Chapter 40
Chapter 40
No matter how much they attacked, it was useless.
Even though hundreds of Slayers were striking the creature, its HP bar didn’t budge at all.
Traffic on the Gyeongin Expressway was paralyzed.
“The newly appeared turtle-type monster is moving from Incheon toward Seoul. Its speed has been measured at approximately 5 meters per hour, extremely slow. Although Slayers from all across the country have gathered to attempt a slaying, no tangible progress has been made.”
The new turtle-shaped monster that appeared on the Gyeongin Expressway was even larger than the Cyclops.
It was well over five meters tall, large enough to completely block one lane of the highway. Among all monsters that had appeared so far, it was by far the biggest.
The Cyclops, previously known as one of the largest monsters, was about five meters tall as well, enormous, but agile. When it moved, its speed exuded raw intimidation.
By contrast, this turtle-shaped monster embodied only one impression: slowness.
It was so slow and heavy that calling it merely sluggish was an understatement, it might as well have been standing still.
Because its massive body filled an entire lane, severe traffic congestion had occurred, and now the expressway was completely closed.
At first, everyone had fallen into panic at the sight of the monster, but soon, Slayers began to flock toward it instead.
Hyunseok tilted his head.
“A monster that isn’t hostile toward humans…?”
Up until now, every monster had displayed intense hostility toward humans, always attacking on sight.
But this one was different.
Minseo, who had been searching the internet frantically, explained with a serious face.
“It’s not that it lacks hostility, Oppa. It’s just… a complete coward.”
“Hm.”
Apparently, its actual movement speed was much faster, but because so many Slayers were surrounding and attacking it, the poor thing could barely move at all.
At this point, it was said to move just a few centimeters per hour.
“Whenever it’s attacked, it gets scared and hides inside its shell.”
The turtle monster didn’t seem to possess any offensive abilities.
Of course, because of its sheer size, simply walking could pose a danger, but since it moved so ridiculously slowly, it wasn’t considered a real threat.
Normally, you’d never bump head-on into someone walking from the opposite direction unless you were drunk or completely distracted.
Likewise, to get crushed under this turtle monster’s foot, you’d practically have to lie down right where it was walking and take a nap. Otherwise, it was almost impossible.
Minseo, clearly excited by the new monster’s appearance, spoke rapidly, saliva spraying slightly.
“Even if its foot’s right over your head, you can still dodge, Oppa!”
“That slow?”
It was so slow that even when its massive foot was right above one’s head, you could still roll aside leisurely without even jumping.
That alone proved how painfully sluggish it was.
So it’s not a dangerous monster, huh…
That was precisely why so many Slayers from across the country had gathered here.
There were roughly ten thousand registered Slayers nationwide, and about seven hundred had already gathered on-site. That meant nearly ten percent of all Slayers in Korea were concentrated on the Gyeongin Expressway.
But quantity didn’t necessarily equal effectiveness.
When attacking something with 100 Defense, a single Slayer with 101 Attack is better than 101 Slayers with 1 Attack each.
In theory, if all 101 Slayers attacked simultaneously, they could pierce a 100-defense barrier.
But realistically, perfect synchronization was impossible.
A single powerful Slayer would always outperform a mob of weaker ones.
Even so, it was still shocking that, despite countless attacks since its first appearance, the monster’s shield gauge hadn’t dropped by even one percent.
Even modern weapons were useless against the Cyclops.
Back then, during urban combat, the Cyclops’ shield had displayed incredible resistance to firearms and explosives.
Granted, the Cyclops was a bugged monster, one that exceeded Normal Mode standards, but its Defense had actually been considered weak compared to others.
This turtle monster, however, seemed to have absurdly high Defense.
If that’s the case, then modern weapons probably won’t work on this thing either.
That was likely why the government hadn’t yet deployed the military, especially since it was standing right on a major expressway.
Any destruction there would mean massive economic loss.
Maybe it’s time we move too.
In truth, Hyunseok hadn’t gone out slaying these past few days because of Lee Myunghoon’s request.
Myunghoon had been traveling across the country searching for “Hidden Dungeons”. secret dungeons that didn’t appear in Normal Mode, and had asked Hyunseok to stand by.
He’d said that once a Slayer discovered a Hidden Dungeon, it stopped being “hidden” and would appear in everyone’s system as a regular dungeon.
That meant clearing it right away was the most efficient way.
If another guild raided it first, the discoverer would lose all the rewards.
But since Myunghoon hadn’t called yet, Hyunseok figured joining the turtle hunt wouldn’t hurt, especially since the monster wasn’t dangerous.
It was perfect for training control, its Defense made it ideal for practicing power restraint.
Besides, I can leave anytime if something happens.
❋ ❋ ❋
The number of Slayers attacking the turtle monster gradually began to drop.
“What’s the point of hitting it if we can’t even scratch it? Might as well go hunt a deer or something.”
“Total waste of time and energy.”
After hours of relentless assault, even the most eager Slayers started withdrawing.
Newcomers were no longer arriving, and veterans were leaving even faster.
Nearly a thousand Slayers had attacked it, yet its HP hadn’t moved, not even its shield gauge by a single percent.
At last, they realized this was unwinnable.
Still, the quality of the remaining Slayers improved.
<Estimated number of Gold-Rank Slayers in Korea: around 100.>
<Current number of Slayers participating in turtle slaying: approximately 300 and decreasing.>
The experienced and capable Slayers had kept their distance, analyzing the situation.
They already knew it, if your attacks can’t even scratch it, save your energy.
Better to let the elites coordinate a focused strike.
The “elite” rank roughly corresponded to what the Union classified as Gold Rank, the top one percent of all Slayers nationwide.
Out of ten thousand, only about a hundred qualified as Gold.
Being in the top one percent in any field was no small feat.
As the Golds arrived and the ordinary Slayers withdrew, the number dropped from 300 to 200.
And among those 200, Hyunseok was included.
The shield really is insanely strong.
Its defense was one thing, but its regeneration speed was another, incredibly fast.
Even though Hyunseok hadn’t used his full power yet, he could tell: this monster had the highest Defense he’d ever seen.
Every punch made his wrists and ankles ache.
The rebound force, the repulsion, was quite strong.
So… the idea that rebound force disappears in Normal Mode was wrong.
During the Cyclops slaying, Hyunseok had wondered if rebound force ceased to exist against Normal Mode or higher monsters, but that assumption was clearly false.
Which meant a new hypothesis emerged:
Once Defense reaches a certain threshold, rebound force manifests.
At this point, that seemed the most logical conclusion.
Might be time to start using weapons again.
Up to now, Hyunseok had fought barehanded, since his physical strength was overwhelming.
He had purchased hold the Sea as a backup weapon during the Cyclops battle but hadn’t needed it since.
Still, using a weapon now seemed wise.
For the moment, he was testing the waters, tapping the monster lightly.
If he went all-out with a single strike, the recoil might even stun him, like the Cyclops’ counterforce had before.
So he decided to increase his strength gradually.
Let’s add a bit more power.
Hyunseok began hitting harder.
“Whoa! The shield gauge is dropping a little!”
“Nice! Keep it up!”
As Hyunseok increased his power, the shield gauge began to fall, slowly, but noticeably.
The more strength he used, the faster it decreased, though “faster” was a very relative term.
Ordinary monsters would’ve died just from breathing near him.
But this turtle’s gauge was only barely dropping, millimeter by millimeter.
No need to overdo it.
After some time, a familiar but exciting sound rang in his ears.
[Due to consecutive attacks, you have been recognized for repetitive mastery.]
[Skill level of Iron Fist has increased.]
[A new skill has been created.]
[Skill: Power Control has been created.]
His Iron Fist skill leveled up, and he gained a new ability — Power Control.
But the alerts didn’t stop there.
[You have received a rebound force exceeding a certain threshold.]
[Deemed to have accumulated rebound force surpassing Normal Mode standards.]
[Recognized as a highly difficult achievement.]
[Bonus Stat +10 awarded.]
[Due to exceeding Normal Mode stat limits, 50% penalty applied — +5 Stat granted.]
[Skill: Impact Control has been created.]
A rebound force beyond Normal Mode standards, meaning this turtle monster was most likely another abnormal-type creature, one that surpassed standard classification.
In Normal Mode, monsters like the Troll or Twin-Head Troll were typical benchmarks.
This turtle, though not dangerous, had absurd Defense, fitting the criteria of a higher-tier anomaly.
So monsters above Normal Mode… are appearing more often now?
Even if their proportion was minuscule, less than 0.0001% of all monsters, the number was growing as the Slayer population increased.
Across Korea, there were over a hundred million monsters, most of them insect-type weaklings.
Yet, only two had ever surpassed Normal Mode standards, the Cyclops and this turtle.
Statistically insignificant, but each one left an overwhelming impact.
To think I received rebound force beyond Normal Mode limits… how long have I been at this? And it’s considered a “highly difficult achievement”? Guess that means it’s impossible for most Slayers.
He glanced around.
None of the other Slayers seemed to be struggling with recoil, meaning only those with high Attack stats could even experience it.
So only I can trigger it… maybe Jongwon could too.
He grinned faintly.
It felt good, a bonus stat and two new skills earned.
Since Hyunseok’s case was rare, repetition-based skill acquisition was nearly impossible.
But thanks to the turtle’s insanely strong shield, Repetitive Mastery was triggered, earning him one skill, and the massive recoil gave him another.
Excited, he opened his Skill Window, only to freeze.
“W-what the hell…?”
His expression twisted.
Even though he’d gained two new skills, his face wasn’t bright at all.
At that moment, the turtle monster’s shield gauge recovered back to 100%.
(End of Chapter 40)
Thank you for reading All Stat Slayer! Your feedback and support help keep Hyunseok’s journey alive, every comment, rating, or word of encouragement fuels the next level-up.
Stay tuned, the grind has only just begun.
— Translated by Prime Works —