Chapter 10
Chapter 10
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 10
Chapter Title: 1. A Common Setup, Isn't It?
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Gripping his sword, he began to steady his breathing quietly. Two wolves circled him, waiting for an opening. As Yoo Sung-hoon repeatedly drew in long breaths and exhaled, the corner of his mouth twitched upward.
Facing two wolves head-on in normal condition wasn't easy. But one had blood dripping from its front paw, and the other was drooling excessively from its mouth, as if it had eaten something bad.
Moreover, their patchy fur and emaciated bodies made it hard to call them in healthy shape. Still, Sung-hoon never let his guard down. The two were furious.
They had come all this way to kill him—the man who slaughtered their pack and brought them pain.
'First one to take out...'
Moving in a crab walk, Sung-hoon decided to target the injured wolf first. It couldn't move properly after falling into his trap. Once he chose his mark, there was no hesitation.
"Hah!"
With a shout, he swung his sword down forcefully from above. Boosted by Low Swordsmanship and amplified by Three Materials Sword Technique, the blade whistled sharply through the air. But a wolf was still a wolf, even injured. Letting out a sharp whine, it dodged backward and lunged straight at Sung-hoon.
In this life-or-death moment, Sung-hoon simply raised his free left hand toward the wolf, a smirk on his face as always.
"Shock!"
"Kyak!"
Shock
Low-rank skill deals minor electric damage and causes brief stun.
A small bolt of lightning shot from Sung-hoon's palm and struck the wolf true. He'd dumped bonus stat points into Magic Power, bringing it to 3, which unlocked Shock.
A low-proficiency, low-rank Shock probably couldn't kill even a rat. But it was undeniably an electric spell. No living creature could avoid some stiffening upon taking a hit, feeble as it was. And that tiny opening was a golden chance for Sung-hoon, right up close.
Gripping his sword in reverse, he plunged it into the wolf's throat as it collapsed. But his triumph was short-lived—he had to grimace immediately.
"Kyawung!"
The remaining wolf didn't miss the gap its companion created. Its fangs sank into Sung-hoon's shoulder. Pain surged from the spot, but thankfully, the Lowest Combat Coat lived up to its price, blocking the teeth.
He tried to pull out his sword, but it was lodged deep in the wolf's corpse and the ground. With the beast clamped on his right shoulder, he couldn't muster proper strength anyway.
Neither Low Swordsmanship nor Lowest Martial Arts taught what to do here. He just followed his instincts.
Let go of the sword. Kick off the ground and fall backward.
"Kyak!"
"You bastard. Had your fun?"
Pinned under Sung-hoon's weight and force, the wolf flailed its legs and whimpered repeatedly. It might evoke pity, but Sung-hoon had killed more dogs—similar to wolves—than anything else. The sight gave him no pause.
Pshk!
Pulling a small dagger from his inventory, he stabbed it into the wolf's throat. Warm blood trickled along the blade onto his palm. Stabbing with a dagger felt more viscerally like piercing something than swinging a longsword. Grimacing in disgust, Sung-hoon withdrew it, stood, and brushed off the dirt.
Looking around, he saw wolf corpses scattered here and there. No need to count—thirty wolves. No ordinary human could take thirty with just a sword. Sung-hoon couldn't either, normally. But he had.
"This could become a habit."
Ever since poisoning the rats, he'd gotten hooked on toxins. A dash in their food slashed quest difficulty. Traps helped too. Without pro materials, they lacked punch, but pits did their job.
He'd even found skill synergies.
Combining Lowest Poison Technique with Low Trap Installation reduced detection odds for poisoned bait. Using these tricks, he'd cleared the mission brilliantly.
When no completion message appeared after a while, Sung-hoon scanned around and spotted one surviving wolf—skewered on his longsword, glaring at him while twitching.
Pshk!
Now familiar with these room prompts, Sung-hoon started grinning. His inventory shone with a dazzling 70,000. He couldn't hold back a burst of laughter. Combat rations and poison potions were nearly gone from trap-making, but this was ample reward.
Equipping the Wolf Leather Gloves right away, he opened his status window.
He poured both points into Magic Power without hesitation, then staggered from the dizziness as he stood. It was expected. Obsessed with hunting highs and first-clear bonuses, he'd holed up in the Mission Office for two days straight, barely sleeping, chugging recovery potions midway. Rest was overdue.
'Most first clears are mine anyway.'
Observing others during repeated quests, Sung-hoon realized he was an outlier. Almost everyone—everyone—wore beginner gear and carried just a sword or basic weapon. Folks in unique outfits or non-longswords were rare among the rare.
Or they partied up in groups to clear.
"Yawwwn!"
Stumbling down the stairs, he saw the usual crowd. Some sought parties; others compared quest papers. Outside was already dim, yet people thronged. Heading to the now-talkative counselor Sara, she greeted him first.
"Whoa! Already..."
"Ahh, I get it, so quiet down. No point drawing eyes."
"Hehe. But it's surprising! You okay?"
"What's hard about it? Feeling great. Say, know where the inn is?"
"Inn? Exit, go right to the big plaza, left there, and you'll find it."
"Thanks. Exhausted—heading to bed."
"No loot tally?"
"Pardon?"
"Loot."
Sara's words left Sung-hoon gaping in silence. Oblivious, she beamed.
"Teeth, hides from quests? Sell at general store—decent coin."
"Urghhh."
Sung-hoon's groan had one reason.
'Forgot to loot!'
Fixated on monopolizing first bonuses, he'd overlooked corpses. Quests paid enough Gilds; it hadn't crossed his mind.
"Miss Sara."
"Yes."
"Can I revisit cleared quest spots?"
"Sure. But quests reset, and repeats have reduced rewards. Gonna redo?"
"...No. I'm good."
Swallowing bloody tears, Sung-hoon forced a bright smile, sighed deeply, and left the Mission Office. Thinking of his new stats and 70,000 Gilds soothed him somewhat. But outside, his hand instinctively went to his sword.
'What the...?'
Alleys brimmed with people. Their collective stares would rattle anyone but the iron-hearted. They didn't approach, just watched as he subtly gripped his hilt.
Breaking the eerie hush was a boy who looked elementary-school age.
"Mister! Spare a coin?"
"Mister..."
"Ah, no—bro!"
His face twisting into a sneer at "mister," the boy switched to "bro" instantly. Before Sung-hoon could speak, the kid knelt, prostrated, and wailed.
"Haven't eaten since morning. Kidnapped here outta nowhere—don't get it... Sob. Don't need much. Just 1 Gild, please..."
As he clung tearfully, Sung-hoon nearly pulled 1 Gild from inventory but stopped. Only then did he clock the crowd.
'Beggars!'
Jerry said prices in the First City were steep. He'd bought weapons and skills with starter Gilds, but these hadn't cleared quests. Even geared-up him struggled with rats. Others? No chance.
Clearers were lucky—Gilds covered food and lodging. But failures today?
'Mass dropouts from day one.'
He swallowed dryly.