Chapter 112
Chapter 112
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 112
Chapter Title: Pride or Arrogance?
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"Hahaha!"
From far away.
The laughter of Thunderclap Floa echoed like thunder.
"Rookie! No matter how much you fly and crawl!"
Pzzzzzt!
Currents sparked from all directions.
From underground, from behind trees.
Some even struck down from the sky like lightning bolts.
"All you'll find is my afterimage! And remember this! Unless you see my true form with your own eyes, no special privileges!"
"......"
I furrowed my brow.
Floa, that girl.
Now she's openly flaunting her presence.
Is this even allowed for a judge?
"Hup!"
I let out a groan and moved my feet.
No time to harbor complaints.
Floa's attacks were fiercer than expected.
Every time a current grazed past, intense heat scorched my face.
Kwaduduk!
If I misplaced my foot even for a moment, it felt like the one splitting open wouldn't be that rock—it would be my body.
"Huh."
Pzzzzzt!
"Ugh."
Kwachik!
Every time I ran, the rocks and trees beside me collapsed and splintered helplessly.
Sand mixed with dirt fragments scattered everywhere.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The entire area shook as if it were crumbling.
Dust clouds filled the air in all directions.
'Still, one thing's for sure.'
My eyes flashed.
Despite these overwhelming attacks.
Despite them coming from a double-digit ranker.
The reason I could endure.
'Floa, that bitch.'
She definitely wasn't attacking me directly.
She was just pounding the surroundings, as if I were something she absolutely couldn't touch.
No direct hits came my way at all.
"That blockhead...... Looks like your odds just went up."
The old man following beside me muttered.
I smirked.
'I'm feeling it too. Of course—phrenology is a science, after all.'
"Phrenology?"
The old man tilted his head.
I nodded.
'Yeah, remember her face? That nose is ridiculously high to begin with. You know how people with high nose bridges hate being looked down on?'
"What are you talking about? You...... studied phrenology too?"
'And her eyebrows arch way up? Her mouth's twisted in a smug smirk. I've heard since ancient times that faces like that hate losing more than anything.'
"Tsk tsk, like you?"
The old man grinned teasingly.
'Hmm.'
Was my face like that?
I didn't think so.
Well, one thing was certain.
I hated losing more than dying, too.
Floa and I were similar in that regard.
And that meant.
'You too, right, old timer? You've got your pride.'
"Kekeke, well, you and me both. There's that saying about master passing it to disciple, disciple to pupil.'
'......Isn't it father to son?'
"Anyway, brat. A strong one's self-respect is a mindset they rightfully wield. It shouldn't be compared to the arrogance of the weak.'
'So what's that guy wielding right now?'
"Naturally, arrogance.'
'Thought so?'
The old man and I met eyes.
We looked at each other and grinned.
"The outcome's up to you. Look at that blockhead. She could've just run away. But she's falling for your taunts and acting like that—the answer's obvious, right? No matter how strong the power, a blockhead's still a blockhead. Kekeke, you know I have a knack for reading people.'
'Yeah. That's why you chose me after seeing our bony crew, right?'
Pzzzzzt!
Even now, at this moment.
I kept my feet moving nonstop.
My vision was already a mess of dust.
Spotting Floa's form was no easy task.
'Hmm.'
What to do.
"How much time's passed? Should be about time for a reaction."
The old man asked, rolling his wrist.
'Not long yet. But.'
"Time to go on the offensive? Kekeke."
'Yeah, just like you said, old timer. Time to start tightening the noose.'
Twitch!
The Poison Fog lurking in my gut stirred.
A few minutes ago.
Graciously, it had provided me and the old man with a few poisons we wanted.
Yeah.
Can't expect to freeload in a cozy home forever.
This.
Call it a month's rent.
* * *
'What?'
Floa, who had been attacking meticulously, frowned.
Normally, Joo Dong-hoon should have panicked and halted his advance.
'He's still charging in?'
Indeed.
Was a ranker candidate different from the start?
How could he keep pushing forward despite these devastating attacks?
"......"
But he was just a seedling.
Still an unripe rookie.
On top of that, was she some ordinary ranker?
She was world rank 84.
A top-tier powerhouse treated like a VVIP anywhere in the world.
The odds of losing to him were practically zero.
'The problem is.'
This wasn't a fight to the death.
She couldn't strike Joo Dong-hoon directly.
But Joo Dong-hoon could strike her anytime.
No, he didn't even need to strike.
Just 'spotting' her with those eyes would mean victory.
"Seriously......"
It was ridiculous.
Even with penalties, how could a mere participant play 'games' with a double-digit ranker like her!
"Ahaha!"
It was so funny her smile came naturally.
How long had it been since she felt this thrill?
"Hey, what the hell are you?!"
Floa broadcast her voice via electric waves.
This way, she could communicate without revealing her position.
"Where'd you pop out from? Got a master?"
Questions born of pure curiosity.
"Answer from right there. No matter how you speak, my hearing transcends space."
"What am I?"
Joo Dong-hoon replied indifferently.
"The guy who's gonna catch you and claim the privilege soon. Why."
"Uhahahaha!"
Floa burst into laughter.
What hunter in the world would dare talk to her like this?
She kinda liked the guy's boldness.
No, not liked—more like was intrigued by.
A type of person she'd never encountered before.
"You? You're gonna catch me?"
She smirked.
A mix of absurdity and faint interest.
"Yeah? Give it a shot. If you spot me when I'm serious, you'll be my ora-bbang then."
"Ora-bbang?"
"Yeah, you punk. But don't worry about it. That won't happen."
It was a promise meaningless to her.
She didn't entertain even 1% chance of losing to a participant.
But.
The cocky bastard upped the ante.
"I'd hate to hear 'ora-bbang' from a dope like you...... How about slave bread instead?"
"What?"
Floa chuckled disbelievingly.
What the hell was that?
"Slave bread?"
"Yeah, slave bread as is. Loser bows their head and submits. Does whatever they're told. How's that? No way the rank 84 is chickening out, right? If not, we can skip it."
"Hey, hey, hey. You crazy bastard?"
Floa placed her hands on her hips in disbelief.
"Fuck, even if I'm known for being thoughtless. My value and yours are worlds apart. You betting something that ridiculous? Doesn't add up!"
"Why not."
The guy sneered.
"Aren't you confident you won't lose anyway? Plus, look me up—I've got some value myself."
"You?"
Floa tilted her head.
Well, assuming he hits single digits later, it'd be huge.
But that's the future.
Not now.
Single-digit rankers aren't dog names anyone can claim.
"Yeah. Me, I've got cash to spare. Can craft S-rank items too. If you're a hunter, you've heard about the recent Demir Workshop buzz, right?"
"......Demir Workshop?"
Demir? Demir......
Familiar name......
What was it.
"Ah?"
Floa's pupils dilated.
"Demir—as in, the workshop making S-rank weapons? The hot topic in Korea lately?"
S-rank weapons were invaluable.
Thus, the Demir Workshop incident had spread worldwide.
As a top ranker with keen interest in weapons, she'd heard of it.
The Berserker got his weapon there.
"Huh, I heard the owner was a Necromancer...... No way that's you?"
"Yeah, that's me."
"Hoo."
Floa's round eyes blinked rapidly.
A reaction that might seem innocently naive to strangers.
"That sounds fun."
It added up somehow.
Her loss probability was near zero anyway.
Free money and items incoming.
'Plus, I could make him craft my custom gear nonstop?'
Jackpot!
Her mind raced.
Decision made in seconds.
"Okay!"
She nodded.
"Come at me! I'll show you overconfident fool how vast the world is— Hm?"
Sniff sniff!
Then it hit.
A strange smell caught Floa's nose.
Intensely foul and horrific.
"Ugh? What the fuck?"
Soon, Floa's eyes widened as she froze.
"Poison?"
Not just any poison.
A super-potent neurotoxin from dozens of top-grade lethal poisons complementing each other.
'Since when?'
Distance to Joo Dong-hoon: at least 500m.
For poison this strong, it needed at least five minutes to set in......
"N-No way? You bastard!"
That guy.
Had he dragged out the banter for this?
Floa reacted, and the guy grinned.
"You did say okay, right? A ranker wouldn't back out on a promise like a coward. Trust me and come grab me?"
That instant.
Joo Dong-hoon's figure exploded forward at blinding speed.
"Ha."
Floa let out a hollow laugh.
She was dumbfounded.
Beyond absurd—speechless.
Her lips parted in a stunned expression.
"A trap?"
"More like cleverly using my abilities, if you please?"
"You dirty, sneaky bastard."
"Yeah, thanks for the compliment."
"Fuck."
Floa kicked off the ground swiftly.
To widen the gap as he closed in.
But.
'Body's getting heavy.'
Nerves numbing bit by bit.
How potent was this poison to affect even a ranker like her?
Vision blurring too.
'God, even hallucinogenic?'
One path looked like two.
Sky and earth flipping.
Gut churning with nausea.
Pzzzt! Pzzzzzt!
She kept currents flowing through her body.
Burning out infiltrated and ambient poisons.
Her eyes turned deadly serious.
'Poison's just poison.'
That's all.
She was in a position where losing to a participant was unacceptable.
'Just a momentary fluster. I'm not getting caught by mere poison.'
That was ranker Floa's pride.