Chapter 51
Chapter 51
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 51
Chapter Title: Bulk Orders and the Wolf Pack
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“Boss, you sure these numbers aren’t off?”
No matter how he looked at it, Jo Hyung-il was convinced there was an extra zero as he handed the purchase list to Lee Joon-chul.
“What’s the problem?”
“Here, the MP Potion list and the explosion scrolls. You’ve ordered three times the usual amount.”
“I ordered what we needed. What’s weird about that?”
“Who the hell even uses this much?”
“Who else? Our top customer.”
Jo Hyung-il immediately knew who Lee Joon-chul was talking about.
The VIP of VIPs who accounted for over 30% of the organization’s sales.
If it was something Kang Jin-hyuk had personally ordered, it was only natural to move heaven and earth to procure it.
Even so, the quantity still felt excessive.
“Does that guy have a water tank in his gut or something? Even chugging ten bottles a day would take months to go through these…”
“What do we care where he uses them? If he asks us to get them, we get them. That’s our job.”
“Fine, potions I get, but these explosion scrolls are bothering me.”
The number of explosion scrolls Kang Jin-hyuk had ordered was staggering.
With that much, he could probably blow up even the Association headquarters, protected by all sorts of defensive skills.
Trading this recklessly could come back to bite them later—maybe even charges of aiding a crime.
“This guy seems dangerous. Maybe we should cut ties soon?”
“Cut the crap. You gonna make up for all the sales he brings in?”
“How the hell am I supposed to do that…”
“Then shut up and do your job. Don’t stick your nose where it doesn’t belong.”
Stung by Lee Joon-chul’s rebuke, Jo Hyung-il slunk back to his seat, shoulders slumped.
Lee Joon-chul knew exactly what Jo Hyung-il was worried about, even if he’d snapped at him.
He’d agonized over it himself when Kang Jin-hyuk placed the order.
But in the end, Lee Joon-chul decided to trust Kang Jin-hyuk.
Trusting anyone in this business was laughable, but Kang Jin-hyuk seemed trustworthy.
‘At least from what I’ve seen, he’s not the type to cause trouble.’
People gearing up for a crime usually showed telltale signs of anxiety and tension.
Kang Jin-hyuk hadn’t displayed even a hint of that.
‘Worst case, he’s just using them to herd and kill monsters. That’s what they’re made for anyway.’
Lee Joon-chul’s hunch turned out spot on.
Of course, it had taken out a few hunters too.
The explosion scrolls had saved Kang Jin-hyuk’s life from the onslaught of countless monsters.
* * *
Kang Jin-hyuk, briefly lost in panic, slapped his own cheeks to snap out of it.
“Even if a tiger bites you, stay sharp and you’ll live.”
Muttering the old proverb aloud to steel himself.
Kang Jin-hyuk opened his inventory and pulled out every last explosion scroll he had left.
“It’s not too late yet.”
Before the monsters could reach the passage, he slapped the scrolls against the walls.
Moving faster than a temp worker posting flyers, Kang Jin-hyuk dashed to the widest open space he could find to avoid the blasts.
Huddled in a corner, he pulled out his radar.
The screen showed the monsters just meters away.
He didn’t even need the radar—their footsteps echoed right in his ears.
“What if this fails…”
As the situation grew more dire, Kang Jin-hyuk’s anxiety mounted.
Negative thoughts flooded his mind, and he shook his head violently, like a wet dog shaking off water.
“Worst case, I use a return scroll and bail. No need to freak out.”
Finally, the monsters reached the passage entrance.
He’d thought they were more knight golems, but this time it was a pack of wolves with glowing red eyes.
“What the hell are those?”
Unlike regular wolves, these had oversized claws and fangs, and bodies twice as big.
Kang Jin-hyuk took some comfort in the fact they weren’t wearing armor.
Monsters without any protection would take the full brunt of the explosions.
And at last, the scrolls detected the wolves’ movement and began to glow.
BOOM!
The massive batch of scrolls detonated front and back, unleashing a deafening roar.
Kang Jin-hyuk, who’d plugged his ears in advance, spared his eardrums.
[Your level has increased.]
[Your level has increased.]
[Your level has increased.]
Messages filled his vision, blurring it, when something smacked his cheek.
He touched it—chunks of wolf blown apart by the blast.
Seeing wolf bits scattered everywhere, Kang Jin-hyuk nearly collapsed and vomited.
“Urk.”
He clamped his mouth shut, dry-heaving.
Even with a strong stomach, this carnage was bad for the psyche.
Still, fearing any survivors might charge, he pulled himself together.
“No point gathering materials to sell after blowing them to bits like this…”
Kang Jin-hyuk focused on thoughts of money to avert his eyes from the gore.
Then a barking sound hit his ears. He gripped his bat and scanned around.
“What? Where?”
Smoke from the explosions shrouded the far passage.
Unable to see where an attack might come from, Kang Jin-hyuk pressed his back to the corner again.
“No way that one blast wiped out all of them.”
Staying alert, he spotted a wolf bursting fiercely from the smoke.
It lunged for his neck, but Kang Jin-hyuk’s bat struck faster than its fangs.
The wolf hit the face-first and crumpled without a yelp.
Kang Jin-hyuk wrapped his body in aura to fend off the next waves.
It drained MP like water into a bottomless bucket, but he had no choice.
Without aura, the wolves were too quick, and plenty remained.
“Yip!”
“Yelp!”
Struck like dogs on a hot summer day, the wolves hit the ground and stayed down.
One hit from the aura-infused bat shattered their bones—no amount of grit could make their bodies obey.
After over ten wolves died without landing a single claw, the survivors started hesitating.
Over half their pack had lost a life to the blast, fueling their rage.
But this foe seemed beyond their power alone.
“Woof!”
The largest surviving wolf let out a mighty howl.
Kang Jin-hyuk thought it was a challenge to charge, but no.
The wolves slunk back, then turned tail and fled without a glance.
Unlike the golems that fought to the last, these wolves valued their hides.
“Phew…”
Finally able to breathe, Kang Jin-hyuk plopped down right there.
Fighting them hadn’t been that tough.
But maybe from all the tension—his stamina felt more drained than usual.
“Should’ve stayed calm from the start.”
He could’ve handled it more smoothly if he hadn’t rushed.
In hindsight, he didn’t need to use so many explosion scrolls.
“Tch. Wasteful, but what’s done is done.”
Dwelling on it would just hurt.
First things first—Kang Jin-hyuk chugged potions to restore MP and stamina.
“Gotta avoid wherever those wolves went and head out again.”
To check their direction, he glanced at the radar screen.
Sitting comfortably, he jolted to his feet at the unexpected sight.
Dozens of dots—over fifty at least—heading his way.
From all directions.
Fewer than the last pack, but without explosion scrolls, it was too many to handle now.
“This is insane.”
Barking already echoed from the far passage.
He’d thought they’d just run, but they’d retreated to gather more allies.
“Where to bolt?”
Fighting that many would be suicide.
Better to find advantageous terrain or outrun them entirely.
Kang Jin-hyuk sprinted down the only path free of dots.
Just running wouldn’t outpace wolves, so he concentrated aura in his legs.
“Bark! Bark!”
The wolves barked furiously as if yelling “stop,” chasing hard.
Their momentum was fierce, but the gap held.
At this rate, Kang Jin-hyuk could shake them easily.
Wolves had no way to recover stamina, but he had potions galore.
“Mad? Then catch me if you can, mutts.”
“…!”
Gloating mid-run, he glanced back to taunt them.
He figured they couldn’t understand anyway—but he forgot his necklace auto-translated.
Having massacred their comrades and now mocking them, the wolves boiled over.
“Awoo~!”
The lead wolf howled at full volume, and the pack joined in.
Wondering what the commotion was, Kang Jin-hyuk looked back again.
Red-furred wolves were accelerating like mad.
“What now!? These mutts have buffs too!?”
Startled, Kang Jin-hyuk poured thicker aura into his legs.
MP drained visibly faster.
To keep going, he chugged an MP potion every 30 seconds.
“Damn it!”
The chase showed no signs of ending.
Popping the 12th potion, Kang Jin-hyuk cursed.
“If it’s impossible, know when to quit! What’s this pointless bullshit!”
The wolves’ buff came at a cost—their own lives.
Kang Jin-hyuk noticed blood dripping from their eyes and mouths.
“Die trying to take me with you!?”
Witnessing their grim resolve, Kang Jin-hyuk’s own fighting spirit ignited.
“Fine, let’s see who wins!”
Over 200 wolves for one guy? He had more right to be pissed.
His stomach sloshed from all the potions, but he gritted his teeth and downed the 13th.
Would Kang Jin-hyuk’s gut give out first, or the wolves’ hearts?
A life-or-death game of chicken unfolded deep in the temple.