Chapter 46: Special Upgrade (1)

Nearly two hours had passed since Iratu had been leading the way, triggering traps in the hidden chamber.

“Good work, Iratu,” I said as I finally reached the obelisk standing in the center of the room.

…

Of course, Iratu didn’t respond.

He was hardly in a position to do so.

The last trap, a cannonball, had obliterated his lower half.

Normally, such a fatal injury would have ended the summon.

“Even though I have a body that can’t truly die… isn’t this a bit much, Master?” Iratu grumbled indignantly.

Through repeated deaths, the Skeleton had grown stronger.

Immediately after being destroyed for the thirtieth time as a trap detector, Iratu evolved, living up to his skill name, “Growing Skeleton.”

More importantly, his durability had improved.

Originally, Iratu was so fragile that losing even a single arm bone would cause him to disintegrate.

“Master! After all I’ve been through, is ‘Good job’ all you have to say to me?!”

But now, even with his lower body shattered, leaving only his torso intact, he stood ramrod straight, answering back with stubborn formality.

This transformation was the result of repeated “testing” with various traps.

Not only had my physical durability increased, but my resistance to Elemental Magic had also improved. As a result, the time it took to disarm traps was drastically reduced. I could now withstand up to three traps with a single Summon.

This is truly killing two birds with one stone… or perhaps three!

I could easily clear trap rooms, enhance my Summoned Beasts, and make the one who tried to curse me pay the price.

“Master! Say something!” the former Lich whined again.

Of course, just because he’d paid his dues didn’t mean I was about to indulge his childish antics.

“Right. Go on in now.”

“T-that’s all you have to say?!”

“What more do you want?”

“The least you could do is acknowledge my service after being annihilated a hundred times to pave the way for you, Master!”

The Growing Skeleton vanished in a puff of smoke.

That noisy bastard was always this talkative, even back when he was a Lich.

Without hesitation, I dismissed the jaw-clacking Iratu and turned my attention to the tombstone before me.

Up close, it loomed far larger than I’d imagined.

The two-meter-tall stone slab was bare, devoid of any inscriptions or carvings.

But as I drew closer…

Rumble!

A deafening roar shook the air as the tombstone began to move.

Or rather, only its front half shifted.

Which meant…

“You’re right.”

Well, Duke Duas had been a vampire all along.

This castle was a vampire stronghold.

True to cliché, it wasn’t surprising to find a sarcophagus here.

Rumble!

The lid of the stone sarcophagus swung open with a deafening roar, finally coming to a complete stop.

Cautiously, I illuminated the interior with the flashlight from my Status Window.

A glint caught my eye.

Inside the empty sarcophagus floated a bracelet woven with four gemstones: a crimson sapphire, a jet-black onyx, a pale blue aquamarine, and a transparently sparkling diamond.

“These are the Artifacts we found during the Exploration Quest,” I realized. The very relics that had sealed Duke Duas’s power.

But the relics had vanished the moment we destroyed the Duke.

I thought they were just quest devices.

I never imagined they would reconstitute themselves here as an item.

I carefully picked up the bracelet and immediately activated the Item Analyzer.

“A Unique-grade item?” My eyes widened.

Unique-grade items were, as the name implied, one of a kind in the entire world. Of course, there were also single Relic-grade items like the Spear of Longinus. But unlike Relic-grade items, whose abilities could be partially replicated through replicas, Unique-grade items were impossible to extract abilities from by any means.

So, what were its abilities?

The added stat points were negligible, but the two skills left me stunned.

A noble aristocrat would never allow a single blemish on their beautiful body. Most wounds, excluding amputations, fractures, and fatal lacerations, heal rapidly.

“Whoa…?”

This is…

“Amazing!”

“Incredible, Taejun-nim?!”

Manager Mi and I were in perfect agreement.

So, unless I sustain a fatal injury, most wounds from attacks will heal on their own?

And the newly acquired Active Skill, Vampire’s Allure:

“This one’s a bit ambiguous.”

The skill’s performance certainly lives up to its A-rank designation.

The problem lay in the skill’s activation conditions: it could only target incapacitated humans, and even then, it wouldn’t work on individuals with a Mental Pollution Resistance Skill of B-rank or higher.

“That’s true.”

I gazed at the bracelet in my hand with a satisfied expression. It was undoubtedly worthy of being classified as a Unique-Grade item.

As soon as I put it on, a fresh surge of vitality coursed through my body. The item had fully attuned to me, and my stats had increased.

As a result:

I returned to the main screen of my Status Window. Among the grayed-out, inactive functions…

A new icon was glowing brightly on my Status Window.

Framed by brackets shaped like ’「’ and ’」’, the icon was filled with squiggly, worm-like characters.

I’ll check out the new features when I get back to Cheongyeon Headquarters.

First, there was one more thing to confirm.

This upgrade reward was earned by fulfilling a special condition.

I was hoping it would be a frequently used function like the calculator or Parsley Market.

I swallowed hard and skipped past the notification.

“Navigation?”

That was a bit unexpected.

Did Navigation even have room for further upgrades?

Just then, the notification flipped back again.

Wait, it actually got upgraded…?

Manager Mi looked surprised, but I wore a slightly puzzled expression.

Being able to use navigation outside of dungeons will definitely be useful.

What puzzled me was the newly added feature: “All entities harboring hostility towards you.”

After all, the system already marked monsters within my detection range with red dots. Bosses even got a friendly crown icon overlay.

“Huh?”

Suddenly, a new window popped up before my eyes:

The moment I reactivated Parsley Navigation, which I had previously disabled, a dungeon map materialized before me. I smirked as I examined it.

“So that’s how it works.”

“This dungeon gives me the creeps.”

Han Jongcheol, the third member of Red Hound, wandered through the dark corridors of Lord’s Castle, nervously gnawing at his fingernails.

Even though the dungeon had been cleared and not a single monster remained, the interior of Lord’s Castle still radiated an oppressive gloom. Perhaps that was why an inexplicable sense of unease lingered in his mind.

I just want to get the hell out of this place.

According to his older brother, Han Jongpil, their target was Lee Taejun, the rising star who had caused a sensation during the recent B-rank promotion exam. A prodigy who had shattered all records in AGMS scoring and viewership during his B-rank assessment livestream.

However, Han Jongcheol chose to focus on another piece of information he had received: Taejun had been a mere D-rank porter, far less significant than himself, until very recently.

This realization eased the anxiety that had been swirling in his mind.

Thud.

Just then, footsteps echoed from behind him.

”…!”

Han Jongcheol whirled around.

Found him.

In the dimly lit corridor, a man in a light T-shirt was walking toward him. His appearance confirmed it: Lee Taejun.

Han Jongcheol tapped his special earpiece and whispered, “Brother Jongseo, I’ve confirmed the target.”

”?”

He tapped the radio again.

“Brother Jongseo? Can you hear me?”

But there was no response.

Something was wrong.

He could understand the leader waiting for them at the castle’s watchtower being out of range. But Han Jongseo, who had entered the castle with him, should definitely be within communication range.

What’s that hyung up to?

Han Jongcheol frowned and clicked his tongue.

No choice.

The target was weak enough for him to handle alone anyway.

Thud.

Taejun’s figure gradually drew closer.

Han Jongcheol remained crouched low, his body coiled like a spring, his eyes fixed on the approaching man.

After all, his “prey” would never sense his presence.

Thanks to this skill, Han Jongcheol had effortlessly hunted down Hunters far more capable than himself, despite his unremarkable stats and combat prowess.

This time would be no different.

Thud.

Just as expected.

Taejun continued walking casually, even as he approached within a few steps of Han Jongcheol.

That’s right.

Like a solitary spider waiting for prey to stumble into its web, Han Jongcheol slipped his hand into the inner pocket of his janitor’s jacket and gripped the hilt of his dagger.

Come on, just walk by.

The moment Taejun passed him completely, Han Jongcheol would seize the opportunity and sever his Achilles tendon.

”?”

But Han Jongcheol, dagger in hand and poised to strike, suddenly froze.

Taejun, who had been strolling leisurely, had abruptly stopped dead in his tracks.

Right under his nose.

“Hmm.”

Without changing his position, Taejun stroked his chin and muttered to himself, “This must be the place.”

”…”

Gulp.

Han Jongcheol swallowed hard, his face tense with anxiety.

Has he noticed me?

Impossible.

Even A-Rank Hunters with top-tier detection skills had been hunted down without ever sensing his presence. There was no way some mere D-Rank porter could break through his stealth.

“Let’s see if I’m right.”

But as Taejun finished muttering, his leg shot up like lightning, his torso twisting in one fluid motion.

Crack!

Like a thunderbolt, Taejun’s mana-infused shin slammed into Han Jongcheol’s flank.

“Ugh… Gah?!”

A scream involuntarily escaped Han Jongcheol’s lips as the pain of his shattered ribs overwhelmed him.

That alone should have given him away completely.

“There’s definitely something here,” Taejun muttered, lowering his leg.

Before Han Jongcheol could react, Taejun unleashed his strike.

Wham!

“Ke-hugh?!”

This time, Taejun’s fist landed squarely on Han Jongcheol’s solar plexus.

“Keh… urk…”

The punch was a fatal blow.

Shlrrrk.

The shadow enveloping the hunting dog’s body dissipated.

His bloodshot eyes and drooling mouth were now fully exposed.

As Han Jongcheol, bent over like a shrimp, gasped for air and raised his head,

“How peculiar,” Taejun remarked, his gaze locked with Han Jongcheol’s as he tilted his head slightly. “It feels like something’s hiding here, but I can’t quite see it?”

”?!”

Han Jongcheol’s trembling lips parted, desperate to scream.

But before he could, thud!

“Ugh!”

A mana-infused fist slammed into his solar plexus once more.

After delivering the second blow, Taejun stared down at Han Jongcheol with vacant eyes.

“I know you’re hiding in there. Come out. Unless you want to be beaten to death.”

Tears welled up in Han Jongcheol’s eyes as he reached out a trembling hand.

But I’m already out! Can’t you see me? We just made eye contact!

“Ugh… ugh…”

Of course, no coherent words could escape his battered mouth after taking such a direct hit.

“Not bad,” Taejun chuckled, cracking his knuckles with a cheerful grin. “You’ve got some grit. Still hiding after getting beaten like this.”

“Well, you’ll eventually crawl out if I keep beating you thoroughly enough.”