Chapter 147. Because You Are Weaker Than Me

Until now, no one had ever been able to destroy Gao Lin’s shadow. Many had tried, but their swords and spears merely passed through it.

However, that irritating man, Kim Do-Joon, had severed it.

"

Grrr

..."

Gao Lin glowered at Kim Do-Joon with bloodshot eyes. There was a similar shadow beneath Kim Do-Joon’s feet, sharper in appearance.

“

Hehehe...

No wonder you become an S-rank in just one year!” Gao Lin chuckled, speaking fluent Korean.

Kim Do-Joon frowned as he watched him.

“What’s with this guy?” he muttered.

“Stop pretending. You’re just like me, aren’t you?” Gao Lin sneered.

Kim Do-Joon tilted his head in confusion.

A sly grin spread across Gao Lin’s face. That shadow proved Kim Do-Joon also had the Beastification skill. Yet, that man dared to feign innocence! Of course, reaching such a high rank required exceptional acting skills.

Gao Lin always thought that if he had the right circumstances and luck, he could’ve become the leader of the Eight Dragons Association much earlier.

However, growing that fast would inevitably draw suspicion, especially considering the nature of their skill, which grew stronger by killing other Hunters.

“You must have killed quite a few, huh?” Gao Lin smirked at Kim Do-Joon.

I wonder if your mentor knows about this.

Gao Lin glanced at the old man, but he was simply standing there with his arms crossed, showing no reaction.

Meanwhile, Daniel grabbed Kim Do-Joon, yelling desperately, “We have to run!”

Kim Do-Joon winced at the loud voice.

Daniel quickly added, “We have to escape! Even all of us together can’t beat Gao Lin! He’s an S-rank!”

“I’m also an S-rank, and so is the elder,” Kim Do-Joon said, gesturing to himself and Jecheon Seong.

Daniel pounded his chest in frustration. “Not all S-ranks are the same! Gao Lin is in a league of his own!”

Daniel wasn’t wrong. An S-rank Hunter was already considered a superhuman, far beyond the understanding of ordinary people, or even other Hunters. However, there were levels even within that rare class and Gao Lin was at the very top. Calling him the strongest of them all wouldn’t be an exaggeration because he was touted the world’s greatest Hunter.

“We need to run! We have to get out of here and expose him as the killer!”

“Do you think I’ll let you?” Gao Lin interrupted in English, smirking.

Daniel froze, his blood running cold. Sweat trickled down his back.

What should we do? Should we scatter in all directions? Even Gao Lin won’t be able to kill all of us if we ran in different directions... right?

As long as even one person escaped, the truth about Gao Lin’s crimes would come to light. However, Daniel immediately felt ominous when saw how unfazed Gao Lin was, as if everyone was already as good as dead.

“Looks like he’s not planning on letting us leave,” Kim Do-Joon said as he drew his spear.

Daniel gasped in horror. Anyone could see from his posture that Kim Do-Joon was preparing for battle.

Gao Lin also aimed his sword at him. Then, he glanced briefly at Jecheon Seong. The old man still showed no sign of moving.

Is that his way of saying he won’t interfere? Ugh, that arrogant old geezer.

"Let’s see if you can keep that smug look on your face after your precious disciple becomes a corpse," said Gao Lin, anger rising.

Jecheon Seong remained silent, making no move to draw his sword. Kim Do-Joon, on the other hand, was brimming with fighting spirit. The sight of both of them infuriated Gao Lin.

How dare they stand so boldly before me?

The very thought was unbearable for Gao Lin. Then, Kim Do-Joon gripped his spear with both hands, lowering his stance.

In a flash, Gao Lin’s sword sliced through the air, grazing past Kim Do-Joon’s head.

Whoosh!

Kim Do-Joon had barely dodged it, strands of his hair fluttering to the ground.

Swish!

Kim Do-Joon spun his spear, aiming to strike Gao Lin from below with the shaft.

Clang!

Gao Lin deflected the blow with his sword and backed off, creating a brief distance between them. It was a spear versus sword battle. Closing the gap would have been to Gao Lin’s advantage, yet he backed away without hesitation.

Did he give up the distance on purpose?

Kim Do-Joon thought, feeling a strange instinct flash through his mind. Then, Kim Do-Joon lowered his spear, looking slightly disappointed. The sight made Gao Lin’s blood boil even more.

Originally, Gao Lin had only planned to stall for time.

You think you can take it easy?

Infuriated, Gao Lin plunged his sword into the ground. Then, without warning, he tossed the entire sheathed weapon behind him.

At that moment, he began to contort and change form. He was enveloped in shadow, morphing into a monstrous, demonic beast form.

As expected.

Gao Lin’s current appearance resembled Gwak Dong-Gyu’s Beastification state. The only difference was that Gao Lin’s form was far darker, as if doused with ink.

“W-what’s that?!”

“Gao Lin had this kind of skill?”

“I’ve never heard of it!”

The entire raid team, including Daniel, shouted in shock. Naturally, since Gao Lin had gone to great lengths to hide that skill.

There were only two situations in which he would reveal this form: when he was in the presence of loyal, tight-lipped subordinates; or when he planned to murder everyone in sight.

“I’ll kill every last one of you!” Gao Lin roared.

Soon, the shadow beneath Gao Lin expanded as if to cover the entire area, about to reach Kim Do-Joon, Daniel, and the rest of the group.

Just then, Kim Do-Joon shot forward at Gao Lin, wrapped in the fiery energy of the Heart of Flame.

Whoosh!

Gao Lin was caught off guard by Kim Do-Joon’s explosive speed. In the blink of an eye, Kim Do-Joon’s spear was already closing in on his throat.

Swoosh.

The outstretching shadows instantly pulled back, gathering around Gao Lin.

I don’t have the luxury to worry about anyone else right now!

Gao Lin thought as he narrowly dodged the spear, focusing all his shadows on Kim Do-Joon.

Immediately, monstrous claws rose from the ground beneath Kim Do-Joon. When he blocked those, a tail lashed out from the opposite side, striking toward his back. The shadows morphed into the jaws of a massive beast, about to swallow him whole.

“Hunter Kim Do-Joon!” Daniel shouted, watching in horror.

Kim Do-Joon was surrounded by a barrage of attacks from all sides, and his situation looked desperate.

“Damn it! What do we do?”

“We have to help him, obviously!”

“Of course I know that! But how on earth are we supposed to break into that fight?”

No one in the raid team dared to intervene. Gao Lin’s attacks defied logic, coming from impossible angles and using methods beyond ordinary comprehension. Even Kim Do-Joon barely managed to fend them off.

As Daniel and the others stood there, helpless and panicked, Jecheon Seong spoke quietly, “If you step in recklessly, you’ll only get in the way.”

An odd calm settled over the group. Their anxious and frantic emotions seemed to ease, as if Jecheon Seong’s voice alone was enough to bring clarity.

“What did he just say?” one of them asked.

“He said not to interfere.”

“Would that be... okay?”

“It seems like it... maybe.”

Finally, people started to calm down and look at the battle between Kim Do-Joon and Gao Lin. It was only then that they noticed something else.

“Damn it!” Gao Lin cursed bitterly.

Hundreds of times over, Gao Lin had unleashed countless lethal strikes. However, Kim Do-Joon’s movements remained precise, and his stance unshaken. He burned with an intense energy, yet his mind was cold and sharp.

Whoosh!

Gao Lin started to lose his composure. His Beastification skill granted him inhuman capabilities, allowing him to strike from all directions with a variety of bizarre attacks. However, Kim Do-Joon deflected them all. He blocked even the attacks that came from his blind spots as if he could see everything.

Gao Lin could not comprehend how this was possible, but the truth was simple.

I can see it all.

Kim Do-Joon was not just reacting out of instinct. He could from all angles, thanks to a small Flame Totem perched on his shoulder.

Originally, the totem was meant to be placed at a distance to provide support. However, in combat, it granted Kim Do-Joon a 360-degree view, enhancing his awareness and allowing him to respond perfectly to every attack.

Gao Lin seemed to specialize in constantly changing, unpredictable attacks, but Kim Do-Joon had faced worse.

He’s not even as good as Nereid, let alone the elder.

The complexity Gao Lin prided himself on was far simpler than Jecheon Seong's straightforward sword slash, or even the water streams Nereid had fired.

His attacks aren't truly sophisticated, just stronger because they're coming from a body that's no longer human.

With the Flame Totem, Gao Lin's frantic moves looked easy to read and even clumsy, just like that of a child.

Then, Gao Lin's charred arm spun through the air, severed from him, landing far from where he knelt.

"

Ugh!

"

Blood gushed out like a waterfall, and Gao Lin fell to his knees, his expression a mix of confusion and disbelief.

"W-what’s going on!” Gao Lin was shocked.

His mind raced, trying to piece together the impossible reality. Gao Lin was always ranked among the top three strongest people in the world. He always believed he was at the top. His skills and raw power had always been unmatched. Yet here he was, falling into disgrace.

How could this happen? How could I, the greatest of all, be kneeling before some upstart who had only just reached S-rank? Why was it my arm that lay severed, and not the young Hunter’s?

"Did you say why...?"

𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

Gao Lin lifted his gaze. Kim Do-Joon stood over him, his voice as chilling as his stare.

“It’s because you are weaker than me," Kim Do-Joon said, the words cutting deeper than any weapon.

Gao Lin’s eyes widened, his pupils shaking violently. Those words tore apart the last threads of pride he had been clinging to.

Kim Do-Joon raised his spear, the gleaming tip aimed directly at Gao Lin’s heart. There was not a flicker of hesitation in his eyes. After all, he had seen countless bodies in this dungeon, and one more would not weigh on his conscience.

Just as the spear was about to plunge down, ending Gao Lin’s life, a sudden shout rang out. Then, from all sides, dozens of warriors appeared, clad in uniforms marked with the symbol of a dragon.

—Master!

"Protect the master!" one of them cried.

They unleashed a barrage of fire, lightning, and sword strikes, all aimed directly at Kim Do-Joon. His totem warned him of the incoming attacks, mapping out every angle. He didn’t even need to think about what would happen if he didn’t retreat immediately.

However, Kim Do-Joon ignored it all.

Thud.

He drove his spear into Gao Lin’s heart.