Chapter 34
Chapter 34
Surprisingly, the Slayer insisting on receiving Platinum rank was a woman.
It wasn’t entirely strange, after all, most top-tier Slayers were men, but considering that fact, it wasn’t shocking. Hyunseok recalled Lee Chaerim, who had previously formed a temporary guild for monster slaying. She had been a Slayer who focused on disrupting monsters through swift movement.
‘So she’s probably similar to Lee Chaerim.’
However, she would be slightly different. Jongwon had mentioned that she probably had a special class. Her exact special ability hadn’t been identified.
‘Still… it’s just Normal Mode. Hidden classes don’t shine that much in Normal Mode, not even close to upper modes.’
She was likely similar to Jongwon in that respect. Jongwon himself had a special class, yet its merits were not extraordinary, probably because it was still Normal Mode.
Hyunseok faced her. Jongwon read the Union’s guidelines aloud: clauses like “Do not target critical areas due to risk of Critical Hit.” These were mostly common knowledge, so Hyunseok didn’t pay them much attention. They weren’t important.
“Pleased to meet you. I’m Hyunseok.”
The woman spoke very little, merely nodding. To some, it might have seemed rude. She didn’t want to disclose her name or personal information.
“Can you at least tell me your name?”
“Hong Seyoung.”
Hyunseok chuckled. It was unclear whether her brevity was rudeness or nervousness, so he teased a little.
“Nervous, perhaps?”
“….”
“Don’t worry. I’ll go easy on you.”
Hyunseok feigned a relaxed demeanor, shrugging his shoulders. He likely hit her pride. This was a woman confident enough to challenge for Platinum rank and fight Ha Jongwon in PvP without hesitation. Hyunseok had a mischievous idea and spoke playfully.
“By the way, did you hear my slaying conditions? The notice should’ve reached you.”
“….”
No, he’d just thought of it on the spot, a joke disguised as a threat.
Yet she didn’t speak, silently staring at him. Hyunseok grew more arrogant, puffing out his shoulders, raising his chin slightly, and staring at her with haughty eyes.
“If you can’t reduce my H/P by 10%, forget about America, you’ll have to join our Inha Guild. That’s why you’re coming at me, right?”
She must have been internally flustered. Neither Ha Jongwon nor she had heard this before. Hyunseok had only just thought of it.
“Not that you’d succeed anyway.”
She was likely a mix of flustered and angry. Hyunseok had rubbed her pride raw. Ten percent. She had perfectly defeated Ha Jongwon, Korea’s top Strength stat Slayer. Jongwon’s advantage aside, the result still stood, and Hyunseok was pushing her buttons.
Jongwon signaled the start of PvP. Naturally, Hyunseok expected an easy, perfect victory. However, the unexpected happened, Ha Jongwon’s jaw dropped in surprise.
❋ ❋ ❋
“Insanely fast” was all Ha Jongwon could say about her ability. Jongwon, having focused his stats on Strength, couldn’t land a single hit and was perfectly defeated. But that was just the beginning.
Hong Seyoung suddenly disappeared and reappeared. Jongwon, and even Hyunseok, lost track of her movement. Her primary weapon was a long rapier, and she seemed to use a dagger as well. Before long, she had Hyunseok’s neck at the tip of her blue-bladed dagger. She was confident, trying to hide it but speaking in a slightly excited tone.
“Surrender. This dagger is poisoned. Even with high defense, it’s fatal.”
Ha Jongwon hadn’t seen such movements before. This was likely her secret ace reserved for facing Platinum Slayers.
A sudden rush targeting vital points, had it landed, a Critical Hit would have been certain. Jongwon was shocked. Though fast before, she had never vanished so abruptly.
Hyunseok quickly analyzed the situation.
‘Her stats can’t all be higher than mine. As the first to surpass 200 stats, my Agility is surely higher. Then this movement must be skill-based, some kind of teleport-like ability. And using a poison dagger indicates she can’t pierce my defense with raw power alone.’
Hyunseok chuckled. In reality, a poison dagger could be deadly. A wound from poison could be far worse than a simple cut. But here, on a battle field, Hyunseok was exceeding Normal Mode standards.
He lightly pressed his neck against the dagger, no damage. Gradually, he added strength, pushing the dagger away with his nape. Her face began to pale.
“W-what are you doing…!”
An alert sounded. The poison dagger was real:
[You are poisoned.]
[Damage −1]
[Damage −1]
[Damage −1]
The problem: his H/P recovered faster than the damage. His resistance limited it to just −3. Hong Seyoung gritted her teeth and tried to distance herself, clearly frustrated.
‘How… even though it’s deadly enough to kill a Troll…’
She distanced herself further. Hyunseok smirked.
‘Definitely… a skill-and-speed type for PvP.’
Against monsters, it remained to be tested, but for human combat, speed and technique were superior to brute force.
She began stepping, her expression serious. Hyunseok didn’t know much about martial arts.
‘Kendo… no, more like fencing?’
Her movements were fast and repetitive, likely fencing-based swordsmanship.
Hyunseok, trained in boxing, knew that footwork was essential for maintaining advantageous positions. Without proper steps, one couldn’t attack without being countered.
‘Should I call this… cute?’
Normally, such dazzling movements would overwhelm observers, but not here. Once her secret move failed, the outcome was effectively decided.
Meanwhile, Jongwon perceived a very different impression:
‘Damn… her initial insanely fast movement… watching from afar, it’s crazy.’
In martial arts novels, one can be overwhelmed by an opponent’s presence. Real-world experience with trained athletes elicits similar helplessness. Jongwon felt that, charging in recklessly would lead to severe punishment, but hesitating would also invite damage.
‘Still…’
Admiration for Seyoung’s movements aside, Jongwon couldn’t help feeling sorry. She had chosen the wrong opponent.
‘She’s so careless… Critical Hit incoming. That’s gonna hurt.’
And indeed, a Critical Hit triggered. Hyunseok received the alert:
[Critical Damage Applied]
Seyoung also heard the alert, but it betrayed her. Her face turned ashen. She tried to restrain herself, but the shock was visible. Critical Hits were forbidden, though accidental, the rule was broken.
Hyunseok, however, remained calm.
‘Critical Hit, huh.’
He’d experienced Critical Hits against Orcs countless times. With his insane defense and H/P, the alert was nothing new:
[Critical Damage Applied]
[Damage −0]
Critical Hits registered as zero damage.
‘No big deal.’
Hyunseok allowed her attacks freely. Jongwon watched in disbelief. She bit her teeth, striking all over Hyunseok, who barely dodged or defended. Her attacks became sharper, moving from limbs to vital areas. Each strike produced the alert:
[Critical Damage Applied]
Yet Hyunseok’s H/P remained unaffected. His immense defense held. This was Jongwon’s ideal scenario: a Slayer relying purely on extreme endurance and power.
‘Damn… she can pull off all that plus a ridiculous fighting style. Cheat.’
Critical Hits continued, but damage remained −0. Time passed, and now Hyunseok stopped dodging entirely, even yawning, provoking her deliberately.
Time favored Hyunseok; Seyoung grew exhausted. Like a monkey dancing against a rock, her efforts left no impact.
Hyunseok said,
“Time to admit defeat, right?”
(End of Chapter 34)
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— Translated by Prime Works —