NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 37 - Final Match (2)
East Hunter Academy located in Noryangjin, Seoul.
In a room on the top floor, two men were facing each other with a desk between them.
The man behind the desk was looking at the man in front of him with an expression full of anger.
The other man who received that gaze was standing impatiently with an expression that he did not know what to do.
Quaang!
“What the hell happened!”
“That's it...”
The man flinched at the outburst of anger.
The existence in front of you is Lee Seok-man, an A-class hunter, even though he is retired.
It was quite a tough momentum for a man who was just an ordinary person to handle.
And the reason Lee Seok-man is doing this now is simple.
[1st place: Kim Seo-joon - 117 (+7)]
[2nd place: Lee So-yeon - 113 (+2)]
It's because Kim Seo-joon is rampaging.
It wasn't just that he was running amok, it was that he was running amok that made no sense.
It was 5 minutes.
The amount of time it took from the notification that Seo-joon reserved the dungeon to the notification that the raid was over.
In a word, it took 5 minutes to reserve a dungeon, move to it, and even raid it.
This was an impossible time even if I took any hunter beyond the level of the student.
Of course, it would be possible if it was a wizard capable of teleporting, but that was only once or twice, not like this.
It is impossible to use it so many times and over a long distance in succession unless the devil directly steps forward.
But what is the reason why Maseong would be interested in such a snoring contest?
Above all, the devil is in a situation where he can't move.
“It would be nice to have a proper explanation. Considering the money I spent on you.”
So Lee Seok-man's anger was a natural reaction.
But there was one way that even Lee Seok-man couldn't think of.
“Oh no way! It looks like he booked the dungeon after he arrived!”
“what? Arrive at the dungeon and make a reservation?”
The man lowered his head and shouted urgently.
That's why I can't figure out where he's going to book...”
Of course, you can tell at the moment you make a reservation, but if Seo-joon's raid takes a long time like other students, Seo-joon doesn't last more than 10 minutes at most, and when he arrives, it's already different. It was a situation where it disappeared.
A situation where all the tricks prepared do not work.
Lee Seokman shouted.
“If you walk around the nearby dungeon, you won’t run into one or two people!”
“I've already tried it, but it's hard to figure out the par. I wonder if I changed the vehicle...”
In addition, the meticulousness of changing the corpse transport truck that has been incessantly used.
“Then bribe the dungeon supervisor! If you stab me with money, I won’t be sober!”
“That's... it's difficult because the dungeon management team is watching.”
“what? Why in the dungeon management team?”
“It seems that the academy pressured me.”
“Is the dungeon management team moving just because the academy is pressuring you? What kind of hunter meal or gaon is it?”
“It's not like that, but there are rumors that the academy is run by none other than the swordsman's granddaughter...” ”
...”
Lee Seok-man was at a loss for words.
“As support money, there is no way to do anything.”
Literally, Seojun is a novice.
It was a situation where the East Sea flashed and the West Sea flashed.
Quaang!
“Then find a way! Don't choose any means! This time, we must win the East Academy! If you miss out on winning, you'll have to be prepared too!”
“I see!”
The man ran out of the room as if drowning at Lee Seok-man's cry.
Whoops.
Seo-joon came out of the crack with a strange sound.
And the dungeon supervisor was looking at Seo-jun with an expression close to astonishment.
“Wow… how could it take less than five minutes? Are you really a student?”
“haha. Since I only raided similar dungeons, I had accumulated some know-how. I was lucky too.”
“You are so amazing.”
Then, the supervisor looked at Seo-joon's empty hand and asked.
“Come to think of it, you don’t dispose of corpses anymore, do you?”
“yes. It must be the last day.”
The dungeon supervisor nodded as if he understood.
“Hagisa, the competition with second place is fierce right now, so I don’t think I have time for that. Then let's fight!”
“yes. take care.”
With the supervisor behind him, Seo-joon hurried his steps to the place where Man-cheol was waiting.
At the same time, I secretly checked the ranking with my smartphone.
[1st place: Kim Seo-joon - 123 items]
[2nd place: Lee So-yeon - 115 items]
Seo-joon rose to first place again. The gap with Lee So-yeon has already widened to 8, and if it goes on like this, the championship seemed to be no problem.
“Don’t get caught up yet. It will catch up little by little.”
At that time, Mancheol's voice suddenly heard.
“Sure.”
Seo-joon put the smartphone back in his arms and got into the car.
In fact, this method, which seemed like a good one, wasn't a very good method after all.
It was because there were frequent cases of someone making reservations for the dungeon when they were almost there while heading to the dungeon.
It was a risky method in many ways, but it was the best way for now as the raid was being carried out without much hindrance.
“We’re leaving right away.”
“okay.”
Seojun and Mancheol continued raiding the dungeon in the same way.
“excuse me! There!”
Of course, I also encountered a bunch of interruptions that I ran into occasionally, so I didn't get as fast as I used to.
Nevertheless, Seojun and Mancheol raided the dungeon avoiding them as much as possible.
[1st place: Lee So-yeon - 126 items]
[2nd place: Kim Seo-joon - 125 items]
Kwajik. pug.
[1st place: Kim Seo-jun - 131 items]
[2nd place: Lee So-yeon - 128 items]
Whoo! Perseok.
[1st place: Lee So-yeon - 135 pieces]
[2nd place: Kim Seo-joon - 134 pieces]
The whereabouts of the game were still unclear.
Seo-joon and So-yeon's back-and-forth fight was a major concern not only for the two of them, but also for others.
For some, this fight was a matter of taking bribes and helping others, and for others, it was just a matter of simple curiosity.
For them, the whereabouts of this fierce battle had their own meaning, so the problem that occurred now had no choice but to come quite seriously.
It was none other than that there were no more dungeons to raid.
To be precise, all the dungeons prepared for the contest were processed. It was a contest that had been held 24 times, but this was the first time such a case had occurred.
The result of the overheated and fierce competition between the two and the speed at which they almost slaughtered the dungeon.
Of course, it was not a problem that all the dungeons were processed.
Considering the purpose of the contest, I could see it as a good thing.
Nonetheless, the reason why this has become a serious problem is none other than that.
[1st place: Kim Seo-joon - 141 items]
[2nd place: Lee So-yeon - 141 items]
It was the point that the fight between the two did not come out in the end.
Seojun, who reached 141 first in notation, took first place, but since the number of dungeon raids was equal, it was actually a joint win.
Seoyoon and Lee Seokman, the directors of the two academies, had a sharp confrontation over this.
“A joint win? Nonsense! How can a contestant who commits all kinds of cheating win?”
“Cheating! Words go too far. Isn’t it too much of an assumption to conclude that we bought it from an accident that happened by chance?”
“Coincidence? How many contact accidents and various accidents have occurred during the current contest, are you saying that these are simply coincidences and conjectures?”
“In life, unbelievable things happen. First of all, do you have any proof that we bought it?”
“Evidence in a situation that can be seen clearly by anyone? Aren’t you insisting after thoroughly shutting your mouth in the first place?”
“So you're saying there's evidence or there's no evidence?”
“I am investigating. It will be revealed soon.”
“Then let’s go and talk again then.”
A confrontation in which no one backs down.
With this in mind, the organizers held long meetings and ultimately concluded that a joint win was not possible.
In any case, it is judged that it is right to cover the winner.
In addition, as Lee Seok-man said, there was no clear evidence that Lee So-yeon cheated, so it was concluded that Lee So-yeon could not be disqualified.
“Haa... I'm really sorry, Seojun.”
Seoyoon bowed her head and apologized.
Seo-jun waved his hand, saying that he was not worthy of such Seo-yoon.
“no. Mr. Seoyoon did the best he could.”
Seoyoon really did her best.
From mentioning the name of his grandfather Swordsman, whom he hated so much, Seo-joon kept putting pressure on him from behind while raiding.
Even so, it seemed that Lee Seok-man had put his hands here and there before the contest started to reach this point.
If it wasn't for Seoyoon, Seojun would have lost first place right away because he couldn't withstand the sabotage.
“Above all, we haven’t lost the championship yet. There is still a final confrontation, and no matter how much you bribe the officials, you won't be able to play tricks there.”
“That's true...”
Seoyoon slightly raised her gaze and looked at Seojun.
I don't know if it's because it's in front of him, but Seojun was looking at Seoyoon with a face full of confidence.
“...be sure to win.”
Seojun responded by holding up a spear.
The place of the last confrontation that arrived like that.
It was a place where three dungeons were attached.
Although it is rare, I have seen quite a few cases where two dungeons are attached, but it was the first time for Seo-jun to have three dungeons attached.
Woo woo woo.
Maybe that's why the sound of cracks in the dungeon is even louder.
Seo-joon moved toward Lee So-yeon and a group of officials who had come far in advance.
As I walked, the surroundings were quite quiet.
It was because there were few people in the final confrontation to determine the winner of the contest, but the only people visible were these three people who seemed to be officials and Lee So-yeon.
This was to prevent cheating due to Seoyoon's continued pressure, and from what Seojun heard, one of the officials knew that he was the leader of the dungeon management team.
“You are Kim Seo-joon, right?”
As Seo-jun approached, one of the officials approached and asked.
On the placard on the necklace that was slightly reflected, it was written as Shin Young-seok, the team leader of the dungeon management team.
When Seo-jun nodded, Shin Young-seok called So-yeon to stand.
“Now that both of you are here, let me explain the rules. The rules are simple. You can select one of the three dungeons you see and raid them. The winner is the one who finished the raid faster out of the two and raided the remaining dungeon.”
Pretty simple rules for a final confrontation.
However, Seo-jun tilted his head once and asked.
“In this case, if you clear the dungeon first, you win, right? Is there any reason why I have to go through the remaining dungeons?”
“I can’t just leave the remaining dungeons unattended, but…”
Shin Young-seok continued with a shy smile.
“That is true. So, at first, we just tried to find a place where the two dungeons are attached, but there was no suitable place. At least it was here. And now that I think about it, shouldn't the winner have to count the number of dungeons ahead of the 2nd place? This is the first time we've ever done this, so we have to follow the paperwork...”
Seo-joon nodded without asking any more questions. It means that it is enough to raid the dungeon quickly.
If that was the case, Seojun was more confident than anyone else.
“Did you both understand the rules? Do you have any other questions?”
Seojun and Soyeon shook their heads at the same time.
“All three dungeons are 2-star dungeons. There is no difference in difficulty, so you two can discuss and decide which dungeon to raid first.”
“If you don’t mind, can I decide first?”
As soon as Shin Young-seok finished speaking, Seo-joon opened his mouth.
If Shin Young-seok's words were true, it didn't matter which dungeon he chose.
However, what Lee So-yeon had done in the meantime bothered me.
Of course, the possibility of that being so far was low, but Seo-joon wanted to choose first to prevent anything unexpected.
“follow your heart.”
And this time, Soyeon didn't pay much attention, as if she didn't play tricks.
Seojun pondered for a while before answering.
“I’ll take the rightmost dungeon.”
“Then I’ll take the leftmost dungeon.”
The two who chose the dungeon like that went to the front of the dungeon and looked at it.
Last wait before entering.
Suddenly, Soyeon said to Seojun.
“Don’t feel too unfair.”
However, So-yeon's words are somehow meaningful.
“What does that mean?”
“Two participants! Please start!”
However, Seo-joon couldn't continue the question as So-yeon entered the crack at the same time as Shin Young-seok's cry announcing the beginning.
Seo-joon looked at So-yoon's back and pushed himself into the crack.
Woo woo woo.
The inside of the dungeon they entered was a gloomy cave.
Shin Young-seok said it was a 2-star dungeon, so it seemed like a kobold dungeon.
Kobolds are money monsters, and they are dungeons that do not fit the purpose of the dungeon clearing contest.
It seemed that the dungeon he had urgently obtained was correct.
“Shall we go?”
Seo-jun moved quickly, sharpening his senses so that he could wield the spear at any time.
Since he was a kobold with a habit of making surprises, he needed to be careful, but to Seo-jun, who had Chiron's senses, the kobold's surprise was not too much of a threat.
On the contrary, it is a more advantageous situation because you can quickly clear the dungeon if you use a surprise attack.
So, Seo-jun scattered his presence in all directions and walked through the dungeon without hesitation.
and after some time
“what?”
Seo-jun could not meet a single kobold.
Even after almost five minutes, I couldn't hear a breath, let alone a kobold.
Seojun stopped walking for a moment.
“Couldn't it be a kobold dungeon?”
It could have been, but it was odd nonetheless.
Even if it wasn't a kobold dungeon, it was because he had to face other monsters.
“Then what the hell…”
It was then.
“Kieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
Suddenly, a terrifying scream erupted from somewhere.
The tearing sound echoed through the walls of the cave and rang violently in Seo-jun's eardrums.
coogu palace.
Then, the owner of the screaming voice appeared with a tremendous noise.
A quadrupedal monster with a large body and the appearance of a ferocious beast.
“Manticore!”
It was none other than the 4-star monster Manticore.
“Why is Manticore here!”
Seo-joon blinked and checked the manticore again, but nothing changed.
That was definitely a manticore. Then, a thought suddenly came to my mind.
“A measurement error dungeon?”
Sometimes there were dungeons like that.
This is because the method of measuring the level of a dungeon measures the total amount of magical energy
in a dungeon...
At that moment, the Manticore's scream erupted again.
Seojun closed his thoughts.
Whether it's a measurement error dungeon or something, the manticore in front of me comes first.
When Seo-Jun looked at the Manticore, the Manticore was trembling all over as if bursting with delight over its prey.
4 star monster Manticore.
In fact, 1-2 star monsters could not be considered monsters.
As you can see by looking at the skeletons and slimes, it was a level that ordinary people could handle without a mana shield.
But from 3 stars it was different.
Considering that there were no monsters below 3 stars during the Cataclysm, true monsters threatening humanity meant monsters with 3 or more stars.
And Manticore was a 4-star monster, not a 3-star.
Of course, I had experience dealing with Seo-joon in the field the other day, but at that time, Manticore had just woken up from a singer's sleep.
In terms of combat power, it was only a 2-star state.
However, the manticore in front of me was a manticore in perfect condition.
“Keeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek
Exactly, in a state of starvation.
Seo-joon gripped the spear in his hand tightly.
tadak.
And didn't hesitate.
“Ki eh eh!”
A tearing roar followed. A terrible life bursts out and my mind aches.
However, Seo-jun did not stop running.
Papabak.
Manticore also jumped at Seo-joon, kicking the floor with all four legs.
A creepy feeling of pressure overtakes Seo-joon.
Whoop!
Then, the manticore's gaping jaw rushes toward Seo-joon.
The manticore's teeth approaching in an instant with a dizzying sense.
Seojun did not back down.
[Intuition is actually a realm of thinking, not sensation. We instinctively think and judge information received through our five senses, but intuition is what we feel when our reason does not understand the processing process.] [
We just ‘misunderstand' that it is a sense. In a word, keep in mind that intuition is not a sense that does not exist, but a thought that exists.]
It is seen and felt.
Things I didn't see back then, things I couldn't feel then.
I can see and feel it now.
Seo-joon gripped the spear tightly.
Quick!
A terrible pangong sound in my ears.
Whoa!
Seo-joon's spear that follows.
All of these movements flow naturally, like flowing water.
and momentarily
squeak.
The Manticore's neck soared into the air.