Chapter 43: Severing the Evil Fate (2)

‘There is a river flowing with lava water in this dungeon.’

Lava water—a liquid mixed with lava and water, forming a viscous substance.

Considering the components of lava, such a material should be impossible, but inside the dungeon, it existed.

The high concentration of Magic made things possible that science couldn’t explain.

From within the lava water, amphibians leapt out to attack Hunters—the Lava Toads.

‘The monsters don’t appear near the dungeon entrance.’

The main monster of this dungeon, the Lava Toad, only appears after crossing a rocky islet from the entrance.

Everything was already known to Suho.

That was why Suho could risk a reckless gamble.

And now.

Step firmly!

Suho clung to Park Youngil’s back like a shell.

Sizzle—

His skin melted under the effect of the lava water.

With [Fire Resistance] at 60 and Regeneration.

And relying on the Red Gray Guardian.

‘Ugh—It hurts. But still…’

Despite such conditions, a burning pain surged throughout his entire body.

One thing was going according to Suho’s plan.

‘Surely, that thing is taking even more damage.’

Sizzle—

Magic was regenerating his wounds, but he couldn’t endure the full heat applied to his body.

As a result, Park Youngil’s flesh and blood melted away.

‘I am in excruciating pain.’

Besides heat resistance, Suho had prepared another trump card for victory.

[Underwater Breathing]

Thanks to this skill obtained from eating the golden carp, Suho could breathe underwater even in lava water.

‘Whether they’re demons or whatever, if they take human form, they have to breathe.’

Although the core of Magic might differ, demons still assume human shape.

No matter how tough or durable, they must breathe and eat to survive.

That was Suho’s second contingency.

‘They’ll start thrashing soon, right?’

Park Youngil’s body began to convulse violently.

He realized that death was imminent.

Rrrrr—

Park Youngil’s body trembled mercilessly, releasing strong energy.

His host had reached its limit, and the core violently burst out Magic.

‘Finally. Electric Touch!’

At that moment, Suho used a move he had been holding back.

Crackle!

Electricity flowed from Suho’s fingertips.

A shudder.

Park Youngil’s body stiffened.

‘He fell into a state of Stun.’

‘That’s enough. We need to drag him deeper while he’s stunned!’

Suho mustered all his strength and moved his legs.

His feet pushed aside the water, pulling both himself and Park Youngil deeper.

Vrrrr.

Park Youngil regained his senses.

Magic surged powerfully from his body.

‘Ugh!’

Strong recoil energy was felt in Park Youngil’s body.

Suho gritted his teeth and held on tight.

Struggling to control Park Youngil, Suho’s arm muscles throbbed fiercely.

The pain was dizzying.

‘I absolutely won’t let go!’

Suho tightened his grip desperately.

Despite his will, his body slowly sank toward the surface.

But—

‘Electric Touch again!’

Crackle!

Electricity fired from Suho’s hand once more.

Though the duration was short, its cooldown was only one minute.

The advantage of Electric Touch was fully demonstrated.

Suho and Park Youngil’s bodies sank again.

This cycle repeated several more times.

A shudder.

At some point, Park Youngil’s body froze.

Suho sensed it immediately.

‘The core is about to burst out!’

The Magic core using Park Youngil as a host.

It was about to emerge.

‘Because it realized it can’t endure any longer.’

Just as Suho predicted.

“Kuwaaah—!”

Amid the howling that could be heard even through lava water, a black mass burst from Park Youngil’s mouth.

It was twice as large as what Suho had seen from the Association’s records.

The core quickly wriggled toward the surface.

‘Where do you think you’re going?!’

Suho reached out.

Clutch.

The core was caught in his hand.

There was no need for any other action.

Simply holding it tightly was enough since the lava water was melting the core.

Kyaaaaaaaaaah—!

A screech echoing through the lava water shook the surroundings.

Time passed.

Until finally, nothing remained in Suho’s hand.

‘It’s over!’

Suho swam up toward the surface.

***

Bubble bubble.

The lava water churned violently.

Magic flowed strongly.

Balryong noticed that the fight was nearing its end.

“I will never allow death until I’ve repaid my debt to him.”

Balryong muttered to himself, recalling the three chickens he promised as payment for this dungeon’s reward.

Zwaaah—!

At that moment, the lava water split.

Suho’s head appeared above the surface.

“You’re alive, Suho!”

“Brr… finally some relief. Were you worried?”

“Worried? Me? Hurry up and come here to wipe off the dirt on your body.”

Suho smiled faintly at the predictable taunt and climbed out.

The lava water flowed down, heating the ground.

Shlurrrk—

Something was dragged out behind Suho.

It was Park Youngil’s corpse.

His skin had melted away, revealing bones in places.

“He turned into a gruesome sight. When he was possessed by Magic, it was almost better to see. Are you alright?”

“A bit painful, but I’m fine. Regeneration is still working hard.”

Regeneration stats were still restoring Suho’s body diligently.

Thud.

Suho sank to the ground, exhausted.

Fatigue overwhelmed him.

As he rested, his gaze fell on Jung Hyunsu lying on the stone floor in the distance.

“Balryong, how’s Hyunsu?”

“He’s not dead. With proper treatment, he should recover quickly.”

Thank goodness.

It was good that he’d come on this adventure.

Despite many twists and turns, both Jung Hyunsu and Suho survived.

“Then, shall we gather what we need?”

Suho collected items from Park Youngil’s corpse.

Most had melted and were unusable.

But everything had some use.

‘If I hand these to the Dwarves, they can probably use them as materials.’

Just as Suho finished collecting items, Balryong said,

“Someone’s coming. I’ll turn invisible.”

Suho’s senses also detected multiple presences.

Soon, people arrived at the dungeon entrance.

“Hyunsu!”

“The Master is over there. Let’s bring him over!”

“Where’s the culprit? Where is he?”

They were Jung Hyuna and Hunters from Sangwangryeon.

***

Outside the dungeon, in the lounge inside the trailer.

Suho sat facing Jung Hyuna.

‘I thought support would arrive sooner, so they called in a helicopter.’

Jung Hyunsu was transported to the hospital by the Support Team’s helicopter.

“Thank you so much, Won Suho. Sangwangryeon will give you a separate reward, but personally, I want to repay you as well.”

Suho’s heart tensed recalling Park Youngil’s reason for targeting Jung Hyunsu.

“It’s okay. I had to fight because that guy was trying to kill me too.”

“If you ever need anything else, just let me know.”

“I will. May I go now?”

“You must still have some aftereffects from battle. We’ll take you by helicopter. We’ll bring your car to your house separately.”

Suho was only slightly hungry and had no aftereffects, but he did not refuse.

“Then I’ll get a ride on the helicopter…”

Knock knock—

There was a knock at the door.

“Who is it?”

Jung Hyuna’s voice was sharp.

She was likely telling them not to enter carelessly for Suho’s peace of mind.

“I’m from the Association. I want to meet Hunter Won Suho briefly.”

“Uh, come in.”

The door opened and a familiar face stepped in.

“Hello, I’m Shin Sunghyun from the Association.”

“Oh! The secretary of the Hunter Association President…”

“Yes, I’m the secretary of the President. Won Suho Hunter, are you feeling alright?”

Suho thought they were meeting quite often these days.

“I’m a bit tired, but otherwise fine.”

“I see. I wanted to have a quiet talk.”

Shin Sunghyun glanced at Jung Hyuna.

“Please talk. Afterward, I’ll escort you back to Seoul, Suho.”

Jung Hyuna left.

Shin Sunghyun started speaking immediately.

“Was Park Youngil a Mainira?”

“How did you know? And how did you find us so fast?”

“At first, I thought it was a dispute between Hunters. But I saw your name on the report, so I checked the records just in case. There was evidence of black energy and other signs typical of demons. That’s why I came immediately.”

Information about individuals related to demons, including Suho, is managed separately.

That was why Shin Sunghyun arrived quickly.

“So you weren’t aware from the start?”

Suho had wondered.

Was Park Youngil originally a demon and the Association already had his info?

But that was not the case.

“Yes. I wasn’t certain until I heard your answer just now. By the way, did you mention anything about Mainira to Sangwangryeon?”

“No. They told me to keep it secret last time.”

“That was wise. The Association will contact Sangwangryeon’s leadership separately. But, Won Suho, I’m curious about one thing…”

“Please, go ahead.”

“Did you use a Blink Scroll?”

“No. I considered it as a last resort, but thankfully, it didn’t come to that.”

Shin Sunghyun’s eyes widened.

‘I heard outside that he drowned in lava water and died. How could he survive that without a Blink Scroll?’

There was only one conclusion.

‘Won Suho is a level 60 Hunter who can fight a demon (Mainira) with Magic raging out of control.’

Not raw brute force, but a level of ‘combat’ that makes sense.

Without a word, Suho’s eyes widened at Shin Sunghyun.

“Is that so?”

“It seems the President’s judgment is far superior to mine.”

“…..?”

“That means I’m impressed by Won Suho’s ability. Also, on behalf of the Association, I apologize. I said after the last request you wouldn’t face demon attacks again, but that turned out to be false.”

“I understand. But how did Park Youngil become a demon in the first place?”

“That’s something we need to investigate now. Before leaving, I already instructed an investigation into the Youngil Guild.”

There was a suspicious odor surrounding Park Youngil.

How he suddenly became a demon.

How he regarded Jung Hyunsu as his master.

“I feel uneasy. There must be more to this.”

Therefore, Suho asked Shin Sunghyun.

“If later you find evidence, could you let me know?”

“Understood. Unless it causes a special problem, I will.”

After some further conversation, Shin Sunghyun left.

“Let’s go home too.”

“Alright. I’m hungry.”

“When did you stop saying you only eat mana?”

‘After eating constantly, I feel empty if I don’t. Is this the greatness of Lord Cheese?”

“When did you learn words like that?”

“There is nothing I do not know.”

“….”

***

Suho stood before the Sangwangryeon helicopter.

Jung Hyunsu was saved, and so was Suho.

He had also collected items from Park Youngil, so he had some gain.

Although unease remained, there was nothing left to do here.

“Let’s go.”

He shook off his worries and prepared to board the helicopter.

Just then, someone approached.

“Excuse me, Hunter Won Suho.”

It was a face Suho had seen a few times near the dungeon.

“Yes? What is it?”

“I’m Hwang Byungsu, head of the Dungeon Management Team. Thank you so much for killing that bastard.”

“Ah.”

“This time many of our team members died. Thanks to you, Won Suho Hunter, those friends can at least rest in peace in the afterlife. Truly, thank you.”

Hwang Byungsu bowed his head with tears streaming.

Suho felt the value of having jumped into the lava water.

“Yes, I’m also glad I could take care of that guy.”

His heavy heart felt lighter as he climbed into the helicopter.

***

Several days later.

[Suho Item & General Store]

Across from Suho’s shop.

In the back seat of a sleek black luxury car, someone was staring at Suho’s store.

“If it caught the light, I’d have to take it.”

It was an old man with a firm expression.

He gazed silently at the storefront reflected in the display window.

“As rumored, the shop is cramped. Good thing I prepared a gift.”

He muttered as he got out of the car, hesitating slightly.

The building was bound to be a matter of concern.