Chapter 41: I will take away everything you have

It was only natural that China challenged again.

The pride that the Chinese Hunter Association President held for his country was well known through the media.

Among all the countries, the Chinese Association President despised Korea the most.

And now, with Korea having wiped out not only the 11th Floor they held but also the entire Purification Sect, it was strange that China was still silent.

“They’ve held out longer than expected.”

I thought they would have attacked immediately, but it seemed they needed time to prepare, so they hadn’t made a move yet.

It was obvious—they were raising a specialist to catch me.

No ordinary person would be able to catch me.

“That’s something only China could do.”

China had so many resources that if they wanted, they could produce S-rank Hunters by the dozen.

They never officially announced it, but the conditions they offered when recruiting prospects were extraordinary.

S-rank Skillbooks and Potions were just the baseline of their deals.

Some countries even claimed China spread false information to attract more talent, but China was simply too powerful for that to be a lie.

Among the S-rank Hunters China possessed, three were known as the Twelve Constellations—Hunters on a level of national power.

The dungeons they raided were either S-rank or Red Dungeons, so the wealth they accumulated was massive.

It was more surprising if they couldn’t produce S-rank Hunters.

That’s why the upcoming Stair War was even more anticipated.

“Did they at least secure one S-rank Skillbook?”

I smirked at the thought of feeding off the Hunters China had painstakingly raised.

[Stair War begins.]
[Please set the penalty to be applied to the challenger.]

White letters appeared on a black background.

There were many types of penalties, but without knowing the enemy, the choices were limited.

[Challenge alone without assistance.]

I chose the one that Lee Gak, the Purification Sect Leader, had used against me.

[Please select the war type.]
[Occupation Battle, All-Out War, Defense Battle.]

For a quick and intense resolution, All-Out War was best.

[All-Out War selected.]
[Moving to the battlefield.]

Whoosh!

The white light faded, revealing the scenery of the Labyrinth 11th Floor.

The small tower right in front, the vast field stretching out, and the forest beyond—it was the exact place where I had faced Lee Gak, the Purification Sect Leader.

[The war type is All-Out War.]
[Battle continues until one side is completely annihilated.]
[No time limit.]

The message disappeared as a breeze blew.

Feeling the cool wind, I prepared to face my opponent.

I first put on the Dokkaebi Mask and used magic.

“Absolute Barrier.”

The defensive spell was far sturdier than before, with improved mana efficiency. I layered five barriers in total.

That meant I could block at least five critical strikes.

I couldn’t go beyond this, though—the understanding of the magic limited me. Forcing it would break the five existing barriers.

“Perception.”

I spread mana in all directions to gather information.

I sensed the enemy’s presence. Someone was running fast from the forest.

“They’re strong.”

They carried a tremendous amount of mana—felt like they had consumed dozens of Potions.

The enemy’s immense mana vanished in an instant, and a change happened around me.

It was as if my eyes were painted black with ink.

Everything around me turned pitch black; I couldn’t see a thing.

“It’s not a curse or poison.”

Because of the Imprint of Dragon God’s Body, I wasn’t susceptible to status ailments.

This was genuine darkness brought on by an Artifact or Skill.

Either the moon was blocked or darkness was summoned.

If they created this environment, it was highly probable they were skilled in assassin-type skills and combat.

Focusing on Perception magic, I continued to track their movements.

“Gone?”

Suddenly, the enemy vanished from the Perception magic.

Not long after, something struck the Absolute Barrier.

Clang!

“A barrier?”

I heard the enemy’s voice nearby.

Using mana from the Dragon Heart, I cast a spell.

“Light.”

A flash of bright light erupted.

Beyond the glow, I saw a man desperately putting distance between us.

He was of average height with a lean frame.

His eyes slightly upturned, giving him a fierce expression.

I activated Golden Dragon Eye.

[Using Golden Dragon Eye.]
[Small Blood Demon Mujin (S)]
—One of the last disciples of the Blood Demon, one of the Twelve Constellations.
—Enjoying himself.
—Overall stats: S
—Potential: SS
—Items: Dagger of Starving Blood (S), Blood Lord’s Artifact Set (SS), High-Grade Leather Armor Set (S), Ring of Lakkas’ Darkness (SS) … Thunder Dragon Elixir.
—Skills: Stealth (SS), Assassination (A), Critical Strike (S), Blessing of Darkness (SS), Silent Step (S) … Resonance of Blood (A).

They really went all out preparing this one.

Several SS-rank skills and SS-rank equipment pieces.

“Dokkaebi?”

As Mujin’s voice echoed, the light I created was swallowed by the darkness.

“How did you get here?”

“What difference would it make if you knew?”

“…None. You’re going to die anyway.”

His voice was a bit excited as Mujin moved.

Clang!

Mujin’s dagger struck the barrier again.

I used mana from the Dragon Heart to rebuild the barrier.

Then, I calmly assessed his power.

The moment I briefly lost track of him earlier was due to Stealth, and the darkness was probably summoned with the Ring of Lakkas’ Darkness.

“They’re keeping Blessing of Darkness constantly active.”

Since that skill gives a powerful buff in darkness and is usually only usable at night, covering it with SS-rank items made it possible.

It was a strategy to offset the Maze Master buff I had.

Now both sides had buffs, so it was a pure skill battle.

Clang! Clang!

Mujin’s rapid strikes shattered two layers of my barrier.

Critical strikes combined with assassination effects.

Plus, the S-rank dagger meant his power was no joke.

“How long are you going to keep blocking? Why don’t you bring out those fancy summoned beasts of yours?”

“That’d be too easy.”

“Then die an easy death.”

“Fire Buster.”

A powerful explosion erupted around me.

Kraaaang!

Flames spread in all directions, briefly illuminating everything.

Whether or not I used magic, Mujin charged at me.

His High-Grade equipment protected him from my magic.

Clang! Clang!

He swiftly slashed, breaking through the Absolute Barrier.

Every time he broke a layer, I rebuilt it.

This was now a breeze.

While blocking Mujin’s attacks with the Absolute Barrier, I considered how to dispel this darkness.

Either completely dispel it…

Or go inside it myself.

“Let’s go in.”

After trying Light magic, I found no quick way to dispel the darkness.

But entering it was simple.

Using my understanding of darkness, I twisted the laws of magic I knew and blended in darkness attributes.

A spell that allowed me to see objects inside darkness.

“Dark Eye.”

A tiny light illuminated the inside, revealing everything within the darkness.

Clang! Clang!

Mujin’s strikes slowed, and he panted heavily.

Seeing he looked slightly exhausted, I fired Ice Arrows to cool him off.

Five arrows appeared in midair, aiming at Mujin.

Shaaak!

Mujin seemed to see clearly even in the darkness and dodged all the Ice Arrows, widening the distance.

“Now it’s my turn. Watch closely.”

Drawing mana from the Dragon Heart, I spread my hands wide.

Various magic circles appeared everywhere.

Countless Ice Arrows rained down on Mujin, while explosions erupted repeatedly from the magic circles drawn on the ground.

Boom! Boom!

He still had stamina, dodging and deflecting my spells as he gradually closed in.

“Raging Storm.”

I summoned a rapidly spinning tornado and hurled it forward. The strong wind pressure pushed Mujin back.

He lost his balance and staggered, falling back.

The darkness vanished, revealing the original scenery.

“So it only works within a certain range.”

The darkness returned as he got closer, covering the area once more.

And Mujin was within it.

“How dare you toy with me!”

Veins bulging in his neck, dagger in hand, Mujin charged.

He completely disappeared with Stealth and reappeared right in front of me, plunging his dagger into the barrier.

Crack!

Four layers of the barrier vanished instantly.

Was that his trump card?

“You crazy bastard! Die! Just die!”

Mujin swung wildly like a madman, filled with murderous intent.

The constantly regenerating Absolute Barrier prevented his dagger from reaching me.

“Now I get it.”

I understood roughly how much power I had and how to fight using that strength.

Through fighting Mujin, I gained enlightenment.

“…I’m definitely going to kill you.”

Mujin gritted his teeth, pulling something from his chest and putting it into his mouth.

At that moment—

Crackle!

Lightning surged through his body, explosively increasing the speed and power of his dagger.

Clang! Crack!

The mana flowing into the Absolute Barrier surged explosively.

“Fryra, Ropenheim, Goblin, summon the Orc.”

Whoosh!

The guardians appeared in a flash of white light.

Immediately, I cast Dragon’s Blessing and Dark Eye on them.

[Dragon’s Blessing temporarily raises the Orc’s rank.]
[Dragon’s Blessing temporarily raises Ropenheim’s rank.]
[Dragon’s Blessing temporarily raises Fryra’s rank.]
[Dragon’s Blessing temporarily raises the Goblin’s rank.]

“Stop that guy.”

[Woooooo!]
[Taste this poison!]
[Understood.]

“They’re pretty strong.”

The guardians charged at Mujin.

Fryra first tried to trap Mujin using flowers, but Mujin’s speed was beyond imagination.

He dodged the vines and beheaded the Goblin that charged at him.

[Goblin returns to Rare.]

He then parried the Orc’s aura-infused axe and disappeared into the darkness, eliminating Fryra.

[Fryra returns to Rare.]

Mujin smiled coldly.

His sticky gaze was fixed on me.

“You really thought you could stop me with just these pathetic things? Wait right there. I’ll kill all of them and then take your head too.”

Before he finished his sentence, he dispatched the Orc.

[Orc returns to Rare.]

Only Ropenheim remained.

Holding his sword with nobility, Ropenheim swung in sync with Mujin’s movements.

Clang!

Clang!

Clang!

SS-rank was definitely on another level.

He predicted Mujin’s movements, dodged attacks, and parried while pressing Mujin back.

But the difference in gear, mana, and stats was too great.

Though Ropenheim’s rank rose temporarily with the Blessing, it wasn’t enough to match the fractured mana well of the Dragon Heart.

His stats were still around S-rank even with the boost.

“Yongje, have we bought enough time?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Then go ahead first.”

Ropenheim took the attack head-on and allowed Mujin’s strike.

[Ropenheimreturns to Rare.]

Mujin, having dealt with the guardians, exhaled deeply and raised his dagger toward me.

“Now it’s your turn.”

“No.”

I drew mana filled with Meditation from the Dragon Heart.

“It’s your turn.”

Smiling back at him, I cast magic.

Ice Prison.

Thousands of ice chains erupted from a large magic circle on the ground, rushing toward Mujin.

No matter how hard he tried, there was nowhere to dodge.

Shrrk!

One ice chain wrapped around Mujin’s foot, freezing it solid.

As he stumbled, it was over.

The chains bound his body tightly.

Watching that, I used the remaining mana to form a spear of wind.

“Dragon Fang Spiral Spear.”

With the incantation complete, the spell flew toward Mujin.

The moment the spear struck—

Boom!

The storm created by the Dragon Fang Spiral Spear swallowed Mujin and tore a massive hole through the darkness.

Bright sunlight and blue skies appeared.

[Challenger defeated.]
[Victory in Stair War.]

Looking down, I gathered the items that had fallen where Mujin stood.

“Thanks for the gift.”

You touched me, so you have to pay the price.

Joo Wonseong.

Just wait.

I’ll take everything you have.