Hero of Darkness

Chapter 1232: Price to be Paid

The status window explained to Morpheus how to Level Up because to his called the Hunter Killer.

[Kill a hunter of the same rank or above.]

Shocked!

Morpheus was stupefied after hearing the answer. Although he achieved the awakening by accidentally killing a hunter, he never expected the condition of killing more people as a primary way to Level Up.

The only life he had taken before was Trevor. The young, frail boy whom Morpheus had no other choice but to kill in order to survive the arena matched.

Trevor’s terrified face had haunted him in nightmares for years after Morpheus escaped that hellish place.

Even the lying corpse on the floor was enough to shock him for months to come, but the sudden awakening had diverted his attention.

[For each Rank Up, the hunter must kill at least 10 hunters of the same rank or 1 Hunter of the rank above.] notified the status window.

[Killing a hunter of the same rank will grant 10 Exp for the rank up, and killing a stronger hunter will grant 100 Exp.

However, killing hunters of the same rank is advised.]

This time, even the status window advised him not to punch above his weight.

”Can I absorb the skills of all 10 hunters of the same rank?” asked Morpheus.

He still didn’t know how this whole thing worked, and what way he should choose if he wanted to become a strong hunter.

[Yes. There is a restriction of 10 skills for each rank. And even for a rank above the current one, you can learn only 1 skill. After the Rank Up, you can also absorb only 9 more skills in the second scenario.] responded the status window.

”So one way or another... I have to keep killing people?

Does the world want me to become a psychopathic killer just for the sake of becoming strong?” asked Morpheus to himself as this seemed to be the clear intent behind his class.

However... 10 skills per rank was unheard of.

Because on average, all the hunters had 3 to 4 skills based on their class at most. A rank-up was needed before they could gain higher-ranked ones.

So, despite having the condition of killing 10 people... the fact that he could absorb 10 skills was a huge and unique advantage.

Even the hunters from top guilds in the nation had to rely on external means such as scrolls, spell-casting artifacts, weapons, and equipment made from the raw materials acquired from those dimensional monsters, and many more ways to make up for the lack of their skills.

Most of the time, even an A-Rank Hunter would posses only one attack or defense skill of the same rank at best. A lot of them had to strategize their combat style based on the availability of such skills.

For example, if a Fire Mage hunter had only combustion-related skills, the other skill they’d normally possess would most likely be from the rank below they previously acquired.

While the rank up meant a big spike in their stats and ability of skills, they didn’t cover all the necessary areas, such as defense, healing, mana generation, or strength reinforcement.

Even the Class itself played a pivotal role in what kind of ability they got in the first place.

Just the hunter lying in front of Morpheus had 2 attack skills, but possibly had no defense skill. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be lying dead on the floor.

So his class offered him such a big advantage that even other top ranking hunters probably never had.

And the fact that he started as low as an F-rank hunter actually allowed him to gather more skills in the first case.

It was right then...

[Would you like to absorb the skill from the target?]

[Yes/No]

The status window notified him.

Amongst all this barrage of thoughts, Morpheus forgot the most important thing to do first.

”Yes.” replied Morpheus.

[Following are the F-rank skills possessed by the target.

Strength Enhancement (Active) :

Allows the user to increase physical strength by 30% for 10 minutes.

Stamina Recovery (Active) :

Allows the user to recover physical stamina 50% faster for 15 minutes.

Mana Reinforcement (Passive) :

Allows the user to use mana to regenerate mana faster by 15% for 10 minutes.] informed the status window.

”These are the only F-rank skills he had?” asked Morpheus with disappointment.

But in the end, this person was a legitimate C-rank hunter who probably awakened at that rank. The F-rank skills he had would only act as a support skill, and the offensive skills he used against Morpheus were mainly C-rank.

Since Morpheus couldn’t choose those, he had to make do with these ones only.

”Which one do I select?” he wondered and racked his brain.

And finally, after a minute...

”Select Mana Reinforcement.” he commanded.

[Skills selected! Granting Mana Reinforcement to the user.] reported the status window.

Soon, a wave of blueish hue washed over his body as Morpheus felt a pleasant chill across his skin.

”Good. This is the best choice after all.” he said with a content smile.

Why did he choose the third skill instead of the first two?

Because on paper, the first two skills seemed more reliable. But Morpheus had faced hunters before even though they were D and E-rank generally.

”A temporary boost in strength and defense is good for beginners. But Mana regeneration skills often make a huge difference as your rank goes up.

The 15% recovery boost will make a significant difference as my rank and stats go all up. And many F to D rank hunters don’t even have mana reinforcement skills to begin with.” spoke Morpheus with a thoughtful expression.

”Besides, those two skills are useful for hunters who do not have any equipment of their own to protect themselves.

While most of the gear I use is only for defense... It’s still proved helpful even when I couldn’t use the mana like a real hunter.

It’s of Rare Rank that mainly a B-rank hunter can afford after saving up for a couple of years at least.” iterated Morpheus, talking to himself at this point.

”As for the strength skills... I will have to look for them in the future.” he concluded.

And as he ranked up, his arsenal of skills would only keep increasing, and there would be a time when he could find suitable skills that covered his shortcomings in particular areas.

”Killing a C-rank is already going to be hard enough to bury. If I try to kill an S-rank... the whole hunter association of the country will be after my ass.

Ah, Shibal! Should I not have accepted the awakening in the first place?” thought Morpheus.

Then he looked at the corpse on the ground.

Morpheus soon wiped his hands off and cleaned the neck of the hunter, removing traces of his fingerprints.

After cleaning up, he made a call.

”Hyung-nim... we have a problem.”

******************

3 Hours Later...

Morpheus stood in an entirely different room, a different building, and was surrounded by many hardened gangsters just like him.

All of them surrounded him while he faced the opposite end of the room, where a bearded man with slick hair, a dashing mustache, stood while smoking a cigar.

The man himself seemed to be lost in thought, but the atmosphere of the entire room was grim.

Morpheus himself was sweating but didn’t even dare to breathe loudly.

He was more afraid of this man than the hunter he accidentally killed just a while ago.

The one seated on the luxurious cushion chair opposite him was the captain of their division.

”Ya, Mol-phi-ussa! Do you even know how badly you have fucked up?!” said the captain, who seemed to be in his mid-40s.

Every captain in their triads was a made man who proved himself for more than a decade, brought riches to the organization, and made a name for himself in the underworld.

A man of his caliber was feared and respected not only by their enemies but also by their own gang members.

Despite the grim scenario, Morpheus slightly bowed and spoke in a soft tone.

”Captain, I keep telling you... It’s Morpheus.

Mo-ru-phe, phe like in the word ’fish’, us... Morpheus.” said the main subject of this gathering.

Slap!

Some of the gang members slapped their foreheads while others facepalmed.

The captain’s eyes on the other end, filled with a burning fire.

”This Shibal-saekki! (fucking bastard)

He’s correcting me even after this huge fuckup!” spoke the captain and grabbed the spherical glass paperweight on his desk.

Bang!

He threw and hit Morpheus in his chest. But the hunter coat absorbed the impact.

Morpheus didn’t even budge a little, and watching this, others rolled their eyes.

[He’s so dead. Captain is gonna kill’im.] thought one of the gang members.

All of them were team leaders running a settlement of their own just like Morpheus.

And all of them reported to the captain.

”Ahh! Look at him, standing there like a dense bull.” said the captain and got up from his chair.

”Come here... I said come here!” ordered the captain.

Morpheus walked close to the desk, and the captain immediately kicked his shin.

”Argh!” groaned Morpheus and fell on the floor.

”You fucking ingrate! Do you even know how hard it is to cover up a hunter’s death?!

I had to call in old favors from the other captains to clean the whole casino, erase all the evidence that he ever entered the building, and even delete security footage from all the traffic routes in that area by bribing the police.

Did you think it came at a low price?!” he shouted and relieved his anger.

”My neck is on the line in the next monthly meeting.

The generals want me to kill you and bury the whole matter.

If you want to live... You must provide fair compensation to the organization.

There is only one way for you to see another sunrise,” said the captain, containing his fury.

”What is it?” asked Morpheus.

With a grim countenance... the captain told him the way out.

”Offer your hunter equipment to the generals as an apology.”