Chapter 188
Chapter 188
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 188
Chapter Title: Pests Must Be Exterminated
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Sssshwaaaaa!
The movement of Poison Flash was concise yet tremendous.
As if it intended to melt everything in its path.
The concentrated green energy wave swallowed Zima whole.
That Black Dragon Wave he had thrown?
Psssh!
It crumbled away like ashes burned beyond recognition.
[Water Witch: Crazy? What the hell is that skill?]
[Absolute Invincible: Looks like the team leader's handiwork. I-Impressive.]
[Spring Apostle: The team leader really is the team leader.]
A few onlookers watching the battlefield expressed their shock in the chat window.
“…….”
Whoooosh!
A reverse wind whipped up from the direction of the blast.
Zima, who had tried to somehow endure it, had vanished without even leaving a corpse behind.
[Your ranking has been updated.]
[Please check the world ranking board.]
“Huh.”
I felt the cool breeze sweep my hair back from my forehead.
And let out a sigh of admiration.
Poison Flash, huh.
This is way more impressive than I thought?
No matter how much I hammered him, a high ranker gone in one shot?
Since the ranking updated automatically.
Zima was definitely dead.
He'd been rank 79, so everyone below him would shift up one spot.
“Wow! Now I'm rank 79!”
Pzzzzzt!
Floa shouted excitedly while still clashing with the monsterized Bong Jaeyoung.
“As expected of my master! So cool! Taking down that infamous Zima in one hit! Oh, and master! Please don't butt in! I'll show you I can handle this guy on my own! Got it?”
Floa was thrilled by the evenly matched fight.
Her eyes burned with competitive fire.
“Do your thing.”
I replied lightly.
‘Master, though...’
Not even Eldrin.
Was she seriously claiming to be my slave on her own now?
Well, no skin off my back.
- Kraaaaa!
Boom! Boom! Kwang! Boom!
Bong Jaeyoung charged with a roar, met by Floa.
‘Bong Jaeyoung.’
I stared impassively at the guy with rolled-back eyes and drool spilling from his mouth.
‘Gotta deal with that one quick, too.’
Was he in the top 100 now?
‘Anyway.’
No time to stand around after taking out one.
Nor did I have the spare capacity to help Floa.
Because.
Ssssh.
The swirling mist announced someone's arrival.
“Heh heh, the main character finally shows up.”
The old man hummed.
“And mist, no less... Seeing that formation and the flow of energy, it's confirmed. That guy's Dang Hwi-pyeong.”
“…….”
I glanced ahead while listening to the old man.
A Russian man emerging from the fog.
World rank 69.
Insect King Andrey.
A whole nine ranks above me.
“You.”
He called out to me with a stern expression.
What sent chills down my spine.
Was the emotion on his face.
As if Zima's death meant nothing to him.
Well, yeah.
What camaraderie could there be between villains like them?
Who knew when one might stab the other in the back.
Step.
He approached slowly.
Psssh!
The mist grew even thicker.
“By any chance...”
And the words he tossed out.
Caught me pretty off guard.
“By any chance—and I know it's ridiculous—but do you know someone named Mansul?”
“……!”
* * *
Mansul.
Never thought I'd hear that name from some other ranker's mouth.
“Kra ha ha ha ha!”
The old man burst into laughter like it was the funniest thing.
“It's really you! Dang Hwi-pyeong!”
“…….”
Whoa.
So these two dead guys really met again as ghosts in another world?
What are the odds?
In that vast universe, of all places.
Summoned to this planet and running into hunters as hosts.
“Heh heh, well, they say even bad blood is fate, so I'm a bit glad in a way.”
The old man shook his head.
“But fate comes in degrees. Dang Hwi-pyeong is human trash through and through.”
Yes, Master.
Even this disciple can see that.
You can't call someone who turns people into monsters via experiments human.
“So, give him an answer.”
‘What should I say?’
The old man sidled up and whispered in my ear.
Ah.
Say it just like that?
Easy enough.
I spat it out to Andrey exactly as instructed.
“Huh, guess the rumors are true? A bug raising bugs.”
“……!”
Andrey's face hardened instantly.
He even clutched his ears with a grave expression.
Like he was blocking out someone screaming at the top of their lungs.
Weird how I could guess the situation without being told.
I smirked and continued.
“Tch.”
I clicked my tongue once.
“Pests must be exterminated.”
Swish!
I raised my spear at the same time.
The elder said.
He was curious why this was happening, but that guy didn't seem to know.
And even if he did.
No interest in debating with a bug.
I agreed completely.
Andrey was just an interesting enemy.
Nothing more, nothing less.
“……You're right.”
Andrey bit his lip and spoke.
“You're possessed by that Mansul guy too, just like the elder hovering over me?”
“…….”
I ignored his question.
What I'd said earlier was just the old man's request.
No hobby of chatting with bugs.
Whoosh!
I charged at top speed, thrusting my spear at his head.
Before the spear tip reached him.
Riiip!
Like tearing a book, the distance between us yawned open massively.
Almost 300 meters, by feel?
The rising mist grew even denser.
“Heh heh, thought you'd improved a lot, but you're still the same. Relying on formations like this.”
Formation.
Andrey was using a formation to counter me.
‘This.’
No matter how hard I charged, the distance stayed constant?
‘Elder.’
“Yeah.”
‘How do I overcome something like this?’
I asked.
The old man had faced Dang Hwi-pyeong before.
And he'd spoken like he knew this formation, so I figured he did.
But.
“How should I know?”
‘……Pardon?’
I blinked in shock.
“I never bothered learning formations—they're a hassle. Not even part of Mansul.”
‘……?’
“Heh heh, cowards like Dang Hwi-pyeong learn that crap. True powerhouses ignore formations and crush with raw strength. So don't even think about learning that sorcery.”
‘……I see.’
Somehow.
Classic old man thinking.
But what now?
Anyway.
Andrey was weak.
His bugs were useful, and the formation tricky, but that's all that kept him high-ranked.
The monsters he'd already made were probably being handled by my bone crew just fine.
‘Think, think.’
No real worry, honestly.
I'd cleared way tougher dungeons and trials.
‘First off.’
If it's a formation maintaining constant distance.
Fwoosh!
Only one way came to mind.
‘Just use a bow?’
Archery was definitely part of my Mansul skills.
I switched my Godslayer-grade weapon to a fancy bow and drew the string.
I'd practiced with Eldrin every training session.
Knew how to shoot just fine.
‘Hold up?’
But instead of a plain shot.
What if I fire Poison Flash through the bow?
Poison Flash had no weapon restrictions.
So couldn't I unleash that insane destructive power from range?
“Whoa, you...!”
That was when the old man looked at me in awe.
“Genius...? Hah, my disciple's brain works fast too...! Amazing! So the massage effects reached your brain as well?”
No, Elder...
Is that an insult? A compliment?
Plus, that's your skill.
Don't ask me.
“It's a compliment, you punk! Hurry and shoot that bow. I'm looking forward to it.”
‘Ah, yes, sir.’
Felt a bit iffy, but.
Swish.
I nocked the arrow that appeared automatically and aimed at the distant Andrey.
“Fuu.”
Aim, breathe, shoot.
The three steps Eldrin taught me.
In between.
Woooong!
I gathered energy.
* * *
“…….”
At that moment.
Andrey grimaced, hands clamped over his ears.
“That damn Maaaan suuuul!”
“What? ‘Pests must be exterminated’? That rotten old geezer remembers me!”
“What are you doing?! Kill that kid right now! Tear him to shreds in front of me this instant! Or I'll mutate the Wicked Venom Hive and melt your brain!”
Dang Hwi-pyeong kept exploding in rage, unable to hide his excitement.
‘Please shut up already.’
I had no idea what went down between the old man and this Mansul guy in the past.
But Andrey had two worries.
1. Dang Hwi-pyeong might not cooperate.
2. He might actually mutate the Wicked Venom Hive.
Especially number 2—that threat still gave him goosebumps.
‘For now.’
He'd used the formation Dang Hwi-pyeong taught him to keep distance from the guy.
‘But.’
Something felt off.
Like all his careful prep had gone to hell?
The poison fortress formation shattered.
Zima dead.
The monsters he'd painstakingly made were evenly matched against some skeleton squad and mafia goons.
The Iron Fist he'd tamed over three days was covered by that Thunderclap guy.
That led to this 1:1 with Joo Dong-hoon.
But this Joo Dong-hoon seemed tied to Dang Hwi-pyeong's past.
A past where he'd been utterly crushed.
‘Damn it.’
Was this right?
Wouldn't it be safer to ignore and bail?
“You idiot! I asked what you're doing! Use the formation or whatever—subjugate that damn bastard right now! Don't you get it? To achieve the world domination you dream of, you have to eliminate that damn guy first!”
But he couldn't.
Dang Hwi-pyeong glaring at him from behind, eyes bulging, was scarier.
“…….”
Groooowl!
Andrey clamped his mouth shut, spread his hands wide, and drew up energy.
‘Gotta maximize the formation.’
Dang Hwi-pyeong's formation was ingenious.
To the enemy, he seemed far away.
But to him, the enemy was right in front.
And that was it?
Attacks even landed.
Swish!
Andrey quietly unleashed the gathered energy.
Kwa-gaga-gang!
A massive destructive blast shot out.
“Bite him to pieces, my bugs.”
Just as the hundreds of bugs crawled forth with eerie sounds to strike Joo Dong-hoon.
Squeeeee!
“Huh?!”
Andrey's eyes bulged.
A horrific green energy was flying straight at him.
‘How...?’
He'd set the formation, hadn't he?
No time to think.
Andrey instinctively rolled across the ground.
But.
“Urk!”
He clutched his left arm like it was grazed.
Even with his reaction speed, he felt the impact.
“......Poison Arrow?”
Shockingly.
Joo Dong-hoon, who'd been using spear, sword, shield, was now wielding a bow.
‘What the hell.’
Andrey was baffled.
Wasn't he a necromancer?
Why was he so good with weapons?
“You stupid old fool! Mansul is Mansul—master of myriad arts! Over ten thousand techniques! Move the Jade Pivot from the water node to the fire node right now!”
“Y-Yes, sir!”
Dang Hwi-pyeong's urgent command.
Andrey hastily reshaped the formation as taught.
Clutching his grazed arm.
He dashed around, repositioning the tools as ordered.
“Now your clones number seven more. That alone should confuse him. Hurry! Tear him apart!”
Dang Hwi-pyeong's furious shout rang in Andrey's ears.