Yes, please make this area a little wider and in a circular shape.”

A few days ago, she had successfully contracted with the Council, and construction was in full swing inside the dungeon.

Celia’s top priority was expanding the size of the dungeon. In her opinion, the dungeon had to be large in the first place.

That way, it would take time for intruders to reach the center of the dungeon, and she would have an easier time defending it.

To achieve her goal of expanding the dungeon, she had hired craftsmen affiliated with the Council. The labor force consisted of skeletons, orcs, golems, and the like.

The only individuals who could be considered craftsmen were two dwarves who served as overseers.

‘As expected, selling the Holy Knight was the right choice.’

The priest and the Holy Knight who dared to invade her master’s dungeon had done so without fear.

The priest had been offered as a sacrifice, and the Holy Knight had been left imprisoned in a dream.

The Holy Knight was somewhat of a nuisance.

Celia couldn’t release him, yet there was no clear way to make use of him.

Then, suddenly, Celia thought about selling the Holy Knight when she was doing business with the Council.

Celia also had some knowledge that humans were not a significant trading commodity from the Council’s perspective, as there were plenty of humans all over the continent.

However, humans belonging to organizations like the Holy Knights were different. They were considered rare and valuable commodities.

Furthermore, the Holy Knight she had prepared was in perfect condition, utterly flawless. Manipulating the dream had subdued him, so it made sense.

As expected, the Council expressed its intention to purchase the Holy Knight at the highest price. Celia then made a counteroffer.

She requested that the Council provide dwarves, including overseers, for the construction work she needed.

The Council, being profit-driven, was hesitant to readily dispatch premium labor like dwarves to a dungeon they were dealing with for the first time.

However, Celia managed to lure the dwarves into participating in the dungeon construction by using the Holy Knight as bait.

The presence of the dwarves had a significant impact.

Thanks to them, the construction time was drastically reduced, and the quality of the work improved considerably. Celia could feel the difference in real-time.

“Hehe, I hope Master is pleased with this.”

She couldn’t help but smile when she thought about the newly transformed dungeon.

Celia’s loyalty was unwaveringly devoted to Master. Therefore, she considered Master’s happiness to be her own happiness.

“That aside, it won’t be long now.”

In a few days, the concealment effect on the dungeon would end.

The ongoing dungeon construction was also expected to finish similarly soon.

On the day when all preparations were complete, Celia would commence her activities in earnest.

With the anticipation of being able to offer numerous sacrifices to the owner, her expression brightened even more.

“I will create the day when everyone looks up to our great Master.”

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