Jinwoo quickly made it to Tank. Around him were gathered a great number of shadow bears and half a dozen of high-level Orcs. There was no doubt in Jinwoo's mind about their strength. After all, Tank had single-handedly destroyed many of his shadow soldiers, back when he was still alive within the red gate. And he had gotten stronger.
Yet, the group was no match to neither Iron's, Igris's or Tusk's detachment. Despite his raw power, Tank was nothing more than an Elite soldier.
Therefore, if the enemy was indeed aiming for Jinwoo's weakest soldiers, he would want to deal with the giant shadow bear first.
"So, where are you hiding?..." Jinwoo breathed silently.
The S-ranker was keeping distance with Tank in order to not be discovered. Even his own army didn't know he was there yet.
Time passed without anything happening.
"Was I wrong? Did I-"
His thoughts were interrupted as he sensed a strong presence getting closer. He smiled.
"At last."
He couldn't see them yet, but his enhanced sense ability allowed him to detect the threat long before they were in sight. It was a group of 4.
[Stealth activated]
Jinwoo ran in their direction, taking great care of not letting them sense his own power. He got close enough to lay his eyes on them.
They didn't look like the demons he had seen before. They were human-shaped, and were all riding a horse, along with a heavy, full-body armor.
"[Demonic Noble] and [Evil Knights]. Their names are written in black. There's no doubt, they are the ones who caused trouble to my soldiers," Jinwoo concluded.
He could feel their hostility. They were on another level than the previous enemies he faced in the dungeon.
The S-ranker decided to not interfere for now, as he was curious about their abilities.
The group of four continued its ride toward Tank's army, and dismounted once they deemed to be close enough.
"Uh? So their horses are only a mean of transportation?"
Tank noticed the evil aura emanating from the unusual demons. Without much thought, the giant shadow bear charged them, followed by excited soldiers.
"UWAAAAAAAAH !!!!"
Tank got in range first, and attacked with all his might. His huge beast paws cut through the air, craving to take the lives of those demons. Without success.
The demons remained calm, and dodged all of Tank's strikes with ease.
"GRAAAAAAH !!" Tank renewed his effort with rage, accelerating the pace of his charge.
His incredible speed did not fit the size of his large body. Yet, the Demonic Noble jumped over Tank's vigorous attack, spun in mid-air, and punched the bear chest.
KOOANG -!
The force of the blow pierced through the beast, leaving Tank laying on the floor, powerless, a huge hole in his chest. Meanwhile, the shadow bears and high-level orcs were also being destroyed by the Evil knights.
"Wow," Jinwoo was amazed.
"They really are outstanding. Not only the noble, but the three knights are also remarkably strong. My soldiers are being overpowered."
Jinwoo kept regenerating the soldiers to gather more information. Yet, he understood quickly it was of no use. He had seen all there was to be seen. And he didn't like to see his shadows being obliterated by the Noble's spear and the Knights swords. He stopped their regeneration.
Seeing the shadow count lower significantly, the four demons looked at each other and nodded, satisfied. They apparently thought it was a third victory.
Jinwoo ran toward them.
[Stealth deactivated]
Taken by surprise, the demons were too slow to react to the hunter apparition.
BOOM! BOOM!
Jinwoo killed two knights with his bare hands, and pushed the third to the ground. Before he could do anything, he dealt the final strike.
BAM!
Messages of the system quickly popped up.
[You defeated an Evil Knight]
[3000 experience gained]
[You defeated an Evil Knight]
[3000 experience gained]
[You defeated an Evil Knight]
[3000 experience gained]
Yet, it was not over. The S-ranker gaze switched to the Demonic Noble.
"Our turn now."
The Noble closed his eyes, shaking.
"Hmm? Is he afraid?" The hunter thought.
Jinwoo approached the demon to deal a final blow.
That's when he almost got hit by the Noble's spear. If it hadn't been for his extraordinary reflexes, it would have been his end. The Noble used the surprise to stab a few more time. He was aiming for Jinwoo's heart. Unfortunately for him, Jinwoo quickly managed to regain the initiative, and with a strike of his Baruka Daggers, he sliced the Noble's spear in half. The Noble, defeated, fell to his knees. Seeing his weapon being cut in half seemed to have affected him greatly.
Jinwoo had been impressed.
"That was smart. He made me lower my guard. This really is an S-rank dungeon. An Class hunter would never stand a chance here," he smiled.
"Time to end this."
Jinwoo raised his dagger above the Noble's head, and-
"I surrender! I surrender!" The Noble cried.
"... What?"
The Demonic Noble took his helmet off, and revealed…
"... A woman?"
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have tried to kill you. Please, spare my life." The woman pleaded, her head bowed down.
Was this another trickery? That demon had already feigned to be scared in order to stab him. Jinwoo remained alert.
"You attacked my soldiers."
"I had no choice," the woman brought her hand to her forehead, visibly perturbed, "I was ordered to protect this place by my Clan. You were killing our people."
Fair point. He was there to kill demons. And she was one too. Yet, he had trouble attacking someone who could speak. Especially if that person was begging for mercy. He didn't like the way this was going.
The noble raised her head slightly to get a glance of Jinwoo.
"If you spare me, I will do whatever you wish," she proposed.
"Whatever I wish?"
The S-ranker thought about what he needed. He didn't expect much from demons, if not for experience and items. He couldn't see how she could be of use.
"Ah."
There was something.
"I need a floor entry permit."
The Demonic Noble lifted her head in surprise. She didn't say a thing.
"Can you get it?" Jinwoo insisted.
"..."
The woman remained speechless.
"... I guess she doesn't know about it." Jinwoo sighed.
There was no deal to be made. He didn't like it, but he had to kill her. Maybe she was holding on the permit, and he would get it by doing so. Even if he didn't, he would at least get a good amount of experience. If the knights gave him 3000 each, she would probably grant him more.
He summoned his daggers back.
But-
"Yes. I can get you the permit."
"What?" The hunter asked as if he had not heard correctly.
The woman looked at Jinwoo's daggers, frightened.
"I can give you the permit to the upper floor. It is kept within our Clan. If you take me there safely, I will bring it to you."
It seemed too easy. Wasn't she just lying to save her life? The hunter took some time to think it over.
Seeing the S-ranker deep in his thought, the Noble woman got scared he wouldn't accept. She raised the stakes.
"I also know where you can get the majority of entry permits in the floors above. If you can guarantee my safety, as well as my family's, I will guide you."
Jinwoo's eyes lit up. It was an attractive proposition.
"But can I trust her?"
The hunter raised the chin of the Noble with his hand. Their eyes met.
[Bloodlust activated]
Jinwoo's aura was terrifying. The woman trembled. He asked a simple question.
"Can I trust you?"
"Y-yes. I-I am not lying." She shivered.
"... Good."
[Bloodlust deactivated]
"If you keep your promise, I will keep mine. You will be safe, as well as your family."
"Really?" the demon asked, holding up tears.
Jinwoo nodded, "Yes."
The woman's face brightened up. The S-ranker didn't know how real her emotions were, but she really did look relieved. He asked her a question he had been holding back until then :
"Before everything else… What the hell are you?"
[Hope you appreciated the chapter. Do tell if you came across strange wording, or if I misunderstood something in the story. It will be corrected as soon as possible.]