Chapter 158
Chapter 158
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 158
Chapter Title: How to Steal the Protagonist's Woman
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I scanned the massive crowd surrounding me.
'Didn't expect over a hundred to sign up...'
[Why don't you reduce the number?]
'Eh, too late now... Huh? Why hasn't that bastard left?'
What caught my eye was Han Yeo-reum, glaring at me with venomous eyes.
He'd been staring daggers until our gazes met, then whipped his head away and hid behind the crowd.
'Just here to watch?'
[It is possible he intends to participate.]
'What a lunatic.'
I chuckled softly and looked around again.
'Numbers are way too high, though. If I mess up and give them an opening in close range, I'm done for.'
[In the worst case, you'll need cover to warp out.]
'Hmm...'
Beyond the open field, I spotted a sparse forest—not dense, just scattered trees dotting the landscape.
As I eyed it, an idea sparked. I called out mentally.
'Armonia.'
[Yes.]
'Time to level up some skills.'
..
..
Hey, this is bad... Back out now.
"Don't worry."
You crazy bastard, this isn't the time for pride. I meant one-on-one, not this insane crap.
"I'm the man who killed Shock Bee~ Isn't that strong enough?"
You lunatic! You're strong, sure, but this is overkill! Over a hundred opponents!
Any sane person would heed the Guardian of the Gay Little Dick's words and back down.
A level difference of 1 was significant.
However, even with a level advantage, one long-range fighter facing over a hundred close-range combatants was a separate issue entirely.
Furthermore, there were long-range summoners among the opposition.
"Huh? There are women here too?"
Since most of the people hovering in front were men, I had assumed they were all male, but there were quite a few women watching the situation from a distance.
It seemed the women had participated as well.
'Ah, they must be the women who joined those factions.'
Come to think of it, those women wouldn't want to miss this opportunity either.
And seeing how they were flirting and laughing with the men, their expressions suggested they had already adapted and felt no dissatisfaction with this kind of life.
Ultimately, every living creature has no choice but to succumb to their environment.
That is the law of nature, and its cruelty.
Humans are called a cancer on Earth and all that, but if any other creature possessed intellectual capabilities, they would have exploited their own habitat with the same selfishness as humans.
That is the essence of a living being born of nature.
And those women had succumbed to those who had already claimed the territory and had been absorbed into them.
Just as a flicker of pity began to rise within me—
The voices of the women cut through the chaos, ringing clearly in my ears.
"Doesn't it piss you off how those bitches were acting all high and mighty earlier?"
"The way they’re always looking at us with pity—it seriously pisses me off."
"If they come under us, let’s stomp them down once."
"Hey, we don't even need all that. If we just gang-bang them, they'll fall in line on their own, right?"
Hearing those words, I was able to smile brightly.
'They're all the same.'
I felt relieved that, fortunately, I didn't need to feel any guilt when dealing with them.
Originally, that kind of anger doesn't stem from reason.
There are people who feel an inexplicable irritation when comparing themselves to those who live diligently.
While I was completely washing away my guilt, Troll Vibe approached me.
"Alright, let's start. Not chickening out now, right? Ha! Scared? That's fine too!"
The crowd erupted in mocking laughter.
I ignored it and got to my point.
"I'm fine with doing it, but let's change the location."
"Where?"
"Over there."
I pointed to the forest.
"How about inside, 1km radius?"
"Puhaha! Yeah, starting here would be boring. Gotta have the fun of hunting a runner."
The troll vibe laughed long and hard before replying.
"Out of consideration, we'll give you a 5-minute head start before we come get you."
======
Ben Crash and 126 others have accepted your duel challenge.
Duel begins in 5 minutes.
======
Argh... That damn pride...
With that screen up, canceling the duel was impossible.
This duel would only end when one side fell into a state of incapacitation.
With their numbers, probably all of them needed knocking out.
I glanced at the Guardian of the Gay Little Dick.
"Don't worry."
Speaking through the channel chat and bolted for the forest.
Han Yeo-reum smirked bitterly as he watched Seong Su-ho sprint toward the forest.
'Stupid fuck. Beat me and took down a boss, thinks he can take all these guys? What a delusional prick...'
He hadn’t stuck around after Min Ha-yeon and Han Bom left just to spectate.
'Gonna smash his skull somehow and kill him...'
Boiling rage had kept him here.
He'd already realized it.
The regression point changed, Seong Su-ho was no ordinary guy.
The first time losing a girl in his life, he cried like a bitch in front of his own sister.
When that fury hit its peak with no outlet, Seong Su-ho arrogantly challenged this absurd duel.
'Kill him this time... claw my way back to the regression point no matter what or slaughter him in every loop.'
Han Yeo-reum planned to lurk near the crowd until duel time.
But the women wouldn't let him be.
"Oh my! When did you get here? New face!"
"You just arrived, right?"
"Ah! The one with those girls earlier..."
"..."
Drawing eyes, the men soon noticed him too.
'Fuckin' annoying...'
As he cursed inwardly, the leader who'd clashed with Seong Su-ho earlier approached.
"Huh? What're you doing here? Weren't you with that guy?"
"...I have never been on that bastard's side."
"Huh...?"
The crowd eyed him suspiciously.
The men whispered in clusters.
"Spy or something?"
"Nah... who needs spies in a brawl like this?"
"True... it'd end the second they show."
Unless it was a true large-scale war, there was no reason to need a spy in a many-versus-one fight.
Irritated by the scrutiny, Han Yeo-reum muttered low.
"I'm here to kill that bastard. So mind your own and fuck off."
"Keh... really?"
Ben Crash, surrounded by women, saw opportunity amid his annoyance.
'This guy... he really seems to hate him. And looking at him, he's popular with the women... Maybe I can coax this guy along and manipulate the situation.'
For those who had practically seized control of this village, the most annoying existence was undoubtedly Han Bom's clique.
Thanks to their clumsy monopoly, they were a thorn in their side.
If they could just take over the inn where Han Bom stayed, this place would become a paradise for them
Even if it meant the place would become a frozen wasteland of hell for the newly arrived summoners...
'I'll try talking to him once this duel is over.'
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Duel begins in 5 seconds.
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"Charge!!!"
"Ten thousand points!!"
All summoners on the field surged toward the forest.
...
Han Yeo-reum was starting to get annoyed.
"Oh my, I've never seen someone so handsome!"
"Maybe a light meal after this is over...?"
"You don't have a room, right!? How about my room?"
He wanted to find Seong Su-ho, who was lingering in the forest, as quickly as possible.
His only worry was that others might find and kill him first.
'Fuck, I want to plunge a blade into that bastard at least once...'
Having him die or become a half-cripple wasn't enough.
Just one solid knife thrust.
That was all he craved.
'And fuck... these ugly bitches keep clinging...'
Until now, no matter how ugly a woman was, Han Yeo-reum had never said anything negative to them.
The appearance of the women currently clinging to him was mostly average, but he had a tendency to treat any woman in the bottom 80% as equally inferior.
'Once this is over... whether I kill that bastard or make him a half-cripple, I just need to get Ha-yeon back...'
Muttering inwardly, he trudged through the forest amid the women.
Then, distant screams erupted.
(Fuck! I'll kill him!)
(Where?! Where is h—)
(You fuck, he's only hitting heads—duck qui—)
The screams continued for a while and then suddenly went silent.
Han Yeo-reum was the only one who noticed those shouts.
The other women, seemingly oblivious to the cries, were clinging to Han Yeo-reum, talking only of their own interests.
"The food at the inn's where I stay is..."
"If you're with me, you won't have to worry about points..."
"Haa..."
Simultaneous with Han Yeo-reum's sigh, another scream erupted from somewhere.
(What?! Where!)
(Fuck! Kill—)
(Duck! That fucker's only—)
Silence again.
'...What? No way that bastard's actually wiping them all?'
Driven by a sudden apprehension, Han Yeo-reum sprinted to find Seong Su-ho.
"Eek! W-wait, come with us!"
The women panicked and chased after him.
...
...
"You fucking piece of shit!!"
Ben Crash was running like mad to escape the forest.
He kept running, passing by the corpses strewn all around him.
'How the hell does this make sense!! Fuck, how can we be dying like this to one guy!'
It was something that defied all common sense.
Even in Midgard, there were occasionally beings strong enough to fight a hundred men alone.
But Ben Crash had only heard of such people through rumors; he had never seen one in person.
And on the mere first floor.
Neither Ben Crash nor the corpses lying everywhere could have imagined that such a monster would exist in a place like this.
'Fuck! Fuck! I have to survive first! That bastard is only hitting heads!'
Seong Su-ho was killing people by accurately hitting their temples.
He didn't show a single error.
He didn't accidentally hit anywhere else.
He was firing arrows exclusively at the head, the only spot that could guarantee an instant kill.
'Haa... haa... I have to get to an open area without any obstacles like trees! Th-there it is!'
Only after passing countless corpses did his eyes spot a field where dust was flying, like a beacon of light.
The opponent continued to fire arrows from an unknown location.
Ben Crash decided that to deal with such a person, he had to get out into the open and create a situation where he could actually see the enemy.
'His archery is certainly good, but... a mere arrow! If I can just see it, I can deflect it with my spear and close the distance!'
He barely managed to escape the forest and looked around.
Then, he spotted a person standing in the open, looking back at the forest.
'Fuck!'
Startled, he immediately hid behind a tree right next to him.
Catching his breath for a moment, he lowered his upper body and peeked his head out to identify the figure.
'When the hell did that bastard get here!'
The guy who had been happily hunting people inside the forest was now calmly standing outside, turning his head left and right to survey the area.
'...Wait! Isn't this my chance?'
The distance between Ben Crash and Seong Su-ho was now less than a hundred meters.
'...If I just close the distance a bit, I can smash that bastard's head with a thrown spear!'
With the level he had possessed on the upper floors, he would have been confident in hitting a target at a hundred meters with a thrown spear.
However, having had his level lowered, he could not be certain of his current capability.
'Just a little... carefully...'
He crept toward the target, hiding between trees so that not even the sound of grass being stepped on would be heard.
Once he had narrowed the distance to roughly 50 meters, he felt certain.
'This is it. I've confirmed the position... Just a moment to catch my breath...'
He gripped the spear tightly with both hands and focused, hiding behind a tree to steady his breathing.
'One shot... if I just hit it once... Now!'
Screaming internally, he leaped from behind the tree and threw the spear with all the strength he could muster.
Feeling a power and a shout he had never experienced in his life, he extended his arm toward the opponent.
"Kraaaaaa
SWOOSH!
The spear surged forward, boasting a heavy weight.
The opponent was an archer; the best course of action would be to dodge the spear.
But Seong Su-ho did not dodge the spear Ben Crash had thrown; instead, he was raising his bow.
Seeing Seong Su-ho's action, Ben Crash was immediately convinced.
'Got him! Even if he fires an arrow now, there's no way he can stop the spear!'
Still in the posture of having thrown the spear, he guaranteed his victory.
Even if the opponent fired an arrow, he was confident he could see it and dodge.
However, the opponent simply drew the bowstring, watching the spear fly toward him.
And then, it happened.
K-BOOM!
"Huh?"
The moment the bowstring was released from the opponent's hand, a sound like a cannon firing slammed into his eardrums.
And the arrow...
SZZT! CLANG!
It pierced through the center of the spear Ben Crash had thrown, shattering it into pieces, and flew straight toward him.
"You fucking...!!!!"
It was incredibly fast, but fortunately, he could see it.
Using his reflexes, he tried to avoid the arrow by falling backward.
But the arrow...
THWACK!
"GAAAAAAAAAH!!!!"
The arrow, which should have flown over him as he fell backward, suddenly shifted direction, dove downward, and pierced through his thigh, pinning him to the ground.
"AAAAAAAGH!!!"
He announced his agony with tremendous screams, but there was not a single person to save him.
He could do nothing but scream.
While he was writhing in pain, tears streaming from his eyes and saliva dripping from his mouth, the opponent had already approached him.
He began to beg Seong Su-ho desperately.
"S-save me!!! Please!! I'll do anything!!! GAAAAAH!"
"Hmm..."
Seong Su-ho looked at Ben Crash, pouting his lips and muttering.
"Aw, I missed. Why did you have to dodge...?"
"W-what?"
Seong Su-ho continued to mutter incomprehensible things.
"I still have a long way to go. Well then, shall I go find the last one?"
"Haa... haa...?"
Only after Seong Su-ho left did Ben Crash regain his senses, his eyes falling on the hologram floating in front of him.
=====
Ben Crash defeated. (1 person remaining.)
=====
With the arrow still embedded in his leg, Ben Crash fainted.