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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 7
Chapter Title: Entering Babel (3)
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There were a total of seven dungeons on the first floor of Babel.
Out of them, three were the important ones.
'Tot's Great Temple, Hellgate Labyrinth, Sewer Dungeon. The Sewer Dungeon has to come first.'
Hidden within the Sewer Dungeon that Gonghyeok was heading to was Babel's comic shop, 'Pezelon's Cradle.'
A place known only to the chosen few even in his previous life. In the past, dozens of people had risen to humanity's strongest ranks by discovering the Pezelon's Cradles hidden on each floor.
'Plus, it's safe enough to serve as a better base than those dangerous villages. And we can't let the others guess where we're headed.'
That was why he had slipped out at the most chaotic time, when no one was leaving the village.
He leaped into the thickets off the path to the dungeon, careful not to leave even a single footprint.
"Observer, display map. Coordinates (664.489)."
A blue map window appeared before his eyes.
- Time to arrival at current speed: 2 hours 28 minutes.
- 8 hostile monsters detected within 50m radius.
- Red Star Tribe hobgoblin gang.
He turned his gaze toward the red dots on the map. No sign of the enemies yet.
He quickly climbed onto a large boulder. Below, in the lowlands at the base of the hill, he spotted a hobgoblin and seven goblins sitting in a circle.
[Living Hunting Manual (SS) activated]
- The owner possesses exceptional strategic planning abilities.
- Deep knowledge of the opponent's physiology and habits. Weak points appear in sight.
- For monsters previously encountered, most attacks and behaviors are predictable.
They hadn't noticed him yet.
He held the high ground; they were in the lowlands.
'Quick ambush—crush their skulls before they can arm themselves. Take out five, then the hobgoblin leader. Goblins and kobolds mostly carry neurotoxins, and the "red" designation means…'
"Oppa, what's out there?"
"Quiet. Get down and stay back. I'll handle it."
He set down his backpack and gripped the steel bat with both hands, charging straight down the hillside.
Gonghyeok dropped from above onto one of the goblins chattering away in the dip.
"Meat tastes good today-kiya."
"Yeah-kiya. Truth is, it's your brother we caught this morning-kiya."
"!? That one was supposed to be cooked for High Priest tomorrow-kiya!"
"Not my problem-ki…"
Crack.
The skull of the goblin brazenly devouring its kin exploded under the steel bat.
"Hi there, friends. Mind if I check the color of your meat?"
"Enemy! Weapons!"
The red hobgoblin dropped its meat and grabbed its red greatsword. A goblin on watch duty, half-asleep, raised its crossbow.
"Prediction Path activated."
[Prediction Path (U.S) activated]
- Crossbow fires in 1 second. Projected impact: right chest. Projected damage: instant death.
- 5 goblins armed in 2 seconds.
- Hobgoblin cautious due to sudden enemy appearance.
'Alright, smash them before they snap out of it.'
Before they could ready their weapons, he drew his katana with his left hand.
One full swing, slicing a clean arc with the katana.
"Squeeeek!"
"Ukiiiyaak!"
Three goblins scrambling for their gear went down. Blood beaded from the slashed throats and eyes, then gushed out.
Ping!
- Goblin 4 crossbow fired. Trajectory displayed.
In that instant, the crossbow loosed. But the trajectory was plotted in 3D before his eyes by Prediction Path.
He positioned the bat in front of the trajectory, and the bolt ricocheted away.
"Grahya!"
"One way or another, if iron club one direction, you one direction, us one direction!"
- Hobgoblin approaching from rear.
- Crossbow reloading, fires in 5 seconds.
"Grgrgr…"
The hobgoblin prepared a greatsword ambush from behind, while two goblins charged from the front swinging flails.
Gonghyeok couldn't help but grin.
'Even on the first floor, Babel is Babel.'
Unlike the Tutorial dungeons, they didn't cower in terror after losing a few.
Charging without fear, even with a rear ambush—smart.
Adrenaline surged, firing him up.
'Bat's no good anymore.'
He tossed the bat in his right hand and snatched up a red flail dropped by a goblin.
[Master of All Martial Arts (S++) activated]
- Can wield any weapon in existence at master level, regardless of type.
- Unless opponent has A-rank or higher master-class skill, defending against owner's attacks is hopeless.
With the katana in his left, he struck the chain of the incoming flail. The two flails tangled around the blade, and the one in his right hand exquisitely raked across both goblins' faces.
"Kiyaaaaah!"
The goblins dropped their weapons and thrashed. Their weapons were red because they were coated with the Red Star Tribe's secret neurotoxin.
"Grgrgrgr!"
- 0.7 seconds: red greatsword direct hit to waist! Projected damage: internal organs ruptured! Spine severed!
Using his minions' sacrifice as a springboard, the hobgoblin's decisive slash bore down on his waist.
Even amid the urgent message, Gonghyeok calmly spun like a back roundhouse kick, raising his foot.
Then boldly placed it on the blade.
He bent his knee precisely, killing the slash's momentum. His body lifted slightly from the impact, but the hunter combat boot sole merely split.
"Gr, gruh!?"
The hobgoblin reeled at the uncanny footwork. Of course, in that stunned moment…
[One-Strike Firework (F) activated]
The poisoned flail smashed down on its shoulder.
"Grgrgrgrgr!"
The hobgoblin's eyes rolled back as it convulsed. Ignoring it,
"Squeee!"
The last goblin hurled its crossbow and fled.
Gonghyeok flashed a grin at its back.
"Get off the express to hell, and you're still headed to hell."
He pulled 'Root-Cutting Axe' from his inventory. Gripped with both hands, he spun like a hammer throw, building centrifugal force.
"Prediction Path projected route."
- 1.3 seconds: 2 steps forward, 44 degrees left for 93% hit rate on throw.
He hurled the axe exactly as indicated. Whistling menacingly, it buried into the goblin's back.
[Worn Title 「Merciless Butcher」 effect applied.]
[50% increased instant-kill chance against terrified foes]
The impaled goblin tumbled to the ground. It twitched a few times, but perished instantly as per the title.
He scanned the surroundings.
Two goblins lapping desperately at the blood pooling from their slit throats. They must've thought drinking it back would save them, but blood kept leaking uselessly from the cuts.
The hobgoblin and goblins, stricken by their own neurotoxin, writhed on the ground in terror and frenzy.
"Man, cleanup's a pain, like doing dishes."
Gonghyeok untangled the chains from his katana and gripped it lightly.
The groans soon faded.
[Current owner's score: 80 points]
---
"Here, take this."
Gonghyeok handed the crossbow to Yeonsi.
"Oh, I used one during hunter training, but…"
Ping!
The bolt grazed past Gonghyeok's nape.
An awkward silence fell between them.
"Ah. I mean. Um. Sorry! Oppa!"
'…Didn't even activate Prediction Path, and I nearly died.'
Gonghyeok touched the beaded blood on the scrape.
"We've got 92 more to go, so practice slowly. Just shoot at me. I'll dodge."
"92 more? For the achievement?"
"Yeah. We need to be the first."
As he replied, Gonghyeok collected the poison from the goblins into a pouch.
The Red Star Tribe's poison was a neurotoxin causing extreme pain and stinging, but non-lethal with high volatility—the amount dwindled quickly.
He donned rubber gloves, snapped a nearby stem, and plucked some white herbs.
Gonghyeok was a legendary hunter worthy of the SS-rank 'Hunting Manual' skill.
He couldn't concoct alchemist-level composite poisons, but mixing first-floor monster natural toxins was child's play.
Limper stem sap prevented evaporation; white rootweed added paralysis.
He crushed the sap on a rock and mixed it into the goblin poison, coating the katana, the greatsword and dagger taken from goblins. The steel bat had been handy but hard to poison, so he ditched it.
'Dig up eyeball roots for tear gas and smoke grenade caps later. Around here, there should be black barcot self-sprouts too.'
As Gonghyeok pondered, Yeonsi approached hesitantly.
"Oppa, things have been hectic since the summoning, but… how exactly…?"
"We'll talk on the move. Gotta get to the Sewer Dungeon fast."
"…Sewer Dungeon too?"
Gonghyeok strode ahead without listening.
They sped toward the Sewer Dungeon, ambushing monsters via Observer radar.
Orcs, lizardmen, kobolds, giant tigers, saber lions.
No field foes could make Ju Gonghyeok serious.
To him, the map-marked prey were just targets, and he was a predator striking first without mercy.
[Hunted 100 field monsters first.]
[All stats +2 as achievement reward.]
[Indigo Coin x1 as first-reach reward]
They reached the sewer entrance, built of incongruous stone and iron bars amid the jungle.
"Dangerous from here on. Allocate your coins to stats and…"
"Oppa. Wait a sec."
Ha Yeonsi's low voice cut in.
"I knew something was off from the start. You've never treated me or the orphanage kids badly, so I let it slide, but today's too weird."
Gonghyeok turned. Iron resolve etched her face.
A sign she wouldn't overlook his bizarre actions anymore.
"Oppa, I'm not some brainless doll just because I stayed quiet."
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