Chapter 13

Chapter 13

When I opened my eyes, I saw three party members.

“Huh?”

But one of them looked familiar. A sturdy build. Shield and sword. Sharp eyes.

The guide who had fought the Goblin High Chief with me yesterday. It was Park Jeongsu.

She noticed me too. When our eyes met, a smile spread across her face.

“Well, what a coincidence.”

‘It really is a coincidence.’

I was glad to see her. Someone I knew was better than an unfamiliar guide. I had already confirmed her skills too.

“Park Jeongsu.”

“Haha, we meet again, Lee Junhyeok.”

She approached and held out her hand. Just like yesterday, it was a hard hand covered in calluses.

“You’re already at E-rank. I didn’t expect you to move up this quickly.”

“I was lucky.”

“Lucky...”

She chuckled.

“Do you remember what I said yesterday? I said, ‘I think you’ll climb higher than me.’”

Of course I remembered. She had said it after we killed the Goblin High Chief.

“Looks like my eye for talent wasn’t wrong after all.”

She shrugged and pointed behind her. The other two party members came into view.

The man looked to be in his early thirties. The spear in his hand looked like it cost at least several million won.

The woman looked to be in her mid-twenties. The bow on her back was engraved with rune patterns. Magically enhanced equipment. That wasn’t cheap either.

Both wore relaxed expressions. They seemed confident, as though this wasn’t their first E-rank dungeon.

“All right, let’s start with introductions.”

“I’m spearman Kim Dohyeon.”

“I’m archer Lee Seoyeon.”

It was my turn.

“I’m Growth-Type Lee Junhyeok.”

I hesitated for a moment. Should I say it? But there was no point hiding it when they would find out during combat anyway.

“My skills are still F-rank.”

“...”

Silence.

Kim Dohyeon’s eyebrows shot up. Lee Seoyeon looked as though she doubted her ears.

“Wait, F-rank?”

“How is an F-rank in an E-rank dungeon...”

The two looked at each other. They were clearly bewildered. I understood. Normally, it made no sense.

“Don’t worry.”

Park Jeongsu cut in. Her voice was filled with certainty.

“This guy encountered a mutation in an F-rank dungeon yesterday. An E-rank High Chief appeared, and he killed it with a spear without using a summon even once. I saw it myself.”

“...Seriously?”

Kim Dohyeon’s gaze changed. From suspicion to curiosity.

“An F-rank killed an E-rank boss? Without a summon? By himself?”

Lee Seoyeon looked at me again too. Her gaze swept me up and down.

“His rank is F, but his skill isn’t.”

Park Jeongsu stated firmly.

“I guarantee it. You can trust him.”

At the endorsement of a D-rank Hunter, the two slowly nodded. They probably weren’t completely convinced, but they seemed willing to accept it for now.

“Then let’s get moving.”

Park Jeongsu took the lead.

We walked along a narrow path running between ravines. Sheer cliffs rose on both sides. Almost no sunlight reached us. The air was cold and damp.

Had about ten minutes passed?

The view opened up.

“...”

My breath caught.

It was a ruined temple.

A massive stone building had half-collapsed. Pillars that must once have supported the temple lay fallen here and there. A cracked altar. Moss-covered stone statues. The sky was visible through the collapsed ceiling. Red sunset light poured over the ruins.

It was beautiful. And eerie.

And.

“Those are...”

Giants stood throughout the temple.

Bodies made of stone. At least three meters tall. Their limbs were crude like boulders. A dark red core was embedded in the center of each chest. It pulsed dimly like a heart.

Golems.

Dark red light leaked from their eye sockets. Proof of corruption.

“They say they were originally guardians who protected the temple.”

Park Jeongsu spoke in a low voice.

“After the temple was abandoned and consumed by darkness, they changed into that. Now they’re just monsters.”

‘Golems...’

They were fairly famous monsters, though not as famous as goblins. Tough and slow, but each hit carried tremendous weight. Their weakness was the core. Destroy the dark red stone in their chest, and it was over.

The problem was getting close enough.

Rumble.

The sound of stone grinding. The light in their eye sockets intensified. Their heavy bodies slowly turned.

Thud.

One step.

Thud.

Another step.

The ruins shook. Dust rained down.

“Prepare for combat.”

Before she had even finished speaking, everyone drew their weapons.

‘Aim for the core.’

The moment Vital Point Detection activated, clear red points appeared on the golems’ chests.

“!”

At that moment, my body moved first. My mind only realized afterward that I had kicked off the ground and launched myself forward.

‘Why am I moving?’

I didn’t know. My instincts were simply ordering me to.

“Huh...?!”

“Wait, what is he doing!”

I heard startled voices behind me, but I had no time to care. My vision was fixed solely on that single red point.

The distance between me and the golem vanished in an instant. It raised an arm like a boulder, preparing to smash it down.

‘If that hits me, I die.’

But it was slow. Everything looked as though it were moving in slow motion. I could clearly read the trajectory of the golem’s arm as it drew an arc through the air.

I stepped to the side and avoided the downward strike, then thrust my spear forward at the same time. Toward the red point. Putting my entire weight behind it.

Thud!

The heavy sensation of piercing stone traveled through my palm. Cracks spread across the dark red core before it shattered completely.

The golem’s enormous body staggered, then toppled forward. The ground shook violently and a cloud of dust billowed up.

Only after the dust settled could I turn around. All three of them stood frozen with their mouths open.

Kim Dohyeon was the first to let out a disbelieving laugh.

“...You definitely said this was your second dungeon, right?”

Lee Seoyeon shook her head and looked at Park Jeongsu.

“Jeongsu, is this really only his second time? There’s no way someone who fights like that is F-rank.”

Instead of answering, Park Jeongsu stared blankly at me before finally nodding after a long moment. Her gaze was different from when I had killed the Goblin High Chief. Back then, I had won through cleverness. This time, I had killed it with pure combat ability.

She approached and asked.

“Are you okay? You’re not hurt?”

“Ah...”

I scratched my head.

“Sorry for running off alone without saying anything. My body just reacted first...”

‘Acting on my own is a bad habit.’

Why had I moved? The moment I saw the weak point, my body had reacted before my mind.

‘Is it because of the cave?’

The bear pack. The orcs. The moments when I had instinctively swung a spear just to survive. It felt as though those experiences had been engraved into my body. And once the Spearmanship skill was added on top, perhaps combat instinct itself had been imprinted on me.

‘I need to control it when I’m fighting with a team.’

Still, one thing was certain.

‘I’m getting stronger.’

I was becoming stronger rapidly. No, abnormally quickly. Fast enough that other people couldn’t understand it.

Just as I was feeling satisfied with my growth.

“But...”

Lee Seoyeon suddenly spoke, pointing in one direction with a trembling voice.

―Thud, thud.

“Were there always this many golems in this dungeon?”

Dozens of golems were approaching.

_____________

The Awakened raised his spear.

Behind him followed five humans and three orcs. Not long ago, they had been trying to kill one another, but now they were members of the same group. Because the Ruler had decided it so.

They entered the forest. The humans went ahead and discovered a herd of deer, then gestured to indicate the location. The orcs silently spread out to the sides, blocking off the escape routes. The Awakened waited in front.

A bowstring sounded. The startled deer fled. Just as expected, toward this side.

A spear flashed. The lead deer collapsed. The ones following behind were knocked sprawling by the orcs’ clubs.

It was a clean hunt.

As the sun began to set, they returned to the cave. The Awakened headed straight for the temple, dragging the largest deer behind him.

He stood before the altar built from stacked stones. The statue of the Ruler looked down upon him. He drew a dagger and cut open the deer’s chest. With both hands, he removed the still-warm heart and placed it on the altar.

The orcs who had followed him knelt as well.

“...Thank you again today.”

He bowed his head. The power bestowed by the Ruler. The bonds the Ruler had created. Thanks to them, they had finished another hunt safely today.

Someday, he wanted to meet the Ruler in person. Not when the Ruler descended, but in the place where the Ruler truly lived. That was the Awakened’s only wish.

Then it happened.

The wind stopped.

The birds went silent. The forest became still. Something was wrong. Instinctively, he raised his head.

The sky was darkening.

Storm clouds gathered. Quickly. They spiraled above the temple, converging. No thunder. No lightning. Only black clouds covering the sky.

“Grrrr...”

The orcs let out uneasy growls. The humans also emerged from the cave and looked up at the sky. They trembled in fear.

But the Awakened did not move. He couldn’t take his eyes away.

The altar was glowing.

Crackle!

Space tore apart. Cracks formed in midair, then began widening. Blue light leaked out.

Beyond it, another landscape could be faintly seen. A stone floor. A high ceiling. Torches. A world completely different from this one.

His heart pounded wildly. Something deep inside his chest was pulling him. As though he were tied to a thread. And the other end of that thread lay beyond the rift.

His instincts whispered.

The Ruler was there.

And.

If he passed through that rift, he could reach him.

The Awakened’s hands trembled. Not from fear. The moment he had waited for had finally come.

“...!”

He stared through the rift.

Flames ignited in his eyes.

_____________

The last golem collapsed.

Boom.

Dust rose into the air. I stood there blankly, still holding my spear. Was it over? Was it really over?

Breathing heavily, I looked around. The temple floor was covered entirely in piles of stone. Broken arms. Crushed heads. Cracked cores...

‘How many did we even kill?’

Ten? Twenty? At least more than that.

My legs were trembling too. My whole body was soaked in sweat, and my stamina was completely drained.

The others were in the same condition. Everyone was either leaning on their weapons or sitting outright on the ground, barely catching their breath.

“Everyone... still alive?”

Park Jeongsu asked. Her voice was completely hoarse.

“Barely...”

Kim Dohyeon laughed weakly.

“I think I’m going to run out of arrows... I should bring more next time...”

Lee Seoyeon held up her empty quiver.

I could only nod. Even speaking felt like a waste of energy.

For a while, no one said anything. Everyone was too busy catching their breath. Only ragged breathing echoed through the temple.

Kim Dohyeon broke the silence.

“...But Lee Junhyeok.”

“Yes?”

“Is this really only your second time? And you really are Growth-Type?”

That question again. I was starting to feel embarrassed answering it.

Lee Seoyeon cut in.

“I’ve been watching you clear a path from the very front. How do you hit the golem cores that accurately? You keep finding things none of us can even see.”

What I had done was simple. Every time Vital Point Detection activated, I could see the location of the core.

“Even most combat-type Hunters can’t do that. If you’re F-rank and Growth-Type, that makes even less sense.”

Kim Dohyeon shook his head.

Park Jeongsu chuckled and said.

“Exactly. I thought you were impressive yesterday too, but you seem even stronger after just one day. Your movements are sharper.”

I gave them a vague answer.

“I was just... lucky.”

It was an absurd excuse, but everyone seemed to accept it well enough. Hunters weren’t required to reveal their skills.

Then it happened.

A familiar window appeared before my eyes.

There Is Primitive Humanity Inside My Body

Author |

Webjung

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Samyang C&C Co., Ltd.

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