Chapter 27: Shadow Ambush
Shadow Dagger's exclusive active skill.
Shadow Ambush.
Throw Shadow Dagger.
The moment it hits...
Fwish! Whoosh!
"Hm?"
Slice.
"Ugh."
[High-Rank Soldier defeated.]
[Contribution Points x800 acquired.]
Killing a target struck by Shadow Ambush reset the cooldown.
This thing is incredible.
I checked Shadow Dagger's information again and grinned.
Throw. Teleport. Kill. Throw again.
An infinite combo.
As long as there were targets nearby.
And there are plenty.
If the angle worked out, I could even throw the dagger into Goblins and use them as teleportation points.
I spotted a figure between distant trees and threw.
Whoosh!
Flash!
The blade struck.
My vision warped.
Then my body appeared at the target.
"...What?"
The opponent only had enough time to realize something was wrong.
Slice.
[High-Rank Soldier defeated.]
Cooldown reset.
I immediately searched for another target.
There's one.
Fwish! Flash! Slice!
"Ugh!"
Same result.
[Mid-Rank Soldier defeated.]
[Contribution Points x400 acquired.]
"Hey, what was that?"
A C-rank Hunter blinked.
C-rank wasn't really strong enough to comfortably solo Floor 50.
But with a party, they could hunt safely.
Whenever they found someone alone, they'd gang up on them.
With allies, even a High-Rank Soldier wasn't scary.
So why had all his party members suddenly disappeared?
"Where did everyone go?"
Then a message appeared.
[Party member "SpearmanHyung" has died.]
"What?!"
He looked around.
Nothing.
Not even a scream.
"What's wrong with him?"
Then he discovered the fallen party member.
"Hyung! Wake up!"
At that moment, his vision blurred.
He probably sensed something approaching from behind.
But he never learned exactly what.
Slice.
[Mid-Rank Soldier defeated.]
He never even met my eyes.
Maybe because we're on Floor 50? There are barely any Low-Rank Soldiers.
Proof that other people had also started collecting Contribution Points.
I continued throwing Shadow Dagger through the forest.
Fly.
Teleport.
Cut.
The three motions gradually blended into one.
This is fun.
Every kill reset the cooldown.
All I had to do was find another target, throw, and swing.
And the best part...
I wasn't a master knife thrower.
Yet every throw struck exactly where I wanted.
It felt like Shadow Dagger understood its owner's intention and guided itself.
I couldn't stop grinning.
There was no reason to feel guilty.
Anyone entering the Tower now...
Knew exactly what kind of place it had become.
They could be killed by other Hunters.
They might need to kill other Hunters.
Choosing to enter anyway meant...
They voluntarily entered a battle royale.
No one had the right to complain.
Fwish! Flash! Slice!
[Mid-Rank Soldier defeated.]
[High-Rank Soldier defeated.]
[Mid-Rank Soldier defeated.]
A one-sided massacre spread across the forest.
Most victims never saw my face.
They didn't even see my shadow.
Some only felt something brush past.
Some felt nothing.
Then they woke up at home.
As expected of an S-rank weapon.
I looked for my next target.
Contribution Points accumulated quickly.
[Total Contribution Points: 1,589,446]
[Total Contribution Points: 1,595,980]
Only one hour after starting PvP, I'd earned around 130,000 points.
Slower than Laser No. 1, but still good.
What about S-rank Hunters?
[Current Ranking: 1st]
I'm still number one.
How many points did Yoo Seorin and Fist have?
They wouldn't tell me even if I asked.
Maybe fewer than expected.
If they kept fighting each other, they'd lose lots of points through deaths.
Meanwhile...
I didn't die.
At this rate, I could become Second-Class Officer today.
I might not have money right now.
But I had more free time than anyone.
I'm Time Bill Gates.
I gripped Shadow Dagger and prepared to move.
Then...
BOOOOM!
A huge explosion sounded somewhere in the forest.
The ground shook.
That kind of impact...
I instinctively lowered my body.
High-rank Hunter.
At least top-level A-rank.
Possibly S-rank.
Someone like Sword or Fist was nearby.
Staying here might be dangerous.
A moment ago, I'd been happily hunting.
Now it felt like someone dumped cold water over my head.
Dust rose from the direction of the explosion.
RUMBLE!
It's coming this way.
Maybe they'd noticed me.
Maybe coincidence.
Either way, dangerous.
"Exit the Tower."
[Impossible while in combat state.]
After combat began, whether against monsters or Hunters, normal Hunters had to wait before leaving.
Normal Hunters, that is.
"Open a Gate to Floor 0!"
[Opening Tower of Fate Floor 0, "Waiting Room."]
Wooooong.
The circular Gate appeared.
I immediately jumped through.
Tower of Fate, Floor 0.
Waiting Room.
"Barely survived."
I'd opened the Floor 0 Gate on instinct.
I thought it would work.
Seeing it actually succeed made my brain start moving faster.
I thought for a moment.
Then spoke.
"Open a Gate to any location inside the Tower where I can easily win while earning the maximum possible Contribution Points."
[Searching for conditions matching the user's request...]
[Search complete.]
[Opening Tower of Fate Floor 41, "Death Knight's Front Yard (D)."]
Wooooong!
Another Gate appeared.
Floor 41? That's where I was before.
Where I'd first met Yoo Seorin.
Whatever.
I trust you.
My Gate ability had never disappointed me.
I jumped through.
Tower of Fate, Floor 41.
Death Knight's Front Yard.
The moment I passed through...
Whoosh! Slice! Boom!
"Aaagh!"
"Die! Just die!"
"Not there! Come this way!"
"Careful! ...Aaaagh!"
