Chapter 150
Chapter 150
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 150
Chapter Title: Mad Blood Witch
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“Couldn’t you help these people? I’m begging you.”
Unable to reach an agreement with the tanker player, the Mad Blood Witch approached Kang Hyun-soo and made her plea.
“Ah, that crazy bitch.”
The tanker player cursed at the Mad Blood Witch like that.
“Then, could you grant me one request?”
“Yes, I’ll do it!”
“Could you open your status window for me?”
At Kang Hyun-soo’s question.
“Sure.”
The Mad Blood Witch permitted it without even a second’s hesitation.
“Why the hell would you reveal that!”
Instead, the tanker player who had just been arguing with her jumped in, horrified.
A status window was everything to a player.
That was why no one revealed it unless they trusted the other person with their life.
“Then are you just going to die here?”
With that shout, the Mad Blood Witch revealed her status window.
‘Her level is lower than I thought.’
The Mad Blood Witch’s level was 735.
She could be called a high-level player.
But she was far from named player level.
Her main skills were the same.
‘Only S~SS-Rank, at best.’
The silver lining, at least.
As a summoner-type player, her strength, agility, and stamina weren’t particularly high, but her most crucial mana and mental stats exceeded 4,000.
Even that, though.
‘It’s just decent for her level.’
Player standards had risen a lot lately.
At level 700, with S~SS-Rank main skills and main stats in the 4,000s.
‘She’s barely mid-to-low tier among high-level players.’
If he coldly evaluated the Mad Blood Witch’s status window?
She was roughly on par with the mid-level captain-class summons Kang Hyun-soo possessed.
‘So how the hell did she handle two orc chieftains on her own?’
Even top named players wouldn’t find that easy.
‘She definitely has an out-of-spec skill among her mains.’
Otherwise?
There was no way she could achieve this kind of efficiency.
‘Is this the skill from the guy called humanity’s strongest player and humanity’s disaster?’
Showing this much efficiency despite being only S~SS-Rank.
If it reached EX-Rank?
‘She’d become a transcendent being like before the regression.’
Good thing he met her first.
‘If I dump all unallocated stats into mental, success rate is 100%.’
Kang Hyun-soo concentrated his unallocated stats into mental.
Then he used the stat fixation skill.
‘Marionette.’
He cast the SSS-Rank skill Marionette.
[Psychic domination skill Marionette – SSS-Rank is being cast.]
[Half of your mana stat is permanently lost.]
[The target player fails to resist psychic domination skill Marionette – SSS-Rank.]
[Player Sakazaki Yuka is designated as the caster’s marionette.]
[The number of players that can be designated as marionettes decreases from 9 to 8.]
‘So this is what it’s like?’
Having cast the Marionette skill for the first time, Kang Hyun-soo felt a familiar yet awkward sensation.
‘It’s similar to summons but different.’
He felt as if he and Mad Blood Witch Sakazaki Yuka were bound together by an invisible thread.
‘I think I get the gist of how to use it.’
Using this invisible thread?
He could induce the thoughts or emotions he wanted in Mad Blood Witch Sakazaki Yuka.
‘Favor, trust.’
Kang Hyun-soo set the emotions Mad Blood Witch Sakazaki Yuka would feel toward him.
‘No idea how effective it’ll be.’
But if he observed over time.
‘He’d find out.’
He planned to operate in the Frank Kingdom for the time being anyway.
He had plenty of time.
“Now help us!”
The Mad Blood Witch boldly requested Kang Hyun-soo’s aid.
“Understood. Follow me.”
Kang Hyun-soo led the Mad Blood Witch’s party and the people they were protecting, breaking through the orcs’ encirclement and pushing forward.
Kuerer!
“Humans!”
“Kill them!”
Orcs charged from all directions wherever they went.
Whoosh!
The moment Kang Hyun-soo swung his sword once.
Slash! Slash!
They turned into cold corpses as soon as they appeared.
-Retreat.
At Kang Hyun-soo’s command, the summons battling the orcs swiftly pulled back.
Thanks to that, the Mad Blood Witch’s party didn’t notice the summons’ presence.
They just thought the battles inside the metropolis were ongoing nonstop.
Under Kang Hyun-soo’s protection, the Mad Blood Witch’s group finally escaped the border metropolis unharmed.
“Thank you! Thank you so much!”
“We’re saved now!”
“What a relief!”
Having escaped the orc-infested metropolis, the Mad Blood Witch’s party and the people they protected thanked Kang Hyun-soo in unison.
“But isn’t this the opposite direction from the border?”
“We were planning to leave the Frank Kingdom—what do we do now?”
To flee the orc-occupied Frank Kingdom and cross into another country?
They had to pass through the border metropolis they’d just barely escaped.
The Mad Blood Witch’s party and the people they protected looked at Kang Hyun-soo with eyes full of expectation.
‘Human selfishness is unavoidable, huh?’
He had just saved their lives when they were surrounded by orcs, not knowing when death would come.
Now they were demanding, as if it were natural, that he escort them safely to another country.
“For now, wait here a moment.”
“Huh? Where are you going?”
“Are you abandoning us?”
“If orcs show up, we’re all dead!”
The Mad Blood Witch’s party members and civilians shouted at Kang Hyun-soo with resentful glares.
“My comrades are still back there. There don’t seem to be any orc groups nearby for now, so just hold out a bit.”
“But what if an orc group appears?”
“What if another massive orc legion shows up!”
Kang Hyun-soo frowned at the shouts from the Mad Blood Witch’s party and the civilians.
‘Why are they so selfish and foolish?’
Didn’t they realize that attitudes and words like that.
‘Would make even someone trying to help out of pure goodwill run away?’
They weren’t idiots.
Their reason was just paralyzed by the fear of death.
“Got it. Go ahead. I can recover some mana and hold out for a while.”
Then the Mad Blood Witch stepped forward to back Kang Hyun-soo’s words.
She was the only one among those he’d helped who didn’t shoot him a resentful look.
‘Is it the Marionette skill effect, or does the Mad Blood Witch really have a good heart?’
It had to be the former.
But for some reason, he thought it might be the latter.
“Golem creation.”
Rumble!
The Mad Blood Witch summoned a mud golem.
“If no fighting breaks out, it’ll last over an hour. So hurry and get your comrades.”
At the Mad Blood Witch’s words.
“Understood. I’ll be off.”
Kang Hyun-soo departed.
‘Let’s handle this as fast as possible.’
Returning to the border metropolis, Kang Hyun-soo sought out orcs of great warrior rank and above.
In truth, he didn’t need to go fetch Song Hana and Tu Huang.
He’d just said that as an excuse to re-enter the metropolis.
‘Divine stat accumulation happens automatically, but only I can make summons.’
Song Hana, Tu Huang, and the other summons were mercilessly sweeping through orc groups.
Naturally, divine stat accumulation continued at this very moment.
But turning dead great warriors and above into summons was something only Kang Hyun-soo could do.
‘The others aren’t worth much.’
From orc great warriors, classified as upper demons, he had to make them summons without fail.
‘Humanoid summons with upper demon-level power are rare.’
While blocking the orc legion’s invasion, Kang Hyun-soo planned to upgrade his summons’ quality as a bonus.
The Mad Blood Witch variable had forced him to step away briefly.
But that didn’t mean.
‘He could pass up this golden opportunity.’
The party members and civilians they protected didn’t seem likely to flee elsewhere in fear.
‘Even if they move, I can just track them.’
With Marionette applied, he could always pinpoint the Mad Blood Witch’s location.
* * *
“Just who the hell is that guy?”
Tanker player Hayato muttered with a stiff expression.
“Probably a named player.”
Healer player Brad replied indifferently.
“Yeah, figures. But was there a named player who uses blood-red aura and wears full black armor?”
“Well, we don’t know every named player. And he might just be hiding his identity under full plate.”
“True enough.”
“Or he could be named player strength without the title yet. Yuka’s the same way.”
When the melee dealer player mentioned golem sorceress Yuka, tanker player Hayato’s face hardened.
“Yuka’s level is still too low. She’s far from named player status.”
“For players, skill matters more than level. Purely on skill, Yuka’s more than named player material. That guy just now only asked to see your status window, Yuka. Why? He’s scouting you because you’re that good.”
“Scouting? For real?”
Golem sorceress Yuka asked, surprised.
“From what I saw, definitely. Named players are usually in big guilds anyway. If a scouting offer comes, at least hear the terms.”
“Terms?”
“Yeah, like gear support or funding. With your skills, Yuka, you could get great…….”
“Big guilds aren’t always good.”
Tanker player Hayato cut off healer player Brad.
“One wrong move and it’s like signing a slave contract. Plus, we don’t even know if that guy’s good or bad.”
“He didn’t seem bad. He saved us, after all.”
Golem sorceress Yuka defended Kang Hyun-soo.
At that, tanker player Hayato’s face twisted fiercely.
“He didn’t just save us. He saw your status window.”
“So what? From what Brad said, it doesn’t seem bad.”
“Have you forgotten how important a status window is?”
“I know, but if it’s for scouting…….”
“You show skill in guild trials, not your status window. So never show it to anyone else from now on. Got it?”
At tanker player Hayato’s overbearing words.
“Got it. Sorry, my bad.”
Golem sorceress Yuka bowed her head and apologized.
“Be careful from now on. This is all for your sake. Whenever you act alone, it never ends well. Right?”
“Yeah, but.”
“You’re too naive about the world. Like a kid left by the roadside. We promised to consult me on everything before deciding, no matter what. Why do you keep doing this?”
“Sorry. I won’t anymore.”
“I only worry about you, so why do you always let emotions lead?”
“Sorry.”
“At least from now on…… be careful.”
“Yeah, I will.”
After lecturing her at length, tanker player Hayato fell into thought.
‘He’s probably scouting Yuka, yeah?’
That was a problem.
‘That idiot Brad put ideas in her head.’
The guy always picked the most annoying behaviors.
He wanted to kick him out right then.
‘But he’s a healer.’
Healers were valuable.
If he wanted, he could join a big guild anytime.
If not for Gold Road Merchant Alliance’s damage insurance sales cutting Brad’s cash flow?
If Brad didn’t hate being tied to a guild?
He never would’ve joined tanker player Hayato’s small party.
‘I have to protect her no matter what.’
Golem sorceress Yuka handled over 80% of the party’s firepower.
If she left?
‘The party’s done for.’
Firepower would plummet.
‘Hunting speed would drop to half of half.’
And that wasn’t all.
‘We’d have to lower the dungeon level too.’
Then?
Tanker player Hayato’s party could no longer grow quickly.
His hard-recruited members might all leave.
“Yuka, remember our promise? No matter the hardship or adversity, we stick together to the end.”
Tanker player Hayato reined in golem sorceress Yuka once more.
“Yeah! We will!”
Golem sorceress Yuka smiled brightly and replied.
‘I need to tell the guildmates to watch their mouths too.’
Not sure how effective it’d be.
But he had to try.
Especially.
‘I have to shut Brad’s mouth for sure.’
Tanker player Hayato energetically chewed them out, launching into party member mental training.