Dungeon Hunter Chapter 131:

Chapter 131: The Underground World (2)

I pulled the magic bag tied at my waist .

Fortunately, the bag was still safe . I was recognized as its owner so no one else could take anything out .

'Wrath and the Emperor’s Sword are inside . ’

It was lucky that the items I needed were all contained in the bag .  I checked all the items and stood up .

I started stretching my arms .  It only lasted for 30 seconds . My arms started trembling .

It was difficult for me to even walk .  My stamina was a mess .

'I will have to start from the basics again . ’

It was like when I first stepped foot on the battlefield of the Demon World .

I tried everything I could to survive . I desperately created and mastered techniques .  It seemed like I had to repeat that once again .

'First I will start with my body . ’

It was urgent that I rebuild my muscles .

I had already experienced this once . In addition, my body had a remarkable level of recovery that would allow it to reach its original state . It was something I personally experienced daily . Despite having trouble walking on the first day, my muscles had recovered a lot by the second day .

‘It isn’t a simple preservative . ’

In particular, the effects of the ‘Jellim’ branches were excellent .  It rejuvenated my body and made it more resilient . My weakened magic power was also returning . It was only a matter of time before I could use a skill .

‘Wrath . The Emperor's sword . '

Were they originally so heavy? I could feel the weight and had to hold one sword with both hands .

Huuk!

It was like I had never held a sword before . I laughed as I recalled the first time I used a sword .

‘This is the feeling . ’

It happened when I was exactly 12 years old . I was forcibly mobilized for the war and received sword training . Approximately 30 demons of a similar age were gathered but only two could survive to become proper soldiers .

I tenaciously survived . I used every last bit of my strength to survive using the sword .

At that time, I remembered looking into the instructor’s eyes . I had confidence that I wouldn’t lose to soldiers .

‘Those eyes are filled with hate . ’

After the victory in battle that day!

I challenged the drunk instructor to a duel and killed him .  Otherwise, I instinctively knew that I would be killed .  I was committed to my survival . War was occurring everywhere in the Demon World . Only those with true power could have freedom .

'That was the period when I grew the fastest . ’

It also happened with a demon . The evil Brigsiel was a demon whose last name I took after killing him . Despite being sloppy, he was still one of the 72 demons .

Following that, I put effort into becoming even stronger . My development slowed after meeting the grand dukes . But after receiving strength from Death Bringer’s offer . . . was it really ‘power’ due to my efforts?

Of course, I couldn’t deny all my efforts when touring the battlefields in the Demon World . I was a little bit fiercer but I was still responsible for the constraints on myself .

‘I tried after going back . At the very least, I did better than my previous life . However, I still couldn’t erase the feeling of being insufficient . ’

I became complacent due to the memories of my previous life . This had become clear now that I thought about it .

I needed to rely on true abilities rather than stats .

The battle against Grand Duke Okullos had been a result of that pride .  If I had made a little more effort on my own then the story might be different .

It was one of numerous possibilities but . . . in order to do that, I needed to cross a wall .

‘I need to recreate my body, so I might as well raise my pure strength . ’

I wanted to rise on my own, without relying on anyone else .

I gripped Wrath and the Emperor’s Sword again .

‘Haien Moon . ’

It was impossible to perfectly imitate even when using Corruption . It was 99% similar, but a critical 1% was still missing .

I would make the sword technique entirely my own .

I glanced up at the sky .

“The moon is floating here as well . ”

Late in the evening .

I wielded my swords under the moonlight .

My movements didn’t stop until I felt exhausted and was about to collapse .

 

This continued for six days .

I increasingly adapted to the weight of the swords .

‘This is the impact of Corruption or the influence of something else . ’

I wielded my swords on top of a cliff and thought for a moment .

I was curious about the reason why I came to the Underground World .

It clearly affected my body . The magic power flowing around due to the Heart of the Hell Monarch still wasn’t consistent . However, the muscles in my body had clearly degraded after I woke up . It must be due to using Corruption or dealing with Contegonom .

I couldn’t use Corruption again . It was too dangerous . I pushed those questions aside and focused on the recovery of my body .

I turned my head and glanced at someone .

‘Jeff . ’

The undead Jeff .

A short distance away, his sleek body was practicing with a sword .

"Assa! Urassha!”

He shouted out loud . He was learning quite well .

Jeff had been repeating these actions since two days ago .

After seeing me practice the sword and the talk of ‘war,’ he would always come here . He cried out and would sometimes look over at me .  He was asking ‘how are my skills?’

Certainly, his ability to handle a sword wasn’t bad . It was clear in practice, but there was no knowing how he would fare in battle .

"Spar with me once . ”

I walked over with my sword .

My moderate stamina meant I could use the swords .

There was one thing left . I needed to gradually get my body accustomed to fighting again .

The corners of Jeff’s mouth lifted .

"Is it okay? You have recovered quite a bit, but a sword fight . . . ”

He had been watching me for a few days .

Haien Moon’s sword technique was complicated . From a third party point of view, it was a hard sword dance . Moreover, I was going slowly through it step by step so misunderstandings couldn’t arise . Jeff had noticed the deepness behind my sword technique .

“You can’t do it?”

“What? Me? Hah, no . I have killed hundreds on the battlefield . Jeff who killed 100 warriors! That’s me!”

He hit his chest .

There was confidence in his skills . And he also felt pride .

I said calmly .

"Then let’s make a bet . The winner will get whatever they want from the loser . How about it?”

"The winner gets anything they desire?”

“That’s right . ”

Jeff looked at my swords .

Wrath and the Emperor's Sword .

They weren’t plain looking weapons . The magic power from them felt incredible .  Anyone who inspected them would feel greedy .

The swords looked great even when they were still . He started drooling once he saw them in action .  There was a feeling of tension because the swords could kill . However, slowing down the movements was effective in showing the swords off .

Now he was given a chance to obtain them .

Jeff licked his lips .

"Those swords . Give me both of them . Randalph, do you still want to face me?”

"Say that after you win . ”

“You should listen to me . Huhu . ”

At the same time, Jeff widened the distance .

He was holding a curved sword like a scimitar .  He seemed completely confident .

‘In my current state, I will be lightly pushed . ’

I objectively analyzed . My body had adapted but it was still slightly lacking . But my growth was lacking a driving force .

Yes . . . winning a dull fight wasn’t fun .

“Come . ”

“Haha! Won’t you regret this?”

I shrugged and Jeff clicked his tongue .

Victory . The one who struck first in a fight was more likely to win .

I didn’t do that .

I was trying to save as much stamina as possible .

Fortunately, Jeff entered in range first .

"Huraah!”

 

Jeff's swordsmanship was excellent .  He seemed familiar with fighting .

It wasn’t a lie that he had killed 100 people .

But . . . that was it . It was regrettable, but he was lacking in sophistication .  He didn’t know how to distribute his power properly against the opponent .

I slowly wore Jeff down before ending with my sword at his neck .

'It was hard . ’

It only took 10 minutes but I was exhausted .

In addition, there were wounds all over my body . It was because I only defended the important areas .

"No way! I was sure I would win . . . ”

Jeff was astonished .

He consistently had the advantage when attacking .  It only appeared like that on the surface .

I put down the sword and said briefly .

"Jeff, you will fight me every day for the next 30 days . ”

Jeff was a suitable opponent to check my physical condition .

 

Over time, the fights became more heated . My physical condition improved but Jeff became more desperate when fighting .

"You monster-like fellow!”

Taeeng!

On the 20th day, Jeff was lying on the ground with his sword in his hand .

20 days and 20 losses!

Now he couldn’t even last one minute against me .

"Just kill me! Stop teasing me!”

"I can't do that . ”

"Ugh . . . strong . I will bite my tongue and kill myself . ”

Jeff sat down and sighed .

Jjak jjak jjak!

At that moment, Torium showed up .

“You have really great skills . It seems like they are improving every day . ”

"What are you doing here today?”

“Don’t worry . Today is the last time I will come . ”

Torium’s face had darkened .

At the same time, Jeff’s head sunk down even more .

“Did something happen?

"Commander Makdalli of the central area has decided to advance to the south . Jeff and I . . . we need to be prepared . ”

"Prepared?”

"Don’t we have to protect our home? We have lived in the south for 50 years . We can’t give it up now . ”

Torium’s eyes shone with determination .

There was a strong will to protect .

"Have you found a way for me to return?”

Jeff and Torium had been searching for a way to return me, but now a war had started . Torium’s expression changed at my question .

"I have looked for every possible method . The one thing that I found . . . ”

“I want to hear it . ”

"In fact, I didn’t want to say it . The truth about this world . I was too ashamed to say it but now I can’t do anything else . ”

I folded my arms .  It was a sit back and watch attitude .

Torium opened his mouth .

"This world is fake . A fake world made by the Hell Monarch . ”

“ . . . Hell Monarch?”

I involuntarily said .

Hell Monarch . A familiar name!

Torium continued speaking with a solemn attitude .

"He is a very scary person also known as the Shadow Emperor . He is already dead but we were tricked into coming to this place . In fact, Jeff and I have never seen him . . . at any rate, the commanders are meant to protect his treasures . Their role is to protect them until he returns to this world one day . However, they have become distorted over time . ”

Torium sighed .

“They started competing against each other for the ‘legitimate rights’ to the treasure trove . But, all the commanders agree that the treasure trove of the Hell Monarch should be opened . This is the only way to leave this place . It is self-explanatory that opening the treasure trove will cause a change in this world . ”

Torium shook his head before continuing .

"All the commanders agree, but they are killing each other for the sole right to open it . Some commanders have caused wars over it . It was the start of a long, long war that hasn’t ended . . . ”

“The Cruel Commander Maxium . ”

I interrupted Torium .

Torium’s eyes widened .

"How do you know that name?”

"Is he in this world?”

"Y-yes . . . ! He was a neutral commander but now he has declared war!”

Ahh .  The fog slowly lifted .

This was related to my heart .  And the Cruel Commander Maxium was someone I bought from the Achievements Store .

Now I knew what I had to do .

I thought I had fallen into an unknown world, but there was a reason for it .

Torium asked with a pale face .

"I never said the name so how do you know that? That name is synonymous with terror for us . He doesn’t often participate in the war, so few have seen his true abilities . However, his name is like a taboo among us . Even Jeff would never say his name . . . ”

His eyes looked at me carefully .

I raised the Emperor’s Sword .

This was Maxium’s sword . He gave it to me . Its true identity was a weapon used by the Hell Monarch .

“Torium . This war, I will also be participating . ”

I said it quietly .

However, there was a heavy weight to my words .  If this was the only way to return . . .

I would have to make this world that stopped moving my own .