Chapter 56
Chapter 56
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 56
Chapter Title: Ambush in the Mantis Forest
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Late afternoon.
In a club room blaring with noisy music, Lee Cheon-woo was chugging down cognac while waiting for the women to arrive.
Then Lee Young-soo, his right-hand man, took a call and whispered into Lee Cheon-woo's ear.
"Young master, the guy's on the move!"
"What? Right now?"
Lee Cheon-woo, the second son of the Heavenly Moon Sword Sect, scowled fiercely.
"Damn it. Why the hell does this bastard always move when I'm about to have a drink? He was quiet all the way up to yesterday."
The day of the auction party where he'd first met Shin Yu-hyun.
Lee Cheon-woo couldn't forget the humiliation he'd suffered at Shin Yu-hyun's hands.
He'd lost the bid to Shin Yu-hyun, who was rumored to be a useless piece of trash, and even Nam Yeon-ah had drifted away from him.
So to get back at Shin Yu-hyun, he'd ordered his left-hand man, Kang Dae-young, to put a tail on him.
Just to catch him the moment he stepped out of the Heaven-Splitting Sword Clan.
"Ah, this is so damn annoying."
In truth, Lee Cheon-woo was a hopeless wastrel even by Heavenly Moon Sword Sect standards, spending every day clubbing or hitting up room salons for fun.
He'd been on standby expecting Shin Yu-hyun to make a move right after the party, but the guy had just holed up in the Heaven-Splitting Sword Clan.
So he'd come out for drinks today.
And of all days, this was when the bastard decided to move.
"What should we do?"
"What do you mean? If he's moving, we finish it."
The booze-up party hadn't even started yet.
And he couldn't keep having Kang Dae-young monitor the Heaven-Splitting Sword Clan alone forever.
A long tail might get caught by their security.
Even now, "monitoring" just meant keeping watch from afar outside the private property's main gate to see if Shin Yu-hyun came out or not.
"So where is he now?"
"They say he went into a 3-star dungeon alone."
"What? A dungeon alone?"
"Yes."
At Lee Young-soo's response, Lee Cheon-woo curled his lips into a smirk.
A dungeon would make things go smoothly.
"This guy's completely nuts, huh? Entering a 3-star dungeon solo?"
Lee Cheon-woo wore an incredulous expression.
But soon he chuckled and gave Lee Young-soo his orders.
"Anyway, perfect. Round up a few of the guys. Tell the clan we're heading out for a dungeon raid after a while."
"Got it."
Lee Cheon-woo half-listened to Lee Young-soo's reply as he smirked again.
Then he slowly savored and downed his last glass of cognac.
'Just you wait, Shin Yu-hyun. I'll crush you under my heel.'
With that thought, a smile spread across Lee Cheon-woo's face.
'Whew. Finally made it.'
Shin Yu-hyun stared at the spatial rift crackling with green sparks before him.
The dungeon gate was located at the base of a mountain on the outskirts of Gyeonggi Province.
He hadn't known the exact spot and had wandered a bit, but luckily he'd found it.
Thanks to Dia's detection skills.
As soon as he stepped into the rift, his body felt weightless, and Shin Yu-hyun arrived in the dungeon.
"Feels gross every time."
Shin Yu-hyun looked up at the blood-red framed border hanging in the dark night sky and the crimson moon with a black hole punched in its center.
The 3-star dungeon Mantis Forest was a vast woodland bathed in a faint red glow from the dark red moon overhead.
'The magic beasts here are mantises.'
3-star magic beast: Mantis.
Mantises were giant praying mantis-like magic beasts, with various types.
And among 3-star magic beasts, they ranked fairly high in strength.
"Dia, Ka-mang-i. Come out."
- Nyeng!
Kyuu!
At Shin Yu-hyun's call, Dia and Ka-mang-i popped out from the shadows with cute responses.
Wriggle, wriggle.
Ka-mang-i climbed up Shin Yu-hyun's body and settled on his left shoulder, while Dia grabbed his left hand with a bright smile.
"Master, shall I buff you?"
"No, not yet. Let's handle a mantis first."
"Nyeng."
With them in place, Shin Yu-hyun stepped deeper into the forest.
And moments later.
Shh-shh-shick!
Something moved quickly ahead.
[3-star Magic Beast: Corrupted Mantis]
Soon, a single mantis appeared from between the dense trees.
"Stay back."
For now, Shin Yu-hyun sent Dia and Ka-mang-i behind him. He slowly gripped the demon sword Ignis at his waist and glared at the mantis.
The mantis before him matched his memory perfectly.
Except for the grotesque black tentacles sprouting and fluttering from its back.
The tentacles were a hallmark of all corrupted magic beasts, and one had to be cautious of their attacks.
Getting wrapped or pierced by them meant mana drain.
Shick! Shick!
The mantis probed while keeping a fixed distance from Shin Yu-hyun.
But soon it boldly closed in.
It had judged him easy prey, sensing he was alone and his subdued presence.
'Come a little closer.'
Shin Yu-hyun lowered his stance, gripping Ignis tight.
One more step forward.
Just one more, and the mantis would be in his range.
Shick!
Shuuuuaak!
Suddenly, a pair of fluttering tentacles from the mantis's back shot toward Shin Yu-hyun.
In the blink of an eye, two black tentacles sliced through space to impale him.
At that moment.
Heaven-Splitting Swordsmanship.
Zero Form (Modified).
Draw Sword: Nameless Slash.
Black flames exploded from the sheath like a burst, and demon sword Ignis was drawn.
The red blade swung beyond the speed of sound.
With it, a sonic boom shockwave erupted across his front.
The incoming black tentacles were shredded to nothing in an instant.
Splaaang!
A sharp sonic boom echoed a beat late.
Saaak!
Right after, piercing the roar, more black tentacles flew at Shin Yu-hyun.
The first two had been a feint; it fired two more with a time delay.
Having just executed the Heaven-Splitting Swordsmanship technique, sheathing Ignis again would take a moment.
Aiming for that gap, the two tentacles came too fast to dodge or block.
Right then, the DF Coat generated a spatial distortion field around Shin Yu-hyun.
Shuuuuk! Pabak!
The black tentacles veered off course before reaching him, slamming into the ground.
'As expected of a mid-grade coat.'
Shin Yu-hyun smiled.
It had automatically activated the Distortion Field to protect him.
The DF Coat's performance exceeded his expectations.
Shieeeek!
The mantis's agonized screech followed.
Two tentacles shredded by black flames and shockwave, the other two wounded from embedding in the ground.
With two tentacles deeply stuck, it was immobilized for the moment.
And Shin Yu-hyun didn't miss the opening.
Heaven-Splitting Divine Steps.
Second Step: Lightning Flash!
In a blink, he was before the mantis.
Fwoosh.
Black flames rose along demon sword Ignis's red blade.
Heaven-Splitting Swordsmanship.
Third Form: Annihilation Strike.
Black flames laden with shockwave crashed onto the mantis.
Kwaaaang!
With a massive roar, the mantis was flattened into the ground.
The shockwave of the third form had smashed it down.
A small crater formed where it lay.
Shh, shieeek.
Smashed into the earth, the mantis thrashed, spewing green fluids everywhere.
"Farewell."
Puk!
Shin Yu-hyun mercilessly plunged Ignis into its tiny head. The mantis's body went limp.
A message of the kill appeared before Shin Yu-hyun's eyes.
'One is manageable solo.'
He hadn't expected the time-delayed tentacle attack beyond the blade-like forelegs.
Still, at this level, one or two wouldn't be an issue.
With that, black flame wings unfurled from Shin Yu-hyun's back, and black tentacles pierced the mantis corpse.
As it absorbed the soul, he inhaled deeply.
"Ah, bleh. Must be the green color. Tastes off."
A fiery, tongue-numbing intensity in his mouth.
The mantis soul had a tingling mint flavor.
"Master, how's the taste?"
Dia, who had watched from behind, tilted her head cutely at his mutter.
"Mint."
"I hate toothpaste flavor."
At "mint," Dia flinched and jumped back.
For a sweet-tooth like her, it was intolerable.
"Not quite toothpaste, but yeah, makes you crave sugar."
"Me too."
After chatting with Dia, Shin Yu-hyun resumed heading deeper into the dungeon.
After the Corrupted Mantis, various other magic beasts appeared.
Corrupted Blade Mantis, Corrupted Poison Mantis, and more.
Different types of mantises blocked his path one or two at a time.
But none were a match for Shin Yu-hyun.
He steadily cut them down, advancing toward the boss area.
About halfway there.
Shin Yu-hyun sensed presences chasing him at ferocious speed.
'They've finally arrived.'
He smirked inwardly.
He'd known one of Lee Cheon-woo's auction party goons was tailing him.
Even knowing, he'd let it slide.
Trash like Lee Cheon-woo and his crew? Dozens wouldn't faze him now.
Shin Yu-hyun hid Dia behind him and turned.
"Hey, you bastard. Didn't expect me here, did ya?"
In a clearing shrouded in darkness.
Lee Cheon-woo's gang emerged under the faint red moonlight.
Not just the two lackeys from the auction—three more besides.
"Thought you'd get away scot-free after screwing me over?"
Lee Cheon-woo glared murderously, face twisted and eyes bulging.
The auction fiasco had cracked his pride.
He, a prodigy of the Heavenly Moon Sword Sect, humiliated by the Heaven-Splitting Sword Clan's infamous failure.
For someone used to getting whatever he wanted on the sect's name, it was unforgivable.
"So? What now?"
Shin Yu-hyun smirked back at the glare.
"You're dead today."
His gang bristled with killing intent.
They meant business.
"Gonna kill me? Thought about the fallout?"
"Who'd mourn a Heaven-Splitting Sword Clan reject dying? Hunters die in dungeons all the time."
"So you came prepared?"
"Prepared? For what?"
"Your lives."
"Bullshit."
Lee Cheon-woo scoffed at Shin Yu-hyun's words.
"This guy's insane."
"Total psycho."
The others sneered, faces saying he'd lost it.
Then Lee Cheon-woo ordered his men.
"Boys, get him."