Levelling Up In An Exclusive Dungeon

Chapter 40

Kang Jin-hyuk moved like a leech, sticking close to the wall.

He gripped the baseball bat tightly in his right hand, just in case he ran into a Tyrant Guild member on patrol.

If he encountered one, he’d strike them on the head.

He intended to take them out with a single blow to avoid being detected.

“They’re guys who sell people anyway, so it’s okay not to hold back, right?”

The first time is always the hardest.

Kang Jin-hyuk steadied his wavering heart, preparing to take his opponent’s breath without hesitation if needed.

“Alright.”

Having gained the confidence not to hesitate, Kang Jin-hyuk took a deep breath and dashed out to the entrance.

And as soon as he saw the Hunter in front of him, he swung the bat with all his might.

Whoosh!

Kang Jin-hyuk couldn’t hide his embarrassment as the bat only cut through the air.

He had clearly aimed for the opponent’s head and swung after accurately measuring the distance.

However, the bat passed right through the opponent as if it had touched a ghost.

Kang Jin-hyuk became tense, thinking that the Tyrant Guild member had used some special skill.

‘This is bad.’

Having missed the hard-earned chance for a surprise attack, the Tyrant Guild member would immediately sound the alarm.

If that happened, the operation would fail.

Han Young-seok and the Titan Hunters would abandon Kang Jin-hyuk immediately, and if that happened, he would be as good as dead.

Kang Jin-hyuk racked his brains, trying to figure out how to overcome this crisis.

“If it doesn’t work, I’ll just have to keep swinging until it does!”

Kang Jin-hyuk swung the bat repeatedly, but not a single blow landed on his opponent.

All he could hear was the sound of the bat cutting through the air.

The only consolation was that no one else was watching this pathetic display of him flailing in the air.

“What is this?”

Before he reached 10 swings, Kang Jin-hyuk realized something strange.

No matter how ineffective his attacks were, his opponent didn’t react at all.

Not only did they not react, they didn’t even look in Kang Jin-hyuk’s direction.

They just stared straight ahead like a doll.

“I can’t have become a ghost, can I…….”

He reached out and his hand passed right through the opponent’s body as if he was trying to touch a hologram.

He touched the wall just in case, and he could feel the texture properly.

If there was nothing wrong with Kang Jin-hyuk’s body, there was only one answer.

Kang Jin-hyuk frowned as he focused on his opponent.

“Damn it, it was a fake made with an illusion skill.”

Because it was a figure created by an illusion, there was no Karma visible.

Unlike the building’s surroundings, which were heavily guarded by a triple barrier, the entrance was only guarded by a single illusion.

Touching the illusion wouldn’t trigger an alarm or call for backup.

It was just a facade.

“What kind of army is this? They’re guarding the place like this?”

Thinking that they might be monitoring the entrance with CCTV even if the guard was an illusion,

Kang Jin-hyuk carefully looked around.

“There’s nothing visible for now.”

He couldn’t rule out the possibility of hidden cameras.

Kang Jin-hyuk pulled out one of the miscellaneous items he had brought from home from his inventory.

The item he was holding was a small EMP made from an electric monster material.

Using this would turn all electronic devices within 10 meters into scrap metal.

The downside was that it would also destroy his own electronic devices.

It was a shame to lose his smartphone, but he couldn’t worry about that now.

As Kang Jin-hyuk placed the item on the floor, it emitted a blue light like a lantern and spread waves around it.

“Did it work properly?”

Kang Jin-hyuk pulled out his smartphone from his pocket and tried to turn it on.

The fact that it didn’t respond no matter how many times he pressed the button meant that the EMP had worked.

“What the f*ck? Why did my phone suddenly turn off?!”

Kang Jin-hyuk was startled to hear a shout from inside the building.

As he quickly dropped to the floor and pressed himself against the wall so he wouldn’t be seen, a Hunter opened the door and walked out.

“I’m already pissed off waiting in this backwater, and now my f*cking phone is acting up.”

The Hunter’s shoulder was embroidered with a golden silhouette of a dinosaur, the symbol of the Tyrant Guild.

To him, who had been killing time with his phone, the current situation was like a life crisis.

The Tyrant Guild member walked around trying to revive his dead phone.

Judging from the way he was holding his phone above his head, he seemed to think it was a network issue.

‘I don’t see anyone else inside…… Is he

the only one here?’

Kang Jin-hyuk thought it was impossible.

This was the place where the inhumane act of producing Alraune’s Elixir was taking place.

It didn’t make sense that they would leave only this few people here, no matter how much they trusted the barrier.

“Damn it. While the other guys are slacking off inside, I’m the only one stuck out here.”

Kang Jin-hyuk perked up his ears at the Tyrant Hunter’s words.

Unaware that someone was eavesdropping nearby, he grumbled and complained about his situation.

“No one’s going to break through the barrier anyway. We could just put up a few illusions. Why the f*ck do I have to guard this place?”

Hearing his words, Kang Jin-hyuk realized that there was only one person guarding the entrance.

Then there was no need for him to stay here.

Kang Jin-hyuk quickly approached while the Tyrant Guild member was looking the other way.

The baseball bat reached his head before the Tyrant Guild member could turn his head at the sound of footsteps.

After a short, heavy thud, the Tyrant Guild member collapsed to the ground.

He didn’t move a muscle, as if he had been knocked out in one hit.

“He won’t wake up in the middle of this, will he?”

He might never wake up again, but Kang Jin-hyuk decided not to think about that.

He had no loyalty to a villain with a Karma of 800.

Kang Jin-hyuk easily infiltrated the building through the open door.

The interior of the spacious building, which looked like it could easily accommodate about 1,000 people, was structured like a prison he had only seen in movies.

Looking up, he saw rows of prison cells with bars,

and from them came groans of pain, like those of sick patients.

In contrast, the first floor was filled with chatter and laughter.

Kang Jin-hyuk was sure that the rest of the Hunters were in the lit room he saw in front of him.

“I think I’ve done enough reconnaissance…….”

He had figured out the internal structure and the location of the Hunters.

This was enough of a harvest that no one could blame Kang Jin-hyuk even if he went back now.

But Kang Jin-hyuk didn’t want to retreat.

If he went back now, Han Young-seok would definitely not give him a proper share of the spoils.

It would be a blessing if he didn’t rat him out to the Tyrant Guild for what he had done.

“No matter how I think about it, I have to take care of my share myself.”

Kang Jin-hyuk first went upstairs using the stairs.

All the Hunters he encountered along the way were illusions with no Karma visible.

Kang Jin-hyuk went around and checked the number and location of the imprisoned people.

So far, he had found seven survivors.

They were all young women who looked to be in their 20s.

They were all lying on filthy beds, looking lifeless as if they hadn’t been properly fed.

They were so weak that they didn’t even turn their heads when Kang Jin-hyuk approached.

“Is this because they’re just going to be used as fertilizer?”

He couldn’t help but sigh as it seemed like they were saying there was no need to care for those who were going to die.

As a fellow human being, how could they do this without feeling any remorse?

Kang Jin-hyuk, feeling uneasy, continued to check the upper floors when he stopped in front of a cell.

Unlike the places he had seen so far, the person imprisoned here was a man.

His torn and tattered clothes and bloodied body showed that he was a victim of violence.

The man, chained up, slowly raised his head as he sensed someone approaching.

As his eyes met Kang Jin-hyuk’s, the man expressed his confusion.

“You’re…… a face I’ve never seen before…….”

The man mistook Kang Jin-hyuk for a new recruit and let out a deep sigh.

“Run away before it’s too late…… The guys here…… are all crazy…….”

Kang Jin-hyuk observed the man with an intrigued gaze.

It was hard to tell at first glance because it was torn, but the symbol on his shoulder was that of the Tyrant Guild.

“Why is a Tyrant Hunter imprisoned here?”

“…….”

The man didn’t feel the need to explain and quietly lowered his head.

Then Kang Jin-hyuk moved closer to the bars and spoke to him.

“I’m not a Guild member here. I came here after hearing that they’re making something here.”

The man’s eyes widened at his words.

The look in his eyes when they met again was not the lifeless one he had shown before.

As if he had found his last lifeline, the man spoke urgently.

“I-Is that true……?”

“Yes. Why would I lie after coming all the way here?”

At Kang Jin-hyuk’s reply, the man bit his lip and shed tears.

Kang Jin-hyuk waited patiently for him to calm down.

Finally, the man stopped sobbing and began to speak with wide eyes.

◈◈◈◈◈◈

“It’s been a while, but there’s no sign of him coming back.”

Han Young-seok clicked his tongue as he checked his wristwatch.

If the alarm went off, they would assume failure and cut their losses.

It didn’t seem like they had been discovered, so all he could do was wait.

Baek Jin-woong noticed Han Young-seok’s frustration and cautiously spoke to him.

“How about we just ignore him and proceed?”

“Without even receiving the reconnaissance report?”

“The results we’ve already obtained are sufficient. Let’s use that Kang Jin-hyuk as bait and attack the mastermind.”

“Hmm.”

Baek Jin-woong’s suggestion was very tempting to Han Young-seok.

“Then, since it’s getting late, shall we do that……?”

Just as Han Young-seok was about to reluctantly agree and proceed,

an arrow struck the wristwatch he was looking at.

The arrow, which flew in without giving him time to react, didn’t even scratch his wrist, but accurately pierced the watch, shattering it into pieces.

“Who the hell is that?!”

As Baek Jin-woong shouted in place of the pale-faced Han Young-seok, another arrow landed at his feet in response.

Baek Jin-woong turned his head in the direction the arrow had come from and finally spotted Lucia sitting in a tree.

Remembering that she was Kang Jin-hyuk’s companion, Baek Jin-woong gritted his teeth.

“Does this mean you want to fight us?”

“No, it’s a warning to tell you not to do anything stupid.”

Lucia said as she fired another arrow.

The arrow she shot shattered the glasses of a Guild member who was secretly casting a skill.

As his glasses flew off right in front of his eyes, the Guild member stumbled backward in shock and fell on his butt.

“You damn bitch……!”

As Baek Jin-woong was about to lose his temper and step forward, Han Young-seok stopped him.

“Stop it. It’s foolish to fight amongst ourselves.”

“But that bitch attacked us!”

“She stepped in because we were about to abandon Kang Jin-hyuk. She’s not trying to pick a fight with us.”

Hearing Han Young-seok’s words, Baek Jin-woong fumed and calmed himself down.

Seeing this, Lucia spoke as if she was surprised.

“Huh? You’re not going to attack? I thought you guys would jump at me without thinking.”

“Haha. We were the ones who were rude first, so how could we do that?”

Baek Jin-woong wasn’t the only one suppressing his anger.

Han Young-seok also wanted to order his Guild members to kill Lucia.

The reason he didn’t was because he had witnessed her archery skills.

All three arrows she had shot so far had targeted their objectives without causing any harm.

Moreover, none of the 30 Guild members had been able to react to those arrows.

‘She’s showing us that she can shoot and kill us at any moment.’

Han Young-seok wondered where Kang Jin-hyuk had brought such a monster from.

He had never heard of a Hunter with such archery skills.

‘Damn it…….’

If all the Guild members attacked, they could capture her, but Han Young-seok’s heart would be skewered in the process.

Cherishing his life, Han Young-seok had no choice but to endure.