TRKLG 04

Ha-jun knew that in order to awaken, he absolutely needed a sacrifice.

But that didn’t mean he could sacrifice an innocent person.

The standard was clear.

Someone who harms the world and will continue to commit numerous evil acts.

Not just a simple criminal, but someone whose very existence is evil.

And that target came to mind immediately.

‘Lee Kang-woo.’

He was a Red Hunter who would become infamous in the near future as a serial killer, a man who felt pleasure from murdering people.

Although Lee Kang-woo was still virtually unknown, there was a very high chance he was already secretly revealing his true nature and committing murders.

‘That bastard is a murderer by nature.’

As time passes, more people will die.

If that’s the case, before Lee Kang-woo becomes notorious—

‘I have to end him with my own hands.’

In this life, Ha-jun had no intention of letting that murderer run rampant.

But there was one problem.

‘If I go into the dungeon like this, I might end up being the prey.’

Unlike officially registered dungeons, illegal gates are accessible to anyone.

Even non-awakened could enter as long as they paid, and in fact, many non-awakened used them.

But entry and survival were separate issues.

Monsters existed inside the dungeons, and Red Hunters operating outside the Hunter Association’s surveillance network also hid there.

Some of them weren’t just simple hunters, but those who enjoyed killing.

For Ha-jun, a non-awakened, to survive against them, he needed his own weapon.

Ha-jun immediately went looking for a shop that sold hunter equipment.

“Welcome.”

As he entered, his eyes were drawn to the dazzling array of various weapons.

Spears, swords, blunt weapons, bows—

Enhanced equipment imbued with magical energy emitted their unique, subtle mana waves.

Ha-jun quietly examined the weapons.

But the moment he saw the price tags, he shook his head.

‘Too expensive.’

High-end hunter equipment started at tens of millions of won, easily exceeding hundreds of millions.

They were things he absolutely couldn’t afford with the emergency fund of Ha-jun, who lived hand-to-mouth.

As Ha-jun was looking around the store like that, a clerk who had been watching him from afar approached and spoke kindly.

“Customer, what are you looking for?”

“I’m looking for a cost-effective enhanced weapon that even a non-awakened can use.”

“Ah, I see you’re a non-awakened.”

The clerk thought for a moment, then guided him to a display case on one side.

There, as Ha-jun had hoped, were basic equipment items at relatively low prices.

“The items here can’t directly use magical power, but they are weapons with basic enhancement effects.”

Ha-jun leisurely examined the display, then found a small dagger on one side.

A modest dagger with a deep blue shimmering blade.

It had no special effects, but its solid, basic design was impressive.

‘Even if it’s cheap, it’s still better than bringing a kitchen knife.’

That was enough.

The price was just over 1 million won.

He’d have to spend most of the money he had, but it wasn’t a waste considering it was for his life.

‘It’s a cheap investment for awakening.’

Ha-jun, having used most of his emergency fund to pay, left the store.

‘I’ve secured a weapon.’

But a weapon is just a tool.

It’s meaningless without a body that can handle it properly.

Sreung—

As he drew the dagger, the reflected light sparkled along the blade.

Ha-jun calmly steadied his breathing and began checking basic movements one by one.

‘Stab, slash, block.’

Unlike what he had envisioned in his head, his movements were somehow sluggish and awkward.

His body still couldn’t keep up with the movements he imagined.

Of course, even at this level, he could probably handle a street thug of E-class without much trouble.

But Ha-jun’s target was D-class.

And among them, a Red Hunter who had survived numerous life-or-death situations.

Since D-class and above possess strength beyond human limits, charging in with his current state would be nothing short of suicide.

Ha-jun needed time to train his new body and adapt.

Ten days passed.

“488…, 489…, 490…”

Ha-jun was holding himself up upside down using only his arm strength.

Every time he counted, drops of sweat fell onto the floor, now soaked with perspiration.

Slowly bending his arms, then pushing back up.

He had already repeated that simple motion 490 times.

‘Now, only 10 left.’

His arms trembled, and his entire body screamed in protest.

But—

“495…”

He didn’t stop.

“498…”

It was no longer muscle strength supporting Ha-jun’s body.

It was his will.

“500…!”

As the bead of sweat hanging from his chin fell, Ha-jun exhaled roughly and lowered his body.

After ten days of investigation, Ha-jun had been able to pinpoint the location of the gate that Lee Kang-woo frequented.

An E-class illegal gate located on an abandoned factory site in Ansan.

Nearby, Ha-jun had been continuously training his body, waiting for Lee Kang-woo to appear.

And finally, today.

He witnessed Lee Kang-woo entering the dungeon with his own two eyes.

“Time to go hunting.”

Sitting on the floor, Ha-jun caught his breath for a moment, then dusted off his hands and stood up.

“Hey, kid. Money.”

To enter an illegal gate, a certain amount of toll was required.

Ha-jun paid the prepared cash, purchased an entry pass, and immediately entered the gate.

It was important to first understand the dungeon’s environment.

The interior of the dungeon was a dense jungle, dark and full of places to hide.

Should one say it was a fitting hunting ground for a murderer?

It was hard to find a place more ideal for surprise attacks and assassinations; it was the perfect location to kill someone.

‘Well, thanks to that, it makes it easier for me to catch the bastard.’

Ha-jun smiled faintly and looked around.

All sorts of human characters were mixed together in the illegal gate.

From hunters who came to hunt monsters, to illegal miners, black marketeers, and wanted criminals who had committed various crimes.

At a glance, most of them were far removed from mainstream society.

But since they weren’t important, Ha-jun first began tracking Lee Kang-woo’s trail.

‘Seems like he’s already gone quite deep inside.’

Most of the monsters in this dungeon were E-class creatures like goblins.

Goblins themselves weren’t such a big threat that even Ha-jun, a non-awakened, couldn’t handle them, but the biggest danger in illegal gates isn’t monsters—it’s the Red Hunters who kill people.

Ha-jun concealed his tracks as much as possible to avoid being followed by those bastards and snuck deep into the dungeon.

Minimizing noise, carefully moving his feet, that’s when—

‘Found him.’

Finally, Ha-jun discovered Lee Kang-woo.

Lee Kang-woo was already robbing several people.

Most of those entering illegal gates were either weak hunters who couldn’t even join a guild, or non-awakened.

His opponents couldn’t even properly resist Lee Kang-woo.

Faces filled with fear, trembling hands.

Lee Kang-woo felt ecstasy from that sight, enjoying the pleasure.

“What, is this really all you’ve got?”

“Please spare me… Please…”

“Kikiki, even if I wanted to spare you, your sincerity is lacking, lacking.”

Just because it’s an illegal gate doesn’t mean only irredeemable villains or hunters come in.

Like Ha-jun in his previous life, there were many desperate people with their own stories, trying to make a big score.

In a way, they were desperate people driven into a corner, risking their lives to jump into an illegal gate.

But—

For Lee Kang-woo, even their desperation was merely a means to satisfy his filthy desires.

“Kikik, if you’re going to tremble over just this much, why’d you even come into the dungeon?”

Lee Kang-woo looked down at the people lying covered in blood and sneered.

Among the people collapsed on the floor, a young man, his hands trembling, pulled out his last remaining money and held it out.

“T-Take this too… P-Please, just spare my life…”

Lee Kang-woo looked at the stack of bills for a moment, then snickered and tossed it to the ground.

“I don’t want to.”

Then he mercilessly stomped on the man’s head.

The man, unable to even scream, his face pressed into the dirt, trembled all over and struggled.

But Lee Kang-woo had no intention of letting him go.

Finally, after twitching a few times, the man met his end.

Lee Kang-woo, feeling a thrill at the sight, cackled like a madman.

“Kyahahaha~ This is the thrill of the hunt, right?”

Watching the faces of those facing death turn pale with fear.

That was the pleasure he loved.

And—

Watching the scene quietly from afar, Ha-jun’s eyes grew cold.

‘As I thought, there’s no reason to let that bastard live.’

Every time he raised his hand, a life disappeared from the world.

Such an atrocious being—

He must not be left alone in this life either.

Ha-jun quietly followed Lee Kang-woo from the shadows.

Lee Kang-woo, having killed even the survivors, was walking leisurely without any wariness.

Shaking the bottle of alcohol in his hand, even humming a low tune.

“Keuk, as expected, alcohol tastes best after the hunt is over.”

Without even properly wiping the blood on his hands, he took swig after swig.

His state could only be described as—

Complete carelessness.

But the opponent is a D-class hunter, an awakened with superhuman physical abilities.

No matter how much he had trained for days, as a non-awakened, Ha-jun was by no means an opponent he could recklessly charge.

That’s why Ha-jun had prepared a more sure method to eliminate the bastard.