Dungeon Hunter - Chapter 81
Chapter 81: Episode 22. Angels (1)
The busy days continued to fly by as I had to check up on the Tree of Origin, take a look at the situation within the dungeon, and also check up on the Japanese dungeon as well.
Especially the Japanese dungeon—the laying of the treasure must’ve been effective, because the number of points I was earning lately was on an upward trend. The monthly earnings used to be around forty thousand points, but now it was hovering around fifty-five thousand, so the improvement could be considered quite noticeable. There were plenty of people looking to get rich quickly in Japan, it seemed.
The Japanese dungeon’s fairy, Guyo, was the type to perform her duties diligently without anyone telling her what to do. When I raised the permitted amount of points to use, the very first thing she created was the labyrinth. By raising the walls and creating several different branching paths, it became that much simpler to hide the treasure. This characteristic of her was definitely different from Lyhee.
‘Goblins are still the dominant force.’
Through the dungeon inside affair mode, I figured out the current state of the monsters in one go. The number of Goblins alone exceeded six digits, while the percentage of variants appearing was around 0.03 percent. In other words, if ten thousand were born, three of them would end up as variants. They could be a Champion Goblin, an Arch-Goblin, or something else… It seemed that this could come in handy later.
I couldn’t wait to see just how far the rate of generation for unique creatures, such as Saber Tigers, would rise when the Tree of Origin began showing its effects properly.
‘Too bad there aren’t any higher-ranked species besides Saber Tigers,’ I thought to myself.
Unlike the situation with Goblins, the number of Saber Tigers couldn’t be increased by much. Never mind the costs involved, even the reproduction rate was very different. The Goblin, which was the lowest-ranked monster, could be bought for around 25 points, but on the other hand, a single Saber Tiger cost 5,200 points. Goblins often gave birth to a dozen-plus offspring, but Saber Tigers could only give birth to one, maybe five or six cubs at most.
In a variety of ways, more time was required.
“I shall invest 500,000 more points. If you want, I shall also grant you the authority to freely utilize those funds.”
“Really?? Guyo’s so happy!”
Guyo leaped up and down in joy.
She had already been feeling the urgency of the situation ever since the dungeon’s ownership had been transferred. But now, with the authority to utilize 500,000 points, Guyo should be able to start the work she’d been thinking of all this time.
I made sure to sound like I was saying this in passing. “I’m planning to grant equal opportunities to everyone in the future, which includes both you and Lyhee, as well as other fairies that will join us later.”
“Guyo will do her best.”
Guyo quickly nodded her head.
Maybe I was just tired of getting disappointed with Lyhee over trivial things, but Guyo came across as far more dependable right now. Of course, I wasn’t going to rely on a moment’s judgement, but on my observation over a longer period of time. After all, Lyhee and Guyo both had their good and bad points.
The light in my eyes shone even brighter.
‘I need to become stronger.’
A power too great for a single demon to possess, yet not quite enough to go up against a whole faction—that was my current situation. My plan was to support my strength and then explode all at once to take the leading spot, so I definitely had a need to efficiently enhance my power.
For the time being, everything was going swimmingly. I felt confident in completing a legion that no faction could ignore in a few years if things kept moving as they were.
A legion of mine, and mine alone! Just imagining it made me feel deeply pleased.
That was probably why I had been a little too relaxed lately. In the past two years, no enemy could threaten me, and I ended up believing that the status quo would continue on into the future as well.
Unfortunately, a hole opened up in the skies and ‘they’ descended, completely upending that belief in the process.
[A special event has been generated.]
[Event ‘Angel Hunt’ has commenced.]
[Dimensional Gates will be generated in seven locations on Earth. Angels appearing from these Gates will instinctively attack the nearby dungeons. Attacks from the angels possess an opposing nature to the dungeon’s barrier and are capable of rendering the barriers powerless as a result. If the barriers disappear, the existence of the dungeon itself will be threatened. Therefore, you’re advised to pay extreme caution.]
[The rewards from the event are as follows:
Dominions Hashumal 1 individual – 5,000,000pt
Virtus 3 individuals – 1,000,000pt
Powers 10 individuals – 300,000pt
Rulers 50 individuals – 100,000pt
Angels 1,850 individuals – 5,000pt
Please hunt more angels than the others. Protect your dungeon and the Dungeon Core from the angels. If the Dungeon Core is lost to the angels, the location will be declared a “Holy Site.” In a Holy Site, the strength of all demons and monsters will be reduced, but all angels’ abilities will be enhanced.]
[We wish for the player’s health.]
A lengthy message window popped up without any warning whatsoever. At the same time, a rift began appearing in the sky. Even I was deeply flustered by this development.
‘Angels, you say?’
My expression crumpled unattractively in an instant. My fists were clenched tight, and my lips were drying up.
The location of the rift was the sky over South Korea. This place was somehow selected as one of the seven locations on Earth.
However, this was strange. Angels were making their entrance already? Something was off. Not only that, but I couldn’t understand why a Dimensional Gate had to appear here in Korea, either.
‘This should’ve only happened in twenty years’ time, so why…’
Angels had also showed up back in the previous timeline. It was around the time when the war was in full swing. Over half of the planet laid in ruins, and less than twenty demons remained by that point.
They were the truly strong that had gone through the repeated filtering process of countless battles. Numerous powerful monsters rallied under their banners, too. That was why they oh-so-easily destroyed the angels that appeared through the Dimensional Gates. Exactly like it was named, what happened back then was basically a “bonus” event.
Two of the demon dukes did perish after an Archangel and a Seraph descended in the 30-year time period, but that had also happened in the distant future. More importantly, though, not even once did a Dimensional Gate open up in South Korea back then.
‘Things have changed.’
One may ask, what has?
Of course, the future.
But, why?
‘Is it because of… me?’
My hardened expression didn’t relax. It was understandable, considering it had only been two years.
Even small ripples could affect the future greatly, yes, but I hadn’t done all that many things to begin with. It was impossible to figure out why the future had changed so much.
I climbed up to the peak of the dungeon and quietly stared at the skies above.
A short while later, the Dimensional Gate, the so-called “Heaven’s Door” that was decorated with all sorts of jewels, opened up, and angels poured out in droves.
Angels appeared as the Heaven’s Door opened up, their numbers easily reaching several hundreds.
Their pure-white wings, plus the shining halos above their heads that signified their identity showed off their formidable presence.
The angels remained in the air, busily scanning their vicinity. They seemed slightly flustered and didn’t seem to be in a hurry to move from their current spots. It was as if they had ended up in a completely unexpected destination and were cautiously taking in their new environment.
As for the Heaven’s Door, it vanished without a trace after vomiting out these angels.
“What are they?”
“Angels?”
People walking on the streets, people busy with their work, and even those in the middle of driving all stared up at the angels in the sky. It was rather obvious that their attention would be focused there with the powerful, bright rays of light emitted when these winged creatures made their entrance.
Not too long after, several angels raised their hands up high. Silver rings were then generated above their hands, and after emitting light, these rings began sending out arcs of a massive scale.
This sight resembled a radar, and in reality, it was correct to call it a radar, as well.
The angels detected something somewhere, then began migrating as a group in that direction. Their new destination was Mount Bukhan, the place where South Korea’s dungeon existed.
I frowned deeply. ‘What should I do?’
I sensed the incredible divinity coming from the horde of the angels. Even with the considerable distance between us, there was no way I could miss that.
I climbed up on the dungeon’s outer wall and quietly cast my gaze in the direction of the incoming angels.
‘Dominions Hashumal.’
I recalled the words that had showed up on the message window.
Hashumal. The angel of the second sphere who was fourth in the hierarchy, tasked with spreading the sovereignty of God.
She wasn’t someone to take lightly at all. Even back in my previous life, countless demons and monsters had ended up suffering tremendously at her hands. The powerful light of divinity she fired was so bright that one could barely keep their eyes open, and it also instantly healed the angels who had lost their ability to fight, causing the flow of the battle to turn on its head several times in the past.
But this… Well, this single massive ball of divine power definitely belonged to Dominions Hashumal.
Who’d have thought that one of the seven gates would appear in South Korea?
‘Do I need to fight them?’
Well, they were about to attack my dungeon, so I couldn’t just sit back and watch anymore.
However, the problem was with how many of my trump cards I was willing to reveal while fighting back. It was rather obvious that the masters of the dungeons in the nearby countries would show up here after detecting the powerful divinity. That would be the real threat.
Demons didn’t know that I was hiding in South Korea. If they did, they wouldn’t have left me in peace. If it was Ufa, I’d have been invaded by the full might of the archduke’s army by now, and as for the other archdukes, they would most likely try to keep me in check or pressure me in some other way.
No one knowing my whereabouts was my safety net.
Being discovered at this point in time would place massive hurdles in my way. I could even end up in an all-out war.
At the very least, neither I nor the Giantes should show our faces, because the latter had become a known quantity during the events of the Devildom auction. And it would be also safer for me to keep not only the Griffin, but both Krathra and Krithli somewhere in the reserve, too. If it was known that I possessed highest-grade monsters, there was a possibility that they would think about me, or consider me a rising dark horse and try to suppress me. So yes, hiding these monsters would be for the best.
‘For now…’
There was a distance of around two miles. That was the gap between the angels and the dungeon.
‘…I’ll buy myself some time.’
The event had already started. Since I couldn’t avoid it, I had to wait until everything reached its zenith.
I didn’t know the detailed ins and outs of this event, but regardless of that, this wasn’t a small stage. One move could turn the tables. Maybe, this was a great opportunity that would help me gain upward momentum.
On the other hand, a possibility certainly existed that just one misstep would result in my descent to the deepest pits of hell. This was one match where my fate hung in balance.
That was why… I couldn’t do this alone.
I nodded my head and stood up from my spot.
I pulled out two square steel plates from the magic pouch, two silver-colored plates with no distinguishing features at all.
I bit my fingertip and drew blood before rubbing it on these two plates.
Buzzzz—
At almost the same time, the silver-colored plates absorbed my blood and began emitting light.
[Automated Golems “M1” and “M2” are activating.]
[Manufactured tens of thousands of years ago with the essence of magic integrated within them, “M1” and “M2” are the strongest Golems available. A portion of Dark Lord Hum’s breath, blood vessels, and heart have been transplanted in them.]
The plates began unfolding and soon began changing into the outer appearances of armor. Eventually, two knights outfitted in silver full-body armor stood there. Their height was about six feet tall, similar to me. These two carrying lances were the greatest Golems of all time.
Their external appearance was, honestly speaking, quite different from the average Golem. But in terms of how diligently they carried out the orders of their masters, they weren’t too different from their peers.
These Golems were one of the five other items I had acquired during the Devildom auction besides the Sloth, the Earth Dragon’s remains, the Statue of the Goddess of Prosperity, Astral Code, Secret Potion of the Wiseman, Smile of the Sun, and the Tears of the Moon.
To find out their detailed specs, I opened my Mind’s Eye.
Name: M1, M2
Ability Level:
Power 87, Intelligence 0
Speed 86, Strength 84, Mana 57
Potential (314/314)
Special Note: Existences created to be complete from the beginning. Will not grow stronger, and since there is no need for ego, their intelligence will constantly remain at 0. However, they are the strongest Golems and will carry out their master’s order no matter what it is.
Skill: Berserk(U)
They were warriors that specialized completely in close-range combat, imbalanced creations that easily rivaled the highest-tier monsters in terms of their pure physical stats. Their magic resistance was pitifully low, so they would suffer great damage when exposed to certain skills, but I wasn’t worried, since these Golems could quite easily dodge most average attacks to begin with.
On top of this, the “Berserk(U)” was a hidden trump card that could hit enemies when they least expected it. The moment this skill was activated, the Golem would continue to run rampant among the enemies until its body turned to dust.
That wasn’t the end, though. I took out a potion bottle from the pouch as well.
Called “Wind Powder,” it was also one of the five other items I had acquired from the Devildom auction, and it came with a rather useful option.
The skill “Fly(R)” would be bestowed on the target that the powder was sprinkled on, the duration depending on the amount sprinkled in the first place. As the name implied, it allowed one to fly.
With no hesitation, I poured a lot of the Wind Powder on the two Golems.
M1 and M2 might not have been able to learn this skill, but they would still reliably utilize it according to my orders as long as it had been properly programmed.
It was time to greet the angels and announce ourselves.
[Angels have commenced with their assault. Damage is being accumulated on the dungeon’s barrier.]
[Durability of a Rare-grade dungeon’s barrier is considerably high. However, it’ll still be extinguished if damaged over a long period of time.]
[Barrier durability 4,999,341/5,000,000]
[Barrier durability 4,998,871/5,000,000]
[Barrier durability 4,998,094/5,000,000]
Message windows continued to pop up without a break.
I placed my hand on the Dungeon Core and unleashed every drop of Mana from my entire frame. “All monsters higher than mid-grade, assemble on the first floor.”
The words I used were just for the sake of firing them up. The important bit was to convey my will. This was a new power added to my authority after the dungeon’s grade rose.
‘I’ll hide my main combat strength. Although, I’m not sure if the remaining forces will be enough…’
If my invaders were only these angels, it wouldn’t be much of a problem. My real issue was with the demons from the nearby countries that were probably already on their way to South Korea.
My preparations weren’t finished yet. I needed more time. That was why I couldn’t afford to show them my main combat force.
[Barrier durability 4,996,099/5,000,000]
The barrier’s durability continued to plummet. At this rate, it wouldn’t last more than two days. Within the next two days, the trusty barrier would end up a torn rag, to put it lightly.
‘I have no choice left but to do it.’
I clenched and unfurled my fists once, then began walking in a specific direction.