Chapter 21
Chapter 21
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: Leech Swarm Assault
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[You have been breaking the limits of your body and mind for 2,960 consecutive days.]
[If you maintain your current state for 40 more days, a hidden skill will awaken.]
[The newly stirring First Skill has detected the potential of the hidden skill and resonates with it.]
[An inexplicable phenomenon!]
[Time is needed for calculation.]
...
..
Nearly thirty leeches swarmed in.
True to being summoned by the Leech King himself, they were ferocious. The moment they spotted Jae-hyeok, they charged viciously.
On the other hand, Jae-hyeok's body felt as heavy as lead.
'What's going on?'
[The Lion's Curse reduces your stats by half.]
[The Lion's Curse prohibits the use of skills.]
It was all because of a curse Jae-hyeok didn't know about.
'Even better.'
A thick smile spread across Jae-hyeok's lips.
It felt like his strength had been halved, at least subjectively.
Unless he swung his sword with full power, there was no guarantee he'd kill a leech in one strike.
Which meant no need for fine control of his strength.
He could just go wild without a care.
Splash!
The Kang Family Mana Operation Method specialized in focus and release.
It was the result of deliberation and evolution to maximize the power of Quick Draw.
It had many uses. Jae-hyeok focused mana on the soles of his feet and released it, ignoring the swamp's properties to leap up, then unleashed a low horizontal draw.
Spash-!
The leeches that had thrust their heads above the swamp to bite him screamed and collapsed.
Long and narrow like pythons, the leeches.
One horizontal Quick Draw from Jae-hyeok struck five or six of them.
Splash!
The swamp churned violently.
It was the waves created by the leech swarm charging at Jae-hyeok as he landed.
And Jae-hyeok wasn't green enough to get hit by movements he could clearly sense.
Clack! Clack clack clack!!
As he backpedaled, repeating draws and sheathes, sounds like magazine changes erupted continuously from Jae-hyeok's scabbard.
Keeeaak!!
The leeches couldn't close the distance to Jae-hyeok at all.
Every time they approached within a meter, they were slashed by Quick Draw and fell, repeating the process.
***
'No... This can't be...'
Kim Jin-myeong couldn't believe the scene unfolding before his eyes.
It was one against many, yet the many weren't leveraging their numerical advantage.
Quick Draw.
Every time Jae-hyeok pulled on his sword hilt, horizontal, vertical slashes, or thrusting strikes flew out like bullets.
Each one was lightning-fast and precise, packed with immense power that made the leeches writhe in agony.
But the most impressive part was the variety of trajectories.
Revolving sheath.
The scabbard, hung on a long strap, shifted positions freely at its master's will. That made the draw trajectories completely free-form.
And moreover...
'...That's not a skill.'
The skill instructor had reported that Jae-hyeok's skill was Quick Draw.
But there was no way that was a skill.
How could ceaseless, infinite attacks be a skill?
That was pure swordsmanship. A technique honed independently of the system.
'A once-in-a-generation swordsmanship genius.'
Kim Jin-myeong accurately defined Kang Jae-hyeok.
Even if his First Skill's grade was low enough for a green rating, his innate human potential was just too outstanding.
In technical terms, innate strength.
Both body and technique.
Kang Jae-hyeok himself was strong.
It was only within the player framework that his skills made him seem lacking.
'The gods must envy that child.'
That's why they gave him such a trash First Skill, forcing a green rating.
Kim Jin-myeong, who had been lamenting, suddenly widened his eyes.
Jae-hyeok's Quick Draw had slowed dramatically.
The swamp environment was the problem.
Every sword swing coated the blade in swamp filth, repeatedly.
Jae-hyeok had to shake it off in mid-air between swings.
But the swamp muck was too sticky to shake off easily.
Sheathing filled the scabbard interior with debris, weakening the Quick Draw's power.
"Jae-hyeok!!"
Kim Jin-myeong leaped into the swamp.
***
'This is one of Quick Draw's weaknesses.'
He had sensed it from the start of swamp adaptation training.
Ah, bad matchup with Quick Draw here.
As expected.
Debris filled the scabbard interior, preventing full sheathing, and weakening Quick Draw's power.
The blade itself had dulled to begin with. The leeches' slimy bodily fluids made the swamp muck stick entirely.
'No problem.'
In reality, countless Awakeners died to E-rank monsters.
E-rank monsters were plenty threatening to low-level players.
Indeed, he had seen B-Class and C-Class students fearing the leeches.
But that didn't mean E-rank monsters were stronger than low-level players.
Newbies often suffered because they couldn't overcome environmental issues like swamps or tactical problems from numerical inferiority.
In other words, the current situation wasn't threatening to Jae-hyeok at all.
He had nearly adapted to the swamp, and possessed stats far surpassing a level 1 player.
Crunch!
Leeches weren't monsters that used weapons like swords or bows.
They only had stealth in swamps and speed as traits; their sole attack method was teeth.
How could creatures that had to close in to be effective be a threat?
He could toy with them blindfolded, picking his nose.
"Jae-hyeok!!"
"?"
Jae-hyeok flinched in surprise and looked up.
Who was calling his name so familiarly? It was Kim Jin-myeong.
"Fire Storm!!"
Kwarrr rumble!!
Flames bursting from Kim Jin-myeong's hands formed a small storm, sweeping up the leeches.
'Their movements seemed unexpectedly sluggish when stuck in the swamp—turns out he's a mage.'
Doesn't match his face at all.
Kiyaaaa...
Dozens of leeches burned to death in an instant.
The mishap of Jae-hyeok gaining EXP and Awakening didn't occur.
He had held back his strength to prevent that.
'Now this is proper training.'
The experience of fighting dozens of leeches while isolated in a swamp!
It helped more than expected.
He had learned how to move even more easily in the swamp.
As Jae-hyeok made a satisfied expression, Kim Jin-myeong rushed over.
"Y-You're okay? No injuries?"
"...?"
Kim Jin-myeong's attitude was odd. His actions—grabbing Jae-hyeok's shoulders and checking his body—were filled with worry.
Almost like Butler Hwang...
"What's this? Why are you suddenly acting chummy?"
"I'm your teacher worrying about my student. No ulterior motives. Ahem! Give me that sword. I'll polish it nice and shiny for you."
"Now I see—you're trying to steal my sword? No way. It's not some special item; it's just one I use well."
"Fine, fine. Have a refreshing drink of cold water. Here. Wipe yourself down with this towel too."
"..."
Kim Jin-myeong's skill just now had exceeded expectations.
Even if Jae-hyeok hadn't stepped in, he would have massacred all the leeches and escaped safely.
He might not have avoided injury since he was sunk deep in the swamp, but still.
There was no reason to see Jae-hyeok as a lifesaver.
'But why is he being so nice? It's awkward.'
As Jae-hyeok kept giving suspicious looks, Kim Jin-myeong sighed and confessed honestly.
"I was moved by your convictions. Happy now? And... I'm sorry for the rude things I said last time."
"The stuff about family education?"
"Yeah... I apologize a hundred times."
"And mocking me as just a lucky bastard?"
"Y-Yeah, that too. I'm sorry. I was foolish and lacking, hurting you deeply. I don't dare ask for forgiveness. I just want to apologize where I should."
"Sure, whatever."
Truth be told.
Jae-hyeok had also noticed Kim Jin-myeong's recent changes.
The first few days were openly hostile, but over time, his gaze had softened.
'Relationships are organic, huh.'
He learned something new.
Not a bad feeling.
While Jae-hyeok wiped the swamp muck off his body with the towel, B-Class students came rushing over.
"Y-You're okay?"
Surprisingly, they were worried about Jae-hyeok too.
They recognized they had grown quickly thanks to him.
Whether intentional or not, resentment had faded, replaced by budding gratitude.
"Why'd you jump into the swamp? What if the teacher hadn't helped?"
"Crazy bastard anyway."
The students who had evacuated early didn't know what passed between Jae-hyeok and Jin-myeong.
Thus, they didn't know why Jae-hyeok deliberately jumped into the swamp.
They just figured it was because he was nuts.
"..."
C-Class's mood was gloomy. The students glared at their homeroom teacher with contempt for fleeing without saving Park Si-woo.
The C-Class homeroom teacher was going insane.
Having shown such a contrast to Kim Jin-myeong, this was humiliation beyond humiliation.
More precisely, not just humiliation—he had to worry about disciplinary action.
In the chaotic situation.
"Nothing serious, right?"
A few A-Class students arrived on scene.
The ones who had yelled to run from the forest earlier.
No signs of worry or apology.
"E-rank monster swarms? The teachers would handle it fine."
"Our Jae-hyeok... Ahem, student Kang Jae-hyeok stepped in in time, so we got through unscathed. By the way, where's your homeroom teacher?"
Kim Jin-myeong, swallowing words he wanted to spit at the students, looked for the A-Class homeroom teacher.
He wasn't in a position to argue with students, so he planned to demand an explanation from the responsible party and hold them accountable.