Chapter 157
Chapter 157
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 157
Chapter Title: Heaven and Earth Apart
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Honestly, a Lizardman Warrior?
Given enough time, Jeong-hyeon could take down a hundred or even two hundred of them without issue.
Of course, Warriors were tricky monsters, and their prowess amplified in group fights, but they still weren't a match for him.
But let's think about this.
"Warrior" translated to Korean meant "fighter" or "soldier."
So the Warrior Chief had to be the leader of the Warriors.
Sure, a leader being stronger than his underlings was natural, but there had to be limits.
*Who in their right mind would think this thing is in the same league as a Warrior?!*
Jeong-hyeon ducked his body low in a frantic dodge, screaming internally as he did.
Even now, just a moment's lapse in focus would have cost him his head. It was a razor-sharp strike.
A dizzying sensation he'd never felt against Warriors.
He didn't know how Lizardman society structured its hierarchy, but the gap between them was clearly like night and day.
Otherwise, it was too infuriating to accept.
"Tch!"
Dodging pathetically like this wouldn't end the fight.
Jeong-hyeon took a big step back, pulling out of the immediate attack range.
Anyways, that distance would close in the blink of an eye.
Escaping the attack zone didn't mean he was safe; he had to move right into the next action.
Crackle—
Jeong-hyeon imbued his pickaxe with lightning attribute.
He then slammed it straight down into the waterlogged swamp.
The electricity spread through the water and reached Ashurek.
"Keh..."
The shocked creature let out a groan, clearly not expecting this.
It was the first real damage Jeong-hyeon had inflicted on it.
Before the electricity fully faded, Jeong-hyeon called out to Yeon-hee.
"Yeon-hee, grab my mace for me!"
"The mace?"
"Hurry!"
"O-okay!"
He wasn't planning to use the mace right away just because she fetched it.
It was just insurance.
In a life-or-death battle, one weapon was as good as one life.
And sorry as it was for them, Su-chan and Yeon-hee were effectively non-factors in this situation.
They could tangle with it if they were ready to throw their lives away, but the gains wouldn't justify the losses.
The lightning magic on the pickaxe was nearly depleted.
"Kerruk—"
At the same time, Ashurek started moving again.
"moving" barely described it from Jeong-hyeon's perspective. A twitch, and it was already in his face.
Whoosh—boom—
The greatsword swung like a bell, slamming into the ground with a thunderous roar.
Jeong-hyeon, who had dodged nimbly, felt the intense vibration through his feet.
"Now let's get serious!"
Jeong-hyeon had no intention of just evading forever.
He was getting a read on its movements.
For someone whose main traits revolved around agility, it was ridiculous that it had taken this long to start seeing them.
As he dodged, Jeong-hyeon naturally positioned himself to the Warrior Chief's left side and swung his pickaxe.
The black blade of the pickaxe was now enveloped in a strong earthen glow.
He was deliberately showing it "nature's power" to draw its attention.
[「Clear Magic Imbuement」(C) proficiency level has increased from 2 → 3.]
And the level rose.
'Huh?'
An unexpected level-up, but Jeong-hyeon stayed calm and followed through with the swing as planned.
Thud—
*Did it... land?*
He definitely heard the impact sound.
He felt it through the blade too.
But it didn't seem to have connected properly.
Ashurek had stepped back the instant the pickaxe touched its skin.
"Ssss—"
"What kind of freak are you?"
The Warrior Chief had already regained its stance and was glaring at Jeong-hyeon.
Jeong-hyeon shook his head in disbelief.
It had swung that massive greatsword in a near full charge.
The sword had even embedded in the ground.
He'd struck thinking there was no escape, yet it had at least half-dodged—even if not perfectly.
A glance at its side showed only a bit of smooth scale torn off, barely any blood.
It looked incredibly tough to even scratch.
If the Magic Imbuement hadn't leveled up right then, he wondered if he'd have done even that much damage.
At that moment, Ashurek glanced at its own side.
It seemed shocked, but for the exact opposite reason.
'Can't do it alone after all?'
Jeong-hyeon rolled his eyes slightly.
He'd wanted to finish this solo if possible, but it wasn't looking feasible.
Swoosh—
*Once I get out of here, I'm learning magic from Team Leader Cha right away!*
His mana bolt was his trump card, but at this level, it was too weak.
It had served him well so far, but against Ashurek, it fell short.
Still, its effect was guaranteed.
"Ss?"
Ashurek flicked its tongue, assessing the situation, when its eyes widened.
It hadn't imagined a human warrior capable of such agility also wielding bizarre magic.
But having taken the hit, the destructive power was negligible.
The earlier pickaxe strike to its unguarded side hurt more.
"Kerr!"
Was it some kind of feint?
Thinking Jeong-hyeon had tricked its eyes somehow, Ashurek bellowed in rage.
Of course, Jeong-hyeon hadn't expected a basic mana bolt to do real damage.
Screech—
The mana bolt was just to disrupt its vision, aimed at eyes and face.
Right on its heels, the Onyx dagger flew straight at Ashurek's chest.
"!"
It sensed instinctively.
This was real.
Even twisting away, the targeted spot was still a vital center-mass hit.
No matter the vision disruption from magic.
To throw a dagger that accurately in this tiny window.
Ashurek twisted its body sharply.
Thwack—
But it couldn't fully evade.
A chunk of its solid chest muscle was gouged out.
Its eyes narrowed.
No ordinary throwing skill.
It had twisted to avoid the dagger in its vitals, but paid with flesh torn away.
Too big a wound for a mere dagger.
Some strange energy rippled—there was a trick to it.
He'd been intrigued by the similar "special power," but this human resorted to cowardly sorcery unfit for a warrior.
Outrage surged.
The gash was deep, so the bleeding was heavy.
It would stop soon enough, but left alone, it would drain stamina badly.
Fwoosh—
Ashurek ignited flames on its greatsword, then pressed the flat to its wound.
Sizzle—the stench of burning flesh rose.
"Tenacious bastard..."
Jeong-hyeon clicked his tongue at the sight.
Who cauterizes their own wound like that, no matter how much it bled?
Hunters always had healers, so they rarely did field first aid themselves—making its ruthlessness stand out more.
By the time the greatsword lifted from its chest, the bleeding had stopped.
Ashurek roared at Jeong-hyeon.
"Keheeeek!"
Who knew what it meant.
Maybe just intimidation.
Impressive as the momentum was, it didn't faze him.
Jeong-hyeon had faced far more imposing presences and appearances.
He grimaced briefly, then responded indifferently.
"Ugh, what are you, a dinosaur?"
It reminded him of carnivorous dinos from childhood movies roaring just like that.
Reptiles gonna reptile, blood didn't lie.
His party members' faces twisted oddly at his words.
Funny, sure, but not the line for this situation—unsure whether to laugh or cry.
Ashurek had ignored Jeong-hyeon's words at first, but now its emotions showed plainly.
If a sculptor wanted an angry Lizardman statue, they could copy its face right now.
Clang—
The massive claymore pointed straight at Jeong-hyeon.
Ji-hee seemed completely out of its focus now.
Jeong-hyeon gripped his pickaxe tighter but had no plans to face it head-on.
If it ignored Ji-hee entirely, that was ideal.
"Ji-hee, hit it hard with your big one!"
Why form a party if he planned a one-on-one?
It might fancy itself a noble warrior seeking fair combat, but that was nonsense.
*Then bring your five Warriors if you want fair!*
He and his party had already survived a 300-to-5 brawl.
Roooar—
Ji-hee prepped her spell at Jeong-hyeon's order.
Plenty of distance between him and Ashurek, with party members flanking—it didn't need fine control.
"Big one" meant her strongest available spell.
Her intent shaped the magic perfectly.
Not third-wave Fire Dragon level, of course.
Just a fireball like usual—but its size was anything but.
A super-massive fireball, easily 5 meters across, materialized.
"Kerr?"
Ashurek visibly panicked at the sudden side ambush.
It knew that tiny human woman's magic from before.
A small fireball had been hot enough—what would this giant one do?
No dodging option, though.
How to evade something that size at this range?
"Kehee!"
It bellowed at innocent Jeong-hyeon again.
A true warrior met steel with steel, not borrowed cowardice.
Jeong-hyeon didn't blink.
"Yeah, bring your shaman if it bugs you."
Their words didn't connect, but intents were clear enough as Ji-hee's spell launched.
Slow-looking relative to their speeds—due to sheer size—but no slouch.
"Kerruk!"
It retreated to Jeong-hyeon's opposite side.
Backing off mid-fight shamed a warrior, but that fireball was no joke.
Technically not his duel opponent's attack, so not retreating from Jeong-hyeon.
Though grinding its teeth inside.
Still, it couldn't fully escape the radius, so it maxed out water attribute on itself like before.
'Time for me to brace too?'
He'd played off Ashurek's rage, but that spell's power would hurt him too.
Confirming its retreat, Jeong-hyeon fully exited the blast zone—and water-attributed his Cursed Armor just in case.
Boom—
A massive explosion erupted.
The impact cratered the ground; nearby water vaporized instantly.
Even with water mitigation, searing heat rushed at Jeong-hyeon.
"Is it... dead?"
Su-chan muttered blankly, watching the blast.
What lifeform survives that?
Lizardman Warrior Chief or not—level 6 field boss with magic imbuement— it was still flesh and blood.
But Ji-hee, who'd cast it, just shook her head calmly.
"No."