Chapter 11: Bloodlust's Burden

[Author's Note:

Before diving into this chapter, I want to reassure you that the events you're about to read, particularly the MC's sudden growth in power, have deeper roots that will be explained soon. This chapter marks a turning point in the MC's development, but the reasons behind it aren't as simple as they may seem at first. Stay tuned as the next chapters will reveal more about how and why this transformation occurred. If after reading the chapter, you're still not satisfied with the unexpected event, why wait any longer? Just leave your message under the chapter...and sharp, I'm gonna explain.

I appreciate your patience and hope you enjoy the journey!]

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Seung scrolled through various housing options late into the night, eyes flickering over the details until he found a place that suited him. Without hesitation, he finalized the rental, a sense of accomplishment washing over him.

"I'll move in the day after tomorrow," he murmured to himself, letting out a tired sigh as he finally settled into bed.

The next morning, Mr. Choi's sleek black car pulled up in front of Seung's apartment. The clone stood beside him, both of them ready, their expressions calm and collected.

"Good morning, Mr. Choi," Seung greeted, his tone polite but edged with determination.

"Good morning, Mr. Lee," Mr. Choi replied, rolling down the window. His voice held a tinge of regret as he added, "I'm sorry I won't be able to drop you at the dungeon myself today, but I've sent the location to your phone."

Seung nodded, understanding. "It's okay. I'll handle it. I'll call you once the hunt is over."

As Mr. Choi's car disappeared down the street, Seung pulled out his phone, curious about the new mission. His eyes narrowed at the screen.

'A multi-hunting dungeon?' he thought. 'What exactly does that mean?' But there was no time to dwell on it now.

His phone buzzed, cutting through his thoughts. The screen lit up with Miss Kim's name, a reminder of something he had pushed to the back of his mind. "Miss Kim... it's been a while since I've attended class," he muttered under his breath before answering.

"I'm sorry, Miss Kim. I promise I'll be there today," he said, forcing a smile that didn't reach his eyes as he ended the call. The frustration boiled over, and he couldn't hold back a groan. "Ugh! A whole week without school. I've got to be more careful."

Turning to his clone, Seung asked, "Don't you think it's annoying to miss school for so long?"

The clone's response was flat, emotionless. "No, master."

Seung chuckled, shaking his head. "Of course, you wouldn't." His thoughts shifted quickly. 'The power I gained yesterday feels unstable. I need to test it. But if I can't go to school, well… that's what the clone's for!'

With renewed purpose, he brought the clone back inside, handing him his school uniform. "You're going to class today. Don't speak unless spoken to. Understood?"

"Yes, master," the clone replied instantly, its voice unwavering.

"Good. Put on your mask. I'm getting you a smartphone," Seung said, a grin spreading across his face as they left the apartment together.

In an accessory store, Seung handed the phone to his clone, the contact saved under the name 'Summoner.'

"Here, that's my number. I'll check in with you every day."

Later, he hailed a taxi for the clone, watching as he drove off towards the school. Seung himself boarded a bus, the ride taking him through the bustling city until he arrived at the dungeon's location. The structure stood tall, a multi-story building with a large compound that seemed almost mundane at first glance.

'So, even real buildings get taken over by monsters?' Seung mused, his brows furrowing in disbelief. 'What a hack.'

At the entrance, two stern-faced military officers blocked his path, demanding authorization. Seung flashed his bracelet, and after a brief inspection, they let him through.

As he stepped inside, the atmosphere shifted. Each footstep echoed ominously through the dimly lit hallway. The path was lined with headlamps, casting eerie shadows on the walls. The same suffocating temptation from before tugged at his consciousness, but he shook it off, reminding himself that this was only an F-rank dungeon.

Then, his foot landed on something soft. He froze, glancing down. A monster's corpse lay at his feet, its eyes lifeless. He stepped back, his gaze lifting to see more bodies strewn across the floor. His mind raced as he analyzed the scene.

"These monsters… they've been dead for at least ten minutes. If a team had cleared them, the maintenance crew would have been here by now. Which means…"

He paused, piecing it together. "There are still Hunters inside. I'm not alone in here." He remembered Mr. Choi's words. 'So, this is what he meant by a multi-hunting dungeon.'

Pushing forward, Seung crossed over the bodies until he reached a grand, gold-coated gate, towering nine feet above him. Without hesitation, he pushed it open, stepping into the next chamber.

The air was thick, heavy with the stench of decay. It clung to his lungs with each breath, the oppressive atmosphere pressing down on him. His hand instinctively tightened around his dagger as he scanned the surroundings.

'Monsters are close,' he thought, his senses sharpening.

The room was vast, a large hall that had once been the heart of a company. The remnants of its former purpose were still visible—the massive table in the center, the scattered papers and broken chairs. But now, it was nothing more than a monster's den.

A guttural snarl cut through the silence, and Seung's heart raced. 'Here they come!'

Two berserkers charged at him with feral intensity. Seung's movements were swift, calculated. He darted forward, his dagger slicing through the air as he drove it into their abdomens in quick succession. The monsters collapsed, their blood pooling at his feet.

He glanced at his weapon, a frown creasing his forehead.

"It's… lighter. Why does it feel so different?" His thoughts were cut short as another berserker lunged at him from the side. He reacted on instinct, leaping into the air and landing behind the creature, driving his dagger into its back with all his strength.

Stab!

A thrill surged through him as the monster fell. "I… I can fly?" he whispered, the realization dawning on him with a rush of excitement.

* * *

At the W.H.A headquarters, a man walked briskly into an office filled with trophies and medals on one side, swords and weaponry on the other. The room exuded power and prestige, a testament to the accomplishments of its occupant.

"Good morning, Hunter Kim Seijin," the man greeted with a deep bow as he reached the desk.

"Yes," Kim Seijin replied, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "Have you looked into the matter I asked about?"

"Of course, sir," the man answered, his voice steady. "I discovered that the aliens were on their way to deliver a piece of tech to the W.H.A before their ship crashed."

Kim Seijin's expression darkened, his brows drawing together in concern. "What kind of tech?"

A few moments later, a knock came at the door of the President's office. A deep, commanding voice from within called out, "Come in."

Kim Seijin entered swiftly, his presence radiating urgency. The President looked up from his desk. "You wouldn't barge in like this unless it was important."

"Yes, President," Kim Seijin said, his tone serious as he dipped his head slightly. "Sir, the aliens were not our enemies. They intended to deliver a piece of technology to our headquarters."

The President's eyes narrowed. "What kind of technology?"

"It's called the Power System," Kim Seijin replied, speaking quickly. "It surpasses the tech used to create metahumans. Its potential is beyond anything we've seen."

* * *

Back in the dungeon, Lee Seung sat on the cold floor, his chest heaving as he caught his breath. The bodies of the monsters he had slain surrounded him, silent witnesses to his newfound strength. Despite the exhaustion, a sense of pride flickered within him.

"I did it… I killed them all," he panted, wiping the sweat from his brow. He pulled out his phone, dialing Mr. Choi. "Please tell the maintenance team to meet me at the front gate."

As he waited, the system screen flickered, a message appearing in bold letters.

[Subject's stats have increased by 0.6]

Seung grinned, standing up with renewed confidence. "I'm close… so close to leveling up."

But then, a distant cry echoed through the halls, freezing him in place. "Please, don't kill us!"

The voice was desperate, terrified. It was followed by a cold, feminine voice that sent a chill down Seung's spine. "Just give us the cores you harvested, and we'll grant you a quick death."

"What… the hell is going on?" Seung muttered, his grip tightening on his weapon. He moved swiftly towards the source of the voices, slipping through a narrow entrance at the corner of the hall.

As he rounded the corner, his breath caught in his throat. His eyes widened in shock as he recognized one of the figures kneeling on the ground.

'Kang Jinhu?!' The bully who tormented him at school was now at the mercy of six Hunters, alongside another classmate.

One of the Hunters sneered, looking at Seung. "Who's this crybaby we have got now?"

Anger flared within Seung, burning hot and fierce. His voice rang out, filled with righteous fury. "Why the hell are you attacking them instead of the monsters?"

The only female Hunter's voice dripped with malice as she smirked, "If they hand over the monster cores they've harvested, we'll let them die painlessly. Otherwise…" Her words trailed off, leaving the threat hanging in the air like a noose tightening around their necks.

Seung's heart pounded against his ribcage, the rhythmic thud echoing in his ears. Sweat slicked his palms, making them feel sticky and cold. The urge to flee gripped him, but his legs felt like they were rooted to the ground, paralyzed by an unseen force. The sheer ruthlessness of the Hunters shocked him to his core. He had never imagined that humans could be this vile, this predatory.

'Damn it, what's happening to me? Why can't I move?' His mind raced, desperately trying to regain control of his frozen limbs.

The female Hunter's laughter was sharp, like the blade she slowly drew from her belt, the glint of the dagger catching the dim light of the dungeon. "Haha, looks like we've got company. And what do we have here? A crybaby F-rank Hunter."

Her sneer was matched by the jeers of her comrades, their voices a chorus of mockery.

Seung's gaze shifted to Kang Jinhu, who was wide-eyed and trembling. Jinhu had prayed for a savior, someone strong enough to rescue them from this nightmare, but the sight of Seung only deepened his despair. Instead of a hero, he saw a frail boy, weaker than himself, walking into certain death.

Seung halted just a few meters from the female Hunter, his breath coming in short, shaky gasps. "You want to kill them?" His voice was stronger than he felt. "Then you'll have to kill me first."

He caught a glimpse of the bracelet on the female Hunter's wrist—E-rank. Despite his limited experience, he knew enough to understand the danger. An E-rank Hunter in an F-rank dungeon was overkill. She shouldn't even be here.

There was certainly something wrong...since this was a multi-hunting dungeon, she and her comrades should be in their respective class. Not here, not the vermin-class dungeon!

"And why's that?" she asked, her tone dripping with sarcasm.

Seung squared his shoulders, forcing down the tremor in his voice. "They're my friends."

"Screw this, punk!" Kang Jinhu's voice cut through the tension, his fear morphing into anger. "This isn't some schoolyard brawl! You can't even beat me!"

Seung didn't respond, though Jinhu's words echoed the doubt gnawing at his own mind. He knew the truth in them. But somewhere, buried beneath the fear, a faint hope flickered—a hope that he could summon the strength he had felt that other day, the strength that had saved him in his moment of greatest need.

'Clone, come save me!' Seung thought desperately, trying to call forth his clone, to stall for time until Mr. Choi arrived, until he had some kind of plan, anything.

But there was no time. One of the male Hunters, dressed in the same blue gear as the others, stepped forward. His eyes were cold, merciless. "Rascal, let me make this clear. Our team goes from one dungeon to another, taking what we want from whoever we want. For five years, not even a D-rank Hunter has stopped us—"

"Enough, Jaeho!" the leader snapped, his voice cutting through the man's bragging. "You've said too much."

Jaeho grinned, an eerie smile that sent chills down Seung's spine. "Sorry, boss. Let me just finish him off." He raised his dagger, its sharp edge gleaming ominously in the dim light.

Seung's thoughts raced, his mind screaming in protest. 'Finish who?! Are you insane?!'

But the dagger moved too fast for him to react. Jaeho's hand thrust forward, and Seung's world exploded into pain. The blade plunged into his abdomen with a sickening crunch, a burst of warmth spreading through his gut. The Hunter grinned wider, his twisted delight evident in his eyes as blood splattered across his face.

"You...uhh…" Seung choked on the words, the searing pain stealing his breath.

Kang Jinhu's voice was frantic, bordering on hysteria. "Lee Seung! You should have listened to me, you foolish jerk!"

Jaeho twisted the dagger before yanking it free. The pain was blinding, and Seung's legs gave out beneath him. He crashed to the ground, blood pouring from the gaping wound, pooling around him in a dark, viscous puddle.

The male Hunter wiped the blood from his face, unbothered by Seung's suffering. "How fragile! Let's just take the other one's treasures and leave."

The female Hunter cocked her head, curious. "And why are we leaving them alive?"

Jaeho paused, a twisted grin still on his face. "I get excited when I see blood. If we stay any longer, I might end up killing the military men we bribed to let us into this dungeon."

Satisfied with their haul, the team of Hunters began their walk towards the exit, the sound of their boots crunching on the dungeon floor fading with each step.

Seung lay on the cold, hard ground, his breath shallow and ragged. The pain was unbearable, his body on fire, his vision dimming at the edges. He knew this was the end. As his strength ebbed away, his thoughts drifted to his sister, to the one last wish he had.

'My... last wish... is for my sister to regain consciousness... to live a happy life... That's... what we all lacked... Father... mother... I'm... dy—'

A blinding light exploded in his vision, cutting off his final thought. The familiar screen materialized before his eyes, the cold, artificial voice echoing in his mind.

[Subject has reached the requirements to unlock the next quest.]

[Quest unlocked.]

[Bloodlust's Burden has been unlocked.]

…

[Status: Not completed.]

[Time limit: Nil...]

[Target is for Subject to kill the six Hunters.]

As the words registered, Seung's body was bathed in a golden light, his pain vanishing as quickly as it had come. He felt his abdomen, expecting to find the gaping wound, but instead, his skin was whole, unbroken.

'Ehh...Lee Seung is standing on his feet!' Kang Jinhu's mind screamed, his eyes wide with disbelief.

"Jinhu, how can he stand when he's been stabbed?" the other student gasped, his voice a mixture of awe and terror as he stared at the impossible sight before him.

Seung could hardly believe it himself. One moment, he had been on the brink of death; the next, he was whole, his strength restored.

'What in the world is inside me? I mean, the artificial intelligence...'

The screen flickered again.

[You have unlocked a skill: Light Speed.]

And then it vanished.

Seung's eyes narrowed, his hand tightening around the hilt of his dagger, now glowing with a faint, ethereal light. The Hunters, sensing the shift, turned to face him, their expressions a mix of shock and fear. How could this be? They had seen him fall, bleeding out. This wasn't possible.

"Is this how your peers stab?!" Seung's voice was a challenge, laced with a newfound confidence, "Don't tell me this is the best you can do!"

The milky blue lights around his body flared brighter, casting a surreal glow in the dungeon's gloom. His eyes, once clouded with fear, now burned with an aura of determination, unwavering and fierce.

Kang Jinhu's mind struggled to process what he was seeing. "How... is it possible... for the Seung I know to activate mana?!"