Chapter 2
Chapter 2
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 2
Chapter Title: 1. F-Rank Arrow Sponge (2)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Crack.
"Gah!"
A chilling sound rang out.
The moment his ankle twisted after his arm, Kim Chun-sik instinctively knew his wretched life was over.
'Where the hell did it all go wrong?'
Grrr, grr!
Right in front of him.
He could see the ogre charging like a mad dog.
Its bloodshot eyes, starved and feral, dredged up memories of his past in Kim Chun-sik's mind.
Thirty years old this year.
Kim Chun-sik had grown up in a thoroughly miserable environment, nothing special about it. His father was an alcoholic abuser, a total piece of trash. His mother had fled when Kim Chun-sik was young, unable to stand the man. Then one day, his father died in a sudden accident, leaving Kim Chun-sik with only his maternal grandmother to lean on. It was a backstory straight out of no fantasy novel— the kind of common tragedy you could find anywhere before the world changed. And so, Kim Chun-sik grew older.
Up until then.
Kim Chun-sik had lived a life far removed from hunters.
The turning point came when his grandmother collapsed from a rare disease.
"You'll need at least 300 million won for treatment."
The doctor's words hit like a thunderbolt.
That changed everything for Kim Chun-sik.
With no real education to speak of, he had no way to scrape together that kind of money. In the end, he needed a job where he risked his life for pay, not some ordinary gig. That's how he became a hunter. He'd known since his aptitude test at twenty that he had no talent, but hunters were a job with potential for a comeback.
F-Rank.
You didn't make much at first, but stack up experience, pick up skills, and the pay was beyond what any civilian could dream of.
The problem was how dangerous that grind was.
But Kim Chun-sik had no choice.
For his only family, he'd do anything. Six months ago, he'd started hunting.
And today.
Joining a party that offered double the usual daily rate had landed him in this mess.
'Should've seen the red flags.'
It had felt off from the start.
His employer.
The mage who'd just bolted was obviously incompetent at a glance. His pale face made you wonder if he ever saw sunlight, and he was clueless about the Backside World from start to finish. Normally, you'd bail, but the double pay and F-Rank zone clouded his judgment.
It was just F-Rank.
One spell from the mage should've handled an ogre no problem. No major threats expected.
And that assumption.
Boom!
Whoosh!
Shattered like glass the moment the Fire Arrow slammed into the ground.
'Damn bastard.'
His vision spun.
Rage boiled up from his gut.
How useless do you have to be to miss the ground with your spell? And the mage didn't even try to fix it—he just ran. Kim Chun-sik confirmed it and tried to flee himself, but the ogre, scenting blood, gave him no opening.
It was over.
Kim Chun-sik smelled death.
His fellow arrow sponge was probably long gone by now.
'No point hoping for help.'
The smart move.
Even he knew the fight was hopeless with just two F-Rank arrow sponges after the mage ditched.
He would've run too.
But he didn't want to die. If he did, how would his ailing grandmother survive? Kim Chun-sik thrashed desperately. He bashed the ogre with his round shield, swung his sword, searching for an out. But without skills, his weak attacks didn't faze it. To talented hunters, an ogre was just mob trash, but to him, it loomed like a demon lord from hell.
In the end.
"Ugh, argh!"
Thud!
He tripped while dodging.
Two ogres leaped at once.
Kim Chun-sik squeezed his eyes shut.
Dead.
That certainty hit just as—
"Duck!"
A voice drilled into his eardrums.
It was his arrow sponge partner—the one he'd figured had bailed.
Kang San lived by one principle.
Once you decide.
Act without hesitation, leaving no room for variables.
The moment he chose to save Kim Chun-sik, Kang San assessed the situation and made the optimal call.
'Four ogres total.'
Bad odds.
One-on-one, he could've crushed them, but Kim Chun-sik was one hit from death. Rushing in blind would be suicide. Trusting the guy to hold on a bit, priority was the two ogres right in front of him.
Thud thud thud.
Kyah!
Two ogres charged at once.
Aimed from both sides, no hesitation—Kang San ripped a scroll from his pocket.
Rip—
Fwoosh!
Brilliant light flared.
The Sharpness spell amplified his blade's edge, soaking into the sword.
'Fuck, this cost a million won.'
Magic scrolls.
Pricey as hell.
Even basic ones weren't cheap, but Kang San always carried two or three for emergencies.
A lifetime of repeated misfortunes.
He'd seen so much shit that prepping for the worst was second nature. This mess wasn't even his rock bottom. Raids numbered in the hundreds—accidents like this? Routine. If anything, this crisis was just another blip in his bad luck.
'Let's do this, you bastards.'
His senses sharpened.
As the ogres swung at point-blank, Kang San raised his shield against the attacks in his sight.
Clang!
Screeech!
The grating noise pierced his ears.
U unflinching, Kang San angled the shield to redirect the ogre's momentum where he wanted. Thousands of drills. To survive endless misfortune, solid basics were essential. He'd honed footwork, shield work, swordplay. Even as an F-Rank arrow sponge without skills, Kang San knew he was better than his rank suggested.
Slash!
Yelp!
Kang San's counter.
His sword cleaved the ogre's chest in a flash.
Blood sprayed.
A normal blade couldn't cut that deep, but with Sharpness, he punched above F-Rank.
At the same time.
Step.
Driving into the ogre's chest, he plunged his sword into the exposed heart.
Stab!
Grrgle.
The ogre foamed blood.
But monster vitality didn't quit easy. It clawed at him like a hug. Kang San ditched the sword—barely dodging, two gashes ripped across his forearm.
Splat.
Blood drops blurred his vision.
Kang San grimaced, then kicked the sword lodged in the ogre's chest.
Thump!
'One down.'
Too soon to relax.
One left.
No sword—he leaped forward.
Crunch!
Ogre teeth snapped.
It bit hard enough to shatter fangs on empty air, then pursued with bloodshot fury.
Clang!
Clang clang!
Backpedaling, Kang San blocked with his round shield. Each hit shook him like he might shatter, but he gritted his teeth, swallowing the bile rising with blood. Two at once was too much. A reminder of his limits—but accepting the apostle's mission meant knowing this fight wouldn't be easy.
Luca Bellino had said it.
Trials and tribulations always force you to risk your life at your current level.
Flip that around.
'Risk your life, and you can win.'
Clang!
Block held.
Kang San endured, then jammed his drawn dagger into the ogre's wound.
Squelch!
Yowl!
This ogre—the one he'd already cut.
The brutal probe made it thrash, lunging to bite his face.
Kang San blocked with his face.
Trembling hands held it off desperately while his right hand ravaged the wound mercilessly.
His face flushed red.
Arm-wrestling the ogre, his head felt ready to burst.
Its stench was vile; vertigo spun from the brutal exchange.
But.
Stab!
Kang San won.
As blood loss toppled the ogre's balance, he gouged its weakest spot—the eye—without mercy.
Stab stab!
Done.
Both down, his legs gave out.
"Huff, huff."
Breath burned.
He wanted to collapse.
But the fight wasn't over.
He'd handled his two, but four ogres total in the zone.
Two left.
Spotting Kim Chun-sik in peril, Kang San clenched his jaw, yanked the sword from an ogre's heart.
Squish!
"Duck!"
He bellowed.
Locking eyes with the terrified Kim Chun-sik, Kang San hurled the sword with all his might.
Sharpness-enhanced blade.
It.
Thwack!
Pierced the ogre's skull clean through.
Thud!
Kang San collapsed.
Lungs screaming to burst, his chest heaved and fell with ragged breaths clogging his throat.
"Huff, huff."
His body shook uncontrollably.
Drained dry.
He'd thought it impossible, but he'd cleared all four.
Two solo.
One with a sneaky throw.
The last with Kim Chun-sik's help—barely.
That finale was brutal.
Exhausted himself, and Kim Chun-sik barely mobile, useless in truth. To finish, he had to go all-in, life on the line. Why risk for some stranger? No clue. But decision made, no hesitation. The bold play created an opening, dagger to the throat ending the nightmare.
Head spun.
Exhaustion total.
Sprawled starfish on the ground, steadying himself, the awaited 'system' message arrived.
'...Additional reward?'
An unexpected windfall.
Head still foggy, but Kang San checked the rewards first.