Chapter 160
Wow.
A 1% chance, and it hit on the first try…?
I shuddered, overwhelmed.
[You are opening the ‘??? Rank Gift Box’.]
‘This is…’
Honestly, I deserved it.
Who in their right mind throws away a guaranteed Rank SS item to gamble on a 1% chance?
It was like someone offering you trillions in assets for free, and you kicking it away.
This wasn’t doubling down. It was multiplying by a hundred.
“Haa.”
A truly insane choice.
And an insane result.
[Item selection is starting!]
[Well, there’s nothing to see here this time either!]
[……ing…………]
Rumble-rumble-rumble….
Energy surged out of the box, and the world itself trembled in response.
[The Essence of Fire gently opens its eyes.]
[The Essence of Water, which had been watching the whole situation, is dumbfounded by your luck. It asks, what kind of guy is this?]
[The Essence of Wood smiles warmly at the strange situation.]
The other essences reacted as well.
Which meant…
[OK!]
[The item has been decided, and the item has been found!]
Another essence was coming out.
Soon—
Kugugung!
As the trembling stopped, a dazzling golden light spread softly.
‘As expected.’
It was definitely another essence.
Metal.
The symbol of beautiful metal, and the color of an element with a strange charm that made people’s hearts flutter.
‘Hmm.’
There are a total of seven elements.
If the ones that have appeared so far are Fire, Water, Wood, and Metal…
Then the rest must be Earth, Sun, and Moon.
[A plethora of minerals are generated around you.]
Huh?
I blinked.
‘Minerals?’
My eyes widened.
When it comes to minerals, that means Dmir.
“Ah.”
I could smell a mine.
The scent of fire and sweat mixed together.
Memories of hammering away through the night rushed back like perfume.
I don’t know why, but I get excited whenever I see minerals.
I want to mine them all.
[The Essence of Fire yawns and watches the situation.]
[The Essence of Water greets you happily.]
[The Essence of Wood welcomes you with a smile.]
The rising energy seeped into my weapon.
[The Essence of Metal cocks its head.]
[The Essence of Metal questions the essence fragments gathered in fours.]
[It questions your existence, which has created an unusual situation.]
Questioning, huh…
‘I guess that makes sense.’
Sometimes, honestly—
I don’t even know who I am.
It’s scary how everything works out when I just follow my heart.
It’s also scary how heavenly luck suddenly bursts out at the most absurd moments.
‘But…’
As curious as you are,
I’m curious about you too.
What kind of beings are you, that even gods fear?
What happens when all seven essence fragments are gathered?
‘Anyway.’
I looked down at the spear in my hand.
A spear where four colors were now mixed in a mysterious harmony.
The Essence of Metal was hard, yet sharp.
Thanks to that golden energy, the spearhead—already razor-edged—felt even sharper.
[Tting!]
[Godslayer-grade item, Sealed Spirit of Seven Essences (3/7) has been updated.]
[You have acquired Sealed Spirit of Seven Essences (4/7).]
The item updated.
‘Nice.’
My Energy increased by 1,000 again.
[Hunter: Joo Donghoon]
[Title: Skeleton King]
[Energy: 4,220/4,220]
Considering an average hunter’s Energy is around 100, this was overwhelming.
I’d never have to worry about running out again.
“Hoo.”
I exhaled.
I wanted to examine the weapon more closely, but there was no time.
[The final Theme, ‘Encounter with Delilah’ is starting.]
[Delilah is transforming the Dungeon.]
Because the real final stage was here.
Crumple, crumple!
Space folded and warped like paper being crushed in a fist.
Then—
Darkness swallowed my vision, and the space unfolded infinitely, endlessly.
In the stretched and torn void, as if white ink had been splattered across it, spheres of light were packed densely together.
Ah.
I knew this place.
A place anyone from Earth, with even a basic education in science, couldn’t fail to recognize.
‘This is…’
The universe.
Stars spread out like countless grains of sand scattered across a beach, and I was floating in the middle of it.
I didn’t know why she was showing me this.
I didn’t know what Delilah was trying to do.
But purely—
It was so beautiful that, without realizing it, I called Sunny.
[Using skill, ‘Summon Skeleton Lord’ (S-rank).]
[Consuming 10 energy.]
[‘Sun Spear’ has appeared.]
“Lord…?”
Sunny appeared beside me and looked around.
Then—
“Heoeop!”
He opened his mouth so wide his jaw nearly dislocated.
“Lord… what on earth is this…? What is this…!”
You rascal.
I knew you’d love it.
For some reason, I felt proud.
“In our world, this is called the universe.”
“Universe….”
Sunny—who had lived with only the sun in his heart—
The existence of the universe itself must have been a massive shock.
Gratitude, emotion, inspiration, awe.
I could feel everything in detail.
“It’s amazing. And… it’s enormous energy. It’s incomparable to the likes of me….”
“Same here. In every direction, there are endless things like the sun—or much larger than it.”
The universe was beautiful, and terrifying.
That vast, endless power overwhelmed me, and I felt instinctively intimidated.
Even the Rank 1 position I wanted—
Wouldn’t it be nothing more than a speck of dust in front of this universe?
At that moment—
“It’s very wide and big, isn’t it?”
A warm voice rang in my ears.
“……”
I turned my head and saw a woman in a thin gown, her face hidden beneath a hood.
“It can’t help but be big. Even if you count every grain of sand in the Sahara Desert and add them all up, you still can’t keep up with the number of stars in just a handful of those light masses in front of you. There are thousands, hundreds of millions… no, an immeasurable number of them in the universe. And even that is only what we can see.”
Ah.
A number dizzying just to hear.
‘Huh?’
Was the person in front of me Delilah?
Like the current world rankers, someone who had never shown her face to the world…
The moment I saw her, information flooded into my head.
Alias, Mirage.
A ranker from the world’s strongest hunter country, the United States—about whom almost nothing was known.
Dungeon Maker, Delilah.
My nerves tightened.
No matter how many record-breaking achievements I’d made—
Wasn’t it all inside a Dungeon she created?
If she wanted, she could make me drift forever in some corner of this universe.
Or she could throw me into a bizarre world inhabited only by Dragonkin.
‘But…’
I had too many questions.
Why show me the universe?
How does she make Dungeons?
Why invite me?
Why create rankers at all?
“You don’t have to open your mouth. I’ll explain everything you’re curious about. That’s what Theme 6 was made for anyway.”
As expected.
Theme 5 was the practical trial.
Theme 6 was literally ‘Encounter with Delilah.’
In other words—something like a graduation ceremony.
“Lord, who is this…?”
Sunny raised his spear warily.
Ttaak!
Delilah smiled and snapped her fingers.
[‘Sun Spear’s’ summon has been canceled.]
Sunny was instantly dismissed.
‘Crazy.’
Even if this was inside a Dungeon she made—
Canceling my skill with a snap?
That was the moment I understood why her official record was 0 wins, 0 losses, and 0 draws.
“Don’t think I’m being too rude. I’m using a huge amount of energy to show you this space. In other words, there isn’t much time.”
“There isn’t much time means…?”
“Hehe.”
She laughed.
“My throat hurts from explaining it for the seventh time already. This time, seven people happened to pass…. Hoo. Anyway, I have to show you quickly.”
“The seventh time… so the others already went through this?”
“Yes. They’re probably already waiting for you outside the Dungeon, craning their necks.”
Ah.
That made sense.
I finished late.
It was supposed to take at most five hours, but I dragged it out for more than a day.
“Hoo.”
I took a short breath.
“So what are you going to show me?”
“Ah. What I’m going to show you is everything I’ve seen and felt since I gained my ability. A bit abstract, right?”
“Everything….”
“Yes. But you have to promise me one thing first.”
“A promise?”
“A kind of confidentiality agreement. Whether you recommend someone later after you leave, or when you speak about this place, you mustn’t spread clues that could lead others to guess what you saw here. The moment you do, you may face a somewhat painful penalty. Do you agree?”
“A painful penalty means…?”
“I can’t tell you that yet.”
“Pardon?”
“For your information, even if you don’t agree, if you disclose information about my trial in the future, you won’t be able to participate in ‘Dungeon Maker’ content again.”
So.
Agree, and she shows me.
Refuse, and the secret is sealed.
No soup. Not even the ingredients.
“Hmm. I see.”
Penalty…
The Five Stars of Seoul who recommended me came to mind.
Berserker Jang Daewoong.
Black Sword Lee Seonah.
Shadow Empress Ki Soyul.
Master Archer Ki Parang.
White Boar Yoo Sangdon.
People I was grateful to.
Even they hadn’t given me real details.
– No one knows why they make Dungeons, or why they open them in secret.
– The most plausible guess is that they need many participants in order to grow, but even that isn’t certain.
– We don’t know the content either. I heard it changes every time.
That was what Ki Soyul told me back then.
There was truth and lies mixed together.
‘Honestly…’
I was curious.
What would someone who looked like a god to me reveal?
What had she seen and felt—someone who wandered the world, made contracts with Dragonkin, and dealt with the Shadow Clan?
“Have there been any hunters who didn’t agree so far?”
“Not a single one.”
Delilah answered confidently.
“There hasn’t been a single one.”
Then she smiled faintly.
“Rather, most of them begged me to show them. They said they’d never tell anyone.”
“……That’s understandable.”
One of mankind’s most terrifying weapons was curiosity.
‘Well.’
I had nothing to lose.
I’m not the type to brag until my mouth itches.
And more than anything, I’m closer to an outsider than an insider.
“Alright.”
I nodded.
Whatever the penalty is—
Let’s see it.
“Show me. I’ll keep the secret.”
Theme 6.
A separate theme Delilah created just for this.
Show me, Delilah.
—
December 31, 2022.
08:00 AM world time.
Sixteen hours before the new year.
Thud-thud-thud-thud!
A helicopter landed in an empty lot.
On its body, amid the roar of the rotors, was the mark of Korea’s largest item company—White Boar.
“Heuaam.”
Yoo Sangdon yawned loudly.
“Why are those guys so late?”
Today was the day to greet the sun and welcome the new year.
At the same time, it was a festival day for all hunters.
But the reason he’d gone as far as bringing a helicopter was simple.
“Joo Donghoon. That bastard hasn’t come out yet—could he be dead?”
“What do you mean, dead? Mr. White Boar. You’re still full of fat in your belly…. Ah, could it be you ate so much your brain is full of fat too?”
Sseuseut!
A black-haired woman appeared beside him.
A ranker who led the Black Sword Squad of the Heavenly Demon Divine Sect.
It was Lee Seonah.
“Wh-what?! Fat? Are you insulting my appetite right now?!”
“I’m not insulting it. Fat softens the joints, protects the organs, and shields the body from the cold. But too much becomes a problem.”
“You… that’s what you meant!”
“Then why are you saying such useless things? Joo Donghoon is different. He’s not the type to die anywhere, even if he fails the trial!”
“What, does the Heavenly Demon Divine Sect read physiognomy too?”
“He probably cleared it in style as the number one contributor! Unlike you, Mr. Boar, who only rides the bus!”
“You bastard! Are you just calling me a boar now? At least put the word white in front of it!”
Thud-thud!
Behind the two of them—who always bicker the moment they meet—
Rankers began to arrive one by one.
“Keuhaha, you guys came early?”
Kuuung!
Berserker Jang Daewoong dropped from the sky with a heavy impact.
“Keuhahap, I have to go pick up my brother! There’s no way a guy who’s my brother couldn’t pass one trial!”
He looked ecstatic about something, laughing the moment he appeared.
The giant club Joo Donghoon had given him was in his hand.
“I’ve arrived too.”
Sseuek!
A figure appeared silently beside him.
Shadow Empress Ki Soyul joined as well.
And then—
Another figure.
A man wearing a ball cap walked over.
“Huh? Master Archer? Ki Parang came too?”
Yoo Sangdon muttered in surprise.
The others looked surprised too.
Because he didn’t normally show up to events like this.
“Keuhahap! The archer came too? Weren’t you upset your sister left the guild!”
“……”
For a moment, Master Archer and Shadow Empress met eyes.
An awkward silence followed, until Master Archer finally spoke.
“……Well. It’s not like she left without permission.”
Even though he strongly opposed it—
It was Ki Parang who couldn’t break his sister’s stubbornness.
“If he’s alive… then I’ll have to admit it.”
There were only two possibilities when someone didn’t come out until the end.
They died.
Or they cleared it all the way through.
If he cleared it—
It would be the birth of a new Korean ranker in their twenties.
At that point, Ki Parang would have no choice but to acknowledge it.
‘Ki Soyul…’
She had valued his potential since he was an E-Rank Hunter.
At least, he hadn’t left because he was possessed by some strange fox.
‘Besides…’
Rankers who came out of trials were different.
Even among rankers, they climbed the rankings faster.
It couldn’t be helped.
It was a curriculum that gathered fifty so-called flying ranker candidates and forced them through Dungeons whose difficulty was impossible to judge.
That was why he and Jang Daewoong entered the top ten in such a short time.
“First.”
Master Archer muttered.
“It’s not certain yet. Let’s go and see.”
At the same time, he boarded the helicopter.
Behind him, Ki Soyul got in without a word.
“Hahaha, good. Let’s go! To welcome my brother! Euha! It’s refreshing!”
Thud-thud-thud-thud!
Soon, the helicopter rose into the sky.
All of the Five Stars of Seoul.
It was the moment they set off for Gujarat, a state in western India.
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