Chapter 91: The First The (1)
“What the hell?”
“What is this?”
“Kill each other? What kind of dungeon is this…?”
Naturally, chaos erupted all around . The other hunters seed as shocked as I was. Everyone was reeling, unable to process the situation.
What is this, Squid Ga?
It was an unexpected deathmatch declaration out of nowhere. The rules were simple. Kill soone, and points would be awarded for each kill.
Everyone murmured restlessly, and a few hunters shouted toward the sky.
“Are you kidding? What the fuck kind of trial is this to beco a ranker? What are we, dogs in a dogfight?”
“Delilah, or whoever… What the hell… So it’s all just about having fun watching us kill each other?”
“…”
Quietly, I retreated to the edge of the area. This was not the ti to lose my temper. It was best to stay back, observe my surroundings, and monitor the situation.
The Arcane Swordsman, Lucas, had clearly warned us that anyone who valued their life should have left imdiately. He’d even given us a chance to walk away. Yet here they were, cursing Delilah out only after the fact. It wasn’t wise.
“Hm.”
I moved to the back and calmly watched the scene unfold. I noticed three distinct types of hunters.
First, those who simply got angry and showed aggression. They were, ironically, the least dangerous group. No matter how strong they might have been, simple-minded opponents were the easiest to deal with.
Second, those with a predatory look in their eyes. These were the hunters who, like wolves, were searching for prey. These were the scariest—quietly isolating themselves and assessing those who seed weak or alone.
Seriously…
Were they really willing to kill others so easily just to beco rankers?
Lastly, the third type was those forming teams. In a deathmatch like this, your odds of survival improved significantly if you weren’t alone.
I, too, fell into this third category, just like the three hunters standing before —Olena, Jas, and Capu. They naturally gathered in front of .
Eventually, Jas spoke. “Hehe, Hoon. We’re not going to fight each other, right?”
“…”
Olena and Capu looked at as well. A strange silence fell.
Why were they all looking to for confirmation? Did they think I was the leader or sothing?
“Mhmm.” Olena nodded. “There are plenty of other opponents out there. Why fight amongst those of us who already know each other?” she said in agreent with Jas.
“…Yes, that’s true.” In the end, I nodded.
They were right. There was no benefit for in jumping into a fight right now. No matter how special I might have been as an A-rank, everyone here was a high-level figure in their own country. Each of them had earned a rare recomndation from five different rankers.
What would happen if I started having trouble with these types? There were two possible outcos. I’d either die or expose my capabilities. Both were the worst-case scenarios.
If I died, everything would truly be over. And if my abilities were exposed, I’d likely beco the target of the second type of hunters… the potential murderers.
“I agree with you all. For now, it’s best to stick together.”
Since they approached first, I decided to accept the alliance and evaluate them later, regardless of their skills.
Just as I was accepting their offer, a loud explosion rang out from the center.
—Boom! Boom! Boom!
Trees were uprooted, and mud flew into the air.
“Wh-What…?”Capu frowned because so mud had splattered onto his dark face.
“Tsk,” I clicked my tongue. “It seems it’s already begun.”
It looked like soone from the first type, one of the aggressive ones, had attacked soone. Amid the rising dust clouds, we could hear the voices of the hunters.
“You son of a bitch! You dare attack ?”
“Yeah, just die! I know you’ve been eyeing since earlier! Did you think I wouldn’t notice your plan to ambush ?”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“Shut up and just die quietly!”
Soone ambushed soone else, who in turn misinterpreted it and attacked another… The chaos had officially started.
“For now,” I said, gripping my staff and adjusting my backpack, “let’s get out of here.”
We left the central area. From the first look, this was a vast, tropical rainforest field, so there was really no need to try and resolve things right in the middle from the start. Whatever the case, there was no need to get caught up in the crowd.
As we walked along a narrow path…
“Hmm, hey, Hoon.”
After we’d walked about three kiloters* away from the center, Jas spoke up. “Are we really just going to keep running? The trial points might be really important. What if we end up getting eliminated…?” He seed uneasy.
*3km ≈ 1.86mi.
I understood how he felt as I was nervous, too. I’d joined this prepared to risk my life, but the fear of failing kept lingering in the back of my mind.
But.
I doubted that Delilah, ranked 5th in the world, would really make people kill each other under the guise of training rankers. Besides, the Five Stars of Seoul ultimately passed this trial together. I needed to think this through a bit more.
At that mont, Olena spoke up. “I disagree, Jas. There’s no need to jump in recklessly just because we want trial points. Didn’t you see it earlier? There were dozens of jackals on the lurk for prey, watching for any opening. Are you suggesting we just charge in there?” Her tone was almost scolding Jas for complaining.
Jas refuted, “So we’re just supposed to keep running away? I signed up for a trial. I didn’t co all this way just to run like a coward.”
She sighed. “It’s not running. It’s called strategy. Don’t you understand? We’re not fleeing out of fear.” Olena tapped her chest, exasperated.
Our group had co to a halt during their exchange.
“…”
The sky was turning yellow with the sun about to set. It would be dark soon, and we were in a mountain forest with no streetlights. The forest would be far more terrifying without light.
In any case, their argunt continued. Even five minutes later, they were still going back and forth.
“Are you confident this is the strategy? Sorry, Olena, but for your logic to make sense, there needs to be a plan for what to do next.”
“A plan?” Olena’s eyes narrowed. “Honestly, what kind of plan would there be in this situation? Do you have one?”
“So we’re running away without a plan?”
“One thing’s clear: charging into that chaos would’ve been the dumbest plan.”
“…”
Capu and I just looked back and forth between them. He occasionally glanced at with a “What now…” expression and shrugged.
“And besides,” Olena continued, “following us here was your choice. We agreed to team up, and when Hoon suggested we move out, you should’ve jumped into that ss if you had any complaints. Why are you causing trouble for the team now?”
“Why are you getting so emotional? I was just sharing my thoughts, Olena.”
Their debate continued.
This wasn’t the ti for this.
I sighed. “Alright, let’s stop here, both of you.”
For so reason, they were listening to . Perhaps because I looked strong, or maybe I appeared experienced. Either way, when I spoke, both of them fell silent and looked at .
“As both of you have ntioned, there’s no plan, but we can still make an educated guess.”
“A guess?” Jas tilted his head.
“Yes, Delilah established the first rule. Kill sobody.”
“…She did.”
“But I thought of it as a rule, not necessarily an absolute requirent.”
“…Why?”
“Because there’s no ti limit or limit on the number of survivors.”
“…?”
Now not only Jas but Olena and Capu also looked at . I smiled back at them.
Alright. Now listen closely.
This is advice from a seasoned veteran who’s conquered three extre dungeons that even rankers struggled with.
“A limit…?”
“Yes, a limit.”
Standing on a ridge in the quiet forest where the sounds of explosions no longer reached, my voice resonated softly. “If this trial required killing to pass, it should’ve given a ti limit or set a number of survivors. Like survive until a specific ti or be among the last few standing.”
“What if it was just intentionally vague?”
“That’s possible. But the Arcane Swordsman specifically ntioned that…”
“This trial from Lady Delilah consists of six thes. Your goal is simply to pass each one.”
“There are six thes.”
“…”
“And it looks like we’re on the first the now. Do you really think she’d make all fifty hunters kill each other already?” From my perspective, that was unlikely. “There’s a popular saying in Korea: always understand the test-maker’s intentions.”
I wasn’t 100% certain, but I had a great sense for dungeons, y’know? And I was probably correct this ti too.
“True, that makes sense.” Jas nodded. “It’d be absurd if the grand trial to create rankers was just to kill each other. You’re probably right.”
“Exactly.”
“So what’s the the right now then?”
“Well, I don’t know that yet. But for now, they dropped us into this vast rainforest. And it’s almost nightfall. That suggests… survival, perhaps?”
“…Survival, you say?”
“Actually, I already checked the backpack I brought.” I set down my bag on the ground.
[Item: Demir’s Distributed Backpack]
[Rank: S]
[Type: Bag]
It was my precious item, crafted by Demir. I had filled it with ergency supplies to endure the trial. However…
—Zzzzt!
As I reached in, a jolt of electricity sparked.
—Ring!
[Subspace storage is not usable within this dungeon.]
“Look, the subspace storage is blocked.”
“What?!” My action stunned Jas.
Capu and Olena, equally shocked, quickly searched their bags.
—Crackle! Sizzle!
They, too, found they couldn’t retrieve their items.
“It’s true,” Olena clicked her tongue. “So the the really is survival? They even blocked access to our food.”
“Damn it.”
The hunters were flustered. Their reaction was understandable since hunters usually packed ample supplies in preparation for high-difficulty dungeons.
I nodded. “Yes, it seems like we’ll need to secure food, shelter, and water here in the rainforest while simultaneously battling other hunters. If any of them are specialized in darkness, that’ll be even more troubleso.”
“For fuck’s sake…” In the end, a curse slipped from Jas.
“So,” I looked around at them, “this isn’t the ti for grown adults to be arguing with each other.”
“…Hoon.”
“It’s good to search for solutions and discuss ideas, but if you’re with , pointless argunts aren’t welco.”
My quiet tone hung in the air.
—Gulp.
The hunters swallowed nervously.
“Understood… I’ll rember that.”
“I’m sorry as well.”
Surprisingly, both apologized readily.
I smiled.
Everyone here was a hunter at A-rank or higher, but we still knew very little about each other. If we were going to stick together for a while, it was about ti to get a sense for each other’s abilities.
—Whoosh!
I swung my staff.
—Clack, clack, clack!
My beloved skeletons appeared. In midair, white bones were assembled.
“My lord.”
Here ca my dependable Sunny.
“Oh, the rich scent of the forest.”
And following after was the high elf Eldrin. And then…
—Thud!
Boney 4 planted his shield in the ground while Boney 5 and Boney 7 raised their staves. Finally, Boney 1, my first skeleton, swung its sword. I’d left Demir back at the workshop, so there was no need to call him here.
“This is my unique ability…” I looked at them with my skeletons. “I’m a bit of an unusual necromancer. Before we focus on survival, how about we start by sharing our abilities?”
Alright, let’s tackle this step by step. I was sure I could get through this again. I’d always done so before. This I vowed firmly to myself.
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