I was Mistaken for a Noble Hunter

[Yes, my little king!]

 

Beru, responding to Sooho’s command, asked in confusion again.

 

[But shouldn’t we attack those disrespectful bastards from behind if we want to kill them?]

 

“What are you talking about? We’re here to mine.”

 

[…!]

 

Beru jumped up with foam forming around its mouth.

 

[No way, what are you talking about!?]

 

Beru couldn’t believe it.

 

What kind of situation is this!? With the tremendous and omnipotent power of the Shadow Monarch, he’s only using it for mining!?

 

[What does mining mean when we are at war with hundreds of millions of troops in the universe right now!?]

 

“I understand that, but my abilities are currently weakened, and I only have three weak goblins. We need to be realistic. Even my father would have done the same when he was weak, right?”

 

[But, but…]

 

“And you also told me last night.” Sooho recalled the conversation he’d had with Beru yesterday.

 

***

 

On the way back home after being discharged from the hospital, Beru spoke seriously.

 

[My little king, the mission given to us can be summarized into three main points.]

 

Despite his small size, the content of Beru’s words was grandiose.

 

[First, we must protect Earth from the monsters of the outer universe.]

 

“You mean we have to go into dungeons and hunt magic beasts?”

 

[Yes, Little King. As you level up by hunting magic beasts, Earth will become safer as you become stronger. And second, we must find a way to locate the missing Lady Haein.]

 

“Yeah, I see. But do you have any idea how to find my mother’s whereabouts?”

 

[Unfortunately, I do not. But if we keep hunting those outer universe creatures, we may stumble upon some clues, right?]

 

In the end, it was also about going into dungeons.

 

[And third, this is the most important.]

 

Beru blinked and pointed to himself.

 

[I must regain my strength as soon as possible and return to the battlefield where my liege is. The balance of the war, which was already tense, would have undoubtedly been compromised by my absence as a key force.]

 

At this point, Sooho was curious. The small form of Beru now was just a means to conserve his strength, and his true form and power were like a living nightmare.

 

With such tremendous power missing from the battlefield, Sooho couldn’t even imagine how the direction of the war might have changed.

 

“How can you regain your strength?”

 

Beru’s lips stretched into a wicked and sinister smile at the question.

 

[Naturally, by eating.]

 

It was a smile that was incredibly wicked and sinister.

 

 

Beru remembered the queen of ants in the fragments of a long-forgotten world.

 

 

– Let’s create the strongest soldier.

 

 

The queen needed the strongest soldier to rebuild her crumbling kingdom, destroyed by humans, and lead its inhabitants.

 

After half a year, the queen finally gathered all her power and resources to conceive a single life. The queen’s determination to create strong soldiers and the ancient order to annihilate all humans combined, resulting in the birth of a monstrous creature that surpassed common sense.

 

The skill that the monster was born with was ‘Gluttony’. The monster could assimilate a part of the target’s power and knowledge simply by consuming them.

 

… Recalling that old memory, Beru spoke.

 

[My innate talent is ‘Gluttony’. Whether it’s a human or a monster, my power will gradually increase as I keep consuming. It used to be an inefficient method I used in the past, but now I have no other choice.]

 

Whether it’s a human or a monster…

 

Sooho realized anew.

 

Indeed, Beru lacked humanity.

 

‘Because he’s not human to begin with.’

 

Beru drooled as he spoke about consuming humans, presenting a perfect image of a monster.

 

Sooho said firmly, “Still, don’t just eat any human.”

 

[Hoo?]

 

“If you’re going to eat, only eat the bad ones.”

 

Beru’s eyes narrowed at those words.

 

[Indeed, you’re just like His Majesty. Long ago, he also ordered me to only eat the bad ones if I’m going to eat.]

 

“Father too? What’s the criteria for determining who is bad?”

 

[Well, of course…]

 

Beru smiled faintly.

 

[Those who harm our little king.]

 

***

 

Back to the present.

 

“You said it yourself.”

 

Beru protested at Sooho’s words.

 

[So, wasn’t the plan to enter the dungeon and level up?]

 

“How can an E-rank Hunter enter a dungeon alone? E-rank Hunters are not allowed to join raid parties, after all.” Sooho was being realistic.

 

Assistant Professor Im had explained before that the only role an E-rank Hunter could play in the dungeon was a production role, so Sooho planned to undergo ‘re-measurement’ once his level increased and his mana reached D-rank.

 

‘The system of dividing Hunters into ranks was recently established, so there are still many errors in the measurement devices.’

 

“So, for now, let’s focus on what we can do at the moment,” Sooho smiled and said.

 

Beru felt a sense of unease at Sooho’s laughter.

 

[Why are you smiling at me like that?]

 

“Our third mission.” Sooho repeated Beru’s words with a meaningful expression, “Recharge your mana as soon as possible by eating, right?”

 

[That’s right. Whether it’s a human or a monster…]

 

“In that case, what about mana stones?”

 

Flinch.

Beru’s expression hardened at those words.

 

“Since your ability is to eat, won’t your mana be recharged by eating mana stones?”

 

[Th-that’s true, but mana stones have very little mana, so it only fills the stomach, and the efficiency is not so…]

 

“Is that a problem? Just eat more of them,” Sooho said with a bright smile.

 

“It’s free if you pick them up here.”

 

[Khii…]

 

***

 

Sooho passed through the gate with the miners.

 

The appearance of the dungeon they entered was completely different from the Shadow Dungeon. The Shadow Dungeon was a vast ruin city of unimaginable size, but this place was a winding cave.

 

Moreover, with miners wielding pickaxes in their hands, it truly felt like they were in a mine.

 

Sooho and the miners slowly walked into the dungeon.

 

Thanks to the glowing mushrooms and luminescent fireflies scattered throughout the dungeon, the visibility was not too dark.

 

Clang, clang, clang, clang!

 

The sound of pickaxes starting from various places. The rhythm and uniformity of the pickaxe sounds were very skilled, as if everyone had experience.

 

But suddenly, all the sounds stopped at once.

 

“… Huh?”

 

“What’s that?”

 

The miners’ gaze focused on one spot.

 

There was Sooho, who commanded the Shadow Goblins.

 

[Krrhok! Krrohrok!]

 

[Khihihiik!]

 

Three Shadow Goblins pickaxing with vile, vile laughter. And Sooho was observing from behind.

 

“Wow.”

 

“So that’s what his summoning skill does…?”

 

People were naturally surprised.

 

The widely known summoning skill was supposed to assist in battles by summoning creatures like explosive insects or sleep-inducing butterflies. And Summoners were only supposed to follow behind and give directions like Pokémon trainers.

 

“But it can be used like that?”

 

Clang, clang, clang, clang!

 

[Khihehek!]

 

The Shadow Goblins that Sooho commanded looked a little smaller and weaker than the normal goblins. However, they had enough strength to wield their pickaxes, and most importantly, they never seemed to tire no matter how much they mined. Whenever their stamina was even slightly depleted, Sooho’s mana flowed into them, replenishing their strength.

 

“Wow… this, this is amazing.”

 

“This new recruit is really something! Hahaha!”

 

The miners who saw Sooho’s abilities were in awe and praised him loudly.

 

“All those talks about the summoning skill being mediocre were just nonsense! This skill is so amazing!”

 

“If we keep slacking off, this new recruit will end up mining all the ores by himself!”

 

“We can’t just stand by like this! Let’s show him what the seniors are capable of!” 

 

The miners laughed and started wielding their pickaxes again.

 

Beside them, the rough-looking goblins joined in the work, and the scene felt quite pleasant.

 

[Bzz…]

 

Watching that heartwarming scene, Beru chewed on the magic stones like cookies from behind.

 

***

 

Around that time, the attack squad composed of Hunters of D-rank and above was delving much deeper into the dungeon than the mining site.

 

“This dungeon is a real empty treasure trove.”

 

“Yeah, it’s been nothing but wolf monsters coming at us.”

 

“Wolf hides don’t fetch much money.”

 

The retrieval team that followed behind the attack squad and dismantled the monster corpses sighed with disappointment.

 

Of course, they said that, but it didn’t mean that wolf hides were completely worthless. Besides, occasionally there were corpses with mana stones, so they had to work hard, albeit reluctantly.

 

“Sigh. We have to save up even a penny.”

 

The wagons were piled up with wolf hides that they had brought.

 

At that moment.

 

“Huh? What’s this here?” A Hunter who was walking ahead in the cave called out to his comrades.

 

In front of them, surprisingly, stood a massive ruin.

 

The Hunters who saw the sight tensed up and kept their guard up in the surroundings.

 

‘Could there be a boss-level monster here?’

 

Normally, the probability of encountering a powerful boss monster in a D-rank dungeon was low. However, the existence of such a structure meant that something special could be happening.

 

And for the Hunters, this special situation was unlikely to be a pleasant one.

 

“What is this place?”

 

“Why is there such a ruin here?”

 

“Do we need to go outside and request reinforcements for this?”

 

The Hunters murmured among themselves.

 

But the leader of the attack squad intervened and carefully surveyed the surroundings with a serious expression. “Shh. Keep quiet. I don’t sense any presence of monsters with my tracking skill.”

 

“Are you sure? Why would there be such a structure without any monsters?”

 

“We’ll find out from now on.” A faint smile crossed the lips of the leader. “Who knows? Maybe there’s a treasure hidden instead of a boss monster.”

 

“Treasure…!”

 

The eyes of the Hunters lit up at those words.

 

The loot from dungeons was not limited to monster corpses and mana stones, there were also items with a low probability of discovery. Those items were the only way for Hunters, whose powers did not grow once their rank was determined, to increase their strength.

 

“Leader! There’s something here!”

 

As they searched the surroundings, they discovered a sword stuck in the center of the ruin. It was a sword brimming with an extraordinary aura.

 

“This is insane.”

 

The eyes of the Hunters were all greedily drawn to it at once.

 

“This is a jackpot!”

 

“Wow, it’s a weapon!”

 

Though they would have to appraise it outside to know for sure, it was obvious that they had discovered an incredibly impressive weapon.

 

“Leader! Let me pull it out!” The strongest male Hunter among them spat on his hands and stepped forward eagerly.

 

“Oh? Wait, Kim Yongjoon! Be careful…!” The leader tried to stop him, but Kim Yongjoon’s hand had already tightly grasped the sword handle.

 

At that moment.

 

A booming voice echoed in Kim Yongjoon’s mind.

 

 

– Who dares covet the sword of the Beast Monarch?

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