Chapter 149. King of the Dead

Of course, with an F-rank body, there's no point in making such plans.

Now there's more reason to buy lungs.

I organized my thoughts and hung up the remaining clothes.

And two days later, After the previous warning, Lee Hwaryeong seemed to have realized something and stopped acting suspiciously. Thanks to that, I no longer had to worry about how to dispose of a body on Earth. I thought it was a good thing overall.

Gimpo International Airport.

Footsteps fell on the neatly arranged tiles.

Tak, tak, tak.

A white woman with golden short hair touching the back of her neck and pink boot heels stood out. At first glance, she resembled a top-tier S-Class Hunter from the United States, but her name was not Brooklyn. This short woman with a chubby build was a freelance Hunter known as 'Sophia.'

F**k! F**k!

As soon as Sophia arrived in Korea, she began muttering curses.

Do you know why an Awakened person from Minnesota came all the way to this oriental country? It was because a lazy superior passed their work onto a subordinate.

Sophia, actually, our boss assigned me a task. I'm sorry, but I'm too busy to handle it right now. So, could you go to Korea for me instead?

Dammit, to think she'd end up running errands for that annoying Brooklyn jerk.

Debt really is the enemy. After awakening as an A-rank, she had paid off all the loans she owed and even had $700,000 left in her account, thinking she'd never have to struggle with money again.

She can't break her habit. Even after awakening, Sophia couldn't give up gambling and ended up losing all her rare equipment, which had been the foundation of her business. On the contrary, becoming an Awakened had only caused her spending to grow to an unimaginable scale.

Damned card games, damned roulette! If it weren't for these debts, she wouldn't have ended up leashed by Brooklyn.

'This sucks.'

Sophia scratched nervously at the black tattoo hidden under her turtleneck as she walked toward the exit. For now, she had successfully completed the immigration process.

Find out if Korea's fourth S-rank is real or fake!

Seriously, how did she end up getting stuck with an order like this? To check if Korea's S-rank Hunter might be a fake and verify his strength?

'I really... have no luck.'

Whoo.

Before coming here, Sophia had briefly looked into an Awakened named Kim Giryeo. However, just by searching the person's name on a website, she could already sense that she was doomed.

That Oriental man wasn't just an ordinary S-class. He was an extraordinary figure, standing out even among the highest-level Hunters.

'Did he wipe out the dungeon where the Siren appeared? And on top of that, volunteered to participate in the S-rank gate raid?'

As expected, Brooklyn must have assigned her this ridiculous task just to mess with her. The Japanese hunters who entered the gate with him also praised him, saying that they wouldn't have been able to hunt the dragon if Giryeo hadn't been there.

'How is it possible that a man like this isn't an S-rank?'

Sophia had already made up her mind about the target's identity before the mission even started.

It can't be helped. Although it wasn't intentional, Kim Giryeo's achievements grew more impressive with each passing day. Even Jung Haseong, a true S-rank Hunter, had been fooled by his acting. The spread of this rumor was swift and unstoppable.

'They say Korea's top-ranked Hunter acknowledged his skills. So, of course, he must be S-rank.'

Ey, even a great person like Jung Haseong is involved, so how could it all be fake?

Certainty is a frightening thing. Like those who are deceived by lies, Sophia reached a hasty conclusion after looking into the information surrounding Kim Giryeo.

She had already branded him as an S-rank Hunter.

"Whoo."

Now, the real matter begins. Whether Kim Giryeo was real or not, Sophia had to confirm the target's level and return. That was her promise with Brooklyn.

However, if the opponent was truly an S-rank, to be honest, this would be almost a suicide mission. A foreign Hunter coming all the way to another country to test their strength and pick a fight—anyone would naturally lose their temper upon meeting such a person.

'Hmm.'

Glance.

Sophia double-checked Kim Giryeo's appearance.

Monolid eyes. A dry, expressionless face. On top of that, a sharply dressed black suit, so neat it almost seemed nervously put together.

Sophia could tell that, although they were of different races, there was nothing about him that gave off a 'warm' feeling.

Right. No matter how much she thought about it, she definitely didn't want to mess with a Hunter like that.

"I'm doomed."

But what can I do?

Even though it wasn't as binding as a knight's oath, this collar was still an item that made it incredibly difficult to break a promise once it was worn.

"Oh, God... Please let me return to my homeland safely."

Sophia muttered a quiet prayer as she took out her phone. She had to make several preparations before starting the work.

How to uncover the true identity of the fourth S-rank.

Actually, the method itself was simple. If Sophia, an A-rank, wanted to verify Kim Giryeo's rank, all she had to do was go all out and attack the target.

A being capable of overpowering an A-rank Hunter at her best. That was the power of the new generation at the peak of awakening. Even the most renowned A-rank Hunters were ultimately weak in comparison to her.

'The plan is simple.'

Of course, the problem was that this Korean might easily turn someone into kimchi if she made the wrong move.

'Shit!'

The only good thing is that this awakening ability wasn't a skill that directly confronted the enemy. If you've played video games often, you might be familiar with this kind of term.

[Summoner]

Sophia was an Awakener with a very rare ability. She could summon monsters that obeyed her commands by using magic stones left behind by the monsters.

A summoner-type Awakened. That's why Brooklyn had specifically chosen Sophia for this task. With her abilities, she could easily fabricate an accident caused by a gate to cover up anything that went wrong.

"Phew..."

[Fireball]

[Fireball]

[Light]

She also had several disguise skills to conceal her Awakening abilities, but since they would be ineffective against an S-rank, she decided not to use them this time.

Therefore, the only things she would rely on from here on out were her summoning skills and stealth items.

'Plus, there's a contract that says I'll blow myself up if I mention the mastermind. This is just like a ninja from an anime.'

Once this job is over, I swear I'll never touch gambling again.

Clink

. Sophia detached the blue magic stone from the shabby staff she had hidden, pretending it was hunting equipment. Then, she drove the illegally rented car she had prepared in advance, arriving near Kim Giryeo's residence.

It had been about three days since she began her surveillance.

'Finally!'

Sophia saw a blond man coming out of the address the informant had given her. However, she didn't take action right away. There were still many factors to consider, such as the target's destination and the presence of any witnesses.

'I have to be especially careful if the destination is a gate. That Asian guy is also connected to another S-rank, Kang Changho.'

She finished preparing in the car and began tailing Kim Giryeo. What she had thrown over her head was a stealth item that temporarily blended her body with the surrounding background.

'OK.'

However, it seemed that Kim Giryeo wasn't planning to go hunting today. After throwing the plastic bottles he had brought from home into the recycling bin, he turned back down the street.

'Did he just clean up the trash? It's ordinary.'

This was an open street, perfect for observing the situation. And it seemed like there weren't many other people around...

Sophia, who had been observing, soon carried out her employer's command. Now, she only needed to test the man with her summoned creature. Of course, as a summoner, she would keep her distance and conceal her identity as much as possible.

Right, Sophia.

Perhaps it was time to review her employer's conditions once more. Before this mission, her superior, Brooklyn, had added a few requests.

As you know, abilities related to defense are really easy to manipulate. If you find the right artifacts, even if you're technically C-rank, you can still resist high-level threats. Unlike attack power, where your own skill inevitably plays a role.

Brooklyn wanted to accurately determine Kim Giryeo's rank. So, when assigning this mission, he had instructed her to use a "special" method, one that wasn't a physical or mental attack.

No physical or mental attacks? What kind of bizarre order was this, like a hot iced americano?

But strangely enough, if she carefully observed the monsters that appeared in the gates, she found something that fit this requirement. There was a monster she knew that could perform a powerful and terrifying attack, one that couldn't be resisted by any method to increase defense.

'Alright! Come out, you expensive servant worth Jackpot No. 1'

Gugugugugu!

Sophia poured all her strength into the magic stone she possessed and summoned a monster into the sky. This quadrupedal creature with dull skin like the bark of a dead tree and black blood dripping from all the pores on its face was named Kelumineto.

[King of the Dead, Kelumineto]

[Rank: A]

[Description: Appears in the boss room of the "Fallen Paradise" dungeon with a 20% chance...]

It was a special monster that attacked with a 'fixed damage' format that couldn't be reduced by any means.

[[Soul Strike] skill activated.]

1 hit for D-class and below.

2 hits for C-class.

And barely 4 hits for B-class and above.

If it was a special move that would definitely result in instant death after being hit a certain number of times, wouldn't it be possible to gauge the opponent's capabilities?

'This monster's attack can't be blocked. Since its abnormal status resistance is high, tricks won't work, so the only way to defeat it is to quickly defeat the boss before it dies.'

The process of obtaining this magic stone was truly full of twists and turns. Sophia's ability is to only use the magic stones she hunted and obtained herself, so she has fought the boss in its natural state several times. And to describe the experience, it could only be called "horrifying."

'Ugh.'

The pain felt as if vital points hidden deep within the body were being ripped out by the roots. The attacks from the monster were so unpleasant that they sent shivers down her spine.

[Soul Strike].

Is this monster really capable of manipulating the concept of a soul?

'Okay, carefully check the location...'

Click.

Sophia adjusted the German-made binoculars in her hand to check the appearance of her opponent again.

Blonde hair and sambaegan eyes. This must be the fourth S-rank hunter from the Korea that Brooklyn mentioned. And from this distance, even an S-rank hunter would have a hard time detecting the presence of a summoner.

'It's confirmed.'

She retreated to the maximum distance where she could command her soldiers and gave the servant an order.

'Start!'

Then, the creature that had been suspended in mid-air fell to the ground. It was heading towards the Hunter walking alone on the streets of Korea.

'I feel kind of sorry. I don't have any personal grudges against that man, but... well, it's business, so there's no helping it.'

Now, let's see what result will come from this. Will he be able to subdue the monster? Or will he be helplessly trampled by the so-called King of the Dead, the ruler of the undead?

Sophia nervously adjusted her binoculars. The monster's dry feet touched the ground at the same time.

Author's Thoughts

Hi, from now on, I will update this novel 3 chapters/week. Thank you for all your support so far:)