Landlord (10)
The majority of Constellations in the channel clutch their eyes and scream!
The majority of Constellations in the channel hurl curses at you!
Constellation, ‘Secretive Plotter,’ sighs and removes the hand that had been covering his eyes.
Story, ‘One Who Mocked the Stars,’ snickers with delight.
“Oh dear, that wasn’t intentional? What am I supposed to do now that I’m so sorry?”
He had unintentionally flash-banged the Constellations. Park Jinwoo watched the messages from the Constellations writhing in agony after taking the full blast of the flashbang, and for some reason it put him in a rather good mood. His own Story, One Who Mocked the Stars, seemed to be enjoying itself as well.
Would’ve been even better if Secretive Plotter had gotten hit too.
That was a mild regret, but for now he needed to focus on what was right in front of him.
Grrr…!?
The Grolls and Mole Rats in front of him had clearly taken the flashbang full-on; every last one of them had both eyes squeezed tightly shut and was shaking its head side to side.
Click!
Park Jinwoo had no intention of letting that opening slip by.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
He slowly exhaled, then put three rounds into the heads of three Mole Rats.
Thud!
The three Mole Rats dropped dead the instant the bullets punched through their skulls, collapsing limply to the floor with a heavy thud.
Good thing the Mole Rats can be handled just fine with a Glock 19.
He flicked a glance sideways at the Grade 8 underground-species monster—the Groll.
Grrr…!
Outwardly it was a gray bear in every respect, except for the black mane around its neck and the sharp horn jutting from its forehead. The real question was whether that bear bastard could be killed with an ordinary handgun.
Might as well test it.
Click.
Just as he had with the Mole Rats, Park Jinwoo lined up the sights on the Groll’s head.
Bang!
Grrr…!
“……Tsk!”
No wonder it was Grade 8—one bullet failed to punch clean through the skull. Park Jinwoo’s face twisted as he clicked his tongue.
Shing.
Without a word he drew the fire axe he had bought from the general store, gripped it in his right hand, and closed in on the Groll, swinging the axe straight at its head.
Crunch!
Thud!
The axe buried itself deep, splitting the Groll’s skull completely open. The monster collapsed to the floor with a heavy thud.
Park Jinwoo roughly wiped the blood that had splattered across his face from splitting the Groll’s head, then eyeballed the remaining monster pack nearby.
Grolls can be handled with a fire axe. Roughly thirty-two monsters in sight right now.
Of course, even if he killed every last one of them, the monster wave would keep spawning endlessly until eight in the morning.
So the first priority was to manage his stamina carefully and somehow survive until 8 a.m.
The second was to raise skill levels and pile up real combat experience.
Current time: 00:30.
Seven and a half hours left.
“Looks like I’m about to get properly fucked over for the next seven and a half hours….”
Thinking of the hellish road ahead, Park Jinwoo let out a long sigh.
Kyaaaaah!
Grrr—!
He had wasted too much time; one or two of them were starting to regain their sight. Tears still welling in their eyes, the monsters turned their heads toward Park Jinwoo.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Crunch! Crunch!
He calmly began finishing off the monsters whose vision was slowly returning, one by one.
The majority of Constellations in the channel still rub their aching eyes while glaring at you.
“Heh-heh! Sorry! It really wasn’t on purpose! I honestly didn’t expect Constellations not to know what a flashbang even is.”
While cutting down monsters, Park Jinwoo spotted the Constellations’ messages and offered an awkward smile as he brushed it off.
Several Constellations displeased with Incarnation ‘Park Jinwoo’s’ attitude loudly scold him to know his place as a mere Incarnation!
A minority of Constellations harbor resentment toward Incarnation ‘Park Jinwoo.’
A minority of other Constellations glare fiercely at Incarnation ‘Park Jinwoo.’
A minority of Constellations request that the Dokkaebis increase the number of monsters appearing in the Monster Wave!
“…………Tsk.”
Well, I have been acting up a bit too much lately.
Park Jinwoo checked the Constellations’ messages, his face twisting as he clicked his tongue.
Crack! Crack!
【Oh dear, I can hardly refuse the Constellations’ request… this is rather awkward.】
A Dokkaebi with the same white fur and white rags as Bihyung popped into the air, looking at the Constellations’ messages with an embarrassed expression.
A minority of Constellations strongly protest to the Dokkaebi!
【My, you seem to be quite hated by the Constellations. I don’t particularly want to do this either… but I have no choice.】
The Dokkaebi looked at Park Jinwoo as if pitying him, yet a sneer still hung at the corner of its mouth.
Snap!
The Dokkaebi snapped its fingers, and a main scenario message appeared before Park Jinwoo.
Scenario difficulty has been adjusted.
📍 Difficulty: C → C+
🎁 Effect: The number of monsters appearing in the ‘Monster Wave’ is adjusted.
Kyaaaaaah—!!
Grrrrrk!
“Fuck….”
At the distant roars of the monsters, Park Jinwoo’s face hardened instantly.
Constellation, ‘Bald-Headed Righteous General,’ looks at Incarnation ‘Park Jinwoo’ with pity.
Constellation, ‘Demon-like Judge of Fire,’ gazes at Incarnation ‘Park Jinwoo’ with pitying eyes.
Demon King, ‘God of Wrath and Lust,’ snickers while looking at Incarnation ‘Park Jinwoo.’
“Purchase twelve 2-liter bottles of water.”
With a frantic expression, Park Jinwoo bought the water from the general store and began scattering the bottles evenly across the ground.
Grrr?
Crunch!
As a bonus, he made sure to finish off the remaining monsters nearby.
Time left now…
Current time: 01:05.
Still six hours and fifty-five minutes until 8 a.m.
If I slip up even a little, I’m dead.
Park Jinwoo broke out in a cold sweat at the wave of monsters charging from the distance.
Kyaaaaaah!!
Grrrrrk!
He steadied his breathing and waited for the right moment. The instant the monsters stepped on the water soaking the ground, Park Jinwoo spoke the now-familiar skill command.
“Enchant—cold attribute on the water on the ground and the fire axe.”
Exclusive Skill ‘Enchant’ activates!
Temporary cold attribute is granted to the water and the fire axe.
Crack-crack-crack!
The pooled water froze over at high speed. Frost began forming on the feet of the monsters that had stepped in the scattered water, and their feet stuck fast to the ground.
Screeech.
“Ugh…!”
But Park Jinwoo took damage as well. He had focused so hard on pinning only the monsters’ feet that he completely forgot about the Groll’s horn.
The Groll whose feet were frozen whipped its head toward him, and its horn sliced across his thigh. Bright red blood bloomed across his pants. Fortunately his Constitution was at 15, so the cut wasn’t too deep.
Stings like hell…
The first wound he had taken from a monster throbbed. But he couldn’t just stand still. Park Jinwoo fired his gun and swung the axe at the monsters.
Kyaaaang!
Then a Groll whose feet hadn’t been bound burst out from the pack and swung its massive bear paw at him. Startled by the sudden attack, Park Jinwoo hastily blocked with his arm.
Slash.
He staggered for a moment after taking a gash on his arm. In that opening several Mole Rats lunged at the completely exposed Park Jinwoo and sank their teeth into his thigh and leg.
“Kh…!!”
He let out a pained groan even as he moved both arms, firing the gun and swinging the axe to kill the Groll and Mole Rats.
A minority of Constellations take pleasure in Incarnation ‘Park Jinwoo’s’ hardship!
A minority of Constellations feel ecstasy at the pained expression of Incarnation ‘Park Jinwoo’!
“Seriously, you Constellation bastards have some twisted tastes…!”
Slash!
Dozens of Mole Rats and Grolls began biting and clawing at Park Jinwoo’s entire body. Blood flowed from the countless small wounds, and his clothes gradually turned red.
“Mmm~ this lamb skewer is delicious!”
“I haven’t had jokbal in so long that I ended up overeating.”
Jung Heewon and Yoo Sangah looked at each other and burst into laughter. The rest of the party around them were also happily digging into the late-night snacks.
“Huh? I don’t see Jinwoo-ssi anywhere?”
Kim Dokja had been smiling contentedly while watching everyone enjoy the food when she finally realized Park Jinwoo was nowhere in sight. No matter how she looked around, there was not a single trace of him.
“Come to think of it, after he handed us the snacks and sent Jihye and Joonghyuk-ssi into the room, I haven’t seen him since.”
“You’re right…? Don’t tell me he went off to where the other people are again?”
“I haven’t seen Jinwoo-ssi since then either.”
“Me neither.”
Jung Heewon, Yoo Sangah, Lee Hyunsung, and Lee Gilyoung answered in turn. Kim Dokja looked over the party, then turned her gaze to Lee Jihye.
“Jihye, after Jinwoo-ssi put you and your master in the room, did you happen to see where he went?”
“Umm… sorry, Dokja unnie. I was too busy with the pizza and cola to notice where Jinwoo oppa went.”
“Is that so…?”
Hearing Lee Jihye’s answer, Kim Dokja turned her head toward Yoo Joonghyuk. Yoo Joonghyuk was already looking back at her.
“You know where Jinwoo-ssi went, don’t you?”
“Yes. I know.”
“Where is he right now?”
Kim Dokja asked with a hard face. The others glanced at her, then turned their heads toward Yoo Joonghyuk as well.
“That man is outside right now. By now he should be in the middle of fighting the monsters pouring out of the Monster Wave.”
“…What?”
Kim Dokja shot to her feet at Yoo Joonghyuk’s words, then glared at her with a rigid expression.
“Have you lost your mind?! Why didn’t you stop him?! He’s not like you! Do you really think he can last against a Monster Wave until morning?!”
“……No. High probability he dies.”
“Then why—!”
Kim Dokja glared murderously at Yoo Joonghyuk and ground her teeth. The faces of the party members who had been listening beside them turned pale.
“W-wait, wait a second! Did I hear that right? Jinwoo-ssi is outside right now? Fighting monsters as we speak…?”
“You heard correctly.”
Jung Heewon and Yoo Sangah rushed to the window, threw it open, and looked outside.
Crunch! Crunch!
Grrr!
“J-Jinwoo-ssi…?”
Jung Heewon and Yoo Sangah clapped their hands over their mouths, faces stricken with shock.
The scene outside was horrific.
The ground was littered with the torn corpses of people and the bodies of monsters whose heads had been pierced or shattered, and in the middle of it all stood Park Jinwoo, surrounded by monsters, covered in large and small wounds, breathing roughly.
Jung Heewon and Yoo Sangah’s faces went deathly pale at the sight. The rest of the party, excluding Yoo Joonghyuk, saw how frozen the two women had become and hurriedly approached the window themselves—only to freeze just like them.
The thick, metallic stench of blood drifting in through the open window filled the room. Seeing that blood-soaked Park Jinwoo desperately fighting the monsters, the party members’ faces hardened as they began grabbing their weapons.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
“Can’t you see?! We have to go outside right now, save Jinwoo-ssi, and bring him back here!”
Jung Heewon snapped sharply at Yoo Joonghyuk. Yoo Joonghyuk looked over Jung Heewon, Kim Dokja, Yoo Sangah, Lee Hyunsung, Lee Gilyoung, and Lee Jihye one by one.
She let out a sigh, then leaned her body against the door as if to block them from leaving.
“Get out of the way, Yoo Joonghyuk.”
“That would be inconvenient.”
“Why? I remember you usually don’t interfere in things like this.”
“That bastard asked me himself. If his party tried to come out the door, he told me to stop them.”
“…What do you mean?”
Kim Dokja and the others looked out the window at Park Jinwoo with hollow expressions.
They already knew. With their current stats and skills, they could never overcome Yoo Joonghyuk.
Feeling that powerlessness, Kim Dokja, Jung Heewon, Yoo Sangah, Lee Hyunsung, Lee Gilyoung, and Lee Jihye both resented their own weakness and felt only emptiness at the fact that their comrade was risking his life outside while they had to wait here. They could only stare blankly at Park Jinwoo fighting beyond the window.
“Huff… huff….”
Having already killed dozens of monsters, Park Jinwoo was breathing hard, clearly exhausted.
This is bad.
The monsters’ attacks had left large and small wounds all over his body, and the frantic use of skills was draining his magic power at an alarming rate. A deep sense of crisis gripped him.
That was why, even while killing monsters, he had been searching the Dokkaebi Bag for certain items—yet those items were nowhere to be found in the list.
Why? Why aren’t they there? I clearly saw Kim Dokja buy them from the Dokkaebi Bag in the webtoon…?
Psssh!
“Kh…!!”
A Groll behind him raked its horn across his back. This time the cut was fairly deep; blood spurted from the wound.
“Hah… hah….”
They can’t not be there. What the hell… wait?
“Damn it, I forgot the important part. No wonder I couldn’t see them… Upgrade to Dokkaebi Bag Gold Member.”
5,000 Coins consumed.
Congratulations! You are now a Gold Member of the Dokkaebi Bag!
As a Gold Member privilege, the hidden item lists of the Dokkaebi Bag have been updated.
“Purchase five Intermediate Magic Recovery Potions and five Intermediate Stamina Recovery Potions.”
So there really were Stamina Recovery Potions too.
Park Jinwoo let out a sigh of relief that potions for stamina recovery—the opposite of magic recovery—actually existed. He gulped down the magic and stamina potions he had bought from the Dokkaebi Bag, then hurled the empty glass bottles into the face of a Mole Rat right in front of him.
Crash!
“Round 2, you fucking bastards.”
Blue and red currents of energy flowed out around Park Jinwoo’s body as the potions restored his magic power and healed his wounds.
Current time: 02:10.
Time remaining until Green Zone (Day 3) ends: 5 hours 50 minutes.