Chapter 30: An Honest Conversation is Needed

I set out to clear the Gate.

The boss of this Gate was the Kobold Champion.

This canine humanoid species had an incredibly keen sense of smell and excellent physical abilities. Depending on the time and place, they could be more troublesome opponents than the Orc Champion.

Especially since they had a remarkable ability to communicate among their kind, they excelled at group hunting.

So far, I had hunted about ten Kobolds since entering the Gate.

The battles were easy.

“If I’d known it would be like this, I wouldn’t have bothered calling mercenaries.”

“No, stability in hunting is the top priority.”

I wasn’t the only one who had entered the Gate.

To prepare for any unforeseen situations, Kim Kimon had brought along four additional Hunters through the Mercenary Guild.

Unlike Dungeons, Gates are spontaneous spaces with many variables.

Because of this, it’s essential to form a secure party before entering.

“I didn’t get why a Supporter burden-carrier would be hunting alongside us. Now I get it. Worth coming out after all.”

The mercenary who followed us lit a cigarette and laughed.

“But your swordsmanship is still rough. If your strength is lacking, it’s better to wield an Arming Sword than a big sword. Or I’d recommend a shortsword with a shield.”

“To be honest, I’ve been soloing Dungeons for a while, so it’s definitely been tough.”

The mercenaries kindly gave me advice as they watched me struggle against a single Kobold. Kim Kimon just smiled at the scene.

“Kobold pack incoming! This time, there are quite a few!”

“Supporters, stay back! Everyone, form ranks!”

At the mercenary captain’s command, I retreated. They must have thought I’d be a hindrance, given how clumsy I looked against monsters.

“Buffs on!”

“Tank, move forward. Form ranks with your backs to the rocks!”

The mercenaries accompanying Kim Kimon moved with practiced precision.

The Kobolds swarmed like a wild dog pack, surrounding the humans and launching their attack.

There were about twenty of them, and the fight turned chaotic.

“Boss, the boss is coming!”

At that moment, a muscular Kobold stepped forward, wielding a massive battle axe.

A red aura flickered in its eyes.

The Kobold Champion looked at the corpses of its allies and roared in rage before charging.

“Block it!”

“Ugh!”

The tank tried to stop the Kobold Champion but was thrown back.

The Champion opened its mouth to bite me, its sharp yellow fangs exposed. I circled backward, avoiding the attack, then unexpectedly slashed sideways with my sword.

With a bluish streak, its HP barrier was damaged.

“Grrrr!”

No matter how strong the HP is, damage still registers—it just serves as a buffer.

The Kobold’s claws struck me, sending me tumbling on the ground. I screamed in pain, clutching my arm, while the mercenaries filled the gap I left and continued the fight.

“More! Hold on just a little longer!”

The battle seemed close to its end.

The mercenaries surrounded the Kobold Champion, attacking from one side then retreating to the other.

Gradually, the Champion’s health deteriorated, and it was pressured.

‘Looks like it’s almost down to its last bit of health.’

I drew my second sword and infused it with Magic Power, coating the blade with Ethere.

Before the mercenaries could stop me, I charged and sliced into the Kobold Champion’s flank.

The Champion immediately dropped to its knees.

“Oh, I got it! I got it!”

The mercenary captain’s face crumpled like a piece of wrinkled paper.

-System Message: The Dungeon Core has been destroyed. The Gate will vanish in 10 minutes. Transfer will begin.

Thanks to defeating the Kobold Champion, I leveled up twice.

Nothing beats killing a boss for leveling up. That’s the thrill of boss hunting.

After the boss fell, a skill USB with a red glow remained.

“Ah, sorry. Did I get in the way?”

In games, the player who lands the finishing blow gets the experience reward. Naturally, no one likes losing that.

“…Try using the emotion skill.”

“Whoa, this is incredible!”

The unique skill dropped after killing the boss. Skills are rarer and more valuable than items.

Equipment is consumable, but skills are not.

The auction price for a unique skill ranges from roughly 300 million to 1 billion. The rarer it is, the higher the price.

The mercenaries’ displeasure vanished as soon as the unique skill dropped, replaced by joy.

“Good job. You weren’t as aggressive in battle as I expected.”

“That’s because the mercenaries who came along are really good at fighting.”

“I heard you’ve been soloing Dungeons and even killing bosses all this time.”

Kim Kimon had that “Well, no wonder” look on his face.

“If you couldn’t fight, you should’ve just admitted it honestly and done well as a Supporter.”

“You’re skilled at harvesting Magic Stones.”

“Well, as I got older and my combat abilities declined, I became better at this kind of work.”

Kim Kimon’s skill at gathering Magic Stones was exceptional.

It was clear he hadn’t wasted his time.

“Honestly, I even thought about stepping down to Supporter. But no one would hire someone like me, old and low-grade.”

I’d looked over my stat growth for the last ten years, and it was barely 5%.

That 5% was now rapidly declining.

“Honestly, you’re decent at one-on-one combat for a burden-carrier, but your limits as a Supporter are clear.”

Kim Kimon finished collecting all the Magic Stones and stood up.

“Knowing all this about me…”

The friendly look in his eyes began to change.

“Why did you follow me alone?”

I saw myself reflected in Kim Kimon’s eyes—and something creeping up behind me.

Clang!

Steel clashed against steel.

“You must be confident, huh?”

The mercenary who tried to ambush me sneered after I blocked his attack.

“Hey, you blocked that?”

The mercenaries jeered at him for failing to kill me.

Suddenly, they surrounded me, weapons drawn.

“Didn’t you see the message that the Gate will vanish in 10 minutes?”

“Ten minutes? He’ll be dead by then.”

The mercenary leader smirked slyly.

“You’re not scared, so it’s no fun.”

Kim Kimon spoke politely.

“There were others stronger than you, and some with promising futures.”

He smiled calmly.

“But they’re all dead.”

I knew Kim Kimon would try to double-cross me eventually. It was too obvious a move.

“I honestly didn’t expect you to take the bait. Why did you follow me?”

Spears and swords pierced toward my body.

I spun with my two-handed sword, deflecting their strikes. I had to avoid getting surrounded at all costs, but the mercenaries closed in like hyenas, relentless in their pursuit.

“These guys are used to PKing in this field.”

“They’re better at killing people than mobs.”

The mercenary leader who had been introduced by Kim Kimon explained with a sly smile.

“Again, I ask: why did you follow me?”

Kim Kimon sat on a rock, smiling with satisfaction as he repeated his question.

“As if waiting for me to admit my foolishness myself, like a pastor waiting for a confession.”

“Why else?”

I had allocated my level-up stats with a 1:2 ratio between strength and agility.

My strength was 38, and agility 54.

On top of that, my ingrained combat skills and the power of the hero within me.

-Close Combat: LV MAX activated.

The first skill I exhibited when I obtained my hero Status Window.

My only legendary-grade skill.

From now on, all my combat abilities increased—the more enemies, the stronger I became.

Crack!

A mercenary’s hand, screaming in agony, was sliced off along with his sword, falling to the ground.

Whoosh!

I cut down another one in an instant, breaking through the right flank of their encirclement.

I could feel their confusion.

They must have been underestimating me based on what they’d seen since entering the Gate.

“Kill him!”

“Debuff him!”

I threw a knife at the one casting a skill at me.

The mercenary screamed in panic upon seeing the knife embed in his hand.

I tossed the remaining three knives at once. While the enemy dodged to avoid one, I slashed another’s leg.

“Arrgh!”

“Ughhh!”

The mercenaries howled like wounded beasts, clutching their injuries as they fell. The mercenary captain and Kim Kimon looked flustered.

“Damn it! Stop whining and get up!”

The captain yelled at his fallen men, but no one stirred.

My two-handed sword was an Ethere Blade—Black Label grade, known for its excellent balance.

Even tough monsters get shredded by a few hits; ordinary Hunters would struggle to endure it.

The damage was enough to completely wipe out any shaky HP they might have had.

“N-No way! I heard you were C-rank! This is more like A-rank level!”

I adjusted my grip and approached the mercenary captain.

A shimmering afterimage appeared on his body, and he lunged like lightning toward my abdomen.

Sigh.

When you openly use a skill, it’s like asking to be hit.

Skills are meaningful when they come out unexpectedly in normal attacks or combos.

If you shout “Skill incoming!” then the opponent can prepare to defend.

With my high agility stat, even that attack looked slow to me.

I stepped sideways, dodging the strike, and simultaneously brought down my second sword, pinning his foot to the ground.

Done.

They were skilled mercenaries but no match for me.

Usually, killing monsters and fighting humans are different.

Monsters have set behavior patterns, but humans have every pattern imaginable.

More importantly, many people get scared or freeze when it comes to hurting other people.

But I had lived in the whirlpool of life-and-death battles between people. I’d seen comrades laugh one moment and betray me with a blade the next.

So the actions of this gang were nothing but a joke to me.

I subdued them all in no time and looked toward where Kim Kimon had been.

He was already gone.

My breath hitched sharply.

‘Damn it, does this make any sense?’

When I sparred with Jo Hanseon and won, I thought I was pretty good with my fists. But sparring is different from a fight where your life is at stake.

No one can stay calm when a blade that could take their life is swinging inches from their face.

That’s what I thought.

‘What the hell is that guy?’

He attacked suddenly, clearly intending to finish me off from the start.

Once the Gate was cleared, the entire field would vanish.

Meaning my body and cause of death wouldn’t be found.

Perfect for a perfect crime.

But instead, his party had been defeated.

The mercenaries were comrades he’d worked with before.

Though used to PK, they were easily overwhelmed.

‘Once the Gate closes…’

About five minutes remained before the Gate disappeared.

I could run now and be fine. Hyunbin was stronger than expected, so the plan was to pressure him another way.

Several people’s positions would be compromised if they got caught, so they had no choice but to help Kim Kimon for their own sake.

They should’ve done that from the start.

Trying to tidy things up cleanly on their own nearly got them killed.

Kim Kimon hid behind a rock, panting heavily.

Huff, huff!

Glancing around, I didn’t see Hyunbin anywhere.

“Ha, if I’d known, I should’ve left it to Director Beom Jeonghun.”

“Director Beom Jeonghun of Hanul, you mean?”

Suddenly, Hyunbin’s voice came from beside me. Kim Kimon startled and stepped back, tripping over a stone and rolling embarrassingly on the ground, kicking up dust.

“You asked earlier why you followed me in.”

Hyunbin whispered with a gentle smile.

“I thought maybe here, we could be honest with each other.”