Dungeon Predator (WN)

Taksen Castle's Ghost Knights disappeared.

'Let's see here...' Kang Oh stared at the spot where Galmoss had vanished in a puff of smoke. There were four glimmering items there.

"Shall we divide up the loot?" Kang Oh asked.

"Alright."

No one disagreed with him.

"Let's take a look at the items and then figure out how we're going to split them up after. Ah, Darion, you know you don't get any items, right?" Kang Oh stared at Darion.

"I know." Darion nodded his head. He didn't have any problems with that. After all, he'd specifically stated that he didn't need the loot so long as he was paid.

"Good." Kang Oh looked satisfied, and picked up one of the items that Galmoss had left behind.

The gray helmet was twin-horned like a water buffalo.

[Enraged Galmoss's Helmet]

Galmoss, which was created by a collection of vengeful ghosts that failed to protect their masters, wore this helmet.

+ 2 Set Effect: You are immune to physical damage. However, your HP is reduced by half.

+ 3 Set Effect: You may equip the Reaper of Souls.

Rank: AA.

Abilities: Defense +400, Physical +70, Mental +60, Sense +50, Magic +30.

Minimum Requirements: Level 400, Physical 800, Knight-type class.

'An item set!'

The helmet was part of a named set like the Baramut set or Kang Oh's current Draka set!

Kang Oh quickly looked over the other items.

As expected, the eagle engraved gray breastplate and the refined gray greaves were part of the Galmoss set.

Finally, Kang Oh picked up Galmoss's blade, which was considered overpowered by many and symbolic of Galmoss itself.

[Reaper of Souls]

The sword that symbolizes the Ruler of Taksen Castle, Roaming Galmoss. Due to the Ghost Knight, Galmoss's influence, it has been imbued with a special ability. It is capable of reaping souls! But to properly wield this sword, you must possess Galmoss's power.

+ Unblockable Sword: Bypasses all weapons and armor.

+ Soul Cutter: Cuts the soul itself, reducing maximum HP, MP, and Stamina.

+ Soul Absorption: Absorbs the HP, MP, and Stamina that is reduced by Soul Cutter.

Rank: SS.

Abilities: Attack Power +444.

Minimum Requirements: Requires the full Galmoss set.

"This is ridiculous," Kang Oh automatically said.

"Wow, it's SS-rank!"

"This is insane."

"This is why Galmoss is so strong."

Kang Oh's party had a similar reaction after reading through the item information. That's just how overpowered the Reaper of Souls was.

Defending against it was impossible, and it also absorbed reduced stats! 'Overpowered' was indeed the right term for it.

However, it wasn't completely imbalanced.

Demon Sword Ubist's attack power was over 600, and his other SS-rank sword, Fire's Heart, had an attack power of over 600 as well. On the other hand, the Reaper of Souls only had an attack power of 444.

Also, using the Reaper of Souls required the full Galmoss set. However, the Galmoss set itself wasn't very good, nor did it have any spectacular abilities.

Moreover, using the Reaper of Souls left a player open to the exact same weakness Galmoss had. Although your attacks couldn't be blocked, you also couldn't block your opponent's attacks with the Reaper of Souls.

'The weapon's power will depend on the user.'

As said, the Reaper of Souls was overpowered. However, an unskilled player wouldn't be able to make proper use of it.

What if Kang Oh were to use the Reaper of Souls? It'd be game over! After all, it was an overpowered weapon in the hands of a competent player.

However, the Reaper of Souls wasn't a demon sword, so he couldn't use it. At times like this, he really hated that his class, Demonic Swordsman, was only capable of wielding demon swords.

'Well, I guess it can't be helped.' Kang Oh smacked his lips and stared at his companions.

"You've all looked at Galmoss's items, right?"

"Yes," Soren and Karin replied.

"How should we divide the loot?" Kang Oh asked.

"Let's divide it equally among the four of us," Eder said. Everyone gets 25% each!

"Mr. Eder and Kang Oh Oppa did the most, so shouldn't you two get more?" Soren carefully said.

Karin nodded her head.

Kang Oh smiled.

If Kang Oh and Eder took more, then Soren and Karin would get less. Even so, they were still willing to say something like that!

'What good girls!'

The more time he spent with them, the more he liked them.

"No. We all worked hard. Isn't that right?" Eder stared at Kang Oh.

"He's right. Let's split it equally." Kang Oh nodded his head.

After all, 100 million won ($100,000 USD) was waiting for him. What would be the point of taking more from these kind girls!?

"But still..." Soren hesitated.

"Just think of it as a present and accept it," Karin said.

Soren glanced at Karin and then nodded her head. "Understood."

"Is there anyone who'd like to use the Galmoss set?" Eder looked around.

The twins shook their heads. They were mages, so they couldn't use it. Kang Oh also couldn't use it, since he was a Demonic Swordsman!

"Then how about we leave the Reaper of Souls and the Galmoss set to Mr. Man Bok, and then divide the profit equally?" Eder asked.

Honestly, it didn't specifically say so, but the Reaper of Souls and the Galmoss set was actually one set. If they wanted to be paid properly, then they needed to sell it all.

"Agreed."

"Ok."

A few days later...

Man Bok gave Kang Oh 25,000 gold. The entire Galmoss set (armor and weapon included) had sold for 100,000 gold!

* * *

Shortly after his successful hunt, Kang Oh was scheduled to come to the studio again.

Today was the day.

Lights shined on him, countless cameras and staff members stared at him, and one man's voice resounded throughout the studio.

"Hello, viewers! I am First Hunter's MC, Jeon Seong Gook!" Seong Gook politely bowed his head. Then, he raised his head and beamed. "Have you heard the good news? The unbeatable Ruler of Taksen Castle, Galmoss, otherwise known as the 3 Second Demon and cheat monster, has been defeated by one of the people here!"

Seong Gook let the news set in, and then continued, "Who is it already? Let me show you."

Marco, Strong Punch, Snow Flower, and Jae Woo were all seated a certain distance away from each other.

"The winner is a member of the Numbers, and he is known as the Black Beast, Red Wing, and the Predator! It is none other than Mr. Kang Oh!" Seong Gook pointed at Jae Woo, whose face was covered by a helmet.

Clap, clap, clap!

The staff vigorously clapped. It felt like they were saying, 'We love you, viewership raising machine!'.

Strong Punch clapped sincerely, as if he fully acknowledged Jae Woo now. 'You fight well.'

On the other hand, Marco clapped insincerely; this didn't feel right to him.

Snow Flower stared at him piercingly, as if she was interested in him.

"Thank you." Jae Woo waved both his hands.

Seong Gook came beside him. "Mr. Kang Oh, I heard it was an amazing hunt. Moreover, you went first, which makes it even more amazing." Jin Cheol gave him a thumbs up and began sweet-talking him.

"I was pretty amazing." Jae Woo grinned. 'What's modesty again?'

"Indeed." Seong Gook immediately chimed in. "And success is followed by a reward! It's time to present you with your reward!" Seong Gook said.

Then, Jin Cheol personally brought out a black 007 bag.

"There's 100 million won inside." Jin Cheol passed him the bag.

"May I open it?"

"Of course."

Jae Woo immediately opened the bag. Neat piles of cash were stacked inside.

"Holy crap!" Jae Woo beamed.

"Do you see those two security guards over there? Those two will protect you today. And we've prepared a ride for you, so we can take you home if you want." Jin Cheol pointed at two men wearing suits, whose mouths were shut tight.

"Thank you."

"It's a necessary precaution."

They provided him with a bundle of cash, bodyguards, and even an amazing ride! This was all a performance.

To the victor goes the spoils! Those who failed or weren't able to make an attempt would just have to watch as the winner took all!

That was the message that this was meant to convey!

Was there any better way to convey what First Hunter was at its core? It was ultimately a 'winner take all' game.

Jin Cheol left the studio looking mighty satisfied. Meanwhile, Jae Woo left the bag of money with the bodyguards.

Seong Gook took center stage again. "Our viewers must have a lot of questions for you, Mr. Kang Oh. So I'll be asking you a few questions in their stead."

"Yes." Jae Woo nodded his head.

"When we were picking the order, you were the only one who wanted to go first."

"That's right."

"At the time, were you absolutely sure you'd beat Galmoss?"

"I thought I had a better shot of succeeding than failing."

"Why is that?"

"My sword is good at taking down ghosts. And I trusted in my abilities too. However, my competitors are all amazing in their own right, so I thought I wouldn't get a shot if I delayed. Thus, I decided to go first."

Kang Oh answered more sincerely than usual. He'd made a lot of money, so he was putting more effort into his answers.

"Which ended in such an amazing hunt. You're amazing."

"I know how amazing I am."

"How did you prepare for the hunt? Did you do anything in particular?" Seong Gook asked.

"First, I gathered some skilled teammates. Then, we kept hunting together until we could work together well. We also prepared some supplies beforehand using a merchant that we know."

"That's all?" Seong Gook looked shocked. It was only natural. Would you believe it if a high school student aced the college entrance exam and they said all they did was read the book?

"Of course, I prepared a few other things in advance. However, I'll keep those a secret."

This secret was referring to Gluttony. He was also keeping the S-rank boots that he'd bought from the auction house a secret too.

"What's the secret?"

"It's a secret because I'm not telling you."

"Can't you give me a hint?"

"No."

There was no reason for him to reveal that Gluttony tripled his stats, and that he could use the consumed item's abilities. Especially in front of his competitors.

"Tch." Seong Gook clicked his tongue.

Jae Woo kept his mouth shut, unwilling to reveal any of his tricks.

Since he wasn't going to get an answer out of him, Seong Gook moved on to the next question. "When you fought against Galmoss..."

Seong Gook asked him questions for some time, and Jae Woo answered them sincerely.

* * *

Today's shoot had two goals: put the spotlight on Kang Oh, and reveal the next monster!

Now it was time to do the latter.

"Please take a look at the screen! This is the next monster!" Seong Gook pointed at the giant screen.

Ding!

In the heart of the mountains...

"Kuhaahk!"

"Shit!"

"You monster!"

They heard violent screams from afar. The camera kept moving, as if a person were moving through the forest, and headed for the source of the noise.

Finally, the monster was revealed! It was a monster that had a strong presence.

The lower half of her body was made up of eight spider legs, but a woman's upper body, her chest covered in black fur, was attached to it. In-between her blood red hair, two large eyes and six smaller eyes could be seen.

"Benolov..." someone muttered.

That's right. The monster's name was Benolov!

The Spider Queen, Benolov!