The Agility 200 attached to the Hermit's Leather and the Agility 300 attached to the Dragon Scale Sword added up to a whopping total of 500.
Thanks to items, my Strength became A-rank and my Agility became A-rank.
Intelligence and Luck don't have much use anyway, so at this point, couldn't I be considered an honorary A-rank?
“Uwahahaha.”
Laughter spilled out on its own.
I had now decided to escape the dungeon.
Since I had caught the boss, there would be nothing difficult.
I just had to go back the way I came.
***
Bak Hayeon stared across the table with cold eyes.
An empty chair.
It was currently 8:30, and she had already been waiting, the food laid out, for Sin Noda since two hours ago.
The appetizing stir-fried pork and the steaming hot soybean paste soup had long since gone cold.
“W-well, maybe I should eat by myself first….”
She had been sending messages on her smartphone for an hour now, but there was no reply at all.
‘He hasn’t left me on read, right…?’
Bak Hayeon helplessly picked up her utensils and began eating.
Just then, breaking news came on the TV.
The anchor urgently reported the situation on the ground.
“A Gate has occurred at an intersection in OO District, Seoul! It is the first Gate to appear anywhere in the world in nearly ten years. According to eyewitness testimony, numerous citizens have already been caught up in it. A-rank Heroes ‘Metal Man’ and ‘Office Lady’ are on the scene but are expressing reluctance to enter. Let us hear from an expert.”
A phone interview with a university professor was conducted.
“If an Awakened enters a Gate, a time limit for entry is created, and soon it becomes impossible to enter at all. Until every Awakened who entered dies. Scholars regard this as evidence of a transcendental being that created the Gate….”
The screen switched back to the Gate pouring out black miasma.
The anchor opened his mouth.
“Yes, we will take a listen. Then which Hero went in first?! Will the citizens truly be rescued?! Ah, a breaking update has just come in. The identity of the Awakened who entered the Gate has been confirmed.”
A heavily degraded photo.
It was a photo of a suspicious man wearing black robes.
Bak Hayeon knew who that was.
‘Dark Knight.’
The news anchor briefly explained what ‘Dark Knight’ was for those who did not know before delivering the update.
“The villain ‘Dark Knight’, notorious for private punishment, has entered the Gate. We will continue with an expert on this matter.”
In the newsroom appeared a former A-rank Hero.
He frowned and opened his mouth.
“I have personally investigated ‘Dark Knight’ to some extent, but even being generous, he would be B-rank. Unfortunately, I don't think clearing the dungeon is possible. It's a measured C-rank dungeon, and a B-rank alone is too much.”
“Ah… I see. Then what happens to the safety of the citizens who were dragged inside?”
“I would say survival is unlikely.”
The anchor nodded with a heavy face.
The former Hero spoke as if in contempt.
“A crazy bastard like ‘Dark Knight’ having convictions is the scariest thing. If he had just waited, Heroes would have come and resolved the Gate. But instead, someone who isn't an expert needlessly stepped up and caused innocent people to lose their lives.”
“Haha… since this is public broadcast, please soften your remarks just a little. Recently, there has been considerable online support for ‘Dark Knight’. Viewers must also be vigilant against amateurish acts of vigilantism.”
Bak Hayeon sat alone at the table.
She scooped up the cold soup and murmured.
“What kind of person is ‘Dark Knight’?”
Just then, the anchor made a fuss as he put up footage.
A man in robes walking out from a black tear.
It was ‘Dark Knight’.
“Breaking news! We are reporting that the dungeon has just been cleared! ‘Dark Knight’ is emerging from the Gate!”
The crowd visible the moment I exited the Gate.
Heroes, cameramen, spectators….
It was utter chaos.
I spoke quietly, ensuring no one could hear.
“Laura. I'll just use the skill book.”
[Yeah. I've roughly finished analyzing.]
I opened the skill book and read it.
There was no need to read it all.
I just had to open it and think ‘read,’ and it was done.
<< Skill Acquired >>
-------------
◈ Name
Muyeong Hwanmu 霧影幻武
◈ Rank
000 A
◈ Description
Martial arts created by the ‘Nameless Supreme’ right before death. Because it is an incomplete martial art, after combat ends, you receive damage equal to 8*n% of your maximum HP distributed over the course of 24 hours.
(n is a random number between 1 and 30)
一. Mist Transformation - The body transforms into mist.
二. Neck Slash - After transforming into mist, appears behind the opponent and delivers a ‘Fatal Blow’.
三. Myriad Shadow Kill - Multiplies into several people and delivers an ‘Unavoidable’ attack to the opponent’s heart.
-----------------------------------
‘The skill description is stupidly long, just like some League of whatever game.’
The Hero ‘Metal Man’ approached.
He was a man like an iron statue whose entire body was made of steel.
“Greetings, ‘Dark Knight’. Your evil deeds end here.”
Hearing that was funny.
I don't recall doing anything bad enough to be called evil deeds.
“Evil deeds… what are you talking about.”
Annoyed, my voice came out lower than usual.
The ‘Hermit's Leather’ transformed it into a terrible metallic screech.
“Did you not mercilessly kill villains! They too have lives. They have the right to be judged by proper law.”
“Can you say that in front of the victims?”
“….”
Metal Man was at a loss for words.
He was a physical fighter who smashed everything apart to begin with, not the type to talk at length.
‘Office Lady’ cut in at the perfect moment.
She was a hero who frequently wore office looks and used brainwashing abilities to make villains turn themselves in.
“He can. If private punishment spreads, law and order collapse, and ultimately lead to even greater chaos. It's not too late for you either. If you turn yourself in now, your sentence will be reduced and you can make a comeback. You are an Awakened, aren't you?”
That's right.
Being an Awakened was an incredible spec.
Even if you went to a construction site right now, you would be treated as a super ace.
Unlike ordinary people, your body didn't get injured easily.
I didn't necessarily have to execute villains.
If I stopped now and turned myself in….
‘Right. I just have to defeat the Demon King anyway.’
I felt somehow persuaded.
[What are you doing?]
At Laura's single remark, my mind cleared up instantly.
So this was Office Lady's power.
Turning myself in and reduced sentences had nothing to do with me.
I wasn't a resident of this world to begin with.
Yet the fact that she had made me briefly think about such useless things seemed to be due to the influence of her ability.
“Let's stop talking.”
“Just what I wanted, you gloomy rag-wearing bastard.”
Metal Man kicked off the ground and charged at me.
As expected, it was a fast speed.
With plenty of cameras around and a head-on fight against two A-rank Heroes….
‘There's no way I'd do something like that.’
I should test the skill I just acquired.
Mist Transformation.
Metal Man's fist struck my abdomen.
No, it punched right through.
The moment his fist touched me, my body scattered like mist.
He made a bewildered expression.
When I used ‘Mist Transformation’, an enormous amount of mana drained out.
A normal person would have had trouble enduring it.
But thanks to ‘Dragon Heart’, I possessed near-infinite mana.
I used ‘Neck Slash’ to move behind Office Lady.
I placed the Dragon Scale Sword against her neck.
“Your ability is certainly dangerous. I almost forgot what I must do.”
I contemplated.
Should I kill this woman?
Office Lady was an Awakened who rose to A-rank thanks to S-rank intelligence.
Her other stats such as strength and agility were low.
If I slit her throat now, she would die just like that.
Her trembling was transmitted through the blade placed at her neck.
“Are you afraid?”
In the distance, Metal Man, who had missed his mark, was running to save her.
She had not committed any crime.
Even though this was a game world, these were real people living in this world.
It felt somewhat wrong to kill her indiscriminately.
I retreated, using ‘Neck Slash’ on the spectators.
This also consumed an enormous amount of mana, but I was unfazed.
The Heroes could not catch me as I moved in an instant.
‘Isn't this too much of a cheat?’
Even I clicked my tongue at the cheat-like nature of the skill.
I wondered how the heroes felt, watching helplessly with no means to stop my escape….
That thought changed as I was taking off the ‘Hermit's Leather’ in a deserted place.
-------------
[Combat has ended, activating the penalty of ‘Muyeong Hwanmu’.
Due to the influence of Luck F, the value of n is 30.
For 24 hours, you will receive damage equal to 240% of your maximum HP.]
-----------------------------------------
My body grew heavy.
Pain as if my entire body was being stabbed by blades.
The problem was that this pain continued.
‘You want me to endure this for 24 hours?’
Damage equal to 240% of maximum HP.
If I didn't drink potions midway, I would die.
Truly an enormous price.
Putting aside the risk to my life, just the potion costs alone were twenty million won.
‘I'll have to grind villains hard.’
I arrived at the officetel before I knew it.
[Sleeping sounds.]
Bak Hayeon was asleep on the sofa.
I smiled slightly and took off my equipment, putting it in the safe in my room.
After washing up roughly, I noticed that food had been laid out on the table.
A table with food that had all gone cold.
It was probably dinner that Bak Hayeon had prepared.
‘Come to think of it, the protagonist was originally set to be quite good at cooking. Should I try some?’
Since I had roughly filled my stomach with chocolate bars in the dungeon, I was suddenly struck by appetite.
I sat at the table and picked up my utensils.
The stir-fried pork was cold but delicious.
The soybean paste soup had completely cooled but hadn't lost its original flavor.
***
A few days later, ‘Dark Knight’ went from a villain known only to those in the know to a global villain known by the entire world.
The reappeared Gate was a shocking event reported around the world, so it was only natural that the one who cleared that dungeon would attract attention.
A ‘Dark Knight’ craze blew to the extent that special feature programs were made.
There was even a TV program that brought on ‘Office Lady’, who had fought against him, to hold a discussion.
The host asked her.
“You are ‘Office Lady’, the person who talked the most with ‘Dark Knight’ to date! What did you talk about?”
“First, he seemed to hold great conviction in what he was doing. I could feel that he was contemplating whether to kill me while holding a blade to my neck.”
“Aha. So he has a conviction that he won't kill innocent people?”
“Well. I think he's quite unstable just from the fact that he contemplated whether to kill a Hero. He could turn into an indiscriminate murderer at any moment.”
The host brought up the most important topic.
“This has become a hot topic lately. There are opinions that ‘Dark Knight’ recklessly entered the Gate and got citizens killed. What do you think…?”
Office Lady was a 2nd-generation Awakened, not a Hunter by origin.
She showed reluctance and shook her head.
“It would be better to consult an expert rather than me on that point. I am not a Hunter by origin. I don't know much about Gates.”
“Aha, I see.”
Moreover, she didn't want to be swept up in controversy for no reason.
In her personal opinion, since there would have been time needed for Heroes to deploy anyway, the citizens' fate probably wouldn't have changed.
But there was nothing to gain from saying that.
Ironically, this program that brought on ‘Office Lady’ gave netizens conviction.
‘Dark Knight’ really is a dark hero!
Voices praising him grew louder in internet communities and such.
---------------------------------------