17-24

Chapter 17

Translated by: ShawnSuh

Edited by: SootyOwl

The crystal dagger glowed purple with the light emitted by the luminous minerals on the ceiling of the cave. At that moment, an ominous chuckle echoed throughout the cave. From the sound of it, the source couldn't be too far off. Startled by it, Ho Sung froze in place. Soon, a shadow appeared, followed by a monster.

'Lv621 Jin Sang Yoo: Decaying Bandit Leader'

With maggots crawling all over his body and his face crushed beyond recognition, the monster was rotting all over. To make matters worse, dozens of undead bandits followed their undead leader.

'Wait, Jin Sang Yoo!?' Ho Sung thought. Prior to his death, Jin Sang Yoo had been a hunter and leader of a bandit guild called The Mountains. One day, after having set foot in the dungeon with reckless ambition, the leader and his guild had vanished from the face of the Earth as a result.

'So, he died here and became a zombie, huh?'

On top of being the leader of a bandit guild, Jin Sang Yoo had also been an infamous criminal who had been known to rob hunters passing by his territory. The most notable rule of The Mountains was that they never left their targets alive, not to mention their notoriously horrendous and cruel methods.

"Just a couple of small fries," the undead bandit leader said in a harsh, scratchy voice.

Although Ho Sung was about to faint from that horrible sound, Min Sung remained completely unfazed, chuckled, and said, "Huh! So, you talk."

'Is he laughing!? Does he even realize the weight of the situation!?' Ho Sung thought and said, "His-his level is in the 600s. I can't believe this place is throwing level-600 monsters at us right off the bat… What kind of crazy place is this!?"

At that moment, the undead ringleader raised his oversized axe. Although it looked crude, its blade, which shone brightly from the luminous minerals on the ceiling, still seemed incredibly sharp. Wielding the giant axe, the zombie started to waddle toward the champion and Ho Sung in the most bizarre and terrifying manner. Standing toe to toe with the walking corpse, Min Sung glared at it with disgust.

"Why, I almost thought you were a girl for a second. You must be pretty popular with the ladies, am I right? I think I'll carve out that pretty face of yours and keep it as a trophy…"

"So, do people become walking corpses when they die here?" Min Sung asked.

"He-he-he! A mere level 150 walking into a labyrinth? You don't seem to know your place, little one. I should skin you alive to teach you a lesson."

Seized by terror due to those horrendous words coming out of the monster's mouth, Ho Sung shuddered and shook uncontrollably. At that moment, noticing something different about Min Sung, the zombie tilted his head and stared intently at the champion, saying, "You… are not afraid." Then, turning his head toward Ho Sung, the zombie said, "You there, answer me. Is this man in his right mind? Why isn't he afraid?"

Paralyzed by fear, Ho Sung rolled his eyes around anxiously, unable to say a word. At which point, Jin Sang smiled, revealing his black, rotted teeth and said, "Now that I think about it… No level 150 in their right mind would walk in here and expect to walk out alive. Maybe I should just start with this coward here. You. I want you to stay right there and watch. You'll see just how fun it is to watch someone die. He-he-he-he-he!"

With his face deathly pale, Ho Sung started to back away. Unfortunately, it wasn't long before he found himself standing against a wall.

"Killing people and taking their belongings…" Min Sung said, looking straight at the zombie, and added, "That sounds about right."

Then, he swung his dagger at an imperceptible speed, and with what sounded like a thunder cracking, dozens of bandits were cut in half at the waist. Caught off guard, the bandit leader looked around at his dead followers. Then, just as he opened his mouth to speak…

"Who? Who are…"

… the champion's dagger created a

streak of light, decapitating Jin Sang in a split second. His eyes still wide open, the zombie's head rolled and stopped at Ho Sung's feet. Frightened at the sight, Ho Sung jumped and fell to the ground. At that moment, the zombie's body exploded into pieces, scattering items all over the cave.

[A Labyrinth Belt (Unique)]

[Blessed Armor Enhancement Scroll]

[Glass Mask (Rare)]

[Spirit Stone]

"Pick 'em up."

At the champion's command, Ho Sung, who had been staring at Min Sung in a daze, ran toward the items and picked them up frantically. Then…

[Level up!]

[Skill levels increased.]

[All Stats increased by +1]

Ho Sung's eyes widened upon seeing the text that appeared before him. Having picked up all the loot, he stared at the cynical champion who had already started walking.

'What's going on…?'

Having been thrown into a Hell labyrinth, the very first monsters he had come across were a zombified bandit leader in the 600s and his followers. Yet, the champion had not only massacred dozens of the undead bandits in a single blow, but he had also managed to decapitate their leader with a single swing of his dagger, in a manner that resembled the way he had killed Ho Sung's clansmen. The champion was far more powerful than Ho Sung had expected. In fact, powerful could only begin to describe the extent of the champion's power.

'Wait… Maybe… Just maybe…' Ho Sung thought, swallowing anxiously. '… I'll get out of here in one piece!'

His heart started to thump at the thought of leaving the dungeon alive. At Ho Sung's level, one had to kill thousands of monsters in an ordinary dungeon just to move up to the next level. However, in a Hell labyrinth, his level had gone up in a matter of seconds. It had to be the benefit of being in a party.

'Maybe, it'll be one hell of a ride sticking with this guy,' Ho Sung thought.

"If you check out on me again, you're gonna be wondering the depths of this cave with your undead friends."

At Min Sung's warning, Ho Sung gathered his senses.

—

'Clack! Clack!'

A series of metallic sounds came from the zombies' armor whenever they took a step. So far, most of the monsters Min Sung and Ho Sung had run into appeared to be dead hunters.

'Lv777 Decaying Central Hunters' Institute Soldier.'

Upon coming across the next monster, a ghastly look appeared on Ho Sung's face.

"Ce-Ce-Central Hunters' Institute!?" Ho Sung said, shaking uncontrollably and hiding behind Min Sung. Meanwhile, remaining completely unfazed, Min Sung stared intently at the monster, whose shoulders and limbs were hanging loosely. Armed with a long spear, the monster was at a whopping level 777.

While the champion scanned the monster up and down, the decaying soldier jolted its head up, revealing its deep, dark, lifeless eyes. Then, unlike the previous monsters, it started charging at the champion at a frightening speed. Remaining unfazed, Min Sung fixed his gaze on the monster and swung his dagger horizontally, creating a streak of light. That time, the monster jerked its body to another direction in order to dodge the blow. Contrary to the undead bandits, the undead soldier was rather dexterous.

Although a chunk of its shoulder had been cut off, it seemed hardly affected by it. After all, it was a zombie. At that moment, the undead soldier charged at the champion yet again, its sharp spear cutting through the air like a snake charging at its prey in order to bite its neck. Then, parrying the spear away from him with his dagger, the champion charged toward the undead soldier, and in a matter of seconds, Min Sung stabbed his crystal dagger into the zombie's head, making it explode into chunky pieces. Just as he had expected, a zombie's weakness was its head. As its brain splattered all over the place, the limbs of the undead soldier hung lifelessly. Without hesitation, Min Sung kicked its chest and pulled his crystal dagger out of its head. What was left of the undead soldier collapsed to the ground. Then, just like its predecessors, its remains exploded into pieces and scattered items all over the place.

[The Lance of Life (Normal)]

[Weapon Enhancement Scroll]

["Rammos' Shell" Shield (Rare)]

[Spirit Stone]

Paying no attention to the items that dropped on the ground, Min Sung wiped the dark blood off of his crystal dagger. Then, while Ho Sung was busy picking up the loot, he raised his dagger to the ceiling and let the light from the luminous minerals shine through it, thinking, 'Not too shabby.'

Not only was it light, but it was also incredibly easy to enchant it with his power. At that moment, Ho Sung called for Min Sung, and the champion looked in his direction.

"Sir…? Just how powerful do you think you are? That was one of the Central Institute's soldiers you just killed! That's incredible. I'm starting to wonder if you're a miscellaneous type yourself," Ho Sung said, impressed by the champion's ability. By that point, Min Sung suspected that the miscellaneous types might be hunters who had returned from the Demonic Realm. However, the champion didn't dwell on the thought for long. There was a bigger matter at hand.

"Keep your mouth shut and follow me quietly."

"Yes, sir!" Ho Sung replied enthusiastically, looking slightly more relaxed and even smiling. With that, the two continued on their way. Soon, another set of footsteps approached.

'What are they gonna look like this time?' Min Sung thought, and shortly after, three of the same monster he had just killed appeared out of the dark, their suits of armor making the same metallic clicks. The only difference was that there were three of them this time. That time, instead of waiting for them, Min Sung took the initiative to attack. In no time, the head of one of the undead soldiers fell by the swing of the champion's crystal dagger.

As the decapitated head was launched into the air, the other two swung their spears at the champion, sending streaks of blue light through the air. Then, while Min Sung parried the blows, one of the streaks ricocheted off of the champion's crystal dagger and flew toward Ho Sung, grazing past his neck before it lodged itself into the wall, creating a massive crack. Feeling the scratch on his neck, Ho Sung couldn't help but shake uncontrollably. Had he been even remotely closer to it, he, too, would've lost his head. As his legs gave out, Ho Sung collapsed to his knees.

Nevertheless, Min Sung, dodging the spears nimbly, observed the monsters' movements. Seeing as though he was still able to catch the movements of their spears, the champion realized that his combat ability hadn't suffered one bit since the time when he had lived in the Demonic Realm.

'This is getting old.'

With streaks of light as bright as the stars, the heads of the undead soldiers fell by the blade of his crystal dagger, and they went flying everywhere.

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?!"

Chapter 19

Translated by: ShawnSuh

Edited by: SootyOwl

Starting the ignition, Ho Sung thought back to the moment when Min Sung had killed the Lich with a single swing of his dagger. The champion's power was beyond imagination.

'Were miscellaneous types always this strong?'

From what Ho Sung had witnessed, their power was incomparable to that of an ordinary hunter. Realizing his folly in attempting to hand the champion over to the Shadow Guild, Ho Sung clenched his eyes.

'Wait a minute… What if he found out that I tried to disappear or have the Shadow Guild take him out?'

Then, struck by a sudden realization, he opened his eyes.

'Wait! He said that his house had burned down and that he was going into the labyrinth to make money to get a new place. As far as I remember, the Shadow Guild headquarters also burned down. Does that mean… this guy really did… take out the Shadow Guild!?'

"Ho Sung Lee," Min Sung called to the driver, and startled by his voice, Ho Sung straightened his back and replied, "Y-yes, sir!"

"I should be able to sell my stuff at the same store we went to last time, right?"

"Ah! For the most part, yes, but as for the rarer items, I'd suggest you auction them at the market."

"Auction? Market?"

"Yes. It's where the hunters do all the trading. You have a lot of really expensive things, so the market will be the place where you'll get the best offers. If you sell them to the merchants, though, they'll charge a service fee, which is proportionate to the amount you're getting."

"How much do you think I can expect to gain if I were to sell everything to the merchants?"

After a brief calculation in his head, Ho Sung replied, "Hm… Hard to say. I've never seen such expensive items before…" impressed by Min Sung's ability to find the most extravagant items.

"All right, then. Take me to the store."

"… Yes, sir. Wait, what?! The store!?"

"That's right."

Ho Sung was dumbfounded by the champion practically giving away his loot for a fraction of their value.

'The service fee alone will be insane…' he thought, nodding as he came to terms with Min Sung's decision. After all, even a Hell labyrinth had been a walk in the park for the champion. Swallowing his bitterness toward Min Sung and his calm, confident attitude, Ho Sung drove off. At that moment…

'Snore…'

… an unfamiliar sound came from the back seat. When Ho Sung looked back, he saw the Lich Doll sleeping with its limbs spread across the seat. As it dawned on Ho Sung that there was a man even more monstrous than the actual monster sitting right behind him, the driver chuckled. Then, remembering that he wasn't exactly on the champion's good side, a sense of anxiety washed over Ho Sung. After all, the champion had even pulled out his dagger on Ho Sung at a coffee shop once.

'He wasn't playing around then. I'm done for the moment I let my guard down. I HAVE TO keep him happy at all times, no matter what. I gotta be sensible here. Forget the clan. When I get home, I'm putting together a list of restaurants. Sigh… Of all people, how did I end up with this freak? A miscellaneous type? Son of a bitch…' Ho Sung thought, wiping the sweat off his forehead with his forearm.

—

Due to the sheer amount of money involved, Min Sung had no choice but to visit multiple stores. With the exception of the Orichalcon Dagger, he sold every single item for cash, which added up to 2.1 trillion won. Although he had to pay a substantial service fee to the merchants, the champion chose not to think about it too much since his priority was getting the money as soon as possible.

After selling off his loot, Min Sung sent Ho Sung to the real estate office to find him a new place. While Min Sung was relaxing in the car, Ho Sung had not only sold everything he needed to but also found the champion a beautiful home. Since money was hardly an issue, Ho Sung was able to find a good house in no time. Upon being brought to the house, which many would have considered a mansion, the champion took a tour of the place. As luxurious as it was, the interiors were flawless. In the end, Min Sung ended up signing the contract on the spot and went through the process of moving in. Thanks to Ho Sung, who went out and bought

all the necessary furniture, clothes, and various necessities, Min Sung was able to have a new home in a very short time. Ho Sung was proving to be useful not only as a driver but as a handyman.

—

After cleaning the house and placing all the furniture where the champion wanted, Ho Sung realized that he was soaking in sweat. The home was finally looking like a living space, and there was nothing left to do. Or so he thought.

"The place should be squeaky clean, sir. May I… go home now?" Ho Sung asked Min Sung, catching his breath.

After Min Sung's command to make it quick, Ho Sung had run around the house frantically, moving all the furniture, cleaning and doing various chores. Since his life was at stake, he had worked desperately and without a moment to spare. Now, exhausted, Ho Sung was desperate to go home and rest.

"Gettin' tired?" Min Sung asked, looking at Ho Sung.

"Sir…? Oh, no! Tired? Absolutely not! It-it's an honor and privilege to be able to work for… I mean, serve you. Haha! Did-did you need me for anything else? Just say the word, and I can be on standby 24/7!"

"Then, go ahead and do that."

"… Sir?" Ho Sung said, his heart sinking, sweat pouring off him.

'No, no! You idiot! Why did you say that!?' he thought to himself, looking at Min Sung, who seemed serious. At which point, Ho Sung dropped his gaze and remained quiet, thinking, 'You just had to go the extra mile, didn't you?'

"You don't really seem like you're up for it. All right, then…" Min Sung said, opening his inventory and reaching for the Orichalcon Dagger. At that moment, Ho Sung looked up and said, "Now, that hurts my feelings. Like I said, it's a big privilege to serve such a powerful hunter like yourself! If only you knew how I delighted I was to be here. Hahaha! I'll be glad to wait outside."

With that, Ho Sung bowed to the champion at a ninety-degree angle and rushed out of the front door to the front yard. Standing on a spacious lawn, he stared up at the sky in a daze and let out a sigh from the depth of his heart. At that moment…

'Click!'

… The front door opening behind him sounded off.

'Was it a joke? Is he letting me go?' Ho Sung asked himself, looking toward the sound in hope. However, to his disappointment…

"Eat up. I gave you more than usual," Min Sung said, putting a potful of rice on the ground and closing the door. Staring at the enormous pile of rice, Ho Sung realized just how stupid he had been to expect anything from the champion. In the end, he picked up the pot and started eating with his bare hands. There was no choice in the matter. Should Ho Sung decide not to eat, the merciless champion wouldn't hesitate to pull out his weapon on him. It wasn't long before he started choking from the sheer amount of rice that he was putting in his mouth.

"This is so much rice! He could've given me some kimchi or something."

Putting the pot down, he looked up at the starry night sky with teary eyes, rubbing the rice off of his hands.

—

"Please, I beg you. I'm sorry for everything I've done. I'll be good, I promise. I won't rob anybody. I won't live like a criminal. Please, get me out of this!" Ho Sung prayed desperately. Then, in order to prevent himself from being heard by the champion, he said internally, 'Set me free from that godforsaken piece of shit. I can be good! I mean it! Please God, I beg you!' At that moment, while he was praying earnestly and desperately, his phone went off. When he checked the phone, he saw a text message that read: 'Make sure to do the dishes when you're done. – Min Sung Kang.'

"Asshole…" Ho Sung said, sniffling and eating the rice with his bare hands.

"Bark! Bark!"

A dog barked in the distance.

—

Feeling hungry, Min Sung rubbed his belly upon waking up.

'That's new.'

It was a sensation unfamiliar to any he had experienced in the Demonic Realm. It was as if his appetite had started to grow as he started eating rice again. Moaning and half asleep, he got out of bed, walked across the living room and opened the front door. Seeing as Ho Sung was nowhere to be found there, he went out and saw Ho Sung sleeping in his car. Walking over to the car, Min Sung tapped on the window.

"…"

Seeing as though Ho Sung wasn't responding, Min Sung kicked the car door…

"Agh!"

… which startled Ho Sung awake. Looking around, he rushed out of the car when he saw Min Sung standing outside.

"M-morning, sir!" Ho Sung said, his hair unkempt, bowing and wiping the saliva off his mouth.

"Get ready while I go get washed up. We're going out for breakfast."

"Yes, sir," Ho Sung said, nodding repeatedly, still half asleep. Then, the champion went back inside and into the bathroom. Being a luxurious home, the bathrooms were spacious and comfortable. Entering the shower, he stood underneath the streams of water falling from the ceiling. Being able to shower was a tremendous blessing, and every shower was a different experience. Brushing his hair up, Min Sung closed his eyes and savored the moment, thinking about enjoying a delicious breakfast after the shower.

—

After getting out of the shower, Min Sung looked at the set of clothes Ho Sung had set up in the closet. The clothes were simple and stylish, but not too fancy.

'He's got a good taste,' Min Sung thought. Dressing in a white T-shirt, jeans and a pair of sneakers, he stood in front of a mirror and straightened his clothes. At that moment, the Lich Doll came up and stood next to him, mimicking the champion's movements.

'You're a skeleton. You're hardly wearing anything,' Min Sung thought, chuckling. Although he had thought of the doll as a burden at one point, the familiar was turning out to be rather quiet and well behaved. Besides, it was rather cute.

"Let's go."

At his command, the doll jumped up and crawled into one of the pockets of Min Sung's jeans, peeking its head out and looking around. With that, the two left the house in order to get breakfast.

Because summertime was just about to start, the breeze was starting to feel warm. Having disabled his elemental resistance ability, as usual, the champion was able to feel the temperature on his skin. Having returned to Earth after spending a century in the Demonic Realm, feeling nature was truly a one-of-a-kind experience, and he was grateful for even the fine dust particles that made the air stuffy. If anything, they reminded him that he had returned home for good.

After getting in the back seat of Ho Sung's car, Min Sung looked at the driver's unkempt hair and asked, "Did you eat?"

"Yes, sir. Of course," Ho Sung said, smiling with a swollen face.

"Well, go get washed up while I'm eating. You're starting to stink."

"Yes, sir!" Ho Sung replied enthusiastically, smiling brightly and starting the car.

'What will I be eating today?' Min Sung wondered, checking his steel wristwatch. According to it, the day was Saturday.

"Are there restaurants open this early on weekends?" the champion asked.

"Of course," Ho Sung replied without hesitation.

'I wonder what they're like?' the champion thought, looking out the window, looking forward to his weekend breakfast.

Chapter 20

Translated by: ShawnSuh

Edited by: SootyOwl

When the two arrived at the restaurant, it started drizzling. Although it had been quite nice out while they had been on their way, it wasn't long before the rain clouds covered the sky.

"I'll get the umbrella," Ho Sung said, getting out of the car and taking a luxurious-looking umbrella out of the trunk before opening the back door. Taking the umbrella from the driver, Min Sung got out of the car and looked intently at the restaurant's sign. A smile appeared on his face.

[Grandma's 24-hour Spicy Beef Soup (made with all-Korean beef)]

'Actually, the weather is just right,' he thought, and told Ho Sung, "Go get washed up."

"Enjoy your meal, sir," Ho Sung replied, leaving the driver who was bowing at a ninety-degree angle behind, Min Sung walked toward the restaurant, closed the umbrella and walked into the restaurant. After putting the umbrella into an umbrella holder, he sat at a table by the window. Because it was early in the morning, there were no other customers aside from the champion. Then, a chubby, unfriendly-looking man came out of the storage room and walked over to Min Sung's table.

"Welcome. What would you like?" the man asked, sounding just as unfriendly as he looked. Although there were a number of items on the menu, Min Sung decided to try the very item the restaurant was known for.

"I'll take a spicy beef soup."

"Comin' up," the man replied. As he went into the kitchen, Min Sung looked around the restaurant, which seemed like it had been renovated recently. Typically, most restaurants known for their spicy beef soup tended to be old, run-down establishments. However, that restaurant was the main location of its franchise, so it was clean and well-maintained. Then, when he looked at the wall, he saw what appeared to be a photo of when the restaurant had first opened. In the photo, the restaurant looked more like a typical hole-in-the-wall known for their spicy beef soup: tiny, and run down. The restaurant's long history and tradition made Min Sung look forward to his meal all the more.

"Here it is," the server said. Along with a few simple side dishes such as radish kimchi, some pickled onions, and a sauce, a big bowl of spicy beef soup and white rice made their way to the champion's table. Priced at eight-thousand won, the spicy beef soup was significantly more expensive than the noodle soup. The high-quality beef had to be the major contributing factor for its price.

(TL's Note: In Korea, beef from locally-bred cows is significantly more expensive than its imported counterpart.)

Picking up a spoon, Min Sung looked down at the red soup. Underneath the layer of fat, was a bed of bean sprouts, fernbrake, chunks of soft radish, green onions, and shitake mushrooms, topped off with the star ingredient: the Korean beef. Then, noticing a description on the table explaining the difference between the spicy beef soup and its ordinary counterpart, Min Sung turned his attention to it.

According to it, it was a common misconception that there was no difference between spicy beef soup and ordinary beef soup. First, their seasonings were completely different. Ordinary beef soup was typically seasoned with salt or soy sauce, and because of that, the flavors tended to be nowhere near as strong as a stew. On the contrary, the spicy beef soup had considerably heavier seasoning, the red chili powder being one of them. Second, the spicy beef soup was typically accompanied with an alcoholic beverage, whereas ordinary beef soup was a popular hangover dish. After reading through the informative contrast, the champion, with a subtle smile on his face, thought, 'Learning something new every day.'

With that, he turned his eyes toward the window and at the raindrops falling from the sky. The weather was enhancing the ambiance, further bringing out his appetite. Reminding himself that the ambiance was very much part of the experience, Min Sung savored it and put the entire bowl of rice into the soup. When the mound of rice started to sink into the red broth like a sinking ship, the champion started breaking it apart with his spoon without hesitation, mixing it into the broth. Seeing that the rice grains had soaked up the broth, he picked up a big spoonful of the soup and the ingredients within it.

Then, just as he opened his mouth and was about to bring the spoon up to it, the Lich Doll

crawled out of his pocket, climbed on to the tabletop, and sat next to the bowl of hot soup. Ignoring the doll, Min Sung put the spoonful of food into his mouth. It was piping hot, and the intense spice lingered in his mouth, dancing on his tongue.

"Hot, hot!" he said, breathing out steam. Nevertheless, he picked up yet another spoonful. The mouthwatering sight of the spicy beef soup reminded him that there was nothing like a bowl of hot soup and rice to a hungry soul. In no time, the intense hunger he had felt after waking up was no longer. With another spoonful of rice doused in the spicy broth and with chunks of fresh ingredients in his mouth, he chewed while steam smoked out every time he opened his mouth. The crunch of the bean sprouts was complemented by the soft texture of the fernbrake, creating an ecstatic harmony in his mouth. Meanwhile, seeing how its master was preoccupied with eating, the Lich Doll crawled back into Min Sung's jean's pocket. The champion was completely riveted by the bowl of hot and spicy soup in front of him, thinking, 'So, this is the fruit of the restaurant's long tradition. From now on, I'll never take food for granted, especially Korean food.' After all, food was one of the only companions that never left one's side until death.

Then, instead of putting a steaming-hot spoonful of soup into his mouth, that time, Min Sung blew on the food to cool it down. The stone pot in which the soup came kept the soup from getting cold, and its effectiveness was truly magical, enough to reduce the demonic spells to child's play by comparison. The rice, the chunks of beef and the vegetables in the soup kept bringing out the champion's appetite, and soon enough, not a single grain of rice was left in the soup.

Raising his hand, Min Sung said, "I need another bowl of rice," and the server, who had been watching the TV, rose from his seat, went into the kitchen, and brought out another bowl of rice. As soon as the rice made its way to his table, Min Sung mixed it into his soup without delay. There was a saying that one ought to eat like a king in the morning. With a busy day ahead of him, two bowls of rice weren't going to slow him down. In fact, they would provide him with enough energy to go about his day.

Licking his lips, which were flushing ever so slightly from the spiciness of the soup, he resumed his meal without a moment to spare. The spiciness of the chili, the sweetness of the fresh vegetables, and the rich broth were more than enough to lift his spirits. Although he had already eaten an entire bowl of rice, he was hungry for more. After mixing the second bowl of rice into the soup, which was slightly colder by that point, Min Sung ate even faster, leaving only about a third of the broth. Then, picking the bowl up with both of his hands, he drank what was left of the rich, spicy broth, and placed the bowl down. After that, he wiped his mouth and poured himself a cup of water.

"Whew!" he let out with satisfaction while feeling the cold water washing down his throat.

'There's nothing like a cup of ice-cold water after a meal.'

Meanwhile, having watched the champion eat, the waiter said to himself with a smile, "He's got quite the appetite, that one."

—

While Mean Sung was enjoying his breakfast, Ho Sung, the head of the Diamond Clan, was enjoying himself at a sauna in a bathhouse. Savoring the pleasant heat, Ho Sung immersed himself in thought and opened his inventory. At which point, he moaned inadvertently. Having been a level 101 for quite some time, he was now at level 135 just from being around the champion.

Thanks to the explosive rate at which he was growing, Ho Sung had been able to enhance his stats and skills. Yet, there was a significant tradeoff to this seemingly positive development. Not only had he been fearing for his life and eating no better than a dog, but he had also been obligated to do the champion's chores. On top of that, the champion was anything but ordinary. He was a miscellaneous type, a human whose power reached into the realm of gods. Despite the seemingly massive benefit of leveling up at a frightening rate, Ho Sung felt like nothing could make his life better. Having to be next to a man who had the power to take his life at the drop of a hat was, to say the least, distressing. Feeling the back of his neck stiffening up from the stress, Ho Sung threw his head back and sighed, thinking, 'OK, let's be positive here. I can turn this into an opportunity.'

So far, the only way to earn the champion's favor was by recommending good restaurants. Then, he sprung up, walked out of the sauna, put his hands together like a monk and said, "Help me, Buddha," ignoring the child playing in a tub nearby giving him a strange look.

—

After his bath, Ho Sung furrowed his brow when he looked up at the sky. It was still raining out. Though not a heavy rain, the idea of walking in the rain after a bath was simply not a desirable one. Then, finding a conveniently placed umbrella holder next to him, he picked an umbrella at random and exited the bathhouse.

"Now that I've taken a bath, I better start thinking about recruiting more people," he said as he was walking toward his car. At that moment, taken aback by what he saw, he stopped in his tracks. Before he knew it, he was surrounded by twelve hunters, who were all bald and covered in dragon tattoos. One of them glared intently at Ho Sung with an evil smile on his face.

"Head of the Diamond Clan, I assume? You're coming with us. Or, we can make this more difficult than it has to be."

Looking around at the gangsters, Ho Sung gritted his teeth and glared piercingly at the man who appeared to be their leader.

'Lv100 Man Sik Choi: The Head of the Dark Horse Clan'

'Damn it…' Ho Sung thought. The Dark Horse Clan was a rival clan of the Diamond Clan. Although they hadn't been around as long as the Diamond Clan, the Dark Horse had been growing steadily in power.

'… Son of a bitch. I'm cornered,' Ho Sung said to himself. There was but one possible explanation for the Dark Horse Clan ambushing him: to take over a nightclub called Rock Star, which belonged to Ho Sung. Having learned that the head of the Diamond Clan was vulnerable and away from his clansmen, the Dark Horse Clan seemed to have decided to come for Ho Sung directly. With a bitter taste in his mouth, Ho Sung looked around, swallowing anxiously. The twelve hunters were all close to level 100. Though Ho Sung was over thirty levels above them, he simply didn't stand a chance against a dozen level 100 hunters.

"So? Are we doing this the easy way?" the clan head asked with a repulsive smile, but Ho Sung remained quiet, biting down his lower lip.

"Take him."

At their leader's command, a handful of the hunters came and grabbed Ho Sung violently. At that moment, shaking them off, Ho Sung opened his inventory in order to pull out his weapon. However, he was far too unprepared and, in no time, he was surrounded by a dozen hunters attacking him from all directions. In the end, unable to move fast enough due to a skill that slowed down his movements significantly, Ho Sung fell to the ground after being beaten to near death.

"We could've done this the easy way, you know," the head of the Dark Horse Clan said snickering. Looking at his followers, he added, "Take him away."

At his command, the hunters dragged Ho Sung into a van and drove off.

Chapter 21

Translated by: ShawnSuh

Edited by: SootyOwl

Arriving at a dark, abandoned factory, where the air felt damp and dusty, the clansmen of the Dark Horse Clan threw Ho Sung on the floor.

"Ugh!"

Covered in blood and wounds, Ho Sung looked up at the head of the Dark Horse Clan, Man Sik Choi, who was snickering ominously. Although Ho Sung was provoked by his smile, he simply wasn't in a position to fight against him and his clansmen. Looking around, Ho Sung realized that he was at an abandoned factory. The windows were small, keeping the light from getting in. On top of that, the factory was quite large, which would make running away difficult. Finding himself in a tight spot, Ho Sung's heart started to race. At that moment…

"Now! Mr. Lee, head of the Diamond Clan," Man Sik said, clapping. "I'm sure you know why we're here, am I right?" he asked.

"Let me guess. My nightclub?" Ho Sung asked, disgruntled.

To which, Man Sik smiled and replied sarcastically, "That is correct!"

Considering how much beef there was between the Diamond Clan and the Dark Horse Clan, Ho Sung would surely get killed if he were to hand the ownership of the nightclub over to Man Sik.

"I promise you, Mr. Lee. If you make this quick and easy for me, I'm willing to let you walk away. Sure, you'll be limping for the rest of your life, but at least you'll be alive."

'Bullshit!' Ho Sung cried out internally, resisting the urge to let the words out. The word was that the Dark Horse Clan was going around massacring newbie hunters. Being aware of that, Ho Sung saw right through Man Sik's sarcasm.

'Well… If I'm gonna die anyway…' Ho Sung thought, saying, "Fine. I'll tell my guys to bring the documents over right now."

"Very good. Oh, one more thing. If you were thinking about starting a war with us, it might not be such a good idea," Man Sik said, nodding. Then, as he turned around and signaled his men, the large, metal double door opened with a loud screeching noise, followed by twenty or so hunters, armed to the teeth.

Ho Sung stared at them with widened eyes, thinking, 'He's already recruited that many hunters?'

"I don't know about you, Mr. Lee, but if I were in your shoes, I'd much rather give up my night club than let my entire clan disappear from the face of the Earth. Really, I promise. You hand that night club over, and I'll let you walk," Man Sik said with an evil smile on his face. He was as greedy and as crafty as a hungry hyena. Seeing as Ho Sung remained unresponsive, the head of the Dark Horse clan poked him mockingly and said, "Go on. Tell your folks to bring those documents."

Pale and breaking out into cold sweats, Ho Sung took out his phone.

—

While Min Sung was opening his umbrella just outside the restaurant, his phone went off, indicating a new text message. Then, upon checking his phone, his expression hardened almost immediately, and after a brief moment, he started off toward the location Ho Sung had sent to him.

—

'Any time now…' Ho Sung thought, his heart racing as he waited desperately for Min Sung to turn up.

"You're up to something," the head of the Dark Horse Clan said, furrowing his brow and glaring piercingly at Ho Sung.

"I'm practically like a bird without wings. As you know, there are hardly any people left in my clan," Ho Sung said, chuckling.

"If you try anything funny, this night will turn very long and painful. You see, I recently discovered that I have a gift for torture," Man Sik said, laughing heartily and evilly.

"Well, I gotta say, I'm impressed by how many hunters you've managed to recruit in such a short time," Ho Sung said, and chuckling, Man Sik replied, "As you're aware, our clan has been on the rise lately, very fitting to our clan's name, if I might add. There's this newbie we came across not too long ago, and he was carrying some really extravagant things. It helped us tremendously…"

At that moment, with another loud, long screech, the metal door opened yet again.

"Eh?" Man Sik let out, turning toward the door and adding, "Are

they already here? Man, they're fast!"

"You're screwed. Every one of you," Ho Sung said, chuckling while still looking deathly pale. At that, Man Sik's face twisted into a scowl, and he glared fiercely at Ho Sung, saying, "You think you can pull a fast one on me, huh? Punk?"

Then, a figure appeared by the entrance, and a voice came from the dark, "Ho Sung Lee."

Confused by why Ho Sung had said what he had said, Man Sik tilted his head. With no name or indication of level, the mysterious figure appeared to be a civilian.

"Sir! Help me out!" Ho Sung fell to his knees and cried out desperately. Looking annoyed, Min Sung walked toward the members of the Dark Horse Clan, glaring piercingly at Ho Sung.

—

'Who is this guy…? Why is this punk calling him sir?' Man Sik thought. At that moment, Min Sung took out his phone and read the message that Ho Sung had sent him out loud, "I am SICK of taking orders from you! Kill me! See if I give a damn! Hell, I'll wait for you right here. For all I care, you can find your own damn restaurants from now on. I'm leaving this damn country if you don't come find me now, so if you are planning on killing me, you might wanna hurry your ass up. You hear!?"

"Did you really write this?" the champion asked Ho Sung, who seemed deathly pale and swallowed nervously. Meanwhile, dumbfounded by their interaction, Man Sik started to laugh.

"You two must've lost your minds," Man Sik said, clicking his tongue. Then, looking at his clansmen, he said, "Kill that civilian and get him out of my sight. Who the hell does he think he is, anyway?"

At his command, nearly thirty members of the Dark Horse Clan approached the champion, snickering ominously and glaring murderously. Then, Min Sung stomped the ground with his foot, forming a large crater on the ground that exploded into an impact wave enhanced by magic. Like a violent wave swallowing people whole, the shock wave consumed the members of the clan, tearing them to pieces and scattering them in all directions. In a matter of seconds, the entirety of the Dark Horse Clan at the factory was reduced to chunks of meat.

"W-whoa! Whoa! " the head of the Dark Horse Clan let out, trembling uncontrollably as the champion walked through the corpses in his direction.

'H-he's just a civilian! No name, no level, nothing! How the hell did he…!?' Min Sik thought, seized by suffocating fear, his pants getting soaked with urine. Then, annoyed, Min Sung glared piercingly at Ho Sung.

"Sir! This is Man Sik Choi, the head of the Dark Horse Clan. He ambushed me so that he could take over my night club and he dragged me here to kill me."

"…"

"This man here is the definition of human trash! He killed countless hunters who were just starting off, robbing them, torturing them… "

"…"

"I beg you, sir. I can't die in some abandoned factory like this, and it was obvious that you wouldn't come for me if I asked plainly. I just wanted to live! Please, help me…" Ho Sung begged with tears streaming down his cheeks.

"…"

"Th-think about it! How could I dare to insult you like that!? I'm sorry for using you! I'll make it up to you for the rest of my life!"

"…"

"I-I found this amazing ice cream parlor recently. It'll be the most heavenly dessert you've ever had!"

Instead of replying, Min Sung put his phone back in his pocket, looked at Ho Sung and let out a deep sigh. After staring intently at Ho Sung, he turned his eyes toward the head of the Dark Horse Clan.

'W-what the!?' Man Sik thought, completely overwhelmed with terror, wetting his pants yet again upon locking eyes with the champion.

"So, you've killed, robbed, and even tortured innocent hunters, huh?" Min Sung asked as he pulled his Orichalcon Dagger out of his inventory, which flashed and roared thunderously. Petrified, Man Sik couldn't say a word, and soon, he collapsed to the floor as his legs gave out.

"No! Wait! No!" he cried out with tears streaming down his cheeks. However, with the swing of the champion's dagger, his decapitated head was launched into the air and fell to the floor with a thud.

"Ho Sung Lee."

At the champion's call, Ho Sung looked up at him, fidgeting.

"The ice cream parlor! You won't be disappointed, sir. If you don't like it, you're more than welcome to kill me on the spot then!"

"You think you can get away with everything just because I have food in my mouth?"

"I-I know what I did was wrong. Please, I'll spend the rest of my life serving you and making it up to you. Have mercy! I beg you!" Ho Sung said, bowing and slamming his head on the floor. Blood trickled down his face. Staring intently at him, the champion let out a sigh and said, "Clean up this mess and meet me at my house."

"Th-thank you, sir! Thank you! I'll be your loyal servant!" Ho Sung said, his face lighting up with joy and relief.

"But you still gotta pay for what you did, right?"

"Sir?"

With that, Min Sung put his dagger back in his inventory and rolled up his sleeves.

—

Turning toward the exit, Min Sung made his way out of the abandoned factory. By the time he came out, the rain had stopped, and the Sun had come up. Meanwhile, having slept through the commotion, the Lich Doll squirmed as if bothered by the sudden sunlight and eventually crawled into Min Sung's jean's pocket. Looking up toward the abandoned factory, Min Sung thought, 'Ice cream, huh… It's gotta be above average if Ho Sung is recommending it to me."

—

After cleaning up the corpses of the Dark Horse clansmen, Ho Sung, whose face was swollen beyond recognition, got in the car sniffling. The reflection of himself in the mirror told him just how bad of a shape he was in. 'I look like I'm wearing a helmet.'

Then, remembering the champion's ruthless punches, he shook with fear. 'I thought I was gonna die back there. Never again,' he thought. Wiping his face with a wet wipe, he smiled and murmured, "At least, I'm still alive. I thought I was a goner." However, Ho Sung's face fell almost immediately as he remembered that all of his troubles traced back to Min Sung. If he hadn't run into the champion, the Diamond Clan wouldn't be in the shape it was in currently. On top of that, he wouldn't have had to be humiliated by the Dark Horse Clan, who had eventually surpassed the Diamond Clan.

"Son of a bitch…" he let out, lighting a cigarette and starting the ignition. After making a brief stop at a hospital that specialized in healing hunters, he headed straight to the champion's house, feeling as though the weight of the world was on his shoulders at the thought of having to take the champion to an ice cream parlor.

Chapter 22

Translated by: ShawnSuh

Edited by: SootyOwl

With a loud screech, the car entered the parking lot and came to an abrupt stop. As Min Sung got out of the backseat, the driver got out of the car in a hurry and led the champion toward the entrance, saying, "This way, sir."

However, when the two arrived at the store, Ho Sung was caught off guard by what he saw.

"Oh, right… It's the weekend. Kinda crowded, huh? Haha…" Ho Sung said, sweating profusely while looking at Min Sung cautiously. There was a massive line in front of the ice cream parlor called Push Push, which seemed to be popular among couples and female high school students. Being a tiny store with only two small tables, most customers tended to get takeouts.

"I'll see if I can arrange something with the owner so that you can skip the line…"

"We gotta respect these people. We'll wait in line."

"Ahaha… Of course."

'Since when are you so considerate?' Ho Sung murmured internally as he got in line with the champion. From the looks of it, they would be waiting for at least an hour just to get into the store.

'I sure hope he doesn't go apeshit on me for having to wait too long. Eh, it'll be fine. He's the one who suggested we wait in line, anyway,' Ho Sung thought, anxious to calm the beast that was Min Sung Kang with ice cream.

—

At the sound of the knock on the door, the guild master of the Shadow Guild tapped the screen of the monitor on the table. At which point, the door opened, and a sexy female secretary wearing glasses walked in and bowed politely.

"Your report, sir: Highly Classified," she said after briefly organizing the file and handing it to the guild master. Taking the file from her, the guild master read through the report. Then, his eyes widened for a brief moment.

'So, Min Sung Kang cleared the labyrinth…' he thought, smiling bitterly as he regained his composure. As startling as the news was, it wasn't unexpected. Still, it was alarming in the sense that it had confirmed that the champion was officially a miscellaneous type.

'Of course,' the guild master thought. It would've been stranger news if a mere level 150 powerful enough to bring down the entire Shadow Guild on his own turned out to be not a miscellaneous type. However, it was strange that a miscellaneous type would turn up out of nowhere when they hadn't seen a new one for a decade. Although the champion wasn't in direct conflict with the Shadow Guild, he was bound to make himself and his power known to the world eventually, and as the guild master of the Shadow Guild, he felt the urgent need to prepare and plan for the guild's future. With a dark expression on his face, the guild master stared at the report regarding the champion.

—

Central Hunters' Institute: Conference Room of the First Labyrinth Exploration Team.

Tae Gyum, level 1,100. The three-star Director of Investigations stared into the monitor with a hardened expression. To his left and right were five supervisors sitting shoulder to shoulder.

"The Shadow Guild seems hesitant to discuss the recent incident," Tae Gyum said to the supervisors.

"The media hasn't said much either."

"According to our investigation, there was no indication that other branches were in Seoul around the time the labyrinth was cleared."

After the supervisor's responses, the Director of Investigations' expression hardened even more. The labyrinth had been cleared by a mysterious party who had no affiliation with the Central Hunters' Institute. If the suburban branches had nothing to do with it, there could only be one explanation: a third party. Never had there been anything like it in the history of the institute. Yet, the Shadow Guild, the largest intelligence organization around, was refusing to speak about the matter and focusing solely on recovery.

"Headquarters will take charge of this investigation. Mr. Ahn, put a tracking team together this instant."

At Tae Gyum's command, the man bowed in a soldierly manner. Then, just as the Director of Investigations was about

to speak, the door opened all of a sudden and the supervisor of the Dungeon Gate Team rushed into the room. At which point, everyone looked toward him.

"Sir, we… We have a problem,"

"What is it?" Tae Gyum asked with a furrowed brow. At that moment…

'Beep! Beep! Beep!' the siren started blaring, and an announcement came from the PA system.

[Attention. In ten minutes, there will be an emergency meeting for all officers of one-star and above at the Central Conference Room. I repeat. All officers of one-star and above, please report to the Central Conference Room in ten minutes.]

Then, springing up from his seat, Tae Gyum told the supervisors, "Supervisors, have your reports ready by the time I'm done. Until then, be on standby."

"Yes, sir!" the supervisors replied simultaneously. With that, Tae Gyum pulled the supervisor of the Dungeon Gate Team aside and walked out of the conference room.

"OK. Let's hear it."

Breaking out into cold sweats, the supervisor of the Dungeon Gate Team said, "S-so… It seems like a new dungeon gate is about to open. On top of that, we're picking up irregularities in the preexisting dungeons. According to our system maintenance radar…"

"OK, that's enough," Tae Gyum said, cutting the supervisor off mid-sentence and walking away in a hurry. Staring at him from behind, the supervisor let out a deep sigh, and remembering that he had a place to be, he rushed in the direction of the Central Conference Room.

—

'What to get?' Min Sung thought. There were thirty-one flavors available in total, making it difficult to decide. Then, a list of the top ten most popular flavors came into view.

'Ah! That'll help!'

'1st: Honey Cheese Line. 2nd: Island Music. 3rd: Almond Monmon. 4th: My Dad is an Alien. 5th: Mint Chocolate Man. 6th: Cheesecake Girl. 7th: Strawberry in Love. 8th: The Temperature of the Wind. 9th: The Rainbow. 10th: Mystical Cotton Candy.'

Staring at the list, Min Sung immersed himself in thought. Although the list was showing some of the most popular flavors the store had to offer, finding the flavor that suited his taste was yet another challenge. Despite having spent a significant amount of time deciding, Min Sung simply couldn't make up his mind.

'I think I could use an outside opinion,' the champion thought, saying, "Ho Sung Lee."

"Sir!" Ho Sung Lee let out, startled by Min Sung's voice. Having grown weary of waiting, he had been dozing off while standing.

"I could use a suggestion."

Frankly, the most rational choice was to follow the list and go with the most popular flavor: the Honey Cheese Line. However, choosing an ice cream flavor was a matter of preference, which meant that popularity didn't always equate to satisfaction for some. Thankfully, being the tactful and sensible person that he was, Ho Sung knew exactly what Min Sung was looking for.

"The Honey Cheese Line is definitely their most popular flavor, but people either hate it or love it. Not only does it have a really strong cheese flavor, but it's also incredibly sweet. Though, if you have a sweet tooth, then, I would definitely recommend it. BUT, as a dessert, the cheese might be a bit overbearing."

"You have good judgment," Min Sung said, nodding.

"Thank you. Speaking of which, are you thinking of getting a cone or a cup? You'll be able to try multiple flavors if you decide to go with a cup."

"Can you get more than one flavor?" Min Sung asked, looking toward Ho Sung.

"Of course! I'd recommend you get them in pints, though. It's their smallest size, so you should be able to try the different flavors without stuffing yourself."

"I've been so preoccupied with the menu that I completely forgot about how full I was. Nevertheless, I'd still like to try a variety," Min Sung said, his eyes sparkling with interest.

"In that case, I'd recommend a pint of Almond Monmon, Island Music, and Mint Chocolate Man," Ho Sung said.

"I'll trust your judgment."

"Sure thing. Are you going to order them yourself?"

"Yes."

"Then, allow me to give you a useful tip. It'll help you out tremendously when you're at an ice cream parlor by yourself."

"Go on," Min Sung said, nodding.

"When you order, make sure to ask the employee that you'd like all the flavors to be visible."

"And why is that?"

"That way, they don't stack the different flavors of ice cream on top of each other. It'll keep the flavors from mixing."

"I see," Min Sung said, impressed.

"Hello! What would you like?" the employee sporting a pink hat asked.

"A pint, please."

"What flavors would you like?"

"Almond Monmon. Island Music. Mint Chocolate Man. I'd like the flavors to be visible."

"Sure, thing. Do you have a membership card or a punch card?"

Min Sung shook his head.

"Not a problem. You're all set," the employee said, taking the money from Min Sung and handing him a buzzer. With that, Min Sung moved away from the line and waited for his ice cream.

"Sir? Would you mind if I went out for a smoke?"

With his eyes fixed on the employee skillfully preparing his ice cream, Min Sung signaled with his chin for him to go on instead of replying.

—

Exhausted, Ho Sung walked out and smoked his cigarette.

'Son of a bitch. What the hell am I doing? It's not like I'm making any money or increasing my level just by following him around… Oh, wait. I guess my level has been going up,' he thought, chuckling.

'But what the hell's the point? I'm gonna die a slave, anyway. I'll always be under his shadow, no matter how many times I level up.'

Min Sung Kang was not only a monstrous hunter, but he was a miscellaneous type whose power was beyond anyone's imagination. Realizing the reality of his life as a slave, Ho Sung grew increasingly dismayed. To make matters even worse, his mindless blabbering had brought him the added obligation of being on standby nearly 24/7.

"Sigh… you IDIOT! GO KILL YOURSELF!" Ho Sung said, smacking himself on the lips. However, the pain on his lips did little to take his stress away. In fact, he made things worse by hurting his shoulders and the back of his neck.

'Man, I could really use a day off,' he thought, looking up at the sky. At that moment, a puzzled look appeared on his face, and the wind started to blow out of nowhere. As the wind grew more violent, the clouds in the sky started to distort, eventually looking like crumpled up paper.

"Wha…?"

Then, with a thunderous roar, a crack appeared out of nowhere, slowly tearing the sky in two.

Chapter 23

Translated by: ShawnSuh

Edited by: SootyOwl

A black sphere appeared in the center of the dimensional tear, and it grew bigger and bigger, crackling with black lightning.

"Is that… a dungeon!?" Ho Sung murmured while staring up at the UFO-shaped structure taking shape right before his eyes. Never had he seen anything like it. To further add to his surprise, a salamander-like monster the size of an orca came out of the black hole. It was a basilisk. At nearly level 1,200, at that.

"How is this possible? A dungeon and a monster appearing at the same time? And it's a basilisk of all monsters? This can't be normal," Ho Sung murmured, taken aback by the bizarre phenomenon. At that moment, a familiar voice came out of nowhere.

"Open the door. I'm eating inside the car," Min Sung said, looking down at the bowl of ice cream in his hands. Then, just as Ho Sung was about to reply, the basilisk leapt and landed right in front of him and the champion with a ground-shaking impact, causing the ground to explode into debris of asphalt and a thick, gray cloud of dust. Thankfully, having covered the bowl with a plastic lid, the champion was able to prevent the dust from getting into his ice cream. However, when the basilisk, roaring ferociously, launched itself toward Min Sung and swung its massive claw, the bowl of ice cream exploded in Min Sung's hands.

"…"

As the champion stared down at the ice cream melting away in his hands in a daze, the civilians around and inside the stores started to run away, screaming in panic. Amid the chaos, Min Sung, with his hands covered in melted ice cream, opened the inventory and pulled out his Orichalcon Dagger.

"You won't get away with this," he said, glaring fiercely at the basilisk with cold eyes. At that, Ho Sung stepped forward and said, "Sir, I'll go fetch that ice cream shop clerk and bring you another bowl this instant." Without even waiting for the champion's reply, Ho Sung turned around and went on his way to look for the clerk.

"Where the hell is this kid? She couldn't have gone far."

Determined to bring another bowl of ice cream to the champion in time, Ho Sung ran frantically in search of the clerk.

"If I don't, I'm done for!"

—

Glaring fiercely at the basilisk, which was flicking its repulsive, oversized tongue as if it was hunting a prey, Min Sung furrowed his brow and clenched his teeth tightly. The giant salamander seemed to have no clue of what it had done. Then, with its mouth agape, the basilisk spat out a stream of gray liquid at Min Sung. While he dodged it swiftly and subtly, the liquid splattered on the car behind him, turning it into stone. It seemed to have the power to petrify whatever it touched.

"Is that all you got?" Min Sung said, raising the Orihalcon Dagger over his head with cruel, mercilessness eyes. The dagger came down on the basilisk with a loud crackle of thunder, leaving a blue tail of light in its wake, cutting the giant salamander in two. It was truly a sight to behold. Unfortunately, the only witnesses were Ho Sung and the ice cream shop clerk whom he had forced to come along. Covered in tears, the clerk stared at the spectacle in a daze.

"Caw! Caw!"

A crow cawed in the distance amid the silence. Taken

aback and appalled by the sight, the clerk seemed to be completely incapable of verbalizing her thoughts. On the other hand, relieved that he had brought the clerk back in time, Ho Sung gasped for breath.

"Huff! Huff! My lungs… "

—

Covered in asphalt dust, the clerk glanced at the champion as she scooped the ice cream out of the freezer. Having met hunters both on and offline countless times, she, too, was well acquainted with them. However, she had never seen them in action. Killing a monster several times their size in a single blow of was a jaw-dropping experience.

"H-here you go, sir," she said, shaking as she handed the bowl to the champion. While Min Sung took the bowl from the clerk's, Ho Sung approached him and said, "Sir, we better get a move on. The Central Institute will be here to investigate any minute."

Then, just as they were heading back to the car, the Lich Doll's eyes glowed ominously.

—

The windshield wiper removed the thick layer of asphalt dust from the windshield. In a car moving away from the newly-formed dungeon, Min Sung was preoccupied with tasting the variety of ice cream flavors. First, was the Almond Monmon: the third most popular flavor in the store. Taking a spoonful, he brought it up to his mouth. When the coldness touched the surface of his tongue and the roof of his mouth, he shuddered.

"Amazing…"

The sweetness was insurmountable, and it tugged away at his brain. Yet, the fact that his body was able to make sense of such flavor couldn't be more intriguing. Although he only had a couple of small spoonfuls, the sweetness lingered like a ghost haunting his mouth. It was almost overwhelming.

'I almost can't feel my tongue.'

Shaking his head, he cleared his mind and focused on savoring the flavor.

'OK. Focus,' he thought and put another spoonful of the ice cream in his mouth. First, came the strong vanilla flavor, followed by the sweet crunch of the chocolate-covered almond chunks. The almond chunks added an exciting twist to the flavor.

Then, he moved on to the Mint Chocolate Man.

'So, a mint-chocolate ice cream that tastes like toothpaste…'

When the thought occurred to him, the champion's face twisted into a scowl almost instantly.

'… What is this?!' Min Sung thought. Glaring piercingly at Ho Sung, who was behind the wheel, the champion called to him, "Ho Sung Lee."

"Sir?" Ho Sung answered.

"Remind me why you recommended this flavor?"

"Ahaha! Seems like it's not really your cup of tea."

"It tastes like I'm eating chocolate after brushing my teeth with an extra layer of toothpaste," Min Sung said, expressing his disappointment bluntly. The champion simply couldn't make sense of why anybody would sell such terrible-tasting ice cream. The chocolate was so overwhelming that it completely masked the flavor of mint.

"Haha… I can't say I'm surprised. That is one of the most polarizing flavors," Ho Sung said.

"But, why? Why would they sell something like this?"

"Tell you what, why don't you try the Island Music?"

Looking down at the particularly colorful ice cream, Min Sung took a spoonful of it and brought it up to his mouth. Advertised as 'The Refreshing Tropical Fruit Cake,' the Island Music tasted just as colorful as its appearance. From açaí sherbet to the guanabana, the kiwi sherbet, the mango, and the passion fruit, there were six distinct flavors mixed into one.

"Mint Chocolate Man is another flavor that people either love or hate, BUT! That's only true when you eat it on its own!" Ho Sung said, putting his thumb up and adding, "Mint Chocolate Man shines as a palate cleanser. Not only does it wash away the sweetness lingering in your mouth, but the mint also keeps your mouth cool. It's an important segue between flavors."

'I had no idea,' the champion thought while looking at the driver, impressed. Just as Ho Sung had said, had Min Sung focused on the intense sweetness, he wouldn't have bothered to try another bite. Thanks to the refreshing palate-cleansing effect of the mint chocolate, the champion was able to continue to savor the different flavors of ice cream without the overwhelming sweetness.

'I'm almost embarrassed that I even asked him why he recommended the flavor to me,' Min Sung thought. Realizing that Ho Sung had even taken the balance of flavors into consideration, the champion couldn't deny that Ho Sung had a palate comparable to a professional.

With that, Min Sung ate every bite of the ice cream in the bowl. The complex harmony of the sweetness and the mint followed by the colorful flavors of the Island Music was, in simple terms, a top-class experience.

"Whew!" Min Sung let out with satisfaction and put the bowl down next to him. There couldn't have been a better dessert.

"How do you know so much about flavors? You seem like you'd have nothing to do with food," the champion asked, and the driver, turning the steering wheel, smiled bitterly and replied, "My last relationship lasted for quite a while. About five years, give or take. She LOVED to eat. Hell, more than half of our dates involved eating. It was almost an addiction, really."

Then, with a short sigh, he chuckled and added, "She was kind of cute at first, but she eventually turned into this hideous pig, so I broke up with her."

'I see,' the champion thought, understanding how Ho Sung had been able to take him to restaurants just right for the occasions.

Closing his eyes, he smiled subtly and said, "I'm looking forward to lunch."

"You can count on me!" Ho Sung replied enthusiastically.

Chapter 24

Translated by: Shawn Suh

Edited by: SootyOwl

Tae Gyum, the three-star Director of Investigations, looked around with a dark expression on his face. Not only had the situation been over by the time the Central Institute arrived at the scene, but the Shadow Guild had already paid a visit as well. The speed with which they acquired information matched their reputation.

Despite having predicted the dungeon anomaly ahead of time, the Central Institute had been the last to arrive at the scene. Staring at the dead carcass of the basilisk, Tae Gyum, who had been appointed Director of Investigations on the second quarter of that year, hardened his expression even more. Unlike monsters who were killed within a dungeon, which disintegrated after a while, carcasses of monsters killed outside the dungeon remained intact, providing investigators with various clues. Yet…

"How on earth…"

… What laid before the Director of Investigations was mind-boggling, and it filled his mind with questions without answers. First, was the appearance of the carcass. Split precisely in half, the only possible explanation for what had left the monster in that shape was a single, yet deadly blow.

'Who could possibly kill a level 1,200 basilisk with a single blow?'

The Central Institute hadn't detected any movement from their four sub-branches. Which meant…

'Could it be…?' Tae Gyum thought, his eyes gleaming sharply as a new speculation arose in his mind: the mysterious third-party individual who cleared the labyrinth.

Second, was the magic circle visible in between the split carcass of the basilisk. Although not the biggest, the investigation team concluded that it was a spell unique to a Lich, which meant a Lich had used dark magic to try to control the basilisk after turning it into an undead.

'A Lich trying to turn a basilisk into its undead puppet? Something's not adding up here.'

Although there were witnesses who saw the dungeon forming in thin air and the basilisk coming out of it, there was still no way to explain the magic circle and its purpose on the ground. On top of that, it appeared that the Lich had failed in its attempt to turn the giant salamander into its undead minion. Should it have succeeded, there wouldn't have been a carcass.

'Which means the Lich couldn't have been that high of a level.'

However, what made the Lich a truly threatening entity was its hidden potential. The longer it lived and the more monsters it absorbed, the more powerful it became, often beyond imagination. Should a Lich mature without any hindrance, its potential grew exponentially, raising its level by well over three-thousand. All that to say, the Lich was a monster not to be taken lightly.

'Who are you…' Tae Gyum said to himself, biting down on his lower lip. Then, turning away from the carcass, he said, "Mr. Ahn."

"Yes, sir!" the hunter responded promptly.

"Did the surveillance cameras capture anything?"

"No, sir. They're all down, even the black boxes of all of the cars in the area. The dungeon must've taken out all the electronic devices around it as it was forming."

Considering how much energy a dungeon tended to produce during its formation, it was more than possible. If anything, the fact that the surrounding buildings were still intact was a miracle. At that moment…

"Sir."

… One of the supervisors approached the director and saluted him, saying, "We found a witness who saw the potential suspect."

"Who is she?"

"She works at an ice cream parlor called Push Push."

"Well? Did you find out anything?"

"Apparently, it was only one person. She's saying that the suspect killed the basilisk with a single blow."

Nodding as if he had been expecting that, the director said, "Ask her what he looked like, and make sure nothing gets out to the public…"

"The thing is… She can't really remember what he looked like."

"…What?" Tae Gyum let out. Dumbfounded, he walked toward the clerk, who seemed completely out of it. Then, noticing a smaller version of the magic circle on the ground on her arm, the director furrowed his brow.

'It's the Lich… It erased her memory. Since it wasn't

strong enough, it could only manipulate a very small portion of its victims' memory. Of course, it would go for the single most important piece of memory. Son of a bitch!' he thought, clenching his teeth tightly. If the Lich wasn't strong enough to inflict harm to the basilisk, there was only one other suspect who could have.

'But what was a Lich doing here?'

Liches typically preferred to stay within their dungeons.

'This is off to a rocky start,' Tae Gyum thought, looking at the dead carcass of the basilisk and the magic circle underneath it, hardening his expression even more.

—

In the car ride home, Min Sung looked down at the Lich Doll on his knee. It looked weak and exhausted.

Before they left the parking lot, the Lich Doll had jumped out of the champion's pocket and chanted a spell, which had made the clerk fall to the ground, dead asleep. Then, walking toward the dead basilisk, it had chanted one more time, creating a magic circle underneath the carcass. At which point, black smoke had risen from the magic circle, engulfing the dead monster. However, the smoke had faded before long, and looking at it with disappointment, the Lich Doll returned to its master and crawled back into his pocket, looking weak and defeated.

As far as the champion could tell, the doll seemed to have used up all of its powers, which made sense considering that it was still at level 1. Attempting to control a basilisk was far too much of a task at that level. Looking at the doll wallowing in defeat, Min Sung couldn't help but wonder, 'Maybe I need to train the little guy.' However, after that brief thought, he shook his head as he reached a conclusion: 'I don't feel like it.'

—

After arriving home, Min Sung lay on his bed and enjoyed the sunlight shining through the window.

'I think I'm starting to get used to this. Having a home, rest, the comfort… Do I even know what it's like to nap anymore?'

Humans tended to adapt to their environment. More accurately, being on Earth had enabled the champion's body to return to its natural rhythm. As soon as his back touched the bed, Min Sung felt as though he was getting sucked into the mattress. His body felt heavy as if he had been anesthetized, and his consciousness started to fade. Soon, his eyes closed, and the champion fell sound asleep, listening to the birds chirping peacefully outside.

While Min Sung was out, the Lich doll crawled out of his pocket. Still half asleep, it rubbed its eyes and looked around. Upon checking that its master was sound asleep, the doll jumped off the bed, made its way to the kitchen, and started cleaning the house with a freshly washed rag. Going to and fro, the Lich Doll wiped the floor, couch, and the dining table until they were sparkling clean, washing the rag with its magical powers.

After cleaning the living room and all the other rooms, including the room in which its master slept, the Lich Doll climbed up the champion's bed. Then, giggling as if deeply satisfied to have done its master a service, the doll snickered quietly and fell back on the mattress. Just like that, it went back to sleep.

—

There was a chandelier made of diamonds hanging from the ceiling, decorating the room, which was made entirely of marble. The interior was far more luxurious than a seven-star hotel. In that room that words couldn't begin to describe the amount of lavishness, there was a beautiful blonde woman with deep eyes and a short hairdo reading a book on a table made of black mithril. Dressed in a shirt as white as her skin, a black, perfectly fitted pair of cotton pants, and black, handmade leather shoes, her fashion further accentuated her dazzling beauty.

'Knock, knock.'

At the sound of the knock on the door, she looked away from the book, took off her silver-framed glasses and slowly looked toward the door. At which point, her voluptuous secretary walked into the room.

"Ma'am, Tae Gyum wants to see you," she said.

"For?" the blonde woman asked gently, yet firmly.

"An unidentified miscellaneous-type individual."

At that, her eyes sparkled for a split second.

"Send him up," she said as she closed the book. After which, the secretary bowed and left the room. Putting the book and her glasses on the table, the blonde woman crossed her arms, and soon, after a series of knocks on the door, a man came into the room and bowed to her politely. It was Tae Gyum.

"Ma'am."

"So, a miscellaneous type, huh?"

"Yes, ma'am."

At that, the blonde woman's eyes became even deeper.

—

Opening his eyes slowly, Min Sung sat up on his bed and looked at the clock.

'I've slept for two hours?' he thought, surprised, chuckling bitterly. After getting used to sleeping for minutes at a time during his stay at the Demonic Realm, the champion couldn't believe that he was taking long naps in broad daylight. Enjoying the pleasant languidness, Min Sung looked at the Lich Doll, who was dozing off while standing.

'Why is it sleeping like that? Does it sleepwalk?'

The champion tapped the doll on its head with his thumb. At which point, the doll jumped from its place and opened its eyes. For an undead skeleton warlock, it was rather adorable, and being about the size of the champion's hand, it almost looked like a toy. Still looking half asleep, the doll crawled toward its master's pocket.

'It's still level 1. Maybe that's why it sleeps so much,' Min Sung thought. Then, putting the thought aside, the champion got out of bed and walked out to the living room. Upon checking his phone, he realized that he had been bombarded with a slew of spam messages. At that moment, as he was deleting the messages, he saw a certain message that caught his eye.

'Remaining Balance: 1,900 won.'

"… Wait, what?!" Min Sung let out, frozen in place, taken aback by the message. Although he had been under the assumption that he had made a fortune after clearing the labyrinth not too long ago, there was hardly any money left in his account. In fact, there wasn't even enough for him to afford a meal. Then, realizing how expensive his clothes, the house, and the furniture within had been, the champion soon came to terms with the alarming situation he found himself in.

'I guess it's time to go to a dungeon again,' he thought. Thankfully, making money was hardly a challenge. Although inconvenient and troublesome, the profit he would make off of the loot made dungeon raids worth the trouble. After messaging Ho Sung that they were going out, the champion stretched and made his way toward the bathroom for a shower.

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