The Mythical Hunter has Returned - Chapter 4



Only Krnovel

Episode 004

“haha.”

I was already out of breath after only swinging my sword a few times.

Since I had just awakened, my physical strength was poor.

The hand that held the sword trembled.

The fire damage that was the effect of the blacksmith’s rage was partly to blame, but it was also due to untrained muscle strength.

Both physical strength and strength are below the mark.

Even if it is weak, it is too weak.

I can’t believe it took so much effort just to kill an F-level villain who only had a few lines in the mythology.

It was a moment when I realized again that my body was not trained.

‘What if I didn’t even have this sword?’

It would definitely have been more difficult than it is now.

“shit.”

I was so weak at that time.

‘I need training.’

If the body had returned along with the spirit, dealing with Peripetes would have been a matter of time.

Then what do you do?

The important thing is now.

From now on, he had to overcome countless enemies stronger than Peripetes.

Your body shouldn’t be in this condition.

Before I can fight the God of Mankind, I will be defeated by their Apostle.

The good news is that

‘Is it because my level in the history book increased, my strength came back a little?’

As the level of the history book increased, my body became somewhat lighter.

All the blisters and burns on his hands were completely healed by the flames of the blacksmith’s anger.

I felt like my stamina had recovered and at the same time, I could clearly feel that I was stronger than before.

I like it.

Aside from just adding more skills, there is now a way to become stronger.

‘This is the end of my appreciation for growth.’

After looking at Peripetes’ body for a moment, I looked inside the Abyss.

Herpa’s Labyrinth.

Since there is no information on the strategy, I don’t know what’s at the end of this Abyss.

However, it was impossible to get out of the Abyss.

If I show myself going out to the Abyss and follow the traces, Hephaestus will know that I am the culprit.

so.

“We will attack this Abyss until others arrive.”

If you complete certain conditions and conquer the Abyss, the Abyss will be completely sealed.

Until then, the Abyss did not close, but continued to maintain its shape and had the ability to repair itself.

Just like a real world.

If you are lucky, Peripetes’ body will disappear along with the Abyss, otherwise, the body will appear some distance away from here.

‘Even if that happens, it will take time to find it.’

furthermore.

‘If there is no clue that I did it, Hephaestus will create another culprit himself.’

The Blacksmith’s Wrath is Hephaestus’ greatest failure, hidden in a secret place where ordinary people cannot find it.

Unable to imagine that an ordinary human would have taken it, he would suspect someone else.

What is that other being?

‘Ares.’

Ares, the god of war, was the mistress of Hephaestus’ former wife, Aphrodite, and has now remarried and is her current husband.

The fundamental cause of this failure, and a god against whom Hephaestus has a personal grudge.

It was clear that Ares was the only thing his dull mind could think of.

And once you are convinced, you will never think about anything else.

That’s what I’m aiming for.

Division among the gods.

‘Aiming for Hephaestus, who was weakened after fighting Ares.’

However, as of now, I cannot guarantee whether I will be able to defeat God even if I make him weaker by causing conflict.

I needed to build up my strength for that time.

I went into the labyrinth carrying the iron pipe I used when first attacking the Abyss.

* * *

The head of the last kobold hiding deep in the labyrinth was blown off.

The kobold wasn’t a very difficult opponent for me, even though I lack stamina.

Relying on instinct, he blocks the kobold’s crude attacks and deals them with a light stab to a vital point.

Even if you don’t have any powers, you can deal with kobolds with just the tricks you know.

‘It reminds me of the old days.’

I, who did not have God’s grace, had to know everything about monsters in order to survive.

I had to know more and try harder than others.

So, I identified countless weaknesses and strengths of monsters.

Because that was the only power I had.

It was like that when I first hunted goblins.

Wouldn’t it be weak to fire?

Wouldn’t you be afraid of water?

Where should I stab it to kill it?

I did a lot of experiments.

That was the way for me to survive without any blessings or trustworthy colleagues.

Hades and King of Hades also said this while looking at me like that.

-It’s a coveted soul.

They expressed their desire to somehow absorb me and make me theirs.

Damn you guys.

‘I can’t believe I think of that at times like this.’

It was a bad memory.

“We need more strength.”

Even if you know the future, you cannot predict everything.

Look at this labyrinth now.

Even countries that had already experienced the future did not know everything.

Herpa’s Labyrinth was a labyrinth that had not been conquered even when I lived.

‘Use everything you can.’

Since I was determined to use the divine weapon, I also needed to find several hidden pieces that were now available.

That way, you will be able to prepare for later.

‘You can move alone right now, but you can’t fight alone forever.’

I also needed someone I could trust.

Those talented people who have no influence on God.

‘Let’s deal with saving people later.’

My priority now is to increase my strength.

I’m too weak now.

‘My arm still hurts.’

History says I became stronger by leveling up, but the muscle pain was severe, as if my muscle fibers had been torn by just one stab.

I’m going to kill a god with a panting body just because I killed fifteen kobolds.

It was out of the question.

The reason Peripetes was able to be killed this time was because he was careless.

But if you keep repeating the killings like this, they will also become wary, and it will become increasingly difficult.

‘To become stronger, you need a sacred relic that has not been discovered yet.’

After hunting the last kobold, I reached the end of the labyrinth.

There was nothing special at the end of the labyrinth.

The level of difficulty is considered too easy.

‘So Peripetes probably chose this Abyss on purpose.’

The level of the hunters who come to visit is low, and even if an accident occurs, the Abyss is at a level where it can handle it on its own.

That place was the labyrinth of Herpa.

At the end of the labyrinth stood a stone statue of a fairy covered in robes.

A huge stone statue that appears to be 4 meters tall.

The stone statue was carved so elaborately that it looked as if it were a living fairy petrified.

However, her expression seemed very benevolent to say that she had been forcibly petrified.

Like a mother trying to embrace everything.

The name ‘Herpa’ was written under the huge stone statue.

It was the same as the name of the owner of this labyrinth.

“Does this woman have Herpa?”

It was my first time seeing this face.

I don’t know all the beings in mythology, but it was my first time seeing their faces and names.

‘Could he possibly be one of the gods of the other world born in the Abyss?’

That was highly likely.

Like Zeno, the God of Destruction, they also had their own nickname in this world.

‘Is it Herpa himself? Or is she a stone statue containing her thoughts?

I was on guard until the end, wondering if something would suddenly happen at the statue.

But there was no sign of that happening.

There was no flow of mana or even basic traps on the statue.

So it’s really just an ordinary stone statue.

As I got closer, the words written under Herpa’s name caught my eye.

branch?

Only then could I see the tree branch held by the stone statue of Herpa.

The thing in her hand was thicker and longer than an adult man’s forearm, and looked more like a club than a twig.

I got closer and looked closer.

“It’s time to eat?”

It was the season of ink that only grew in the Iron Forest of Jarnvidr.

Although it looked like wood, it had characteristics similar to iron, making it a rare item that could make weapons stronger than any other metal if you knew how to smelt it.

“This is compensation?”

Didn’t you say that it’s a labyrinth that you don’t conquer because the reward is low?

This is too much compensation for something coming from a D-class Abyss.

‘Deserving of destruction’.

Suddenly, the disaster of destruction registered in history books came to mind.

A skill obtained by killing Zenon.

Although I used it for regression, his skills still remained in the encyclopedia.

‘no way.’

I put my hand on the branch she was holding.

Sure!

When I placed my hand on the tree branch, the stone statue opened its eyes.

-human… ?

The eyes of the stone statue facing me widened.

It was an expression of disbelief.

-That’s strange. Why do you have his power?

“Are you talking about Zeno?”

-… It’s amazing.

She couldn’t hear me and let out one exclamation after another.

-I waited for hundreds of years, but it was for the sake of a human who possessed his power. This too will be my destiny.

“Herpa, am I qualified?”

-You are still weak, but you have the qualifications to become great.

“I’m glad. “I was going to bust your head off if you told me she didn’t deserve it.”

Since I knew that she was related to the god of this world, to me she was no different from the god of mankind.

The gods of this world and the gods of humanity are the same as those who must be killed.

– Take your words back. I have no intention of fighting with you.

“Then I can take it, right?”

She stared at me.

It was quite creepy to see a huge stone statue over 4 meters tall looking at me.

-of course. Take it with you anytime.

After finishing speaking, she held out Jarnvidr’s inkjeol, which she was holding tightly in her arms.

As she held the stick-like stick in her hand, she smiled faintly.

-Now my work is finished. May you become a great person in the future.

She lowered her head, and at that moment, the Abyss vibrated greatly.

Light enveloped me, and the surrounding scenery changed.

Whoa!

When I opened my eyes again, I was standing at the foot of a mountain overlooking Namsan Tower.

It was quite a distance from Yeongdeungpo, where I first visited to enter the Abyss.

This is exactly what happens when you attack the Abyss that has been neglected for a long time.

Perhaps there was some spatial distortion, but after attacking the old Abyss, people were dropped into random locations around where the Abyss occurred.

It was one of the reasons why I decided to conquer Herpa’s Labyrinth.

No one knew the principle.

There were cases where they were suddenly summoned to the sea, and there were also cases where they were abandoned in the forest like this.

‘Anyway, as long as the results are good, that’s fine.’

The labyrinth of Herpa that I conquered has disappeared, and Peripetes’ body must have disappeared or fallen in a random location like me.

You would never think that he died in the Abyss.

Peripetes was despised as an unremarkable failure, but he was still the son of God.

In the myth, even though Theseus killed him, he didn’t say anything, so it doesn’t seem like he was a very affectionate son.

Hephaestus was eerily indifferent to failures.

Peripetes may have killed people for fun in order to attract his father’s attention.

‘But I’m sure you’ll understand better this time.’

Because what killed him was nothing else but a weapon that stimulated his trauma of hating failures.

‘I hope Hephaestus fights Ares properly as planned. ‘You’re wasting time.’

I killed the necessary villains and raised the level of the history book.

It would be a waste to throw away the relic obtained from Loki’s magic box, but the thrown away sword will serve more than its original value.

And that level of sword could be obtained at any time.

“Mukcheol.”

That is, if you handle Jarnvidr’s ink season well.

“Herpa… .”

He was strangely kind to me.

God of another world? Or an otherworldly fairy?

I don’t know his identity, but he told me there was something called his power.

‘If you think about the phrase, he seems close to Zeno, the God of Destruction… .’

Other possibilities could not be ruled out.

For example.

-okay. You guys are a real ordeal. He foresaw all this. okay. Kill it. Kill me and become a trial for those abominable gods.

The ‘him’ that Zeno, the God of Destruction, spoke to me as he died before his return.

“This is something to think about too.”

difficult.

Since returning to the past, I never thought that something easy would be waiting for me.

But there was still so much I didn’t know.

“Let’s stop thinking about the headache and go back.”

Now was the time to keep it as simple as possible and focus on my purpose.

For now, let’s just think about becoming stronger.

‘It’s not too late to think about it when you can easily defeat God.’

After thinking, I quickly went down the mountain.

* * *

When I returned home, I looked around the room.

‘long time no see.’

I never thought I would come here again.

This was the house I left when I was selected for the final expedition, risking death.

To come back to that house alive again.

Even going back to the past.

“I’m back. “Mother, father.”

I said, stroking the photo album that was on the drawer next to the living room.

A photo of my parents and my younger sister, Heejin.

“Heejin… .”

I enjoyed the joy of a short reunion.

Spending more time than this was a luxury.

There was a lot of work to be done.

The first thing you need to do is:

‘I need to know the limits of my abilities.’

What is the current status?

How strong can you become?