026
026
"Oh?"
He deflected Kang Mu-yeol's attack?
It was surprising.
A 3-level gap is significant.
Even with a 3-level difference, he deflected the attack smoothly.
Unlike Kang Mu-yeol, who raised his level using the system, the level 7 Looter had no means to level up.
It meant his base level was 7.
His weight class was high.
"Whew, that's brutal."
The level 7 Looter, Gyu-myeong, said while shaking his hand.
He unwrapped the white cloth tied around his equipment.
A sashimi knife with a gleaming blade popped out.
I had guessed as much from the silhouette hidden by the white cloth, but I was actually surprised that such an unremarkable weapon came out.
"Why do you carry it wrapped in cloth?"
"Because the blade shouldn't get damaged. It hurts if I accidentally cut myself while carrying it around."
Gyu-myeong answered kindly.
"But who are you?"
Gyu-myeong asked me.
Since I could see the status window, I knew his name and what kind of person he was.
However, Gyu-myeong couldn't know who I was.
"We're not on speaking terms, so let's skip it."
"Is that so? Anyway, the one I have business with is this guy."
Gyu-myeong shrugged and asked Kang Mu-yeol.
"Any intention of joining us? I think you'd live well, being treated right."
"Not interested."
"Try pretending to think about it seriously. Someone like you would get meat soup occasionally, and you'd be able to take a warm shower about once a week. Honestly, don't you feel gross from not eating well and not being able to wash?"
Hearing that, a scoff came out naturally.
Kang Mu-yeol also seemed to find Gyu-myeong's proposal absurd.
When he didn't seem to welcome the proposal, Gyu-myeong's expression hardened.
He scrutinized Kang Mu-yeol's face.
"Come to think of it, that's strange. Your face is clean? And you don't smell."
"It's disgusting, so stop staring. That's enough talk."
Kang Mu-yeol raised his baseball bat again.
Anyway, he's persistent. How badly does he want to recruit Kang Mu-yeol?
'He didn't even offer to recruit me.'
I wasn't jealous.
I just doubted the judgment of the A2 Food Mart Looters.
"Smash him."
"...Yes? Understood."
'He's damn strong.'
Gyu-myeong thought while dodging the baseball bat Kang Mu-yeol swung.
He felt like he understood why Moon Byeong-dae wanted to recruit him.
'If he was polished a bit, he'd be truly terrifying.'
The attacks were simple.
The trajectory of the crude baseball bat could be called honest, in a way.
He doesn't use much footwork either.
It's obvious how the attacks are coming in.
'And yet, I can't get in.'
Overwhelming difference in weight class.
Even though the openings were clearly visible, he couldn't get in.
The problem was the power that more than compensated for the simple and crude attacks.
Just don't get hit.
But a person isn't a machine.
'If I slip up even a little bit, I'm the one who'll end up on the floor.'
Even a graze felt like it would cause a serious injury.
The time spent testing the waters grew longer.
"Hyung-nim, should we join in?"
A colleague who couldn't watch anymore asked.
"No. Don't come."
He didn't think they could find an opening even if the three of them rushed him.
Besides, the man standing behind him was annoying.
Especially that slingshot the man was holding.
He couldn't fathom why he was carrying a slingshot.
It was a weapon with too many flaws to use as a primary one.
Of course, it was larger than a regular slingshot, so he wondered if it was custom-made, but a slingshot is still a slingshot.
He didn't know what he would do with the slingshot, but if his colleagues joined the fight, that slingshot would participate too.
Uncertain variables must be eliminated.
"I'll go, Hyung-nim!"
"I said don't come!"
One of the colleagues couldn't hold back his bloodlust and rushed in.
Although he said not to go, Gyu-myeong secretly hoped for it.
That his colleague would create even a small opening.
He wouldn't care if he died from getting hit by the baseball bat or whatever, but he should at least do his duty.
"I'll go too!"
As one guy went in, the other got sucked in too.
This is why you have to be careful of mob mentality.
As expected, the man with the baseball bat wasn't very flustered.
"Yeah, come on in!"
He reacted as if he had been waiting for it.
At the timing when the colleagues were entering, the man swung the baseball bat horizontally.
"Ugh?"
The colleague tucked his arm into his side to protect himself.
It didn't work at all.
The baseball bat broke the colleague's arm that was defending and slammed him into the wall.
"Don't you think there's a reason your Hyung-nim chooses to dodge instead of defending? Hahahahaha!"
The colleague slammed into the wall couldn't come to his senses for a while.
The other colleague gritted his teeth.
"Y, you...."
However, he couldn't move his body due to the overwhelming power.
"Just stay back."
Gyu-myeong pushed the remaining colleague back.
He was just a hindrance.
"I'll handle it."
It seemed they were no match for the colleagues.
Leaving it to the colleagues would only increase the damage.
Gyu-myeong was confident.
The confidence that he could eventually make him submit.
The two faced each other again.
Kang Mu-yeol raised the baseball bat again.
An honest downward strike.
Gyu-myeong's mind became complicated.
Attacking the same way again. Is it a trap?
Is he the type to set traps?
Couldn't I aim for an opening this time?
The decision was quick.
Gyu-myeong decided to aim for the opening.
'Deflect and stab like before.'
Gyu-myeong held the sashimi knife at an angle like before.
If the attack is deflected, the opponent's posture gets disrupted.
That was the timing.
Gyu-myeong even thought about the counterattack.
However.
Reality wasn't easy.
"...Ugh?"
He definitely thought he had deflected the baseball bat at an angle.
The baseball bat kept pushing down endlessly.
He tried to deflect it, but it was useless.
The baseball bat only stopped after coming down to his shoulder while he was defending.
Far from deflecting it, he couldn't even change the trajectory of the baseball bat at all.
The shoulder that touched the baseball bat throbbed.
"No...."
This was the first time for something like this.
To think it hurts even though I defended it anyway.
Was there another part besides the wire on the baseball bat?
He pushed through with pure strength?
"Now I'm finally warming up. Hahahahaha!"
Gyu-myeong sensed that something was wrong.
He was going easy on me?
Of course, it could be a bluff.
But Gyu-myeong, having clashed a few times, realized.
This guy is not a liar.
He might even be someone hiding his true skills.
Gyu-myeong stepped back.
He signaled his colleagues to back off too.
Gyu-myeong moved further away little by little while dodging the baseball bat.
Stairs.
He reached the stairs.
"Haaap!"
Gyu-myeong, who shouted loudly as if he were going to attack, turned around and started going down the stairs.
What?
He suddenly shouted, so I thought he would counterattack in desperation.
He suddenly turned around and went down the stairs.
"Catch him!"
"Yes!"
Kang Mu-yeol also chased after them belatedly.
Naturally, I didn't follow.
Because it's not a Safe Zone if you go down the stairs.
Instead, I went up to the rooftop, which is a Safe Zone.
From the rooftop, I can see the whole area around the villa.
I could also see Gyu-myeong, who had just come out of the villa entrance.
I hooked a steel ball onto the slingshot rubber band and pulled it back taut.
I'll make you regret not offering me a scout.
Perhaps he felt killing intent, Gyu-myeong suddenly whipped his head around.
Our eyes met. But it was too late.
Tik.
Swaaaaaaek!
The steel ball flew, cutting through the wind.
"Damn it!"
Gyu-myeong threw his body to dodge the steel ball.
Was it too straight on?
Gyu-myeong, seeing the steel ball rolling on the ground, was terrified.
"Are you trying to kill me?"
That's right.
「Skill level has increased.」
Oh ho. The Slingshot Skill level has risen to 3.
Did I get a lot of EXP from attacking a high-level guy?
Now that the first shot missed, it was the perfect timing.
I pulled the slingshot one more time.
"Damn it!"
Gyu-myeong shouted and started running for his life.
Is he trying to hide his body?
Just then, Kang Mu-yeol also came out of the villa. He started chasing Gyu-myeong and his gang.
I took a deep breath and focused.
What is the advantage of level 3?
As I focused, it came out naturally as if it were familiar to my hands.
I twisted the rubber holding the steel ball slightly to add spin.
Gyu-myeong hid behind a wall.
Can I aim for Gyu-myeong with a little spin?
Seeing him hide behind the wall and look so relieved was annoying.
'This will work.'
It didn't need to curve that much.
Just enough to graze the wall would do.
Focus my mind.
Add the spin.
Tak, I released the rubber band.
The steel ball flew at a slower speed than before.
But the trajectory was visible.
It looked like it was drawing a curve.
"Argh! What is this!"
Gyu-myeong grabbed his knee and hopped out back into the alley.
Kang Mu-yeol spotted Gyu-myeong, who had popped out.
"Stop!"
Gyu-myeong frowned deeply.
"Uaaaaaaah!"
Gyu-myeong screamed and ran away again.
He was a very noisy fellow.
But he must be punished.
You shouldn't leave such a noisy guy alone.
I don't have a hobby of making prisoners.
I reloaded the steel ball and pulled the rubber band with all my might.
The form finally started to look decent.
I fired again, feeling like I was practicing while also adapting to level 3.
Gyu-myeong saw the trajectory of the steel ball and twisted his body, but because the steel ball curved, he couldn't avoid it.
"Ugh! What is this!"
It was when Gyu-myeong was rubbing his arm.
He felt a strange sensation and lifted his head.
Something was crawling down quickly from the rooftop of the building in front of Gyu-myeong.
"...Huh?"
It was a Spider.
Gyu-myeong spotted it too. But it was too late.
The Spider kicked off the building and jumped.
Gyu-myeong thrust the sashimi knife forward.
The Spider grabbed Gyu-myeong while getting stabbed by the sashimi knife.
A survival battle between Gyu-myeong and the Spider unfolded.
The Spider's arms tore through Gyu-myeong's flesh, and Gyu-myeong's sashimi knife pierced the Spider's shell.
Did Gyu-myeong's sashimi knife work better?
The Spider fell off first.
"Haha, ha...."
Gyu-myeong tried to laugh, but his voice didn't come out well.
It was because he spotted a siren approaching from afar.
Regular zombies were surrounding the Siren as if to protect it.
"Kieeeeeeeek!"