Chapter 28
Chapter 28
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 28
Chapter Title: 4. I'm That Bastard
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Fireball was certainly a powerful spell, but it had the drawback of sweeping up everyone around it. Right now, Ice Lance was far more effective. As A-yeon focused her mind to draw out its maximum power, she sensed something off.
'He's tired?'
Dong-cheol's stamina was something she knew well. He was the type who'd invested heavily in strength and endurance. She figured he might have some lingering fatigue from the prolonged battle, but they'd taken ample rest before entering the boss room. And yet, how long had they been fighting? He was already huffing and puffing.
She'd thought she could pin him down for at least a minute, but his movements were already slowing, his breaths coming in ragged gasps. He was caught.
Power Shot
Piercing power capable of skewering a werewolf's head in one shot!
Kwachik!
Power Shot had enough force to pierce a werewolf's head in one go, but unfortunately, it didn't work perfectly on the Moon Wolf. Still, it wasn't entirely ineffective. It had cleanly pierced its thigh, crippling its mobility in an instant. And Ellie didn't miss that opening—her magic struck home.
Ice Spear! (Mana Enhanced)
Three spears flew straight at the Moon Wolf!
Three mana-enhanced Ice Spears shot toward the Moon Wolf in a flash. The first two shattered against its powerful forepaw, but the last one hit the arrow-pierced right thigh, knocking it down completely.
"Kyeng! Keu-eung!"
"Hah, hah! Die already!"
Dong-cheol swung his axe at the kneeling Moon Wolf like he was chopping firewood, but it rolled away, dodging the attacks. Still, the fight was as good as decided. A beast robbed of its mobility was easy pickings for ranged arrows and spells. A-yeon felt a twinge of unease, but she let herself relax, assuming the mission was cleared safely. She clenched her trembling arm, shook out the fatigue, and nocked another arrow.
She wouldn't feel secure until she landed the killing blow.
The moment that thought crossed her mind, Ellie collapsed forward from behind her.
"What?!"
Did enemies appear from the rear too? If so, there was no time for complacency. A-yeon whipped her bow around from the Moon Wolf toward the back—but nothing was there. She tilted her head in confusion. Then, a sharp pain exploded in her side.
"I-Il-woo."
"A knife's best twisted once it's in, but too much can shatter the blade. So you'll have to settle for this."
She wanted to speak, but it felt like something was lodged in her throat—words wouldn't come. There was only one reason. It was bizarre. The pain was vivid, but her mind slipped into a hazy, half-awake state, like she'd just woken from sleep. She couldn't understand why. In the end, A-yeon flapped her mouth like a dying fish and closed her eyes.
"Damn. I aged ten years worrying you might not go down."
As Dong-cheol activated his skill to bind the Moon Wolf, Il-woo naturally fell back with a vile smirk and drew his dagger. Ellie and A-yeon were down, but their lives weren't in real danger. Just poisoned into unconsciousness. The battle fatigue, plus the stamina-draining poison he'd slipped them earlier, combined with this fresh dagger slathered in toxin—they wouldn't regain their senses anytime soon.
Probably half a day before they woke.
'Alright, time to wrap this up.'
Dong-cheol looked like he could finish the Moon Wolf any second.
With one arm gone and a grievous leg wound, the beast had lost all its earlier menace and was fleeing desperately while Dong-cheol chased it with glee. If left alone, it'd die by his hand.
'Mutual destruction would be nice, but unfortunately, the Moon Wolf needs to win here.'
Il-woo drew a throwing dagger and hurled it with casual ease. It sank straight into Dong-cheol's thigh.
Plunk!
"Guaaaah!"
Caught off guard by the unexpected attack, Dong-cheol crumpled like a sandcastle.
"W-what the hell?! Il-woo, you bastard!"
"Jeez. I've thought it since we met, but your mouth's way too foul. Don't you think?"
"You psycho! You dare betray me, you dog?!"
Betrayal wasn't all that rare.
Especially when massive gains were on the line—even family or best friends turned on each other. Betraying recent comrades was everyday stuff. But in The Mission, you had two lives. If you betrayed and killed someone who still had one life left, forging a grudge?
That was the absolute worst. They say you forget favors but never grudges—a sloppy betrayal could bring endless backlash. So while betrayal happened, it wasn't common. Sure, fights over immediate loot, guilds, or items were one thing, but taking a life? Even the hard-hearted hesitated.
"Y-you bastard! When I respawn in town, I'll hunt you down no matter what. I'll find you and kill you for sure!"
"Dunno if you can. And empty threats aren't cute."
"What bullshit!"
"This is your last life, right? Isn't it?"
Cold sweat trickled down Dong-cheol's back.
'W-what? How does he know? How the hell?'
"I know everything. Park Dong-cheol. You've only got one life left. Die here, and no more revenge."
"W-wait. Did someone put you up to this?"
"Nah. No one ordered it. I just looked into you a bit for my own use."
"Grrr..."
The one-armed Moon Wolf crawled toward him, drooling. Dong-cheol's heart felt like it would burst from his chest. He tried scrambling back, but Il-woo's dagger in his leg sent him tumbling again.
"Warriors really do have high stamina—poison takes forever. Such a pain."
"W-wait! If there's no grudge, please—just this once! Back in the city, I'll give you everything I've got!"
"Why bother? You'll drop it all if you die here."
"No! I've got stuff hidden in the city! Kill me, and you won't get it! Please!"
"Sorry, can't trust that. Just die."
He couldn't die so pointlessly here. No—even if he died, A-yeon had to live.
She was someone he'd met in this inexplicable place, but Dong-cheol loved her more than anyone.
"F-fine. Kill me if you want, but spare A-yeon. Please, I beg you. Unlike me, she has one life left. No gain killing her, and you can take all the rewards. Just... A-yeon..."
"Sorry, can't do that either. Your drops and mission rewards are just pocket change anyway."
Kwachik!
The Moon Wolf's jaws finally clamped onto Dong-cheol's throat.
'Yeah. What I'm after isn't chump change like drops.'
Not rankers—these normals' loot wouldn't buy a single ranker item even combined. Ellie might be different, but whatever. Il-woo had one reason for this.
Capture the Moon Wolf and touch the Moon Stone at the cave's end to clear the mission. Most would stop there and leave, but Il-woo had noticed something special about it.
Mysterious writing carved on the Moon Stone. Others dismissed it as meaningless, ignoring it. But not Il-woo. He didn't want to be just some thief with combat skills.
He'd learned trap skills, dagger skills, investigation, even linguistics. His Low Linguistics let him partially decipher the Moon Stone. It was werewolf history or something, but the last line hooked him.
[...lose intellect... slumber. Final heir... clan revival... three sacrifices... revive the clan... obtain the treasure...]
Spotty translation at best, but enough.
Among the werewolves here, only the Moon Wolf fit "final heir"—its name was "Awakening Moon Wolf." So, sacrifice three to fully awaken it.
From there, it was simple.
Once fully awakened, you'd get treasure, right?
"Grrr!"
Il-woo kicked the Moon Wolf, who'd regained some strength from eating, sending it tumbling like a soccer ball as he laughed. A normal one, he couldn't toy like this.
But with one arm severed and its right thigh shredded, it was his dinner. Still, no slacking—he slipped in a poisoned dagger, then fetched rope from his inventory, looped it around its neck, and dragged it along.
"Now, now, calm down. Plenty of food left, huh? Gotta eat two more."
"Betraying us after all."
The sudden voice startled Il-woo. From the opposite tunnel they'd come through, Sung-hoon approached with a calm expression.
"Tch, cut the 'I knew it' act. You're dying anyway."
"Me? Why would I die to trash like you?"
"Tch. Idiot."
Il-woo sneered at the fool who didn't even know he was poisoned and drew his dagger. By now, the toxin should be kicking in hard. A few clashes, and he'd collapse on his own.
But Sung-hoon's next words shocked Il-woo instead.
"Kill me, and what? Three sacrifices are enough, aren't they?"