Ch 145 – Plunderer

It was a vibrant sight with countless cameras flashing their lights. In the center of that attention, four figures can be seen smiling at the reporters surrounding them. The four wore peculiar suits, a suit rarely seen in a modern world, if it was a normal modern world that is.

This was Earth, a world infested by monsters and dungeons when the apocalypse occurred in the year 2020, bringing a rapid change to the entire world. Now dungeons are considered a normal occurrence, civilians are accustomed to responding to them just like one would react to a natural disaster, and hunters became the celebrities of this world.

Singers, actors, showbiz people, most of the time, the famous people one would find in the entertainment industry is a powerful hunter. 'Hunter,' it became a word synonymous with glory and fame, just like one would expect from being a hero in a fantasy world.

And now, four such hunters gathered in front of the infamous S-Rank Dungeon, Minotaur's Labyrinth. Minotaurs are famous monsters on Earth, beings capable of causing mass destruction with their monstrous strength that could topple towers and hurl buildings, a body seemingly forged with steel. They are the embodiment of strength, the famous mythical monster of power.

And now, four hunters are about to tackle that dungeon that countless other hunters failed to finish, amounting to their very deaths.

Three of them wore azure-colored armor as if they were made from dragon scales, and they glittered under the bright lights surrounding them. All three wielded spears, indicating that they were all spear-wielders. Not only that, a symbol of the famous guild of Japan can be seen etched on the back of their armor, which was a coiling Azure Dragon. Yes, they were indeed part of the Azure Dragon Clan of Japan.

Considering they were a traditional clan, it's to be expected that their bloodline is of the same source, meaning that the three of them were family. And in the middle of the trio, was a man with long azure hair like that of a dragon, with bulging toned muscles that rippled with strength, covered in veins like the thunder of an Azure Dragon. He held a mighty spear with an azure-colored handle, the same color as his very hair, with a tip gleaming brightly.

In stark contrast, one can see a man by the side, standing quietly on his own. He wore a simple black cloak with a black shirt and black pants underneath, not even a hint of armor covered his body. It was strange, it was as if he was merely a commoner to the rich young masters of the Azure Dragon Clan beside him, and yet, most of the attention was given to him.

"Yo, young master of the Azure Dragon Clan. You ready for the dungeon?"

The man approached them with an amicable smile. His appearance wasn't that handsome, yet he had a magnetic aura to him that would attract all eyes to look at him and only him.

In response to his question, the young clan leader of the Azure Dragon Clan silently nodded his head before signaling the other two to approach the dungeon entrance.

Following them, the man smiled lightly and watch as the trio enter the dungeon entrance. 'Kukuku, you rich bastards really have it easy, huh? Sigh, another attempt to bring my own death is once again in store.'

With that, the man walked through the dungeon entrance and was instantly greeted by the sight of a spear rapidly approaching the middle of his forehead. Swiftly moving his head to the side, the spear flew past him and to the air behind him, and he quickly grabbed the body of the spear and tugged it forcefully.

Watching the spear slip away from the grasp of the female hunter in front of him, the man twirled it around and jumped to the back. With distance created between him and the attackers, he glanced as the trio in front of him looked at him with shock in their eyes at the sudden twist of events.

Looking to the side, he saw the calm young clan leader of the Azure Dragon Clan now glaring at him with bloodshot eyes. One can see boundless rage within them as if he has just killed his family member or someone dear to the young clan leader.

"Plunder, did you really think we wouldn't find out the cause of my brother's death?!" The young clan leader roared, the grip over his spear tightening as a malicious aura erupted from the young clan leader. In the dimly lit labyrinth they found themselves in, an azure glow appeared around the trio as the phantom of an Azure Dragon twirled around their spears.

"What? I know your brother died, but what does that have anything to do with me?"

Plunder retorted, his eyebrow raised to indicate his confusion. And yet, he clearly knew why they were trying to assassinate him. It really was the miracle of fate. The one he first killed that allowed him to first experience his unique ability, and now he was facing the revenge of the family members of the one he killed.

It felt funny to him, yet he maintained a confused face while retaining a relaxed posture.

"You…!" Raising his spear, the head of a dragon erupted from the tip of the young clan leader's spear. Crouching down to the ground, the young clan leader exploded outwards while an eastern dragon coiled around his spear, readying to swallow Plunder, the perpetrator of his brother's death.

Following behind him, the female and male hunter subordinate to the Azure Dragon Clan's young clan leader rush forwards with an azure glow covering their spears.

"<Martial Arts: Azure Dragon Rush>!"

The trio shouted in tandem, their three different attacks intertwining into one as it transformed into a ginormous Azure Dragon the same size as the hallway of the labyrinth. With no way to dodge the attack due to its ginormous size and lack of space to evade with, Plunder nonchalantly crouched down and pointed the spear he stole forwards.

"<Martial Arts: Azure Dragon Counter>!"

A dangerously bright azure glow erupted from Plunder's spear at that moment. Its glow far outshone the combined attacks of the trio in front of him. With haste, a coiled Azure Dragon appeared in front of him like a shield, its whole body is used to protect him.

With a bang and an explosion of light, the ginormous Azure Dragon collided with the coiled Azure Dragon. The surrounding area of the labyrinth around them shook from the sheer force of their attacks, causing countless cracks to form on the walls around them and the residual mana draped the area with a dim blue glow.

"I-Impossible! How do you know the martial arts of the Azure Dragon Clan!" the young clan leader cried out in shock. At that moment, his body along with his subordinates was covered with dirt and dust, with a little bit of harm done to them, except for the young clan leader.

The two behind him trembled from the residual shock of their attacks, yet they hastily recovered and were prepared to bring another attack to Plunder who nonchalantly stared at them.

"Hmm, well… A minotaur!" Pointing forwards with widened eyes all of a sudden, the trio suddenly looked behind them.

Considering they just caused such a huge ruckus, a minotaur arriving at the epicenter of the shock wouldn't be such an impossible plausibility. And yet, when they looked behind them, not a hint of a monster can even be seen.

"<Martial Arts: Azure Dragon Thunder Rush>"

As Plunder muttered with a soft voice, azure electricity crackled around him and his spear. With a driving force pushing him forwards, his feet pushed him explosively forwards, allowing his spear tip to hastily arrive at the back of the female hunter, piercing through it.

And he didn't stop, he hastily turned his trajectory to the male hunter, his spear piercing through his chest and causing an explosion of blood to occur.

Now only one was left, unfortunately for Plunder, the young clan leader noticed what happened and his spear was rushing against him at that moment.

"Dumbass! You really think you can contend against me!"

At that moment, the azure glow around Plunder glowed explosively to a level never before seen, even for the young clan leader of the Azure Dragon Clan. The head of an azure dragon formed at the tips of their spear, with the young clan leader's being at a size larger than any of his previous attacks.

But in comparison to the mighty roar erupting from the Azure Dragon formed by Plunder, it was like comparing a snake to a feisty cobra. The two heads hastily elongated into the full body of an Azure Dragon, transforming the battle between two humans into a mythical duel between Azure Dragons.

Their colliding auras were fierce, causing sparks to erupt in the air as the explosive mana emanating from the two collided with one another. It was like a field of power for the two, the one who has the stronger aura would win this collision.

"YOU BASTARD! DIE!" With his rage fueling him, the young clan leader's aura outshone that of Plunder. It was like a tsunami waiting to swallow Plunder at that moment.

And yet, Plunder calmly smiled and said, "Just like they say, use a small percentage of your power to lower your opponent's guard down. DIE!"

In a twist of events, the Azure Dragon of Plunder turned enormously larger, its whole opened mouth swallowing the young clan leader's Azure Dragon like a thin hotdog, in terms of size, they couldn't even be compared to one another.

'I-Impossible! This is clearly Z-Rank! B-But how?! He… was only an E-Rank Hunter months ago…'

As his whole body was swallowed by the copious amounts of mana, his body slowly turned into dust. With that, his last thoughts were one of anger, confusion, and shock, for the killer of his brother showed a strength belonging to that of demigods.

The attack receded, leaving Plunder to silently stand in the middle of the empty, destroyed labyrinth in silence. A warm stream encapsulated the entire inside his body, bringing a comfortable feeling akin to entering a hot spring but incomparably better.

Opening his eyes, Plunder let out a satisfied sigh as he clearly felt the increase in strength. Killing three S-Rank Hunters clearly gave a higher increase than killing measly assassins and monsters who don't have any valuable experience and skills besides their high raw power.

'Phew, I now have the complete collection of the Azure Dragon martial arts of the Azure Dragon Clan, while also increasing my skill with the spear.'

Letting out a satisfied groan, Plunder looked around the area and nonchalantly walked towards the spear of the young clan leader that lay on the ground which remained surprisingly okay even after it faced harsh attacks from his Z-Rank strength.

'This spear would do nicely while I'm inside this dungeon. Minotaurs are famous for their physical strength and they also have skills wielding some weapons I have little to no mastery with, so this would be exciting!'

Thinking as such, Plunder stood up from his crouching position and waved the spear around in the air to test out its weight and length, easily getting accustomed to it as if he has been wielding that spear for his entire life.

While doing so, his ears twitched as he heard the sound of footsteps approaching in the distance, causing a small grin to pop up on his face and a bright azure glow encapsulating his newly found spear.

*** (A Few Hours Later)

"Sigh, dealing with those reporters really are troublesome. It's a miracle nobody directly tried to attack me when I was the only one who got out of the dungeon. The Azure Dragon Clan hunters are famous for their unique martial arts, so all three of them dying is strange. But eh, I'd solve it later. Though…"

While muttering inside his car, Plunder eyed a certain news article with interest with a gleam in his eyes, 'Crimson King and Grand Magus. Crimson King is famous for his absurd speed and powerful lightning. On the other hand, Grand Magus is a powerful mage who is seemingly capable of activating any type of magic from any attribute. I wonder what I would gain if I were to kill those two?'

Licking his lips, Plunder grinned and pocketed his phone, but not before it showed a sign that his ticket to fly to America had been approved.

AN: This chapter has 2113 words.

(September 13, 2022 – 293rd day of writing)