Chapter 57 - Dullahan Hunt (1)

Late afternoon.

As usual, at this time of day, I was busy building my body in the fitness room.

It took a lot of time to completely remodel my body because the one I was born with was so poor, but now, my appearance was not far behind compared to my Johan Raven days.

Of course, that was just the outer shell; the substance was still pitifully meager.

My mana still hadn't progressed beyond the level of a sesame seed.

‘Anyway, from tomorrow, I can reduce the time I spend on weightlifting.’

What would naturally increase was the time spent on mana cultivation.

It was a pleasure to recover my old strength little by little like this.

Moreover, the frequency of experiencing the joy of achievement was much higher than in my previous life, so there was no room for boredom.

“Unit Leader, it’s Im Seong-jun. May I come in?”

As I was finishing my weightlifting, the one who came to see me was the former troublemaker.

Today was the day of the quarterly Hunter qualification exam.

He must have come to report the results.

“Come in.”

The guy who appeared in the fitness room had a calm look in his eyes.

Seeing that he didn't avoid my gaze, it seemed the results weren't bad.

“I have just finished the exam and returned. In fact, I came to see you, Unit Leader, before my father.”

“So what’s the result?”

I had given him the condition for joining the Chamryongdan.

To be within the top 5 of his class.

In fact, it was an excessive condition.

Even among the current Chamryongdan members, there were probably almost none who had placed within the top 5 of their class.

“I placed 2nd.”

“Good. A promise is a promise, so I'll let you join the Chamryongdan.”

“Aren't you going to praise me?”

“Were you hoping to hear 'good job'? For placing 2nd in an exam just among amateurs?”

“W-well, I was also the same amateur until today……”

“You've seen and heard so much in the Haewon Sword Family since you were a snot-nosed kid, what amateur. If you've been leeching off your dad for 20 years, you should at least do that much. What kind of praise are you expecting?”

When I chided him, Im Seong-jun just scratched his head in embarrassment.

“Then who placed 1st in this class?”

“There has been no official announcement yet, but it will be Song Ju-seok, the second son of the Cheolyeong Sword Family.”

“Song Ju-seok? I'll set up a Bimu with him soon, so be prepared. If you can win, I'll praise you then.”

“Me, in a Bimu?”

“What's so surprising. You got your license, so you need to have a debut match, don't you?”

“But since I'm not of the family's bloodline, a debut match is not necessary……”

“You talk too much. Anyway, be prepared. I'll let you know when it's scheduled.”

It was unacceptable for my unit member to lose in his first Bimu.

I was determined to make him win.

“U-Unit Leader! But the opponent is too strong!”

Though it seemed this guy still had no faith.

***

The next morning.

After announcing Im Seong-jun's joining, I had to travel quite a distance to fulfill a schedule.

The place I went to fulfill my promise with Seo Ji-hoon was a quiet rural village located in the northern part of Gyeonggi Province.

A B-rank dungeon had been created on the mountain behind this village.

“I can't believe it. The day has come when I go on a dungeon raid with you, my youngest brother.”

“Honestly, I don't even remember. Why I made such a promise with you when I was young.”

“Thank you. For getting so healthy and keeping the promise you made with me, little brother.”

Today's dungeon was a small one with a three-person limit.

It didn't seem like very powerful monsters would appear.

The reason it was rated B-rank was a reflection of the specialty that only a small number of people could enter.

[Annihilate all monsters in the dungeon.]

[Remaining number: 60]

“It seems to be a Dullahan.”

“How are you so sure?”

“Because of the smell.”

The unique smell of a Dullahan.

It was transmitted through my extremely sensitive senses.

“Amazing. It’s one thing to feel it already, but you know the smell of a Dullahan, little brother? You don't have much practical experience.”

“It's famous for its terrible smell. It's written in the theory books too.”

At my words, Seo Ji-hoon looked at Chae Su-ji once and then asked again.

“Do you really know the smell of a Dullahan?”

“You could say that.”

It was just the beginning, but for someone using a lie detector, it was a bland question.

The detection result would naturally be 'true'.

“Anyway, I'll take the lead. My goal is to find them quickly and finish quickly.”

I started walking ahead, leaving the two of them behind.

Many complicated things would probably happen in their minds as they watched my back today.

After walking for a few more minutes.

Kiiiik!

Kikikikiiik!

The unique cry of the Dullahan gradually grew louder.

It meant that headless monsters carrying their own heads were approaching from somewhere.

“Amazing. It really was a Dullahan!”

“What’s so surprising about this. It's nothing special.”

“I’ve never even heard of such a sensitive sense of smell.”

Strictly speaking, I hadn't used only my sense of smell.

I had maximized my senses through mana control.

But in the end, smell was still smell.

“There are three of them, is it okay if I take care of them all?”

I readied my Reapersword and prepared for battle.

I didn't know when and from where these monsters' heads would come flying.

Suddenly, I recalled the memory of hunting Dullahans to death during my boyhood as Johan Raven.

Hundreds of heads flying through the air.

That bizarre sight was, in a way, truly a spectacle.

And at that time, I had shattered all of the Dullahan's attacks in mid-air and was covered in blood.

As that acrid sensation replayed in my mind, I extended my Reapersword towards the sky.

Paa!

Paa!

Paaaa!

Three blood-red fireworks exploded in the air.

A number this small was a piece of cake.

“The Haewon Sword Style!”

Seo Ji-hoon looked quite surprised.

“I also learned the Haewon Sword Style from my second brother.”

“I heard it hasn't been that long.”

“Well, there's no problem in using it.”

In terms of understanding the Haewon Sword Style, I was probably already above Seo Ji-hoon.

The problem was the mana to fully support the techniques. Mana was always the problem.

“What you just showed was not simply a matter of having no problem. Did you really learn it from Ji-won for the first time?”

“What do you mean?”

“I'm asking if you've ever received private lessons from our father.”

“That's a dangerous statement.”

“I know! But the Haewon Sword Style is a swordsmanship that engraves the memory of the sword into mana. It's absolutely not a swordsmanship that can be mastered in a short period of training!”

“It’s obvious, but I have never received private lessons on the Haewon Sword Style from my father.”

Swoosh!

I sheathed my Reapersword again.

“Absolutely not.”

Naturally, the lie detector would also say 'true'.

And so, Seo Ji-hoon's surprise would be even greater.

“I can't believe it even after seeing it with my own eyes.”

“As you said, brother, the Haewon Sword Style is a swordsmanship that engraves memory into mana. But a long training period is not the answer. It's possible to engrave an accurate and certain memory of the swordsmanship into mana even in a short period of time.”

“That’s possible without numerous trials and errors? It sounds like you're declaring yourself a genius.”

“That's something I don't doubt. At least in this world, there will be no one with greater talent than me.”

I looked at Taros's Necklace on Chae Su-ji's neck and continued.

“I truly believe so.”

***

Seo Ji-hoon and Chae Su-ji. The two were watching Seo Ji-han’s back as he faced the Dullahans.

“There was not a single lie. Unit Leader.”

“I know. That’s why I’m just flabbergasted.”

Dozens of tests.

An ordinary person would have lied at least once, but with Seo Ji-han, there was only the truth.

That's why it was even stranger.

Even on the ambiguous boundary between truth and falsehood, Taros's Necklace would react, albeit faintly, but today there wasn't even that.

It wasn't a malfunction of the item either.

“By the way, the story about him believing he’s the world’s greatest genius. That was a bit absurd.”

“Yes. It is absurd.”

That belief was surely mistaken. But for some reason, it bothered him.

Suddenly, he remembered the story Seo Ji-han had told.

Hatchling's Nest. Seo Ji-han had said it was a very dangerous place.

He had no way of knowing if that was true, but what was truly absurd wasn't that part.

-You'll die if you go in there, brother.

-What about you?

-Me? Of course, I'll live.

That attitude, as if he alone was on a much higher level.

Today was no different from then.

That’s why it bothered him even more.

“Su-ji.”

“Yes, Unit Leader.”

“What would you do?”

“About what?”

“There's an unbelievable story, but if I don't believe it, there's a nagging feeling. And if that nagging feeling could be connected to a great danger. What would you do?”

“What is there to gain by taking that risk?”

“That is unknown.”

“Then what is there to lose by taking that risk?”

“It would probably be my life.”

“Then I think you should definitely believe it. If what you gain is unknown but what you lose is your life, the difference between the two is too great.”

“As expected, you think so.”

He was originally on the side of not believing, but after hearing Chae Su-ji's words, his head only became more complicated.

***

Thanks to the Guyeopcho necklace, my millet-sized mana maintained its millet-sized volume.

The number of Dullahans was not small, but with this method of defeating them one by one, I could raid it alone.

It was due to the power of my items and the style of the dungeon, but for me to clear a B-rank dungeon by myself was a remarkable development.

Seo Ji-hoon had also left most of the hunting to me.

He said he would intervene if I was in a dangerous situation, but that didn't seem likely to happen today.

Unless the dungeon went berserk.

“Unit Leader Seo Ji-han is finding his way so naturally, as if he’s been to this dungeon before.”

“Why? Do you have another suspicion about me?”

“A suspicion? No. It's just amazing. It feels like a regressor from a web novel. How you know exactly where the monsters are.”

“I told you. My senses are a bit sensitive. But actually, I have one more good thing besides my senses.”

“What is it?”

“Intuition. I'm particularly good at sensing danger. For example, I can tell right away whether someone will live or die if they enter a certain place.”

I deliberately emphasized this part so that Seo Ji-hoon could hear it clearly.

At my words, Seo Ji-hoon let out a sudden scoff.

‘His mind must be in a turmoil.’

I knew well what the two of them had talked about while I was hunting earlier.

It was worth my diligent participation in the lie test today.

Paaaaak!

A suddenly flying Dullahan head was shattered by my Reapersword.

Before I knew it, the number of remaining monsters was one.

At that moment, something unexpected happened.

The faint mana spread throughout the dungeon began to create a strange current on its own.

‘Don’t tell me.’

Not long ago, I had felt a very similar sensation during a dungeon raid.

The very dungeon where I had lured the assassin sent by the branch family. There had been a sign like this back then too.

“I think the dungeon is about to go berserk.”

“What?”

“I told you. My intuition is very, very good.”

At my words, Seo Ji-hoon just scoffed and brushed it off.

“A dungeon going berserk, our youngest brother is pushing it too far.”

But the dungeon message came at a very exquisite moment.

[The dungeon has started to go berserk for an unknown reason.]

“What did you say?”

“This is ridiculous!”

Even I thought it was ridiculous.

Because the situation was flowing so well, as if it were a pre-written script.

Perhaps I might really be able to enter the Hatchling's Nest.