NOVGO.NET Chapter 19: The Five Hunters
Chapter 19: The Five Hunters
The moment Daemon and Roxana stepped through the dungeon entrance, their expressions became serious.
The air around them changed instantly.
A strange pressure surrounded their bodies, and the next second, a blinding light swallowed them.
WHOOSH!
When Daemon opened his eyes again, Roxana was nowhere to be seen.
"Roxana?"
Silence.
They had entered the dungeon together, yet the dungeon had separated them and sent them to completely different locations.
Roxana slowly looked around.
She tightened her grip.
Although she was primarily a healer, she wasn’t completely helpless. She pulled two daggers from her waist and held one in each hand.
"I have to survive for twenty-five minutes..."
Her eyes narrowed.
"And find Daemon."
Meanwhile, Daemon was already moving.
BOOM!
Lightning exploded beneath his feet.
Thunderstep!
His body shot forward like a bolt of lightning.
He didn’t even bother fighting the monsters scattered throughout the dungeon.
His goal was simple.
Reach the end as quickly as possible—and find Roxana.
On the control panel, everyone fell silent.
"What... was that?"
One of the staff members stared at the monitor.
Daemon’s figure had become nothing more than a blur.
"He’s an E-Rank hunter, right?"
Nobody answered.
Even Sana was speechless.
She had expected Daemon to be talented, but she had never imagined this level of movement.
"No one moved like that during the second round before," Sana muttered.
Victoria’s lips slowly curved upward.
She looked at the screen with unmistakable pride.
"That idiot..."
Her eyes followed Daemon’s rapidly moving figure.
"He really does know how to surprise me."
Inside the dungeon, Daemon continued using Thunderstep.
He wasn’t wasting his energy fighting unnecessary battles.
Roxana is a healer. She isn’t a striker, and I don’t know how strong her defensive abilities are.
His expression became slightly concerned.
She should be able to protect herself... but I need to find her quickly.
Behind him, chaos had already erupted.
Monsters attacked candidates.
Hunters attacked monsters.
Some candidates even attacked one another.
Whenever someone received a fatal injury, the dungeon immediately transported them outside.
Eliminated.
Several candidates who were jealous of Daemon desperately searched for him.
They wanted revenge.
But finding him was another matter entirely.
By the time they reached where Daemon had been moments earlier, he was already hundreds of meters away.
"Where the hell did he go?!"
"Forget him! We need to reach the end!"
But Kael’s people were different.
They had special tracking abilities.
And they weren’t interested in defeating Daemon fairly.
Their objective was simple.
Find Daemon. Surround him. Kill him.
Even they were shocked when they saw his speed.
"That bastard is faster than we expected."
One hunter clenched his fist.
"Then we’ll surround him with numbers."
Five hunters moved through the dungeon.
Meanwhile—
ROOOAAAR!
Four enormous wolves suddenly burst from the trees behind Daemon.
Their bodies were massive, their claws sharp, and their eyes glowed with bloodlust.
Daemon glanced over his shoulder.
They’re fast.
The wolves accelerated.
Daemon stopped.
His hand slowly reached for his weapon.
Voidreaper.
The ancient blade appeared in his hand.
The first wolf lunged.
Daemon leaned backward.
Its claws sliced through the air inches from his face.
He immediately twisted his body and slashed upward.
SHING!
Voidreaper cut across the wolf’s chest.
But the creature wasn’t finished.
A second wolf attacked from the side.
Daemon raised his left arm.
Bloodline Ward!
A crimson barrier appeared.
BOOM!
The wolf crashed into the barrier.
Cracks spread across it.
Daemon used the impact to propel himself backward.
The third wolf came from behind.
He activated Thunderstep.
His body vanished.
The wolf’s claws struck nothing.
Daemon appeared above it.
"Too predictable."
Inferno Blast!
His fist slammed downward.
BOOOOM!
The explosion sent the wolf crashing into the ground.
The remaining wolves surrounded him.
Daemon lowered Voidreaper.
Then he smiled.
"Come."
The four monsters charged together.
Daemon waited until the last possible moment.
Thunderstep!
He disappeared between them.
The wolves collided with one another.
Daemon spun around and swung Voidreaper.
Blade Aura!
A razor-sharp aura wrapped around the weapon.
SLASH!
One wolf fell.
The remaining three immediately attacked.
Daemon ducked beneath one claw, blocked another with Bloodline Ward, then drove an Inferno Blast directly into the third wolf’s stomach.
BOOM!
The final wolf attempted to escape.
Daemon’s eyes narrowed.
"Not so fast."
Lightning erupted beneath his feet.
Thunderstep.
He appeared in front of it.
Voidreaper flashed.
The wolf collapsed.
Daemon didn’t waste another second.
He immediately continued toward the dungeon’s end.
Elsewhere, Roxana wasn’t having nearly as easy a time.
Three men had surrounded her.
She held both daggers tightly.
"Give up," one of them said. "You’re a healer. You can’t beat all three of us."
Roxana didn’t answer.
The first man rushed forward.
She blocked his sword with her dagger.
CLANG!
The second attacked from behind.
Roxana twisted away, but the blade still cut her shoulder.
"Ah!"
Blood trickled down her arm.
She immediately counterattacked.
STAB!
Her dagger pierced the man’s armor.
He jumped backward.
"You little—!"
The third man charged.
Roxana crossed both daggers and blocked his strike.
The force pushed her several steps backward.
Her breathing became heavier.
Three against one...
She glanced toward the dungeon path.
Daemon... where are you?
The first man attacked again.
Roxana dodged.
The second swung.
She blocked.
The third kicked her in the stomach.
BAM!
She flew backward and crashed into a tree.
"Gah!"
One of the men laughed.
"It’s over."
He raised his weapon.
Suddenly—
BOOM!
A lightning flash exploded between them.
The three men froze.
A figure stood in front of Roxana.
Voidreaper rested against his shoulder.
Daemon looked at the three men coldly.
"You’re making quite a lot of noise."
Roxana’s eyes widened.
"Daemon!"
He glanced back.
"Are you hurt?"
"I’m fine."
Daemon looked at the blood on her shoulder.
"You don’t look fine."
Before she could respond, he stepped forward.
The three men exchanged nervous glances.
They had heard about him.
One of them attacked.
Daemon sidestepped.
THUD!
He struck the man’s stomach with Inferno Blast.
The man flew backward.
The other two immediately fled.
Daemon didn’t chase them.
"We’re wasting time."
Roxana nodded.
They continued forward together.
After a few minutes, Daemon suddenly stopped.
"We’ll move faster if I carry you."
Roxana blinked.
"What?"
"I can use Thunderstep more efficiently alone."
She hesitated.
Then nodded.
Daemon crouched.
Roxana climbed onto his back and tightly wrapped her arms around his shoulders.
"Ready?"
"Yes."
BOOM!
Thunder exploded.
The scenery instantly became a blur.
Roxana couldn’t even see the path anymore.
Trees, rocks, monsters, and dungeon walls flashed past them.
She instinctively tightened her grip.
"Daemon!"
"Don’t worry."
His voice remained calm.
"Trust me."
Roxana closed her eyes.
"I do."
Ten minutes had passed.
Only five minutes remained.
Then suddenly, the control room erupted.
"Someone reached the end!"
Everyone turned toward the screen.
A figure appeared at the dungeon’s exit.
It was Julian.
He stepped out with a smug smile, looking as if he had just taken a peaceful walk.
Victoria’s eyes narrowed.
Julian?
She hadn’t seen him anywhere on the monitors.
"How did he..."
She immediately understood.
He must have used the secret passage.
His influence had allowed him to bypass the dangerous sections of the dungeon.
Julian smiled confidently.
"I finished first."
Victoria’s expression darkened.
Daemon still hadn’t reached the end.
And only a few minutes remained.
Come on, Daemon.
She clenched her fist.
You have to reach the top three.
Daemon and Roxana were moving at maximum speed when suddenly—
Five figures emerged from the trees.
They surrounded them.
Daemon stopped immediately.
Roxana climbed down.
These weren’t ordinary candidates.
Their movements were disciplined.
Their weapons were maintained perfectly.
Their eyes contained the calmness of experienced killers.
Daemon slowly raised Voidreaper.
"You’re not here to finish the dungeon."
One of the men smiled.
"We’re here for you."
Daemon’s eyes sharpened.
The five hunters attacked simultaneously.
CLANG!
Daemon blocked the first sword.
A spear came from his left.
He ducked.
A dagger aimed for his throat.
Thunderstep!
He vanished.
The attack missed.
Daemon appeared behind one hunter and activated Blade Aura.
SLASH!
The hunter barely blocked the strike.
Another attacked from behind.
Daemon raised Bloodline Ward.
BOOM!
The barrier shattered.
Daemon was thrown backward.
He rolled across the ground and immediately stood.
They’re strong.
Not individually overwhelming.
But their coordination was excellent.
One distracted him.
Two attacked his blind spots.
The remaining two controlled his escape routes.
Daemon wiped blood from the corner of his mouth.
"So that’s the plan."
The five hunters charged again.
Daemon activated Thunderstep.
He moved between them like lightning.
BOOM!
Inferno Blast struck one hunter’s chest.
But before Daemon could follow up, another hunter’s sword came toward his back.
He blocked with Voidreaper.
CLANG!
A third hunter kicked him.
Daemon flew backward.
He planted his feet and stopped himself.
"Daemon!" Roxana shouted.
He looked toward her.
"Roxana."
She understood immediately.
"Go."
"What?"
"Reach the end."
"I won’t leave you!"
Daemon blocked another strike.
"You have less than two minutes."
Roxana shook her head.
"No!"
Daemon suddenly released a powerful Inferno Blast.
BOOOOM!
The five hunters were forced backward.
He looked at her.
"Trust me."
Roxana froze.
Those words.
The same words he’d said before.
She clenched her fists.
Then finally nodded.
"Don’t die."
She turned and ran.
Daemon watched her disappear into the distance.
Then his expression changed.
The warmth disappeared.
His eyes became cold.
He tightened his grip around Voidreaper.
"Now..."
Lightning began crawling across his body.
"...let’s see how many of you I can put down."
Inside the control room, Sana stood frozen.
"Victoria..."
She pointed at the monitor.
"They aren’t trying to stop Daemon from winning."
Victoria said nothing.
Sana’s voice trembled.
"They’re trying to kill him."
The temperature in the room seemed to rise.
Victoria’s killing intent spread through the control room.
Everyone became silent.
"Can we enter the dungeon?" Sana asked.
Victoria slowly shook her head.
"No."
"But—"
"I believe in him."
Her eyes never left the screen.
"He always has something that surprises me."
A faint smile appeared.
"So I’ll have faith in him."
Then her expression became terrifyingly cold.
"But after this is over..."
She stared at the five hunters.
"I’ll find out who sent them."
Her fingers tightened.
"And whoever tried to kill my husband..."
Her smile disappeared.
"I’ll show them no mercy."
One staff member standing behind her suddenly began sweating.
He quietly stepped backward.
I only helped Kael’s people get inside...
He slowly moved toward the exit.
I didn’t think they’d actually try to kill him.
He reached the door.
Then—
"Going somewhere?"
His body froze.
Victoria was standing behind him.
He slowly turned around.
Victoria smiled.
"Got you, bastard."
Inside the dungeon, Daemon’s battle continued.
CLANG!
Five weapons attacked simultaneously.
Daemon blocked one.
Dodged another.
Thunderstep carried him past a third.
He countered with Voidreaper.
SLASH!
But the fourth hunter intercepted him.
BOOM!
Daemon crashed into the ground.
He tried to stand.
Another attack came.
Bloodline Ward activated.
CRACK!
The barrier shattered.
Daemon staggered.
Only two minutes remained.
Five experienced hunters surrounded him.
For the first time, Daemon realized something.
I can’t keep fighting like this.
His breathing became heavier.
His grip tightened around Voidreaper.
One hunter raised his sword.
"Die."
The weapon descended.
Daemon prepared to counter—
Then suddenly...
BOOOOM!
Something struck the hunter and sent him flying.
Everyone froze.
Daemon’s eyes widened.
He looked toward the figure standing in the distance.
Someone who had just entered the battle.
Daemon couldn’t see their face.
The mysterious figure slowly raised their weapon.
And said—
"You’re not fighting him alone."
Daemon stared in shock.
Who the hell is that?