Chapter 108
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 108
Chapter Title: Magic Bullet Marksman (1)
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—Hey! What is this bullshit! Do you know how much I sponsored!
Choi Soo-hyun grumbled in the first channel chat.
The moment he appeared, Choi Soo-hyun threw down 5 million points.
Considering the accumulated points at stake for this raid were 15 million, it was an enormous amount.
What was even more terrifying was that he still had about 7 million points left after that.
When I’d asked him before if he’d scammed a god, he’d said something about a fortune-teller’s mat, which raised the reasonable suspicion that he might have actually done it.
I checked Choi Soo-hyun’s status window.
[Choi Soo-hyun (Soter)]
Rank: Guardian
Strength: S- (31.2%)
Stamina: SS (22.1%)
Magic Power: Transcendent C+ (82.9%)
Healing Power: SS- (71.2%)
It was a status window that made me doubt my eyes no matter how many times I looked at it.
Excluding skills and talents, these were the highest stats I had ever seen with my own eyes.
Considering that Eun-young, who was still in her growth phase, had A-rank strength, the Transcendent Yoo Ji-han’s strength stat was on the lower side.
Not that it really mattered.
—What is this situation? Why is Choi Soo-hyun here?
Jin Sang-hyuk used the second channel chat to voice his complaint about Choi Soo-hyun's sudden appearance.
And he wasn't the only one.
—I, too, believe an explanation is in order.
—Are you trying to pick a fight?
Yoo Se-yeon and Seo Ji-hoon, positioned diagonally from Choi Soo-hyun, also expressed their displeasure.
The response came not from Park Si-woo, but from Choi Soo-hyun.
—You all sure talk a lot.
—What did you say? Is that something you, the one who barged in, should be saying?
—That's why I came in accepting the penalty. What's the problem?
—Are you kidding me right now?
Those who intrude on a raid only receive 50% of the contribution points as a penalty.
There wasn't a single person here who didn't know that Choi Soo-hyun wasn't the type to care about such things.
When the boss raid opened, 30 tickets were distributed.
Usually, raids started with a few empty slots rather than a full party.
Although there was a slight penalty, it was a form of insurance against unforeseen circumstances, since anyone with a ticket could enter at any time.
It was only natural that a hunter who had just entered the fray would have an advantage over those exhausted from a long fight.
Park Si-woo had not revealed the name of his insurance policy.
Yoo Se-yeon ground her teeth, and Choi Soo-hyun delivered the final blow to her and a few other hunters.
—Why are you all acting like amateurs? It's not like you didn't expect me to show up.
—Only in the worst-case scenario.
—What the hell? Why is that psycho here! Kang Han-gyeol! This is cheating!!
Choi Jae-hyung raised his voice through the first channel.
That guy is just…
Let's just leave it at that. Ugh, not even worth talking about.
The Yeongno, drenched in blood, pushed itself up.
The muzzle of Choi Soo-hyun’s gun was aimed at the Yeongno's head.
*Fwip.*
The hunters on the cliff wall all moved at once, each for their own reasons.
I, too, threw myself off the cliff, gripping the Sky Sword.
“You…!!”
Seo Ji-hoon was caught off guard by my sudden attack.
—Can you stop Seo Ji-hoon after Choi Soo-hyun has joined?
—Why Seo Ji-hoon, of all people?
—There's no one more dangerous than a ticking time bomb. The skill you showed a little while ago should be enough.
Park Si-woo told me to use the skill I’d shown before, but that one required an incredible amount of concentration.
Besides, I had failed.
The point is, I just need to tie up Seo Ji-hoon’s feet, right?
Spinning my body, I kicked Seo Ji-hoon.
“Seo Ji… Ugh!”
My sword, thrusting forward swiftly, grazed Yoo Se-yeon’s shoulder.
It was a warning.
“Stick to Choi Soo-hyun!”
“Ah, got it!”
I didn’t stop Yoo Se-yeon as she headed toward Choi Soo-hyun.
My only goal was to hold back Seo Ji-hoon; I couldn't care less about the others.
Standing atop the cliff, Seo Ji-hoon charged at me with his scythe.
His attack range was certainly wide, and given the terrain, he was difficult to deal with.
A chain attached to the scythe wrapped around my ankle.
“This…”
When Seo Ji-hoon yanked the chain, my body lost its balance and was flung into the air.
I aimed the tip of my sword at Seo Ji-hoon’s heart and thrust.
The sword energy shot out in a straight line, grazing his chest.
My body was slammed onto the cliff face before falling.
Shoving my sword under the chain binding me, I applied force.
Apparently deciding this was too risky, the chain uncoiled and returned to its place.
“That thing is annoying.”
“A counterattack in mid-air, not bad. Why did you target me?”
“Who knows.”
Spitting out the blood that had pooled in my mouth, I gripped my sword.
The reason I had targeted Seo Ji-hoon wasn't just because Park Si-woo had asked me to.
The blue blade of the Sky Sword reflected Seo Ji-hoon, who stood on a sharp rock formation.
“Give me back Eun-young, you son of a bitch.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I’m sure you don’t.”
I charged at Seo Ji-hoon again.
Seo Ji-hoon was currently the Guardian of the god Veritas.
The god Veritas, who had broken a taboo, had taken Eun-young. There was no way that bastard didn't know about it.
My sword clashed with Seo Ji-hoon’s scythe.
Seo Ji-hoon swung his scythe in a wide arc.
I leaped up slightly, stepped on the scythe, and swung my sword.
I and Seo Ji-hoon weren't the only ones fighting in front of the dying Yeongno.
Jeong Cho-ah and Choi Jae-hyung were blocking the hunters who were swarming around the newly arrived Choi Soo-hyun.
“Are you really a Raon Guild hunter? Why are you protecting that guy!”
“I don’t know! To hell with the guild and all that crap, I only follow Guildmaster Kang’s orders!!”
“Jae-hyung, don’t go in too deep!”
At Cho-ah’s words, Choi Jae-hyung, who had been diligently bashing his guildmates with his shield, retreated.
Directly below, Park Si-woo and Jin Sang-hyuk were crossing swords.
“What kind of deal did you make with that Kang Moon-guk fellow in exchange for Choi Jae-hyung?”
“Do you know how many major guilds there are in this small country? I proposed an alliance to Guildmaster Kang.”
“An alliance? For what… No, the motive isn’t important. Did you exclude me because I helped kill Yoo Chae-young? As I said before, that incident was…”
As Jin Sang-hyuk said something to Park Si-woo, Park Si-woo’s expression soured.
“Looks like you have time to be distracted.”
Seo Ji-hoon’s voice came from right in front of me.
I aimed my sword at him.
He looked at me as if he found me pathetic.
“Do you really think you can defeat me?”
“It’s not impossible.”
“…”
“By the way, are you okay?”
As Seo Ji-hoon’s movements faltered, the rough blade of the Sword of a Hundred Birds cut into his body.
Long chains were embedded in various spots along the cliff wall.
It was no exaggeration to say that Seo Ji-hoon, standing in the middle of a chain connecting two cliffs, was flying through the air.
Seo Ji-hoon wiped the blood trickling from his cheek.
“Your sword is strange.”
“Strange?”
“I can see its depth.”
A normal hunter might have dismissed it as nonsensical rambling, but I wasn't normal.
A hundred years had passed since the First Gate appeared.
Hunters, who initially fought with brute force, developed various fighting styles over time through accumulated experience.
In modern times, a hundred years is a massive amount of time, enough for landscapes to change completely, but compared to the entire flow of history, it wasn't that long.
‘He would know.’
I had learned it secondhand, so it wasn't a formal education, but it was still a sword style with a history.
Seo Ji-hoon had recognized that difference.
“But isn’t that something you don’t need to worry about?”
I looked up at Seo Ji-hoon with a smirk.
The fallen chains were pulled out and flew toward me all at once.
*Claaaang.*
Using the Sword of Falling Blossoms and Flying Flowers, I deflected all the incoming chains.
‘Seo Ji-hoon can't use his Transcendent Skill right now.’
Seo Ji-hoon had become a Transcendent through abnormal means.
The risks of using a Transcendent Skill would surely be anything but ordinary for him.
Even if he could use it, his body wouldn't be able to handle it.
I moved my body, using the falling chains as footholds, and got above Seo Ji-hoon’s head.
He couldn't use that skill, but that wasn't his only trick.
Power flowed into my wrist, adding weight to my sword.
The blue blade took the form of a small dragon.
[The 6th stage Blessing activates.]
The blue dragon that formed around the sword pressed down hard on Seo Ji-hoon’s body.
*KWWAAAAAANG.*
Seo Ji-hoon used his scythe to block the descending dragon, but it was not enough.
The cliff beneath his feet crumbled, and his body plummeted.
“Agh.”
Landing on an intact section of the cliff, I shook my wrist.
The Heavenly Dragon's Supreme Sword Style was a technique based on the heavy sword.
I looked up.
*BOOOOOM.*
Magic bullets fired by Choi Soo-hyun relentlessly struck the Yeongno.
“He’s having a blast! What a blast.”
Even someone like Choi Soo-hyun couldn't use skills without becoming a believer.
He apparently used his position as an Association employee to practice shooting from time to time, but practice and a real battle were two different things.
Choi Soo-hyun, firing a gun for the first time in nearly three years, looked genuinely happy.
I briefly checked the god Soter’s status window.
[The god Soter offers a skill gift for 724,000 Contribution Points.]
—What? What kind of fucking punk is this?
Choi Soo-hyun cursed in the first channel chat.
A few hunters in the first channel tilted their heads in confusion.
No matter how I looked at it, it seemed like he said that for me to hear.
If you don’t like it, then forget it!
Am I the one who’s going to miss out? He is.
Well… I guess I’ll miss out a little too.
Dodging an attack from a hunter charging at me with a sword, I drove my fist into his stomach.
The hunter who took the punch was sent flying.
[Choi Soo-hyun accepts the offer.]
“This better be good! Or else!”
Cho-ah, who had blocked a magic spell flying toward Choi Soo-hyun with her bare hands, tilted her head.
“Who are you talking to?”
“It’s a thing.”
Choi Soo-hyun cleared his throat decorously.
I expected it, but that guy really is the type to devour even a god.
[Gifting ‘Black Heat Void Bullet’ to Guardian ‘Choi Soo-hyun’.]
Positioning himself above the Yeongno's head, Choi Soo-hyun aimed his gun.
Between his gun and the Yeongno's head, several complex-looking magic circles materialized, layered one on top of the other.
The black magic power that flowed out swallowed the hand holding the gun in darkness.
“Wh-what in the world is that?”
Choi Jae-hyung swung his shield over his head.
It wasn't just Choi Jae-hyung; everyone was staring at Choi Soo-hyun.
Keeping a moderate distance, he pulled the trigger, and a black bullet shot out in a straight line, piercing through the Yeongno's head.
With its head blown open, the Yeongno's massive body finally collapsed.
[The boss raid will end in 1 minute.]
“Hey, this…”
Choi Soo-hyun, floating in the air, staggered.
A ranged attack flew past him.
He swung his gun like a club and deflected the attack.
“A smokescreen?”
A white smokescreen spread rapidly, centered on Choi Soo-hyun.
“I don’t care about anything else, but I won’t let you have the Dragon Orb!”
—You bitch! You wanna go?
The smokescreen was Yoo Se-yeon’s doing.
One by one, the hunters plunged into the smoke.
As the Yeongno’s corpse vanished, the remaining magic power gathered together and took form.
The purest concentration of the imugi Yeongno's magic, saved up for its ascension into a dragon, was the Dragon Orb.
She must have thought she could obscure it with a magic-based smokescreen, but that was a miscalculation.
‘A piece of cake!’
To me, a master of magic detection, vision was completely meaningless.
I leaped into the smoke and used the Sword of a Hundred Birds to push Yoo Se-yeon away.
“Damn it!!”
“Alright, got it…”
The moment my hand closed around the Dragon Orb, I felt an eerie presence.
I lost my grip on the orb as blood erupted from my body.
“You, you bastard…”
“Han-gyeol!!”