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[Translator - Helga ]
[Proofreader - Starfall ]
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Chapter: 19
“Goddammit.”
The Poison Insect Master cursed in Japanese at Cheon Woo-jin’s question but gave no real answer.
Then he raised both hands and snapped his fingers.
Clack! Clack!
In response to the signal, the ground trembled, and a horde of centipedes with purple shells surged up.
KRAAAAAHH!
They were even more venomous than the crimson-black ones that had attacked Woo-jin earlier.
The Poison Insect Master shouted at him in Japanese, ”You filthy Chosen bastard! Did you think a lightning item would scare me off?!”
If it wasn’t the Thunder Arts of the Byeokryeok Kang Clan or the Thunder Buffs of the Holy Knights, then it must’ve been a high-priced item that unleashed electrical magic.
The fact that his poison hadn’t worked likely meant Woo-jin had taken some antidote or resistance potion.
‘Items have limits. He won’t last long.’
Confident that Woo-jin was just some arrogant noble brat relying on his family’s money,
the Poison Insect Master attacked without hesitation.
KRAAAAH!
The purple centipedes charged forward, exhaling clouds of lethal venomous gas.
Sssssssssss!
Any average Hunter would’ve collapsed on the spot after inhaling even a little of the toxin.
But Cheon Woo-jin stood unaffected.
‘Poison Immunity. I’m reminded again of how powerful the Heavenly Martial Physique truly is.’
Remaining calm, he gripped his Goblin Blade and summoned his energy.
Wooooong!
Energy gathered into the sword, forming a translucent aura along the blade.
The Poison Insect Master’s pupils quivered.
‘Aura?’
He had assumed Woo-jin was a spoiled kid leaning on expensive items—but now that he was conjuring aura from his sword, it shook him.
Yet when he saw the color was clear, he scoffed.
“You think you can fool me with that fake aura?”
The Poison Insect Master was convinced Woo-jin’s aura was artificial.
But then—something he hadn’t expected happened.
Shraaaak!
Woo-jin’s sword sliced through the armor-like shell of the centipedes as if it were paper.
“Huh?”
The Poison Insect Master’s face twisted in disbelief.
He had let his guard down, believing Woo-jin’s abilities were crippled due to his Heavenly Curse.
Now that Woo-jin’s blade aura had cleanly cut through a venom centipede, he finally realized just how wrong he’d been.
“Damn it!”
Clack! Clack!
He snapped his fingers again, this time ordering the centipedes to retreat.
KRAAAHH!
Spewing poison wildly, they tried to flee—but Woo-jin moved even faster.
Sshhk—!
Using Ghost Shadow Step, he chased them down and cut through them all with Sword Energy.
Venomous creatures were dangerous—but only because of their poison.
If you were immune, their threat level dropped significantly.
To someone like Woo-jin, who had Immunity To All Poisons, they posed no real danger.
It was nothing short of a massacre.
Shraaak!
Soon, the Poison Insect Master’s entire swarm lay dead on the floor, their bodies split open and lifeless.
They had cost an enormous amount of time and money to raise—seeing them all annihilated, the Poison Insect Master began to tremble violently.
‘This bastard… I’ll tear him apart!’
But the truth was, those centipedes weren’t even his—they belonged to the organization.
If word got out that he’d lost them all, the organization would likely toss him to be eaten by his own insects.
‘I have to escape.’
He realized there was no point continuing this fight.
From inside his coat, the Poison Insect Master pulled something out.
It looked like an insect egg, and the moment he threw it on the ground—
A thick, pale poison mist spread in all directions.
It was a venom-infused smoke bomb, effective at shaking off pursuers.
He quickly turned to flee the dungeon.
But something impossible happened.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
Though Woo-jin had been behind him, he now stood directly in front—without a sound.
It was like he had teleported.
With the Goblin Blade glowing with Sword Energy, Woo-jin pointed the tip at the Poison Insect Master.
“If you thought you could escape, you were gravely mistaken.”
His frosty glare was enough to make even this battle-hardened assassin from the underworld shiver.
‘I can’t die here…’
The Poison Insect Master reached into his coat again and pulled out a small wooden box.
It was a trump card he had saved for a moment like this.
As he channeled mana into the sealed box, cracks began to form.
Krrrkkk—!
The box shattered—and dozens of venom moths burst out.
FWAPFWAPFWAP!
The moths scattered in all directions, releasing clouds of toxic powder.
Inhaling it would melt your lungs and rot your insides.
Even the Poison Insect Master, who had taken antidotes beforehand, coughed up blood as the toxins burned his throat.
No detox item in existence could fully block venom moth poison.
Using the spread of poison as cover, he fled once again.
“Huff! Huff! Huff!”
The powder in his lungs made it hard to breathe.
Still, he ran as fast as he physically could.
He believed he had finally shaken off Cheon Woo-jin.
That’s when—
“You done running?”
A voice he shouldn’t be hearing echoed right next to his ear.
When he looked up, Woo-jin stood there, completely unharmed.
“Damn it!”
He cursed again and trembled.
But in that instant, Woo-jin approached and grabbed his shoulder.
Crackle!
He channeled lightning directly into the Poison Insect Master’s body.
Zzzzzzzk!
Paralyzed by the shock, he could no longer move.
“So you do understand Korean.”
Woo-jin stared into his eyes and repeated the question, “Tell me everything you know about the Black Corporation.”
The paralyzed assassin rolled his eyes around, unable to speak.
But Woo-jin could already read his reactions.
‘You claim not to know the Black Corporation?’
Controlling even your eye movements while paralyzed was nearly impossible—
even for highly trained agents.
Watching his eyes carefully, Cheon Woo-jin asked again—this time, in Japanese.
“Are you with the Sumiguchi Syndicate?”
At those words, the Poison Insect Master's eyes changed.
Unlike South Korea, Japan’s Hunter world was deeply intertwined with the Yakuza.
These crime syndicates operated under the guise of official Hunter organizations, but behind closed doors, they smuggled or manufactured weapons and drugs within dungeons.
Among them, the Sumiguchi Syndicate was notorious—
publicly posing as a legitimate Hunter group,
but secretly training Hunters in assassination techniques and grooming them into contract killers for dirty work.
Sumiguchi Syndicate was especially known for producing Poison Insect Masters, so Cheon Woo-jin had tested the waters—and got a reaction immediately.
“What... are you...?” The Poison Insect Master mumbled in clumsy Korean,
desperately trying to move just one finger.
‘Just a bit more. Just a little more…’
With great effort, he finally moved his fingertip and completed the signal.
Puk!
Suddenly, a venomous parasite that had been hiding inside his body burst out from his side.
KIIIIEEEHH!
The poisonous parasite lunged toward Cheon Woo-jin, trying to wrap around and bite into him.
But the assassin’s effort ended in vain.
Tiiiiiing!
The Celestial Silkworm Robe surrounding Woo-jin’s body blocked the parasite.
At the same time, a powerful surge of electricity exploded from his body.
CRACKLE!
Dozens of lightning arcs struck both the parasite and the Poison Insect Master's body.
KIIIIII—!
The creature shrieked once, then turned to ash under the electric surge.
When Cheon Woo-jin approached, the Poison Insect Master was already dead.
“No matter. I already learned everything I needed.”
Once he left the dungeon, he could dig into the Sumiguchi Syndicate and trace their connection to Cheon Oh-hyuk.
As well as their link to the Black Corporation.
Woo-jin severed one of the assassin’s fingers and pocketed it, then turned around and walked deeper into the Trial Dungeon.
Soon, he would reach the third trial.
As he walked down a corridor that resembled an ancient temple, the surroundings began to change.
‘What is this...?’
Colorful tiles were arranged in alternating patterns on the floor, walls, and ceiling.
The chaotic spectrum of colors extended endlessly down the corridor, causing Cheon Woo-jin to furrow his brow.
‘This must be the start of the third trial. Could be a maze type... or a mental assault type.’
Both were notoriously difficult to handle.
The manual ended here.
From the third trial onward, the trials varied from person to person, making them impossible to categorize.
Strictly speaking, this was the true beginning of the Trial Dungeon.
At this level, it’s easily a Level 6 dungeon—maybe Level 7, given the unique traits.
South Korea, being the first country where a Millennium Gate opened, had the highest number of dungeons globally.
Because of this, the structure and hierarchy of Hunters and dungeons developed quickly.
The Hunter Association’s official dungeon classification system became the global standard.
Dungeons were ranked from Level 1 to Level 9, with each level determining the minimum Hunter rank required for entry.
Level 6 and above were special management zones, where at least one A-rank Hunter had to be present.
Even dungeons of lower levels could be highly dangerous depending on their unique traits,
making solo entry virtually suicidal.
For this reason, in the past, Hunters would form guilds to raid dungeons in groups.
Today, noble Hunter families formed clans, assembling raid teams based on their members’ awakened abilities and assigning them to dungeons they were most likely to conquer.
There is one exception to the system—the existence of the Level 9 “Labyrinth.”
When a Gate linked to another world appears suddenly, it begins to erode the surrounding area,
expanding the dungeon’s territory.
To stop the erosion, one must enter the dungeon and destroy the core maintaining the Gate.
If left alone, the dungeon may undergo a Dungeon Break, releasing monsters beyond its borders.
When multiple Dungeon Breaks happen in sequence, their expanded zones can overlap, transforming the entire region into an interdimensional zone known as a Labyrinth.
Just like other dungeons, a Labyrinth stops expanding only when the Gate’s core is destroyed. Guarding that core is the Guardian.
Guardians possess both intelligence and powerful abilities, ruling over their domains while commanding monster legions like limbs.
To confront these monsters, a raid force made up of knights (who can use aura) and high-ranking mages is essential.
The rise of Labyrinths allowed noble Hunter families who raised knights and mages
to seize power and claim ownership over dungeons.
Trial Dungeons like the one owned by the Heavenly Sword House were considered rare due to their special conditions, and thus monopolized under the guise of “management.”
Though difficult and dangerous to conquer, the rewards were immense—which made the fight for control over them a major source of conflict in the Hunter world.
Cheon Woo-jin carefully stepped into the area of the third trial, staying alert.
He advanced into the corridor made of colorful tiles.
Dungeons like this usually wear down the body and mind until you break.
In maze- or delusion-type dungeons, both physical and mental stamina were essential.
No matter how complex, there was always a way out—the key was to endure and properly assess the situation.
Back in his days as a special agent, Cheon Woo-jin’s strongest asset was his unbreakable willpower.
This was why he had surpassed even other awakened agents despite being non-awakened at the time.
Recalling the special dungeons he had faced before, Woo-jin cautiously walked through the tile-lined corridor.
That’s when he noticed something.
‘What is that?’
A short distance in, something appeared at the end of the corridor.
As he approached, he saw a circular hall decorated with similar-colored tiles.
At the center stood a stone monument.
He slowly walked toward it.
Suspicious as it was, the monument seemed to be the trigger for the third trial.
Preparing for the worst, Woo-jin gathered his inner energy and cautiously reached toward the monument.
The moment his hand touched it, a message appeared:
[The Administrator of the Twisted Trial asks the challenger:]
[Do you wish to officially challenge the Twisted Trial?]
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[Translator - Helga ]
[Proofreader - Starfall ]
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