Chapter 12
Chapter 12
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: The Giving Tree
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Kang Hyun-su moved diligently.
As a result, clashes with Murderer Players became more frequent.
In fact, it was the Murderer Players who always picked fights first and charged in.
Even when Kang Hyun-su and Song Hana moved together, plenty of Murderer Players saw them as just two people and attacked mockingly.
But now it was down to one.
“Grab him!”
The Murderer Players attacked Kang Hyun-su on sight, intent on killing him.
“That item looks pretty good.”
“I’m taking that sword!”
“Bullshit, that sword’s mine!”
The Murderer Players eyed Kang Hyun-su—who was decked out in items that screamed high rank—like a walking treasure trove.
However.
Slash!
Screeech!
“Monster.”
“Gahk!”
“Run!”
Once the fight started, the Murderer Players were busy fleeing.
The Murderer Players had grown by hunting monsters and players alike.
But no matter how much they’d grown.
No matter how overwhelmingly they outnumbered him.
Like a pack of hyenas unable to take down a single tiger.
The Murderer Players couldn’t do a thing to Kang Hyun-su.
It was a difference in class, plain and simple.
Levels, stats, skills, combat experience.
Not one of them had the edge on Kang Hyun-su.
The battle ended in an instant.
Kang Hyun-su collected the items.
‘The quality of equipped items has gone up a lot.’
At the start, most used F-Rank items from the Starting Room.
But now, most were covered in E-Rank items.
A few even had D-Rank items.
For Kang Hyun-su, this was nothing but good.
The more items he had to feed to Gluttony’s Sword, the better.
‘But when the hell is this thing going to grow?’
Kang Hyun-su tilted his head at the Guardian Ring on his finger.
Before regression.
The EX-Rank Guardian Ring used by Guardian God Lee Cheol-min had shown truly tremendous power.
‘How the hell did Guardian God Lee Cheol-min grow this thing?’
Almost all items stayed F-Rank forever once they hit F-Rank, or EX-Rank forever once they hit EX-Rank.
Growth-type items that could increase in rank were exceedingly rare.
‘There are only eleven officially known growth-type items.’
Kang Hyun-su had claimed two of those eleven.
The problem was, while the growth method for Gluttony’s Sword was widely known, no one knew how to grow the Guardian Ring.
‘Don’t rush it.’
Kang Hyun-su tamped down his growing impatience.
If Guardian God Lee Cheol-min had done it?
Then he could too.
‘Just need to find the method.’
It was only the tutorial so far.
He still had plenty of time.
Kang Hyun-su focused on searching.
As he did, the sun began to set.
‘Time to head back.’
Kang Hyun-su turned toward the place where he’d promised to meet Song Hana.
* * *
Song Hana hunted monsters with all her might.
All because of Kang Hyun-su.
‘I’m making Hyun-su oppa waste time on me.’
Every time that thought crossed her mind, Song Hana grew anxious.
Excluding the occasional battles with Murderer groups, she poured every moment into hunting.
She had to acquire every possible achievement from the third tutorial as quickly as possible.
It would benefit her and Kang Hyun-su alike.
Rustle!
At that moment, a group of players emerged from the bushes.
Song Hana calmly raised her sword.
If they were Murderer Players?
She’d fight.
If they were normal Players?
She’d ignore them and keep hunting.
“Whoa, if it isn’t her! Song Hana, the one I’ve been dying to see!”
One of the players called out Song Hana’s name and acted familiar.
‘Who’s that?’
Song Hana focused on the direction the voice came from.
“Move aside.”
Pushing through the players was a thug from the second tutorial who’d swung his sword at Song Hana right at the start.
Oh Sung-hyuk.
“You remember me, right? Man, now I can finally pay back what I owe from back then.”
Oh Sung-hyuk glared at Song Hana with murderous eyes.
“Yeah, boss. I’ve got a score to settle with that bitch too.”
“Kang Hyun-su that bastard’s not here? Did he die or something?”
Backing him up were Choi Woo-seok and Park Ji-myeong.
“So all three of you survived?”
Song Hana asked flatly.
“Of course we did. What, you thought we couldn’t survive without that dogshit Kang Hyun-su?”
“Too bad Kang Hyun-su’s still alive. If he was here, I could’ve settled the score from back then.”
“Ah, that bastard should’ve been mine to kill.”
As Oh Sung-hyuk, Choi Woo-seok, and Park Ji-myeong rambled, the rest of the players surrounded Song Hana.
“She one of the two bitches boss mentioned?”
“Damn, she’s hot.”
“Killing her would be a waste. Let’s make her a slave.”
“Yeah, good idea.”
Oh Sung-hyuk’s gang acted like they’d already won.
And they had reason to.
Oh Sung-hyuk’s gang numbered a whopping thirty-two.
Against Song Hana alone.
1 vs. 32.
The outcome seemed decided no matter who looked.
“You’ve changed a lot.”
Song Hana said, looking at Choi Woo-seok and Park Ji-myeong.
She’d known Oh Sung-hyuk was scum.
But she hadn’t expected Choi Woo-seok and Park Ji-myeong—who’d seemed halfway decent—to turn into such ungrateful trash so quickly.
“It’s the tutorial. If you don’t change, you don’t survive.”
Choi Woo-seok said, licking his lips.
“Yeah, yeah. In this hellhole, you have to change to survive.”
“Kekeke, those two were such pussies at first.”
Oh Sung-hyuk’s gang mocked Choi Woo-seok and Park Ji-myeong.
‘Pathetic.’
Choi Woo-seok and Park Ji-myeong seemed to be at the bottom of the pecking order in Oh Sung-hyuk’s gang.
They took the others’ ridicule, and their gear was all F-Rank.
They carried food and junk on their backs.
On the surface, comrades—but underneath?
Anyone could see they were half-slaves in the group.
‘Would they even want to stick with Oh Sung-hyuk while being treated like that?’
It made no sense to Song Hana.
‘I never should’ve helped them back then.’
Kang Hyun-su had shown them kindness in the second tutorial.
But that kindness had turned to malice.
‘I won’t let him make the same mistake again.’
Even if Kang Hyun-su wanted to show kindness.
She’d stop him.
Swish.
Song Hana gathered her mana and calmly prepared for battle.
They outnumbered her, but she wasn’t afraid.
“Looks like this bitch plans to resist to the end.”
“Yeah.”
“Don’t hurt her too much. Catch her alive.”
The enemies closed in.
That’s when.
“Who the hell are these guys?”
Kang Hyun-su’s voice came from outside the encirclement.
* * *
Kang Hyun-su searched the area when Song Hana wasn’t at the meeting spot.
That’s when he spotted a bunch of players surrounding her.
“Who the hell are these guys?”
Kang Hyun-su strode toward the players forming the encirclement.
“Surround that guy too!”
At someone’s shout, the players encircled both Song Hana and Kang Hyun-su.
Kang Hyun-su turned toward the voice.
‘Oh Sung-hyuk?’
A faint smile crossed Kang Hyun-su’s face upon recognizing him.
The man he’d planned to eliminate if they met in the third tutorial.
He hadn’t run into him so far and wondered if he’d died.
But without confirming the kill himself, it nagged at him.
And now they met face-to-face?
‘I’ll make sure to finish him this time.’
He’d already secured the Excellent Leader achievement—no need for mercy like before.
“You survived, huh. Good, that’s real good.”
Oh Sung-hyuk glared at Kang Hyun-su with murderous eyes.
“I’ll pay back what you’re owed—with interest. Capture that bastard alive too!”
“Yes, boss!”
“You’re in deep shit now.”
“Our boss is one scary motherfucker.”
“I’ll make you beg to die.”
Oh Sung-hyuk’s gang swaggered toward Kang Hyun-su.
Pfft!
Kang Hyun-su let out a hollow laugh.
He’d faced many Murderer groups.
But none this thuggish.
Thwack!
Kang Hyun-su launched himself at the horde of enemies.
Roar!
Flames erupted from his hand and flew at them.
Boom!
“Aaaagh!”
“Spare me!”
A massive explosion rocked the air, followed by agonized screams.
Slash! Slash!
Kang Hyun-su swung his sword, unleashing attack skills.
“Gahk!”
“Aaagh!”
The enemies fell helplessly.
“It’s a monster!”
“How do we beat a guy like that?!”
Oh Sung-hyuk’s gang lost the will to fight in an instant before Kang Hyun-su’s overwhelming might.
“Damn it.”
“Run!”
The demoralized gang scattered and fled.
Their leader, Oh Sung-hyuk—who should’ve stopped his allies’ retreat—.
Fled faster than anyone.
But their escape failed.
Song Hana blocked their path.
“Out of the way, you bitch!”
“Kill that bitch quick!”
Oh Sung-hyuk’s gang attacked Song Hana to survive.
Roar!
Crackle!
Red flames and blue lightning met them.
Boom!
Song Hana’s attack skills wiped them out in seconds.
Those who somehow broke through the barrage and reached her.
Slash!
Fell powerless before her swinging sword.
The strongest player in the third tutorial was Kang Hyun-su.
The second strongest was Song Hana.
Under attacks from both sides, Oh Sung-hyuk’s thirty-two-strong gang dwindled to fewer than ten in moments.
“Surrender! We surrender!”
“Spare us!”
The survivors dropped their weapons and begged.
Slash!
Song Hana beheaded the surrendering enemies without hesitation.
“Hana, what I said earlier wasn’t serious! Please spare me!”
Park Ji-myeong knelt before Song Hana, begging for his life.
“He’s right! We had to act that way to survive! It was all Oh Sung-hyuk’s orders!”
Choi Woo-seok shoved all the blame onto Oh Sung-hyuk.
Song Hana swung her sword at the two without a second thought.
Slash! Slash!
The heads of the begging Choi Woo-seok and Park Ji-myeong rolled on the ground.
In the past, she might’ve hesitated.
She might’ve agonized.
Not anymore.
With their deaths, silence fell.
Only one enemy remained alive.
Oh Sung-hyuk, who’d fled first.
* * *
‘Fuck! How the hell does shit like this happen?’
Oh Sung-hyuk spewed curses in his mind.
He wanted to scream them out loud.
But he couldn’t.
He feared Kang Hyun-su or Song Hana might hear and chase him.
‘Those monster-like bastards—what the hell are they? How can they be that strong?’
The third tutorial had started, healing his injuries from the second.
He’d tamed Choi Woo-seok and Park Ji-myeong, recruited other players, swelled his numbers.
Using numerical superiority, he hunted monsters and players indiscriminately.
Through bloody effort, he’d even changed classes.
Geared up with D-Rank items.
Used his underlings as bait to monopolize EXP and hit level 20.
No matter how strong Kang Hyun-su got, without a group, he couldn’t touch him—or so he thought.
Seeing Song Hana alone.
Seeing Kang Hyun-su without backup.
Oh Sung-hyuk thought he could finally settle the past humiliation.
But it was all a pipe dream.