Thud! Thud! Whoosh!
As soon as Kang Hyunsoo entered the dungeon, a dozen icicles began falling from the ceiling above. If he stood still, he’d be skewered like a kabob.
But it was a trivial matter for him.
This content is taken from freёwebnovel.com.
Noticing the icicles descending, Hyunsoo swung his Flame Sword with practiced ease.
Swoosh! Slash! Slash-slash-slash-slash!
The flaming blade sliced through the falling icicles, vaporizing them mid-air before they even reached the ground.
Crack, crackle!
The icicles evaporated completely as they hit the fiery arcs of his sword. Swallow, hovering near the ceiling, glanced upward and remarked in admiration.
“Impressive, Master. You’ve grown enough to melt those ice spears in an instant. With this kind of firepower, I’d say you’re more than capable of handling this dungeon.”
“Yeah, I won’t guarantee success, but I’ll give it my best shot. Even if I fail the challenge, I can still clear the dungeon.”
Hyunsoo studied the blade of his Flame Sword as he replied to Swallow. His eyes caught sight of a cryptic inscription running vertically along the blade:
"The Sun God's Blessing on the Altar of Eternal Resentment."
In his previous life, he had struggled endlessly to decipher its meaning. But this time, things were different.
Thanks to his regression, Hyunsoo already knew what the text referred to: a clue pointing to a location where the Flame Sword could be upgraded.
In his previous life, he had discovered that the sword was a growth-type weapon, but the only hint on how to enhance it was the inscription on the blade. Determined to unlock its potential, he had scoured countless dungeons to locate the Altar of Eternal Resentment.
Eventually, he found a post on a hunter community forum:
"What’s up with that altar in the A-rank Ice Cavern dungeon? The guardian monster there is insanely tough, and there’s no reward for killing it."
"You mean the altar behind the secret passageway in the ice wall? It looks like something should fit in there, but no matter what I try, nothing happens."
"It gives off hidden piece vibes, but there’s no clear clue. I spent three days investigating and gave up."
The A-rank Ice Cavern Dungeon was precisely where the altar was located.
Armed with this knowledge, Hyunsoo now had a shortcut to his goal—avoiding all the trial and error he’d endured in his past life.
However, just knowing the location didn’t make the task easy.
[Lv 390. Ancient Frost Elf of the Ice Cavern]
“Shieeeek...”
The dungeon wasn’t just A-rank in name; the trash mobs alone were in the high level 300s.
Thud! Thud! Boom!
Adding to the difficulty, the ceiling and walls of the cavern began collapsing as soon as he entered, putting him on a strict time limit to clear the dungeon.
[You have entered an A-rank dungeon.]
[Objective: Defeat the boss monster to clear the dungeon (0/1).]
[Time Remaining: 10 hours.]
With the countdown beginning as soon as the mobs appeared, the Ice Cavern was now a ticking time bomb. The rumbling of collapsing ice echoed around him as if to confirm the urgency of his situation.
Boom! Crash!
More icicles rained down from above.
“Tch, what a pain,” Hyunsoo muttered.
Whoosh! Roar!
Once again, he swung his Flame Sword, reducing the falling ice to steam.
Swallow flapped his wings and urged, “Considering the time it’ll take to attempt the Flame Sword’s enhancement, we’d better pick up the pace, Master.”
“Yeah, I’ll speed things up.”
[Activate: Acceleration (C), Dash (D)]
Hyunsoo burst into motion, charging directly at the Ancient Frost Elf.
The distance closed in an instant.
“...!!”
The Frost Elf’s pale complexion turned even whiter as Hyunsoo approached. Sensing danger, it quickly drew a dagger from its waist to counterattack.
But Hyunsoo was faster.
“Hup! Where do you think you’re going?”
Clang!
Using his Command Sword, he parried the dagger and followed up with a diagonal slash from the Flame Sword, cutting into the Frost Elf’s torso.
“Kyaaaaaaah!!”
The elf let out a piercing scream as the cavern echoed with its cries. Writhing in pain, it twisted its body to avoid Hyunsoo’s follow-up attack, then grabbed arrows from its quiver and began swinging them wildly.
The arrowheads were coated with freezing venom that could induce paralysis and frostbite upon contact.
Staying calm, Hyunsoo activated his Trust Armor to shield himself and focused on dodging the erratic strikes.
[Activate: Crimson Flame (B), Wild Slash (B)]
Whoosh! Slash-slash-slash!
The Flame Sword erupted in a storm of fiery slashes, enveloping the Frost Elf in a blazing inferno.
The result was decisive.
[You have defeated Lv 390. Ancient Frost Elf of the Ice Cavern.]
[You have gained experience points.]
[Level up!]
[Reward: All stats +1.]
The elf collapsed without a sound, its body disintegrating into dust.
“Man, it didn’t go down in one hit. I guess the level gap is pretty significant,” Hyunsoo said, watching the remains of the Frost Elf vanish.
“Even so, that was impressively quick. That thing would take at least three minutes for two hunters in their mid-300s to bring down,” Swallow replied.
“Fair enough,” Hyunsoo nodded.
Considering the level gap of over 100, taking down A-rank dungeon mobs solo was an incredible feat in itself. It was only possible thanks to his Beauty Talent, hidden pieces, and his skills as a former Sword Emperor.
“Alright, now that I know I can handle them, time to pick up the pace.”
After storing the mana crystal dropped by the Frost Elf in his inventory, Hyunsoo raised his dual swords and sprinted forward.
“Kyaaaah!!”
“Hyaaaah...!”
[Lv 392. Ancient Frost Elf of the Ice Cavern]
[Lv 391. Ancient Frost Elf of the Ice Cavern]
A wave of mobs rushed at him from all directions. Hyunsoo calmly corralled them into a group.
Boom!
He stomped the ground to stun them, then unleashed a Black Sun Explosion, conjuring a miniature sun to incinerate the frosty denizens.
Boom! Kaboom!
The resulting explosion vaporized the enemies in an instant.
“Fire really is the best against ice,” Swallow remarked.
“Of course. Without this Flame Sword, I wouldn’t have dared come here in my past life.”
Placing the tip of the Flame Sword against the icy floor to cool it, Hyunsoo resumed his march through the dungeon.
Eventually, he reached a dead end blocked by a wall of snow and ice.
Crash! Crack!
Using his sword, he broke through to reveal a hidden passage.
This was the path mentioned in the hunter community forum, leading to the altar.
The hidden space was simple: a long, wide corridor stretching forward.
But at the end of that corridor stood...
“Hrhhh... Hrhhh...”
[Lv 405. Contracted Frost Ogre]
A massive, winged, horned beast exhaling icy mist.
Towering over 7 meters tall, the creature resembled a demonic figure from the depths of hell.
“Long time no see, Yellowfang. How’ve you been?” Hyunsoo called out, nicknaming the ogre for its yellowed teeth.
Of course, the ogre showed no such affection.
“Hrhhhhhh!”
Baring its yellow fangs, it radiated hostility.
Hovering beside Hyunsoo, Swallow flapped his wings nervously.
“Master, I don’t think it’s happy to see you.”
“Not yet,” Hyunsoo replied, rolling his shoulders to loosen up.
“It will be... after I beat it senseless!”
Charging forward, he launched himself straight at the ogre.
***
Under the pale glow of the moonlight, the grand mansion's living room lay in eerie silence.
Hayuri sprawled on the sofa, her long hair cascading over the cushions. She lay motionless, her lifeless eyes staring blankly into the void above.
The oppressive stillness was broken by the creak of the door.
Creak—
A woman in a tailored suit entered, holding a tablet. Approaching with deliberate steps, she began to speak.
"Successor of Greed, I bring you the latest report. All objectives from last month's plan have been achieved. TPY Entertainment’s idol group’s new song release was a resounding success, and global fan numbers have increased by approximately three million."
"I see..."
"This is triple the original target of one million. It seems the entertainment sector is yielding far better results than the religious campaigns. I propose we focus our efforts there moving forward."
"Fine..."
Despite the favorable updates, Hayuri responded with little more than disinterest, her voice devoid of energy. She remained slumped on the sofa, unmoving.
The woman in the suit understood the reason for Hayuri’s apathy. Now was the time to broach the real issue.
"And finally... Ji Wonhoon, the leader of Babylon, has been killed."
"...I know. The power I transplanted into him has vanished."
The death of Ji Wonhoon.
A story that had rocked the world also carried heavy implications for Hayuri.
And not in a positive way.
The woman tucked the tablet under her arm, glancing cautiously at Hayuri before continuing.
"Shall we prepare for revenge?"
"Revenge...?"
"I thought you might want it. And besides... the power Ji Wonhoon held must be recovered."
"Ah, yes. That would... please him, wouldn’t it?"
Hayuri slowly sat up, her languid form taking shape as if a new purpose had sparked within her.
Though they had parted ways, Ji Wonhoon’s death had plunged her into a grief so deep she could barely endure it. Yet the mention of revenge seemed to offer her a semblance of release.
Noticing Hayuri's renewed focus, the woman allowed a faint smile to tug at her lips.
"I will assemble an elite team and train them. Not just for Kang Hyunsoo but also to analyze and counter the other hunters who entered the Paju Dungeon."
"Yes, analyze them thoroughly. But... do not deploy combat forces."
"...Pardon?"
"Even Ji Wonhoon couldn’t defeat him. Kang Hyunsoo... we have to admit that, in terms of combat, he’s a step above. So instead..."
In the dim light, Hayuri rose from the sofa, her movements fluid and deliberate. She tied her long hair into ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) a ponytail, her bare arms catching the faint moonlight.
Her gaze shifted to the table, where a photograph of Kang Hyunsoo rested under the glow of the moon.
Fixing her eyes on his image, she spoke, her voice calm yet chilling.
"We’ll take him down... slowly. Piece by piece, in our own way."