Novel Full Chapter 18: Chapter 18
Translated by: ShawnSuh
Edited by: SootyOwl
As Min Sung and Ho Sung went deeper into the dungeon, the number of undead soldiers increased drastically. Starting with one at first and three the second time, they were now facing eight undead soldiers at once Thankfully, having learned their fighting patterns, the increase in numbers hardly made a difference. Without hesitation, Min Sung walked unhurriedly toward the center of the group of the undead soldiers. Sure enough, spears imbued with glowing magical aura came at the champion from all directions. Seeing the champion surrounded by spears, doubt crept into Ho Sung’s mind.
‘What if this is it? What if he can’t get himself out of that?’
Of course, Ho Sung’s doubt quickly turned out to be unnecessary. The champion’s movements were beyond what a human mind could comprehend. Although they seemed slow on the surface, his movements were extremely refined as a result of his intense training. However, to an ordinary hunter like Ho Sung who didn’t recognize that, the champion’s movements were simply an object of marvel.
Despite the spears coming at him from all directions, Min Sung parried each of them with a short, swift movement of a mere dagger. Relaxed and stable, it almost seemed like a beautiful dance from a distance. Then, whenever his movements seemed to slow down, they were soon followed by yet another set of movements that were both as explosive and as fast as a lightning bolt. Then, a thought that should’ve struck him a long time ago finally occurred to him.
‘He’s toying with the Central Institute soldiers!’
“My God!”
Just like Ho Sung had thought, the champion was fighting against the undead soldiers in a light-hearted manner, with no sign of struggle. Although it would seem like Min Sung was just barely keeping his head above water, it wouldn’t be long until they realized that they were wrong and that the champion was merely “playing” with the undead soldiers just so that he could test his combat skills. When Ho Sung realized that, his awe quickly turned into shock.
—
‘I wonder just how much energy these miscellaneous types have?’ Min Sung thought. Commonly known as ‘aura’ on Earth, the streaks of lights that came out of Min Sung’s dagger and the spears of the undead soldiers were bursts of energy emanating from an enchanted weapon covered by an aura. However, that was hardly of importance in battles against the demons in the Demonic Realm. What really mattered there was the mindset. In order to have the mind-boggling experience of fighting beyond the capability of one’s body, one had to reach the epitome of one’s instincts and move on to a deeper understanding of combat.
‘That powerful sensation that feels like the universe is getting sucked into the palm of my hands, that strange feeling, like a microcosm exploding inside of me when I become one with the sword in my hand, if we were in a labyrinth of the highest possible difficulty, would I have experienced those things?’ Min Sung wondered. However, he shook his head shortly after, berating himself, ‘What am I thinking? I just got back to Earth. Let’s get this labyrinth over with.’
With that, he swung his crystal dagger horizontally, decapitating every undead soldier while they were frantically swung their weapons. Their bodies exploded, scattering an array of items on the ground. Paying no attention to them, Min Sung wiped the blood off his dagger.
—
‘Am I dreaming?’
Otherwise, the situation before his eyes wouldn’t make sense. It was so mind-boggling that should he look at it any longer, he thought he would lose his sanity. In a labyrinth of a difficulty that even the entirety of the Shadow Guild wouldn’t have been able to manage, the champion was moving forward unhesitantly, killing anything that got in his way as though swatting flies. As the thought that the champion might be a miscellaneous type became a certainty, Ho Sung shuddered. Although he had delighted in the hope that he would leave the dungeon alive and the fact that he had gained a level, those positive emotions turned into fear and awe. Miscellaneous types were those who were bold enough to tread into the realm of the gods. Now, there was one right in front of Ho Sung’s eyes breezing through the Hell labyrinth. Needless to say, Ho Sung couldn’t distinguish if he was dreaming or awake.
—
By the time the champion had slain the hundredth undead soldier, the labyrinth started to quake. Then, a massive magic circle appeared on the ground, and yet another monster appeared out of thin air. That time, it looked nothing like the undead soldiers.
‘Lv1,500 Lich: The Labyrinth’s Master’
Although it appeared much sooner than Min Sung and Ho Sung had expected, it was clearly a boss monster. At least two meters tall and dressed in a long tunic that was much larger than its skeletal physique, its blue, cold eyes glowed ominously.
“It seems like it wouldn’t be entirely accurate to call you human… What are you?” the Lich asked in an ominous voice.
“Well, I’m clearly not a monster like you, am I?” Min Sung replied. At which point, a puzzled look appeared on the Lich’s skeletal face.
“Fascinating. So, you ARE human, though you possess a power that far surpasses one.”
As if he couldn’t care less, Min Sung clenched the handle of his dagger tightly. Walking toward the Lich, he said, “Let’s get this over with, shall we? This place is gettin’ old.”
At that moment, Lich, The Labyrinth’s Master levitated and flew away from the champion, saying, “Your powers might be impressive, but you’re still only human. You will pay for setting foot in my labyrinth. I am the ruler of this place, and you will treat me as such. Now, die, and join my undead army that wanders the labyrinth for all eternity.”
With that, the Lich closed its eyes and started to chant a dark magic spell under his breath. At that moment, what looked like thick black smoke started to rise from the ground and coil around Min Sung’s ankles. Then, the Lich’s eyes turned black, triggering an explosion big enough to quake the entire labyrinth out of nowhere, which spread clouds of dust everywhere. A cold, mocking smile appeared on the Lich’s face. However, to its surprise, the champion, dusting himself off, walked out of the thick cloud of dust. Caught off guard by the unscathed champion, the Lich chanted yet another spell in a hurry, turning the black smoke into sharp blades and shooting them in the champion’s direction. Just like he had been doing, Min Sung swung his crystal dagger, and the lightning from the blade easily scattered the shards of black smoke. Then, he charged toward the Lich through the smoke and lodged his dagger in the Lich’s heart. Soon, a burst of energy exploded inside of the labyrinth’s master’s body, and it started to crack like grass.
“Impossible!” the Lich said in disbelief, its eyes widened. Just like that, its bodies shattered into blue shards that scattered into the air. Noticing something falling from the sky, Min Sung swung his hand and caught it swiftly.
[Lich: The Labyrinth’s Master has been slain!]
[Labyrinth cleared!]
[Congratulations! You’ve successfully cleared the labyrinth without the help of your party.]
[Title and Skills have been reset.]
[Difficulty adjusted for ‘Min Sung Kang.’]
[Act 2 Unlocked.]
[A Special Reward has been given to the champion.]
[‘Orichalcon Dagger’ rewarded for slaying Lich: The Labyrinth’s Master.]
As the mechanical voice faded, their surroundings also disappeared into the darkness, but soon, a large, velvet door appeared, spilling light through as it opened. Walking toward it, the champion said, “Hell labyrinth my ass,” and flung the door open irritably.
—
Upon exiting the labyrinth, Ho Sung blinked awkwardly at the sight of the trees and the sound of birds chirping. Everything felt surreal. Then, he looked at the champion next to him, whose title, level and name were no longer visible, just like a civilian. After clearing the labyrinth, he was no longer considered a hunter. Now, he was officially a miscellaneous type. At that moment…
“Hey.”
With the champion’s call, Ho Sung came to his senses, but with a sinking sensation in his chest.
“Y-yes, sir!?” Ho Sung replied.
“You picked everything up, right?”
“Yes, I have!”
“What’s this?”
“What’s what?”
“This.”
When Ho Sung looked in the direction at which Min Sung was pointing, he saw a small doll that resembled the Lich by the champion’s foot, scratching its head. To be more precise, it looked like a younger version of the monster.
“What the!? It’s moving! What is that!?” Ho Sung shouted, his eyes bulging out.
“So, you don’t know what it is either, huh?” Min Sung asked, and Ho Sung, looking like he had just seen a ghost, shook his head rapidly.
“I-I’ve never seen anything like it. What the hell is that thing!? Why is this doll moving on its own? Wait a minute! Maybe it’s an item. You should try touching it. It might tell us something.”
Then, Min Sung pushed the doll from behind with his foot. Startled, the doll looked up at the champion, and text appeared.
[Lich Doll. This familiar belongs to Min Sung Kang]
[Lv1]
[Grade: Legendary]
[HP 1,500]
[MP 4,000]
[Strength: 120, Dexterity: 97, Intelligence: 31, Luck: 59]
[Damage: 349, Defence: 337, Accuracy: 70, Chance to dodge: 86%, Elemental Resistance: 1,000]
[Property: Dark Magic]
[Special Ability: Revival]
“… That’s about it,” Min Sung said, and Ho Sung, looking dumbfounded, replied, “That’s one hell of an accessory. Better yet, it’s legendary!”
“If it has my name on it, does that mean I can’t throw it away?”
“Why would you wanna do that!?” Ho Sung asked, flabbergasted. Startled by Ho Sung’s voice, the Lich Doll jumped up to Min Sung’s belt and hung from it like a key chain. Despite the champion looking down at it with a disgruntled look on his face, the doll seemed to have no intention of letting go.
“If you wanna get rid of something with your name on it, you’ll need a special item to destroy it, but that won’t be necessary. Believe me, sir, that thing will come in VERY handy. It’s an item people can only dream of having. Besides, it might be the first of its kind.”
When Min Sung looked down at the doll, he saw that it was still hanging from his belt, swinging from side to side as if on a ride at an amusement park. Being about the size of the champion’s palm, the doll wasn’t particularly cumbersome. “I still don’t see why I should keep it,” he said, and the doll, buried its face on the champion’s shirt, shaking uncontrollably. Feeling as though he was dealing with an immature child, Min Sung sighed impatiently and said, “Let’s head down for now.”
With a dumbfounded look on his face, Ho Sung stared at the champion leading the way and the Lich Doll hanging from his belt, put his hand on his forehead and murmured, “What is happening right now? Not only did I get out of the labyrinth alive, but he’s a miscellaneous type? On top of that, an enchanted doll?!”