The arrow I shot flew toward Kang Seok-soo.
The distance is about 500 meters. In the past, it might have been impossible, but now I have the Marksmanship trait. Thanks to that, I've grown much more confident in hitting targets these days.
I even infused the arrow with mana, and Kang Seok-soo, being a mage, isn't the type to dodge around. Hitting him isn't difficult.
'Just hit him properly once.'
But contrary to my hopes, Kang Seok-soo raised his hand and created a magic barrier. The arrow I shot bounced off the barrier.
'His reaction speed is fast—must've been keeping an eye on me from the start.'
In a way, it's only natural. I'm the one who turned this situation into chaos. From Kang Seok-soo's perspective, he has no choice but to be wary of me since he doesn't know what I might do next.
I kept shooting arrows. All seven were blocked by the magic barrier.
'Kang Seok-soo's mana isn't infinite, either. Maintaining the barrier while keeping track of the others must be exhausting him. I'm at an advantage here.'
Since I ran out of arrows, I discarded the bow without hesitation. Then, I chased after the hunters trying to flee and eliminated them.
'Where do you think you're running when I'm watching you with my own eyes?'
I glanced around.
The once chaotic grassland had now become eerily quiet.
Only three hunters remained: me, Kang Seok-soo, and Han Ha-rin. The rest had all been eliminated. Kang Seok-soo's decision to prioritize attacking the allied hunters played a big role.
'Those damn monsters… What should I do about them?'
The Basalt Golem was fighting Kang Seok-soo. Its black body was riddled with cracks, on the verge of shattering.
Meanwhile, the Little Kraken, which had just taken out another hunter, noticed me and began approaching. Only four tentacles remained, and red blood oozed from the wound on its head. The overwhelming presence it had when I first saw it was long gone.
'At this point, I can handle it alone.'
Since I had no means to control the Kraken, it was better to cleanly eliminate it before dealing with Kang Seok-soo. Leaving it alone risked it interfering at a critical moment.
'Pae… Pae… What was it again? There's a four-character idiom for situations like this, but I can't remember. Ah, damn it. Now that I can't recall it, it's distracting me from focusing on the fight.'
Desperately racking my brain, it finally came to me: Tosagupang—boiling and eating a hunting dog once it's no longer useful.
'Squid. Time to taste you.'
Gripping my sword tightly, I charged toward the Kraken.
***
Dungeon Survival: Reprised Studio.
"Gukcheon Hunter Team! They've led the C-rank boss monsters, the Little Kraken and Basalt Golem, to the final battleground…! How could anyone even think of such a plan…?"
Jo Seok-hoo clicked his tongue in amazement.
Shortly after, the Little Kraken and Basalt Golem began wreaking havoc in the final zone.
Jo Seok-hoo's mouth fell slightly open. It was even more chaotic than he'd imagined.
"T-This is madness! A crucible of chaos! Battles upon battles are breaking out on the grassland! The alliance has lost all meaning! Even Kang Seok-soo, one of the strongest contenders, looks visibly flustered!"
Jo Seok-hoo shouted excitedly. The situation was a mess, but from a viewer's perspective, it couldn't be more thrilling and entertaining.
Dungeon Survival: Reprised was about to reach its climax. He could feel it.
Then, he suddenly glanced at the director. What did the director think of this situation? Was he staring at the screen with a stiff face, frustrated by the chaos?
Contrary to Jo Seok-hoo's expectations, however, the director was smiling contentedly as he watched the screen.
Dungeon Survival: Reprised wasn't a real survival game—it was just a TV show.
A smooth, predictable survival? That wouldn't attract much attention. Why else gather 150 hunters? It was all for the battles.
A clean victory for Kang Seok-soo's team would be far less exciting than this chaotic mess full of twists and turns.
The director had a gut feeling—this moment would go down as one of the best in Dungeon Survival: Reprised history.
"...Sigh. Was it really necessary to go this far? It's too extreme."
Hong Soo-won sighed in frustration as he spoke. Baek Ji-eun immediately countered.
Everyone here was well aware of the rivalry between Hong Soo-won and Baek Ji-eun.
"Gukcheon Hunter Team was ostracized by the alliance. Honestly, I thought they were done for the moment the alliance formed. But they turned the tables with an ingenious idea. Who else would've thought to lure the Little Kraken and Basalt Golem into the fight?"
"I'll admit it's ingenious, but strictly speaking, that's monster shifting. It doesn't look good. And it's too dangerous. Two C-rank boss monsters in one place—an accident wouldn't be surprising."
Monster shifting.
The despicable act of redirecting monsters to other hunters. It was a clear crime. Getting caught meant more than just a fine.
"This is Dungeon Survival. The hunters here are competitors. In this context, it's not a crime—it's strategy. Besides, there are Hunter Association personnel on-site. At least C-rank hunters, many B-ranks, and even a few A-ranks. Do you really think it's that dangerous, Hong Soo-won?"
Hong Soo-won hesitated briefly.
His guild, Blue Bird, was one of Korea's top ten, but even they couldn't afford to ignore the Association's influence. The Association effectively ruled the hunter world, after all. Making an enemy of them was out of the question.
"…I was just saying accidents could happen. Of course, the Association's presence reduces that risk."
Baek Ji-eun smiled.
"The Association's staff are working tirelessly to eliminate even that slim chance of accidents. I, Baek Ji-eun—no, the Korean Hunter Association—guarantee that Dungeon Survival: Reprised is safe."
Hong Soo-won fell silent.
Had it just been Baek Ji-eun's personal guarantee, he might've argued further. But with the Association's name on the line, he couldn't afford to pick a fight over something like this.
On-screen, the situation escalated rapidly.
"The alliance has collapsed! Allied hunters are attacking each other, prioritizing their own survival!"
"Hmm. A sound decision. In this situation, the last ones standing have the best chance of winning. The smart move would be to retreat to a safe zone and wait for things to calm down. But… given how intense it is, few would think that far ahead."
"Gukcheon Hunter Team planned well. Hunter Seong Eugene is prioritizing chasing down fleeing hunters, while Hunter Han Ha-rin is guarding the safe zone's entrance. They know—this is their last chance."
"Ah! The last allied hunter has been eliminated!"
"This… Kang Seok-soo prepared too well. Normally, the Little Kraken and Basalt Golem should've devastated everything. But Kang Seok-soo spent over 30 hours preparing magic circles that left the monsters severely wounded. There's a saying—'A prepared mage is the strongest.' Watching Kang Seok-soo, I can't help but agree."
"Kang Seok-soo's Ice Strike magic shatters the Basalt Golem's body! And Seong Eugene finishes off the Little Kraken by stabbing its eye! Only three remain now. Gukcheon Hunter Team has the numerical advantage, but… as you all know, Kang Seok-sou has the 'Revival' treasure."
"Using Revival doesn't restore lost stamina or mana—it only refreshes the Energy Protect. Kang Seok-soo won't forget to fight, that's for sure."
"Exactly. Ah! But Hunter Han Ha-rin is staggering!"
***
Thunk!
I drove my sword into the Little Kraken's golden eye. After a few twitches and spasms, it finally went limp—dead.
'The Basalt Golem's dead, too. Now, only Kang Seok-soo remains. We can take him down if Han Ha-rin and I team up.'
I glanced toward Han Ha-rin to signal her.
My face stiffened. She was swaying unsteadily. Even from a distance, it was clear she wasn't in good shape.
'Han Ha-rin's exhausted.'
She flew here from the volcanic zone using gravity manipulation, carrying the Basalt Golem. On top of that, she guarded the safe zone entrance. Unlike me, she'd been using her abilities nonstop.
She'd already reached her limit.
'…I can't give up now. Even if I have to face Kang Seok-soo alone.'
I raised my sword and charged at Kang Seok-soo. The one silver lining was that most of the pre-set magic traps had been used on the Kraken and Basalt Golem.
'In a one-on-one fight, I stand a chance. Acceleration.'
[Acceleration activated. Duration: 10 minutes. Remaining stacks: 3]
My body sped up. Using Instant might've been more efficient, but to close the distance before Kang Seok-soo could react, I had no choice but to rely on Acceleration.
"So it's just you left. I never expected you'd bring the Little Kraken and Basalt Golem here."
"Took some effort to drag them here."
As I ran, I kept an eye on his right side. Mana rippled, and a sword-shaped ice formation appeared.
"No matter how hard you try, I'm still the one who'll win."
The ice sword shot toward me.
I swung my blade and easily deflected it. If I couldn't handle something so telegraphed, I might as well quit being a hunter.
"You're underestimating me too much. You think this is enough to—"
My words cut off. The ice sword I'd just deflected was flying back at me.
"It's the Espers spell. The ice sword only stops under two conditions: when it shatters, or when you fall."
"Then I'll just shatter it."
This time, I poured excessive mana into my strike to destroy the ice sword.
Kang!
The ice sword didn't break. It was far tougher than I'd anticipated.
"The ice sword is harder than steel. You can't break it with brute force. Just accept your defeat quietly."
"Now that I think about it, I don't have to break it."
Kang Seok-soo was right in front of me.
I swung my sword like a dancer. Deflecting the incoming ice sword while simultaneously attacking Kang Seok-soo.
Kang Seok-soo frowned and dodged my blade. It wasn't luck.
'He's not just reacting—he's predicting my moves. Must be using Sensory Maximization.'
His movements were awkward, yet he dodged every strike. It didn't make sense unless he had Sensory Maximization active.
"...."
Kang Seok-soo subtly twitched his left hand. I didn't miss the signal and quickly leaped back—just as a wall of flames erupted where I'd been standing.
"Good instincts."
"You're the one with heightened senses."
Kang!
I deflected another ice sword. Annoying, but not threatening.
'Time to end this, even if I have to push myself.'
Then—at the edge of my vision, I saw Han Ha-rin barely standing, signaling me. Without moving my eyes, I deciphered her message.
Kang!
After deflecting the ice sword, I kicked off the ground and closed in on Kang Seok-soo. The moment he stepped back, Han Ha-rin activated Gravity Field. Both our bodies grew heavier.
'I've sparred with Han Ha-rin often. I'm used to her Gravity Field.'
Plus, her signal had given me advance warning.
'This ends now. After he revives, I'll chain three Instants in a row…'
My eyes widened mid-swing. Kang Seok-soo was smirking triumphantly. A bad feeling shot through me.
'…No way. Did he read Han Ha-rin's signal with Sensory Maximization?!'
Kang Seok-soo stretched his left hand toward me. A red magic circle glowed on his palm.
'Instant!'
The world around me accelerated. No time to hold back. My blade aimed for Kang Seok-soo's neck—
He leaned back, dodging it effortlessly. Even with Instant, he'd avoided it.
'I knew his physical stats were better than mine. But to dodge like this… Did Sensory Maximization let him react in that split second?!'
Gritting my teeth, I activated Instant again. After coming this far, I couldn't retreat empty-handed.
I forcibly altered my sword's trajectory—from horizontal to vertical. The recoil would strain my Energy Protect, but I had no choice.
The blade descended, slicing through Kang Seok-soo's body.
"Guh—?!"
Kang Seok-soo dropped to his knees. His Energy Protect flashed red.
***
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