Chapter 29
Chapter 29
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 29
Chapter Title: 4. I'm That Guy
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"You... how do you..."
The Moonlit Cave Investigation was one of the most widely known C-grade missions, and as such, plenty of people attempted it. In other words, it was a dungeon that had already been perfectly cleared. So most people wrapped up the mission by completing Massacre Mode.
Occasionally, someone would try to decipher the text carved into this moonstone, but guilds weren't exactly overflowing, and linguistics was a truly fringe skill—no one bothered learning it. He'd managed to interpret it with basic linguistics, but how the hell did this guy know?
"It's nothing much. I just picked up linguistics myself."
(Up to intermediate level, that is.)
"A warrior with a linguistics skill? Money to burn, huh?"
"That cuts both ways, you know. And this isn't the time for banter, is it?"
Shring.
As Sung-hoon drew his sword and closed in, Il-woo gnashed his teeth and kicked the Moon Wolf aside. It was the boss monster, sure, but with all that bleeding and poison coursing through it, the thing couldn't even think straight—just mindless growling. Feeling a bit more at ease, Il-woo pulled a long estoc from his inventory.
Brandishing the rare blade, Il-woo bared his teeth in a feral grin.
"Now it makes sense. Something felt off. Your footwork screams ranker."
"And here you are swinging daggers around, so you've got an ace up your sleeve too, I take it."
"Damn right. A hidden move perfect for trash like you."
"We'll see about that. Cocky much?"
Il-woo silently drew his sword back and lunged. Caught off guard by the sudden aggression, Sung-hoon opted to play defense for now—his hand dipped to his belt, and in a flash, a dagger hurtled toward him. The odds of a one-handed toss while charging with a sword in the other hand connecting were slim to none.
It wasn't some low-level dagger-throw trick. But it was plenty to throw off his stance, which was exactly what Il-woo was banking on.
Clang!
Pierce Moon
Explosive thrust trajectory
"Uh?"
Sung-hoon had slightly underestimated the explosive thrust's path and jolted in surprise, twisting his head just in time to dodge. That strike was fast enough to make even agility-focused Sung-hoon sweat.
"Damn it! Just tank one hit already!"
"I'll take one fair and square if you do. Deal?"
"Fine by me. My stab first!"
Il-woo's blade was clearly built for thrusting. His swordsmanship specialized in it too—not a passive style, but an active martial art. The bursts of speed and power were enough to catch even Sung-hoon off guard. Of course, he wasn't about to go down easy.
Sung-hoon was a straight-up warrior; Il-woo was a thief. A head-on clash heavily favored Sung-hoon. The fact they were holding even was partly Il-woo's unexpected strength... and partly because Sung-hoon hadn't busted out any skills yet.
(So, how to handle this.)
Opposing him wasn't tough, but finishing him off? That was the dilemma. If Il-woo only had one life left, Sung-hoon could go all out without a second thought.
But if this was his second... revival would get messy. Simple swordplay wouldn't cut it. Sung-hoon tightened his grip and shifted his stance.
(Self-Advancing Step.)
The movement was flawless as always. A path opened in what looked like an airtight sword arc. The instant Il-woo retracted for recovery, Sung-hoon surged forward.
Thud!
"Kuh!"
His chest slammed into Il-woo's shoulder. Panicking, Il-woo swung left and right to create space. Even someone as clueless about martial arts as him could tell this was on another level—like a mirage slipping past the blade. But Il-woo didn't despair at Sung-hoon's approach.
(Just hold out a little longer. Just a bit more.)
The poison would kick in. Victory would be his. Clinging to that, Il-woo wrung every drop of stamina and mana into his skills. He was gasping in no time from the nonstop action, but it worked—Sung-hoon faltered, and they locked into a standoff.
Another pointless dagger toss widened the gap. Il-woo glared up at him.
"Huff... huff..."
(He's tiring!)
No sign on his face, but those subtly shaking arms and ever-so-slightly sluggish moves drew a sneer from Il-woo as he pulled his sword back.
"W-what? My stamina just... out of nowhere..."
"Hah, moron. Brain not keeping up? Gotta say, you surprised me. Thought you were all stats, no skill—but damn, you're no joke. Polish that, and you'd fit right in with the rankers."
"Wait! I-I messed up! Just spare me!"
"Some punk was mouthing off earlier. I'll send you to join him—smile for it. Can't drag this out; the wolf's fading fast. Let's wrap it up. Yeah?"
"Please..."
His sword dipped lower as strength ebbed away.
"There's always a bird above the running dog, they say. If you've got one more life, keep that in mind."
Sword tip hit dirt. Il-woo poured everything into a full-power thrust.
Pierce Moon
Thrust surpassing warrior strike power
It rocketed toward Sung-hoon's chest. This ends it. Il-woo relaxed a fraction. And in that instant, Sung-hoon spun.
One full turn—like a dancer, fluid and graceful. Il-woo's outstretched blade merely grazed his shoulder and sliced empty air. Before a word could escape, Sung-hoon's sword buried into his throat.
"Gurgle..."
The Mission world was barely three months old. Even folks with Earth-side martial arts experience, raw talents, or greasy real-combat vets had their limits.
To current players, Self-Advancing Step's seamless offense-defense was straight-up broken.
"Obviously, you're the runner... and I'm the bird."
Sung-hoon's whisper in his ear. Il-woo thrashed to move, but with nearly half his neck cleaved by steel, solo survival was a pipe dream. His superhuman stats kept him from instant death, but agony and choking plunged him into shock.
"Aw, aw. Can't die just yet. Right?"
Like Il-woo had done before, Sung-hoon seized his nape and dragged him off.
Thump!
"Dig in. Good doggy."
"Grrr!"
"Ugh. Hate these scenes every time. So gross."
Not exactly words from the guy tossing people as feed, but Sung-hoon genuinely despised it. Sure, he'd fed the Moon Wolf double digits already—no changing that now.
Meanwhile, throat ripped clean, death confirmed—Il-woo's body lit up and faded away.
(Damn. First life, then.)
Dong-cheol had dropped items and guild tokens where he fell. Nothing here. Sung-hoon clicked his tongue bitterly and eyed the slumped Ellie and A-yeon.
One more sacrifice for the Moon Wolf. Truth be told, Sung-hoon had planned to feed it one and finish the other himself. Getting soft just made cleanup a nightmare.
But he decided to spare one. Ellie.
(Time to build some connections.)
The Mission wasn't a solo cakewalk. A tiny handful like Demon Sword Mirinae soloed high-difficulty missions, but everyone else ran parties as standard.
Take Spear King Kang Mu-han—dude had his own elite guard squad. More acquaintances the better, especially powerhouses.
Ellie especially: a mage packing firepower Sung-hoon had only glimpsed a few times. Connections like that didn't drop from the sky. Lucky for him, both were knocked out cold. Made lying a breeze.