Chapter 179
Chapter 179
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 179
Chapter Title: Become My Sandbag
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Chapter 179
'What the hell is going on here?!'
Jeong-hyeon had thrown a dagger that Kim Du-yeol barely blocked on pure survival instinct alone, and right after, their mace and shield had clashed by sheer accident. Du-yeol's mind was utter chaos.
Originally, Du-yeol had been the enforcer in the violent gang Future Riders, always handling the dirty work.
Then one day, following the organization's orders, he killed a guy who was backing up a rival group—only for that guy to turn out to be a relative of a high-ranking government official.
With the police and investigation units across the country going all out to hunt him down, the Future Riders boss called Du-yeol in and gave him the bad news with a regretful tone.
*...Kim Du-yeol, you've worked hard for the organization all this time. Why don't you take a break? Once things quiet down domestically, I'll take responsibility and bring you back.*
Du-yeol had taken those words as gospel and gone into hiding for years.
But no matter how long he waited, the call never came.
Then, out of nowhere, he awakened with a precious A-Rank Strength Enhancement trait. It was pure luck.
For someone who had lived solely for the organization until then, it meant a new path in life.
Of course, that didn't mean Du-yeol had turned over a new leaf.
A-Rank Hunters were valuable everywhere, so while he avoided flashy crimes that would draw attention, he indulged in all sorts of villainy just shy of breaking the law.
And sure enough, the system didn't discriminate.
It granted Du-yeol a second stroke of fortune.
*Huh, what's this?*
After a routine hunt, returning to his hideout as usual.
An unexpected alert appeared before his eyes.
[You have reawakened.]
[Your second trait is 「Tingling Lightning Magic」(C, Lv. 1).]
Reawakening was already a lottery-level rarity on top of the low awakening odds, yet it had come to him.
With his enviable traits already letting him live freely, Du-yeol became even more of a thunderbolt terror after gaining his second one.
Not long after, a mysterious man showed up.
*Who are you?*
A man in a white mask and black attire was waiting at his hideout.
Du-yeol had lived like a thug outside but kept his hideout's location airtight, so the shock and fear hit hard.
*Kim Du-yeol. Don't you want revenge on the organization?*
*Who the fuck are you!*
No good could come from someone who knew his past, so Du-yeol lunged into a fight—but the man effortlessly overpowered him at full strength.
It was the first taste of defeat since awakening—no, since reawakening.
*Join us, and you can return to Korea. Get your revenge on the organization, too.*
*You fucking... bastard...*
Rage clouded his judgment at first, spitting curses, but once his head cooled, Du-yeol's thinking shifted.
The man spoke of toppling the entrenched powers that had held firm even after the Great Cataclysm.
Miss this chance, and the world would roll on unchanged forever.
He'd prepared other comrades, and if they made a splashy achievement in Korea, Du-yeol could join his organization.
The "achievement" demanded: Inflict serious damage on the Korean Hunter Association.
From there, things progressed smoothly.
He leveled up efficiently in high-yield gates the white-masked man provided until he had enough strength.
He sneaked into Korea undetected and even got a fake Hunter ID indistinguishable from the real thing.
All that remained was delivering the white-masked man's demanded results.
*How the hell am I supposed to disrupt the Association?*
He pretended to ponder it, but with no education and a life of swinging fists, Du-yeol's plan was obvious.
Just follow his urges!
He committed his first crime easily in Busan after sneaking in, then picked Seoul for the second.
Satisfy his desires and drain the Association's investigative resources—one stone, two birds.
After making a name for himself, he'd storm Future Riders and make them pay for the betrayal.
*There were no Awakeners back when I was around, but even if there are now, who cares.*
He never once considered losing.
That was how confident Du-yeol was in his skills.
A-Rank Lv. 6 Strength Enhancement and C-Rank Lv. 4 Lightning Magic.
Anyone shrinking from a spec like that was the idiot, he thought.
Seok-jun and Jong-han, who hadn't liked Du-yeol's plan at first, followed him devotedly after tasting the thrill of crime.
Post-Great Cataclysm Korea was no longer a safe, secure nation.
Sure, it was better than other countries, but a bit of brains could slip any investigation net—it was that lax.
But that was only for civilian crimes against civilians, a mistake from Du-yeol's old days.
He hadn't realized Hunter-on-Hunter crimes drew vastly more investigative muscle.
And that led to the current mess.
"Kim Du-yeol, keep that guard up nice and tight."
Park Jeong-hu—no, Jeong-hyeon's aura screamed that resistance was futile.
From knowing his real name to the attitude that he could toy with a punk like Du-yeol effortlessly.
Du-yeol had felt this level of pressure only once before.
The white-masked man who had lured him into the mystery organization.
Back then, Du-yeol was around Lv. 3, so strictly speaking, the current Jeong-hyeon was far stronger.
"You... who the hell..."
"Shut it!"
Boom—boom—boom—
Jeong-hyeon's single shout sealed Du-yeol's lips.
And there was no room for talk afterward.
He had to focus every nerve on blocking the mace relentlessly pounding his shield.
Was Jeong-hyeon's strength superior?
Not really.
Pure power-wise, he even fell short of Ye-rin, whom Du-yeol had just fought.
She had the edge with her Lightning Magic wildcard, but her trait was at least his equal.
Plus, her combat technique alone could overwhelm him.
Yet every thunderous impact on Du-yeol's shield felt like the earth shaking.
Jeong-hyeon compensated for his lacking Blunt Mastery level and strength by subtly disrupting the opponent's center of gravity.
The power gap kept him from rolling pathetically on the ground, but the impacts felt on another level.
*If I just keep getting pushed, I'm dead!*
With the skill gap so clear, pure defense wouldn't cut it.
Attack, win or lose.
Crackle—
Du-yeol shielded his body fully, then summoned Lightning Magic from behind.
His trait's electricity was noisy, but in this roar-filled chaos, it was swallowed whole.
Jeong-hyeon seemed monstrous, his Agility or Strength unclear, but Du-yeol's magic could create an opening.
But that plan shattered instantly.
"Huh?"
Jeong-hyeon, who looked like he was just earnestly bashing the shield, paused the mace slightly and smirked.
A blatant sneer.
Like an adult mocking a child: *Oh, you know these little tricks?*
*Did he notice the magic?*
Du-yeol hoped not at first.
Non-magic Hunters couldn't sense mana movement, right?
He never imagined a powerhouse hammering a Strength Enhancer like him also had a magic trait.
"I was going easy, but you thought you could win?"
Jeong-hyeon's words sent chills down Du-yeol's spine.
Somehow, he could sense mana—confirmed.
*How the hell did he know?*
It was Du-yeol's sure-kill against non-magic Hunters.
But he didn't give up.
The spell was ready.
Might as well use it.
Du-yeol cracked his shield open, unleashing a powerful lightning bolt.
Zzzap—
Mid-tier Lightning Magic: Lightning Strike.
No matter how fast Jeong-hyeon was, he couldn't dodge point-blank.
But he had a counter ready.
The bolt hit Jeong-hyeon's chest dead-on in a blink.
"Jeong-hyeon Hunter!"
Even Ye-rin, stepping back for Yoon Ji's healing, thought he was done.
But between them, the one shuddering like electrocuted was Du-yeol.
Not that he'd been randomly shocked.
"I'm used to electricity, you see."
"Magic Enchantment..."
Jeong-hyeon's Cursed Armor had turned earthy brown.
Proof of Earth-attribute enchantment.
No one here had Magic Enchantment, so Jeong-hyeon did it.
Realization dawned; Du-yeol yelled bitterly.
"You're reawakened too?!"
"You just figuring that out?"
Jeong-hyeon replied indifferently.
No need to ask aloud.
He should've known when his magic was spotted.
Jeong-hyeon had seen the mana gathering plainly.
His first reawakener encounter—similar style, some expectations—but just this trick?
And contrary to Du-yeol's thought, Jeong-hyeon wasn't a reawakener.
More like re-re-re-re-re-re-reawakener.
Anyway, having shocked him, better crush his will completely.
"Supervisor, as long as this guy's alive, right?"
"Huh? Oh... yeah."
Ye-rin, clueless about the situation, nodded hesitantly to Jeong-hyeon's question.
With her okay, Jeong-hyeon flashed Du-yeol a murderous grin.
To Du-yeol, it was a yaksha fresh from hell; he trembled.
Whoooosh—
"No way!"
Seeing the mana surge around Jeong-hyeon, Du-yeol couldn't believe his eyes and screamed.
What nonsense was this?
That was unmistakably a Mana Sensitivity Hunter activating magic.
Direct combat trait, Magic Enchantment, and Mana Sensitivity?
But regardless, Jeong-hyeon just quipped brightly.
"Now be my sandbag."
His body itched from Ji-hee's magic lessons—perfect timing.
He'd start with Bash, which had shown promise in the training room.