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[Translator - Helga ]
[Proofreader - Starfall ]
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Chapter: 17
‘Twisted Testing Grounds?’
A message appeared before Cheon Woo-jin as he stepped into the dungeon.
In his previous life as an unawakened, he had never seen a system interface—this was the first time he was seeing an entry message with his own eyes.
‘So this is the true name of the Trial Dungeon.’
It may have been his first entry message, but in terms of dungeon knowledge, Woo-jin had more experience than anyone else due to his past life.
Every dungeon had a unique name.
From the name alone, you could usually infer the dungeon’s type to some extent.
If the name included words like “twisted,” “distorted,” or “warped,” the difficulty was almost always a tier higher, at minimum.
But what caught his attention wasn’t the “twisted” part.
‘Testing grounds...?’
The prevailing theory was that dungeons were gateways to alternate dimensions connected to Earth.
Since dungeons manifested around the world and housed all sorts of monsters from varying environments, it was the most plausible explanation.
The common objective in most dungeons was to fight through waves of monsters, reach the core deep within, and destroy the gate-emitting nucleus.
In his past life, Woo-jin had served as a special agent and was frequently tasked with clearing all kinds of dungeons.
Especially during his time as a Black Agent for the Black Corporation, he was often sent into illegal dungeons—unregistered, deadly places that the Hunter Association had no oversight on.
Among the many types of dungeons he’d encountered, there were some unusual ones—not typical monster-guarded spaces, but ones overseen by higher-dimensional entities who acted as administrators.
These administrator-type dungeons were extremely dangerous—but also came with extraordinary rewards.
‘Dungeons like those usually have names like Testing Grounds, Training Grounds, or Exchange Stations.’
Woo-jin had predicted that the Trial Dungeon might be one of these—and the name confirmed it.
Having experienced such administrator-type dungeons before, he came thoroughly prepared.
Before advancing deeper, Woo-jin placed the hard case slung across his back onto the ground and pressed the switch on top.
Bzzzzt!
With an electronic whirr, the hard case split into four segments and opened.
Inside was custom equipment, specially commissioned through Kim San—tailored exclusively for Cheon Woo-jin.
They were modern recreations of gear he used as Seo Woo-jin in his previous life as a special agent.
He donned a combat suit and vest made from special metals, strapped on knives, and equipped various customized firearms.
Clack!
Lastly, he took out the Goblin Sword from his inventory and secured it to his back.
All of his gear was crafted from dungeon materials, which allowed them to be stored inside an inventory.
Still, old habits die hard—he was used to wearing his equipment like a field agent rather than relying solely on inventory use.
In a dungeon, a split-second could mean life or death, so preparing in the most familiar way gave him an edge.
Once fully geared, a calm sense of composure settled over him—as if he’d returned home.
“Alright. Let’s do this.”
With a silent step, Woo-jin advanced into the dungeon, sweeping his surroundings like he had in his operative days, pistol in hand.
As he moved further in, he began to notice a thin fog crawling along the cave floor.
‘Just like the manual described.’
Before coming here, Woo-jin had studied every detail of the Trial Dungeon’s internal manual.
According to it, the dungeon was divided into three phases—and the first phase began with the fog.
Remaining alert, he raised his pistol toward the front.
It wasn’t an ordinary sidearm, but a custom mana gun—specially modified to be effective against monsters.
Even in his special agent days, he’d used similar customized weapons.
But the one he held now was a significantly upgraded model in both power and precision.
Despite their effectiveness, mana guns hadn’t become widespread. The reason was simple: cost.
The guns themselves were expensive, but the real financial burden was the mana bullets.
For Unawakened Hunters, the cost outweighed the benefit.
And for Awakened Hunters, they simply didn’t need them.
But for a former Unawakened like Cheon Woo-jin, they were invaluable tools.
Click.
He maxed out the output on the mana gun and slowly stepped into the fog.
That very moment—something shot out from the mist.
Kyaaaaaak!!
A massive bat-like monster spread its wings and lunged at Woo-jin.
But before it could strike—
Vrrrm!
The mana gun roared, and the bullet slammed straight into the monster’s forehead.
Splat!
Its skull exploded on impact, and its body crumpled to the ground.
Though mana bullets were outrageously expensive, their cost was negligible to the Heavenly Sword House’s vast wealth.
Woo-jin didn’t stop—he immediately aimed deeper into the fog and pulled the trigger again.
Vrrm! Vrrm! Vrrm!
Bursts of glowing mana bullets tore through the mist.
Splat! Splat! Splat!
Each round landed squarely on the foreheads of the oncoming bat monsters.
Even with fog and darkness severely limiting his vision, he struck with pinpoint accuracy.
The stronger the output of a mana gun, the greater its recoil—making it hard to aim.
That’s why most kept them at moderate power.
But Woo-jin’s body, with the Heavenly Martial Physique, far surpassed ordinary limits.
Even at full output, he had no issue controlling the weapon.
Click!
He expertly reloaded, swapped magazines in a flash, and kept firing as he advanced.
Vrrm! Vrrm! Vrrm!
Each time he pulled the trigger, another monster dropped dead before it could approach.
Not even sneak attacks from other angles worked.
He would pivot sharply and land a headshot on any approaching monster mid-flight.
Tsssss...
The further in he went, the denser the fog became.
As Woo-jin focused on the bat monsters swooping from above, he failed to notice something creeping near his feet.
Ssssssss!
The ground, hidden beneath the fog, was now swarming with venomous snakes.
Focusing on airborne threats often left one blind to the dangers underfoot.
If bitten and poisoned, even briefly, the bats would waste no time exploiting that opening.
Half of all Hunters who entered this place never made it past this first phase.
Now, hundreds of vipers encircled Cheon Woo-jin, fangs bared and dripping with venom—lunging in unison.
Sssssssssss!
Hundreds of vipers lunged simultaneously at Cheon Woo-jin’s ankles.
And then—
Thunk.
A soft thud echoed. Something had hit the ground.
In the same instant, Woo-jin kicked off the ground, propelling himself into the air.
A second later, the grenade he had dropped exploded.
BOOM!
While conventional explosives like grenades were ineffective against most monsters, they were more than enough to blow away a swarm of vipers.
Shhhhhhh!
The blast scattered the fog, revealing a scorched and cleared area.
All the vipers that had been aiming for him were now gone without a trace.
Midair, Woo-jin kicked off the dungeon wall and landed safely.
With the mist cleared, the cave ended and what appeared was a stone corridor resembling an ancient temple.
‘The start of Phase Two.’
The misty space and the bat monsters had only been the entry zone—essentially the dungeon’s vestibule.
The real dungeon began now.
Woo-jin holstered his mana gun and drew the Goblin Sword from his back.
Srrring!
The blade emitted a sharp, piercing tone as it left its sheath.
With sword in hand, Woo-jin calmly advanced through the stone temple corridor, maintaining full alert.
That’s when he sensed something approaching from ahead.
‘Here they come.’
The second phase of the trial, just as described in the manual, was beginning.
Step, step, step...
Clank, clank, clank...
The sound of armor clashing and synchronized footsteps grew louder.
Woo-jin gripped the Goblin Sword and lowered his stance.
Soon, something emerged from the other side of the corridor.
Creak...
Grotesque soldiers—wearing tattered, patchwork armor and wielding mismatched weapons—marched toward him in formation.
Woo-jin inhaled deeply.
‘I’ll take them all in one go.’
Lowering his posture, he stepped off the wall and launched himself onto the ceiling.
Whoosh!
Like a hawk in flight, he sprinted across the ceiling at breakneck speed.
Tatatatatak!
Inverted mid-air, Woo-jin poured true energy into his sword.
Kiiiiiiiiiin!
The Goblin Sword hummed with a fierce resonance.
Kicking off the ceiling, Woo-jin dove straight into the enemy formation—and slashed downward.
Cheon Family Sword Art – Swift Blade Form: Straight Wind
Shhhhhhk!
The grotesque soldiers' heads split clean in half at the same time under the force of his strike.
Thud!
Headless, they dropped to their knees and collapsed to the floor.
Whip—!
With graceful motion, Woo-jin landed on his feet.
But his expression was slightly puzzled as he looked at the fallen monsters.
‘Why aren’t they getting back up?’
According to the manual, these grotesque soldiers were resilient undead that would regenerate unless their hearts were destroyed.
Woo-jin’s plan had been to sever their heads first to block their vision, then use Sword Energy to pierce their hearts.
Yet they’d stopped moving altogether just from that first strike—even without destroying the heart.
Something felt off, but there was no time to think deeply.
Another wave of soldiers charged at him with weapons raised.
Creak! Clang!
Unlike typical undead, their movements were fluid, fast, and precise.
They flanked Woo-jin and cornered him against a wall.
He glanced sideways—another squad of soldiers had appeared, cutting off his escape.
‘So they’re herding me on purpose.’
With nowhere left to retreat, Woo-jin steadied his breathing with his back against the wall.
He drew his mana gun with one hand and gripped the Goblin Sword with the other.
As the soldiers rushed in—
Vrrrm! Vrrrm! Vrrrm!
He fired quickly and accurately. Mana bullets slammed into the foreheads of the front-line soldiers.
But unlike the bat monsters, they didn’t go down instantly.
Grrrrkkk! Clatter!
They rose again, unfazed, charging forward.
But Woo-jin was no longer there.
The mana gun had only been a diversion—a window of opportunity.
Swish—!
Using Ghost Shadow Step, he slipped past them and reappeared behind the formation.
Whoooom—!
The Goblin Sword howled as its blade shimmered with condensed sword aura.
Taking a step forward, Woo-jin slashed.
Cheon Family Sword Art – Swift Blade Form: "White Night"
In an instant, his surroundings were engulfed in radiant white.
The White Night Sword Energy surged from the blade and cut through the soldiers in a single sweep.
Thud-thud-thud!
Their bisected torsos collapsed to the floor.
With both sword and gun in hand, Woo-jin surveyed the bodies.
As before, none showed signs of regenerating.
‘Is this the power of Sword Energy?’
Unlike aura—which was condensed mana—Sword Energy, imbued with will and intent, seemed to sever even the undead’s regenerative core.
Woo-jin sheathed the Goblin Sword. From his tactical vest, he pulled out a small metal canister and hurled it toward the pile of corpses.
Hissssss—!
Gas hissed from the canister, quickly igniting.
FWOOM!
Flames engulfed the fallen soldiers.
Once he confirmed they were reduced to ash, Woo-jin turned back toward the temple corridor.
He took a few more steps forward—then came to a sudden halt.
Turning around, he gazed into the void behind him and spoke coldly into the air.
“You rats. Come out.”
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[Translator - Helga ]
[Proofreader - Starfall ]
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