Not even half a day had passed before Kang-hoo and his party were already facing the last room.
It goes without saying.
The Death Knight that Kang-hoo had faced in the previous room of proliferation did not rise again after being defeated.
This was because Kang-hoo had focused on attacking the neck and then cleanly finished it off with Blood Flower.
A level of proficiency beyond the maximum. As an Ultimate skill, its power was formidable.
The strategy of speed had worked.
Thanks to this, Kang-hoo was able to raise his level to an impressive 98 before facing the last room.
Before entering, he had thought that reaching level 97 would be a significant achievement.
The abundance of experience gained through swift attacks alleviated his concerns.
At this rate, reaching level 99 seemed possible after tackling the last room.
If he meets Yun Sang-mi after conquering the maze dungeon and goes through the dungeon once more, reaching level 100 was guaranteed.
【Silence of the Commanding Dead】
【Skill Proficiency: Lv Max】
【Consumes 10 mana per second to disguise as an undead, emitting their unique aura so as not to be detected.】
【However, beings with holy energy cannot use the Silence of the Commanding Dead.】
‘I won’t ever be in a situation where I can’t use it, even if I were to die and come back.’
Kang-hoo read the tooltip related to the skill ‘Silence of the Commanding Dead’ he had stolen from the Death Knight and laughed.
Holy energy usually refers to divine power, also known as sacred power.
For example, the well-known Hunter Elizabeth, the Saint of Salvation, primarily uses sacred power.
‘She is also one of The Thirteen Stars.’
Recalling memories related to sacred power naturally brought Elizabeth to mind.
Indeed, she was also one of The Thirteen Stars, probably becoming a member around this time.
However, it wasn’t until 5 years from now that it became publicly known she was a member of The Thirteen Stars.
This was because she had perfectly disguised her identity and acted as the ‘Saint’ whom people praised.
Anyway, 99.9% of hunters fight based on magic power, but there are exceptions like Elizabeth.
‘Dark Age.’
Another thing that came to mind was the Dark Age.
If divine power represents light, then the Dark Age represents darkness.
The skill, Silence of the Commanding Dead, which belonged to the Death Knight, allowed one to indirectly experience the Dark Age.
While Silence of the Commanding Dead uses mana to disguise as undead,
the Dark Age inherently possesses the aura of the undead. In other words, Silence of the Commanding Dead offers a taste of it.
‘In the original work, the Dark Age was an unattainable dream. There was no being with the ability to steal it.’
The concept of the Dark Age exists within the world’s setting.
In specialized dungeons or dungeons of a higher level than now, skills exclusive to the Dark Age often appear.
If one could steal those skills, they would be able to secure skills based on the Dark Age.
Being the Dimension Plunderer, Kang-hoo has the option to do so.
Meaning, other hunters, even if they know of the existence of Dark Age skills, cannot use them.
‘Then there must certainly be a skill that converts magic power into the Dark Age. Since I’ve thought of that skill.’
Kang-hoo trusted his subconscious.
As the original creator, his subconscious has shaped many elements of this world, even those he hadn’t thought of.
Surely it exists.
And if he were to acquire the skill to convert to the Dark Age… then his identity as a hunter would also change.
‘My writing wasn’t too shabby. There are many usable settings. And quite a bit of plausibility.’
Kang-hoo wiped the blood still clinging to his Blood Flower with a half-self-admiring (?) smile.
“Yaaaawn……”
Just then,
the sound of Jeon Se-hyuk yawning, who had been sleeping in the previous room, was heard.
During their 30-minute rest, it seemed they opted for sleep to alleviate boredom.
Meanwhile,
Ban Se-yeong, having replenished her mana and tended to her weapon, quietly approached Kang-hoo to start a conversation.
“Brother.”
“Yeah.”
“How come your attacks are so precise? It’s fascinating how you strike as if you’ve measured every situation with a ruler.”
“It’s all about maintaining composure.”
Kang-hoo responded candidly.
He had almost never lost his composure in battle up to this point.
Of course, he was always on edge. He was keenly aware that death could strike at any moment.
That’s why, paradoxically, he felt at ease. The looming possibility of death was a reminder that he was still alive.
Had he shared the reason for his composure, Ban Se-yeong would have instantly deemed him insane.
“The expansion and proliferation rooms were impressive, but you nearly handled everything in the rooms of limit and suppression on your own.”
“I can manage because I have something to rely on.”
He deflected the praise to Ban Se-yeong.
His trust in her support allowed him to fight with freedom. She was, without a doubt, an excellent partner.
Moreover, since they specialized in extreme close and long-range attacks, their paths rarely crossed.
Yet, on the battlefield, they moved as if they were a single entity.
“Honestly, it’s a bit intimidating. If someone like you gains both levels and items, then the title changes.”
“What do you mean?”
“Named.”
She remarked, cleaning her goggles.
Though her tone was light, Ban Se-yeong was genuinely fearful of Kang-hoo.
He seemed like a man brimming with secrets, concealing his true power.
So much so, she even inquired with Jeon Se-hyuk whether Kang-hoo’s constellation might be one that ‘distorts’ level information.
“It’s still a long way off. I haven’t even reached level 100 yet.”
“That’s exactly why it’s frightening. You’re not even level 100, but your combat power rivals that of levels 300, 400.”
“It’s impolite to say that in front of your cousin brother.”
“You admitted it, though?”
“Anyway, let’s keep syncing up our moves. For both of us, preemptive victory and blocking the enemy’s first move are the formulas for success.”
“Changing the subject, huh. Anyway, I’m saying you’re awesome. I don’t compliment just anyone.”
“I appreciate it.”
Kang-hoo showed a thumbs-up.
Although he preferred extreme solo play,
With a partner like Ban Se-yeong, who was in sync with him, he felt team play was entirely feasible.
It was honestly fun.
Having someone to talk to made it less boring.
But no matter how good a partner was, there was one thing he couldn’t overlook.
The issue with the loot.
As Kang-hoo always wanted to monopolize the loot, having a partner wasn’t entirely welcome.
Unless the partner unilaterally conceded. Of course, that wasn’t a virtue.
The last room’s conquest ended without any variables.
Of course, befitting the symbolism of being the last room, it took a considerable amount of time and required using their brains.
This place was also a room where a minimum of 3 people was mandatory.
It started with every area being a safe zone, and over time, the danger zones increased.
Since the areas where challengers stood the longest became danger zones,
Ban Se-yeong took charge of leading them.
Starting from the outskirts of the room, changing it to a danger zone made the inner movement easier.
Thus, Kang-hoo and Jeon Se-hyuk busily moved to avoid staying in any area for too long.
Boss monster Dirude.
The conquest of this creature ended sooner than expected, thanks to Kang-hoo’s skill, ‘Silence of the Commanding Dead.’
Dirude, an undead monster, recognized Kang-hoo, who was disguised by ‘Silence of the Commanding Dead,’ as one of its own kind.
Thanks to this, Kang-hoo easily inflicted a fatal wound on Dirude by swiftly moving to its back.
Although the battle against the boss monster ended anticlimactically, its significance was not to be taken lightly.
The mere possession of a skill that allows one to disguise oneself as undead was extremely rare.
Watching Dirude, who failed to recognize Kang-hoo’s presence until the end, Jeon Se-hyuk and Ban Se-yeong were astonished.
Dirude, which had followed their every move, completely ignored Kang-hoo’s actions.
Both understood that it was because Kang-hoo was treated as ‘one of the undead.’ That’s why they were so surprised.
If he had been a dark mage or belonged to a buffer class with skills related to disguise, they might have understood.
But Kang-hoo was an assassin.
Moreover, it wasn’t just a simple change in appearance; he had transformed his aura into that of an undead, hadn’t he?
Exactly what skill did he obtain, and how did he manage to disguise himself so flawlessly? It was a mystery.
Even if they asked, he wouldn’t reveal it, and not asking only made their curiosity grow.
Nevertheless, they succeeded in reaching level 99.
As promised, Ban Se-yeong handed over the hematite to Kang-hoo, and his collection of hematite reached a total of seven pieces.
Though they would disappear along with a skill upgrade as soon as he reached level 100,
Having seven pieces of hematite, which was difficult to obtain even one, was a significant asset.
Hematite was so valuable that not even a fortune could buy it. That’s how precious it was.
[After meticulously grading the entire dungeon's conquest process, you have been awarded an S+ rating.]
[In addition to the final rating, as a reward for successfully exploiting the shortcut route, you are provided with ten orange magic stones.]
“Wow…!”
“Wow. Is that a billion won?”
At the moment the final reward was confirmed, including the previously awarded hematite, Ban Se-yeong and Jeon Se-hyuk exclaimed in astonishment.
The maximum reward they had received until now was two orange magic stones.
Which is worth two billion won in market value. It was not a small amount. It was indeed a huge gain.
But this time, they easily surpassed the maximum reward, receiving five times the compensation.
Kang-hoo tilted his head.
“Is that a lot?”
He wasn’t pretending to be ignorant; he genuinely couldn’t grasp the magnitude.
He had expected the reward to be satisfactory, but this was exceptionally generous.
“Let’s meet outside!”
Jeon Se-hyuk immediately made his way to the dungeon exit.
As he had stated from the start, he had no interest in claiming the dungeon’s conquest process or its rewards.
He tactfully departed to avoid any discomfort, a testament to his good manners.
Just as Kang-hoo was about to discuss the distribution of the ten magic stones,
“I’ll take just one.”
Ban Se-yeong spoke up first.
What seemed like a potential dispute over distribution was resolved in an instant.
Should one not refuse a favor?
Yet, Kang-hoo added an extra orange magic stone for Ban Se-yeong, keeping eight for himself.
There was a rationale behind his decision.
He could have taken nine orange magic stones, content with Ban Se-yeong’s gesture…
But he chose to reciprocate with another act of kindness, aiming to foster a beneficial relationship for the future.
It was an investment Kang-hoo was making in her, considering his limited opportunities for dungeon conquests.
As much as Jeon Se-hyuk could mitigate the dungeon issue to some degree, it was akin to ‘bribery.’
If offering a magic stone worth a billion won could secure multiple dungeon conquest opportunities?
Then it would be a bargain. Kang-hoo was thus looking at the bigger picture.
Meanwhile,
The orange magic stones acquired from the maze dungeon were all sold through a marketplace well-known to Jeon Se-hyuk.
Subsequently, his balance soared.
It became feasible to exchange for a second-grade weapon item without any trouble.