Jin-Woo vaulted to the statue's eye level in a single bound. The peak just before free fall set in. Everything around him seemed to move in slow motion. He could see the glistening droplets of sweat that had bounced off him when he jumped. They were drifting away from him, little by little. A state of extreme concentration. The danger of losing his life with a single misstep had pushed all of his abilities to their absolute limit.
'Is this the true power of the Agility stat…'
The thought that he might be witnessing the very edge of the Agility stat sent his heart pounding like crazy. But there was no time to savor his progress. The statue's gaze was moving toward him, slowly but unmistakably. Seeing the crimson glow building up in its pupils from this close made his entire body break out in goosebumps. One graze and it would be over. The moment that dizzying sensation registered, his mind sharpened.
'Calm down…'
He extended his left hand—the one not gripping the dagger—as far as it would go.
'Ruler's Authority!'
The upgraded version of 'Ruler's Touch' seized the statue's shoulder and pulled. Of course, the statue with its tremendous weight wasn't about to move easily, so the plan was to be pulled toward it instead. Whooom! But contrary to his expectation, the statue's upper body actually shifted forward, even if only a little.
'…!'
A tremendous gravitational force. As 'Ruler's Touch' had evolved into 'Ruler's Authority', the skill's performance seemed to have more than doubled. Thanks to that, Jin-Woo landed on the statue's shoulder with relative ease and raised his head. Ziiing—! A fiercely unleashed red beam swept through the exact spot where he had been standing moments ago.
'Good.'
He was safe from the statue's beam attack for a few seconds now. Jin-Woo sprinted across the statue's shoulder without hesitation and arrived beside its neck. His right hand clamped down on the hilt of the 'Demon King's Dagger'.
'Slash!'
Multiple streaks of silver light rained down like shotgun pellets. Dudududududududu! Dozens of strikes poured onto the neck. But there was no impact. Not a single one dealt a critical wound—they only managed to scratch the surface of the skin.
'The dagger doesn't work?'
The 'Demon King's Dagger', which had shredded the steel-like scales of boss-level nagas like rags, suddenly felt pathetic. Just then. Jin-Woo noticed a massive hand hurtling toward him. Before the hand could close around him, he vaulted over the statue's nape to the opposite shoulder. Glancing down for a split second, the height was dizzying. Jin-Woo turned his face back toward the statue's profile. If this were his first statue, maybe he'd be at a loss, but he had faced plenty of opponents whose skin no blade could pierce.
'If I can't cut through it, I'll smash it!'
He hadn't poured so many points into the Strength stat for nothing. Jin-Woo's eyes hardened with resolve. He jumped lightly and drove his left hand into the statue's temple. Crick! His five left fingers dug into the surface.
'Got it!'
Jin-Woo clenched his left hand tight. Like a rock-climbing expert hanging from a cliff by one hand, he was now firmly anchored to the statue's face. This was as far as preparation went. From here on, it was the real deal. Jin-Woo's right back, shoulder, and arm began to swell abnormally. A terrifying mass of mana had enveloped his right arm. One shot. That was all he needed. Kwoom—! The statue's head, which the dagger hadn't so much as scratched, jerked to the side.
'…!'
Watching that scene, the Angel Statue was visibly shaken. The overwhelming mana radiating from above sent tremors through the air of the entire temple. The Angel Statue, which had been gazing upward, could not hide its intense excitement. So this was how he would do it. To think the kid would handle its masterpiece in such a fashion. Greater anticipation swam in the Angel Statue's eyes. Kwoom—! Jin-Woo's fist struck the statue's face again. It wobbled. For a moment, the statue lost its balance. The attacks were working. But the statue wasn't just going to stand there and take it. Whoosh! The statue brought its enormous palm crashing down on its own face as if swatting a mosquito. Boom—! Jin-Woo had already leaped to the statue's shoulder to dodge the palm, and he grinned. That was basically the statue slapping its own cheek. The instant the palm pulled away, Jin-Woo latched onto the statue's face once more. And then. Bang! Kwoom! Bang! Bang! Kwoom! Horrifying booms echoed nonstop through the cavern. Crick, crizzle. The cracks forming on the statue's face spread in every direction like a spider's web. The staggering statue, struggling to maintain its balance, suddenly broke into a run toward the cavern wall. Boom, boom, boom! Its colossal feet pounded the ground in a frenzy. It looked like it was trying to slam itself into the wall and shake Jin-Woo off.
'But before that…'
Let's end it before that happens. Jin-Woo's fist began striking the statue's face faster, harder, without a shred of mercy. Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Koom! Koom! Koom! The statue's speed increased, and the distance to the wall shrank fast. With a glance, Jin-Woo eyeballed the remaining distance and poured all the strength in his body into his right arm for the final blow. The bulging muscles sent veins rippling to the surface, and a terrifying amount of mana gathered.
'…Alright.'
The power of level 103. Jin-Woo funneled every last bit of it into this single punch. Just before slamming into the wall. Kwabooom—! Crick! With the sound of an overripe watermelon splitting open, the statue's head—half of it now shattered—dropped to its knees. The entire cavern shook. The statue's massive body toppled toward the ground, devoid of all strength. Kuuuun—! A heavy slab of stone collided with bare earth, and a thick cloud of dust billowed up. Jin-Woo walked out through the dust that blanketed the interior like fog.
"Phew."
Jin-Woo exhaled softly. Thump, thump, thump. His heart was still hammering wildly against his eardrums. The statue that had made his legs go weak just from standing across from it was now crumpled on the ground before his eyes. No one else had done this. He had made this happen.
'…I can do it.'
Whatever comes next. The faces of the many Hunters who had lost their lives in this place surged into his mind, and overwhelming emotion washed over him. But as if refusing to let him indulge in sentimentality, the remaining statues began moving quickly. Just as the ones that had been encircling him, closing their perimeter, were about to leap in—Jin-Woo, who had been looking down at his own hands, raised his head.
"Ruler's Authority."
Boom—! Every statue that had simultaneously slammed its head into the ground froze in place. An invisible hand—the power possessed by the 'Ruler's Authority' skill. Jin-Woo looked down at both of his hands once more.
'I've grown even stronger through today's fight.'
He unclenched his fists, then clenched them again. Powerful strength overflowed in both hands—no, in his entire body. He could feel the flow of power. The trembling in his chest wouldn't stop. It felt as if something dormant inside him was awakening through a battle where his life had hung by a thread. Just then. Clap. Clap. Clap. Clap. Clap. Slow applause. Jin-Woo turned his head toward the sound. The Angel Statue was moving both hands in an exaggerated display of clapping, wearing that same grotesque smile.
"Excellent."
But despite the words leaving its mouth, a sinister aura poured from the Angel Statue's eyes. Jin-Woo spoke.
"You promised me an answer, didn't you?"
The statue had said it would tell him the answer—if he could stay standing until the final trial or whatever it was ended. Jin-Woo wanted to hear that answer. But the statue had no intention of giving it up easily, laughing with a rigid, mechanical sound.
"Ha ha."
And it took one step closer.
"The trial isn't over yet."
Another step.
"Right here."
Another step. The Angel Statue, closing the distance with heavy strides, finally stood right in front of Jin-Woo.
"Am I not here?"
Crack, crackle! The long wings attached to the Angel Statue's back twisted and tangled, then all of them transformed into arms. Two arms extending from its shoulders and six arms extending from its back. All eight arms clenched into fists.
"I am the final trial."
Jin-Woo furrowed his brow. But before his mouth could even open, the Angel Statue cut him off.
"There's no need to worry about my life."
Jin-Woo's eyes widened. The statue knew exactly what he was about to say. If I kill you, I won't get my answer—that was what Jin-Woo had been about to say, tinged with irritation.
"Surprised?"
The Angel Statue moved one hand to point at its own head.
"All information about you is stored in here."
No way? Cold sweat formed on Jin-Woo's forehead.
"You really are a sharp one."
Ha ha. The Angel Statue let out another mechanically rigid laugh. Then it continued.
"But if you hold back so you don't kill me, it'll be hard to properly test your abilities."
In that instant, the Angel Statue's lips moved rapidly. But the voice did not come from its mouth—it came from somewhere else.
[A 'Quest' has occurred.] [If you fail to defeat the enemy within the allotted time, your heart will stop.] [Time remaining: 10 min 00 sec]
The moment Jin-Woo read the quest message, one second vanished from the remaining time. Tick.
[Time remaining: 9 min 59 sec]
Jin-Woo's pupils, fixed on the Angel Statue, trembled.
"Yes." [Yes.]
Every time the Angel Statue spoke, the System's voice accompanied it. His heart, which had briefly found calm, began pounding like mad once again. His breathing quickened. His fingertips trembled. The Angel Statue watched Jin-Woo's reaction, then answered the very first question Jin-Woo had asked—'Who are you?'
"I am the designer of the System." [I am the designer of the System.]
* * *
"Japan is in total chaos right now because of that Dungeon Break. Are you sure it's okay for you to be here, Reporter Kim?"
Woo Jin-Cheol spoke with evident annoyance. Reporter Kim yawned and scratched near his sideburns.
"It's crawling with reporters over there already. What difference would one more make? Better to hang around the Surveillance Division and snag an exclusive."
"…"
Woo Jin-Cheol had been about to tell him to pick one—yawning or scratching his head—but he just sighed to himself instead. In an era where everyone was scrambling to churn out sensational articles about the Hunter Association's corruption and Hunters' private lives, Reporter Kim was practically the only journalist who covered the Association from a favorable angle.
'No point in making an enemy out of an ally…'
That was why Woo Jin-Cheol was entertaining the reporter who had dropped by the Surveillance Division. After finally finishing his drawn-out yawn, Reporter Kim actually turned the question around.
"So, Director Woo—aren't you the one who should be worried, sitting here when the whole country is in an uproar?"
Woo Jin-Cheol closed the document he had been working on and answered quietly, as though letting out a sigh.
"Someone has to hold down the fort."
"Oh!" Reporter Kim's eyes went wide as he pulled out a palm-sized notebook and pen. "That line is fantastic. I want to write it down word for word—sorry, but could you say it one more time?"
"Reporter Kim. You really…"
Woo Jin-Cheol was about to flare up when his cell phone rang at just the right moment.
'Hm?'
It was a call from the reporting center. A call that came directly to his personal cell phone rather than through the Surveillance Division line generally meant something was far from routine. Woo Jin-Cheol picked up in a hurry.
"This is Woo Jin-Cheol, head of the Surveillance Division."
—Director, we've received a report. You're going to have to go take a look.
Woo Jin-Cheol's eyes sharpened.
"What happened?"
—Remember the school where those Orcs appeared before?
"Something happened there again?"
—It hasn't escalated yet, but a double Dungeon has been discovered inside a Gate that spawned on the school's athletic field.
'A double Dungeon?'
Woo Jin-Cheol's eyes went wide.
—But…
The reporting officer seemed to have something more to say. Woo Jin-Cheol's voice grew urgent.
"But what?"
—Hunter Sung Jin-Woo has entered it.