Chapter 42: Preliminary Preparations (5)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 42: Preliminary Preparations (5)
Contrary to his calm exterior, Woo Jae-hee was in a state of considerable anxiety.
The dungeon was real, and unlike himself, Kang So-hyun hadn’t made a single mistake. He had even used homemade bombs to neutralize a high-tier species dungeon boss.
Even looking at that alone, it was clear that So-hyun had been more active than him. But as the finishing touch, the guy had passed up a weapon anyone would covet in favor of some grimy-looking iron ball.
From the moment Cheon Yu-hak got his hands on the spear wrapped in lightning, the other members’ evaluation of So-hyun had already skyrocketed.
Even the fastidious Ju Ri-ra had suggested giving him an Ent Fruit as a reward, which said everything.
Fine. There was no reason to hate having a capable party member, so it should have been a good thing. The problem was the bet he had made with him.
— If there’s no dungeon, or if I’m less active than you, I’ll do whatever you tell me. But if the dungeon really exists and you’re less active than me, you have to do whatever I say, okay?
To be honest, Jae-hee hadn’t liked how close So-hyun seemed to be with Yu-hak, and since the girls seemed interested in him too, he’d just wanted to put the guy in his place. He never expected things to turn out like this.
But then, an opportunity arrived.
“Hey, you old farts. You look like private hunters or tomb raiders to me. Don’t try to act tough for nothing.”
If he could take care of these thugs who had suddenly appeared before Yu-hak even had to step in, wouldn’t he at least be able to hold his own in terms of contribution?
There were quite a few of them, but it was obvious that if he just suppressed the man in the lead, the rest of the ragtag bunch would crumble.
“Hey, what did that kid just say?”
“I think he told you to get lost, Boss.”
“Right? That’s what it sounded like to me too. Hah, damn. Do I really look like such a pushover?”
“Ah, kids are all like that. Isn’t this the age where they think they’re the best in the world?”
Woo Jae-hee decided they were mocking him and raised his shield.
“I warned you.”
“Hey, wait a second.”
He heard someone behind him trying to stop him, but he charged forward with his shield raised anyway.
There was no way such thugs could break through a shield reinforced with mana and knock him down.
There was no way…
“Cough… urgh?”
“Oh, you survived? I guess you’re not just all talk.”
The shield crumpled under the man’s fist, and the impact sent Jae-hee flying.
* * *
Ah, let me correct one thing. That guy isn’t a total scrub.
I just meant he couldn’t display the same martial prowess seen in the original story; I didn’t mean he was actually weak.
The fact that Woo Jae-hee, who had been handling monsters quite skillfully, was defeated in an instant was undeniable proof that the leader was a seasoned warrior.
“I told you to wait a second. Why’d you have to fly off the handle like that?”
These guys were criminals who lived by the blade, and they were skilled enough to avoid being caught by heroes while operating as villains.
Of course, a large part of that was because they hadn’t committed any truly major crimes yet, so no B-rank or higher heroes had been assigned to them. Regardless, they were villains with plenty of experience.
There were about thirty of them. Objectively speaking, as first-year Academy students with little real-combat experience, we were definitely in a crisis.
However, I wasn’t worried in the slightest.
I hadn’t expected anything from that guy Woo Jae-hee who just got blasted away, and more importantly, we had the Unrivaled Mr. Cheon Yu-hak with us.
Well, I had other insurance policies too.
“Hmm.”
Cheon Yu-hak lightly swung his newly acquired spear, testing its feel.
“Good. I was just looking for a chance to test this new spear.”
After confirming the whoosh of the spear cutting through the air, Cheon Yu-hak smiled arrogantly and pointed the weapon at them.
“Wow, this kid’s acting all cool. Got a handsome face, too. But listen, kiddo. Acting tough can get you killed. What are you gonna do if that pretty face gets scarred?”
“It’s annoying how he’s trying to look cool just because there are girls behind him. Let’s just kill him. That spear looks decent, too.”
Ah, for the record, the guy who just said he liked the spear was the villain who was the original owner of that weapon.
As for his name… well, he’s about to exit the stage anyway, so is there any need to know it?
“I am the Lord of All Under Heaven.”
“…What?”
“And you are unsightly. You are a bit lacking to be the first prey for this spear, but consider it an undeserved honor.”
…I mean, the villains’ lines are a bit much, but you’re really over the top too, Yu-hak…!
But right now, that excessiveness feels so reliable and cool! Wipe them out!
“Why, you little…! Talking like that to an adult!”
The guy coveting the spear pulled out the one he carried on his back and rushed at Cheon Yu-hak.
He was quite fast, but it didn’t seem that way to Cheon Yu-hak.
“Slow.”
Cheon Yu-hak parried the incoming spear with his Thunder Dragon Spear and took a stance.
“A spear is not a weapon to be handled like that.”
With a fierce smile, a spear wrapped in golden lightning qi was unleashed from Cheon Yu-hak’s hand.
Precision strikes.
With a series of clean thwacks, the villain’s arms and legs were pierced in succession before he could even react.
Ah, for the record, the fact that he didn’t kill him wasn’t a mistake; it was likely because the merit points are higher for captures.
“…The kid’s got some moves. He took out Mungchi in one go?”
Ah, right. His name was Mungchi. It didn’t really suit the Thunder Dragon Spear, so I’d forgotten it.
“The lightning qi will have invaded his body, so he won’t be able to move. I know the feeling well.”
No, Yu-hak. Usually, people don’t just ‘not move,’ they die. You weren’t hit by lightning qi; you were impaled by a literal bolt of lightning.
“But that wasn’t a good choice. Now all that’s left for you is to die. I have no intention of letting you live even if you leave everything you have. Oh, don’t worry about the girls.”
“I cannot listen to any more of this.”
Given Cheon Yu-hak’s personality, it wouldn’t have been strange if he had charged in and killed them all by now. However, it seemed he was worried about the rear—meaning us—getting hurt because Woo Jae-hee had been taken out.
Firing off stabs like a stationary turret was a good way to keep them at bay, but the problem was that there were too many of them.
“Huh? What’s wrong all of a sudden? Come on, let’s see if your friends are as good as you.”
If only Woo Jae-hee hadn’t been taken out, we could have bluffed a bit.
“It is fine.”
That was when ‘Sweet’ Cheon Yu-hak spoke up.
“You are my comrades. As long as I am standing, no one shall lay a finger on my party.”
What is this…! Cheon Yu-hak…! How can you be so cool…!
Just kidding. But it’s true.
Cheon Yu-hak is also a protagonist of this novel.
If Lilac is an idealist and a man of virtue who tries to save everyone, Cheon Yu-hak is a realist and an egoist who is obsessed with protecting what is in his hands.
Lilac fails by trying to save those beyond his reach, while Cheon Yu-hak gives up on things within his reach if they aren’t ‘his,’ only to end up losing what he did have and living in regret.
Some mocked him in comparison to Lilac, but others cheered for him because of his realistic side.
It also meant he was a person well worth my help.
The villains lunged at him simultaneously.
Now, hold on a second. Here’s a problem.
If this were a typical novel, most people would expect me to use Reinforcement on Cheon Yu-hak and think, ‘Ta-da! With Reinforcement added to his Unrivaled talent, he swept away the enemies!’
But unfortunately, I can’t do that this time.
This is true in the original work as well: if ‘Unrivaled’ receives a reinforcement-type buff, the speed at which the user loses their mind increases as a penalty.
Actually, I call it a penalty, but since their combat power in a mindless berserker state is nothing to scoff at, that too becomes a target for reinforcement.
However, reinforcing only his mental strength wouldn’t yield a very significant result, so Cheon Yu-hak and I have rather poor compatibility.
The number of villains current Cheon Yu-hak can block alone is about seven. Even if we say ten with the help of the Thunder Dragon Spear, there are still about twenty left.
I said I wasn’t worried, but that was actually based on the insurance of including myself as a combatant, and for that, I had to use the Ent Fruit I’d just obtained.
“Ah, damn, this is a bit of a waste.”
Eventually, the remaining villains that Cheon Yu-hak couldn’t block started walking toward us.
Should I be glad they weren’t thinking of taking the unconscious Woo Jae-hee hostage?
But seriously, why aren’t these guys taking hostages?
“Hehe, we won’t be too mean to you.”
“Hey, what do you mean ‘mister’? At our age, we’re still ‘oppas.’ Oppas.”
Aha, I see. There was a reason for it. Well, they are villains, after all.
Just how big is the age gap for them to claim they’re ‘oppas’?
At my original age, I’d be terrified of being called ‘oppa’ by these kids for fear of being looked at with disgust. Hey! Are you guys younger than me?!
“Ugh…!”
The two in the back were pretending to be scared while preparing spells, and Ju Ri-ra was slowly switching her weapon from a crossbow to a whip.
It was a decent response, but unfortunately, they weren’t one-man armies like Cheon Yu-hak. At most, they could handle two people each.
In other words, the math just didn’t add up.
“Get back…!”
Oh, Cheon Yu-hak unleashed his fighting spirit and took out five more.
However, because he fought so intensely, it looked like he was already on the verge of losing his reason.
It would be dangerous if he completely lost his mind.
Nothing for it.
It’s a bit of a waste, but since it was an unexpected harvest anyway, I should just use it now.
It’s not like I can never get another one, so let’s just consider this a test.
Chomp.
As I bit into the fruit in my hand, a surprisingly tropical, refreshing flavor filled my mouth.
It tasted a bit burnt, but the flesh was fine, so it wasn’t bad.
“…What’s he doing?”
“I think he’s eating some kind of fruit?”
“…In this situation? Is that guy crazy?”
“Seems like it.”
The villains approaching us seemed bewildered by me suddenly munching on fruit.
It was good for me, as it allowed me to eat the fruit slowly.
In truth, the Ent Fruit only reaches its full value when refined through alchemy, but eating it as a raw fruit can provide a similar effect in the short term.
“So, did you enjoy your last meal?”
“The kid’s got some style. One last piece of fruit before you die isn’t bad, I guess.”
Typical extras. They always try to play around and end up losing even when they could have won.
The Ent Fruit temporarily affects the consumer’s talent.
In the sense that it draws out power from a realm that shouldn’t be accessible yet, it could be seen as a power somewhat similar to my Reinforcement.
Although it has the disadvantage of a short duration when eaten raw without the help of alchemy, it was more than enough for now.
Reinforcement.
The light of Reinforcement enveloped my body.
Reinforcement.
And then, the light of consecutive Reinforcements—which should have been impossible—wrapped around me again, shining even brighter.
“Wait, that guy suddenly…!”
“…Stop him.”
“Huh?”
“Leave the ones blocking the spear guy and have everyone else stop him…!”
Haha, you extras.
Nice try.
The next stage of Kang So-hyun’s talent, Reinforcement, is very simple.
The S-rank talent, ‘Multiple Reinforcement.’ It allows the user to apply Reinforcement, which could previously only be done once, multiple times to more targets.
Normally, one might wonder what use it is to be able to use Reinforcement multiple times when even using it once is a burden, but I have Resurrection.
Reinforcement.
A total of three Reinforcements.
It was the maximum stacked Reinforcement allowed by my remaining Innate True Qi.
And my body, which had surpassed its limits three times over, was no longer that of an ordinary person.
My vision was clear.
The movements of the guys approaching were slow.
I could even perfectly track Cheon Yu-hak’s movements, which I previously could barely follow with my eyes.
I slammed my clenched fist into the solar plexus of the man in the lead. Two beats later, he collapsed to the ground, flailing without even being able to scream.
That’s right.
Right now, I am standing on the same level as Cheon Yu-hak or Lilac.
Even though the duration is only about a minute and I can’t maintain it for long, this is enough for now.
I take a stance and put strength into my legs.
— It’s important to practice correct form, even if it’s slow.
Recalling Professor Cathy’s class, I settled into my stance.
The violence of a superhuman who had transcended the human realm poured down upon them.
“You… you brat…!”
With a single, poorly imitated low kick, a villain clutched his leg—which had been twisted in an unnatural direction—and screamed.
Haha! It’s as if the villains are trash!
* * *
And Woo Jae-hee, who woke up at this exact moment, tried to grasp the situation before giving up.
This was because Kang So-hyun, whom he had called a ‘weakling,’ was displaying martial prowess akin to Cheon Yu-hak’s, taking down the villains who had defeated him in a single blow.
“…I picked a fight with a guy like that?”
And this was the first incident that caused him to instinctively feel terror toward Kang So-hyun.