Master Hunter K Chapter 37:
Chapter 037 – Kutan Desert (4)
“Baaak~!”
Boss “Basilisk” let out a weird cry of pain as it collapsed on the spot . The Operator soon gave out an announcement .
[Boss ‘Basilisk’ defeated]
[Raid Cleared!]
[You will be returned to Hunter’s Hall in 1 hour 29 minutes and 44 seconds . ]
Bukitai yelled out loud
“Hey! Are you all alright?”
“I’m alright . ”
Igor responded from next to him . He was drenched in sweat, but not a single injury marked his body .
“I’m… also ok . ”
Ralph replied, still laying on the floor, raising his Axe . He was exhausted after pouring a long chain of attacks on the boss under the effects of ‘Zealot’ .
He looked fatigued, but otherwise had no major injury on him . Last was Munir, but he was nowhere to be seen .
“Alhamdulilah”
Munir was on his knees praying to the heavens . He was caught by the tail and flung in the air, but he also appeared to be well without any life threatening injury . All three of his comrades were okay .
“Whew…”
Bukitai let out a sigh of relief . For one reason or another, he assumed the role of a tank in the raids, but whenever someone died, it felt like it was his fault, even when it wasn’t necessarily true .
Meanwhile, he heard a voice coming from above .
“Well, since everyone looks like they’re alright…”
The hunters looked up at the speaker . Kei, who’s been missing the entire raid, was standing on top of the dead Basilisk .
“If you all will excuse me, I’ll get going then . ”
He hopped and slid down the tail of the Basilisk as if skating and then took off, running into the distance . He ran as if his life depended on it .
Bukitai muttered under his breath upon seeing him leave .
“Where is he going? Raid is already over…”
That man was full of mystery . But it was alright . The raid was over, and the hunters were no longer in a rush . They could rest and take it easy .
Thanks to the large body of the Basilisk, it provided shade from the desert sun . The remaining four hunters sat together under the shade . Ralph tapped the side of the Lizard with his axe and asked
“Anyone see its eyes? I couldn’t move when I saw it . ”
Bukitai nodded .
“Yes, the paralysis was terrifying . ”
Munir replied, biting his lips .
“I thought it was over for me when it grabbed me with its tail, especially when I fell on the ground . Thank God it was sand and not hard earth… Otherwise, I would have been sent to the Almighty . ”
Bukitai remembered something and turned to Igor .
“Ah, that’s right . Thank you, Igor, you have my gratitude . You saved me back there . Thanks to your boomerang-like round shield . ”
Unlike the three other men who were gossiping about the earlier battle, Igor simply nodded to Bukitai instead of speaking up .
‘How did you do that with the shield earlier?’
Bukitai wanted to ask . But he couldn’t . Igor did not look happy despite the raid being complete . Bukitai passed that off as just being Igor’s quirk .
‘Since Russians are naturally cold people…’
However, Igor soon opened his mouth .
“Hey . ”
Everyone turned to look at him . But the target of Igor’s attention was not a man, but the Operator’s Cube .
“Operator, what’s my current raid contribution?”
[Your Contribution is 10 . 3%]
Now everyone was staring at Igor’s cube . Igor’s face twisted in both anger and disappointment . He looked side to side at the others and said
“Quick, check your contributions too!”
One by one, the hunters did as he bid .
‘Zealot’ Ralph:
[Your Contribution is 6 . 3%]
‘High-Level Scout’ Munir:
[Your Contribution is 5 . 9%]
Last, ‘High-Level Guardian’ Bukitai
[Your Contribution is 7 . 1%]
All the hunters were shocked at their levels of contribution . Ralph was first to comment .
“How can this be? I have never earned less than 20% contribution in any raid . Especially once I’ve received this axe…”
Bukitai snorted and added
“…Hmm… Since the 2nd chapter I was always in the first place…”
Munir stroked his beard as he replied
“Me too…”
It was an unbelievable situation . Each of the four hunters had always maintained a minimum contribution level of 20% per raid, and yet all four combined now reached just 29 . 6% . Slightly short of 30% of the total . There was only one possible explanation .
“That Chinese man…”
Igor whispered . The others stared at him . Kei had disappeared once more into the distant desert landscape . Ralph stared off into the distance and commented
“No wonder the boss just randomly appeared…”
Igor suddenly stood up and addressed the other men .
“Listen all, Let’s use whatever remaining time we have left to hunt monsters . What are we doing here, resting? Let’s go try and secure even one more point . ”
The remaining three hunters glanced at each other . And without complaint, all three stood up . They realized that this was the best course of action .
In any given chapter, earning even a single more black coin meant having an easier time in the future chapters . The hunters picked up their weapons and began to move back into the desert .
*
Meanwhile, Sungjin was dashing through the desert dunes . There was only one reason to why he was running; searching for the hidden piece . The scorching sun and the heat were intolerable . Sungjin wanted nothing more than to finish quickly and return to ‘Ninety Nine Nights’ for a nice bath and rest .
But this damnable desert seemed to never end . He had been searching ever since he had killed the raid boss, but he didn’t even run into the boundary line . The only thing breaking the monotony were lizards who from time to time ambushed him from blind spots .
‘So annoying…’
Lizards were killed with a single slash of his sword . After a while, Sungjin stopped for a moment .
He surveyed his surroundings while showering with the magic waterskin . But nowhere did he find anything of interest as far as his eyes could see .
“Haa… Where is it?”
He couldn’t help but be tempted to activate treasure hunter, but he held himself .
There was no way to know how things would progress later . He decided to continue searching for a little longer .
“Operator, is Swift Paw off cooldown?”
[It is available for use . ]
He had used it earlier when searching for the boss, and the cooldown had already ended . Sungjin activated Swift Paw and began combing the desert .
During his search, he found something peculiar in the distance . In the endless ocean of sand, there was an area with a bluish glow .
‘Oasis!’
Sungjin, filled with renewed vigor, ran towards the Oasis . There was no doubt in his mind that the Oasis would hide a ‘Hidden place’ or a ‘Hidden boss’ .
But after running for a while, the Oasis disappeared from view .
“Wait . . ”
Mirage . It was a phenomenon that occurred due to light bending over long distances above hot terrain . Sungjin was aware of such a phenomena, but seeing it for real, he couldn’t help but be disappointed .
Sungjin took a look around . This time, the Oasis was located behind him . He ran towards the Oasis .
And soon, he began to run slower and slower . The Swift Paw active time had run out .
‘The timing…’
Now he had to wait for another five minutes before Swift Paw was available for use . Furthermore, at Sungjin’s dismay, the same thing happened where the Oasis would disappear and appear behind him .
Whenever he would get close to the Oasis, it would disappear like a wisp of smoke . The water and green plants growing by the water’s edge would dissipate into sand dunes without a trace .
Sungjin felt like he was under some illusion spell .
‘Damn it…’
But he couldn’t give up . Once more, he searched for the Oasis . This time, it was in the distance off to the side .
‘I don’t even have Swift Paw…’
But he had no choice . Sungjin diligently climbed the dune and made his way towards the Oasis . And once again, the Oasis disappeared before he got there .
The mirage had again disappeared, and nothing but sand dunes remained . Sungjin was now utterly frustrated and annoyed . He had chased nothing but illusion three times now and felt like someone was toying with him .
He faced the sky and shouted at the top of his lungs
“Fuck!”
It was then that he saw something flying towards him from a distance . It had a Lion’s body with a Human face, sporting a giant pair of wings on its back .
“Sphinx?”
Sungjin prepared to fight . He must have discovered a hidden boss by coincidence . In one hand he prepared his ‘Moon Specter’ and the other, he pointed towards the Sphinx .
Once it reached his targeting range, he began the incantation .
“Incinerate everything in your path!”
[Warning . ]
The Operator began an announcement . He knew the next words .
‘Hidden boss has appeared . ’
But
[Attacking a non-hostile lifeform will cause penalties from the Raid Rewards . ]
Unlike what he was expecting, he got an entirely different warning message . Sungjin hastily canceled the casting of the spell . Not too long after, the Sphinx landed in front of Sungjin .
The Sphinx wasn’t as large as he had thought . The body was about the size of an elephant . It was just that the wings were twice as long as its body, so it greatly exaggerated the size of the Sphinx .
Sungjin looked up at the Sphinx’s face . It was only after their eyes met that the Sphinx began to speak .
“Young wanderer in the desert, what do you seek?”
Sungjin answered simply .
“The Oasis . ”
“I see . I will take you to the Oasis if you are able to answer my riddle . How about it? Will you like to try my riddle?”
Sungjin nodded . Sungjin’s behavior seemed to upset the Sphinx . It asked again .
“Answer with your words . Young Wanderer, will you try to answer my riddle?”
It was another strange character . Without understanding why he was insisting on a verbal reply, Sungjin decided to comply with its wishes .
“…Yes of course . ”
“Good . Here is the riddle . What is the creature that walks on four legs in the morning, two legs at noon and three in the evening?”
It was a question he had heard many times in the past . Sungjin already knew the answer .
“The Answer is Man . ”
“Why is that so?”
“Man crawls on all fours as a baby, then walks on two feet as an adult, and then uses a walking stick in old age . ”
“That is correct . But of course, this is only common sense . I was only testing your common sense . Now I shall give you the real riddle . Are you prepared?”
Sungjin frowned . The Sphinx did not appear to be an honest and forthcoming character . But unlike the Wandering Merchant Ruff Han, it didn’t seem like a character he could threaten at the sword point .
Noting that Sungjin did not answer, it asked him again .
“I ask again . Are you prepared to receive the true riddle?”
It appeared that this creature just loves asking questions . Sungjin decided to act in accordance with its wishes .
“Yes, I am prepared . ”
Finally, the Sphinx told Sungjin the actual riddle .
“Good . Now, Listen well, and answer carefully . ”
Sungjin focused his attention to the Sphinx and watched its lips . The Sphinx spoke out the riddle .
“What is the first cut, the proof of ties? This, owned by all, is utterly useless; and yet without it, you cannot exist . What is this?”