Chapter 67
Chapter 67
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 67
Chapter Title: Speed and Power Beyond Skeletons
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Chapter 67
Speed and power incomparable to mere skeletons?
Organization worthy of being called a unit?
So what?
Those things had absolutely nothing to do with Jeong-hyeon, who was far beyond their level.
On the surface, he looked like a swan leisurely gliding across the water.
Of course, he wasn't frantically paddling beneath the surface like in some cliché proverb either.
'Their attacks are so straightforward—nothing to worry about.'
That was why Jeong-hyeon could casually weave through the Skeleton Warriors.
The skeletons moved with a sense of organization, but their individual attacks weren't much more sophisticated than regular skeletons.
There were no strikes to restrict or herd him—just straightforward blows aimed at killing.
For Jeong-hyeon, bolstered by Thought Acceleration, Combat Sense, and enhanced movement, there could be no easier attack pattern to dodge.
Clang-
Every now and then, the skeletons he let slip through turned back into piles of bones.
Even if the Skeleton Warriors wore armor, it was no more than rusted scrap iron against a mace forged from mare golem material.
And since the mace focused on impact and blunt force, the damage barely diminished.
'That side's holding up pretty well too.'
In a moment of leisure, Jeong-hyeon glanced toward where Jin-ah was.
She too was a master of fluid movement, not inferior to his own, and was drawing the skeletons' attention admirably.
But her rapier had poor synergy against the undead.
Stabbing through armor often just pierced empty space, and the solid helmets resisted the rapier easily.
She occasionally showed brilliant skill by shattering skulls through the eye sockets, but fundamentally, she couldn't match Jeong-hyeon's kill count.
In any case, thanks to Jeong-hyeon and Jin-ah holding their flanks so well, the burden on central tank Cha-jin was greatly reduced.
And in such situations, a tank's massive shield transformed from mere defense into an offensive weapon.
Boom-
The shield swung with force collided with a Skeleton Warrior, producing a sound close to an explosion.
Skeletons were undead with few weaknesses besides their heads, but that changed when they took a body-shattering impact.
The one struck by Cha-jin's shield flew far back, crashed into another skeleton, and only then hit the ground, rattling a few times before going still.
A raiding party from the Sea Guild could easily discern the reason for this advantageous situation.
'What the hell is that guy's deal?!'
One person drew unavoidable glances despite everyone fulfilling their roles perfectly.
Han Jeong-hyeon.
[You have acquired 1 coin.]
'As expected, smashing them directly yields coins like crazy!'
Of course, the man himself was simply thrilled at the dramatically improved coin earnings compared to before.
The Skeleton Warriors were definitely fast.
They weren't coordinating attacks, but most would meet their end getting pinned by indiscriminate strikes from all directions.
But C-rank Time Acceleration gave Jeong-hyeon ample time to judge every single one.
Combined with Combat Sense highlighting attack paths, he could always find the optimal path forward.
'It wouldn't matter if they surrounded me, but with the barricade at my back...'
Jeong-hyeon grabbed the shaft of a thrusting spear and yanked hard.
The skeleton lost its balance and stumbled forward.
He flung the spear aside, and the skeleton awkwardly thrust its head right into his ideal striking range.
Crush-
No matter the helmet, Jeong-hyeon—who had shattered hundreds of skeletons—knew exactly where to hit.
The purple mace struck the helmet, and the sensation of the skull inside crumbling traveled clearly up his arm.
The inevitable gap created while dealing with one skeleton
Ping-
was reliably covered by Ha-yul's arrow.
'Definitely convenient.'
Honestly, he'd rarely benefited from archers in hunts so far.
But Ha-yul had the skill to cover even a full timing gap without worry.
It took longer than the previous two fights, but in the end, the thirty Skeleton Warriors failed to inflict any real damage on Jeong-hyeon and the hunters.
"Ahhh—easy does it."
"Quit whining. Healing doesn't work gently."
Any wounds were quickly healed by Hee-jun anyway.
"Jeong-hyeon, any injuries? Your armor's torn in several places."
"Ah, I'm fine."
Hee-jun checked Jeong-hyeon thoroughly, but there were no notable wounds.
Jeong-hyeon brushed it off, saying the tears hadn't reached his skin.
In truth, the few minor cuts he'd taken had already healed.
'Roughly speaking, it's around E-rank now.'
His Physical Ability Enhancement's natural regeneration was now boosted by F-rank Healing synergy.
The effect was more substantial than expected.
"What's next?"
No clear message yet, so waves remained.
And it felt too underwhelming to end here.
Skeleton Warriors were level 5 gate monsters, but not befitting a mission gate's difficulty.
"Who knows? Probably stronger than Skeleton Warriors."
"Don't get complacent just because of the barricade, Ha-yul, Hee-jun. It might break next time."
"You wish."
"What?!"
No one had a clear idea.
Stronger undead could follow Skeleton Warriors, or it could be standard monsters like hobgoblins or kobolds.
The gate soon provided the answer.
"......Orcs."
"Orcs, yeah."
Jeong-hyeon nodded at Ha-yul's curt words.
Heavy, domineering footsteps.
Aggressive speed too.
Similar to the presence felt at the Tadan Orc camp.
'Stronger, and more refined.'
The refinement was likely from subordination, based on patterns so far.
Stronger meant they were a superior species to Tadan Orcs.
And for a level 5 gate, the superior species to Tadan Orcs was obvious.
"Ropu Orcs."
"Battle stations!"
"Jin-ah, Jeong-hyeon—fall back behind the barricade and hold!"
A wave of thirty Ropu Orcs incoming.
"Thirty Ropu Orcs is a bit much, no?"
Cha-jin said from his position between the barricades.
He seemed far more tense than before.
And rightly so—Ropu Orcs were near top-tier for level 5 gates.
Thirty charging at once?
Mission gate-level numbers and difficulty.
Thud- Thud- Thud-
Footsteps that seemed to shatter the marble floor.
As the lead ones revealed their dark brown heads from the passage,
Whip- Ping-
arrows from Jeong-hyeon and Ha-yul greeted them.
Thud- Clang-
'What?'
Jeong-hyeon couldn't help but be shocked. Three arrows and one dagger.
Two blocked by a massive axe, and even Jeong-hyeon's dagger deflected before hitting the head.
'You block once—so what!'
His follow-up dagger severed its lifeline successfully, but it was a fresh shock—his Throwing Skill had never been blocked before.
And the thirty Ropu Orcs' opening move boasted far greater destructive power than before.
"Charge!"
Their mindless rush—an orc's identity and instinct.
Even under subordination, it manifested fully.
Compared to orcs, goblins and kobolds weighed like feathers.
The corpse barricade collapsed like a burst dam under their meaty assault.
"Argh, I can't hold Ropu Orcs long either!"
Cha-jin had tied down many head-on, but as he said, it wasn't leisurely.
Impressive he'd held orcs a head taller than him at all.
That was why Jin-ah and Jeong-hyeon had initially stayed back.
With Cha-jin holding center, flanks protruded forward—they had to intercept while guarding the rear as sub-tanks.
'Honestly, assigning a unregister to sub-tank Ropu Orcs is insane.'
Jin-ah thought this while narrowly dodging an axe to her head.
She'd instinctively ordered it upon hearing Ropu Orcs, forming up that way—but rationally, it made no sense.
Even decent B-rank vanguards struggled against Ropu Orcs.
Yet in the heat of the moment, she'd assigned Jeong-hyeon a key role.
Ha-yul had Combat Sense too, capable of sub-tanking to some degree, making it even more abrupt.
But in crises—especially a hunter's instincts honed through countless life-and-deaths—results sometimes defy reason.
Like right now.
'What the hell is with this guy?!'
Jin-ah could only repeat the same thought from the Skeleton Warrior wave.
***
Ropu Orcs, known as top-tier level 5 monsters.
Their reputation was well-earned.
Though similar to the Tadan Orcs Jeong-hyeon had faced, those were degraded versions.
Intact, buffed by subordination—these were consummate warriors.
With the barricade gone, melee was inevitable.
Amid it, Jeong-hyeon somehow evaded the brutal overhead strikes.
'Definitely not easy.'
One lapse, and axe or glaive would tear his flesh.
If a frontline pillar like him broke, healers and rear would be swept.
Leaking orcs were marked and felled by Ha-yul.
Optimistically, she was barely preventing collapse; pessimistically, no pinpoint support like against Skeleton Warriors.
But Jeong-hyeon had faith in himself.
His form blurred.
Stealth trait activated.
The targeted Ropu Orc visibly panicked, losing him momentarily.
Stealth wasn't high-rank yet—it wouldn't last long, but he had no intention of prolonging it.
He reappeared instantly behind the targeted orc.
Stab-
And plunged the dagger into its lower back.
The back housed vital organs—prime weak spots.
Even as a superior species, similar anatomy to regular orcs; just pick the optimal spot.
Boosted by Stealth synergy for critical chance, the exposed back ensured a finishing blow.
'Finishing blow...'
But unsatisfied, as he swung the mace, Jeong-hyeon urgently rolled away.
A clear attack loomed from behind.
Moments after he dodged, an axe buried into the head of the dagger-stuck orc.
It swung full force heedless of its ally there.
Subordination's true face: numbing reason, pure aggression.
This time it aided Jeong-hyeon luckily, but indiscriminate attacks weren't welcome when outnumbered.
Crack-
Jeong-hyeon exploited the over-swinging orc's imbalance, uppercutting its jaw with the mace.
Then smashed the right temple.
Neck snapping unnaturally, the orc crumpled.
Dodging fresh attacks, Jeong-hyeon surveyed the battlefield.
Tough fight.
Cha-jin was slowly pushed back; Ha-yul and Hee-jun drew nearer the orcs.
Jin-ah matched Jeong-hyeon’s pace somewhat, but fallen orcs were outnumbered by survivors.
Thirty Ropu Orcs were no easy foes even for this group.
No—precisely because of their level, they hadn't collapsed instantly.
'I'll manage somehow.'
But could they finish without casualties?
He had to ensure that.
With power gained, no one would die to orcs on his watch.
Jeong-hyeon's grip tightened fiercely on the mace.
To that end, he needed to kill one more orc.
"Cha-jin, hang in just a bit longer!"
Jeong-hyeon evaded an orc's assault with graceful footwork, bashed its skull, then dashed toward Ha-yul.