Chapter 8 : Gaining Enough Karma
Wooooosh—
Seon Yuhan was walking through a seemingly endless desert.
He frowned.
It had been a long time since he entered, yet he hadn't encountered a single monster.
He muttered in a hollow voice:
"This isn't the kind of rift I expected. Why is it so boring?"
Seon Yuhan continued to grumble as he walked.
Anyone who saw him would have thought he was just a young man overcome with boredom.
However, Seon Yuhan's thoughts were completely different from his appearance.
It hasn't taken its eyes off me for a single moment. Even paparazzi aren't this persistent.
He skillfully rolled his eyes.
A clear sky. There was a single spot where the flow of spiritual energy was particularly abnormal.
The source of that annoying gaze was undoubtedly that thing.
It doesn't look like a living being... Is it some kind of spiritual monitoring device, a spirit tool?
His spiritual eyes couldn't accurately determine its form.
However, if he put his mind to it, destroying it would be possible.
But he had no intention of doing so.
I'm curious.
What kind of monster would operate such a high-level piece of monitoring equipment?
He walked through the desert, anticipating the large amount of karma he was about to collect.
"Ah, I'm so bored."
He continued to talk to himself, trying to make his opponent lower their guard.
Being watched was a bit nerve-wracking, but if used correctly, it could be turned into an advantage.
Trudge— Trudge—
After some time, a spot where a sandstorm was blowing unusually hard came into his view.
"Hmm? What's that?"
He approached, feigning a puzzled expression.
But Seon Yuhan's eyes pierced through the sandstorm, to see what lay beyond.
A pyramid?
It looked suspicious from a single glance.
Arriving in front of the pyramid, Seon Yuhan looked up at the massive structure.
At that moment.
Shlurp, shshlk—
"Finally came out, huh?"
Rumble, the stones on the face of the pyramid crumbled, and dozens of monsters crawled out.
They were lizard-like monsters.
Their abnormally large mouths and huge teeth were particularly noticeable.
It was as if someone had forcibly implanted the teeth of a different species in them.
"Fireball Art."
Well, that's not my business.
"Fireball."
Fwoosh, a ball of fire the size of a human face materialized above his head.
The lizards saw it and tilted their heads.
They seemed to be saying: With just that one thing?
"You don't really think that, do you?"
Seon Yuhan smiled.
Immediately after, he spent karma to select fire-element talismans as his special trip rewards.
He didn't desperately need his phone.
The application was just a medium. Even without his phone, there were no restrictions on using his abilities.
Though using the phone was more convenient.
Anyway.
Seon Yuhan pumped spiritual energy into the talismans. Then, he tore them all apart.
Fwoosh-fwoosh-fwoosh—
Instantly, fireballs of the same size were created above his head.
There were nearly a hundred of them.
Kieeeeeek!!!
Seeing this, the lizards panicked and charged at him.
They had instinctively sensed danger.
"Hoh."
They were very fast.
Despite the sandy terrain, their feet didn't sink.
The soles of their feet must have had a special structure.
At that moment, the nearest lizard leaped into the air.
Immediately after, he nonchalantly pushed his hand forward.
The fireballs rained down, directly hitting the lizards.
Boom-boom-boom!!
With the sound of explosions, the lizards were blown to bits.
Kieeeeeek!!!
Then, the black smoke met a thick cloud of rising sand dust.
"Ugh, so much dust."
Seon Yuhan waved his hand. A wind blew, clearing his vision.
He looked at the wide-open entrance of the pyramid and muttered.
"There really are a lot of them."
F-f-f-f-f-f-fwoooosh—!
A much larger number of lizards were rushing toward him at top speed compared to before.
He closed one eye and looked inside. His karma had increased significantly.
The karma I gained from killing them is more than the karma I spent on the talismans.
It was a profitable business.
Seon Yuhan smiled brightly and spent karma.
Rustle! As he brought his hands together, the talismans that flew out of his pocket gently floated in the air.
He had more than enough talismans.
"I never knew rifts were such great places."
He sincerely thought so.
At this rate, opening the next realm would not be impossible.
After about an hour, he wiped the sweat dripping from his chin, looking slightly exhausted.
Seon Yuhan scanned his surroundings.
A huge amount of blood and flesh had gathered together, flowing thickly.
He had finally succeeded in killing all the lizards.
"Heh, now I see why other hunters form raid teams."
The consumption of spiritual energy was greater than he expected.
Seon Yuhan looked at his left hand. A multi-colored stone rested on it.
It was a mid-grade spirit stone he had received from the Han Seong Guild instead of a signing bonus.
For him, it was a bit strange. The thought that he could buy spirit stones with just pieces of paper.
"In the Hyundo continent, you'd need at least a few low-grade spirit tools to get a mid-grade spirit stone."
For him, who was still in the mid-stage of Qi Refining, it was not an easy feat.
Unless I went on missions like Cultivator Jin.
Anyway.
"Hup."
As he clenched his fist, the surface of the mid-grade spirit stone shone brightly and began to crumble.
Seon Yuhan took a deep breath. A brilliant mass of light was completely absorbed into his body.
At the same time, his depleted spiritual energy was quickly replenished.
As expected of a mid-grade spirit stone. To have this much spiritual energy even without refining.
Thanks to the effectiveness of the mid-grade spirit stone, he was able to handle the battle against the lizards with ease.
Of course, it wouldn't have been difficult even without it.
He could just spend karma to bring a pill that restores spiritual energy.
If I had my way, I'd want to bring the whole storage bag...
Then he could have all the items inside.
Meaning he wouldn't have to get things little by little like this.
No. I have to endure. I need to open the next realm quickly.
That would consume a lot of karma. If he prioritized efficiency, the current method was the right one.
Seon Yuhan swallowed his disappointment and entered the pyramid.
His spiritual energy had already recovered significantly.
Deformed, grotesque monsters were gathered in small groups in front of an altar.
They were staring at a crystal ball with somewhat dumbfounded eyes.
A tusked grotesque muttered in disbelief.
"...That's an elite B-rank? Was the measurement done correctly?"
"Are you doubting the divine tool now?"
When the tall grotesque asked in a chilling tone, the tusked grotesque laughed awkwardly.
"Ha, haha. Of course not. Why would you say something like that? It was bestowed upon us by him, after all."
The tall grotesque stared intently at the tusked one.
The tusked grotesque swallowed hard.
"...Watch your words."
"R-right."
The tall grotesque turned its gaze back to the crystal ball.
The hunter with the strange abilities was gradually approaching the heart of the pyramid.
"He killed all those creatures, so his body can't be in a normal state either."
The tall grotesque scanned the faces of the other grotesques.
"Prepare to greet him. Do not kill him, under any circumstances. He must pay the price for daring to ruin the ritual."
The grotesques nodded.
The lone intruder's abilities were quite powerful, but still within an acceptable range.
And for a good reason—the tall grotesque had been an A-rank hunter before receiving the "baptism."
He was strong to begin with, but after the baptism, he possessed a strength that rivaled most S-rank hunters.
Has it really been a year since that monster joined the organization...?
The grotesques cast worried glances at the tall one.
They were all formidable individuals in their own right. But, in front of the tall grotesque, their light seemed dim.
He's a little scary, but it's reassuring to have him on our side.
With the tall grotesque around, they weren't the least bit afraid of some hunter who had slaughtered a bunch of lizards.
Seon Yuhan got closer and closer to the center of the pyramid.
Finally, a huge stone gate appeared before him.
"Is this the boss room?"
Even after killing all the lizards, the entrance hadn't opened.
This meant that this was the only place left.
Seon Yuhan carefully observed the stone gate.
"Hmmmm."
Then, a strange smile crept onto his face as he approached the gate.
Trudge— Trudge—
Meanwhile, the grotesques were watching Seon Yuhan through the crystal ball.
They were on standby right behind the stone gate.
The moment Seon Yuhan opens the door, they would launch an all-out attack.
"He's coming, he's coming, he's coming."
"Hehehehe."
The grotesques' expressions became feverish.
They were already certain of Seon Yuhan's defeat.
At that moment.
Wooooong—
When he was about 10 meters away from the stone gate, Seon Yuhan slowly began to draw out his spiritual energy.
Tsk, it's a waste, but it can't be helped.
At the same time, he spent a large amount of karma.
It was an amount on a completely different level from when he had summoned the talismans.
Baaaat—
Instantly, a small white lotus flower formed on his palm.
It was a one-time use, low-grade spirit tool, the Lotus Fire Wheel.
"...! Stop him!"
The tall grotesque, who was watching Seon Yuhan through the crystal ball from behind, urgently shouted.
The other grotesques were momentarily flustered, but they quickly regained their senses and opened the door.
In that gap, the tall grotesque began to sneakily retreat.
Screeeeeeeech—!
The stone gate opened with a blood-curdling sound. Seon Yuhan smiled fiercely.
"See, you shouldn't spy on people."
At that moment, the Lotus Fire Wheel rapidly swelled in size.
At the same time, a huge number of talismans flew out of Seon Yuhan's pouch and stuck to the pure white petals.
Fwoooooosh—
The petals of the Lotus Fire Wheel were engulfed in flames.
A huge amount of spiritual energy gathered around the giant lotus.
"Block it! Block it!!"
Th-th-thump, the grotesques squeezed themselves through the small opening in the stone gate and charged toward Seon Yuhan.
However, Seon Yuhan hadn't been idle while they were opening the door.
His form was already far away.
"Humanoid monsters! I see, so you're worthy of using monitoring equipment!"
Seon Yuhan shouted loudly at the sight of the grotesques' strange appearances.
I wonder how much karma this will give me! It's a good thing I brought a low-grade spirit tool!
He took out a mid-grade spirit stone from his robe and placed it on the Lotus Fire Wheel.
The firepower intensified.
What a waste.
It was a bitter pill to swallow.
The thought that he had to sacrifice both a low-grade spirit tool and a mid-grade spirit stone.......
Still, that thing is dangerous.
Seon Yuhan steeled his resolve.
The unusually tall grotesque was staring at him with a terrified expression.
At least late-stage Qi Refining.
For him, who had just reached the mid-stage of Qi Refining, the chances of victory were slim.
After making his judgment, Seon Yuhan threw the Lotus Fire Wheel with force.
Shwiiiiiiiiik—
A giant lotus flower flew toward the grotesques.
"Damn it! What is that thing!"
"A... a divine item...! It's a divine item! How does he possess a divine item!"
The grotesques panicked, each deploying their defensive techniques.
It was already too late to stop Seon Yuhan. Their only thought was to save their own lives.
Tap tap tap—!
Seon Yuhan did the same.
The only difference was that he was running for his life.
There's no way I can block that!
It was a creation that combined a one-time use, low-grade spirit tool and a mid-grade spirit stone.
A cultivator at the great circle of perfection of Qi Refining and a master entering foundation establishment might have a chance, but he definitely couldn't block it.
"Wind Flow Art!"
Wind Step.
His feet moved like the wind, darting through the pyramid's corridor.
All of this happened in the span of two breaths.
And finally.
Kra-BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!
A massive explosion, accompanied by a deafening roar, erased the corridor.
And he gained a huge amount of karma.
Enough to open a new world.
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