Ch. 10 - The Strongest Supporter (3)

"What are you?"

The Salaryman asked, struggling to catch his breath.

He was having trouble moving since he had just been beaten up.

"I'm someone who's going to receive a huge reward. How much are you worth? "

The Salaryman frowned at my chill answer. He most likely thought highly of himself. He was, after all, a relatively successful serial killer. That's why being beaten up by someone else must be terrifying.

"I stopped following it when it reached $300,000."

This means that the bare minimum I will receive is $300,000. Nice.

"I don't recall saying I'd let you capture me." the Salaryman said while smiling.

Of course, I assumed he was going to try to flee. After all, anyone who commits mass murder should have a means of escape.

Plaf!

"Ugh!"

The stone I threw struck the Salaryman's right hand.

I'm a better thrower than I thought. Should I pursue a career as a baseball player rather than a hunter?

If you hit someone with the ball, it's a strike, right?

"Are you still alive, Hunter TaeYang?"

"I'm fine, but what about the others?"

The blondie was a regenerative-type hunter, so he'll be fine unless the injury is too severe. On the other hand, the others did not have the same luck.

He'd inflicted countless wounds on people.

The people on the ground had pale expressions on their faces. They were biting their lips as they struggled to regain control of themselves.

Even though they were in pain, they appeared relieved when they saw The Salaryman about to be defeated.

They'd be able to receive treatment and live once they got out of the dungeon. But this is not how things are going to end.

I made my way over to The Salaryman.

He couldn't run away because he had no more stamina and was staring at me.

Psychopaths are truly special, aren't they?

If an ordinary person had been beaten up like this, they would be terrified of me. This guy, on the other hand, was staring me down. As if saying that he was surely going to get his revenge.

'What a moron.'

People like this are always present. People who believe they are some sort of dark hero.

They sacrifice many innocent people because of their twisted sense of justice. They convince themselves that they are acting in the best interests of society.

He seemed to be looking at me as if I were some brat who had dared to interfere with his plans.

If this were another world, I'd teach him why some people believe that torture can make anyone change for the better.

"There's something I want to know."

I really had something I was wondering about.

"Is it necessary for me to take you alive to receive the reward? Or do you mind if I take your body? "

I smiled as I looked at him. His expression had changed.

It appears that our friend who attempted to flee still has some strength left. As a result, we must ensure that he relaxes a little more.

Paf!

He fell to the ground after I punched him in the nose.

Crack!

I stepped on his neck. Something has broken, I've heard. I hope he hasn't passed away yet.

I despise people like this.

He acts superior simply because he is slightly stronger than everyone else.

"Ugh, coff!"

He appears to be still alive.

I kicked him in the stomach to silence him because he was moaning.

He rolled up like a shrimp after I kicked him again and started coughing up blood.

You've severed the limbs of others. There's no way you can't even resist something like this, right?

"I... It appears that you're also used to killing." The Salaryman asked, looking me in the eyes. Did he notice that I was hitting him hard enough to kill him?

I couldn't care less whether someone like him lives or dies. No, keeping a psychopath like him alive is a risk.

"What are you trying to accomplish by offering these people?"

"How did you find out..."

After hearing my words, the Salaryman appeared baffled.

He was attempting to use the people's energy inside the dungeon to accomplish something. My first thought was that he was trying to reactivate the dungeon's core.

I'd seen people attempting to reactivate the dungeon's core in the other world. They then use their life energy as an offering. The people who did this intended to awaken the dungeon's owner.

But it's strange.

Why is a simple serial killer trying to awaken the dungeon's boss?

The boss of a dungeon usually awakens somewhere where many people have died. In most cases, a raid party is formed to hunt it down.

But, according to what I'd heard, 'The Salaryman' was simply someone who despised hunters. Why should he bother waking up the dungeon's boss?

He's not doing this to obtain items.

"Hunter TaeYang, and everyone else that can move. Please get ready to leave this place. "

The yellow light intensified. A strange odor permeated the dungeon. The color was about to change, and the next phase of the game was about to begin.

"It's already started."

An earthquake rattled the dungeon.

The dungeon walls began to crack, and a sticky liquid began to pour out of them.

"I can use myself as an offering."

His nails emitted a shadow. He cut his own chest with it.

Under him, a deep furrow formed, and his blood quickly filled it.

"So that's how it is."

Those were the psychopath's eyes. He was someone who didn't care about life, whether it be the lives of others or his own.

I could see my face reflected in those dirty eyes.

"Aren't you the hero?"

"What?"

He said something I didn't expect to hear from his mouth.

People laughed at me when I went to job interviews because I had put a former hero on the curriculum. However, a psychopath I met for the first time today had just referred to me as a hero.

He puked blood.

He appeared to have exchanged pain for pleasure. It was as if he'd accomplished his goal.

"It appears that you misunderstood something."

I dashed towards him. Even as he was dying, he tried to get me by moving his suitcase.

My face was almost scratched by the sharp knife in his suitcase.

I brushed it off easily and then grabbed his neck.

"Store."

"...?"

He didn't seem to understand what I was trying to do. I compelled myself to keep him in my inventory.

So, this is what it's like to be Ash, eh? Monster hunting, transporting them everywhere and forcing them to fight other monsters.

"H... He disappeared?"

"That isn't what is important. We should get out of here while we still have the chance. "

The clock was ticking. The dungeon had absorbed enough blood to begin to change. The sound of monsters respawning could be heard from all directions.

The Salaryman had tried to offer himself as a sacrifice. After all, bodies with more mana were more valuable as sacrifices.

Under normal circumstances, he would probably have been able to resist. But I assumed that someone on the verge of death wouldn't be able to withstand being stored in the inventory. Fortunately, everything went smoothly.

"O... orcs!"

The worst-case scenario I could have imagined has become a reality.

The monster that was being spawned was an orc. A monster that couldn't compare to a lesser goblin.

Their height was comparable to that of a human, and they had a muscular body structure that appeared to have been honed by countless battles.

A single orc could easily kill more than fifteen normal people without breaking a sweat.

It wasn't a monster that inexperienced hunters could defeat. And there were too many of them.

"Groaaar!"

The newly spawned orc screamed to make his presence known.

The person who had just yelled was slightly larger than the others. As a result, it was most likely the leader - something resembling an orc champion.

The orc champion looked at us and pointed to where we were standing with his finger. It had only recently been summoned. Isn't it better to take some time to think about things?

"O... orcs!"

"No way! No... This is just the first layer of the dungeon! "

Instead of escaping, people in this area were attempting to deny reality. Saying things like, "Something like this shouldn't be happening."

It's not like the orc will say, "You're right, sorry," and then simply disappear.

This was only the beginning. If orcs appeared, there was a chance that something far worse than them might be summoned.

I had been able to save The Salaryman's life. But what would happen if everyone in this room died?

There would be extra offerings for the dungeon. A boss monster will appear, which will necessarily require even more offerings.

Even though I'm strong, I'm still a level 1 hunter. Oh, it seems like I'm at level 2 now. I didn't even notice I had levelled up.

I had barely been able to stop the appearance of a boss monster. But if the people here died, all my efforts would be in vain.

The orc charged at us.

"If you don't want to die, run!"

The hunters, who were having a mental breakdown, came back to their senses when they heard me shout.

I've placed everyone who couldn't move into my inventory.

Of course, I didn't ask for permission.

They were separated from the orcs by some distance. The most important thing at the time was to get away from them.

"Coach! There are orcs ahead of us! "

After hearing the blondie, I frowned.

He was the only one who was still in good shape. Then there were five more hunters, all of whom were injured.

"Blondie, pay attention to the back!"

"What?"

Whoops, I accidentally called him by that nickname.

"Keep an eye on me, Hunter Kim TaeYang. Check for any orcs approaching from behind. There's the Sir over there, and then there's you, the bearded man. You're both capable of fighting, right? "

A glance revealed that they were in fighting shape.

The Salaryman had indeed cut them a lot of slack. But if that's all it takes to keep them from fighting, they shouldn't be hunters in the first place.

These people probably don't understand what I'm trying to do. No, they're probably having a mental breakdown because orcs are approaching from all sides.

"I'll deal with the orcs in front of us. The two people I just called, 'Support me.' The others keep an eye on our backs and make sure no orcs are approaching from behind. "

The blondie was the only one of the novice hunters who could fight decently.

And the only one who can fight properly is me.

I just charged towards the orcs.

The people behind me were taken aback by my charge towards the three orcs in front of us.

It is easier to gain someone's trust by showing them than by telling them.

The orc in charge of the group swung his massive sword.

Who are you trying to offend with such large and predictable movements? You aren't even attempting to defeat your opponent. You're just showing off your strength.

Is this some kind of occupational disease? I subconsciously analyzed everything I saw and advised them on how they could improve.

But will they be able to understand what I'm saying?

Plaf!

I dodged the attack and broke its shinbone with a low kick.

His physique is quite good, so one-kick was insufficient to break it.

No, he's walking weirdly. So, it seems like it's broken.

Mr. Lee ChangWook, I'm going to use your talent. Okay?

I used Lee ChangWook's skill, "Provocation."

The three orcs dashed towards me, unconcerned about what was happening around them. Is this what it feels like to be a popular girl that guys are chasing?

It may feel good if someone attractive or appealing chases you. But having these ugly orcs running after me doesn't really feel nice.

I managed to dodge the axe-wielding orc's attack. It ended up crushing the arm of its fellow orc.

Come on now. Friends shouldn't fight.

I grabbed the orc's axe that had just attacked its friend. It appeared to be more surprised than when it struck its ally. I smacked his chin with my elbow.

I threw the axe at the other orc without looking at the one who had fallen to the ground.

Crash!

Maybe I was a lumberjack in my previous life. I cut it perfectly.

I kicked the orc in the stomach and then started preparing to consult the one who was in pain because an ally had attacked it.

It dashed towards me with a spear in its hands.

It's normal to want revenge if you've been attacked. I understood its feelings and stepped to the side.

Its spear pierced the chest of the orc that had just attacked him with the axe.

I already told you, right? Friends shouldn't fight.

To prevent the brothers from killing each other, I slipped away and took the sword it wore around its waist. Then, from behind, they used it to slit its neck.

The three orcs lay side by side. They didn't have time to mourn each other's deaths.

I received a message informing me that I had just levelled up, but I couldn't check it because orcs were approaching from behind.

"Coming."

I grabbed the orcs' spear and dashed towards the approaching orcs. The two hunters who were supposed to help me seemed surprised.

"A... Are you really just a trainer? "

"Of course," she says.

These people were unaware that I had awakened. I'm sure they'd be even more surprised if they found out I'd awakened as a Supporter.

All of the fighting experience I had gained in the other world while fighting for my life remained.

[Hundred Battles - LV MAX]

I was able to read one of the blue letters inside my status window.

That's exactly what I thought.

I believe that what I saw in the blue status window were my previous skills and achievements.

After all, 'Hundred Battles' was a skill I'd acquired during my time as a hero.

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