Chapter 48
Chapter 48
“It’s not that they aren’t affected because their defense is high.”
If their defense were the reason, sparks wouldn’t be flying like that.
“This… is a shield!”
A shield, like the one monsters with strong resistance to modern weapons have. That seemed to be the case.
“A shield. Right, if a Slayer wearing a shield barged in armed, then this whole situation makes sense. That confidence too!”
That was the keyword. A superhuman impervious to modern weapons. That was the level of these people. Yet, these superhumans were armed with modern firearms. Dealing with them would be extremely tricky. Calling them walking tanks might be an exaggeration, but not by much.
The auction hall grew quieter. Participants reluctantly handed over items. Money too. Sunghyung seemed to be thinking the same. He whispered very quietly:
"It seems they’re wearing shields from a Shield Skillbook."
Hyunseok nodded. Sunghyung continued:
"There are about seven of them. I’m not sure if all of them have shields… but judging by their movements, I can probably cover one."
It seemed Sunghyung intended to suppress them. But Hyunseok hesitated. He wasn’t a protagonist in a movie. Bullets never just miss on their own. Hyunseok had no shield. While his defense was strong, whether it could stop modern firearms was uncertain. This was a completely different field than monster slaying.
Sunghyung seemed to understand Hyunseok’s concern.
"Don’t worry. Normally, a pistol’s impact value is about 5,000, assuming no critical shot hits."
Five thousand was considerable. The top-level normal mode predator, the Twin-Head Troll, had a value around 4,500. So a single bullet could be stronger than a Twin-Head Troll’s attack.
Moreover, pistols are long-range weapons that even ordinary people can use with practice, and they can fire rapidly. Modern technology was indeed terrifying.
"And among the weapons they carry, the most powerful is the MP-7. A type of submachine gun. It has penetration and rate-of-fire enough to pierce bulletproof defenses… but the impact value is around 8,000."
The information Sunghyung provided was high-level. Regardless of when or how he obtained it, it gave Hyunseok enough confidence.
A smile appeared on Hyunseok’s face, though hidden by his mask.
“Only 8,000?”
Even if hit, 8,000 impact points wouldn’t reduce his H/P much. At least seven bullets would need to strike simultaneously to reduce H/P by around 5,000. And he had a Green-grade heal. Confidence surged. Critical shots’ power could be formidable, but he had slain a Cyclops with an impact value exceeding 100,000. What could 8,000 bullets do? Taking critical hits was familiar to him.
"Hey! What are you whispering?"
An English voice with slightly awkward pronunciation. Hyunseok, who had experience translating English before, caught that they weren’t native speakers and understood the meaning.
He raised both hands above his head and stood. The man with the gun tensed.
"What are you doing? Sit!"
Hyunseok took a step forward. The man gestured as if to shoot, and at that moment, Hyunseok activated his combat field.
❋ ❋ ❋
The Japan’s ichigo union leader, Yamamoto, had participated in the auction and was unfortunately shot. The moment the combat field briefly disappeared, he was hit. Truly, incredibly unlucky.
Yamamoto’s eyes focused on one man.
“Is… such movement even possible?”
He had seen similar movement before, but this was even more natural. There was no doubt: this was the only man in the world capable of soloing a Cyclops. But fighting monsters and modern firearms were completely different matters.
“He’s taking submachine gun fire on his body?”
Of course, H/P was gradually decreasing, but only minimally. Some of the top-level Slayers present were even healing Hyunseok a little.
“A submachine gun’s impact value is usually around 7,000. Add critical hits and cumulative damage from rapid fire… what must his defense be?”
Yamamoto was honestly intimidated by the man’s defense, courage, and aura. Even if one trusts their defense, who could dash forward while bullets were being fired?
“This… isn’t just about defense. If it were only confidence in defense, he couldn’t charge like that.”
Hyunseok acted as the trigger. As he counterattacked, Slayers observing from cover began rising. The attacks focused on Hyunseok, allowing others to move quickly.
One healing Slayer healed Yamamoto, easing his condition.
“Given his speed, he could probably dodge. Approaching directly without dodging must be to protect others nearby.”
Respect for Hyunseok grew. Few could fail to understand this situation, at least among Slayers.
Seven attackers. One was killed by Hyunseok. Three more were neutralized by him, one by Sunghyung, and the remaining two by Slayers motivated by Hyunseok.
Hyunseok’s heart raced. He hadn’t panicked like a novel’s protagonist, but he had killed for the first time. Not intentionally, opponents fired recklessly, and critical hits struck his head repeatedly. Damage over 1,000 consecutively was significant for him. He could have used it as an excuse, but he had committed murder.
“I… killed someone.”
Even top Slayers faced a different challenge killing humans than monsters. Hyunseok, never having seriously hit a person past age twenty, felt his hands and feet tremble. Sunghyung patted his shoulder gently.
"This is 100% self-defense. Don’t worry too much."
"Yes."
He understood intellectually. It was self-defense; failure could have meant his death. Officials worldwide would have owed him thanks.
Whether due to skill or luck, critical hits continued striking his head dozens of times, reducing H/P by over 10,000 in mere seconds. Continuous criticals increased damage rapidly, especially from a high-rate-of-fire weapon like a submachine gun.
Even though healing replenished him quickly, continuous hits could have been dangerous.
The incident was not reported. Few even knew such an auction existed.
Yet among participants, the Platinum Slayer from Korea was recognized as the incident’s resolver. The one who had taken multiple submachine gun shots with minimal H/P reduction, roughly one-tenth from a third-party view, obviously indicated the Korean Platinum Slayer.
Yamamoto of the Japan Union said:
"Of course… it must be Hyunseok."
"Most likely. It’s astonishing to achieve such power purely through physical ability. He’s not only a combat field expert but also capable of healing, truly a versatile Slayer."
"This will likely be handled quietly."
"The participants seem to avoid public attention."
"But they must identify the instigators. It appears they were shielded. The presence of a Platinum Slayer was probably unforeseen. Lucky for him. Even if a Platinum Slayer had been present, conventional strength could handle modern weapons with shields. There was reason for their confidence. By the way, the auction organizer was the U.S. Union?"
"Yes. They’ve offered to compensate."
Auctions were organized alternately by each country’s Union.
"Why hold it in Korea? Did the Korean Union leader manipulate the situation?"
"The Korean Union has a Platinum Slayer. Using him as leverage with heavy lobbying wouldn’t be impossible."
"Others likely recognized his identity too."
"Indeed. Among current Slayers, none possess such movements and overwhelming defense. Without Korea’s Platinum Slayer, all items might have been lost."
The Platinum Slayer’s capability was exceptional. Top Slayers attended, yet none dared act. Even they would likely perish under repeated submachine gun fire. Who could run while piercing bullets, regardless of confidence?
“His mental fortitude is overwhelming too.”
Yamamoto swallowed his awe. A strong but foolish individual can be exploited. Hyunseok, however, acted strategically, letting the Korean Union handle difficult matters and discreetly managing major incidents. This bold mental strength, even committing murder without hesitation, was another revelation.
"He must never become an enemy. His decisiveness is absolute."
Yamamoto misjudged slightly. Hyunseok’s act of killing wasn’t reckless but a mismanaged response in extreme excitement. Even the smallest threat could elicit such human reflexes. Bullets striking his head and reducing H/P during a first encounter would challenge anyone.
And Hyunseok’s defense exceeded 50,000. An impact of 7,000 only boosted his confidence. What Yamamoto saw as daring risk was simply basic calculation for Hyunseok. Misunderstandings arose from differing perceptions of defense.
The American Union received custody of the masked assailants and began investigating the masterminds.
(End of Chapter 48)
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— Translated by Prime Works —