Chapter 203
Chapter 203
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 203
Chapter Title: Mastering Royal Erke
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While Ji-myeong was struggling somewhat with hunting the Royal Erke,
Jeong-hyeon had already taken down his fifth one.
'Looks like I'm getting the hang of this after doing it a few times.'
At first, he'd felt a bit baffled seeing the Royal Erke withstand attacks even after he'd piled on every buff he could use.
But after smashing their tough skulls dozens of times in the process, he was starting to get a feel for it.
By coincidence, many of the decisive blows he'd landed on them had hit similar spots.
'Right between both eyes, drag down in a T-shape, then veer slightly to the right!'
Sure enough, targeting that spot let him take them down much faster than before.
Each hit seemed to deliver far greater impact to the creature too.
And so, with five from Jeong-hyeon and one from Ye-rin,
six out of the ten had already gone still in death, their massive bodies motionless.
Of the remaining four, two were now being skillfully stalled by the Won-ho and Ye-rin combo, who had gotten the knack for it.
'That leaves the other two...'
One that Ji-myeong was facing, and another circling around it.
Perhaps inspired by watching Jeong-hyeon's fights, he was trying to hunt the Royal Erke using a similar method, with Seung-jun's help.
'But he lacks the firepower.'
Still, it was no easy situation.
The fact that Jeong-hyeon had taken them down so effortlessly with his absurd buffs was the anomaly.
With that level of defense, even at level 7, it was nearly impossible to overcome with just basic swordsmanship traits.
Unless you struck them thousands or tens of thousands of times.
And the Royal Erke wouldn't just sit there taking it for that long.
Thud- Thud- Thud-
Sure enough, the Royal Erke with Ji-myeong riding it was furious, slamming its body against the wall repeatedly.
Meanwhile, he was busy leaping to cushion the impacts and dodging the tail lashing about nonstop.
Even so, managing to land occasional strikes on its head from up there was impressive.
"Seung-jun, support the vice guild leader and Won-ho! I'm heading to Ji-myeong!"
"Got it!"
Jeong-hyeon immediately leaped down from the dead Royal Erke's back and dashed toward Ji-myeong.
"Here I come."
"Roooh?"
The Royal Erke, which had been relentlessly battering the wall, suddenly turned its gaze to Jeong-hyeon and paused.
"Huh?"
Ji-myeong, seeing the Royal Erke suddenly go still, seemed unsure what was happening.
Thud.
"I'm here."
Jeong-hyeon appeared before him as if dropping from the sky.
It wasn't far off.
This time, he'd grabbed the seam in the back shell and leaped up to land in front of him.
"How..."
Too frantic to notice, Ji-myeong was startled, not having realized Jeong-hyeon had taken down another Erke.
But regardless, Jeong-hyeon said,
"It's dangerous, so stay put up there for now."
With that, he strode toward the creature's head.
"Roooh!"
Of course, the Royal Erke wasn't about to just watch.
It started slamming its body against the wall again.
"Eek."
Ji-myeong leaped to absorb the shock, just as before.
Jeong-hyeon, meanwhile, walked straight ahead as if strolling on flat ground.
'Just what kind of person is he?'
Ji-myeong could only gape in disbelief.
Swordsmanship traits were well-balanced.
They had less power than blunt techniques and less agility than agility-based traits, but they excelled in those areas compared to others.
A versatile trait with no rough edges, and at level 7, it rivaled A-rank in strength.
Yet even he struggled to endure these shocks, while Jeong-hyeon moved about so calmly.
In moments, Jeong-hyeon reached the back of the Erke's head and took position.
"Let me see... Huh?"
As he checked the weak point area, Jeong-hyeon tilted his head.
'It’s wounded?'
What caught his eye was a thin gash.
Actually, several of them.
They were minor enough for a human, but their location on the Royal Erke's head was astonishing.
Even Jeong-hyeon hadn't fully shattered its skull to kill it.
The skin wounds were similar, but the death came from organ damage via massive brain trauma.
Excluding Jeong-hyeon, only one person here could have inflicted such wounds.
"Eek!"
Ji-myeong, who was frantically dodging the tail and shocks.
"Hmm..."
Jeong-hyeon glanced back at him briefly, then gripped his pickaxe firmly again.
Boom-
The same deafening roar, but this time not from the Royal Erke slamming its body against the wall.
It was the sound of Jeong-hyeon swinging his pickaxe with full force into its skull.
That single blow noticeably dulled the creature's frantic movements.
From there, it didn't take long for its breath to stop.
***
"Good work, everyone."
"Now it finally feels like a level 6 gate."
A brutal scene with ten house-sized Royal Erkes sprawled here and there.
Amid it, Jeong-hyeon and the hunters finally caught their breath.
"Royal Erke on the third floor... What’s waiting on the fourth?"
"According to the European Union Hunter Journal, in what’s commonly called 'tower-type missions,' large monsters from the third floor are extremely rare..."
Hwi-gon jumped in eagerly at Ji-myeong's near-complaint.
In summary, large monsters might appear for another floor or two.
And globally, this difficulty was an almost unreported rarity.
The hunters treated Hwi-gon's words like radio static, chatting among themselves.
By now, everyone had learned how to handle him.
Meanwhile, Ji-myeong thought,
'Again, I did nothing but get help!'
He couldn't even lift his head, feeling utterly pathetic.
This gate was clearly abnormal.
Forty hobgoblins on the first floor, sixty nagrand orcs on the second, ten Royal Erkes on the third?
Undeniably excessive difficulty.
But stranger still was how the party's overwhelming power made that abnormality feel easier than normal.
More precisely, Han Jeong-hyeon's skill.
And it was clear he had more than one trait.
'At least S-rank... and reawakened.'
The rumors were true: definitely S-rank.
And using magic alongside various weapons screamed reawakening.
Even breaking the level cap, this was a wall you couldn't cross.
The thought left Ji-myeong feeling depressed.
Until entering the gate together, he'd aimed to humble the supernova called Jeong-hyeon.
Outshining him would prove his worth to his brother—the strongest evidence.
Even if he was a burden who couldn't enter without help.
"What if a dragon shows up on the final floor?"
"With Hunter Han Jeong-hyeon, it just might."
"..."
But watching Jeong-hyeon cheerfully banter with the party, Ji-myeong couldn't imagine catching up.
'No matter how hard I try, is it hopeless?'
Sure, Jeong-hyeon must have worked as hard as anyone to get there, but Ji-myeong was certain he couldn't match it.
As Ji-myeong's gaze deepened,
'Huh?'
He realized their eyes had met.
Ah.
A chill ran down his spine.
Not hostility.
Otherwise, it'd be instinctual warning, not chills.
'What is that...'
Craving?
Desire?
Why was he sensing that?
'Come to think of it, he didn’t react to the siren’s song either.'
A thought flashed through Ji-myeong's mind.
Even the flawless Jeong-hyeon had one fatal flaw.
Not really a flaw—just idle gossip Ji-myeong had ignored—but the rumor of a demon contract, trading away something vital.
'No way?'
Ji-myeong subtly averted his eyes.
He never looked his way again.
Even crossing his arms oddly to shield his body.
Jeong-hyeon, seeing this reaction, was baffled too.
'Why’s he acting like that?'
Honestly, up to the second floor, Jeong-hyeon had been a bit disappointed in Ji-myeong's performance.
He'd broken B-rank level limits, and post-system growth was supposed to skyrocket, so expectations were high.
But he showed little impact in combat.
There were reasons, but it fell short in Jeong-hyeon's eyes.
That changed after seeing the wounds on the Royal Erke's head.
Small as they were, he'd inflicted them.
Perhaps just out of sync from normal hunting habits, but his skill was legit.
With that renewed view, he'd glanced to check on him—only for that weird rejection.
And from the look, it seemed like dodging impure intentions.
'Tch, I'll check later.'
Jeong-hyeon clicked his tongue inwardly and stood.
"Alright, shall we head to the next floor?"
Up on the fourth floor,
Ji-myeong...
couldn't have been unhappier.
"Now it's 'of course' territory."
Whoosh-
"Fire Golems."
"Fire Golems, huh."
"Fire Golems are notoriously tricky among level 6 monsters. They nullify most fire magic used against golems, first off..."
Coincidentally, five Fire Golems awaited on the fourth floor.
'Does this gate have a grudge against me?'
As Ji-myeong thought, Fire Golems were a melee dealer's nightmare, rivaling Royal Erkes.
If anything, worse.
By now, Ji-myeong was at "whatever happens, happens."
Step-
Then Jeong-hyeon suddenly strode forward.
"Wait, Hunter Han Jeong-hyeon! Even for you, we need a plan this time—"
Ji-myeong called out urgently.
The five Fire Golems loomed like mountains, filling their view, while Jeong-hyeon walking toward them looked pathetically small.
The mismatch in presence alone screamed unwinnable.
But Jeong-hyeon just tilted his head at the plea.
"Why?"
"Why? Fire Golems!"
Other golems were headache enough, but Fire Golems?
Even Seung-jun would be useless.
"Ah."
Jeong-hyeon finally got it, nodding with a light exclamation.
He waved off worries.
"Don't worry—I've got a killer way to handle golems. You'll be fine."
Then he resumed striding forward.
Ji-myeong felt his mind go blank.