Chapter 60

Chapter 60

 

Choi Hyun-ki looked as if he had lost the words to speak.

In truth, was that not natural?

Why would Lee Ha-kyung buy it while even adding a premium just because it was pretty?

The Snowstorm Sword was somewhat regrettable, but Lee Ha-kyung shook his head.

Then Choi Hyun-ki raised his voice.

“No, you said just now that you would buy both.”

“I would buy it only at an appropriate price. I have already obtained a usable weapon. Even if I were to resell the Snowstorm Sword, do you think I would receive two hundred fifty billion won for it?”

“Well....... That would be difficult.”

“I would consider it for around one hundred eighty billion won.”

“If I am going to do that, I might as well send it to a Public Auction.”

“That means I am not buying it. You really do not understand unless I say it directly.”

“You rotten bastard.”

“Oh? Are you saying you want to have a fight?”

Choi Hyun-ki was a First-Generation Awakened.

A possessor of overwhelming firepower.

However, his compatibility with Lee Ha-kyung was the worst.

Especially at such a close distance.

If he attacked for no reason, he would only be beaten senseless.

Perhaps he realized that fact.

Choi Hyun-ki merely flushed red.

And could no longer open his mouth.

Whether he did or not.

Lee Ha-kyung leisurely left the abandoned factory.

Soon afterward, John opened his mouth with a broad grin.

“Eyy! Bro. Your mouth has gotten pretty sharp, huh? I really like how annoying you’ve become.”

“This is all because of you, John.”

“What did I do?”

“You keep talking nonsense beside me every time, so haven’t I been influenced? They say those who stay near ink become black. You really should not keep company with just anyone.”

“Near ink......?” 

“No, that is not what I meant.”

Lee Ha-kyung shook his head from side to side.

He started the car and was about to depart.

When a rather good idea suddenly came to mind.

He turned to John in the passenger seat and said, “Listen, John.”

“Why?”

“If the Raiders Guild holds a Public Auction, and I go there and buy the Snowstorm Sword, do you think Choi Hyun-ki will get pissed off or not?”

John could not close his hanging mouth.

“You devil of a human. As expected, I like you.”

“Pardon?”

At the completely mismatched front and back of that sentence, Lee Ha-kyung could not hide his bewilderment.

He had tried acting a little crazy for a moment.

But it seemed he could not compete with a genuine madman after all.

***

He waited for several days, but Raiders did not hold a Public Auction.

That did not mean it had been consumed internally either.

If someone had obtained the Snowstorm Sword, there was no way the Association would not know.

Probably, they were still thinking over.

How to dispose of it.

Lee Ha-kyung erased the Snowstorm Sword from his mind.

‘It’s unfortunate, but it can’t be helped. Crimson Edge is enough.’

To begin with, he did not rely on weapons.

The karambit’s stats had been decent, but that was all.

Because Lee Ha-kyung’s core abilities were Abyss Energy and powerful skills.

Naturally, he planned to use his newly obtained weapon in a similar way.

Today was the day of the Dungeon Raid planned by Ryu Jeong-hwan.

Lee Ha-kyung headed to the Gate with John.

“It feels strangely lonely traveling with just the two of us.”

“Right. Maybe because I saw them often, I got a little attached. Especially not having Great Sage here feels pretty regrettable.”

“After all, the Healers were provided by Raiders.”

“Still, wouldn’t Kim Sang-woo have been worth bringing along?”

“I know.”

Among the people Lee Ha-kyung had recommended, only John had been chosen.

Perhaps because this was an Unfathomable-Grade dungeon in The Void.

It seemed they had selected personnel extremely carefully.

When they joined up with the Raid Team in front of the Gate, he felt subtle gazes.

Lee Ha-kyung immediately realized who they belonged to.

‘They’re from the Raiders Guild.’

All eight Healers were staring at him.

That did not mean they were looking at him with displeasure.

Their eyes were closer to saying they found him somewhat fascinating.

Of course, Lee Ha-kyung did not particularly care.

‘I’m not the type who needs much support anyway.’

If worse came to worst, he could overcome a crisis with Tyrant’s Bracelet.

Soon, Ryu Jeong-hwan gathered the team members.

“As you all know, we have organized the numbers rather generously. The Raid Team consists of forty people, and two Escort Teams will accompany us.”

An Unfathomable-Grade dungeon in The Void.

In terms of the Upper Floors of the Abyss, it had a difficulty similar to an Unfathomable-Grade Medium-Sized Dungeon.

One with a personnel limit of sixty people.

That seemed to be why they had expanded the Raid Team to forty.

After a brief inspection.

The expedition headed toward The Void.

Suddenly, John whispered to Lee Ha-kyung.

“It looks like they picked mostly Rankers wherever possible.”

“Really?”

“The Guest Members are all people in the rankings.”

“How do you know things like that, John?”

“If you wander around the community or social media a bit, you find out quickly. Everyone is dying to brag. Except for exactly one bastard.”

“Who is that?”

“Bro. You.”

Lee Ha-kyung did not use social media at all.

The same was true of the Awakened Community.

If he had time for that, he trained.

Or he thought it was far more beneficial to rest properly instead.

Lee Ha-kyung’s entire mind was on the Abyss Ruler.

It was still focused on that monster.

He could never forget.

‘Because it is the driving force of my life.’

Even if he looked calm on the outside.

Inside, the flames of resentment were burning fiercely.

With John’s chatter as background music.

Lee Ha-kyung moved his feet at a steady pace.

When they entered The Void, the Escort Team’s complexion worsened.

Apparently, they were not very familiar with this place.

They must have volunteered for the Escort Team in order to gain experience.

Lee Ha-kyung remembered when he had first arrived in The Void.

‘I had a time like that, too.’

Unlike back then, however, the expedition was extremely stable.

There were not many monster groups they encountered.

And even the Obsidian Titan did not show so much as the tip of its nose.

The moment he looked around with puzzled eyes.

Only then did Lee Ha-kyung realize the reason.

‘It’s because there are many people.’

Monsters were not beings that attacked blindly with their eyes rolled back.

Those bastards were also living creatures capable of thought.

The expedition’s numbers reached one hundred people.

Because there were so many heads, they could not attack easily.

When he realized his own mistake, Lee Ha-kyung felt embarrassed for no reason.

‘This is a different place from the Upper Floors of the Abyss, but I thought too carelessly. I should have prioritized safety as much as possible, like when I first passed through the Gate.’

For the next exploration, it seemed he would have to form at least two teams.

While he was thinking over various things.

The Raid Party reached its destination.

Ryu Jeong-hwan stepped forward and inserted the key into the hidden Stone Gate.

“Everyone, stay alert. The raid begins now.”

Clack! Rumble, rumble, rumble!

[Entered dungeon ‘Abyss of the Deep Sea’]

[A space filled with an unidentified liquid, but breathing is possible]

[Beware the Skull Pikers’ Infinite Surge]

[Defeat the Guardian, Dread Reaver, and find and kill the final boss, Black Leviathan]

[Grade: Unfathomable] 

[Reward: Unknown Artifact]

‘Mmph?’

Lee Ha-kyung instinctively held his breath.

Because the inside of the dungeon was entirely filled with water.

However, he could not keep doing this forever.

No matter how much he looked around, he could not see any space where he could breathe.

In the end, Lee Ha-kyung inhaled the water.

“Huh?”

But unexpectedly, breathing was comfortable.

It was very natural, as though he were breathing air.

He could even speak normally.

Lee Ha-kyung tapped John and said, “This is going to be very difficult.”

“I know. Our movements are heavily restricted. Thanks to the armor, my body is not floating, but the resistance is considerable.”

“If fish-like monsters appear......”

“Ah-ah! They say words become seeds. Hurry and spit, spit, spit.”

“Pardon? No, I’m not a child. But where did you learn something like that?”

“My wife says it whenever I talk nonsense.”

“So you do know you talk nonsense?”

“Wow! Look at the personal attack level. As expected of Great Ha-kyung!”

“Please stop calling me that. It is so embarrassing I feel like I might die.”

While he was talking with John.

Blurry shapes began to ripple in front of them.

Fish that looked as if they were wearing armor made of bone.

A large fish five meters long had appeared.

That seemed to be the Skull Piker mentioned in the system message.

Lee Ha-kyung quickly moved to the outer edge of the formation.

‘It is right to position myself around here, but why do I feel uneasy?’

An uncomfortable feeling, as though he had forgotten something.

Unable to overcome his curiosity, he immediately opened the system message.

Then a chilling phrase appeared before Lee Ha-kyung’s eyes.

“Infinite Surge?”

The moment Lee Ha-kyung murmured the contents of the message.

The Skull Pikers, which had been swimming slowly, discovered the Raid Team.

Immediately afterward, a terrifying wave attack began.

[Skull Piker group deploys Infinite Surge]

Shooooooo―!

Dozens of fish charged forward, cutting through the current.

Because they were quite large, the pressure was tremendous.

Lee Ha-kyung quickly threw himself away.

‘I have to join the front line. Otherwise, I’ll be beaten up alone to my heart’s content.’

Normally, his positioning would have been correct.

However, right now, the opponent’s movement speed was overwhelmingly faster.

If he alone remained separated, he would become an easy target.

Thoom. Thoom. Thoom. Thoom.

Heavy footsteps rang out underwater.

Lee Ha-kyung’s judgment was fast, but his movements were terribly slow.

Because of the water resistance pressing down on his entire body.

In the end, he had to face the surging Skull Piker group.

Piping―! Clank! Clank!

At the moment of absolute crisis.

A pale green energy overlaid Lee Ha-kyung’s entire body.

Astonishingly, the Healers had supported him.

Raiders Guild members helping Lee Ha-kyung?

It was a puzzling thing, but he had no room to look back toward the back line.

Lee Ha-kyung quietly murmured and took out the Resonance Pillar.

“I don’t know who it was, but thank you for your professionalism.”

Then he struck it hard with Crimson Edge.

DOOOONG!

A sound wave far more majestic than usual spread outward.

[Resonance Pillar activated]

[Absorbs all surrounding energy]

The Skull Piker group that had been charging at tremendous speed suddenly stopped.

The suction force of the Resonance Pillar had caught the bastards.

Thanks to that, Lee Ha-kyung was able to catch his breath.

He immediately began swinging Crimson Edge.

[Abyss Challenger’s Authority, ‘Compression,’ increases the density of Abyss Energy]

Tze-kyoong―! Slice!

It was a slow strike, but the effect was certain.

Lee Ha-kyung’s Compressed Abyss Refinement had split a Skull Piker in one blow.

Apparently, Crimson Edge’s defense shattering had been effective.

“Kruwik?”

“Kruwik?”

Then most of the Skull Pikers looked at Lee Ha-kyung.

They had recognized him as the most dangerous being.

Soon, the direction of Infinite Surge changed.

Lee Ha-kyung could not help letting out a hollow laugh.

“Hah! No, why are you all doing this only to me?”

Of course, not every Skull Piker had charged at him at once.

Because some were being held by the front line.

It seemed that all the ones not caught by Taunt had swarmed toward him.

Lee Ha-kyung stroked Crimson Edge’s blade and murmured quietly.

“Fine. Let’s rampage properly. My new friend.”

Its grip was certainly more stable than the karambit’s.

Perhaps because of that, it felt as though it was a little easier to put strength into it.

Soon, Lee Ha-kyung stared at the Resonance Pillar.

‘Shall I open the Piggy Bank for the first time in a while?’

[Kin-Eater skill target set]

[Target: Resonance Pillar]

Piiiiing―!

Along with the familiar ringing in his ears, an enormous amount of Abyss Energy was transferred.

Wrapped in gray-white flames, Lee Ha-kyung turned his blade sideways.

Then he tried to deploy a Transformed Soul-Sever with a diameter of fifteen meters.

However, it was right then.

[Crimson Edge, affected by vast Abyss Energy, begins to change]

[Projectile Enhancement effect added]

Lee Ha-kyung tilted his head.

“What is this......”

It was a good thing for an artifact to gain a new option.

But Projectile Enhancement on a machete?

What kind of dog eating grass nonsense was that?

While he could not hide his bewilderment.

Lee Ha-kyung suddenly realized something.

‘Wait, then this?’

The Disc dwelling in the blade.

The size of the fifteen-meter Transformed Soul-Sever increased in an instant.

Exactly doubled.