Chapter 15
Level 10 Hero
“… Finally, it’s done. After two whole days.”
It took me a full two days to finally complete the ideal collection of aether. Despite the sticky stench of corpses all over my body, making me nauseous, my eyes were fixed on the aether flask before me. It was to confirm the contents within.
[Currently Stored Aether]
[Water Aether (4): The condensed essence of the Water God Ecrash. It heals wounds and restores stamina.]
[Earth Aether (3): The condensed essence of the Earth God Thorcalte. It temporarily boosts defense drastically.]
[Wind Aether (3): The condensed essence of the Wind God Skyte. It temporarily boosts agility drastically.]
“Who would’ve thought that Water Aether would be this rare…”
Shivering, I stuffed the aether flask into my bag. The days spent hiding among piles of corpses kept replaying in my mind.
For some reason, the water-based aether I sought wasn’t appearing, while fire-based aether kept popping up everywhere. Does this world have some sort of greed sensor? I feel like I’d lose it just seeing another red glow.
“Well, at least I ate before coming here, so it’s fine. Otherwise, I might’ve starved to death.”
After hiding for a full three days, my hunger was surprisingly manageable, all thanks to the lunch I had before entering the Trial Veil. It was a habit that Skaro had emphasized—“Self-improvement through adversity,” or whatever it was—but I never thought it would help me like this.
It’s surprising how only three days have passed. To me, who has repeatedly experienced death, it feels like dozens of days have gone by.
“Skaro… Seseona… Old man Aldcon and Crane too… I hope they’re all doing well.”
Such thoughts made me reminisce about the connections I made in the Trial Veil. My desolate state seemed to make me more sentimental than usual. I quickly snapped out of it and shook my head.
“If I’m curious, I should just get out of here and check on them.”
I muttered this to myself, reaffirming my resolve. My eyes then turned towards the dark pathway ahead. Suddenly, I tilted my head.
During these three days, no strange figures have shown up near the pile of corpses.
Judging by the state of decay, it seems that the corpses were still being moved and stacked shortly before I arrived here. But since then, it’s as if they’ve vanished without a trace.
“Do they… already know I’m here?”
A chilling thought crossed my mind, but I quickly dismissed it.
If they knew, there’d be no reason to leave me alone. Remembering my previous deaths at their hands, it’s clear they wouldn’t show mercy.
I vividly recall the piercing gaze that glimmered in the darkness.
—It’s all because of you guys. Trash like you. I won’t let them suffer anymore.
It was one of the mutterings by the strange figure right before I died in my previous life.
The reason they are killing me and stacking these corpses has something to do with me. Maybe something I don’t know about…
“Anyway, thanks for staying away. Not coming makes things easier for me.”
Why should I care about the reasons of someone trying to kill me? I stretched my stiff body and checked my condition.
[Name: Park Jeong-yong]
[Nickname: The 163417413th Hero, Guardian of the Demon King’s Egg, One bound by Immortality.]
[Level: 2]
[Health: 105/105 MP: 100/100 Physical State: Hungry]
[Strength: 10 Agility: 13 Intelligence: 10 Hero Sense: 3]
[Remaining Ability Points: 0]
Other than the change in my physical state from normal to hungry, there was nothing particularly unusual. The only thing to mention might be how underwhelming it is.
Well, it doesn’t matter. I have plans to level up this underwhelming existence starting now.
“I hope it’s a while before I have to see those lunatics again.”
I rubbed my hands together and drew the Vestark from my waist. With a hissing sound, the pitch-black blade began to tremble in the light.
I stared at it for a moment, then turned my gaze back to the darkness beyond the passage.
The deep, damp darkness beckoned to me.
“…Let’s go. Time to level up.”
Reflecting on the countless deaths of my past lives, I cautiously took the first step forward.
The sticky sound of my footsteps echoed behind me with every step.
*
Based on my experience, the only monsters distributed in this sewer are Hunting Rats.
Though I haven’t explored the left or right ducts, at least the front and back are confirmed. Thus, my planned targets for hunting are Hunting Rats.
Having already been defeated soundly by them before, I ensured that my research and planning were thorough.
‘There’s a method to killing these beasts.’
Step one: Send out a signal.
Step two: Surround the prey.
Step three: Gang up and attack all at once.
Step four: Once they bite, they won’t let go even if the prey is dead.
Step five: Game over.
‘In essence, if they reach step two, it’s game over.’
Being surrounded gives them the upper hand. I lack the confidence to defend against their group attacks, even at level 2. Back at level 5, I didn’t have the reflexes to handle it, so there’s no way I can now.
Based on my 17th life, where I reached level 11, I can adequately counter their attacks from around level 8. Reaching level 11 was purely due to luck.
At my current level, attacking head-on is out of the question. I need a trick. A cheap trick so base even rats would shiver.
“I have to kill them before any signals are sent.”
That’s my core strategy.
But if it were easy, there’d be no need for me to observe their ecology by hiding in a pile of corpses for an entire day.
For this strategy to succeed, two conditions must be met.
‘First: Identify the leader.’
Like most swarm creatures, Hunting Rats have a leader. The “signal” identifying prey is also initiated by this leader.
If you take out the leader first, the others lose their signal source. More importantly, once the leader is gone, the group becomes disorganized. What remains is simply mowing down the scattered rats.
For reference, I already know how to identify the leader. Though it’s challenging since there’s no glaring characteristic, the leader has a slight horn-like bone growth on the forehead—something I discovered through several experiments.
‘Second: Only hunt at night.’
This is due to a special item I received from Minerva. I rummaged through my backpack and pulled out the item.
It was a palm-sized emblem glowing faintly with the silvery light of the moon.
[Item Info]
[Name: Emblem of the Holy Maiden]
[Adjustment: All stats are increased by 1.5 times on moonlit nights. During a full moon, this is doubled.]
[Details: An emblem blessed by the ancient holy maiden Luna Ruuba. The stored power of the moon enhances your combat abilities at night. Filled with affection for the fallen first hero.]
[Reinforcement Possible: 1]
Stats increase by an incredible 1.5 times, and during a full moon, it doubles. This is roughly equivalent to leveling up by 3 to 4 levels.
As levels increase and stats grow stronger, the synergy of this item will skyrocket, making it one of the rare items that deserves the title “broken” in my inventory.
Therefore, I can only hunt at night. This increases the chances of successfully ambushing the leader, even if slightly.
‘And it’s night now.’
The emblem in my hand glowed faintly, informing me of this. Given the ambiguous sense of time in the sewer, this item also functions as a sort of clock.
“Alright, let’s do this.”
I tightly gripped the emblem and stashed it in my pouch. Sword in hand, I slowly approached the group of Hunting Rats lounging nearby.
Breathing quietly, I carefully observed. There were about 8 of them. I scrutinized each of their foreheads carefully, and then my eyes flickered.
I found the leader.
‘Carefully… drive the sword in all the way… complete the spin. No breathing!’
Unlike in previous lives, I wasn’t going to perform the brainless charge-and-die maneuver. The leader is far more sensitive than the rest, so every precaution must be taken.
Then, at the perfect moment, I made my move. The leader, not noticing my approach, turned its back to me.
‘Now!!’
I took a deep breath and rammed my sword into it.
A sickening sound of flesh and bone twisting filled the air. The sensation was familiar from previous lives, but even so, I refrained from yelling out.
Squawk, squawk!
The leader thrashed around in its death throes, emitting not signals but screams. The other rats, confused and startled, fidgeted nervously.
My lips curled into a cruel smirk, and I tightened my grip on the sword.
“Die!”
With that, I spun a full circle, driving the sword deeper. The rat stretched out its body in one final convulsion before going limp. It was dead.
Ding. Familiar chimes sounded, and a panel appeared.
[Skill ‘Back Strike’ has been acquired.]
[Skill ‘Stealth’ has been acquired.]
[Skill ‘Vital Strike’ has been acquired.]
A single ambush netted me three new skills. It was likely due to my passive skill ‘Prometheus.’
Without further ado, I swatted the panel away and immediately drew my sword. The rat’s innards clung to the blade, making a squelching sound as I wiped them off. Though my face was scrunched up in distaste, I cleaned the blade quickly.
Squawk! Squawk!
The surrounding lesser Hunting Rats were already scattering in panic, desperately trying to escape. But I knew they wouldn’t get far.
Their command structure is stricter than expected. Without receiving an order from the leader, they won’t flee, no matter what.
“… Just stay and become my experience points… you damn oversized rats!”
I muttered under my breath, advancing towards the clustered rodents.
For reference, I’ve been killed by these rats in four separate lives. Including the near-death in life number 18, that’s exactly five times now. I think that’s more than enough reason to slaughter them mercilessly.
SPLAT, SPLAT, SPLAT! Like playing whack-a-mole, I stabbed each rat as it scuttled across the floor. They died without making a sound, convulsing once before going still.
This was no longer just monster-slaying.
It was a massacre.
“Hmph. That’s that.”
After the commemorative first hunt, I collapsed from the sudden release of tension. The smell of death was overwhelming due to the pile of corpses around me, each rat as big as a human torso.
Pinsching my nose while trying to relax, I kept hearing celebratory fanfares. No matter how many times I hear them, they never seem to fit the situation.
[Level Up!]
[You’ve gained 3 Ability Points.]
[You’ve gained 1 Skill Point.]
[Level Up!]
[You’ve gained 3 Ability Points.]
[You’ve gained 1 Skill Point.]
Hunting all 8 rats boosted me to level 4 in one go. Recalling how killing 10 rats barely got me one level at level 5, it’s clear that the experience cap grows steeper as levels increase.
“Well, at least it’s getting easier, not harder.”
Step by step. I decided to keep a positive attitude and play it safe. The higher I level up, the easier the hunts will become. Allocating 3 Ability Points each to Strength and Agility, the bonus stats from the Emblem of the Holy Maiden would be enough to reach level 8 status in practice.
At this point, I wouldn’t need to rely on such underhanded tactics to withstand their ambushes or fight methods.
Of course, I’ll keep using them anyway.
‘There’s no point in just planning. Let’s level up now.’
I allocated my stats, giving 3 each to Strength and Agility.
Then, opening my Skill Menu, I invested points in the newly acquired ‘Stealth’ and ‘Back Strike’ skills.
[Skill Acquired – Stealth LV.1]
[Details: Decreases detection chance when approaching targets. Increases critical hit rate upon successful attacks.]
[Skill Acquired – Back Strike LV.1]
[Details: Increases critical hit rate and attack power when ambushing enemies from behind.]
This was a risky move. I debated putting points into Divine Favor, which carries over into future lives, no matter how many times I die. But this time, I decided to go for long-term growth.
Even if Back Strike doesn’t matter much, Stealth is essential for my current hunting method. Preparing it early would only help.
“Yeah. Gotta think long-term.”
I muttered while closing the panel. Then, I gazed deeply into the endless darkness beyond the waterway.
The sound of “Kagakagakaga” felt like it was about to reach my ears at any moment. I instinctively glanced down.
Countless questions filled my mind.
Why has the stalker suddenly stopped coming through the front and back ducts?
Is there a pattern to their movements?
Why are they killing people and stacking their corpses?
And why are they after me?
Despite the mounting questions, there’s no one to provide answers. I shook my head, driving out the thoughts. CHUNK! I stabbed my sword into the ground, using it as a cane to stand.
Rest time is over. So are unnecessary thoughts.
“Next. Let’s go.”
And with that, I resumed my search for prey, wandering through the waterways.
