Chapter 32
Chapter 32
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 32
Chapter Title: Beast King's Gauntlets
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‘Before the regression, I was a swordsman, so it’s not that shocking.’
But he couldn’t tell the Beast King that fact.
Truth be told, compared to pre-regression Kang Hyun-soo, the current Kang Hyun-soo was significantly weaker as a swordsman.
He lacked swordsman-class skills.
He had copied a few swordsman skills using Replica and was in the process of learning them.
But there was a limit to the number of skills Replica could copy.
‘At C-Rank right now, it’s only eight.’
Mana Heart, Skill Enhancement, Stat Fixation, Savage Sense.
These four were fixed.
The other four were currently in temporary use.
If he acquired skills worth fixing in place?
He planned to swap out the other four right away.
‘For now, one will be filled with the Beast King’s skill.’
The skill that boosted all stats by 20% when HP fell below 50%.
Including that, he only had three slots left.
One of those slots was already decided.
It was the Aura skill.
‘The Beast King’s Aura skill can grow up to EX-Rank, but it’s exclusive to martial artists. To play to my strengths, I need a swordsman-exclusive Aura skill.’
Once he filled a slot with an Aura skill?
Only two slots would remain.
‘It’d be good to leave one open to raise Replica’s rank.’
That left just one real slot.
He definitely needed to raise Replica’s rank as soon as possible to increase the available slots.
‘Everything else is great, but this is the one drawback.’
Replica’s sole flaw.
The limited number of skills it could store.
‘It starts with five, but after that, each rank-up only adds one more.’
Even at EX-Rank, it could only hold 14 skills.
‘The best skills only.’
If he had to delete a main skill he’d been leveling up due to lack of space?
It would be a loss for Kang Hyun-soo.
That’s what happened pre-regression.
‘I either didn’t get the essential skills or got them too late.’
But things were different this time.
He’d acquired the must-have essential skills faster than expected and kept raising their ranks.
‘And I need to get that guy’s skill back too.’
1-Second Regressor.
The core skill that enabled his regression.
‘I have to reclaim the 1-Second Regressor for myself.’
And eliminate the player who had it.
‘I don’t want to create a situation where I have to regress again.’
Still, the 1-Second Regressor was essential.
Its cooldown was long, but rewinding to one second ago was a massive advantage in battle.
Without the 1-Second Regressor, Kang Hyun-soo would have died dozens more times pre-regression.
Kang Hyun-soo, Song Ha-na, and the Beast King continued hunting.
As night fell, they returned to the inn, ate dinner, and sparred.
“I lost.”
The sparring result was, as expected, Kang Hyun-soo’s victory.
But the Beast King’s face was full of smiles.
Even though he’d lost the spar, he’d gained a lot.
The victor, Kang Hyun-soo, felt good too.
Not just because he’d won.
‘Finally got it.’
He’d acquired the Beast King’s skill: Savage Fury.
[Savage Fury – F-Rank]
- Passive Skill
- Replica Skill
-When HP falls below 50%, all stats increase by 1%.
‘F-Rank, so the performance is low.’
The Beast King had said it was 20%.
‘That’s because his skill rank is B.’
Rank could be raised.
‘If Savage Fury reaches EX-Rank, the stat amplification will be 45%.’
And if he made the Replica version EX-Rank too?
‘135%.’
From Kang Hyun-soo’s perspective, it was a skill he absolutely couldn’t pass up.
After the spar ended.
Kang Hyun-soo prepared to head out.
“Where are you going?”
Song Ha-na asked with a puzzled look.
“Got something to take care of.”
“Can I come too?”
“Yeah, let’s go together.”
At Song Ha-na’s words, Kang Hyun-soo nodded readily.
“Woo! I’ll get ready right now!”
As the excited Song Ha-na prepared to head out, Kang Hyun-soo spotted the Beast King perking up his ears.
“Want to come along?”
“Huh?”
The Beast King looked flustered at Kang Hyun-soo’s question.
“If not, no worries. You must be tired from hunting and sparring today, so feel free to rest at the inn.”
“Ahem, I’m not that tired. I’ve got good stamina.”
“Then let’s go together.”
“Alright.”
At Kang Hyun-soo’s invitation, the Beast King quickly agreed.
‘Gotta spend some money today.’
Kang Hyun-soo’s outing was for shopping.
The time had come to spend the money he’d won betting on the Beast King.
‘Need to get Song Ha-na a proper B-Rank weapon. And one for the Beast King too.’
Given the Beast King’s personality, if he received expensive gear as a gift?
‘He won’t leave the party until he’s paid off the full value.’
Sparring and gear.
These two would bind the Beast King.
‘And this isn’t the end.’
Just two for now.
‘This is only the beginning. I’ll make sure he never even thinks of leaving the party.’
Oblivious to Kang Hyun-soo’s scheming thoughts, the Beast King excitedly finished preparing to head out.
“What? You’re coming too?”
Song Ha-na asked the Beast King.
“Yeah?”
“Why not rest at the inn?”
“Nah.”
Sparks flew between Song Ha-na and the Beast King again.
‘Why do these two always butt heads?’
Kang Hyun-soo felt frustrated.
He couldn’t figure out why Song Ha-na and the Beast King growled at each other every time they met.
‘It’d be great if they got along.’
If Song Ha-na and the Beast King became friends?
That would be another barrier to the Beast King leaving the party.
‘Some past-life grudge?’
Maybe they’d had bad blood pre-regression.
But.
Post-regression, that hadn’t happened, right?
‘No clue.’
There was that saying: kids grow up fighting.
He could only hope they’d bond through their bickering.
“Let’s go.”
At Kang Hyun-soo’s words, the still-sniping Song Ha-na and Beast King hurried after him.
‘Muran Kingdom excels overall in weapon craftsmanship.’
It had many skilled beastkin craftsmen with dexterous hands and strong beastkin artisans with brute strength. Frequent past wars with Terra Kingdom had spurred weapon development.
‘There were even artisans capable of S-Rank weapon forging.’
As a result, Muran Kingdom offered weapons from F-Rank to A-Rank in all varieties, at prices relatively cheaper than other countries.
Kang Hyun-soo, Song Ha-na, and the Beast King entered a weapon shop.
‘They don’t mess around with prices here.’
It was a place he’d frequented even pre-regression whenever visiting Gula; fair prices and good quality.
“This place?”
The Beast King looked slightly surprised.
“You know it?”
The Beast King nodded at Kang Hyun-soo’s question.
“It’s the most honest shop in Gula. Great quality weapons and armor, so I’m a regular too.”
Kang Hyun-soo looked relieved at the Beast King’s answer.
‘Was a bit worried since my last visit pre-regression was about ten years from now.’
No need to worry, apparently.
“Pick out a weapon.”
At Kang Hyun-soo’s words, Song Ha-na’s eyes went wide.
“Huh? We’re here for my weapon?”
“Promised I’d get you one. Pick a B-Rank.”
Song Ha-na’s face lit up.
But she looked a bit guilty too.
“Still, that money we earned together. Buying just my weapon...”
“It’s fine. I use a lot of the items we get from hunts anyway.”
Due to Gluttony Sword and Guardian Ring, Kang Hyun-soo often claimed weapons and defensive skillbooks from hunts.
“Got it. Thanks.”
Song Ha-na beamed and headed to the B-Rank weapons section.
But she didn’t go quietly.
She shot the Beast King a smug sneer that even Kang Hyun-soo found obnoxious.
“Eek!”
The Beast King bit his lower lip.
He wanted to snap back.
But she’d only smirked while walking away.
Nothing to call her out on.
Then.
“By the way, Jupi, anything you need?”
Kang Hyun-soo asked the Beast King.
Song Ha-na’s face twisted, while the Beast King’s lit up.
“You buying for me too?”
“We’re in the same party. Better to equip good items and boost our full power.”
“W-Well, there is something I want, but it’s too expensive.”
The Beast King had bet his entire fortune on his own martial tournament matches.
He could do it because he trusted his skills.
But his principal was too small, so even multiplying it dozens of times didn’t amount to much.
“Truth is, with the bigger payout this time, there was something I wanted to buy...”
The Beast King fidgeted his ears and trailed off.
Worried it might sound like he was blaming Kang Hyun-soo.
“Thanks to you, I made a ton, so I’ll buy it for you.”
“No need to buy it outright! Let me borrow it! I’ll pay you back for sure!”
The Beast King startled and shouted at Kang Hyun-soo’s words.
“Thanks to this guy, I made big money? What’s that supposed to mean?”
Song Ha-na cut in.
“Ah, well.”
Cold sweat trickled down Kang Hyun-soo’s back.
He hadn’t wanted Song Ha-na to know about the betting at the martial arena.
From his perspective, with pre-regression knowledge, betting his fortune on the Beast King made sense.
But from Song Ha-na’s view?
It’d look like gambling his entire fortune on an unpredictable fight.
‘Plus, the bet included Song Ha-na’s share.’
If it came out that he’d blown the money she entrusted to him on gambling?
His trustworthiness would plummet.
“I bet my share on Jupi winning the martial tournament.”
In the end, Kang Hyun-soo chose to lie.
“Really? How much did you make?”
“About seven times?”
“Not bad. But isn’t that gambling? Like Toto back on Earth. What if you lost it all?”
“Jupi’s won every martial tournament he’s entered so far. I trusted that.”
Song Ha-na narrowed her eyes at Kang Hyun-soo’s words.
“I made bank because you trusted me. I bet my whole fortune on my own win.”
The Beast King boasted proudly.
“Still gambling. Jupi could lose.”
“Me? Lose?”
“Yeah, you tied with me and got crushed by Hyun-soo. How can you trust that level of skill?”
Crunch!
The Beast King ground his teeth.
“Let’s spar again when we get back. This time, we settle who’s stronger for good.”
“Fine by me.”
Sparks flew from Song Ha-na and the Beast King’s eyes again.
“Hey, hey, calm down and pick your items.”
At Kang Hyun-soo’s mediation, Song Ha-na and the Beast King whipped their heads toward him in unison.
“What if you’d really lost everything? You should’ve entered yourself.”
“I can’t. Only Muran Kingdom citizens can enter the martial tournament.”
“That’s not the point. What were you gonna do if you lost all your money?”
“......”
Song Ha-na’s grilling left Kang Hyun-soo speechless.
From his view, it was a calculated choice knowing the future, but he couldn’t reveal that.
“Well, I didn’t bet your money, so we could’ve lived off that, right? That’s what you trusted?”
Kang Hyun-soo nodded hesitantly at Song Ha-na’s words.
“Don’t do it again. Get hooked on gambling, and you’re ruined.”
With that short warning, Song Ha-na returned to browsing weapons.
‘I’ll take the fact that I bet her share to my grave.’
Revealing it would tank his trust instantly.
‘Gotta hide future bets from Song Ha-na too.’
No way he wanted to be labeled a gambling addict.
Song Ha-na browsed her main swords like a fish in water.
Meanwhile, the Beast King headed straight to one spot, like he’d already eyed a specific item.
‘Regular, huh? Guess he’d scoped out an item here in advance.’
Kang Hyun-soo followed the Beast King.
Curious what item he’d been itching to buy.
‘It better be useful.’
If it wasn’t that great?
He’d try to dissuade him.
“This one!”
The Beast King picked out red-tinted leather gloves.
Holes at the finger parts, covering only parts of the fingers, back of the hand, and palm.
‘Looks like sports gloves.’
Kang Hyun-soo checked the gloves’ item info.