Chapter 8 – Ahenna’s Forest (1)

In the morning, Sungjin took a quick shower and went downstairs to the dining area for breakfast.

“Egg tart, 2 Croissants, and butter.”

Downing the simple breakfast, Sungjin checked his time.

“Operator, how much time is left before the next Raid?”

[15 minutes and 32 seconds.]

‘15 minutes…’

There was one last thing he needed to complete before the next raid began. It was allocating his stats.

“200 to Strength, 200 to Dexterity, and 105 to Endurance.”

[Strength rose by 200 points. Dexterity rose by 200 points. Endurance rose by 105 points.]

“Show me my status screen.”

Title: Master Hunter

HP: 1500 MP: 220 (See Note for HP MP calculation)

Strength:       276    212   (+64)

Dexterity:      303    233   (+70)

Endurance:    150    115    (+35)

Magic Power:  18      14     (+4)

Mind Power:    22     17     (+5)

Unallocated Points: 0

Sungjin inspected his new status window. He spent a long time last night thinking about how to allocate his points. 200 points to Strength and Dexterity, and 105 to Endurance. With this much, his Speed and Attack power were probably one of the best in the world with endurance being within top tier.

This was because it was difficult for other hunters to earn anywhere close to 3 digit status points from the first raid.

‘I doubt I’ll even take damage, though…”

Raids were unpredictable; Many things could happen. He might have to complete the Raid entirely alone. So Sungjin took the minimum safety measures.

A moment’s slip and a small mistake could lead to death in a raid. Confidence or not, Safety should come first, and so Sungjin decided to invest for the first time into Endurance.

“Time?”

[7 minutes and 27 seconds remaining.]

“Iced Americano. No Syrup”

Shortly after, the Innkeeper Dalupin brought one cup of Iced Americano on a tray. Sungjin waited leisurely while drinking his coffee.

He downed the last bit and then was teleported away.

*

Oppressive darkness, rustle of leaves in the wind, and a half-lit moon above… The howling of wolves could be heard from a distance.

“Aoooooo~”

Sungjin was teleported in the middle of a thick forest. The Operator began her announcement.

[Welcome. This place is called the “Ahenna’s Forest”.]

[It is a place filled with insidious and cunning predators of the night.]

[Same as the previous raid, the first 4 phases will be combat tutorials.]

[If you take fatal damage,]

[or if the enemy is not annihilated within the time limit, the hunter will be killed.]

Phase 1 – Gray Wolf

Time Limit: 3 Minutes

At the same time just as the announcement ended, a Gray wolf jumped out of the trees. Sungjin took out his Katana without taking his eyes off the wolf. Unlike the monsters of the first Chapter, it bared its teeth from a distance.

“Grrrrr…”

It growled in a deep rumbling tone. Seeing the wolf brought back memories of the first time he completed the “Ahenna’s Forest” raid.

‘I think I remember… This raid is no pushover.’

The moment Sungjin got distracted by his thoughts, the Wolf took immediate notice and charged at him.

“Kyan!”

But as expected, the one that was slain was the wolf.

Completion Reward: Stat Point 5

Kill Reward: Black Coin 5    ( see note on Heart of Gold bonus)

Sungjin took a look at the blood on his katana and thought,

‘I don’t think clearing the normal part of the raid will pose any difficulty…”

The biggest problem was the hidden boss and the secret place. No matter how combat capable Sungjin was, discovering secret locations and then defeating the hidden boss within the time limit was no easy feat. Especially if done alone.

‘I really hope I get some good comrades this time…’

Raids were originally designed to be cleared with the cooperation of five participants. Even if the teammates are unable to contribute much, at the minimum, Sungjin would need members that were able to follow simple instructions.

‘If any are like Baltren, it’d be superb.’

But whoever you met in a Raid was a random occurrence. Luck was perhaps the most important factor in surviving the Raids.

Although, this did not apply to Sungjin since the restart.

Pase 2 – Shadow Puma

Time Limit: 3 Minutes

[Caution: Shadow Pumas move silently in the darkness and ambush their prey]

Despite entering the next phase, Sungjin was still lost in thought.

‘I had pretty good luck in my previous life. Thanks to my comrades, I was able to survive to…’

Suddenly,

“Krah!”

A loud scream erupted from behind Sungjin. He didn’t even turn, and threw himself to the side and tumbled. A Black colored Puma landed where he stood a second ago.

The Puma touched down noiselessly, despite being physically larger than the Gray wolf..

Sungjin raised his Katana. The Puma, who failed his ambush, watched Sungjin with its eyes. Due to the dark colored coat of the Puma, only its reflective amber eyes were visible in the night.

“Krah!”

The Puma charged towards Sungjin once more. It was no match for him. Sungjin waited for the Puma to get airborne before ducking out of the way and striking with his Katana.

‘Vszzt~’

The sound of flesh ripping off the bone filled the air. Straightening his clothes, Sungjin nonchalantly gazed towards the Puma. The Puma was cut from the front legs to the other side of its stomach. The cut was so severe that its intestine leaked out.

“Grr…”

The Puma, so full of life just moments before, collapsed after taking two steps and perished.

Completion Reward: 10 Status points

Kill Reward: 10 Black Coins

Sungjin continued to daydream about the past life.

‘I had some really amazing comrades. And not so great ones…”

Sungjin stopped his thoughts there. He recalled a face he didn’t want to remember.

Phase 3 – Grizzly Bear

Time Limit: 3 Minutes

“Grrrrr”

3rd Phase’s mob was a sizable bear. It was 1.5 times taller than an average man. Its arms were as thick as a man’s waist, and five claws as long as a man’s arms grew on each hand.

“Grah!”

Unlike the Shadow Puma, the Bear charged straight towards Sungjin. But this Grizzly bear was unlucky. Due to the upsetting memory, Sungjin was already angry.

Sungjin’s Katana flashed, illuminated by the moonlight for a split second, and the bear collapsed lifelessly on the spot.

For the majority of hunters, this Grizzly Bear was like a gatekeeper, preventing entry into the raid. But to Sungjin, it was more like a door flap; pushed aside at whim.

Completion Reward: 20 Stat Points

Kill Reward: 20 Black Coins

Although he received the stat points, he did not allocate them. Acting out of habit, he only swung his sword once to remove the blood on its blade.

Sungjin’s Katana, whose ranks were only Strength C and Dexterity D, had cut through the bear in a single strike. The only reason this basic Katana was able to demonstrate such power was thanks to Sungjin’s oppressively high stats.

The sword was good enough for the present, but as the chapters progressed, it would get more and more outclassed by the other weapons. Sungjin couldn’t help but recall the familiar grip on his legendary weapon ‘Blood Vengeance’.

‘If I collect enough Black Coins…’

Phase 4 – Dire Wolf

Time Limit: 3 Minute

Between the trees, a Grizzly bear sized pale wolf appeared. The Operator began her explanation.

[Caution: The Dire Wolf is slightly weaker than the Grizzly bear]

[But it can command nearby Gray wolves]

“Awoooooo~”

The Dire Wolf let out a long howl. And soon, three gray wolves appeared at its side. Four wolves including the Dire Wolf surrounded Sungjin.

Wolves were the first monsters who operated in groups using coordinated attacks against hunters. Sungjin, who had absentmindedly progressed through the phases, gripped his Katana properly for the first time and assumed a battle position.

The reason why the upcoming raid was so challenging was due to these wolves. The wolves, who were orbiting around Sungjin, suddenly charged towards him.

Once he saw them make a move, Sungjin charged towards the weakest one of the pack. In one smooth stroke, he severed the wolf’s head.

And to follow through, he kicked the stomach of another wolf that tried to pounce on him.

“Kyan!”

The wolf collapsed on its side, whimpering like a hurt dog. The other two used that opening to attack him simultaneously.

These wolves would even sacrifice their members in an attack to out maneuver their enemy. Sungjin swiftly swung his katana towards the larger Dire Wolf.

The Dire Wolf saw Sungjin turn towards him and stopped to dodge the katana. Sungjin, who was facing the Dire Wolf had to use his unarmed left arm to stop the other wolf.

“Kyan!”

The wolf bit into the chains on his left arm, causing metallic sounds to ring out.

“Creak!”

The wolf, struggling to bite through the steel chains, quickly lost its head to Sungjin’s blade. Only two wolves left.

Even though the Dire Wolf was still alive, this fight no longer posed any challenge to Sungjin. This time, he made the first move.

The two remaining wolves tried to out maneuver him, but Sungjin’s katana knew no mercy. Within two to three swings of his blade, the wolves collapsed powerlessly.

[All Monsters eliminated. Closing the Phase.]

Completion Reward: 25 Stat points

Kill Reward: 25 Black Coins

Sungjin examined the shackle and chains binding his left arm; Free Ark. The wolf didn’t even manage to leave a dent on it.

‘This is quite useful.’

[You have completed all phases faster than the other Hunters.]

[Please wait until the others complete their phases.]

As expected, Sungjin finished early. The environment changed once the tutorial was completed. A campfire appeared in the middle of the forest. This was where the hunters were being gathered.

Sungjin sat by the fire and waited for the other hunters to show up, keeping the Katana in his embrace.

[All hunts completed.]

[Synchronizing Hunters.]

Along with the Operator’s words, the environment warped slightly as Sungjin watched patiently. One by one, Hunters appeared out of thin air.

(Translator’s Note)

Hp is calculated by 10X the total Endurance and MP is calculated by 10X the total Mind Power.

In the stats, first number is total, 2nd is allocated stat points, and 3rd is modifiers.

So Endurance 150 115 (+35) means total = 150, 115 stat points invested into Endurance, and 35 additional stats from titles/items/buffs.

The Heart of Gold Bonus only applies to final raid completion reward. It does not apply to these phase completion reward.

Edit : The author has updated the numbers fixing the inconsistencies in the earlier chapter regarding Baltren and so we have also made the necessary changes.

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