Crisis Returns (2)
-Slash!
"Kieeeek!"
A chilling screech echoed through the swamp as the lizardman's throat was sliced open. Yeong-sik retracted the blade from the back of his hand—now at 2/30 durability—into his body and steadied his ragged breathing.
A clear chime rang out, and a message window announced his level increase. A bright light seeped into Yeong-sik's body, sending a sensation of heightened strength surging through him.
Yeah, hitting level 7 makes a real difference.
Yeong-sik glanced down at his hands, thinking that. The gap between level 1 and 2 hadn't been huge, but from 1 to 7? It was night and day.
"Ngh."
Kim Gil-su, who had been tanking three lizardmen at the front, swallowed a groan and slumped to the ground. Blood trickled from gashes on his shoulder and side inflicted by the lizardmen's blades.
"These things move too fast. Tough to handle."
Orcs were slower than humans, so once you got used to them, dodging was easy. But even after leveling to 6, the lizardmen were so agile that Gil-su struggled to keep up, pressuring him relentlessly. And fighting in the swamp terrain made movement even harder.
"Here, potion."
Seo A-ra, who had been supporting with magic from the rear, approached and handed him one. Gil-su thanked her and gently sprinkled the low-grade potion over his wounds.
"Hmm... Uncle Gil-su, no shield skills yet?"
Yeong-sik asked, recalling Gil-su's fighting style so far. He wielded a two-handed axe for hunting monsters, but it left him vulnerable too often.
"Not right now."
"Hm. Maybe try a shield against the orcs, just to test it out?"
"Haha, sorry. I just can't block attacks well."
"No, that's not what I mean. Your role's shifting fully to tank, so even if it means less damage output, boosting safety with a shield seems right."
Yeong-sik spoke calmly. Gil-su nodded at his words.
"Got it. I'll pick one up when we head back to the city."
"Yeah. We've got some spare cash, so get a good one."
Yeong-sik smiled lightly. Over the past two weeks of hunting, their party had amassed a decent sum. Even after buying essentials like potions, bandages, and rations, they netted about 5 gold.
Stabilizing their orc hunts had sped things up.
Lizardmen drop 10 silver each, so once we're used to them, we'll rake it in faster.
Tougher than orcs by far, but the rewards matched—better blades too, yielding more materials for mechanical engineering. At this rate, 10 gold a month was realistic, Yeong-sik figured.
"Still, lizardmen give way more EXP than orcs."
A-ra muttered, checking her level-up after just hours of lizardman hunting.
EXP from orcs dwindled as levels rose. From 5 to 6 took three straight days of nonstop orc grinding with no ding.
"They say we can hit 15 here smoothly, so we'll stick around for a while."
A-ra and Gil-su nodded at his words.
Lizardmen were trickier than orcs, but not dangerously so for their party's strength. Yeong-sik and Gil-su's combat prowess helped, but A-ra's magic exploiting the cold-weak lizardmen was the real MVP.
"Ugh, but it's so humid here. Clothes sticking everywhere."
A-ra grimaced down at her sweat-soaked outfit. After fanning herself with her clothes for a bit, her face lit up as she turned to Yeong-sik.
"Yeong-sik, use that thing."
Yeong-sik clamped his mouth shut. He eyed her with reluctance.
"You mean...?"
"Hehe, you know."
A-ra flashed a sly smile and a knowing glance.
Yeong-sik's face crumpled. He'd suspected what she meant from the start.
Am I just a walking appliance to her now?
With a sigh, he pulled a mini fan—about the size of a face—from his inventory. He pressed its cord to his right arm, which popped open to reveal a 220-volt outlet.
"Pfft. It's hilarious every time."
A-ra covered her mouth, chuckling softly. Yeong-sik grunted at her mocking tone and aimed the fan her way. Cool air tousled her hair.
This isn't what I imagined for mechanical engineering.
Yeong-sik sighed again, convinced his class was trash. Higher levels might unlock better stuff, but right now? Walking utility appliance, nothing more.
And only possible because his body was machine, not flesh. A normal person with mechanical engineering skills? Just a pitiful junk-maker.
"Haha, don't make that face. Manufacturing isn't your focus anyway. You'll craft game-changers later."
Gil-su, aware of Yeong-sik's situation, consoled him. Yeong-sik nodded.
"Yeah, gotta keep leveling steadily."
He'd prioritized hunting over skill grinding, so levels lagged. But once cash flowed and he mass-produced gear, skill-ups would follow.
Wish I could rush skill levels first...
Structure Analysis had revealed secrets in his body. Leveling that skill was priority one.
But hyper-focusing on Manufacture now? Bad call. Income was modest, and buying ores for Extraction was risky without buffer funds.
Levels mean more gold anyway.
Even now, lizardmen out-earned orcs hugely. Higher levels would explode gear/consumable costs, sure—but dwarf current hauls.
And levels weren't just for cash. In this world, they measured power plainly.
His mystery strength might crush lowbies, but high-level summoners? They'd squash him. Strength wasn't optional here—it was survival.
Without it, Nam Gi-tae repeats awaited.
Frozen Bell activated.
A clear chime rang out. A-ra's expression hardened slightly. She turned to Yeong-sik.
"Someone's approaching."
The chime was Frozen Bell, unlocked past level 5. A detection skill sensing heat signatures—better than basic alert spells.
"Monster?"
Yeong-sik narrowed his eyes.
A-ra shook her head stiffly.
"No... it's a person."
Her face paled. The air turned icy.
Yeong-sik stood, urgency in his voice.
"Run."
Two weeks of fast leveling left them at 7—below local natives' average caps. Unknown foes? No contest.
-Splash, splash!
The party bolted through the swamp. Ankle-deep mud slowed them brutally.
"Hah, hah!"
A-ra's breaths grew ragged. Long boots helped, but not enough. Low-stamina mage class, she staggered on the verge of collapse.
"Damn it!"
Yeong-sik—best stamina in the party—scooped her up.
A-ra wanted to say she was fine, ignore her—but exhaustion silenced her.
Enemy approaching—closer.
"Th-they're getting closer!"
A-ra shouted, face rigid from Frozen Bell's readouts.
Yeong-sik bit his lip and pushed harder. Machine body meant insane stamina—stats said below Gil-su's, but reality? Untouchable durability.
But swamp + piggybacking? Massive drain.
"Hah, hah."
Yeong-sik's breaths roughened. A-ra whispered cautiously from his back.
"Yeong-sik, you go ahead—"
"Quiet."
He cut her off firmly, never breaking stride. No hesitation—she shut up.
-Splash, splash.
"That's far enough."
Despite his desperation, a man blocked their path. Fox-eyed, friendly-faced.
Yeong-sik scowled fiercely. Familiar face.
"Jeong Chan-hyeok..."
"Whew. Chasing you bastards was a pain. Makes me pissed just looking at you."
Jeong shed his polite facade, revealing his true colors. Yeong-sik wasn't shocked.
He'd pegged the bad intentions when Jeong tossed his guild invite.
"Heh. Worth the effort, though."
Jeong's lustful eyes raked A-ra on Yeong-sik's back—mud-smeared, sweat-drenched, yet radiantly beautiful. He licked his lips and drew his sword.
"Give up now, and I won't make it hurt."
Jeong leered at A-ra. Her face twisted in fury.
Yeong-sik set her down, sighing deeply.
"You guys are all the same—horny bastards."
"...What?"
Jeong's face warped at Yeong-sik's crude curse.
"Stop flopping your dick around, you disgusting prick. It's gross."
Jeong's expression hardened like stone.