The Lone SF Transmigrator in the Otherworld Forum

Chapter 138: The Berserker Witch (2)

Meanwhile, elsewhere...

A group of Hunters cautiously made its way through an ancient ruin, its walls weathered beyond recognition. Mysterious totems jutted out among the rubble, and a dense, great forest enveloped the area.

Kim Ayoung, an A-rank healer as rare as an S-rank combat Hunter, fought to calm her racing heart.

What am I supposed to do?

Ayoung forced the brightest smile she could manage, though cold sweat beaded on her forehead.

“With the way things are going... we should be fine on this floor too.”

Although her voice almost faltered under the weight of extreme fear, she held it steady through sheer willpower.

But she was not the only one shaken.

“...Haha. All thanks to Miss Ayoung.”

“Y-you think so too? Hahaha.”

“Let’s keep it up! Ha... ha...”

Are these people serious? Why are they being so obvious? Do they have a death wish?

Ayoung regretted telling them. It would have been far more natural to have kept treating him like a helpless lost person they had initially assumed.

The man in question trailed behind, whistling and strolling as if on a leisurely walk. He was now temporarily employed as the party’s porter.

At first, they truly believed he was stranded and helped him without much thought. The porter position was more in name than duty, as they did not actually expect him to pull his weight.

He wore strange clothes and appeared to have lost his weapons and gear. Since he did not emit any special aura, no one objected to his presence in the group.

Ayoung had even exchanged a few words with him while bringing up the rear.

But then...

-Mm? Oh? I’m... a D-rank hunter.

D-rank?

Systematically, D-rank Hunters were not allowed beyond the 30th floor. Of course, special jobs like government agents or porters were exceptions. Had she not pegged him as the latter when they first met?

But the man clearly said D-rank Hunter.

Hunters and porters were entirely different roles. Perhaps it was a mistake, but his answers stayed consistent when she probed further.

Why lie...? Could he be a plunderer?

An ominous thought crossed her mind. Plunderers sometimes posed as stranded victims, waiting for the right moment to betray their rescuers. They took advantage of the Hunter Association awarding hefty bonus points for rescuing stranded Hunters.

But a plunderer this obvious? It did not add up.

-ID tag? Lost it.

-Promotion? Mm. I took the test last year. It was tough.

The stranger sounded so out of touch. He simply knew too little about the industry.

There was no specific test for D-rank promotions—there were far too many people for that. Promotions were based purely on scanner readings of a Hunter’s ability.

Not to mention, losing an ID tag was impossible. How could anyone lose a tattoo branded on the wrist? It was even forced by the System.

All the evidence indicated the man was clearly lying. And he was pretending to know facts that even plunderers would know.

At that point, Ayoung came up with one hypothesis: he was a wandering hidden boss. A type of boss found only in Korea. Like the Berserker Witch, it could appear anywhere regardless of floor, and was a monster that could speak and think like a human.

Since such types of bosses were not found outside Korea, Ayoung had not thought there might be similar beings, but... If one already existed, why not two?

...

The Berserker Witch—a hidden boss no one could defeat. Given the circumstances, that man was surely a terrifying monster as well. Even his behavior matched. He spoke and acted like a human, yet carried an air of naive ignorance about the outside world.

And then came the moment when Ayoung became certain he was a ridiculous being on par with the Berserker Witch.

He broke the Barrier of Protection...?

Ayoung’s [Barrier of Protection], tied to her unique ability, was a top-tier skill that should never break. Its duration might shorten with enough damage, and cooldown could increase, but the barrier itself should have held strong.

Yet during one battle, it shattered with a resounding crash.

That’s impossible.

Only something like the Berserker Witch could achieve such a feat. Given that [Barrier of Protection] was a skill even top-ranking foreign Hunters relied on, her suspicions seemed justified.

-Please, give me a suit!

-Keke. I still laugh remembering the guy who got chicken last time.

-A hidden boss drops chicken?

-But don’t they say it tastes way better than your regular chicken?

-Of course! How could it be ordinary when it’s from a hidden boss? Hahaha.

Admittedly, there were plenty of duds too.

But in any case... For Korea, the Berserker Witch’s quirks were oddly welcome. Though her history—the very reason she was called a witch—meant they could not be entirely comfortable.

“Anyway, this is a headache.”

Whether this new hidden boss was friendly or not, its appearance could not have come at a worse time.

“What’s Team Supreme’s status?”

“They’ve just cleared the 29th floor.”

“Already? It hasn’t even been long since they went in....”

-Really? A new hidden boss? Perfect. We’re on our way.

-What? B-but....

-Enough!

The moment they got wind of a new hidden boss, the overbearing members of Team Supreme immediately began their climb.

This was more than just inconvenient for Korea. If the hidden boss was as friendly as the Berserker Witch, Korea would lose out if the American team claimed the victory. On the flip side, if they failed and someone died, that would cause a whole new set of problems.

Ah...

“I just hope nothing goes wrong...”

Whether that wish would be granted remained to be seen.

***Presently, on the 30th floor...

Thud-

A heavy crash echoed as the floor boss fell.

“Whew. That last combo was nice.”

“I heard Towers differ by country, but I guess the difficulty’s not far off?”

“Yet Korea still hasn’t cleared even the 50th floor. That shows their level don’t it?”

“Right. Anyway, where are those guys now?”

“...My readings say they’re on the 44th floor.”

A brief silence followed.

“...Weren’t they B-rank Hunters with an A-rank healer?”

“...”

“Didn’t you say they were on the 37th floor just earlier?”

“...”

The party was stunned by the Korean team’s impossibly fast climb.

The Americans had an elite team led by S-rank hunters, which explained how they could breeze through to the 30th floor, but....

“Is the hidden boss helping them or what?”

“...Wandering hidden bosses have never appeared outside Korea. It’s not impossible.”

“So they show mercy, drop super high-tech items, and now they’re helping clear floors?”

“...”

Outrageous was the word.