—————————————————————–
Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Wjin
—————————————————————–
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
At the same time, he prepared to circulate his internal energy to unleash the ultimate technique of the Extinction Heaven Blood Art.
Among the techniques of Extinction Heaven Blood Art, it was the most destructive one, a martial art imbued with the cruel will of the Blood Cult to utterly annihilate the enemy before them.
Naturally, the world within his vision began to be painted red, like blood.
The power of Extinction Heaven Blood Art was starting to consume Sungjoon’s mind.
Even now, he felt like he could wield power beyond his limits.
But it wasn’t enough yet.
This wasn’t enough to kill the Earth Worm in front of him with a single blow.
He poured out all his internal energy.
As the internal energy gathered in one place, the energy of Extinction Heaven Blood Art instantly swelled in size.
The thread of reason he was desperately holding onto felt like it would snap at any moment.
But Sungjoon fully embraced the rising madness and added it to his internal energy.
“KIIEEEEEEK-!”
At that moment, as if it had been waiting, the Earth Worm opened its maw wide towards Sungjoon’s figure, falling from the sky.
Sharp teeth filled his vision, but Sungjoon didn’t change direction.
To be precise, there was no reason to dodge.
The martial art he was currently unleashing focused on only one point, destruction.
A head-on confrontation like this was precisely the situation he desired.
Hum-
Sungjoon strongly drew up his blood energy, making his whole body dash forward at the maximum speed he could muster.
Blood energy coursed through Sungjoon’s entire body like a highway, rapidly accelerating, making his body burn hot as if his blood were boiling.
At the peak, Sungjoon, now close and looking at the Earth Worm with its mouth wide open, unleashed his ultimate martial art.
‘Extinction Heaven Blood Art, Ultimate Technique, Ten Thousand Demon Asura Fist.’
Materialized blood energy wrapped around Sungjoon’s fist and arm, leaving a long tail like a falling comet as it plunged into the ground.
KABOOM-
An explosive sound like a bomb detonating echoed.
Unable to withstand the force that fiercely struck the desert ground, piles of sand soared into the sky and then poured down like a waterfall.
Crash!
As the intense tremors of destruction shook the surroundings,
Sungjoon, kneeling on one knee with his fist touching the ground and his eyes closed, coughed briefly.
A thin line of red trailed down from his lips.
“Cough.”
As expected, performing a martial art beyond his achieved level wasn’t easy.
But what he gained from it was clear.
Sungjoon slowly opened his eyes, stood up, and turned his head.
Whoosh-
As the dust cloud created by the somewhat violently falling sand waterfall gradually dissipated, a black hole like a large cave came into view.
Of course, a real cave hadn’t suddenly appeared.
It was the mark left by the ultimate Demon Fist, Ten Thousand Demon Asura Fist, as it pierced through the Earth Worm’s massive body.
‘I’m satisfied with the result.’
Sungjoon wiped the blood from his lips with the back of his hand, smiled, and raised his head.
There, unaware of its own death, was the Earth Worm, frozen stiff with its mouth open towards the sky where Sungjoon had been.
It was an instant death, needless to say.
He had achieved victory.
But there was no time to relish the joy.
‘The aftereffects are worse than I thought.’
It wasn’t just his physical body.
As a price for drawing out power beyond his level, madness was trying to consume his mind.
Sungjoon clenched his lower lip and controlled the terrible emotion.
‘There are no more enemies here.’
There was no reason to fight.
There was no reason to release emotions like anger and murderous intent.
As he quickly imprinted the reality before him into his mind, the madness that was clouding his head began to slowly recede.
“Phew…”
It was the moment he finally slowly exhaled, completely dispelling the remaining madness.
A cheerful sound rang in his ears.
Ding!
You have defeated the C-rank boss monster, Earth Worm.
> You have defeated the boss monster alone.
> Additional experience points are awarded.
> Experience points gained for first clear reward are doubled.
> Confirmed as a Frenzy Gate boss monster, additional rewards are awarded!
> Experience points gained are increased fivefold.
> Experience points are greatly increased!
> Congratulations! Your level has increased to 36 as you have met the required experience points.
> You have successfully survived alone within the Frenzy Gate.
> You have acquired the Low-rank title, Survivor.
A smile appeared on Sungjoon’s lips as he checked the green hologram windows that kept popping up.
“This is… a harvest beyond my expectations.”
Titles were one of the means by which Hunters could additionally increase their stats or gain special advantages.
Therefore, acquiring a title, which had been empty until now, could be considered a considerable gain.
But the rewards weren’t just the title.
‘The experience points are also substantial.’
He had expected to gain a considerable amount of experience points since he had hunted a C-rank boss monster alone, and for the first time.
However, the amount of additional experience points awarded far exceeded his expectations.
‘…Five times?’
Thanks to this, his level increased by a whopping six stages.
He had become level 36, despite having entered the gate only a few hours ago.
Considering that ordinary Hunters in their 30s needed about ten days to raise one level, it was an incredible speed.
A smile appeared on Sungjoon’s lips.
‘Good.’
The rewards he had already received were satisfying enough, but another alarm sound rang in his ears.
Ding!
> You have resisted mental contamination with strong mental strength.
> You have acquired the S-rank skill, Indomitable Will.
He had merely controlled his own will to dispel the madness emitted by the Extinction Heaven Blood Art, yet he had acquired an S-rank skill.
‘Excellent.’
He could have enjoyed his immediate growth, but unfortunately, his physical condition wasn’t good right now.
The price for wielding power beyond his level.
His muscles were screaming in agony as they twisted, and his legs were trying to give way.
‘It would be best to recuperate as soon as possible.’
Sungjoon postponed his enjoyment of the joy and moved towards the newly created gate exit.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
One hour. It was a short time, if you could call it that.
But it was enough time for Seokgyu Han’s face to turn pale.
‘…Is there really no way?’
Even though Ganghyun Jo, his close friend and the head of the Returnee Management Team, had left to find a solution, there was still no news.
It was while Seokgyu, unable to hide his anxiety, was nervously biting his thumbnail and staring at the Frenzy Gate, that Minjae Ha, unable to bear it any longer, approached and spoke to him.
“If Returnee Sungjoon Lee is prioritizing survival, it could take quite a while, so wouldn’t it be better for you to return to the Association and rest, even a little, and conserve your strength, Team Leader?”
It was a reasonable suggestion, but Seokgyu firmly shook his head.
“Don’t be ridiculous. This accident happened because I didn’t check properly, how can I rest easy?”
He had blocked the path of a long-time friend.
No, before that, a life had been lost in vain.
Though he couldn’t turn back time and change the past, as the person responsible for this incident, he would ensure that Returnee Sungjoon Lee could close his eyes in peace.
‘I will definitely… avenge Returnee Sungjoon Lee.’
Although he wasn’t incredibly powerful, as a Hunter ranked A+, he wouldn’t be lacking in strength.
Furthermore, he would recover the body as quickly as possible before it was damaged and return it to the family.
‘That’s the best I can do right now.’
It was while firm resolve shone in Seokgyu’s eyes that he heard surprised voices from Minjae and the soldiers guarding the area.
“Huh? The gate?!”
“The gate is changing!”
“The barrier has been lifted!”
At the news coming from everywhere, the resolve in Seokgyu’s eyes began to burn.
The time had come.
It was time to do what he had to do.
It was the moment Seokgyu nodded and was about to step towards the gate.
“S-Someone is coming out!”
“It’s Returnee Sungjoon Lee!”
Seokgyu’s eyes widened.
‘He came out alive?’
Even though he was seeing Sungjoon Lee walking out with his own two eyes, he couldn’t accept it.
Thinking that he was suffering from hallucinations due to extreme stress, he hurriedly rubbed his eyes and shook his head, but nothing changed.
It was clearly reality.
Indeed, the Association staff guarding the entrance were all heading towards Sungjoon.
‘Impossible.’
A Hunter who hadn’t even been active for a month had hunted a C+-rank boss monster alone.
Seokgyu wasn’t the only one who couldn’t hide his surprise.
“N-No way! He caught a C+-rank boss monster alone?”
Director Dongjun Kim, who had been grinning and staring at the entrance of the Frenzy Gate for an hour, was also in utter disbelief.
Immediately after, he pushed aside the Association staff with his large body and approached Sungjoon.
“You, you! How did you do that?!”
“…”
He shouted his question right in front of Sungjoon, but there was no answer.
Nor did Sungjoon show any anger; he simply stared blankly.
‘There’s no need to deal with these small fries one by one.’
It was a situation he had already anticipated.
The higher he climbed, the more people there would be blinded by jealousy and greed.
And the man shouting in front of him now was just one of them.
It was as Sungjoon, showing no reaction, tried to pass by Dongjun Kim, that
“Where do you think you’re going! Tell me now! How did you do that?!”
Dongjun Kim reached out to grab Sungjoon’s shoulder.
Even though Sungjoon wasn’t in good condition due to the aftereffects, there was no way he couldn’t counter such a slow movement.
Slap!
Sungjoon brushed off his hand and spoke in a low voice.
“Why should I?”
“I am Dongjun Kim, the Director of the Returnee Management Department.”
Dongjun Kim’s face overflowed with confidence as he revealed his identity.
For returnees, a person with the position of Director of the Returnee Management Department within the Association, which held the power of the law, was a difficult figure to deal with.
But Sungjoon didn’t show a single flicker of disturbance.
“So?”
Dongjun Kim’s face contorted at Sungjoon’s cold response.
“A returnee who hasn’t even been back on Earth for a month hunted a C+-rank boss monster alone. It’s unbelievable. So I, or anyone for that matter, would think that you’re hiding your identity… So it would be best for you to answer my questions obediently.”
It wasn’t a simple question.
He was acting as if he were conducting an interrogation, treating Sungjoon like a criminal.
Naturally, Sungjoon’s gaze grew cold.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
System Notification 