Chapter 6

“……You say you’ve discovered someone suspected of being an unregistered Awakener?”

Yoo Seok-hwan, an investigator affiliated with the Center, took out his notepad with a stern expression.

He began writing down the field employee’s report.

“Yes. A young, average-height man. The location is…… a dungeon near Peace Park.”

Yoo Seok-hwan’s hand abruptly stopped as he scribbled on the notepad.

Pushing up his slipping glasses, he let out a small sigh and spoke.

“Is there anyone suspected of being a broker? I see. I’ll head there immediately.”

Yoo Seok-hwan ended the call and addressed the people around him.

“You all heard that, right? Get several Awakeners affiliated with the Center ready.”

“Yes, Chief.”

Yoo Seok-hwan hurriedly put on his clothes and prepared to leave.

Then, with a grim expression, he lightly pushed up his glasses.

Peace Park. That man from yesterday also said he had cleared a dungeon in Peace Park.

A man who had cleared a Goblin Dungeon on the very day he awakened.

From a common-sense perspective, it was an incomprehensible act—reckless enough to be something only a person with suicidal tendencies would attempt.

From time to time, skilled martial artists or athletes displayed such feats immediately after awakening. However, the man Yoo Seok-hwan had seen showed none of the experience or bearing necessary for that.

Just as his mind began filling with confusing thoughts, Yoo Seok-hwan shook his head and set off.

HanSiwoo(Transcendent)—Lv.32Han Siwoo (Transcendent) — Lv. 32

Class—NoneClass — None

Title—NoneTitle — None

Strength—33(+18)Strength — 33 (+18)

Vitality—32(+12)Vitality — 32 (+12)

MagicPower—1(+12)Magic Power — 1 (+12)

RemainingPoints—10Remaining Points — 10

Han Siwoo was grinning slyly, his face filled with exhilaration.

Only a couple of hours had passed since he entered the Lizardman Dungeon.

Even so, he had gained an astonishing 22 levels.

Moreover, he was now standing right before the boss of the Old Lizardman Dungeon.

“Dark Knight.”

—Yes, my lord.

“You’re getting your sword back because you’ve been doing such a good job.”

At those words, the Dark Knight’s gray eyes began to ripple with joy.

He was finally going to receive his sword back.

The Dark Knight respectfully bowed after sheathing his sword with a disciplined motion.

—I shall repay my lord’s grace with loyalty.

“Sure.”

Han Siwoo accepted the Dark Knight’s loyalty with an indifferent attitude and began walking.

Just as he appeared to turn around a corner, he quietly lowered his stance.

A considerable distance away, he spotted a Lizardman sitting comfortably before a campfire, leisurely warming itself by the flames.

Unlike the other Lizardmen, it had strikingly dark scales.

That must be the boss. Once I take him down, it’ll be over.

The Dark Knight, who had also lowered his stance behind Han Siwoo, nodded at his signal.

Then it rose and began walking toward the Lizardman.

Shing—

The quiet sound of a sword being drawn echoed through the cave.

At that moment, the Lizardman, who had been dozing off beside the fire, suddenly raised its head.

When it spotted the Dark Knight approaching, it sprang to its feet.

“Chiaaaat!”

The Lizardman let out a sharp roar and stepped toward the Dark Knight.

At that instant, the pressure it released spread throughout the cave.

Youhavediscoveredthebossmonster,RuvaroftheBlackScales.You have discovered the boss monster, Ruvar of the Black Scales.

YouhavebeenoverwhelmedbythefightingspiritreleasedbyRuvaroftheBlackScales.You have been overwhelmed by the fighting spirit released by Ruvar of the Black Scales.

RemainingDuration:9secondsRemaining Duration: 9 seconds

As expected of the boss of a level 50 dungeon. It would’ve been troublesome if I were alone.

The stiffness caused by the roar, along with its lingering effects—

Because of this, Han Siwoo would have to fight the boss Lizardman while suffering a disadvantage that would affect his movements.

But Han Siwoo was not the boss’s opponent this time.

Boom!

The Dark Knight leaped off the ground and shot toward the Lizardman.

The nimble movement displayed by the Dark Knight despite wearing heavy armor was impressive.

He seemed to be in an especially good mood now that he had received his sword back.

“Chiaaaak!”

Clang!

The Lizardman caught the Dark Knight’s downward slash with its curved sword.

However, it was overwhelmed by the Dark Knight’s strength, and its body staggered miserably.

At the same time, hairline cracks began spreading across its curved sword like a spiderweb.

“Chit!?”

The Lizardman’s upper body tilted, and its eyes widened.

But the confusion in its eyes quickly turned into terror.

Slash!

The Dark Knight’s sword swept horizontally.

The Lizardman was cut cleanly in half in an instant.

The Dark Knight then flicked its sword, shaking the blood from the blade.

—My lord, I have completed the mission you commanded.

“Yes, good work.”

Han Siwoo revealed himself and approached the Lizardman’s corpse.

Then he began collecting the items.

The profits are pretty good.

In addition to the proof of the kill, he had obtained quite a number of low-grade mana stones.

Since they were several times more expensive than the lowest-grade mana stones, they would help improve Han Siwoo’s financial situation.

He had also obtained quite a few potions and miscellaneous items.

There’s a Spirit Stone, too. I guess you can get them by hunting bosses.

Han Siwoo placed all the items he had acquired into his inventory.

Well, all except one.

“Here. Take this.”

Han Siwoo held out a longsword he had obtained earlier from the Lizardmen.

The Dark Knight’s gray eyes shone with emotion when he saw the sword being offered to him.

It was the first reward he had ever received as a knight.

—Thank you, my—

“Take this, and lend me your sword again.”

—Yes.

Since he was hunting a boss monster, Han Siwoo had only returned the sword just in case.

The Dark Knight handed over his sword with a sorrowful gaze, then accepted the longsword.

HanSiwoo(Transcendent)—Lv.35Han Siwoo (Transcendent) — Lv. 35

Class—NoneClass — None

Title—NoneTitle — None

Strength—33(+18)Strength — 33 (+18)

Vitality—32(+12)Vitality — 32 (+12)

MagicPower—1(+12)Magic Power — 1 (+12)

RemainingPoints—16Remaining Points — 16

My final level is 35. I gained 25 levels in just a few hours.

At this rate, reaching level 100 soon would not be difficult.

However, from this point onward, leveling up so easily by using the Dark Knight would be difficult.

The higher their levels, the stronger the monsters became.

A short while later, after leaving the dungeon, Han Siwoo immediately began searching for his next target.

The target he settled on was the Lesser Arachnid Dungeon, with a recommended level of 70.

I should finish leveling up today and try challenging the second floor of the Temple of Transcendence.

At this rate, it didn’t seem impossible.

With a light nod, he entered the dungeon.

Arriving at Peace Park had been the easy part.

Unfortunately, what the investigation team encountered there was not a pleasant sight.

The man who had discovered the unregistered Awakener and reported him to Investigator Yoo Seok-hwan—

He had suddenly lost contact while on the move and had been found with serious injuries.

His life probably isn’t in danger, but he’ll need several months of recuperation……

The injured man explained that he had been monitoring the unregistered Awakener when the man discovered him.

The unregistered Awakener had then attacked him, and his current whereabouts were unknown.

He might still be somewhere inside Peace Park, or he might have fled outside.

“What were the target’s characteristics? What is his estimated level?”

“Ah, as I reported earlier, he was a young, average-height man…… Considering how quickly he took me down…… I estimate his level to be over 200.”

Level 200.

It was an incredibly high level, though not so high that he could be taken lightly.

Yoo Seok-hwan nodded and patted the shoulder of the surveillance officer who was receiving treatment.

“You’ve worked hard. We’ll take over from here.”

After having the injured surveillance officer transported away, Yoo Seok-hwan let out a sigh.

Apparently, this was not the person he had initially had in mind.

“All right, search every corner. Contact me as soon as you find anything.”

“Yes, Chief.”

Before long, Yoo Seok-hwan and his team members began searching Peace Park thoroughly.

AnotherpersonhasenteredtheLesserArachnidDungeon.Another person has entered the Lesser Arachnid Dungeon.

Han Siwoo narrowed his eyes as he stared at the message window.

Wasn’t it the number-one rule of etiquette among Awakeners not to enter a dungeon that someone else had already entered first?

Then what kind of rude bastard had entered the place Han Siwoo had claimed first?

What kind of situation is this?

There were two ways to resolve a situation like this.

He could politely persuade the intruder to leave, or he could forcibly drive them out of the dungeon.

In the latter case, people usually invoked the name of their affiliated clan or flaunted their own strength.

But what if they had neither a clan nor any strength?

They’d lose the dungeon they were progressing through and get kicked out instead.

However, Han Siwoo could confidently say that although he had no clan, he did have strength.

It had been about an hour since he entered the Lesser Arachnid Dungeon.

Thanks to the Dark Knight, who had been sweeping through the monsters, he was already close to level 50.

The recommended level is 70, so whoever entered probably isn’t much stronger than that.

He planned to try persuading the intruder peacefully first.

But if the other person refused to understand his words, Han Siwoo intended to drive them out with the Dark Knight.

Since the other party had been the first to violate the rules, the Center would likely take Han Siwoo’s side even if a dispute arose.

“Dark Knight, finish things up there and follow me.”

—Yes!

The Dark Knight, who had been slaughtering Lesser Arachnids, answered in a booming voice.

After hearing the reply, Han Siwoo strolled toward the entrance.

Let’s see what kind of bastard he is.

After walking for a while—

Clop, clop…

When footsteps echoed from somewhere ahead, Han Siwoo drew in a breath.

Judging from the circumstances, they seemed to belong to the intruder who had entered the dungeon.

But there’s only one set of footsteps?

Judging by the sound, there was only one intruder.

Just as Han Siwoo began to find this strange, the intruder’s face came into view.

Han Siwoo narrowed his eyes.

That bastard……

Awakeners could recognize other Awakeners.

They could even determine whether someone was affiliated with the Center.

However, the man now standing before Han Siwoo was not registered with the Center.

???—Lv.?????? — Lv. ???

Class—???Class — ???

Rank—NoneRank — None

An unregistered Awakener. The investigator wasn’t saying those things for no reason yesterday.

If his memory was correct, around the time Han Siwoo awakened, unregistered Awakeners had been running rampant.

After Awakeners united because of the disaster that would soon occur, the barriers surrounding unregistered Awakeners would disappear.

But that time had not yet come.

In any case, even if he thought of the man as someone he wanted to chew to pieces, it was the way of the world that he couldn’t show it.

“I entered first. Could you please leave?”

Han Siwoo began with a light verbal jab.

Polite words and a courteous attitude.

In response to Han Siwoo’s well-mannered request, the other man said—

“Stay still if you don’t want to die.”

As expected, Han Siwoo let out a long sigh and muttered,

“This bastard really doesn’t know how to speak properly.”

“……What?”

“You heard me correctly.”

Han Siwoo clicked his tongue and glanced over his shoulder.

At that moment, the Dark Knight appeared from behind him with the clanking of armor.

“Perfect timing. Dark Knight, go grab that guy.”

—Yes, my lord.

The Dark Knight answered and drew his sword.

Shing…

The sound of the blade sliding free echoed through the dungeon.

At the sight, the intruder let out a mocking laugh.

Good grief. I was only planning to hide for a little while……

The intruder was the one who had defeated the Center’s surveillance officer.

Therefore, it was certain that Center personnel would arrive soon.

Well, does it matter? I needed a hostage if I wanted to escape anyway.

The intruder smiled coldly and drew his sword.

Apparently, the Dark Knight approaching him was the other man’s summoned creature.

Whoosh!

The intruder quickly launched himself toward the Dark Knight.

Clang!

The sword he swung swiftly struck the Dark Knight in the back of the neck.

However, it failed to inflict any significant damage on the Dark Knight, whose defense was exceptionally high—

Grind!

—Kuhuk!?

But the moment the embedded sword twisted, the Dark Knight’s body convulsed violently.

The sword that had been blocked suddenly accelerated and drove deeply into his neck.

The Dark Knight’s gray eyes began to burn red.

—Kraaaagh!

The exchange of offense and defense had occurred in a single strike.

Having suffered a critical injury, the Dark Knight abandoned defense and began swinging his sword at the intruder.

However, the intruder nimbly dodged each attack.

He’s pretty fast.

Han Siwoo watched the entire scene without missing a single detail.

Judging by his movements, his level is around 200. Assuming he’s a balanced type……

After finishing his calculations, Han Siwoo nodded.

Then he smiled with an eerily cold expression.