Shattering the Miner's Pride
Bang! Bang bang! Bang bang bang bang!
Each chunk of rock slamming into the bastard's body unleashed a deafening explosion, kicking up clouds of dust.
"Kuhahat! Kuhahat hahahaha! I'll turn your whole body into Swiss cheese!"
The punk who dared to mock and belittle me, who tried to sabotage the alliance's plans. And by some twisted joke of fate, he was also the disciple of Gwak Chunsik, the old man who'd locked him away in Niflheim.
"Even the great Gwak Chunsik had to pour every ounce of his aura just to barely block this attack. You think a greenhorn like you can handle it?!"
The faint shadow of the guy vanished into the dust cloud, making it impossible to spot him anymore.
I stopped swinging my pickaxe and peered into the settling haze.
Through the gradually thinning dust, his silhouette came into view. Still frozen in the exact pose from when the first hit landed—he must've dropped dead on the spot.
"With the nuisance taken care of, time to head up and help the others…"
"…This ain't right."
"Huh?"
A kid's voice echoed from behind—impossible. Must've been dust in my ears from the swing. I dug into my ear with my pinky.
"Didn't expect the academy uniform to rip like that…"
But the voice persisted. With a bad feeling, I stared harder into the dust. The shadowy figure, who'd been standing stock-still until now, started trudging toward me.
"…You withstood my Shotgun Swing?"
My attack that even Gwak Chunsik could only barely defend against?
"Shotgun Swing? No wonder it's so lame with a corny name like that."
Step by step, he emerged from the dust.
"You… what the hell is that…?"
Before the attack, he'd been in his academy uniform. Now, his outfit had changed—clad in a pitch-black suit woven from shadows themselves. He brushed off his clothes and fixed his gaze on me.
"…Don't expect an easy death, worm."
* * *
Shotgun Swing. In the game, it was the technique signaling the start of phase 2 against the Miner. Short wind-up, terrain-shattering destruction, and absurd damage that could shred a careless player in seconds.
But I'd overlooked one crucial fact: in the game, you had to whittle his HP down by more than half to trigger phase 2. This was reality. If the guy got pissed, he could pull it out anytime.
And the result…
"Ha, how long have you been at the academy to trash your uniform like this?"
My original uniform was shredded to bits, and the accumulated shock damage left my body throbbing nonstop.
The silver lining? Before heading to the 10th floor, I'd layered up with Dis Pater under the uniform for combat prep, halving most of the impact.
Old man Gwak Chunsik was an aura purist who'd tank it barehanded, but I relied on gear. Without it, that would've been rough.
I figured the academy uniform's basic defensive runes would suffice, but who knew it'd shatter like glass…
"…You tanked that? Are you really just some academy freshman?"
His eyes bulged in disbelief—he'd never imagined I'd survive.
"Gonna make me check the name tag you ripped off? Hah. What a pain—didn't wanna use this on trash like you."
To me, Dis Pater was basically combat gear for Calione hitman and enforcer duties. I'd avoided using it at the academy… but no choice now.
"No, wait—it's only fitting, right?"
Strictly speaking, Calione was gearing up for war with villains, so this was family business.
Convincing myself, I clenched my fist and glared at him—not as academy freshman Eugene Han Calione, but as Calione hitman Eugene Han Calione.
"Phase 2's starting. Better get serious."
"What?"
"Stand there like an idiot, and you're done."
I pulled Tommy from the cube and unloaded on him.
"A gun…?!"
Spotting it, he raised the ground into a shield. The dungeon floor stone shrugged off Tommy rounds like nothing.
"Think that toy can hurt me?!"
"Obviously."
Seizing the moment his shield blocked his view, I drove my fist into it.
"Huh?"
Cracks spiderwebbed from the impact point, exploding outward and exposing the Miner behind.
"Gotcha."
I squeezed off another shot, but he ducked, ricocheting the bullet off his helmet and charging.
"That toy can't pierce my helmet!"
Veteran villain reflexes, for sure.
But.
"How about this?"
"What?"
Closing distance on a brawler? Big mistake. I cracked his helmet with my right fist.
Clang───!!!
"Grahhh──!!"
He faceplanted like a noogie from hell. As I raised my foot to stomp, he rolled aside, evading, and swung his pickaxe.
"Get skewered and dieee!"
Aiming for my side. I shot my arm out, barehanding the pickaxe to block.
Then he started giggling.
"Stupid fuck! You actually grabbed it? Think I've never seen idiots like you before?"
The pick head turned purple in my grip.
"Melt away with the curse, you damn bastard!! …Huh?"
Despite the purple glow, I stood fine. His jaw dropped.
"H-how…?"
"My gear ain't ordinary either."
His pickaxe, Aoji Mine Pickaxe, cursed non-wielders to drain their strength. But my Dis Pater had a counter: the unicorn horn button effect.
Button carved from a unicorn's horn. Protects the wearer from evil and allows interference with spiritual forces. Keeps clothing perpetually clean.
"Grahhh!!"
His ace foiled, he yanked something from his work pants pocket and hurled it at me.
…This is.
"Dynamite?"
I raised Dis Pater's hem to shield my head as it detonated right in my face.
BOOM!!
The blast hurled me back. No real damage, but I dropped his pickaxe from the shock.
I waved away the black smoke and scanned his spot…
"…Hid again."
Just a gaping hole where he'd stood.
"Weak-ass bitch, always such a pain to pin down──."
My forward right foot suddenly sank, tilting me. Looking down, the ground had caved in.
I rolled forward into a breakfall, blasted aura across the floor to pinpoint him, but.
"…Huh?"
Unlike before, I couldn't lock his position. Just mana pulsing from the formerly normal floor.
"Mana stones buried underground to mask his location?"
Smarter than expected. Or prepped from past experience?
"Eeehahaha! Try finding me like the other guy!"
His voice from behind—followed by a heavy impact on my back.
"Kuh!"
I spun-kicked, but only an empty hole.
Staying alert, I watched the holes for his emergence.
"This one's empty!"
He burst from a new hole, pickaxe slamming my instep.
"Eugh!"
Fury boiled as he poked and vanished. Guerrilla tactics, huh?
"Goddamn pattern is so annoying…!"
Like whack-a-mole. Enraged, I smashed the hole he'd vanished into, limiting his paths—the standard Miner cheese strat.
But.
"Idiot!"
He popped from the wall instead. I dodged by a hair, countering—but gone again.
"Fine, play dirty? Time for the meta strat."
I positioned at the cavern's center, pocked with holes. Normally, it'd give him more options…
"In game, 'stomp' was always the rule for your part."
You could time and counter, sure… but why bother when there's an easier way?
I shifted all aura from fists to my right leg.
One step forward—not ordinary, but packed with unstable, compressed aura ready to erupt.
"Best defense is offense. Keep hiding underground? I'll flip the whole floor."
Crack── Crackle───!
Cracks spiderwebbed from my foot like a web.
Aimed to shatter everything. Fell short of range, but.
"Y-you maniac!"
Enough to force the trailing bastard upward.
"Out again?"
I seized his collar, hoisting him to block re-entry.
"Guhk! Let go! I said let go, punk!"
He dangled, flailing.
"I'm the Miner! Ruler of the depths, a villain! Not getting caught by trash like you!"
Pride in his title, huh? Still prepping a pickaxe swing.
"Back to the dirt then."
I slammed him down and stomped his gut full-force.
"Kahak!"
Solid hit—he convulsed, gasping. Yet his glare stayed sharp.
"Guh… Y-you dare! Think you can catch me, the Miner? Guh."
Right, the Miner was pride incarnate.
Watching him thrash sparked an idea: What if I crushed that pride?
"Fun fact: You think you're some big shot who went toe-to-toe with Elder Gwak Chunsik… Dream on."
"What the…?!"
He glared, demanding explanation.
"No way Elder Gwak remembers a scrub getting nabbed by a freshman."
"You… little shit…!"
That snapped him. Trembling, he used his pickaxe as a crutch to rise.
"I'll… kill you…!"
Charging bare rage, no powers—just pickaxe gripped.
Easy prey.
I sidestepped the swing, grabbed his arm.
"Wanna play more, but I'm busy."
Palmed his inner elbow, leveraging physics to snap it.
"Aim for next time."
──Crack.