Chapter 60
Chapter 60
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 60
Chapter Title: No Match for Me
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Chapter 60
"What the hell?!"
It was only natural that Kwak Chae-jun looked visibly flustered.
No, it wasn't like he luckily dodged it—he had properly blocked an attack coming from almost directly behind him.
And in Jeong-hyeon's hand was just a single dagger.
The dagger that couldn't even properly pierce the body of a foam slime had deflected Chae-jun's strike.
"I asked what you're doing."
"You bastard—"
Jeong-hyeon's irritating smile.
The situation was unfolding differently from what he'd expected, but since things had come this far, there was no turning back.
Chae-jun swung his sword again.
He didn't know what trick had blocked his first attack, but the guy was just an unregistered trash at best.
There was no way he could stand up to a full-force clash.
But Chae-jun's expectations were spectacularly wrong once more.
The attack he thought had hit a perfect blind spot sliced through empty air, as if all that killing intent had been for nothing.
Jeong-hyeon effortlessly dodged it with just a single step.
"You need to be taught a lesson."
Then, he tucked the dagger back into his pocket and picked up the mace slung on his back.
'What the hell is going on here?'
Chae-jun's mind grew tangled in confusion.
Before he knew it, cold sweat was pouring down his back like a waterfall.
"You... wh-what are you?!"
"What am I? You need to speak properly so I can understand your bullshit."
"Don't cheat! How could an unregistered guy..."
Perhaps the fact that both attacks had failed hit him hard.
Chae-jun, who had been pressing Jeong-hyeon in panic, suddenly stopped mid-sentence.
Then his face hardened, and he nodded.
"Yeah, fuck. You're from the Association, aren't you?"
"About time you figured it out."
Jeong-hyeon nodded with a slight smile.
That only fueled Chae-jun's rage further.
Honestly, he already knew the Association was after him.
He'd done villain work more than once or twice, and with twenty kills under his belt, his trail was too long.
Still, there hadn't been any signs of them closing in tighter than usual, so how had it come to this?
Jeong-hyeon, who couldn't even take down a single foam slime properly, suddenly blocking his attack.
And the Association's trap hitting him at this unexpected moment.
Thoughts stormed through his mind, leaving Chae-jun unable to think straight.
Judging by the unfamiliar face, this Jeong-hyeon guy must be a newbie who just joined the Association.
No need to nitpick—even a generous estimate based on that relatively young face put his awakening at less than two years ago.
Yet how could a rookie show such composure against him, someone who'd rolled through gates for years?
Even though this was a fight where he'd need to bet everything he had, Chae-jun only grew more distraught.
***
More than anyone, Jeong-hyeon cherished his own body.
So why had he sent Jun-hyeon and Kang-jun—his allies who could fight alongside him—to another location, deliberately luring Chae-jun here?
Sure, boredom played a part, but the main reason was that he was confident he could take on Chae-jun alone.
More precisely, it started after Ye-rin's merciless 50 million won bid and confirming the upgraded synergy's effects in the Association's testing facility.
"C-Rank level 4, right?"
Maybe it was from seeing Jin-uk's overwhelming display.
C-Rank still loomed like a psychological wall for Jeong-hyeon, but it was time to overcome it.
Jeong-hyeon inputted C-Rank level 4 into the Association's measurement room test system as a trial.
What appeared were five Tadan orcs.
Of course, being C-Rank level 4 didn't mean you could solo that many Tadan orcs.
The Association's test was purely to gauge individual capability.
It assessed observed movements, trait usage flexibility, overall results, and more to calculate scores.
"Kuik!"
As the Tadan orcs radiated ferocious momentum like they were about to charge at him any second, Jeong-hyeon took a deep breath and held it.
"Hup."
He didn't draw his dagger.
Just the mace.
This test was to try out "The Best Defense is Evasion 2."
And the results came faster than expected.
"Huh?"
- Compared to same rank and level, your percentile is top 1% or higher.
'Is this for real?'
***
"This is real."
"What bullshit... Yaak!"
Honestly, when he'd only tested it in simulations, he'd had his doubts.
Among his traits, the only C-Rank one was movement speed.
Even if synergy converted it to thought acceleration, it was still just a support trait compared to pure combat ones.
But facing an actual C-Rank level 4 hunter made it clear.
Thought acceleration, synergy, and shop traits were a cheat-level combo gift set.
"What bullshit? It's just that you're no match for me."
Jeong-hyeon and Chae-jun's fight.
At a glance, it might look like Jeong-hyeon was on the defensive.
Chae-jun was the only one swinging his sword, while Jeong-hyeon hadn't landed a single attack, just dodging around.
But the two fighters' inner thoughts were the complete opposite.
Chae-jun was burning up inside, while Jeong-hyeon was yawning from boredom, if exaggerated a bit.
'He's practically swinging it for me to dodge.'
His synergy boost had sharpened his combat sense's attack path prediction even more.
Against a single opponent swinging a longsword—not a group—there was no way he'd miss a visible attack.
But the most decisive factor was the movement speed converted to thought acceleration.
C-Rank thought acceleration made the world feel like it was moving in slow motion.
Focusing solely on Chae-jun, it was like the zombies from his first hunt.
Even with F-Rank level 1 body movements and combat sense, he hadn't taken much damage back then—now, getting hit felt harder.
Chae-jun's frantic, reckless swings—more brawling than skill—helped too.
So why was Jeong-hyeon deliberately staying on the defensive against him?
It was purely personal.
'This time counts toward thought acceleration proficiency too.'
Not just the proficiency level.
Obviously, accelerating his thoughts didn't make his body instantly match that speed.
Jeong-hyeon needed to get used to his thought acceleration.
For now, it required the "during combat" condition to activate.
To adapt, he needed as much real combat experience as possible.
At first, his body didn't follow his thoughts, earning him a few scratches from Chae-jun's blade, but now that didn't happen anymore—that was proof.
Of course, those scratches had already healed beyond F-Rank healing via natural recovery.
'You crazy fuck, what the hell are you?!'
From Chae-jun's perspective, it was maddening.
Everything Han Jeong-hyeon had shown while hunting foam slimes was a lie.
He could accept that much.
It was shocking, but hiding your strength wasn't hard.
But the real strength revealed was absurd.
Chae-jun himself was C-Rank level 4.
Top-tier specs for this foam slime gate.
He was confident he could hold his own against most B-Rank level 3s, and higher ranks couldn't enter this gate per the system.
So what rank and level was Han Jeong-hyeon to overwhelm him like this?
B-Rank? A-Rank? No way S-Rank?
'No way.'
Sure, Chae-jun was a heinous criminal, but to the Association, he was just a regular violent offender.
Deploying national-level high-rank hunters to catch him? Absurd.
Anyway, one thing was clear: no matter what he did, he couldn't catch this madman in front of him.
Even as he wildly swung his sword, Chae-jun glanced sideways.
At first, he'd attacked blindly in panic, but now half of it was acting.
He needed to find an opening to escape.
If he could exit the gate, he'd have a chance.
The Association probably had a response team outside per their ops.
But without this monster, he could break through the encirclement.
Once he reached the city, the Association couldn't go overboard with suppression.
'Yeah, if I escape to the city, I can broker a way out of the country.'
Villain or not, he was a veteran C-Rank level 4 hunter.
Advanced nations were out, but developing ones would welcome him with open arms.
Jeong-hyeon seemed to see him as a caught fish too.
'Now!'
Thinking he'd seized the perfect chance, Chae-jun spun and bolted toward the gate exit.
They hadn't gone deep, so it'd be quick.
But then—
Puk—
His right thigh gave out, and he tumbled forward.
The real pain hit after.
"Gahk—! Uwaaak!"
It felt like burning as he twisted to look at his leg—there was a dagger embedded halfway to the hilt.
No need to say it: Jeong-hyeon had thrown it.
"Look at you rolling your eyes. If you wanna run, keep 'em still."
Jeong-hyeon stood behind him now, tossing and catching another dagger overhead.
"Kuhk, you son of a... bitch."
The curse he barely spat out.
He thought Jeong-hyeon was slacking during the boring fight.
But he'd been watching his eyes the whole time.
No—even all his actions.
Realizing Jeong-hyeon's limits were farther than he'd gauged filled Chae-jun with terror.
"So, ready to get caught now?"
If there were a grim reaper, it'd smile like that.
At that thought, Chae-jun's attitude flipped instantly.
The fierce will to fight from before vanished.
"S-spare... please spare me, big bro, big bro, please..."
"Huh? That wasn't acting?"
"No! It's not. Please, I beg you!"
He looked so pathetic, it was hard to believe this was the villain who'd butchered around twenty people.
A stranger might feel pity, but not Jeong-hyeon.
"How many people have you killed so far?"
"Please... Huh?"
The unexpected question left Chae-jun speechless.
Jeong-hyeon smirked.
"Others get their limbs hacked off, guts spilled while alive—and you cry over a dagger in the leg. You're hopeless."