Skillbook My Way
Chapter 34
The 7-Star Dungeon that served as the testing ground was nicknamed the Defense Game.
It was a vast dome-shaped dungeon where monsters appeared at five-minute intervals.
The third task was to endure the monsters' fierce onslaught in this dome for one hour.
A few minutes ago.
As soon as we entered the dungeon, the portal connected to the entrance vanished.
'The vice guild master said that once you enter a 7-Star Dungeon, you can't return unless you clear it or use a Return Stone......'
I looked at Hajiho, who was standing with his back against the rear wall.
"Let's see how good you really are."
The bastard who said that had already taken out his weapon, a pair of twin swords.
The moment I saw that, I was certain.
Hajiho had no intention of simply failing us.
There were two ways for a hunter to die inside a dungeon.
Killed by monsters, or killed by another hunter.
The dungeon's structure, where no one else could enter once someone was inside and the only witnesses were monsters, was perfect for committing a crime.
On top of that, even though the test had begun, Hajiho wasn't giving us Return Stones.
I checked my watch.
4 minutes and 32 seconds since we entered.
It was almost time for the first wave of monsters to appear.
"Both of you, over here."
The middle-aged man and Ms. Hyeri moved close to me.
I took out my staff from my inventory and checked the time.
4 minutes 54 seconds.
It was time to execute the plan.
'Complete Invisibility.'
I used the skill on the two of them and myself.
The world was tinged in gray.
"Wh-what!?"
Right after Hajiho's surprised voice came from behind, monsters began appearing all over the dome.
"This way."
I led the two of them to the wall opposite Hajiho and pressed against it.
"Y-you bastards! Where did you go!?"
Hajiho was utterly bewildered.
Not that he didn't have reason to be.
He had no memory of giving us Return Stones, yet we had vanished.
The gazes of the monsters that appeared in the dome were all locked onto Hajiho.
[Kuaaaaaah!]
[Kwooooooh!]
The monsters shrieked and rushed at Hajiho all at once.
When I heard about the third task from the vice guild master, I immediately thought of a way out.
I came up with a plan to strengthen the [Invisibility] skill I already possessed and endure for one hour without fighting.
The condition for the third task was survival, not clearing the dungeon, so there was no need to fight. In fact, avoiding combat was more suitable for survival.
By adding numerous Modifier Words
It was a skill that made the user invisible to targets with a Sense stat below 18 for one hour, while those under the skill's effect could see each other.
"Kuk!"
I saw Hajiho flailing his twin swords at the monsters in confusion.
I told you so.
To make sure you packed your Return Stones.
***
"Kuk... Twelve Consecutive Strikes!"
Hajiho clenched his teeth and used his ultimate move. In an instant, the monsters cut by his twin swords spewed blood.
"Kyaaah!"
"Aaaack!"
Then one monster that charged from the rear bit Hajiho's leg without giving him a moment to catch his breath. The spurting blood instantly drenched his clothes red.
"Ugh, you little...!"
His twin swords danced like mad once more, tearing through the monsters.
"Haa... haa..."
The mangled monsters soon vanished. No monsters remained in the dome.
'Damn it! I should have wiped them all out within the first five minutes!'
Startled by the sudden disappearance of the Atlas Guild hunters and the monsters attacking him, he failed to react immediately and showed an opening.
And just as he barely came to his senses and cut down half the monsters, the five minutes passed and new monsters were summoned.
The monsters' attacks were so relentless that he couldn't even find the timing to use his Return Stone.
In the end, he had to use his ultimate move, Twelve Consecutive Strikes, which he only used when hunting bosses—twice at that.
Hajiho, whose pride had taken a massive blow, took out his Return Stone from his inventory.
'Those bastards, when the hell did they get Return Stones?'
Hajiho had deliberately not given Return Stones to Hwajin's party.
His plan to corner Hwajin's party in a situation where they couldn't leave without clearing, and then finish them off, had completely failed.
He used the Return Stone. Blue light enveloped him.
"You bastards. I'll see you outside."
A few seconds later, his figure disappeared from the dome.
"He says he'll see us outside?"
"But we're right here."
The middle-aged man and Ms. Hyeri muttered.
"Thanks to you, Mr. Hwajin, we got a nice show."
"He sure is strong. To take down all those 7-Star Dungeon monsters without any serious injuries."
"Hmm......"
I couldn't respond to the two of them. I was too busy racking my brain right now.
"Mr. Hwajin?"
"Why are you taking out that book?"
Without answering, I tapped the book with my pen.
A little over an hour after entering the dungeon, we used our Return Stones, leaving behind the monsters filling the dome.
They were items I had requested from Ms. Jeongyeon and procured separately before entering the dungeon.
Ms. Jeongyeon readily granted my request, saying she felt responsible for failing to stop Hajiho.
Since Hajiho was acting as the examiner, I guessed there was no way he would hand over Return Stones willingly.
That guess was accurate. If we hadn't prepared Return Stones in advance, we would have had to face the boss of the 7-Star Dungeon.
The first thing I saw upon exiting the dungeon was the examiners.
They were looking at us with surprised faces.
"Mr. Hwajin, Mr. Gangil, Ms. Hyeri. Congratulations."
Ms. Jeongyeon approached us and spoke.
"You have all passed the three tasks. From today, all three of you are S-rank hunters."
When Ms. Jeongyeon clapped, the other examiners clapped as well.
"Don't make me laugh!"
The one who shouted and ruined the atmosphere was Hajiho.
Hajiho strode toward us with bloodshot eyes.
"These bastards fail! They didn't fight the monsters themselves—they made me, the examiner, take them down!"
"Hah."
I couldn't hold back a sigh. Hajiho glared at me.
"If you had followed the rules and entered the dungeon with us from the beginning, you wouldn't have been ambushed by the monsters."
"B-but you guys didn't fight the monsters at all! How is that taking a test!?"
"The task was survival. As long as we survive in the dungeon for an hour by any means necessary, isn't that enough?"
I asked, looking at Ms. Jeongyeon and the other examiners.
The other examiners avoided my gaze, but only Ms. Jeongyeon nodded.
"Yes. This task was to verify whether you could survive against the monsters of a 7-Star Dungeon. Whether you hide, drink potions, eliminate the monsters, or trick them—as long as you survive somehow, you pass."
"You little......"
"And if anyone is at fault, it would be you, not us."
I opened my mouth, facing Hajiho straight on.
"You didn't give us Return Stones until right before the monsters appeared in the dungeon?"
"Th-that's......"
"It's only because we prepared Return Stones in advance that we're alive—wasn't this a massive mistake on the examiner's part? If it wasn't a mistake, that means you intentionally tried to kill us."
Hajiho seemed to have nothing left to say as he glared at me, then turned to the examiners.
"Are you going to pass these bastards?"
A distressed look crossed the examiners' faces.
"Ah, well......"
"You do realize that ignoring my opinion is the same as ignoring the Pacheon Guild itself, right?"
That pathetic bastard. Since the situation was unfavorable, he started threatening the examiners.
Ms. Jeongyeon seemed unable to shield us any longer due to her position.
"It seems he still has complaints, so how about this?"
Hajiho turned to me.
"Duel me. If I beat you, who's on the verge of SS-rank, that's more than enough to be recognized as S-rank, isn't it?"
"...Hah. Fine."
Hajiho immediately took out his twin swords from his inventory.
"Don't regret it even if you die. You brought this up yourself."
"Mr. Hwajin......"
"Will you be okay?"
Ms. Hyeri and the middle-aged man asked with worried voices.
"Please step back. I don't think I'll be able to digest my dinner today unless I land one good hit on that bastard."
I took out my staff from my inventory.
"Hup!"
The moment I took out my staff, Hajiho rushed at me.
"Twelve Consecutive Strikes!"
The twin swords he wielded moved at a speed invisible to my eyes.
I accepted his attack as it was.
"Kyah!"
"Hwajin!"
I heard Ms. Hyeri and the middle-aged man screaming.
***
Hajiho was certain of victory.
He possessed attack, defense, and support skills befitting his nickname, the Super All-Rounder.
Among them, he had three skills he used when attacking.
An attack skill that unleashed 12 consecutive strikes at an invisible speed—Twelve Consecutive Strikes.
A support skill that doubled attack speed for a short duration—[Instant Sword].
And a support skill that inflicted poison with even a graze—[Deadly Poison].
These three skills were his lethal combo that had brought him to his current position.
Even the boss of a 6-Star Dungeon had been unable to move and perished to his lethal combo.
His opponent had some ability to hide their body, though he didn't know exactly what.
So Hajiho went all out from the start, intending to land his attack before it could be used, and he succeeded.
A mere A-rank hunter taking his lethal combo head-on couldn't possibly survive.
He shouldn't have.
"Y-you... how......"
Hajiho couldn't believe the scene before his eyes.
Clearly, his twin swords had continuously cut the opponent, and every attack had landed.
Yet Hwajin stood there perfectly fine, without a single wound.
'Ugh!?'
Hajiho flinched when he checked Hwajin's hand.
A golden gleaming halberd was now in his hand.
'I-I have to block...!'
Hajiho crossed his twin swords.
"Single Flash!"
A blinding flash like a bolt of lightning. A thunderous roar like rolling thunder.
When the light and sound faded, Hajiho was kneeling.
The twin swords in both his hands were broken.
***
The Bookmark function obtained when [Edit]'s level increased.
It was an ability that let me see other hunters' stats and skills.
Before entering the dungeon, I used the Bookmark function I had been saving lest others discover it to figure out Hajiho's abilities.
Even if we cleared the task, Hajiho didn't seem like he would accept it quietly. He might attack in anger because we'd made a fool of him, so I had to prepare a countermeasure.
The stats Hajiho's Bookmark revealed were as follows.
--------------------
-Status-
Hajiho
HP: 300/300 MP: 100/100
Vitality: 15 Strength: 16 Magic: 10 Mental Strength: 7 Sense: 13
Unique Skills: [Instant Sword] [Twelve Consecutive Strikes] [Deadly Poison] [Recovery]
--------------------
After confirming his Sense stat was 18 or below, I came up with a way to fool him using [Complete Invisibility].
And I studied countermeasures while watching the skill descriptions and Hajiho's actual fighting.
[Deadly Poison] was fine since I had a detoxification skill, but the problem was the high-speed consecutive strikes.
'No matter how much I think about it, dodging or blocking all of them with my Strength stat is impossible.'
Thinking that, I flipped my perspective.
Was there a way to endure without dodging or blocking?
I had an item called Hecil's Protection, obtained from defeating a Mad Armadillo, that reduced physical damage by 70%.
Then I just needed to do something about the remaining 30%.
And so, after much deliberation, I created a new 6-Word skill: [Damage Compensation].
This skill, which simultaneously used the Action Words
To summarize, the damage from Hajiho's Twelve Consecutive Strikes to me was only 15% of the damage it could originally deal.
"Kuk......"
I approached Hajiho, who was kneeling on the ground. Blood was flowing from his side.
I aimed the halberd at Hajiho.
I could see Hajiho's pupils trembling.