The moment that voice rang out, the Superman Guild's combat Slayers, who had been in the middle of clearing the dungeon, swore under their breath.
"Shit…"
A third party had suddenly barged in. Their bodies tensed instinctively.
"Haht! Hut! Hat! Hup! Ha!"
With five sharp shouts, the battle ended. Each shout lasted about a second. One kiai, one strike. The last was a simple kick, not the polished kick of a trained martial artist, but just a literal kick.
And yet, with that kick, the Twinhead Orc, one of the dungeon's highest-tier monsters, simply vanished.
"…Insane…"
"W-what the hell is this…"
Of the twelve combat Slayers in Superman Guild, three dropped their weapons in shock. One collapsed onto the ground. The remaining eight just stared, dumbfounded, at the man who had intruded.
They had no idea what was happening. Was there anyone alive who could kill an Orc in a single blow? No matter how hard they thought about it, the answer was no. Not just in Korea, but across the whole world, no such Slayer existed. And that was how it should be.
The support and recovery Slayers watching from the rear tried frantically to make sense of it. But keeping their distance didn't grant them more clarity. If anything, it only deepened their confusion. Blow after blow, the Orcs were dropping dead. Viewed objectively, the only conclusion was panic.
It wasn't just Superman Guild. Aion Guild's members also fell into shock.
Park Daeyoung, who had been grumbling nonstop until moments ago, stammered:
"Th-th-th…"
Guild Master Kim Munyeol also just stared blankly ahead. They had subconsciously looked down on Inha, but now that the lid was off, the truth was undeniable: Inha was on a completely different level.
Park Daeyoung's face flushed red.
So the reason he didn't even bother reacting to me… was because I wasn't worth reacting to in the first place.
Telling an outstanding person, "You're pathetic", isn't really an insult. The outstanding know their worth; such words don't make them cower or rage.
But telling someone truly pathetic, "You're pathetic", that's an insult.
It was the same here. No matter how much Daeyoung cursed or mocked, to Hyunseok it hadn't even registered as an insult. He had barely paid it any attention.
Now, Daeyoung's face burned red as cold sweat trickled down.
Damn it. How humiliating is this…
Hyunseok felt all eyes on him and scratched his head awkwardly, smiling faintly.
Whether it was the sight of people panicking, or the fact that those who had ignored him were now stammering in shock, Minseo laughed brightly. Beside her, Kang Pyeonghwa clenched her fist and whispered a tiny, triumphant, "Yes!"
But when her eyes accidentally met Hyunseok's, she quickly dropped her fist and ducked her head. Of course, Hyunseok noticed. He chuckled lightly and said:
"We are the Rescue Squad dispatched by Union. I'm Hyunseok, Guild Master of Inha, and this here is Aion Guild's Guild Master, Kim Munyeol. We don't have much time, so let's move straight to the next room."
"W-wait! We need to rest!" one of the Slayers protested.
Hyunseok replied evenly:
"You must have heard the system notice, that safe zones have been removed."
At those words, the combat Slayers' faces turned ashen. Focused on battle, they hadn't really registered the warning.
"Why would…?"
"We'll explain in detail later. For now, follow me."
Hyunseok took the lead. And the Slayers, still shaken by his overwhelming and almost unbelievable display of power, found themselves following without resistance.
"You probably haven't seen Union's briefing materials, since you've been inside this dungeon," Hyunseok continued. "There are two methods to clear it. One, the way you've been doing, step by step, room by room. The other, clear each room in under 30 minutes. Do that, and you're allowed immediate entry to the next."
"…But how is that possible…?"
They were sensible Slayers. To clear one room in under 30 minutes? It was impossible by common sense.
Normally, each room contained four to five Orcs, plus two to three Twin-head Orcs. The layout varied, but usually they were spaced far enough apart to allow them to be taken down individually. It was slow, but doable.
That was how they had cleared five rooms. At that pace, it took about 20 hours per room, with breaks inside the safe zones to rest. And now Hyunseok was talking about clearing one in half an hour. Impossible. Ridiculous.
"…Unless it's you."
A monster-like Slayer who could make the impossible possible had joined their party.
Kim Munyeol was speechless.
What kind of monster…
Park Daeyoung's realization hit just as hard.
So it wasn't that they had no items… They didn't need them.
As the truth set in, anxiety swept over him.
Shit. I'm screwed.
Not because of the dungeon. But because a Slayer of this caliber could crush him like an ant, and he had treated him carelessly.
Whatever the reason this monstrous Slayer had remained unknown, it no longer mattered. Hyunseok took the lead as they advanced to the seventh room.
Upon entering, Hyunseok, now the de facto leader, spoke calmly. Nobody dared oppose him.
"Guild Masters, please gather the Orcs and Twin-head Orcs together into one spot. I'll handle the Orc over there first."
"Y-yes."
"Right, understood…"
Before they even finished replying, Hyunseok launched forward.
"Haht!"
With one punch, the Orc, one of the highest-tier monsters, was obliterated, leaving behind only items.
"…How… how is that even possible?"
"One punch…"
It wasn't even the polished strike of a seasoned martial artist. To trained eyes, it was sloppy, unrefined.
"Not sloppy, just swinging randomly."
Combat Slayers typically trained in martial arts to aid survival. So their eyes were sharper than ordinary people's. And to them, Hyunseok's punches weren't even at a level worthy of being called martial arts.
The most absurd part? Even those clumsy punches killed Orcs instantly, dropping loot.
Recently, Hyunseok had cut down on weight training and started boxing lessons to improve efficiency. But it wasn't like his skills had skyrocketed in a short time.
"This is broken…"
One Slayer muttered helplessly.
And just like that, their raid ended.
[Dungeon cleared.]
[Recognized as a Very Difficult Achievement.]
[However, due to large party size (24), achievement grade adjusted downward.]
[Recognized as a Difficult Achievement.]
[Bonus Stat +7 awarded.]
Not "Impossible Achievement," but still beyond "Easy Achievement."
For the first time, Superman Guild and Aion Guild earned more than a trivial reward. The system granted them bonus stats.
The group murmured in a mix of relief and disbelief.
"Wait… wasn't Easy Mode supposed to only give Easy Achievements…?"
They were wrong. Impossible Achievements existed too. Hyunseok didn't bother to explain.
❋ ❋ ❋
Hyunseok never enjoyed revealing himself. But remaining completely anonymous made negotiations and asserting himself almost impossible.
I'll need to find some way to at least establish myself within the Slayer community. Not fame among the public, but recognition within the field. I should talk with Sunghyung about it.
While he was thinking this, Minseo grumbled beside him:
"Still, it makes me mad. You don't get the recognition you deserve."
Hyunseok chuckled and ruffled her hair.
Just then, the doorbell rang. Minseo ran to check the intercom.
"It's that guy, oppa, the one who badmouthed you like crazy. From Aion Guild…"
"Let them in."
At the door stood Kim Munyeol and Park Daeyoung, visiting Hyunseok's house over the weekend.
Munyeol carried a huge fruit basket, while Daeyoung held an expensive-looking bottle of wine. Both bowed their heads deeply.
They had come to apologize.
Hyunseok scratched the back of his head.
"Ah… yeah, well…"
Truthfully, he hadn't exactly been pleased by their earlier words. But looking at it from their perspective, it wasn't entirely unreasonable. Their lives had been at stake, and being forced to team up with what looked like a "worthless" guild had felt unfair.
"I get it. I had no items, looked unprepared… So, I understand."
Besides, he had been lost in thought back then and hadn't even heard half of their complaints.
Munyeol bowed so deeply it looked like he might kneel. The two appeared like condemned criminals, and Hyunseok felt awkward.
Munyeol spoke earnestly:
"I mistook your silence for nervousness, and I was disrespectful. On behalf of Aion Guild, I sincerely apologize."
"Ah… okay…"
It took Hyunseok a moment to realize what he meant. Apparently, when he had zoned out at the start of the dungeon, Aion members had mocked him behind his back.
Ah… I must've looked nervous.
In reality, he hadn't been nervous at all, just distracted. But he didn't say it. If he told them the truth, they'd feel not just embarrassed but crushed.
Even Park Daeyoung wasn't without decency. Though blunt, he admitted when he was wrong and apologized sincerely.
Hyunseok wasn't petty. He accepted the apology.
"As for gifts, I appreciate the thought, but really, that's unnecessary. Accepting them would only make me uncomfortable."
Still, they forced the gifts on him and left.
Minseo looked ecstatic, bouncing around the room, muttering strange cries of joy:
"Oh yeah! Woo! Great! Okay! Ohh-kay!"
Her glee made her look almost unhinged.
A few seconds later, Jongwon burst into the house, breathless. He hadn't even knocked, just punched in the code.
"Hey! Hyunseok! Shit! Normal Mode just appeared!"
(End of Chapter 21)
Read more on "novelshub.org"
Enjoyed the chapter? Share your feedback and help Hyunseok keep leveling up!