Chapter 202
Chapter 202
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 202
Chapter Title: Royal Erke Subjugation
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*Bang—* *Bang—* *Bang—*
Jeong-hyeon swung until it worked.
Really, truly until it did.
*Crack—*
"Oh."
But even so, the Royal Erke's head didn't easily yield to his attacks.
Only after slamming down with full force about five times did a proper sound finally start to emerge.
"Has it even cracked a little now?"
Jeong-hyeon tilted his head.
From the outside, it looked perfectly fine, so there was no way to tell what was happening inside.
This head was refusing to shatter even under a level 3 A-Rank Blunt Technique. Just how tough could it be?
*Whish—*
Of course, amid all this, the Royal Erke was thrashing its body wildly in pain and swinging its tail.
However, such desperate flailing posed no threat at all to Jeong-hyeon.
Well, any other hunter might have struggled to keep their balance atop its bucking body, but to him, it was on the level of an involuntary "That's it?"
Unfortunately, this stemmed from the physical structure of the Royal Erke—a pitiful monster saddled with tragically short legs.
Its turtle-like body had an extremely low center of gravity, and its horizontal length far exceeded its vertical one.
To Jeong-hyeon, who had clung atop countless massive monsters—from Demi Drakes to Onyx Golems—it was no different from a comfy mattress bed.
In the end, the Royal Erke found itself facing mortal danger for the first time in its life, eyes wide open as its head teetered on the brink of destruction.
*Bang—* *Crunch—* *Bang—* *Crack—*
"Puooh..."
And after Jeong-hyeon brought the pickaxe down two more times, the Royal Erke let out a pitiful wail.
After that, even without further attacks from him, its speed dropped sharply. Its tail seemed to stop moving altogether, and soon enough...
*Thud—*
It knelt on its pillar-like thick legs one by one, then fully collapsed onto the ground.
Enduring seven of Jeong-hyeon's pickaxe strikes was miraculous in itself, but it had all happened in less than thirty seconds.
"Puooh!"
Perhaps enraged by the absurd death of its kin.
Of the three Royal Erkes circling Jeong-hyeon while screeching, two attempted a charge.
He could feel their killing intent, determined to at least finish him off now that their comrade's breath had stopped.
And the remaining one...
'What the?'
*Pssh—*
Shockingly, it used earth magic.
It was a good thing Jeong-hyeon could sense mana; otherwise, he might have taken a hit from the earth spear that suddenly erupted from the ground.
'Monsters using traits... these really are the end times.'
That previous centaur herd had been an extreme abnormality.
In truth, the odds of a monster using a trait were extraordinarily slim.
He never imagined he'd encounter one here.
Jeong-hyeon eyed them and pondered for a moment.
Then he made his choice.
*Leap—*
With a simple jump, mounting the one charging headlong without regard proved no challenge at all.
*Kwang—*
The sound of the live Royal Erke colliding with the dead one was ferocious.
But Jeong-hyeon didn't stop and kept pressing forward.
Using the tip of its round tail as a springboard, he leaped again. His target...
"Guess I need to fix this one first."
Was the head of the arrogant monster that dared to use earth magic despite being a mere beast.
Probability-wise, this was surely the only one capable of magic.
He had to nip it in the bud before it caused more hassle.
*Bang—* *Bang—* *Bang—*
'Should've scouted a Royal Erke first if I knew.'
Even as he slammed the pickaxe down with all his might, Jeong-hyeon felt a twinge of regret.
No matter how sturdy a living creature's skull, it couldn't lack structural weak points entirely.
At the very least, there should be seams where the bones connected, like with skeletons.
Knowing their approximate location would let him exert far less effort.
'Tsk, I've lost my beginner's mindset.'
The monster tried summoning earth spears a few times and swinging its tail in resistance, but targeting Jeong-hyeon atop its own head was practically impossible.
"Puooh..."
*Thud—*
No matter how you sliced it, the fallen Royal Erke would feel deeply wronged hearing that.
Wouldn't it be baffling if the guy who smashed a Royal Erke's head in under thirty seconds started rambling about beginner's mindset?
***
"......?"
Meanwhile, Ji-myeong—who had been dodging the Royal Erkes—turned around.
Right around the time Jeong-hyeon had just taken down the first one.
How on earth had he done it?
He had already known from the way Jeong-hyeon carved through heavily armored hobgoblins and nagran orcs that his skills and pickaxe were anything but ordinary.
- It's a trait I've never seen before, but Hunter Jeong-hyeon seems to be using Magic Enchantment too.
- ?
Seung-jun had even secretly told him that Jeong-hyeon appeared to be employing some form of Magic Enchantment.
At first, he cautiously guessed it might be the effect of his artifact pickaxe, but either way, it was clear Jeong-hyeon wielded destructive power surpassing most specialized melee dealers.
But there were limits to everything.
Compared to the Royal Erke's defenses, hobgoblins and orcs were like tofu for stew.
Even a level 4 B-Rank melee dealer could manage to smash their skulls or dent their armor decently enough.
Yet even they—no, even hunters one or two ranks higher—faded into irrelevance against Royal Erkes.
Even if they somehow landed hits, the beasts didn't so much as flinch.
'Take down a Royal Erke solo with pure melee, no magic support?'
And not just one—he dropped three more in an instant afterward.
One of them even possessed the astonishing trait of earth magic.
It was the kind of low-rent tale no one would believe even if you swore you'd seen it with your own eyes.
*Thud—*
'And what's this now?'
But the surprises didn't end there.
Excluding the three Royal Erkes strewn around Jeong-hyeon, the sound of yet another collapsing rang out.
The culprit, of course, was Ye-rin.
"Royal Erkes really are tough, huh."
"Yeah, first time seeing ones like this."
She wiped the sweat trickling down her forehead and casually chatted with Won-ho beside the thoroughly mangled Royal Erke.
'Did she... just take down a Royal Erke with nothing but punches and kicks?'
To be precise, it was the result of coordinating with Won-ho.
While he drew its attention from the front with his axe, she directly struck its relatively weaker flanks and lower abdomen.
Their own conditions weren't great as a result, but downing a Royal Erke was an enormous feat in itself.
*Gulp—*
Ji-myeong, who had been watching, swallowed hard.
'This... might actually be doable.'
Royal Erkes—known as the eraser of melee dealers—and they'd already felled half of the ten.
Perhaps these were weaker than the Royal Erkes he'd hunted before?
That would explain this seemingly impossible difficulty.
Ji-myeong spotted a Royal Erke charging straight at him, snorting.
Meanwhile, Jeong-hyeon was locked in combat with another.
No, calling it combat wasn't quite right.
He was merely hunting.
The deft maneuver of grabbing the seam between shell and body, leaping up, and mounting its massive nape was flashy.
But...
'I can do that much too!'
Ji-myeong was a hunter who had never fallen short in skill to anyone.
And after reaching level 7 recently, his confidence had only grown.
He was now certain he wouldn't lose even to A-Rank hunters.
With the ring from Jeong-hyeon solving the level 6 gate issue, all that remained was to flaunt his prowess.
"Ji-myeong Hunter, let's give it a shot too!"
Just then, Seung-jun shouted from where he and Hwi-gon had retreated to a corner.
As if on cue, their gazes locked on the same target.
*Kugrrr—*
The one barreling straight toward Ji-myeong.
Ji-myeong steeled himself and calmly bided his time.
Just like Jeong-hyeon, he would mount it at the moment right before collision.
And right now, he had...
"Here I go!"
*Fwoosh—*
Even Seung-jun's support fire.
The ferocious high-tier fire magic was enough to halt even a Royal Erke.
*Boom—*
And with a Fire Explosion detonating the instant it struck the target...
The Royal Erke charging at Ji-myeong slammed on the brakes from the sudden magic assault.
'Now!'
*Swipe—*
In that instant, Ji-myeong surged forward and slid in with picture-perfect form.
It couldn't compare to Jeong-hyeon's Thought Acceleration, but Ji-myeong's exceptional dynamic vision and experience...
*Grab—*
Allowed him to seize the seam between shell and body, just as Jeong-hyeon had.
'Got it!'
All that remained was to leap using the momentum.
In a flash, the scenery shifted, and Ji-myeong found himself well above the beast.
The surrounding landscape spread wide before his eyes.
For that fleeting moment, a sense of leisure apart from the battle seeped in.
'Such a view...'
From up high, he could even see Jeong-hyeon relentlessly pounding a Royal Erke's head.
Would he have experienced a hunt like this without him?
Until now, Ji-myeong had always pursued peak efficiency to keep up with the murderous schedule So-myeong set for him.
Standard methods over risky adventures.
Killing the most monsters in the fastest, safest way—that was how to repay his brother's devotion.
Yet now, a wind not born solely from the drop blew through his chest—something slightly unfamiliar.
*Tap—*
But the moment was brief.
Ji-myeong had already landed atop the Royal Erke's back.
He bolted straight for its head.
*Whish—*
As with Jeong-hyeon, its tail lashed at him viciously, but dodging wasn't an issue.
Finally, the nape of the targeted Royal Erke.
Ji-myeong gripped his sword firmly with both hands and raised it high.
He lacked Jeong-hyeon's pickaxe advantage for impacts or any mystical magic power.
Yet at that moment, he brimmed with the conviction that he could take it down just like him.
"Hup."
Planting his feet solidly on the Erke, Ji-myeong drew a deep breath and then—
*Slash—*
Brought the sword down with all his might.
*Tak.*
"Huh?"
Had he misheard?
Not a *bang* or *crunch*.
A *tak*?
The kind of sound you'd get hitting a rock with a wooden stick?
Naturally, Ji-myeong's ears weren't playing tricks.
After the somewhat anticlimactic noise, an immense shock reverberated through his hands.
"Urk."
Of course, accustomed to pain as he was, he didn't drop his weapon or make any unsightly display.
'What in the world is this mess...'
For Ji-myeong, it wasn't just a loss of face—it was mortifying enough to crawl into a mouse hole.
A hunter injured not by a monster's attack, but by the backlash of his own strike.
What situation could be more humiliating, in the crassest terms?
All he'd done was stoke the Royal Erke's fury.