Chapter 84
Chapter 84
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 84
Chapter Title: 23. Blockhead (3)
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This time, it was entirely thanks to the Gyeongbuk Swordsmanship.
The fact that Young-woo could apply Pain Infliction even with his own blood.
「Golden Punishment」 - Legendary Bracelet
【Inflicts pain on enemies.】
This special function of Golden Punishment only activated when the owner's weapon or body made direct contact with the opponent.
Or at least, that's what he'd thought until now.
‘Well, blood is part of my body, after all.’
During the second attack on Kim Tae-jun, the Gyeongbuk Swordsmanship hadn't issued the next guide because that itself was the countermeasure.
To apply Pain Infliction to Kim Tae-jun, protected by his granite exoskeleton, the only way was to let Young-woo's blood seep into the cracks in his shell.
It was a tactic that would normally amount to suicide...
But for Young-woo, it was a clever ploy with a real chance of pulling off while still alive.
「Slime's Core」 - Mutation Bracelet
【Dramatically increases regeneration.】
After all, he was the owner of a bracelet that could even reattach a body torn to shreds.
Of course, if Kim Tae-jun had crushed Young-woo's head first, the outcome would have been very different.
‘But it worked. I survived again.’
A key feature of major regional swordsmanship like Gyeongbuk was that it devised tactics taking into account the traits of the title holder's other equipment.
And that feature meshed perfectly with Young-woo, who had low stats but possessed a multitude of gear.
Even Jo Sang-ik, whose stats were in the thousands, hadn't been able to land any meaningful blow on Kim Tae-jun.
“......”
As the sky cracked open at the whistle's call and the surroundings lost their color saturation, Young-woo turned his head to check on Jo Sang-ik.
Just then, he spotted the man running over from afar.
‘Oh no, don't tell me.’
Young-woo bulged his eyes, thinking his worst-case scenario—Jo Sang-ik's betrayal—had finally come true.
That's why he'd called Young-tae as a precaution.
But in reality.
“H-Hey! Are you okay?”
Jo Sang-ik's only purpose was to check on Young-woo's well-being.
More precisely, to ask for advice on how to deal with Kim Tae-jun, who had suddenly started writhing in pain.
“...Yes. I'm fine. I'll be able to move after a short rest.”
Young-woo answered like this, but Jo Sang-ik looked utterly unconvinced.
“A short... rest?”
And understandably so—visually, Young-woo's ribs were shattered to pieces, and the state of his internals looked far from normal.
“Yes. Just a short rest. And my friend will buy us that time.”
Young-woo tilted his chin toward the sky.
Right on cue, a thunderous roar echoed from the end of the heavens.
「Yaaaaah!」
The former mutant, Hong Young-tae, had returned to this world.
Screeeeech, boooom!
With a deafening landing that unleashed another asphalt storm sweeping the area, Young-woo felt an unexpected surge of emotion as Jo Sang-ik shielded him from the debris with his own body.
“V-Vice Minister.”
“...It's just basic manners.”
As the black storm passed, another nameplate lit up amid the settling dust.
Shooo!
[Jeong Young-woo07's Friend - Hong Young-tae]
“Is that... the friend you mentioned?”
“Yes.”
No sooner had Young-woo spoken than the nameplate flickered, and Young-tae pushed through the dust cloud with his hand.
Thud, thump!
His footsteps carried a weight rivaling Kim Tae-jun's.
And the body that soon emerged was on nearly the same level.
Hong Young-tae. Three meters tall, a massive beastman with a hyena's head.
「Huuuup...!」
Young-tae took a deep breath the moment his feet hit the ground.
Having spent eons in the Returner's room, this summoning felt like a dream come true.
Then.
「Huh...? Kim Tae-jun?」
He spotted a creature at eye level and widened his eyes in surprise.
Because it was a granite giant?
No.
Young-tae knew VC Soft's Kim Tae-jun well.
Young-tae's other name was BJ Ppagle.
As a once-infamous internet streamer, he was intimately familiar with gaming world icons like Kim Tae-jun.
「Why the hell is Kim Tae-jun here?」
As he asked this, Young-tae belatedly noticed Young-woo on the ground.
「Why are you always in such a messed-up state?」
A line from Young-tae that sparked all sorts of imaginations in Jo Sang-ik.
Young-woo barely propped up his upper body and gave his friend an order.
“Forget worrying about me. Block that guy.”
The 'that guy' Young-woo pointed to was Kim Tae-jun, gritting his teeth and swinging a fist their way.
He was still under the effects of Pain Infliction, but it wasn't enough to completely halt his fighting ability.
Whiiiish!
A grayish-white trail cut through the air with a heavy whoosh, and Young-tae panicked, wrapping his arms around Kim Tae-jun's torso.
Crunch!
「What the fuck? Teacher, why are you doing this!」
He twisted his long snout to look at Young-woo.
Wondering if he was just supposed to block this mutant or fight to kill.
“Can you win? But we can't kill him. I'd like to recruit him if possible.”
At Young-woo's order, Young-tae flashed his signature wicked grin.
「Ah, a potential new friend, huh.」
Of course, it was just their hope.
Before Young-tae's smile could fade, Kim Tae-jun drove a fist into his snout.
Splat!
「Urk!」
And again.
Crack!
This time, an uppercut slammed into Young-tae's jaw.
「You motherfucker...!」
Enraged, Young-tae growled and assumed a grappling stance with both arms, but the next result was.
Thwack!
Kim Tae-jun's straight punch landed perfectly, as if to show off.
The attack target had shifted from Young-woo to Young-tae, normalizing Kim Tae-jun's sensory stats.
「What the hell? How's a gaming nerd this good at fighting?」
Thud!
Unlike Young-tae, who flailed with raw strength, Kim Tae-jun landed precise hits despite his immense agony.
Thump!
“This is bad—your friend might go down first.”
Frustrated, Jo Sang-ik drew his curved sword to join, but.
Clang!
Young-woo, who had barely been sitting up, reached out and recalled Underdog.
“Help out once Kim Tae-jun starts focusing on me.”
Meaning join after Sensory Theft activated, but Jo Sang-ik was too busy staring at Young-woo's now-pristine body.
“How is this possible? You don't even look human...”
Before he could finish, Young-woo's figure shot forward.
Flash!
“...Ugh!”
His body wasn't fully recovered, sending twisting pain through him, but Young-woo had no choice but to endure.
Kim Tae-jun, pounding on Young-tae right there, was enduring far worse.
He refused to lose mentally.
“Kim Tae-jun!”
At Young-woo's call, Kim Tae-jun, smashing Young-tae's snout, turned with a startled face.
Not from Young-woo's rapid recovery or the golden glow tracing his temples.
But from the sheer absurdity of Jeong Young-woo attaching 'ssi' to his name even now.
Whether it was a rigid concept or habit.
「What a stubborn bastard.」
Kim Tae-jun released Young-tae as if ready to finish things, and a golden warning flashed in Young-woo's vision.
「Sensory stat temporarily increased from 600 to 2,144.」
Kim Tae-jun was targeting Young-woo again.
Which meant.
“Young-tae! Now's the time!”
Kim Tae-jun's senses were halved.
Whiiiish!
A granite fist flew at Young-woo, and the Gyeongbuk Swordsmanship hologram appeared.
This guide was a side dodge followed by counterattack—not suicide.
Judging that Kim Tae-jun's combat power had dropped enough for an opening.
And indeed.
Taat!
As Young-woo dodged to the side, Young-tae's claws sank into Kim Tae-jun's waist.
Crunch!
“...Urk.”
Kim Tae-jun groaned at Young-tae's first solid hit.
Not from pain, but realizing this hyena's attacks could damage his granite exoskeleton.
「What is this? It actually penetrates?」
Perhaps because they were both mutants.
Young-tae's claws pierced the granite shell like cardboard, something no ordinary weapon could scratch.
And Young-woo's follow-up.
Slash!
Underdog sliced Kim Tae-jun's thick forearm—not deep, but enough to chip fragments.
“...!”
A few more exchanges like this, and they might breach that sturdy shell.
「N-No way. How...?」
Terror spread across Kim Tae-jun's face, his conclusion no different.
At this rate, he wouldn't just fail to check on his family—he'd be unilaterally pummeled into oblivion since the reset began.
「You fucking...! What the hell did I do to deserve this?」
Certainty of physical superiority gone, rage filled the void.
He had truly become a mutant in every sense.
Even so, the Gyeongbuk Swordsmanship treated him as human and scattered hologram guides.
Vwoooosh!
A granite hand tore through the air viciously.
Young-woo followed the hologram and retreated behind, as Young-tae lunged like lightning and bit into Kim Tae-jun's forearm.
Chomp!
Like the claws, the fangs sank deep, tearing out a chunk of granite.
For the first time, something other than grayish-white stone emerged from Kim Tae-jun's body.
It was.
Hiiiiss...!
Pure white steam. Or something resembling steam.
“Huh?”
「Huh!」
As white steam gushed from the torn forearm, Kim Tae-jun's rampaging energy rapidly drained.
Thud!
Enough to make him unwittingly plop down on his ass.
So this must be.
‘Blood? Some kind of power source?’
To think the inside of that tough shell was filled with mere gas...
Whatever it was, if it all leaked out, Kim Tae-jun would surely vanish.
「Uh, uh, what's happening?」
Young-tae belatedly clamped the forearm with his hand, but couldn't fully stop the leak.
“Tae-jun-ssi!”
Young-woo dropped his sword and approached, and Kim Tae-jun twisted the muscles of his granite-covered face.
「Cut it with the Tae-jun-ssi crap. We're not even close.」
Yet he didn't attack Young-woo with his still-intact other arm.
He knew the fight was decided, just as Young-woo had said at the start.
「So I really was just a raid monster...? Why's the world like this? Shouldn't you guys be the ones punished?」
Kim Tae-jun muttered to himself.
Young-woo glanced at the half-destroyed right arm and replied.
“I don't know if it's enough punishment, but everyone's living in a hellish world. Your family too, CEO... no, Tae-jun-ssi.”
「You little shit.」
As Kim Tae-jun flared up at the family mention, Young-woo pulled out the epic fountain pen 'Wanted Poster' from his pocket.
“With this, I can find anyone you want. If they're alive, that is.”
Meaning he had the power to locate the family Kim Tae-jun so desperately sought.
Including whether they lived or died.
Kim Tae-jun's boiling voice subsided slightly.
「So in exchange, you want me to go into that whistle? Like that guy?」
He glanced at Young-tae, who grinned with his elongated snout.
“Yes. It's the only choice left for you, CEO.”
As Young-woo said, Kim Tae-jun had few options now.
Vanish like this, or become Young-woo's 'friend' to at least preserve his existence.
「......」
Hiiiiss!
Even now, his life force ebbed away, until his granite palm began glowing blue.