Chapter 14

Field dungeons were contaminated areas that formed when a dungeon break was not fully contained.

They usually arose because of unusual terrain rather than the strength of the magic beasts that appeared. China and Russia were prime examples. Their territories were so vast that, once a Gate opened, hunters struggled to track down every beast, eventually leaving them unchecked. Locating the Gate where the erosion had begun was difficult as well, often making raids take several times longer.

For similar reasons, field dungeons were surprisingly common in Korea. Its territory was small, but it had plenty of rugged mountains.

[Gwanaksan Field]

※ No Entry Except Hyena Guild Members

At the foot of Gwanaksan, barbed-wire fencing strictly blocked all access.

Gwanaksan Field was a field dungeon the Hyena Guild had occupied for a year now. With his face hidden beneath a hood and mask, Suho watched the mountain from a distance.

[This is the place.]

Perched on Suho’s shoulder, Beru smacked his lips greedily. This was where they could sense the sanctuary’s energy, just as Rakan’s Fang had told them. Yet even Rakan’s Fang did not know what lay inside.

[We’re right outside, and you still don’t know?]

“No matter how many times you ask, my answer will be the same. I was nothing more than a sword stuck in the ground! I can sense a sanctuary’s energy, but I cannot tell exactly what it is.”

Rakan’s Fang protested indignantly.

Chewing on a mana crystal, Beru threatened it with a thuggish look.

[You had better not be lying. If you are, I’ll chew you up starting from the end of your hilt. Very, very slowly, nibble by nibble...]

“Would you stop threatening me like that?”

[And if I don’t?]

“You’re scaring me.”

[...]

Rakan’s Fang was fairly honest. Perhaps because it was a sword, it had no pretenses.

Just then, the sun was setting. Suho, who had been waiting for this moment, glanced at the sky, his eyes gleaming.

“Good. Let’s go in.”

Pulling his hood lower, he walked slowly toward the fence.

Perhaps thanks to his increased Perception stat, he could see reasonably well even in the dark. Fighting shouldn’t be much of a problem.

No, the darkness was actually better.

'Staying out of the Hyena Guild’s sight comes first.'

Needless to say, it was illegal for an unauthorized hunter to enter a dungeon occupied by another guild. But he wasn’t going to make money on someone else’s turf. He only intended to slip in quietly and take the Monarch of Fangs’ relic, so there would be no problem as long as he wasn’t caught.

Besides, if that relic fell into an ordinary awakened person’s hands, the hunter might lose control of their body and become a berserker, just as had happened with Rakan’s Fang.

'Security cameras and barbed wire, huh?'

Suho calmly surveyed his surroundings. It was impossible to post guards throughout such an expansive field dungeon. The only things guarding this place were an electrified barbed-wire fence and security cameras placed at intervals.

'Ruler's Authority.'

With a flutter, the black plastic bag Suho had brought slowly rose under his telekinetic control. He moved it naturally, as though it were drifting on the wind, and covered a camera completely.

'Now.'

Suho vaulted over the fence in a single swift leap. The Strength stat he had built up was finally showing its worth.

Landing lightly inside the field, he immediately scanned his surroundings.

Thick blue mist blanketed all of Gwanaksan. In truth, it was this mist, not the fence, that marked the field’s boundaries.

[This blue mist is mana from the outer universe. It is used to force holes through the dimensional barrier and create cracks in the world.]

“Correct. Because of this mist, the sanctuary where I resided connected to Earth after drifting through the gaps between dimensions.”

[Ultimately, those outer-universe scum must want to spread this mist across the entire Earth and create a great rift. They intend to open a hole large enough for their army to cross dimensions.]

“Shh.”

Suho suddenly held his breath and narrowed his eyes.

'Killing intent.'

He had been inside the field for less than a minute, yet more and more red eyes were already watching him.

[Blade-Clawed Briga]

[Blade-Clawed Briga]

[Blade-Clawed Briga]

Monstrous monkeys revealed themselves one by one beneath the cold moonlight.

By now, Suho understood. The leveling system displayed names above magic beasts’ heads in different colors according to their strength.

White meant relatively weak. Orange meant equal to him or stronger. Red meant far stronger.

And these monkeys were orange.

[Pathetically weak monkeys have surrounded us. Still, you are weaker yet, Young Monarch, so please be careful.]

“What a lousy pep talk.”

With a faint smile at Beru’s encouragement(?), Suho gripped Rakan’s Fang.

Their difficulty and numbers would make this somewhat dangerous, but...

'I can handle this much.'

No, this was better. Killing only easy opponents wouldn’t earn him much experience.

His eyes flashing, Suho moved. It was time to level up.

“Ook! Eek!”

The monkeys dropped from the trees in unison. Their long, blade-like claws flew toward Suho, ready to tear him apart.

In response, Rakan’s Fang sliced through the cold night air in his hand.

SLASH! SLASH! SLASH!

[You have defeated a Blade-Clawed Briga.]

[You have defeated a Blade-Clawed Briga.]

...

“Eek! Eek-eeek!”

Suho kept advancing, trampling the corpses of the magic beasts that attacked without end. Of course, he had no intention of wandering aimlessly in the middle of the night.

“Guide me. Which way is the Gate?”

“... Incredible. Are you accustomed to chaotic battles like this?”

Rakan’s Fang was genuinely bewildered. The situation was plainly dire. Kill one, and two charged in. Kill two, and five dropped from overhead. The sneaky monkeys darted through the darkness and the trees, trying frantically to confuse Suho.

WHOOSH!

Some even hurled stones from the treetops, cackling.

“Kyak, kyak, kyak!”

Yet as Suho darted back and forth through the chaotic melee, he showed no sign of panic.

“Even for the Shadow Monarch’s successor, you are far too skilled in combat for the power you possess. Just what hellish battles have you lived through?”

“Just show me the way.”

Suho smiled wryly at the question. Hellish battles? This was all because of the dreams he’d had during puberty. Those grueling experiences—having to struggle desperately to survive and reach the final boss before he could wake—were etched deep into his body.

And if he died along the way, he had to start all over again.

'That tutorial was way too hard.'

No matter how bad things got, this was paradise compared to back then.

[Ahem. Ahem, ahem. Heh-heh. Heh.]

He just couldn’t stand the sight of Beru beside him, constantly puffing up his shoulders with pride.

Just then, the tip of Rakan’s Fang moved on its own in Suho’s hand, pointing in one direction.

“This way, for now. But the path to the sanctuary will be hell. You seem fairly accustomed to a melee, but even so, you will struggle to reach it alo—”

“Who said I was alone?”

“What?”

Suho smirked and looked around. Right on cue, black smoke was creeping up from the mangled monkey corpses on the ground.

[This target is eligible for Shadow Extraction.]

[This target is eligible for Shadow Extraction.]

...

Suho reached toward those shadows.

“Arise.”

HEE-HEE-HEE-HEE!

Ghostly wails echoed through the chilly night air. Pitch-black hands began reaching out of the shadows of the monkeys lying dead on the ground.

CRUNCH! CRUNCH!

The hands gripped the earth as their owners crawled out of the shadows and hauled themselves upright.

[Shadow Extraction successful.]

[Ook-eek!]

[Ook!]

Five in total. Black monkeys appeared before Suho, dark vapor rippling from their entire bodies.

[Shadow Monkey Lv.1]

Normal Grade

[Shadow Monkey Lv.1]

Normal Grade

Beru clapped like a seal at the sight.

[Oh! Five of them! Your increased Intelligence stat has increased the number of shadow soldiers as well! Though compared to our great Monarch’s army of tens of millions, they are terribly paltr—gack?]

“Shut up.”

Suho grabbed Beru and hurled him straight at the magic beasts.

[Heh. This is hardly enough to fluster me.]

Flying through the air, Beru extended his sharp claws. Then, with one strike, he would tear all the beasts to—!

WHAM!

[Hm?]

He bounced straight back.

“Ook! Eek!”

Having kicked Beru away, the monkeys lunged at Suho again. But in that opening, the shadow monkeys crept up behind them and drove their blade-like claws into their necks.

“... Gack.”

[You have defeated a Blade-Clawed Briga.]

[You have defeated a Blade-Clawed Briga.]

[You have leveled up!]

Vitality surged through Suho’s body.

[Ook-ee-ee-eek!]

The shadow monkeys trampled the corpses, cackling viciously. Now that they were on his side, though, they seemed almost cute.

“Let’s keep moving.”

But they parted before he could grow attached. The deeper he ventured into the mountains, the stronger the magic beasts blocking his path became.

[Dark Shadow Razan]

[Dark Shadow Razan]

They slipped closer, stealthy assassins concealed in the dark. The red-eyed beasts resembled black panthers, and they savagely tore into the shadow monkeys’ necks.

[Eek-eeek!]

The shadow monkeys could do nothing as their throats were ripped out. The difference in strength was unmistakable.

“Oh?”

Suho’s eyes only brightened.

'They’re mine, too.'

Killing intent burst from Rakan’s Fang.

[Using Skill: Contempt for the Weak.]

“...!”

The Dark Shadow Razans’ bodies suddenly grew heavy.

[Effect: Fear has activated.]

[All targets’ stats are reduced by 50% for 1 minute.]

But Rakan’s Fang’s Contempt for the Weak only worked well against opponents weaker than Suho.

“Raaaar!”

[Effect: Fear has been removed.]

The Dark Shadow Razans’ names were orange. Equal to Suho or slightly stronger, they shook off Fear with nothing more than a mighty roar.

But that brief opening was enough. In an instant, Suho vanished from their sight.

Then—

SLASH!

“Raaagh!”

One black panther was beheaded in a spray of black blood.

[You have defeated a Dark Shadow Razan.]

The others swiftly slipped back into the darkness, but one was enough. Suho immediately reached toward the corpse.

“Arise!”

[Shadow Extraction successful.]

At that moment, one shadow monkey disappeared, and the Dark Shadow Razan’s shadow rose in its place.

[Raaaar!]

[Shadow Panther Lv.1]

Normal Grade

Suho smiled in satisfaction.

“Good. A new member of the family.”

[Grrrr.]

The creature that had been trying to rip out his throat mere moments ago now rubbed against his leg, its tail hanging loosely, as though nothing had happened. Then it turned and bared its teeth at its own kind, who were glaring at them from the dark forest.

Suho flashed a white grin.

“Lonely? Go tell your friends to come along.”

[Raaagh!]

At his words, the shadow panther immediately charged off to hunt its own kind. Suho continued onward, upgrading his shadow soldiers to stronger beasts one by one.

“... No wonder we lost the war. Cheating bastards.”

Rakan’s Fang muttered in dismay.

* * *

Some time later...

“Everyone, halt.”

[Grrr.]

At Suho’s command, the shadow panthers fell silent and flattened themselves against the ground.

“Yes. Just ahead.”

Rakan’s Fang hardly needed to say it. A guard post manned by Hyena Guild members stood there.