Chapter 46. Do you think that's easy?
Chapter 46. Do you think that's easy?
To sum it up, five minutes had passed, and as the effects of the Goblin fluid began to kick in, Im Da-eun started flying around—with a slight exaggeration, of course.
I was digging around the herbs right in front of me, watching Im Da-eun cook the goblins.
"Yahoo!"
Bang!
How does a low kick even make a sound like that...
The goblin that had rushed at her, only to get smacked by Im Da-eun's low kick, was spinning in the air. If you watched it, hmm. It was like a scene out of a cartoon. It was so absurd that it felt unreal.
Without retracting her extended low kick, Im Da-eun floated up and side-kicked the belly of the spinning goblin. It wasn't the "cat punches" or "lady kicks" I'd seen before; it was a side kick that looked like it had been drawn by an artist. The low kick before that was the same way.
To think that having her senses return to normal would lead to such a dramatic change.
The goblin hit by the side kick flew straight for a bit, as if it had been struck by a cannonball, then hit the ground and rolled and rolled. It looked so painful that just watching it made me hurt, rolling around like someone who'd been in a car accident. It had been hit so hard that when its body finally stopped rolling, its limbs were twisted in every direction, making it look like it was performing some kind of avant-garde art.
Naturally, instant death.
In the meantime, I finished digging up the herb and stood up from my spot.
"The effect is... hmm..."
It was almost scary because it was too good. The fact that Im Da-eun, who could control her body without any penalties, was such a terrifying woman—it was only natural that this would feel like a source of terror for me, since I had to start "vertical training" on her from now on.
Im Da-eun, who didn't know a damn thing about my complicated feelings, ran up to me like a happy retriever and grabbed my shoulders, shaking them.
"It's amazing! It's truly amazing! It's not like there aren't any awkward parts, but I feel like I've been reborn!"
"Is... is it that much?"
At my question, Im Da-eun nodded with a bright smile. If she had done this out of a pure heart because she wanted to help, I would have been able to rejoice purely, but now that I knew how scary a person Im Da-eun was without penalties, I couldn't be purely happy.
Doesn't that mean that until she's conquered, one wrong move and I'll end up like that goblin lying over there?
Gulp.
I swallowed dry saliva on my own.
"But did you always fight like that? It seems a bit different..."
She wasn't doing those cat punches anymore; she was throwing low kicks like some kind of Nak Muay, and it made my joints ache. The goblin was the one who got hit, but it felt like I was the one in pain. Could this be a side effect of the prostate modification...? Since my prostate is a mix of goblin and orc, do I feel like a suffering kin?
Probably not, but it would be better to ask Choi Yeon-ju once.
No. Let's just give up. I'm afraid I'll see Choi Yeon-ju's pathetic look if I ask this for no reason.
"Physical Enhancement Ability Users usually need martial arts. We learn swordsmanship and shield skills too, but in the end, isn't bare-handed striking the easiest to access?"
"What did you learn?"
"Muay Thai."
I thought so. Shit.
I felt sorry for the goblin that got hit by Im Da-eun's murderous low kick, which was two or three times stronger than other Physical Enhancement Ability Users.
"Usually, I had to pay attention even when walking or running because my senses were so weird. I couldn't even walk properly when I first awakened. It's much better now."
"Aha."
"But now, even though I still have to pay a little attention, it's much more comfortable than usual! It's hard for you to understand perfectly since you're not in my shoes, though."
I see.
I really don't know how to respond since I don't know what it's like.
"It's not the time to be doing this. How long does the effect last?"
"It'll last about four hours."
If she kept taking or accepting the Goblin fluid, the effect would continue, but that was impossible right now, so that's about how long it would be. That was why Lim Seo-yoon's training didn't usually exceed four hours, as the effect would start to fade after that.
That was also the reason why training with Lim Seo-yoon didn't last much longer than four hours.
"Thirty minutes have already passed? This won't do. How about we ignore the herbs in this area? Let's try catching an orc!"
"Shall we?"
I nodded. That was the original goal for today. To see how strong Im Da-eun gets when she's sensitized by the Goblin fluid.
We decided to go a little deeper.
ㅡ
"Found them."
"So they do appear after all?"
"Well. What can you do?"
I talked with Im Da-eun while hiding in the bushes. I could see two orcs walking in front of us. It took two hours to find them. Originally, we could have encountered them faster, but it was all my fault. It was because I couldn't possibly ignore the herbs I saw around me while walking here. The range where herb gatherers move is where goblins appear. It can't be helped. From the point where orcs appear, it's quite difficult to deal with them unless you're a proper Awakened. Especially since most people who gather herbs don't have useful abilities, so they're no different from ordinary people in combat.
Therefore, there are many more herbs growing wild from the point where orcs appear. More rare herbs, too.
"Still, I picked this many herbs."
"Good job. Good job."
Im Da-eun grinned and patted my shoulder. Won't we get caught like this? Is Im Da-eun that confident right now?
Anyway, it wasn't like Im Da-eun hadn't fought at all while coming here. The orcs were the first encounter, but she had met goblins, not just one or two, but five or six at a time. There was no need for Im Da-eun, with her penalties alleviated, to be afraid. They all died in one hit.
Seeing that, I couldn't doubt Im Da-eun's ability.
Even an ordinary Physical Enhancement Ability User beats an orc to death in a one-on-one fight. Im Da-eun was a much stronger ability user than an ordinary Physical Enhancement Ability User, even with her penalties. Two orcs? Wouldn't it be strange to be afraid?
"I'm going."
"Yep."
I need to stay hidden.
As I crouched down a little more, Im Da-eun took a stance as if she were doing a crouching start. Soon, with a short shout of "Hut!", she tore through the bushes and darted forward. The speed was insane.
"Woooooora!"
"Kwek?"
One of the two orcs, seeing Im Da-eun suddenly pop out of the bushes and shoot forward like a missile, let out a strange sound and turned its head to look. But it was already too late. The speed at which Im Da-eun, who could use most of her power even if she couldn't use all of it due to the penalty alleviation, darted forward looked faster than a car.
That means it's not a speed you can see and block.
Crack!
The orc, properly hit by Im Da-eun's murderous—no, "orc-derous"—tackle, flew through the sky like a UFO. The Im Da-eun who launched it, the orc's companion who watched it fly, and I, who was hiding, all became one in mind and spirit to watch the flying orc. It was spinning sideways as it flew, so it really was no different from a UFO. It hit a tree with a thud while flying, then thud against the next tree, and finally thud one last time.
Three cushions in total. Gravity pulled the orc, which had lost the force to fly after hitting the trees, down to the ground.
Thud!
Seeing it not move, it seemed to be dead.
"Kwiik!?"
"Wow."
The surprised scream of the companion orc. Soon, it turned its head at the sound of Im Da-eun whistling, having watched the orc that had just flown past it. The two made eye contact. Im Da-eun smiled bashfully.
"Hi?"
There's no other way to describe that crazy woman.
Only then did the orc come to its senses and recognize the enemy, raising its arm. What it was holding was a giant stone axe. The size was so big it was amazing it could even swing it. Let alone with one hand—just how strong was it?
But the problem was that Im Da-eun, standing in front of the orc, was even stronger.
Thwack!
The hand that was being brought down like a thunderbolt stopped as if it had turned to ice. It was because Im Da-eun had raised her hand first and blocked the orc's striking hand. A moment of silence, as if time had stopped.
Im Da-eun's left leg lifted, drawing a beautiful arc.
Splat!
The orc's height was roughly between 190 cm and 230 cm. Im Da-eun's height must be around 170. I hadn't asked properly, but she was a bit shorter than me, and I'm 177.
The orc's head, with the high kick embedded in its face, shook pitifully.
Thump.
The orc, its knees giving out, buried its head in the floor like a doll with cut strings. I'd only seen falling like that on TV, but seeing it in person was chilling... If there was someone who married Im Da-eun, wouldn't they feel their life was in danger every time they had a marital spat?
While I was thinking that, Im Da-eun's foot moved once more. A soccer kick to the orc's head, which was buried in the ground. With a chilling snap! sound, the head, which had been shaking pitifully like a punch machine, stopped, twisted in a strange direction.
That must be dead.
It was a clear picture, clear enough to know just by looking.
Hmm.
Uh.
Hmm.
Hmm.
I wondered if trying to train Im Da-eun was a slightly premature judgment.
Im Da-eun probably didn't even know I was thinking this, right?
"Hey! Did you see? Did you see that!? These guys are weak!"
I got goosebumps at the sight of Im Da-eun asking while jumping around as if boasting about the murder—no, the orc-derous incident—she had committed. Of course, orcs were monsters that engaged in cross-breeding, just as Choi Yeon-ju had said. If Im Da-eun had lost, she could have ended up being dragged away, getting fucked all day, and living a life of birthing orc children, so it could be seen as self-defense. Anyway, those monsters were better off dead than alive.
"Daebak! It's daebak! Was I this strong!? Was I this strong!? Uhehehehe!"
Im Da-eun laughed as if she were excited amidst the tragedy she had created.
And then, with a wide smile, she approached me and gave me a big hug.
"Why did I meet you only now!"
"Uh... ahahaha."
The sensation of her chest pressing against me was really nice, but I couldn't be genuinely happy.
Because Im Da-eun was a woman whose combat power rose when she drank my training Goblin fluid, increasing the danger level.