Hunters Keep Coming To My House - Chapter 77

Chapter 77

Hunters need to be cautious in their lives… 

Particularly, there are monsters, systems, and verbal traps, which are major concerns. 

The moment you mention something that shouldn’t happen, it often turns into a frequent cliche where events unfold at the gate.

…Why do I know this? I didn’t want to know either, damn it. 

Always be careful with flags… Kang Yoon-soo has set them up very well. 

So… among the undead, a Death Knight with the strongest force has appeared.

Death Knight. A being that, despite the extreme probability of being evil, becomes twice as powerful as when it was alive, having had outstanding skills or physique in the past and being reborn as undead.

So… in short, we’re in trouble.

‘At least S-level.’

The mana and intimidation emitted seemed beyond the ordinary S-level. It could confidently be among the top S-level monsters.

Whether Kang Yoon-soo realized this fact or not, his expression became serious. Yoo Soo-hee, on the other hand, had already adopted a combat stance, showing a tense face. Kim Young-ji and I were standing still behind them.

“Uh, ugh…!” 

Kim Young-ji seemed frightened by the vigor emitted by the Death Knight, more mentally fragile than appearances suggested. 

‘But why am I perfectly fine?’ 

Even Kim Young-ji seemed on the verge of losing it.

…Is it because of the <Mental Defense(??)> I obtained earlier? I couldn’t read the skill description properly and just passed over it, but seeing myself unaffected now raised some suspicions.

Back then, I blocked Kim Chok’s skill, so… Honestly, there was no other way to explain it. A Death Knight that even A-level hunters couldn’t withstand, yet here I was, facing it with a clear mind and both legs intact.

I grabbed Kim Young-ji’s arm to prevent her from collapsing to the ground. If she had fallen, we would have ended up in the middle of the sea, considering she was using <Flying>.

Taking care of Kim Young-ji beside me, I just noticed that Kang Yoon-soo had unfolded a shield in front of me as soon as the Death Knight appeared.

‘…Avoiding a fight with the Death Knight here is impossible.’

If that’s the case, we have no choice but to fight… 

I scrutinized the situation and shouted to Kang Yoon-soo.

“…I’ll quickly board the pirate ship and destroy the vessel.”

“…It’s dangerous, Ms. Yeon-oh.”

“If we get slaughtered by the Death Knight here, the Jung Tae-il team on the beach, attracting attention, will also be in danger.”

“….”

“So, destroying the vessel quickly is the right move.”

This wasn’t a choice but a necessity. The Death Knight in front of us was a creature created by the lich’s mana. That meant if we defeated the lich, there was a high chance it would naturally revert to nothing.

‘…Even if the Death Knight doesn’t disappear, if the Jung Tae-il team joins quickly.’

We could easily capture it. 

Jung Tae-il, the strongest in close combat, and Kang Yoon-soo, skilled in mana control, would handle it together. Whether Kang Yoon-soo was aware of this fact or not, he remained silent, lips tightly sealed. Well, trust may not come easily.

Who knows what beings are inside that pirate ship? Would they send just a C-level hunter alone, no matter how exceptional? Even if that hunter is outstanding, no one would easily make such a decision. But in times like these, decisions had to be made quickly.

The reason we split the team was to capture the lich with a time attack. If we delayed here, Kang Yoon-soo’s plan had a high chance of failing.

So…

“Be careful. If things get even a little risky, get out of the pirate ship quickly.”

Kang Yoon-soo had no choice but to accept my suggestion. As I mentioned before, he is a natural strategist and a leader. He would sacrifice himself if it meant everyone else could be safe, as he had stated in an interview.

“I’ll be careful. Please don’t get hurt either.”

I gave a brief reply and pulled out the big data created based on my hidden skills.

The Death Knight abhors beings with life force. 

So… to avoid the Death Knight’s gaze, camouflage was necessary. This skill made me feel like my mana was leaking, and I usually didn’t use it much, but there was no choice now.

Muttering softly, I quickly used the skill.

“<What’s Yours is Mine! What’s Mine is Yours!>”

I assimilated my presence into the surrounding mana to make it faint. If I did this, the Death Knight would perceive me as a comrade or perhaps just an inanimate object. 

Most of the mana in the air was the lich’s, so by assimilating my mana with its ominous magic, I perfectly blended into this world.

“…Now I’ll go.”

Even though I said I’d go, I had to go.

Due to being focused on the Death Knight, Kang Yoon-soo couldn’t even turn his head. However, he could still pull something out of his pocket to throw at me. Reflexively catching what he threw, I chuckled, letting out a light laugh.

‘…He’s giving me a bead with his mana.’ 

It seemed to imply that I should use it whenever my mana runs low. Instead of expressing gratitude, I bowed my head as much as possible and used <Swift Feet(F)> to dash towards the pirate ship. It was still possible because Kim Young-ji’s <Flying> was still active.

As I got closer to the pirate ship where the lich was, the ominous mana grew thicker. Simultaneously, my mana was rapidly assimilating and disappearing. It was one of the side effects of assimilating the surrounding mana and my mana.

Strangely, I couldn’t control it as much as I wanted. It felt like this world was greedily sucking in my mana, like a straw greedily slurping.

Well, it wasn’t a big problem, so I moved on.

When two-thirds of my mana had vanished, I could barely approach the pirate ship. Many undead were around, but they didn’t perceive me.

‘…Where should I enter?’ 

If I climbed onto the deck, there was a possibility of being immediately noticed by the lich. No matter how well I faked it, it might not work against an S-level boss monster.

So…

‘I should make a hole.’ 

Just big enough for my body to fit… I should cut it carefully. If cutting was difficult, I could smash it with a hammer…

I moved to the back of the pirate ship and cautiously surveyed the surroundings. Despite being a ghost ship, its body was transparent, but it was fundamentally made of wood.

In that case… smashing it with a hammer would be ideal.

Searching for a suitable entry point, I took out a hammer from my inventory. Well, everyone has at least one set of tools at home, right? I had temporarily stored a toolbox in my inventory because I had to fix the yard and fence for filming a video.

…It was just lying there, but now I was using it like this.

I briefly inspected the hammer.

[Hammer

?Can amplify power by 200% with very little force.

?Always maintains 100% accuracy.

?Sturdy and unbreakable.

?Receives synergy from the current user’s title ‘Destruction King(C)’, allowing it to destroy anything.]

Hmm, come to think of it, did I receive this title when I smashed everything in the living room? 

It’s being used like this now… I’m grateful for the timing when I can use anything at hand; it wasn’t the time to think about anything else. So, I firmly grasped the hammer and forcefully struck the spot where I intended to break. 

Thud! With a loud sound, the area where the hammer landed was shattered into pieces. I doubted it would work because it was a ghost ship, but the synergy effect of ‘Destruction King (C)’ was remarkable. 

Inspecting the hole I made, just big enough for me to enter, I cautiously surveyed to see if anyone was approaching. Thankfully, perhaps due to the ongoing battles around, no one came to check this place.

‘…Alright, let’s go.’ 

I carefully slipped my body through the hole. Fortunately, the place I pierced seemed to be a storage room, filled with all sorts of odds and ends. 

Good, now let’s try using what Kang Yoon-soo quickly taught me. A move that had significantly improved my skills after personally learning it from the master of mana control… the hidden ace.

“…<Mana Detection>.” 

It was an F-level skill before, but now my status has risen to A-level.