Chapter 107
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 107
Chapter Title: Park Si-woo (4)
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Choi Jae-hyung clenched his fist and deployed his shield.
The more I saw it, the more convenient an item it seemed—a shield that appeared just by infusing it with mana.
But could you even call that a shield?
― Don't lose! You can do it, Choi Jae-hyung! If you go down, Park Si-woo has to fight next!
― You damn bastard! If you're going to cheer for someone, cheer for me!
― Hey! Stop the useless chatter in Channel 1! It's confusing!
Choi Jae-hyung scowled and made his shield even more solid.
― You have it rough, too. Just try to understand that Kang Han-gyeol does a lot of weird things sometimes.
― Ugh, it’s nothing.
― At least turn off your voice chat before you say that!
― Kang Han-gyeol, if you say one more word, I'm muting you.
Wow.
Is this what they call an abuse of power?
Park Si-woo and Choi Jae-hyung were the ones talking smack about me—no, right to my face—but I was the one getting all the heat.
How could I not feel wronged?
Choi Jae-hyung blocked the Yeongno’s roar with all his might.
With no footing, Choi Jae-hyung was pushed downward.
Once the roar subsided, the Hunters, myself included, resumed their attacks.
It seemed the ice mountain magic had taken a toll on the Yeongno; its movements felt slower than before.
As the mist began to clear, long-range attacks started flying up from below.
But the one who landed the decisive blow was someone else.
*CRACK!*
A strike of light left a gash on the Yeongno’s skin.
No matter how I thought about it, there was only one person who could launch such an attack.
Park Si-woo, who had landed two more attacks while doing a back handspring, approached me.
“I never imagined your ‘Light Sword’ was meant so literally.”
I thought he meant a lightsaber, but to think it was a literal sword of light.
“What was that?”
“Never mind. More importantly, what happened to your hair?”
Park Si-woo’s hair had turned as white as an old man’s.
His features were so handsome that rather than looking old, he just seemed to have dyed his hair gray.
It was just hard to imagine him dyeing it such a color, given his prim and proper CEO image.
Park Si-woo lightly swept back the hair that fell over his forehead.
“It’s… nothing.”
“It doesn’t look like nothing.”
His face had also turned deathly pale; he looked like he might collapse at the slightest touch.
Disappearing in a flash, Park Si-woo reappeared above the Yeongno’s head and swung his lightsaber once.
*KRA-KOOM!*
Even though its scales had been stripped away to reveal its skin, the creature’s hide wasn't so fragile that it could be sliced like paper.
Yet with a single swing of Park Si-woo’s sword, the Yeongno’s flesh was being carved away.
I take back what I said about it not being fragile!
Who was I to be worrying about someone else!
― Come in from the right. Center, don't go in too deep. I'll handle the left.
Even in the midst of all that, Park Si-woo was still methodically giving orders.
Seo Ji-hoon, who had been below, ascended.
The scythe in his hand turned black, growing so large it could have taken off the Yeongno’s head.
Seo Ji-hoon’s scythe gashed the Yeongno’s body.
But that wasn't all.
The wound inflicted by the scythe began to fester rapidly.
Lumpy red spots spread out from the gash.
The Yeongno thrashed about, destroying all the surrounding pavilions.
Its tail whipped toward Park Si-woo, who was perched on its body.
He raised his lightsaber to cut off the tail—no, he simply clenched his fist while holding the lightsaber.
The friction from the tail striking his hand created a gust of wind.
“Whoa, he blocked that with his bare hands?”
Even in a Transcendent state, wasn't that going too far?
It honestly made me wonder what Park Si-woo’s stats were.
As Seo Ji-hoon swung his scythe, the Yeongno toppled backward.
The few remaining pavilions crumbled one after another, kicking up a storm of dust.
“Press the attack!”
“Watch out for flying debris!”
“Just die already!”
The Hunters watching from below unleashed a relentless barrage of attacks.
Park Si-woo raised the hilt of his lightsaber above his head and spun it once.
Anyone who didn’t know better might have mistaken it for a flashy, pointless trick, but it was nothing of the sort.
As Park Si-woo brought the hilt down, dozens of gashes appeared on the Yeongno’s body.
*BOOM!*
A massive fireball, created by someone, was the last thing to strike the Yeongno’s body.
Losing its balance, the Yeongno fell completely backward.
A heavy silence fell over the ARF.
No one let down their guard.
Not until a familiar line was heard.
“Is… is it over?”
Everyone’s gaze shifted to a Hunter from the Raon Guild who had approached from the rear.
Every Hunter standing turned to glare at the one who had spoken.
Some of them even radiated killing intent.
Unable to watch any longer, Choi Jae-hyung spoke to the Hunter.
“Hey. You want me to end your life first?”
“What’s your problem? I can’t even say it’s over when it’s over?”
“You idiot, you’re not supposed to say that! Don’t you know the unwritten rule, the golden rule?”
The Hunter stared at Choi Jae-hyung with a dumbfounded expression.
A raid wasn't over until the completion notification appeared.
And unfortunately, the gods were not on our side.
*Sssss.*
The fallen Yeongno’s tail and body began to move slowly.
Park Si-woo pointed the tip of his lightsaber at the creature.
His hair had returned to its original color.
― Phase 3.
At Park Si-woo’s single phrase, the Hunters tensed up again.
The Yeongno had sustained considerable damage, and Phase 3 was likely to be its last desperate struggle.
‘From here on out, it’s a fight for the last hit.’
The Yeongno’s white skin gradually turned black, and its eyes became bloodshot.
It had become a colossal serpent, no longer describable as a dragon or a divine beast.
*Thud. Thud. Thud.*
The creature slammed its massive tail into the ground relentlessly.
The ground shook so violently that our bodies lifted into the air. It felt like an earthquake.
*KRA-KOOM!*
The Yeongno’s completely blackened tail slammed into the ground.
The earth split open, and sharp rocks shot up ceaselessly from the fissures.
The rocks engulfed the entire ARF, along with the Hunters.
― Situation report.
― All accounted for, excluding the dead and critically injured.
― How many are combat-ready?
― Uh. About twenty-six, twenty-seven.
Kang-woo was currently with Cho-ah.
I thought Park Si-woo was doing all the work, but it seemed that wasn't necessarily the case.
The area below the rock wall was a cliff, and beneath it was a sea of sharp rocks.
There were a few unwritten rules among Hunters in raids.
Most items obtainable from raids were unrated, their value often unknown.
It was common for survivors to engage in bloody battles over items after a raid ended.
The problem was the emergence of Hunters who didn't participate in the raid but waited to prey on the survivors afterward.
Imagine fighting tooth and nail to get an item. It’s annoying enough if it ends up in the hands of someone who fought alongside you, so how infuriating would it be if some freeloader who was just waiting in the back snatched it?
That’s how the raid auction came to be.
Survivors would band together to protect the items, then hold an auction to decide who gets what.
The money from the auction would be divided among the Hunters, excluding the one who bought the item. It was a relatively wise solution.
However, there was one type of item that was exempt.
The confirmed drop.
Most raid items were random drops, so aside from the confirmed drop, there was no way of knowing what you would get.
The confirmed drop for this boss raid was the Dragon Orb, which Cho-ah had mentioned to me before the raid began.
By unwritten rule, the confirmed drop belonged to whoever landed the final blow. Fortunately, most confirmed drops were consumable items with a limited number of uses rather than permanent equipment.
Well-known examples included the ‘Blue Tear,’ which could cure any disease or injury short of reviving the dead, and ‘Eve's Trumpet,’ which could summon an army of angels.
“Is an item that grants wishes really possible?”
“Well, we won’t know until we see it. If it’s real, wishing to become a Transcendent doesn’t sound too bad.”
Hunters on a nearby rock were chattering about the Dragon Orb.
The way the Hunters looked at the Yeongno changed.
They were no longer looking at a monster, but at a treasure chest.
Just as everyone was preparing in their own way, the Yeongno, covered in dark red skin, revealed itself.
The Hunters charged toward it in unison.
Orders?
That thing was already on its last legs anyway.
What was the point of orders?
The blood dripping from the Yeongno’s wounds hardened and flew toward the Hunters.
*KRAAAAAAAK!*
The Yeongno began its final struggle.
Its wildly thrashing tail shattered the rock formations.
“Damn it, I can’t get close!”
“Watch out over there!”
Amid the chaos, some Hunters were still managing to block attacks and damage the Yeongno.
It happened as everyone was rushing toward the finish line.
[(Intrusion) ‘Choi Soo-hyun (Soter)’ has joined the boss raid.]
“What?”
“Who did it say?”
“The god Soter is definitely…”
A red flash shot toward the momentarily hesitant Hunters.
*KRA-KOOM!*
The flash, which had been heading straight for the Hunters, collided with a beam of black light that came from behind.
“You’re late.”
“Damn it, what are you scheming?”
“I expected you’d come…”
Yoo Se-yeon and Seo Ji-hoon, who had retreated, each muttered a comment.
Atop a rock cleared of dust, stood Choi Soo-hyun, holding a gun.
‘Originally…’
Choi Soo-hyun was supposed to join after the raid was over.
The reason he’d moved up his schedule was, of course, because of Eun-young.
Hundreds of red lights materialized around the enraged Yeongno and shot toward Choi Soo-hyun all at once.
Choi Soo-hyun raised his gun, a smirk playing on his lips.
Simultaneously, a flood of status windows poured in front of my eyes.
[You have been sponsored 1,000,000 Contribution Points by your believer, ‘Choi Soo-hyun’.]
[You have been sponsored 1,000,000 Contribution Points by your believer, ‘Choi Soo-hyun’.]
…
[You have been sponsored 1,000,000 Contribution Points by your believer, ‘Choi Soo-hyun’.]
He had thrown a total of five million points at me in one go.
This is insane!
[Choi Soo-hyun’s sponsorship ranking is currently No. 1.]
[The god Soter’s Lv has increased.]
[‘Choi Soo-hyun’ is joining the Aria Guild (Black) communication channel.]
[Would you like to appoint Choi Soo-hyun as a Guardian? The appointment will be confirmed upon the other party’s acceptance.]
[Choi Soo-hyun has become your Guardian.]
[This believer holds the epithet ‘Marksman of the Magic Bullet’.]
[The Taboo of Choi Soo-hyun (Believer) is ‘…’.]
Huh? It works like this?
I was taken aback by the unexpected Taboo list.
*BANG.*
Choi Soo-hyun pulled the trigger.
A single bullet split into dozens of trajectories, colliding with the attacks in mid-air.
The remaining bullets struck the Yeongno’s body.
It was like watching a fireworks display.
Seeing the Yeongno fall, off-balance, Choi Soo-hyun slung the gun over his shoulder and swept back his disheveled hair.
The eyes of every Hunter on the rock wall were fixed on him.
“I’m here to end this game.”
― Cut the crap.
I’d had enough and cursed at him in Channel 1.