novelbin Chapter 134: Greetings, Cursed Hunter
Chapter 134: Greetings, Cursed Hunter
"You two seem pretty close."
Raiden spoke with a teasing grin after finding Ethan and Luna sitting together in one corner of the camp, isolated from everyone else.
"We’re not."
Both of them answered at the exact same moment without either bothering to even look at him.
Raiden could only laugh softly at their perfect synchronization before sitting down beside them.
The place was fairly dark.
They could not recklessly light fires out of fear of revealing their location, so the bonfires were the only flames they were allowed to maintain.
"We’re proceeding according to the same plan, right?"
Ethan asked Raiden, who had just returned from a brief meeting held between Moon, Gustav, and Jackson.
Raiden nodded.
"Yeah."
"We’ll officially begin advancing through the deep regions of the city starting tomorrow."
The real challenge was finally about to begin.
"We barely survived before... but this time is different."
Raiden clenched his fist, displaying his newfound strength.
"Most of us already broke into the Elite rank."
"We’ve grown much stronger. They won’t take us down so easily anymore."
The hunters had indeed grown far stronger during the three months they spent trapped within the city.
And honestly—
That increase in strength was the only positive thing they had gained from this nightmare.
At least for the survivors.
Even though Old Ashvarn resembled a living hell—
A massive grave built to bury them all—
At the same time, it had also become the greatest possible place for hunters to raise their levels.
If they somehow survived this Legacy Dungeon—
They would undoubtedly become one of the strongest generations of hunters in history.
"I wonder how things are outside..."
Raiden muttered his thoughts aloud.
"It’s already been three months..."
His words made Ethan and Luna think about the exact same thing.
"Three months is a long time..."
"The royal family probably already knows what happened here by now."
Luna voiced the possibility, since the Ardyn family was aware of their situation.
But Ethan disagreed.
"I doubt it."
"If they knew what was happening here, another purge would’ve already started."
"And we would’ve all been sacrificed."
Ethan presented what he believed to be the most likely scenario.
"The elders managed to cover it up until now."
"Then what about the hunts?"
"Who’s dealing with the monsters approaching Ashvarn?"
Raiden asked.
And there was only one possible answer.
"The only squad strong enough to handle something like that..."
"Is the Second Squad."
The very squad Luna had originally been supposed to join.
And the only squad that had not entered Old Ashvarn alongside them, since they had been away on a hunting expedition at the time.
After every other squad became trapped inside Old Ashvarn—
Handling hunting campaigns became solely their responsibility.
"Managing all the hunts alone for three months..."
"They must be going through hell."
"Worry about yourself first."
Luna replied flatly after hearing Raiden sympathize with the Second Squad.
"We’re suffering far more than they are."
After all—
The ones trapped inside the ancient city were in a far worse situation.
"Look at it positively."
"At least we don’t have to worry about the ruling family while we’re in here."
Ethan spoke while the matter of the Heart curse continued lingering in his mind.
"I don’t think we’re safe."
"This labyrinth doesn’t block curses."
Luna’s response immediately darkened the atmosphere.
She was referring to Ethan’s Blood Eclipse curse.
"If the Night Lord who cursed you was able to activate your curse..."
"Then the ruling family can probably do the same thing with the Blood Curse all of us carry."
"They can force us to do whatever they want."
"Even if a Legacy Dungeon stands between us and them."
Luna’s grim words instantly soured both Ethan’s and Raiden’s moods.
"When you think about how we’d still remain slaves even if we survive this place..."
"It really reminds me how pathetic the Heart clan truly is."
Raiden muttered bitterly while his gaze happened to catch Jackson passing nearby.
"I envy that bastard."
"Even though he’s been trapped here for centuries, he doesn’t have to worry about the curse at all."
"What do you mean?"
Ethan asked after failing to understand Raiden’s point.
"I mean Jackson."
"You know..."
"He’s been here for hundreds of years. The world already forgot he even exists."
"Including the ruling family."
"As far as they’re concerned, he’s dead."
"And that makes him free from their orders."
"I don’t think the word ’free’ suits him."
"He’s been imprisoned here for a very long time."
Luna spoke casually, not giving the matter much thought.
But unlike her—
Ethan suddenly froze after hearing Raiden’s words.
As though he had just heard something deeply shocking.
"What’s wrong?"
"Did I say something weird?"
Raiden asked after noticing Ethan’s strange reaction.
Ethan quickly regained his composure and shook his head.
"No..."
"I just drifted off for a moment."
"That’s unlike you."
"But whatever."
"Just don’t lose focus on the battlefield."
The number of surviving hunters was far smaller than anyone had expected.
Even though many of them had already broken into the Elite rank and surpassed level forty—
Ethan knew that still would not be enough to cleanse the deep regions.
And he was certain more of them would die before the message they were trying to send ever reached the outside world.
’I wonder which of us will survive in the end...’
Silence settled over them afterward.
None of them spoke again, each one sinking into their own thoughts.
The hunters’ morale varied greatly from person to person.
Some had already lost hope.
Others still clung to it desperately.
Some—
Like Alicia—
Were simply worried.
Worried about the younger brother she had left behind for three whole months.
And just like her, many others kept thinking about their families as well.
It was a kind of worry people like Raiden and Ethan could never truly understand.
Because neither of them had a family waiting for them.
Alongside Luna and Moon—
Both of whom still had their teacher to look after their siblings during their absence.
Silence filled the area as time crawled forward slowly.
For several long minutes, Ethan heard nothing except his own breathing and heartbeat while drowning in thought.
He remembered the past.
Planned for the future.
And ignored the present for a little while.
’I need to become as strong as possible... if I want to survive and conquer this game.’
’My strength has increased... but I’m still weak. I still can’t win without relying on others.’
Ethan raised his human hand.
A dazzling blue rune suddenly glowed across it, revealing the power of the Legendary Weapons Master.
’I need to become strong enough... to fight alone without depending on anyone.’
The blue rune slowly faded as Ethan renewed his resolve.
And at that exact moment—
He finally began noticing his surroundings again.
Realizing something was terribly wrong.
Luna, sitting beside him, was quiet.
Far too quiet.
Her eyes carried a distant gaze devoid of movement or even the slightest trace of life.
The sight confused Ethan—
Especially after noticing Raiden sitting there as well, lost in thought without saying a single word.
He was not moving at all.
As if he had completely frozen in place.
Ethan immediately stood up, realizing this was no ordinary situation.
He tried shaking both of them awake, suspecting they had fallen under some sort of illusion.
But neither responded.
They were not unconscious.
It was as though they had become entirely frozen—
As though time itself had stopped flowing around them.
"What the hell is happening here...?"
Ethan’s voice grew tense as panic slowly crept into him.
Slowly backing away, he immediately began searching through the rest of the camp for the others.
And he found them.
But every single one of them was suffering from the exact same condition as Luna and Raiden.
All of them sat there absent-mindedly—
Frozen in place without movement.
Alicia.
Chai.
Moon.
Gustav and the First Squad.
The witch, Schierke.
Everyone.
Every last one of them had frozen completely.
No matter how much Ethan tried speaking to them—
Or shaking them—
None of them responded.
The tension inside Ethan grew heavier with every passing second.
He could not understand what was happening—
Nor why he alone could still move.
"Right... Jackson!!"
Thinking of the immensely powerful giant, Ethan immediately ran off searching for him, hoping he might know the answer.
Jackson was monstrously strong.
And if Ethan himself could still move—
Then surely Jackson could too.
Fortunately, the giant had not gone far.
He had passed by them only moments earlier, which allowed Ethan to locate him quickly.
But Ethan’s hope vanished instantly the moment he saw him.
Jackson stood completely frozen as well—
As though he had been walking before time itself stopped moving around him too.
Ethan slowly approached him, staring at the giant man’s face.
That same grin still remained there.
The grin that never left him.
Ethan reached out and touched him.
Warmth still lingered within his body, proving he was alive—
Yet it felt as though Jackson existed within an entirely separate world disconnected from Ethan himself.
"It’s like time stopped for all of them... except me."
This was something Ethan had never experienced before.
Not in this life.
Nor in his previous one.
And because of that—
He had no idea what he was supposed to do.
"Should I try attacking him...?"
Perhaps if he caused enough damage—
Or delivered a powerful enough shock—
Jackson might regain consciousness.
Jackson was absurdly powerful.
Ethan was certain the giant would survive even if he attacked with everything he had.
Drawing the Executioner’s Sword, Ethan released his Aura Armor, preparing the strongest strike he could unleash at his current level.
And just as he was about to attack—
He suddenly froze in place.
For the first time—
He felt it.
A dreadful sensation crawling across his spine.
Immediately afterward—
A completely unfamiliar voice echoed behind him.
The voice of a strange man Ethan could not recognize.
Yet despite that—
This was not the first time he had heard it.
"There’s no point."
"He won’t respond no matter what you try."
The moment Ethan turned toward the voice—
He found him standing there, observing him with interest.
A man clad in armor.
Brilliant golden armor.
A complete suit that covered his entire body.
And a long crimson cloak fastened to his shoulders, flowing behind his back.
Ethan’s expression darkened instantly.
His heartbeat accelerated violently the moment he saw that monster standing before him.
"Greetings..."
"...cursed hunter."
The Golden Knight spoke.
And with his voice—
Nightmares returned to Ethan once again.