Chapter 82

Fifteen people in total. With nearly half of them B-rank Hunters, it had turned into a lavish raid team—even taking the Gate’s rank into account.

“Were B-rank Hunters always this common?”

I agreed with Im Kkeokjeong.

“Seriously.”

Before, even when I went looking for them, I had been lucky to catch a glimpse of their coat tails. They had always lived in a completely different world from people like Im Kkeokjeong and me.

“But you don’t seem all that impressed, Taekyung.”

“Me?”

“Yeah. I saw you chatting pretty comfortably with that other Team Leader earlier.”

“It happens. We were just making small talk.”

“It happens, my ass. Not long ago, you would’ve broken your neck trying to look up high enough to talk to one of them.”

Was it really that bad?

Come to think of it, he wasn’t wrong. I was simply the one who had changed.

They say the scenery changes when you change where you stand.

B-rank Hunters. Mountain ridges I couldn’t reach even with my hand outstretched now stood right before me.

But the scenery wasn’t as beautiful as I had imagined.

They’re around Supreme First Rate? No, maybe First Rate martial artists.

Both the Levels I’d checked with Qi Sense and the amount of mana I felt from them put them at about that level. Needless to say, I was a cut above them, armed with the System’s cheat-like advantages. Even compared to martial artists of the same Level, they would probably be a step below.

That’s the difference between martial artists and Hunters.

Both sides had their strengths and weaknesses, but if they fought with nothing but their bodies, the Hunter would lose every time.

Martial artists learned internal energy cultivation techniques that allowed them to efficiently use the qi within their bodies, then maximized its power through martial arts.

A Hunter would need proper equipment and magic to stand a chance.

The conclusion was simple. Martial artists had the advantage in individual ability, while Hunters were superior in group combat and tactics.

And…

I’m a total cheat character.

I was both a Hunter and a martial artist—a martial artist and a Hunter. I possessed all the advantages of two classes that were alike yet fundamentally different.

Even more frightening was the fact that I was still growing rapidly through the System.

I kind of feel like the protagonist of a novel.

Maybe I should write an autobiography when I got old and retired.

Login Murim.

Something like that for the title.

To anyone else, it would sound like a fantasy novel.

“Everyone, assemble! Move into the formation I call out!”

At the shout, Im Kkeokjeong took a deep breath.

“So it’s starting.”

Im Kkeokjeong’s position was tank. He had to protect the team from the front.

Maybe it was the pressure of a B-rank Gate, but his usually smiling face had gone stiff.

“Can I do this?”

I patted him on the shoulder.

“You can.”

I wasn’t just saying that to make him feel better. The System window floating before my eyes was proof.

System

Item Window

Matador’s Full-Body Armor

Type: Armor
Grade: Peak
Description: Armor of the matador, by the matador, for the matador.
Effect: Strength, Stamina, Toughness +10
Against bovine-type monsters, All Stats +20.

Item Window

Matador’s Shield

Type: Shield
Grade: Peak
Description: A shield of the matador, by the matador, for the matador. Dyed red with bull’s blood, it is eerie just to look at.
Effect: Strength, Stamina, Toughness +10
Against bovine-type monsters, has a chance to activate Taunt.
Against bovine-type monsters, has a chance to activate Hallucination.

Honestly, I thought it would be impossible at first.

But this was enough to put my mind at ease. At least here, in The Minotaur’s Labyrinth, Im Kkeokjeong would be able to perform admirably as a tank.

“Hunter Im.”

The sponsor—or rather, Team Leader Choi—approached quietly and spoke with a serious expression.

“Put it on carefully. It’s part of my prized collection.”

“…”

“…”

He sure knows how to say something nice.

Im Kkeokjeong took the lead as the tank. Once Butler Kim, the mage, and Miss Song-i, the healer, moved to the rear, only Team Leader Choi remained beside me.

“…Why are you looking at me like that?”

Why else? I wanted him to switch positions with Miss Song-i.

How nice would it be to walk side by side, enjoying a pleasant stroll through the Gate? We could even save each other if monsters showed up.

The heavens clearly aren’t on my side.

Even when I raised my head in lament, all I saw was the damp cavern ceiling. Of course, it was incomparably higher than the ceiling of an F-rank Gate.

“It’s definitely huge.”

“It’s a B-rank Gate.”

The higher a Gate’s rank, the larger its interior and the stronger the monsters that appeared within it. Of course, D-rank was as high as I’d ever gone, so this was my first time inside anything higher. That was what people said, anyway.

“In some cases, you even have to climb a snow-covered mountain. I went once two years ago. It was horrible.”

“Oh, was there some kind of accident?”

“No. My boots weren’t enchanted with waterproofing.”

“…”

“I have cold hands and feet.”

“…”

“Ah, both of those were jokes.”

Of course they were jokes. How could someone above Level 60 have cold hands and feet?

I was staring at Team Leader Choi with an incredulous expression when—

Drrrk.

“Hm?”

“Is something wrong?”

“Wait. Just a moment.”

Was I imagining things?

No.

A faint vibration had traveled through the cavern floor. It lasted only an instant, but I had definitely felt it.

Drrrk.

The second vibration was clearer and more obvious.

Several people had already noticed it and begun watching the area ahead. Im Changsoo was one of them.

“Prepare for battle!”

His short shout was quick and composed. With half his team being B-rank Hunters and excellent gear at their disposal, he had no reason to panic.

There was just one problem.

“Watch the holes!”

This was a labyrinth. There were five wide-open holes right in front of us.

It was difficult to determine exactly where the monsters were coming from based on the vibrations in the ground alone.

“Where are they?”

“…”

Who is Im Changsoo asking? It’s not like the Minotaurs are going to answer him.

“—Moooooo!”

“There! The hole on the far left!”

“…Is this for real?”

I could hardly believe the sight even as I watched it.

I clicked my tongue and gripped my spear. The Masterwork Black Thorn Spear—a vicious weapon with a high chance of putting an enemy into the Bleeding state.

“Doesn’t the grip feel great? I applied the finishing coat very carefully—”

There’s another vicious thing here.

If Team Leader Choi died, I had no doubt he would fall straight into the tongue-pulling hell.¹

The next moment—

Boom. Boom. Boom.

“—Mooooooo!”

They burst out of the darkness.

Their bodies resembled humans, but their physiques were too massive to be human, and their muscles were grotesquely swollen.

A rectangular Level window floated above two horns stained with dust and someone’s blood.

System

Level 58 Minotaur Warrior

“—Moooooo!”

They looked far more vivid and imposing in person than they had in the video, but…

“That’s all?”

“There’s only one?”

There really was just one.

Could that Minotaur have gotten lost in the labyrinth, too?

“At that level, we should be able to handle it without ranged support, shouldn’t we?”

“Hye-rin, I’ll be right back.”

The Sangdong Guild members confidently stepped forward. Two tanks and two damage dealers, all of them B-rank Hunters.

Their intention to show off in front of the women was painfully obvious.

Oh, you morons.

Guys like that always fooled around and ended up dead. Of course, that probably wouldn’t happen because of a single Minotaur.

“If you’re going to do it, finish it quickly.”

With Im Changsoo’s permission, the four men drew their weapons and started toward the monster.

That was when—

Boom. Boom.

“Hm?”

“—Moo.”

A Minotaur popped out of the second of the five holes.

“Oh, now there are two.”

“That one’s a little smaller. It looks weaker, so you take it.”

“What the hell are you saying? Says the weakest bastard here.”

Boom. Boom.

“—Moo.”

The third hole.

“Oh, three. At this rate, this might actually be a pretty fun fight.”

“Anyone who gets so much as a scratch buys drinks tonight. How about it?”

“I’m in.”

“I’m in. The guy who suggests these things always ends up paying.”

Boom. Boom.

“—Moo.”

“Ah, shit. What is this?”

“Four might be a bit much.”

“We should probably form up and take them out one at a time.”

“Agreed.”

Team Leader Choi, who had been watching the situation, scratched his neck.

“Maybe we should wait a little longer before coming up with a strategy.”

“Huh?”

“The holes. Don’t you get the feeling more might come out?”

“No way. It’s not like they’re introducing Olympic athletes.”

Boom-boom-boom-boom!

He was right.

Lane five—no, the fifth hole—had news for us, too.

The only unexpected part was that this time, it wasn’t alone.

“—Moooooo!”

Maybe it had a lot of friends. Four Minotaurs came stampeding out together.

Including the ones that had already appeared, there were eight in total. Four B-rank Hunters had no chance against that many.

Team Leader Choi spoke.

“What do you think?”

“It might be difficult.”

Difficult, my ass. If you don’t want to die, stay behind the tank.

I had toned it down for the benefit of the ears around us.

“What about you, Mr. Taekyung?”

“Me?”

“Yes. You, Mr. Taekyung.”

“Hmm.”

Minotaurs were B-rank monsters, and their Levels were in the mid-to-late fifties.

For a martial artist, that would be close to Supreme First Rate. But if I fought them, I would have to account for all sorts of variables.

Simply put, I would have to fight them to know.

“I’m not sure.”

“You’re not sure… Do you know something?”

Team Leader Choi stared at me with a strange look in his eyes.

“Most C-rank Hunters don’t answer like that. They wouldn’t take time to think about a question like that, much less take it seriously.”

I felt a sudden twinge of unease.

I had no reason to hide my strength, but I also had no desire to brag about it to the whole neighborhood.

For now, I wanted to avoid attention and keep it as my own secret. A Hunter who was just a little more capable than everyone else. That was all.

“I’ve known this for a while, but you really are an interesting person, Jin Taekyung.”

“No, wait, Team Leader. I think there may be some misunderstanding here.”

I had just begun to speak when—

“Haha, I see. Listening to you, even I’m getting interested.”

Im Changsoo suddenly cut in, his gaze sweeping over Team Leader Choi and me.

“You were having such an interesting conversation that I couldn’t help overhearing some of it. You don’t mind, do you?”

Was it my imagination, or did that sound like “If you do mind, what are you going to do about it?”

“For a C-rank with fuck-all to his name, you sure had a lot to say about Minotaurs and whatnot. You were practically writing a novel.”

Ah. So I wasn’t imagining it.

I looked at Im Changsoo with fresh eyes.

It suits him.

Everyone had clothes that suited them. The same went for smiles and attitudes.

That was how Im Changsoo looked to me now. The mockery gathered in the raised corners of his mouth suited him perfectly. It was practically made for him.

“I didn’t mean to offend you.”

At Team Leader Choi’s characteristically impassive expression and tone, Im Changsoo let out a short laugh.

“Why would I be offended? It’s the truth. These guys are fucking lousy. They only look impressive because people keep calling them B-rank. Among B-ranks, they’re complete bottom-of-the-barrel trash. But…”

Im Changsoo jerked his chin toward me.

“They’re still better than a C-rank. Isn’t that right, Mr. Jang Taekyung?”

I finally said what I had been holding back all this time.

“It’s Jin Taekyung.”

“Whether you’re Jin Taekyung or Jang Taekyung, I don’t care what your surname is.”

“Then should I call you Shit Changsoo?”

“What?”

“Im Changsoo or Shit Changsoo. I don’t care what your surname is either.”

The smile disappeared from Im Changsoo’s face.