Chapter 34. Your Experience Points have Increased

In the end, Kim Do-Joon didn’t venture further into the cave because there was no guarantee it’d lead upward. Honestly, he wouldn’t be surprised if the cave wasn’t blocked halfway through.

Climbing the cliff might be my best option.

Hence, Kim Do-Joon remained near the entrance. Despite how tall the cliff seemed, he was confident he could climb it. His physical abilities had surpassed those of an ordinary person. He figured he could manage by using a knife to secure his grip.

But soon, he clicked his tongue at the sight of an unwelcome guest.

“

Grrrr!

” the monster growled.

“Here it comes again,” Kim Do-Joon muttered, frowning.

Around him laid numerous bodies of hunting dogs. Since taking down the first one, the others had relentlessly charged at him from the cave.

Most beasts would recognize him as the superior predator and avoid him, but these monsters seemed to lack such instincts.

“

Grrr! Grr... Woof! Argh!

” the monster growled again.

The Helix’s Hunting Dog ferociously lunged at him, seemingly determined to chase him to the ends of earth. After a few swings of Kim Do-Joon’s axe, the Hunting Dog became another carcass, joining the others.

Sighing deeply, Kim Do-Joon wiped the sweat from his forehead. Consecutively fighting against B-rank monsters was exhausting even for him.

How I wish they were in a pack, like orcs. I could’ve taken them down all at once.

Kim Do-Joon didn’t have any time to waste—he had to climb the cliff right away! But the onslaught of the Helix’s Hunting Dogs was relentless. Were they drawn by the smell of blood?

Regardless, he refused to believe they’d just spawn endlessly. As soon as he saw a gap, he’d climb immediately!

“

Woof! Woof!

”

More barking could be heard inside the cave. Kim Do Joon sighed and readied his spear.

***

“You, hold your shield and block! Sun-Hee, fire ice arrows!” Gwak Dong-Gyu instructed.

“Yes sir!”

Meanwhile, Gwak Dong-Gyu and his party were making steady progress. When the Helix’s Hunting Dogs spotted the party, they charged recklessly.

The tank planted a large shield in the ground to halt them. Meanwhile, the other members unleashed their skills and killed the monsters. The textbook approach of dealing against charging monsters worked effectively even on B-rank monsters.

Under Gwak Dong-Gyu’s calm leadership, the party was performing well. Actually, the primary reason for their success was Gwak Dong-Gyu’s unexpected brute strength.

“

Haa!

”

Bang!

Gwak Dong-Gyu delivered the finishing blow to the surviving Hunting Dogs. His strike was so powerful that they whimpered and collapsed. Then, he proceeded to take down the B-rank monsters one by one, boosting the party’s morale.

“

Wow,

he’s something else...”

“Leader, I didn’t know you were this strong!”

“I can’t believe he’s a D-rank just like us...”

The party members muttered in astonishment. Normally, they would’ve been suspicious, but amidst this crisis, the hope of making it out alive overshadowed doubt.

Well yeah, because I’m not, you moron!

Gwak Dong-Gyu sneered inwardly. Officially, he was a D-rank Hunter, but his Compatibility was closer to a B-rank. Moreover, he had his secret skill, Beastification. As if he’d struggle in such a dungeon!

“Stay focused and follow me closely,” said Gwak Dong-Gyu.

“Yes, sir!”

“Got it!”

Gwak Dong-Gyu put on a reliable facade as he scanned the group. Fortunately, no one seemed to be panicking or trying to run off on their own. Since the party members fully trusted and followed him, all that was left was finding the right spot.

Opportunities like this don’t come often.

Gwak Dong-Gyu moved forward, carefully surveying his surroundings. His comrades, unaware of his true intentions, saw him as a trustworthy leader. They didn’t even realize that all of it was a ruse.

Could Hyung really have done such a thing?

Meanwhile, Hwang Hyun-Woo was silently fretting. Like Gwak Dong-Gyu had said, he’d only met Kim Do-Joon once. Certainly, trusting someone he’d only met once didn’t seem very reasonable.

Nevertheless, Kim Do-Joon had risked his life to save him. If not for him, Hwang Hyun-Woo would’ve ended up with severe burns all over his body. Lingering doubt gnawed at Hwang Hyun-Woo.

“Here comes another!” a party member screamed.

“Prepare yourselves!” Gwak Dong-Gyu shouted.

Hwang Hyun-Woo had no time for this! No matter how powerful Gwak Dong-Gyu was, they were still in a B-rank dungeon! He couldn’t afford to let his guard down!

They defeated the monsters one by one, steadily making their way toward the exit. Thanks to Gwak Dong-Gyu, they only sustained minor injuries despite facing dangerous situations.

Nearing the end, Gwak Dong-Gyu said, “That’s the boss.”

The color drained from their faces. Like a gatekeeper, a massive boss monster stood right in front of the exit.

“W-what do we do now?” a party member asked dreadfully.

The monster stood on two legs,

The monster had the body of a Hunting Dog but stood on two legs, resembling a Minotaur with a dog's head. Iron chains wrapped around its arms, thicker than any of the party member’s limbs.

“

Hmm...

I'm not sure...” Gwak Dong-Gyu muttered.

“In order to escape, we need to get past that. Do you think we can make it?” Kim Sun-Hee asked nervously.

Gwak Dong-Gyu squinted, analyzing the creature.

“No, wait. Yeah, I think I can handle this...” Gwak Dong-Gyu muttered to himself.

“

Huh?

What did you say?” Kim Sun-Hee approached him to clarify.

Swoosh—

“Eh?”

All of the sudden, something struck Kim Sun-Hee on the chest. When she looked down, she saw Gwak Dong-Gyu’s transformed arm piercing her.

“This seems like the perfect spot,” said Gwak Dong-Gyu.

Kim Sun-Hee was too shocked to feel pain. With a sinister smile, Gwak Dong-Gyu twisted her neck.

“What the...!”

“What the hell are you doing...!”

The party members were horrified by what he’d done.

Kim Sun-Hee collapsed. Warm blood spurted from her neck and chest, splattering all over Gwak Dong-Gyu.

[Beastification]

[Skill Derivation One - Humans are the enemies of beasts.]

[You have defeated a human. You have gained Experience Points(EXP).]

[Your Compatibility has increased.]

“

Ahaha!

Perfect! This makes leveling easier!” Gwak Dong-Gyu muttered in satisfaction.

How lucky he was! In normal dungeons, he could only kill one or two party members without drawing too much attention. Nobody would believe it if an entire party were massacred in a low-level dungeon.

But now, it was an

emergency.

There was no escaping a multi-root dungeon, so even if everyone came out dead, no one would question. Gwak Dong-Gyu didn’t have to worry about anything.

“W-what have you done!”

Naturally, the party members fell into a panic and retreated. Their dependable leader, who’d guided them so far, now wielded a blade in a grotesque, monstrous form.

Gwak Dong-Gyu laughed at them as his entire body underwent a change.

Crack. Snap.

The sounds of bones cracking and muscles hardening could be heard as he transformed into a beast.

“

Ah... Aaaah!

”

Upon witnessing that, one of the members attempted to flee, only to be pounced on by Gwak Dong-Gyu.

Crack!

With a crack, the person’s spine was crushed, and they coughed out liquid redder than lava.

“

Hic

...” Someone collapsed in fear.

Meanwhile, the others were too terrified to even think of running away.

“Don’t tell me... You did this to Hyung as well?” Hwang Hyun-Woo murmured with a pale face.

Gwak Dong-Gyu's expression soured at the mention of Kim Do-Joon, but he quickly regained his composure. That man wasn’t here anymore.

“What if I did?”

Hwang Hyun-woo glanced back. Behind him was the boss monster wielding a chain. In front of him was the monstrous Gwak Dong-Gyu. The situation was hopeless.

Perhaps reaching the same conclusion, the party’s tank, Park Seok-Jun, prostrated himself on the ground. He started begging to Gwak Dong-Gyu.

“Please, spare me! I have a fiancée waiting for me...”

“Well, too bad.”

Gwak Dong-Gyu stepped on Park Seok-Jun's head and crushed it.

[You have defeated a human. You have gained Experience Points (EXP).]

“I don’t give a fuck about your sob story,” Gwak Dong-Gyu growled, satisfied with the increase in his experience points.

“

Ahhh!

”

Hwang Hyun-Woo, half in panic, half in defiance, placed his hands on the ground. Spikes shot up, aiming at Gwak Dong-Gyu. Before they could perforate his body, Gwak Dong-gyu raised his hand. In the end, they only slightly pierced his palm.

Still, my skill worked!

Hwang Hyun-Woo felt a glimmer of hope. They might be able to escape by defeating him.

Sss—

Then, before Hwang Hyun-Woo’s very eyes, Gwak Dong-Gyu’s palm healed instantly. Gwak Dong-Gyu laughed at his reaction.

In beast form, Gwak Dong-Gyu’s regeneration abilities rivaled that of a Troll. Even the wound Kim Do-Joon inflicted on his shoulder had vanished.

“Wait, aren’t you his top supporter?”

Gwak Dong-Gyu shifted his attention to Hwang Hyun-Woo. That guy just wouldn’t shut up about Kim Do-Joon, which pissed him off.

The next moment, Gwak Dong-Gyu swung his massive fist down at Hwang Hyun-Woo.

Crackle!

Suddenly, a bolt of lightning struck from the sky.

***

After the Hunting Dogs’ onslaught ceased, Kim Do-Joon didn’t waste his time climbing up the cliff. Due to the cliff’s height and the lack of his climbing experience, it took longer than expected.

On his way to the exit, he didn’t encounter any more Hunting Dogs, thanks to Gwak Dong-Gyu’s team defeating them ahead of him.

Kim Do-Joon assumed that everyone was still doing well. As such, nothing could have prepared him for what awaited near the exit. His companions were being trampled by a monstrous creature!

[Gwak Dong-Gyu]

Compatibility

- 49%

The name on the insight skill made Kim Do-Joon recognize the monster instantly. Seeing it was about to attack another person, Kim Do-Joon hastily pulled out his Lightning Spear, throwing it.

Swoosh!

The spear, crackling with lightning, shot through the air. It struck the monster’s shoulder, causing it to stagger and withdraw. For the time being, Kim Do-Joon had pushed the monster away from Hwang Hyun-Woo.

"Hyung!" Hwang Hyun-Woo screamed tearfully.

Quickly assessing the situation, Kim Do-Joon saw several injured people and slightly furrowed his brows.

"You bastard!" Gwak Dong-Gyu, who’d recovered, shouted at Kim Do-Joon.

Even though the spear was still embedded on his shoulder, electrocuting him, all his wounds had healed. Pounding the ground with both hands, Gwak Dong-Gyu leaped, lunging his massive body at Kim Do-Joon.

Crash!

Kim Do-Joon quickly rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the attack. The ground where he stood shattered, leaving a small crater. The monster got up immediately and charged at Kim Do-Joon, wildly swinging his arms.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Clang!

Kim Do-Joon dodged and deflected Gwak Dong-Gyu’s attacks with his spear, before stepping back. With higher speed stats and a speed boost buff, Kim Do-Joon could stay out of Gwak Dong-Gyu’s reach, infuriating the latter.

“Don’t think you can keep running away from me!” Gwak Dong-Gyu screamed.

Suddenly, Kim Do-Joon couldn’t move. Something had grabbed his ankle. He looked down and saw his shadow crept all over his leg, binding it. He never knew that such a skill existed!

"

AHAHAHA!”

Gwak Dong-Gyu laughed maniacally and swung his arm at Kim Do-Joon's chest, who reflexively pulled out a short knife and slashed it.

“

Ha!

Do you think you can win by scratching me?!”

Kim Do-Joon took a few steps back, trying to create distance. The deep wound on his chest wouldn’t stop bleeding.

[You have gained the Superior Regeneration effect.]

"...I have to say, your regeneration sure is impressive,” Kim Do-Joon said, glancing at the message.

Despite taking a direct hit from the Lightning Spear, which could kill B-rank monsters, Gwak Dong-Gyu was practically unharmed.

"Yeah, isn’t that spear your trump card? Too bad! It’s useless against me!" Gwak Dong-Gyu laughed again.

"Your arm begs to differ, though?" Kim Do-Joon asked.

𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

"What?"

Gwak Dong-Gyu looked at his arm, which was slashed by Kim Do-Joon’s knife. The slight graze wasn’t healing.

“

Huh?

What’s going on...?”

Gwak Dong-Gyu was baffled. Taking advantage of his confusion, Kim Do-Joon threw his spear again.

"

Keugh!

"

Gwak Dong-Gyu failed to dodge once again

—

he didn’t even try. Most likely, he never dueled against Hunters of the same rank, and relied on his Superior Regeneration effect to blindly assail his enemy.

"

Aaargh!!

"

Gwak Dong-Gyu was electrocuted once again, shifting the tide of battle. Kim Do-Joon immediately threw his Lightning Spear again while stabbing that monster using various weapons from his inventory.

Kim Do-Joon used his spears, knives, axes—everything he had.

"You bastard! Damn it!"

Gwak Dong-Gyu tried to fight back but to no avail. With the eyes of a Hunter, Kim Do-Joon continued his relentless assault.

Finally, Kim Do-Joon swung down the axe of the Kujika Tribe onto the monster's head. With so many weapons embedded in its body and its head split open, there was no way it’d survive.

"

Ugh... Keugh... Arrgh...

"

Thud—

With a heavy thud, the giant creature collapsed to the ground. Only then did Kim Do-Joon manage to catch his breath.

[You have defeated a monster. You have gained Experience Points (EXP).]

Soon after, a message appeared, causing Kim Do-Joon to frown. Why would Gwak Dong-Gyu be labeled as a monster? But this trivial doubt vanished as soon as he saw what appeared next.

[Skill Rune]

A skill rune, an extremely rare drop, had come out of Gwak Dong-Gyu's body.