Chapter 21
Chapter 21
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: Trash Cleanup (3)
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“What the hell is this?”
Oh Deok-gu’s face twisted in utter dismay.
It was because of Kang Hyun-soo’s summons that had suddenly appeared the moment he thought he had won.
“What are those?”
“They’re not human, are they?”
“I’ve never seen monsters like that before.”
The elites of Geo Guild and the human hunters were thrown into considerable confusion by the sudden emergence of these new enemies.
At that moment.
“Kill them all.”
Kang Hyun-soo issued his command.
Thud thud thud thud!
In that instant, the 150 summons drew their respective weapons and charged toward the Geo Guild elites and human hunters.
Kwaaaang!
With a massive explosion, the summons barreled forward like a stampede of enraged bulls, smashing head-on into the Geo Guild elites and human hunters.
“Aaack!”
“Spare me!”
“Fight back!”
“They’re not that strong!”
pandemonium unfolded.
“Damn it all!”
Oh Deok-gu spat curses as he swung his sword.
‘What the hell are these things?’
They weren’t human, nor were they monsters.
Inanimate objects made of mana.
Yet they wielded weapons like players and used skills.
The one silver lining.
‘They’re not immortal like undead.’
A strong hit would damage their bodies, and eventually, they would dissipate.
Their skill levels weren’t that high either.
At best, on par with the human hunters.
The problem was.
‘There’s too damn many of them.’
A full 150 troops.
The number of human hunters, who were of similar strength, was dwindling rapidly.
Oh Deok-gu and the Geo Guild elites were giving it their all.
But they were hopelessly outnumbered.
‘I need to kill that guy.’
Oh Deok-gu glared at Kang Hyun-soo, the one responsible for summoning this mystery force.
‘Kill him, and it’s over.’
Oh Deok-gu gathered all his mana and activated his B-Rank attack skill, Coiling Thunderbolt.
Pzzzzzt!
His tangible mana transformed into violet lightning, enveloping his body.
Coiling Thunderbolt was a rare lightning-based skill, Oh Deok-gu’s signature move.
Kwaaaang!
Oh Deok-gu’s body shot forward like a bullet toward the encirclement of summons.
Attacks rained down on him from all sides.
Kwachik!
Slash!
Oh Deok-gu blocked some summon attacks with his Coiling Thunderbolt, dodged others, and pushed through.
And the result.
‘I broke through.’
He had sustained some minor wounds.
But he had pierced the summons’ encirclement.
‘You’re done for.’
Oh Deok-gu grinned wickedly as he charged at Kang Hyun-soo.
Pzzzzzt!
Oh Deok-gu swung his sword, now cloaked in violet lightning, at Kang Hyun-soo.
At that moment.
“Platoon formation.”
Kang Hyun-soo’s words echoed out.
Shaaaa!
A new summon materialized, based on the Geo Guild elites who had fallen in the battle so far.
Puuung!
A summon wielding a massive shield blocked Oh Deok-gu’s attack.
From behind the shield-bearing summon, spear-wielding ones lunged at Oh Deok-gu.
“What the hell?”
Oh Deok-gu’s face filled with bewilderment and despair.
More summons had suddenly appeared.
That much he could understand.
The issue was that these new summons were far stronger than the ones he had just taken down.
And it didn’t end there.
‘This battle formation…’
It was the one he had taught his elite guild members.
Fwoosh!
A spear wreathed in blue flames shot toward him at lightning speed.
Pang!
‘That’s Byung-soo’s main skill, isn’t it?’
The familiar battle formation and coordinated strikes.
The successive appearance of familiar skills.
“No way?”
Only then did he notice the summons’ armaments and builds.
‘Byung-soo, Jin-ho, Sang-min.’
Except for being made of pitch-black mana.
‘They’re identical.’
Kang Hyun-soo’s summons looked eerily just like the Geo Guild elites.
Realizing that his own subordinates had become Kang Hyun-soo’s summons, Oh Deok-gu’s face contorted in mad rage.
“You bastard!”
Oh Deok-gu roared in fury and broke through the summons toward Kang Hyun-soo.
He sustained wounds during the breakthrough that were severe enough to be called life-threatening, but he didn’t care.
“Die!”
Oh Deok-gu swung his sword at Kang Hyun-soo with eyes blazing with madness.
At that moment.
Slash!
Kang Hyun-soo’s sword severed Oh Deok-gu’s right arm.
“Urk!”
Searing pain hit him as he lost his right arm, and Oh Deok-gu’s body staggered off-balance.
Slash!
In that instant, Kang Hyun-soo’s sword sliced off both of Oh Deok-gu’s legs.
Splurt!
Red blood sprayed like a fountain from the cleanly severed gaps in his armor.
Thud!
Having lost his right arm and both legs, Oh Deok-gu’s body collapsed limply to the ground.
“You son of a bitch!”
Oh Deok-gu glared at Kang Hyun-soo with bloodshot eyes.
If looks could kill?
Oh Deok-gu would have turned Kang Hyun-soo into a corpse a hundred times over.
But Oh Deok-gu had no power to kill with a glare.
“Looks like Geo Guild is done for today.”
At Kang Hyun-soo’s words, Oh Deok-gu shed bloody tears.
He never dreamed the kingdom he had built over a lifetime would crumble so absurdly.
“But don’t worry too much. Even if Geo Guild vanishes, you and your guild members won’t.”
“What? W-what do you mean?”
“I’m giving you all—who’ve been human scum up until now—a chance at atonement.”
“Is that for real?”
Oh Deok-gu’s eyes, filled with resentment and rage, gleamed.
His right arm and legs were gone.
But there was still hope.
Healers.
A high-level healer’s heal skill?
Could reattach severed limbs no problem.
His dead subordinates?
They were just somewhat useful consumables anyway.
He could raise more.
‘If I survive, I can make a comeback.’
No, not just a comeback—revenge too.
“I’ll devote my everything to a life of atonement. I’ll pay back every evil deed I’ve committed.”
“Good. That’s exactly what’ll happen.”
Oh Deok-gu’s face brightened at Kang Hyun-soo’s words.
“Thank you for the chance.”
Hearing Oh Deok-gu’s response, Kang Hyun-soo smiled coldly and spoke.
“No need to thank me. I should be the one thanking you. Among all the materials I’ve gathered so far, you’re the highest-quality top-grade one.”
“What do you—”
Oh Deok-gu’s face filled with confusion.
Puuk!
In that instant, Kang Hyun-soo’s sword pierced Oh Deok-gu’s heart.
“From now on, you’ll live a life of eternal atonement as my summon.”
Hearing those words, Oh Deok-gu’s face twisted in rage and hatred.
“You filthy dog…”
But he didn’t even finish his sentence before his breath cut off.
“Platoon summon.”
Kang Hyun-soo turned Oh Deok-gu into a new summon.
“Go.”
At Kang Hyun-soo’s command, the newly reborn summon—Oh Deok-gu—charged at his former subordinates.
* * *
‘Got a ton of loot.’
High-quality items to upgrade the rank of Devouring Sword.
Skill books: keep the useful ones, sell the rest for cash.
And.
[You have achieved something remarkable.]
[Title granted: Slayer of a Player Far Above Your Level (D-Rank). Differing by 300+ levels.]
[You have achieved something remarkable.]
[Title granted: Guardian of the Beginner Hunting Grounds (SSS-Rank).]
Achievements.
As if to prove Geo Guild’s evils, Guardian of the Beginner Hunting Grounds had even grown two ranks.
‘But the best reward is these guys.’
Kang Hyun-soo looked at his newly reformed platoon of 150.
The quality of his summons had improved dramatically.
‘Ones based on Oh Deok-gu and the Geo Guild elites can be recycled for a while.’
Summons destroyed in battle could be revived endlessly.
But until now, Kang Hyun-soo had opted to create new ones.
Reviving a destroyed summon consumed stats just like creating a fresh one.
In other words, the cost was the same either way.
‘From now on, focus on quality.’
High-level summons: revive and reuse even after destruction.
Low-level ones: keep replacing with higher-level versions.
This way, Kang Hyun-soo could grow stronger endlessly.
“Hyun-soo, I’ve picked mine.”
Just then, Song Ha-na spoke, and Kang Hyun-soo turned his head.
Song Ha-na had taken a single sword, a suit of armor, and an accessory.
“That enough for you?”
The items looted from this battle were beyond imagination in quantity.
Song Ha-na had picked just one weapon, one armor, and one accessory.
“They’re better than what I had before.”
Kang Hyun-soo checked the info on Song Ha-na’s choices.
All C-Rank.
“Use them for now.”
Song Ha-na had played a major role in this battle.
She deserved commensurate reward.
A C-Rank sword, leather armor, and accessory weren’t enough for what she’d done.
“I’ll get you B-Rank gear with the money from selling skill books.”
Kang Hyun-soo planned to use all the battle loot to grow Devouring Sword.
Since he was monopolizing the items, giving her the profits from skill books was only fair.
‘Even then, she’s still losing out.’
Skill books dropped one per defeated player.
And they ranged from C-Rank to F-Rank, all over the place.
Items, meanwhile: each player carried at least three, up to six or seven.
Most were D to C-Rank.
Even accounting for Kang Hyun-soo’s greater contributions, the loot split was lopsided.
But.
“Thank you for looking out for me.”
Song Ha-na thanked him instead.
And she meant it.
She knew she had survived the tutorial and grown this fast thanks to Kang Hyun-soo.
‘Without his help, I’d be dead already.’
Not just surviving—she’d grown this strong under his aid and consideration.
If she were some arrogant type living off her own hype?
She might’ve forgotten that favor long ago.
But Song Ha-na wasn’t like that.
She was one of those rare humans with proper character, even back in modern times or in Atlantis dimension.
‘I need to get stronger.’
Watching Kang Hyun-soo grow rapidly, Song Ha-na felt a faint unease.
Fear that he might abandon her someday.
In this unfamiliar place, Kang Hyun-soo was the only one she could truly trust and rely on.
And now he commanded 150 summons under him.
If he grew even stronger?
If his summons increased further?
He might not need someone like Song Ha-na anymore.
‘I don’t want that.’
She didn’t want to become unnecessary.
Didn’t want to be discarded.
She’d had enough of that pain from her family.
As Song Ha-na thought those thoughts.
Kang Hyun-soo was thinking something similar.
‘Can’t let Song Ha-na slip away.’
Her growth speed was downright terrifying.
Especially after this battle—her level and skill ranks had surged.
‘Gotta reward her properly. If time passes like this, she might leave me.’
Combining his pre- and post-regression experiences, Song Ha-na had the highest talent and growth rate of any player he’d seen.
Yet she trusted him enough to share her status window and yield items.
But how long that trust would last was anyone’s guess.
‘Humans are selfish creatures.’
Kang Hyun-soo fundamentally didn’t trust human goodwill.
He’d believed in one once, pre-regression, and lost his life for it.
That’s why he couldn’t trust humans anymore.