Chapter 35. I’ll Take Care of That Too

Monster, usually boss-level, would occasionally drop Skill Runes. However, the probability was so low, just a few decimal points. The near absence of Skill Runes available for sale, despite numerous cleared dungeons, spoke for itself.

Hence, they’re rare as they’re expensive.

Need he even explain the utility and effectiveness of Skill Runes? Most Hunters had a fixed combat style based on their skills, so adding a new skill would greatly expand their combat abilities.

Kim Do-Joon bent down to pick up the Skill Rune.

[Skill Rune: Shadow Bind]

Hold on... Is this the skill that bound my feet earlier?

During their fierce battle, a skill had caught Kim Do-Joon off guard, allowing Gwak Dong-Gyu to land a hit on his chest. A skill without any offensive power, yet had an invaluable surprise factor. Kim Do-Joon was injured no thanks to it.

His chest injury still throbbed painfully to this moment. Storing the Skill Rune in his inventory, Kim Do-Joon poured a potion on his chest wound. Despite having the Superior Regeneration effect, directly applying a potion helped boost the healing.

“Hyung! Are you okay?” Hwang Hyun-Woo shouted, approaching Kim Do-Joon with the remaining party members.

Hwang Hyun-Woo rushed over to Kim Do-Joon and dressed his wound with a bandage. Meanwhile, the others expressed their gratitude and joy for having survived the whole ordeal. However, some members were still traumatized and crying.

“It’s too early to celebrate.”

Kim Do-Joon’s low voice cut through the relief.

“

Huh?

” Hwang Hyun-Woo seemed puzzled.

Kim Do-Joon gestured with his chin toward a distant spot, and the party members turned their attention there. The boss monster was still standing—it wasn’t over yet. Realizing this, the party fell silent. Meanwhile, Kim Do-Joon calmly assessed his party members’ condition.

They are all D-rank. Their Compatibility is just about average... except for Hwang Hyun-Woo, an E-rank. I guess there’s no change since they entered the dungeon.

In contrast, the boss had a Compatibility of over fifty percent.

[Gigas the Guardian of Helix]

Compatibility

- 53%

There was no way the party members could take the boss head-on.

“I'll take the lead and draw its attention,” Kim Do-Joon said, implying he’d be the main tank.

Then, one of the party members meekly raised his hand and asked, “Should we deal damage from behind?”

“Let me handle it,” Kim Do-Joon replied.

“What?” the party member looked surprised.

“I just need you to cover my back,” Kim Do-Joon clarified.

He was basically telling them not to get in the way. Everyone understood what he was trying to say, but no one felt insulted or objected. After all, they’d just witnessed Kim Do-Joon defeat the rampaging Gwak Dong-Gyu.

After positioning the party members at a safe distance, Kim Do-Joon charged toward the guardian.

“

Keurek?

”

Seeing a lone, tiny human approaching, the guardian twisted its lips and swung the chain on its arm like a whip.

Whoosh!

With a menacing sound, the thick chain rushed toward Kim Do-Joon. He blocked it with his spear, but it coiled around his weapon like a snake. It became a tug of war, which made Kim Do-Joon frown.

Hmm... Well, the guardian is stronger.

Kim Do-Joon let go of the spear as soon as he finished assessing his opponent’s strength. The guardian rejoiced for having robbed his weapon, but that spear was no ordinary spear.

Crackle!

“

Keurek?

”

The spear transformed into lightning that coursed along the chain, shocking the guardian’s arm before returning to Kim Do-Joon. Taunted by the minor damage, the guardian flew into a frenzy and flailed its chains wildly with both hands.

[You have received a Greater Vision Boost.]

[You have received a Greater Speed Boost.]

[You have received a Greater Durability Boost.]

Chains ripped through the air like a tornado. It went right, then up, and then down. Kim Do-Joon swiftly dodged and deflected the chains, training his eyes on their movement. He seized every opportunity to thrust his spear into the gaps.

Although he could not land deep strikes due to the constant dodging, he steadily wore the guardian down. On the surface, it seemed the guardian was dominating, but in reality, it was accumulating damage. The rest of the party watched in stunned silence.

Is Mr. Do-Joon really E-rank?

Uhm... When do we get to attack?

Won’t we just get in the way if we try to join in?

The fight between Kim Do-Joon and the guardian was beyond the party members’ comprehension. They could barely follow the attack with their eyes!

As he evaded, Kim Do-Joon showed an extensive series of movements, making it impossible for the party members to intervene. All they could do was fire an occasional spell from a distance. These hits created openings, making Kim Do-Joon's task a bit easier, so they weren’t useless.

I never realized how incredible he is...

Hwang Hyun-Woo thought, feeling a mix of awe and relief.

Just like Gwak Dong-Gyu, Kim Do-Joon displayed power well beyond his rank. Nevertheless, Hwang Hyun-Woo felt differently toward him, who’d killed Gwak Dong-Gyu and saved everyone.

Could he be a secret disciple of a Master Hunter?

Hwang Hyun-Woo mused, thinking of the few Hunters ranked as S-rank, often called masters. That would explain why Kim Do-Joon was not affiliated with any guild.

Hwang Hyun-Woo’s eyes shone with admiration. Just like children who wrote Hunter as their future career aspirations, Awakeners revered S-rank Hunters, and crafters were no exception.

I’m friends with an amazing person!

Hwang Hyun-Woo gulped. He even called Kim Do-Joon "hyung”! His heart raced, as if being given permission to call a famous athlete by a nickname.

While Hwang Hyun-Woo was lost in thoughts, the battle between Kim Do-Joon and the guardian reached its climax.

“

Keaaak!

” the guardian roared.

Seeing an opening, Kim Do-Joon swung his axe, severing the guardian’s arm. Since it didn’t have the Super Regeneration ability, the wound didn’t heal. Losing one arm reduced the complexity of the guardian’s attack pattern to a mere fraction of what it had been.

Kim Do-Joon became more aggressive. He thrusted his spear forward like cannon fire, striking the guardian's chest. Not stopping there, Kim Do-Joon swung his axe at the guardian’s remaining arm, severing it.

Once the momentum was lost, it never returned. The guardian, who lost all methods of attacking, was basically offering its head to Kim Do-Joon. It fell as Kim Do-Joon severed its neck.

With the guardian defeated, the roots blocking the exit began to crumble.

“

Wow!

W-we did it!” someone shouted.

“We’re alive! We’re actually alive!” another cried.

“It’s finally over! Thank goodness!”

Tears of relief flowed as the party celebrated. Their emotions had been on a rollercoaster since the roots first appeared, but now it was finally over.

[Gigas’ Chains]

The defeated boss dropped an item, which Kim Do-Joon picked up and stored in his inventory. The party members, busy rejoicing and hugging each other, didn’t notice. Well, even if they had, they wouldn’t have said anything because Kim Do-Joon had single-handedly defeated the guardian.

“

Phew

...” Kim Do-Joon also let out a small sigh of relief.

𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

His body ached from numerous wounds and overexertion. Honestly, he felt like lying down right then and there.

“Let’s get out,” Kim Do-Joon said.

“Yes, let’s get out of here!” the party members responded eagerly, following him to the exit.

***

“

Huh?

”

“Look! The dungeon is opening!”

The roots blocking the dungeon crumbled, clearing the entrance.

Gulp—

The only sound that could be heard was someone nervously swallowing. If someone walked out, it meant the boss was defeated; if not, it was total annihilation.

At last, someone shouted, “ I see people!”

“They are the Hunters who went in!”

Kim Do-Joon and his party walked out, followed by the sound of camera shutters and flashes going off everywhere. The party was visibly moved to see people again, whereas Kim Do-Joon only slightly raised an eyebrow.

“Good day, I’m Na Yeon-Seok, a reporter with The Daily News. May I have a moment of your time for an interview?”

“We are so glad that you guys are safe! Can you please tell us what exactly happened inside?”

Reporters swarmed, bombarding the party members with questions. The party members, eager to vent their pent-up emotions, began to speak. Some were tearful, others angry, but all shared the same story: the sudden emergence of the roots, and Gwak Dong-Gyu turning into a monster and attacking them.

“Is this true?”

Both the reporters and onlookers were shocked. Hunters outright turning against each other had become unheard of recently. Although many incidents might go unreported, it’d been a long time since something like this had been made public.

Despite the tragic nature of the events, the reporters were thrilled because this was a major scoop. And the survivors, driven by anger, didn’t hold back.

Then someone asked the critical question. “How did you defeat the boss monster?”

When this question was asked, as if on cue, all the survivors looked in one direction. Following their gaze, everyone turned to see Kim Do-Joon, whose upper body was wrapped in bandages and covered by a shirt. Kim Do-Joon, who’d been trying to sneak past his companions to avoid the reporters, sighed softly.

Meanwhile, a man observed from a distance. It was Baek Hwi-Soo, the leader of Rune Mage Team 1.

“Wait, so that guy took down a B-rank boss by himself?!” Baek Hwi-Soo could not hide his astonishment.

Gwak Dong-Gyu’s criminal actions were surprising, but Kim Do-Joon subduing him and then defeating the boss far outweighed that.

Hmm... So his name is Kim Do-Joon...

The name etched itself into Baek Hwi-Soo’s mind.

“Wait a second... That guy is...” At the same time, his subordinate mumbled beside him.

“What? What is it? Do you know him?” Baek Hwi-Soo asked.

“

Uhm,

I can’t say I know him exactly. But it’s just that... that guy has the same name as someone we made a contract with. The resemblance is also uncanny,” the subordinate replied.

“He’s someone we made a deal with? Who?” Baek Hwi-Soo asked, curious.

The Rune Mage Guild had contracts with so many people, so Baek Hwi-Soo couldn’t figure out who he was.

“He’s one of the potion suppliers. He doesn’t supply much, but he’s reliable and punctual. The support team likes him for that,” said the subordinate.

Hearing that, Baek Hwi-Soo’s eyes widened.

***

“

Phew...

” Kim Do-Joon sighed.

— Welcome back.

Siwelin was there to greet Kim Do-Joon when he returned to his shop.

“Thank you. I’m back,” Kim Do-Joon replied.

Kim Do-Joon had become accustomed to her greetings. Dealing with the barrage of questions of the reporters left him with a headache. He had to be mindful of what he was revealing to the media.

In the end, I pleaded the fifth.

Kim Do-Joon thought it was better to say nothing at all. The full story would be revealed through the other party members anyway. Therefore, using his injuries as an excuse, Kim Do-Joon rushed out of the scene.

He planned to visit his daughter but to do so, he’d have to treat his wounds and freshen up first.

“I’m sorry, but could you please help me with this?” Kim Do-Joon asked.

He sat down, took off his shirt, and asked Siwelin to heal him. He undid the bandages that were carefully wrapped by Hwang Hyun-Woo, revealing wounds that hadn’t yet healed.

“...!”

Siwelin gasped at the sight but didn’t ask any questions, focusing on healing Kim Do-Joon. Soon, a warm energy flowed from her hands, closing the gashes on his chest and the smaller cuts scattered across his body.

While receiving treatment, Kim Do-Joon suddenly remembered something and rummaged through his inventory. He pulled out a small stone.

[Skill Rune: Shadow Bind]

Then, one question lingered in his mind.

Is this considered an item?

He decided to use his copy-paste skill on it.

[The item effect of the Skill Rune: Shadow Bind can be copied and pasted onto Kim Do-Joon.]

[Item effect available for copy-pasting:]

1. Learn the skill of Shadow Bind.

Then, a message window popped up. As he read it, instead of joy, Kim Do-Joon’s eyes sharpened with caution.