Chapter 7

—Kuh……!

In the end, the Dark Knight could no longer withstand the intruder’s attacks and was forced to kneel.

It was impressive that the level 100 Dark Knight had managed to hold out this long in the first place.

After all, its opponent was a mid-tier Awakener close to level 200.

“Damn, you’re one persistent bastard.”

The intruder muttered in an exhausted voice, apparently fed up with the Dark Knight’s struggle.

Then he raised his sword to deliver the final blow to the kneeling Dark Knight.

Thud—

But at that moment, Han Siwoo began walking toward the intruder.

The intruder glanced at him and spoke with a mocking expression.

“What? You want to fight me?”

A black longsword had appeared in Han Siwoo’s hand.

As he leisurely approached the intruder, he said,

“You’re pretty good.”

The intruder stared at him blankly.

For a moment, he even wondered if Han Siwoo had lost his mind.

“What?”

The intruder had already confirmed that Han Siwoo was only level 50.

There was nearly a fourfold difference in their levels, so what was with that relaxed attitude?

Irritation slowly rose within him, and the intruder spoke angrily.

“Wait a moment. I’ll deal with this guy first……”

Tap—

At that moment, Han Siwoo lightly stepped onto the ground.

Then he leaped.

The explosive sound that followed was anything but light.

Boom!

The moment Han Siwoo kicked off the ground, a thunderous roar reverberated throughout the cave.

At the ear-piercing sound, the intruder’s eyes flew wide open.

He was even more shocked by the fact that Han Siwoo had already closed the distance and entered his immediate vicinity.

Whoosh!

Han Siwoo’s sword swung upward in a wide arc, as though slicing from below to above.

The intruder caught sight of the attack and gritted his teeth.

This bastard!?

How dare this guy attack him?

A mere nobody who was only level 50?

His thoughts were brief, and his actions were swift.

The intruder swung his sword at Han Siwoo, who had entered his range.

But at that moment, a notification window appeared before the intruder’s eyes.

Youhaveinvadedtheopponent’sterritory.You have invaded the opponent’s territory.

The instant the notification appeared, the intruder felt bewildered.

It felt as though all the strength had suddenly drained from his body.

Clang!

“Guhuk!?”

Along with a pain that felt as if his palm had been torn apart, his sword was knocked upward.

Wasn’t his opponent merely a level 50 fool?

Then how in the world……?

Grab!

Han Siwoo seized the intruder by the back of the neck and slammed him face-first onto the ground.

The intruder, caught by the hand that had pierced through the gap in his consciousness before he could even resist, desperately grabbed Han Siwoo’s hand around his neck.

He tried to force it away, but—

Crack!

“Kahak! Cough……!?”

He couldn’t remove Han Siwoo’s hand at all.

Instead, every time he struggled, the grip tightened slowly, as if warning him not to resist.

“Cough, kuh……!”

Seeing the intruder choking helplessly in his grasp, Han Siwoo smiled coldly.

Then he placed the sword he was holding on the ground and said,

“Get some sleep. You must be tired.”

Crack!

Han Siwoo’s fist slammed directly into the center of the intruder’s face.

With a horrifying sound, as though his bones were being crushed, the intruder’s eyes rolled back beneath his eyelids.

Han Siwoo stared down at the scene for a moment before slowly straightening up.

How disappointing.

Han Siwoo had invested every point he had earned from leveling up into Strength.

As long as his Vitality was high enough that he wouldn’t die from running around, that was sufficient. Since he had no immediate need to use magic, it was only right to pour his points into Strength to make hunting easier.

In the end, including his Transcendent stats, his Strength had reached a whopping 97.

Even if a balanced-type Awakener were level 200, their Strength would probably be around 150. And if they were caught within Declaration of Territory, that would instantly be reduced to the low hundreds.

If their stats were close enough, the opponent would be easy prey for Han Siwoo.

Even more so if the opponent was careless.

“Dark Knight, are you still alive?”

—M-My lord! This servant, who should have protected you, has failed you through his own negligence……

“Just take care of yourself.”

Losing the Dark Knight here would be a waste.

Someone might argue that losing it was hardly a loss since he had obtained it with only one Spirit Stone.

But wasn’t taking something away after giving it to someone the cruelest thing of all?

Han Siwoo glanced at the fallen intruder and opened his inventory.

LesserArachnid’sThread×7Lesser Arachnid’s Thread ×7

Han Siwoo used the miscellaneous items he had collected one by one to bind the intruder tightly.

Arachnid thread was so difficult to remove that once someone became caught in it, escaping could take an enormous amount of time.

Looking at the intruder, who had been turned into a cocoon with only his face sticking out, Han Siwoo gave a small laugh.

This should be enough. Even someone incredibly skilled won’t be able to do anything but roll around.

The intruder had been reduced to a rather ugly sight—a cocoon with only his bloodied face exposed, his eyes rolled back and a nosebleed running down his nose.

Han Siwoo turned his back on him and began walking.

“Guard him well, Dark Knight. I’ll clear the dungeon and come back out.”

At Han Siwoo’s command, the Dark Knight drew his sword and stood guard in front of the cocoon.

—Yes, my lord.

When Han Siwoo leaped backward to widen the distance, two claws sank into the ground where he had been standing.

The monster standing before him was an Adult Arachnid.

It was the boss of the Lesser Arachnid Dungeon, an advanced individual whose two front legs had mutated into spear-like limbs.

—Kiiiiiit!

When its attack missed, the Adult Arachnid immediately shot one of its forelegs toward Han Siwoo.

At the sight, Han Siwoo raised the sword he had been holding loosely.

Then, just as he seemed to thrust the sword straight toward the incoming foreleg—

Click—

He slightly altered its direction and rotated the blade, making it twist around the Adult Arachnid’s foreleg.

Immediately afterward, he brought the sword down vertically.

Crack!

The Adult Arachnid’s foreleg, struck by the blade as it collided with the ground, broke completely.

Having shattered one of the Adult Arachnid’s forelegs in an instant, Han Siwoo launched himself forward.

—Shiaaaak!

The Adult Arachnid let out a shriek like escaping air and swung its remaining foreleg.

However, Han Siwoo easily evaded its wild attacks.

While dodging, Han Siwoo instantly slipped into the monster’s embrace.

As though it had been waiting for that very moment, the Adult Arachnid lunged at him.

Boom!

The Adult Arachnid completely crushed Han Siwoo beneath its body.

The sight of the Adult Arachnid, roughly the size of a large minivan, flattening Han Siwoo—

An ordinary person would have been unable to withstand it and would have died instantly.

—……Kik, kik!

But something about the Adult Arachnid seemed strange.

Its intermittent cries, spasms, and slightly unnatural movements……

Rip!

The Adult Arachnid’s body split open.

Then Han Siwoo emerged from between the two halves of its body, coughing as he walked out.

Damn, what a mess.

The moment the Adult Arachnid charged, Han Siwoo had lowered his body as much as possible.

Then he spun around and sliced the monster’s entire body in half vertically.

Because he had been positioned between the two halves of the boss’s body, he had not been crushed.

However, he had been completely drenched in its bodily fluids.

The monster did not appear to be poisonous, so there was no danger, but he looked rather disgusting.

Even if it had been poisonous, his Transcendent Body would have kept him safe.

HanSiwoo(Transcendent)—Lv.60Han Siwoo (Transcendent) — Lv. 60

Class—NoneClass — None

Title—NoneTitle — None

Strength—85(+18)Strength — 85 (+18)

Vitality—38(+12)Vitality — 38 (+12)

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

RemainingPoints—8Remaining Points — 8

I gained four levels at once.

He had been level 56 before killing the boss, so the amount of experience he had gained was considerable.

Han Siwoo wiped the bodily fluids from his face with his hand and sighed.

Before his regression, he had experienced much worse and more disgusting situations than this.

Even so, it still left him feeling unpleasant.

“Collect.”

A pale mist rose from the Adult Arachnid that had been cut in half.

After collecting the proof of the kill, the Spirit Stone, and several other items, Han Siwoo checked his loot.

The Adult Arachnid’s foreleg. Junk. A Fang Ring.

FangRingFang Ring

Value—3Value — 3

Increasesweaponattackpowerby1–1.Increases weapon attack power by 1–1.

AringmadebyprocessinganAdultArachnid’schelicerae.A ring made by processing an Adult Arachnid’s chelicerae.

“Junk.”

After collecting the other items, including potions, mana stones, and arachnid thread, he began walking.

He had defeated the boss, so it was time to leave the dungeon.

Damn, what the hell is going on……

The intruder regained consciousness, his face filled with bewilderment.

Considering his current condition, it was only natural that he was confused.

He had been turned into a cocoon and could not use either his hands or feet, leaving him with no way to escape this place.

Of course, he could technically roll away from here……

Click!

But the Dark Knight was glaring at him with its gray eyes while pointing its sword at him.

Unable to flee, the intruder was overwhelmed by despair.

What the hell did that bastard do? How could someone who’s only level 50……

His mind was filled with complicated thoughts, but he couldn’t continue thinking.

Footsteps were approaching from somewhere in the distance.

Before long, Han Siwoo arrived at the place where the Dark Knight and the intruder were.

“Dark Knight, did he do anything unusual?”

—He stayed still.

Han Siwoo nodded as though relieved and began walking.

Then he squatted down in front of the cocoon and spoke.

“Are you awake?”

“Ugh—Huk!”

At Han Siwoo’s chilly voice, which pierced his ears, the intruder’s body flinched.

Han Siwoo squatted in front of the cocoon and looked down at the intruder before continuing in a cold voice.

“……For someone of your level, this dungeon is hardly worth scavenging. Since you came in anyway, something must be happening outside, right?”

At Han Siwoo’s words, the cocoon convulsed violently.

Realizing that his guess had been correct, Han Siwoo gestured toward the Dark Knight with his chin.

The Center’s Awakeners had probably already arrived outside.

“Dark Knight, carry this.”

—Yes, my lord.

The Dark Knight lifted the intruder—the cocoon—effortlessly, just as ordered.

Han Siwoo then began walking with the Dark Knight leading the way.

After being carried by the Dark Knight for quite some time, the intruder suddenly screamed in desperation.

“W-Wait! If you let me go, I’ll give you money……”

“Dark Knight, hit him once.”

Thud!

The intruder let out a scream when the Dark Knight struck him with its iron fist.

Han Siwoo spoke in a low voice, his expression indifferent.

“I don’t need money when I don’t even know how you earned it. If you’re innocent, you’ll be taken to the Center, questioned, warned, and released. If you’re guilty, you’ll go to prison. Don’t try to bargain with me.”

Most unregistered Awakeners had something to hide.

Criminals, wanted fugitives, or people with complicated circumstances.

That was why Han Siwoo had no intention of accepting suspicious money.

Whoosh!

Han Siwoo emerged from the dungeon and breathed in the fresh air.

After breathing in the foul stench of the dungeon for so long, the clean air of the park felt almost sweet.

If this guy entered the dungeon, that means there must have been Center personnel outside. Did I take too long to come out?

But Han Siwoo shook his head.

The Center’s employees were not so irresponsible.

They probably wouldn’t withdraw until they had secured something worthwhile.

As though confirming Han Siwoo’s thoughts, several people appeared in his field of vision.

“Dark Knight, follow me.”

After giving the command, Han Siwoo walked toward them.

When he finally reached them, he spoke.

“Are you from the Center?”

“That’s right, but who are you……?”

Han Siwoo opened his information window and showed it to them.

The expressions of the Center employees changed strangely when they saw his stats.

In a world where balanced-type Awakeners were preferred, they found it difficult to understand his Strength-focused stats.

Regardless, Han Siwoo continued speaking.

“You’re looking for an unregistered Awakener, aren’t you?”

“Yes, we are, but……”

“That’s a relief. I was worried I might have come to the wrong place.”

Han Siwoo turned his head and gestured toward the Dark Knight.

The Dark Knight, who had been approaching from a distance, increased its pace and came to stand beside Han Siwoo.

Han Siwoo poked the intruder’s head with one finger and asked,

“Is this the one?”

The intruder had been struck by the Dark Knight and was only half-conscious.

The Center employees stared blankly at his face before hurriedly sending a radio message to someone.