Chapter 13
Chapter 13
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 13
Chapter Title: The Giving Tree (2)
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‘Shouldn’t have messed with that crazy monster bastard for nothing.’
Kang Hyun-su and Song Ha-na.
There was a reason they hadn’t formed a group.
Why?
They didn’t need to.
They were strong enough to smash massive hordes all on their own.
‘And I was thrilled like an idiot without even knowing that.’
He felt like a complete fool.
He had been as cautious as possible until now.
Even when running into player groups or murderer packs, he hadn’t picked fights unless he was certain of victory.
But he’d assumed victory just because there were only two of them, without even checking their strength.
Instead of rejoicing at their small numbers,
he should have wondered how the hell they’d survived this long as just a duo.
Whish!
As Oh Seong-hyuk fled with all his might, something slicing through the air reached his ears.
Instinctively, he raised his shield.
Slash!
The D-Rank item shield was cleaved in two with ridiculous ease.
And a sharp blade sliced through Oh Seong-hyuk’s left arm.
“Aaack!”
A scream burst out involuntarily.
‘I have to run.’
Oh Seong-hyuk suppressed the pain and moved his legs.
Slash!
In that instant, a fountain of red blood sprayed up.
Thud!
Oh Seong-hyuk’s body crumpled powerlessly forward.
In his fading vision, he saw Kang Hyun-su, spotless without a drop of blood on him.
Oh Seong-hyuk opened his mouth with all his remaining strength.
“P-Please, spare me!”
He begged for his life.
“If you wanted to live, you shouldn’t have crossed paths with me.”
“Urk!”
Red tears streamed from Oh Seong-hyuk’s eyes.
He was right.
He shouldn’t have met that guy.
He’d grown arrogant from getting stronger.
Thinking he’d repay an old debt.
Even saying it was nice to see him again.
‘Shouldn’t have done that.’
He never imagined that joyful reunion would lead to his death.
“Oh, and I didn’t get to say it earlier, but I was really, really glad to see you again.”
‘Why the hell?’
“I figured you were dead, but there was always that nagging chance you were alive. I don’t like leaving loose ends. Plus, thanks for the final gift.”
‘Final gift? What does that—’
Oh Seong-hyuk couldn’t comprehend Kang Hyun-su’s words.
No, he didn’t even have time to.
His blurring vision turned pitch black.
And he reached a state where he couldn’t string thoughts together anymore.
‘Looks like it can be upgraded after all.’
Kang Hyun-su gazed at his status window with a pleased smile.
[Title – Guardian of the Third Tutorial SS-Rank]
-All stats +40.
It seemed Oh Seong-hyuk’s gang had wreaked quite a bit of havoc in the Third Tutorial.
The title had jumped from A-Rank to S-Rank after he took down just about ten of them.
And now, nabbing Oh Seong-hyuk had bumped it to SS-Rank.
‘Wonder if EX-Rank is possible?’
Taking down Oh Seong-hyuk’s gang had raised the rank by two whole steps.
If he focused on eliminating other scum who’d caused similar trouble?
It seemed plenty feasible.
‘Still got time left.’
He decided to give it his all.
And the benefits Kang Hyun-su stood to gain weren’t just that.
‘He’d hoarded a nice haul of quality items.’
Kang Hyun-su smiled as he channeled mana into Gluttony’s Sword.
Shaaa!
Gluttony’s Sword devoured Oh Seong-hyuk’s gear without leaving a scrap behind.
‘If it eats up all the items the rest of his crew had too...’
He might even witness Gluttony’s Sword evolve to C-Rank right here in the Tutorial.
‘And there were some pretty decent ones among them. Good squad material.’
With gains piling up like this,
he even felt fortunate to have run into Oh Seong-hyuk near the end of the Third Tutorial.
Oh Seong-hyuk.
To Kang Hyun-su, he’d been like a giving tree.
* * *
Kang Hyun-su decided to get more proactive.
Sticking to his current pace wouldn’t cut it for pushing Guardian of the Third Tutorial to EX-Rank.
While hunting murderer packs, he also lent big and small aid to normal player groups struggling to survive.
He rescued groups on the brink of annihilation by monsters and supplied food to those starving.
Thanks to that?
He succeeded in raising Guardian of the Third Tutorial to SSS-Rank.
Just one step shy of EX-Rank.
All the while, he kept an eye out for any hidden pieces that might turn up.
But no hidden pieces showed themselves easily.
‘Maybe there just aren’t any, and that’s why no rumors?’
He was even starting to think that.
And then, the end of the Third Tutorial loomed—just one day away.
“All done?”
Kang Hyun-su asked Song Ha-na.
“Yes, thanks to you waiting for me, Hyun-su.”
Song Ha-na replied with a bright smile.
“Then let’s go.”
“Okay.”
Kang Hyun-su and Song Ha-na headed toward the Third Tutorial’s boss monster.
The boss was the Shadow Lizardman King.
‘A lesser dragon’s still a dragon.’
And it wasn’t alone.
Shadow Lizardman Warriors and Shadow Lizardman Mages swarmed around the Shadow Lizardman King.
‘Before regression, I’d just run like hell whenever one showed up.’
But after regression, things were different.
Kang Hyun-su took the initiative, moving to hunt the stationary Shadow Lizardman King.
“Just handle the runners, Ha-na.”
“Got it.”
Song Ha-na smiled and nodded at his words.
They’d agreed Kang Hyun-su would solo the Shadow Lizardman King.
With her help, the hunt could go faster.
But sharing a soloable boss?
It’d lower the odds of earning achievements.
Song Ha-na had stepped up first, yielding the boss hunt to him.
‘She’s got principles.’
He’d met plenty of unprincipled players in the Third Tutorial.
He’d extended goodwill.
Yet those who received it acted entitled, demanding more from their benefactor Kang Hyun-su as if it were their right.
But Song Ha-na was different.
She knew exactly what help she’d gotten.
She prioritized what would benefit Kang Hyun-su.
After learning about Gluttony’s Sword, she yielded all items from her hunts to him.
She handled foraging for food and setting up camp too.
This boss solo was the same.
She’d proposed it before he even brought it up.
Song Ha-na knew.
That Kang Hyun-su was holding back on boss hunts out of consideration for her.
So she’d yielded the opportunity first.
She also trusted Kang Hyun-su completely.
Enough to disclose her class, stats, and skills fully.
‘And we’ve only been together about a hundred days.’
Song Ha-na offered him total trust and devotion.
‘Shouldn’t trust too easily.’
Before regression, Kang Hyun-su had been betrayed by someone he’d spent far longer with and trusted even more than her.
So he couldn’t fully trust Song Ha-na.
‘Don’t let my guard down.’
Kang Hyun-su steeled himself again and gripped Gluttony’s Sword.
But.
Human emotions can’t be controlled by sheer will.
Unbeknownst to himself,
trust in Song Ha-na was growing in Kang Hyun-su’s heart.
‘Alright, time to go.’
Thud!
Kang Hyun-su charged at the Shadow Lizardmen.
Kieeeek!
The Shadow Lizardman Warriors roared and rushed him.
‘Mooks.’
He’d already wrapped up achievements on these chumps.
Fwoosh!
Flames erupted from his left hand.
Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwang!
Jet-black mana surged from the sword in his right.
Boom!
A massive explosion rent the air, shredding the Lizardman Warriors into dozens of chunks that scattered everywhere.
Kyaaak!
The Shadow Lizardman Mages unleashed attack skills.
Boom! Boom!
But their strikes only hit their own kin, harming no one else.
The formation shattered in seconds, and Kang Hyun-su closed in on the Shadow Lizardman King.
Kyaaang!
The Shadow Lizardman King—over three meters tall—roared in fury and swung its trident at Kang Hyun-su.
The force and mana in that trident were immense.
Yet.
Slash!
As Kang Hyun-su swung his sword, the Shadow Lizardman King’s body split in two along with its trident.
Thud!
The bisected corpse flopped limply to the ground.
Truth be told, the Shadow Lizardman King wasn’t meant for a solo takedown.
With its horde of minions, it required hundreds of players uniting to conquer.
That was the Shadow Lizardman King.
Its combat power could overwhelm even decent parties.
But.
‘Easy.’
To Kang Hyun-su, it was a pushover.
[Boss Monster Shadow Lizardman King has been hunted by a player.]
[Third Tutorial ends in 1 hour.]
A group message appeared.
Then a personal one followed.
[You have achieved something extraordinary.]
[Title: Shadow Lizardman King Solo Raid EX-Rank awarded.]
‘That’s more like it.’
A satisfied smile curved Kang Hyun-su’s lips.
He’d soloed a monster designed for hundreds combining forces.
‘Gotta be worth EX-Rank at least.’
And that wasn’t all his haul.
[Title – Guardian of the Third Tutorial EX-Rank]
His final goal—the Guardian title—had reached EX-Rank.
‘Finishing the Third Tutorial early must count as aiding player survival.’
Or maybe it was just for mass-monster slaying to help players live.
‘Cleanup time.’
Kang Hyun-su dashed toward the Shadow Lizardmen trapped by Song Ha-na, unable to flee or fight back.
The pack didn’t last long before total annihilation.
‘Can’t waste the remaining time. Platoon formation.’
Kang Hyun-su reconfigured his platoon.
Shaaa!
Jet-black mana poured out.
Crack! Crack!
It morphed into a Shadow Lizardman King, Shadow Lizardman Warriors, and Shadow Lizardman Shamans.
‘Stick to the strongest possible.’
He’d have to redo it later anyway.
But for now, this was optimal.
‘Gotta collect the items too.’
Kang Hyun-su infused mana into Gluttony’s Sword, absorbing the scattered loot.
Fortunately, he finished before the hour was up.
Moments later.
[Third Tutorial ends.]
[Moving to Atlantis dimension.]
The message announced the Third Tutorial’s conclusion.
And with it.
Flash!
A brilliant light enveloped Kang Hyun-su and Song Ha-na.
* * *
A vast open field.
Flash! Flash! Flash!
Pure white lights burst forth one after another.
As they faded, players who’d just cleared the Third Tutorial appeared.
“Fuck this! Where the hell are we now?”
“When do we get sent back to Earth, damn it!”
“How long do we have to keep doing this shit!”
Enraged players’ shouts rang in Kang Hyun-su’s ears.
‘We’re back.’
A satisfied smile bloomed on Kang Hyun-su’s face by contrast.
He’d finally returned to the Atlantis dimension—where he’d spent over thirty years before regression, only to meet a miserable end.
‘It’ll be nothing like before.’
Freshly arrived in Atlantis pre-regression, Kang Hyun-su had been just another average survivor.
Despite clearing three Tutorials, he’d only snagged the usual handful of achievements.
No class change, no special skills or items.
But now?
He’d swept every achievement, skill, and stat the Tutorials offered.
Outwardly, he looked no different from any fresh-faced Tutorial grad.
‘But the substance is worlds apart.’
Proof floated before his eyes.
[You have achieved something extraordinary.]
[You have acquired every achievement in the Tutorial.]
[Reward: Title – The One Who Claimed All Tutorial Achievements EX-Rank awarded.]
[You have achieved something extraordinary.]
[You have cleared the Tutorial with record-breaking performance.]
[Reward: Title – The Limit Breaker EX-Rank awarded.]