Chapter 137: The Frostblade Tribe (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 137: The Frostblade Tribe (3)
"What... did you just say? T-trash? You're calling me trash?!"
Jang Eun-seok gasped in shock.
He tightened his grip on the dagger in his hand.
The trickle of blood dripping from the troll's neck grew thicker.
"……!"
Caracal flinched, but only for a moment.
Instead, as he watched Jinhyuk calmly walk forward, his pupils trembled slightly.
He felt a sense of curiosity and interest toward this human who was stepping forward on their behalf.
Step.
Jinhyuk took another step forward.
"That's far enough! Don't take another step! If you do..."
"If I do, what? Are you going to kill the kid?"
"Why? Do you think I don't have the guts? If I wanted to, a brat like this would be dead in a—!"
"No, that's not what I meant. I was just curious about what you plan to do after you kill him."
The players of the Dangun Guild were all completely incapacitated.
Riddled with injuries of varying severity, they could barely even support their own bodies.
If Jang Eun-seok killed his only hostage, would he really be able to leave this place alive?
Well...
That seemed highly unlikely.
"T-then I'll leave this place with him! Yes! If you let me out of here safely, I'll release him then!"
"What about your raid members? They look like they can barely move. Do you really think you can all make it out?"
"It's unfortunate, but it can't be helped. Shouldn't those who can survive, survive? At least if it's just me, I can easily escape."
As expected, he only planned on saving his own skin.
However.
"No, even that is too late."
Jinhyuk shook his head.
He was a versatile player who could act as a natural tank as well as a decent damage dealer.
Jang Eun-seok was a card that would always perform decently well, no matter when he was played.
'But his fatal flaws are his massive ego and how easily he loses his cool.'
Under normal circumstances, he was someone who should never have been entrusted with the position of raid leader.
After all, a raid leader was a role that required cool-headed judgment, no matter how dire the situation.
Of course, there was a reason why Jang Eun-seok had been given such an important position.
The "real" raid team, the main force of the Dangun Guild, was currently targeting a completely different location.
A ruin that was far more dangerous, known only to a select few.
A hidden route, so to speak.
True to their reputation as a group of veterans, Dangun had found another way to conquer the 7th floor.
'On the surface, they built up Jang Eun-seok as if he carried the future of Dangun on his shoulders, but in reality, he's just a smokescreen to deceive the other guilds.'
Naturally, no matter how hard they tried to hide it, it was useless.
Jinhyuk had already read their moves inside out.
'I can deal with Dangun's main raid team later...'
For now, dealing with this guy was the priority.
Jinhyuk slowly extended his left hand.
He brought his index finger and thumb together.
In response, Jang Eun-seok lowered his stance.
He didn't know what Jinhyuk was planning, but as long as he used the troll as a shield, he would be safe. Jang Eun-seok was sure of it.
Right then.
Snap!
A crisp sound echoed from his fingers.
But nothing happened.
There wasn't even a hint of a skill activating, let alone a unique ability.
"Ha... Was that just a pathetic bluff?"
Just as a mix of relief and mockery escaped Jang Eun-seok's lips—
Something came waddling out from among the trolls.
Its four legs and plump tail swayed from side to side.
A reptile with black scales and yellow eyes.
It was Koguma.
As if it had been waiting for Jinhyuk's signal, an immense amount of mana erupted from Koguma's body.
"Mogi!!"
[Koguma uses Lv2 'Fear'!]
The air vibrated with a resounding roar.
The ancient species' 'Fear' completely dominated the space.
Even the trolls, who had claimed the freshwater lake by hunting giant monsters, and even their leader Caracal, felt a sliver of dread.
There was no way someone like Jang Eun-seok could keep his sanity.
The strength drained from his grip on the dagger.
Whoosh!
Jinhyuk moved.
Lightly, yet incredibly fast.
Gliding over the snow, his body arrived right in front of Jang Eun-seok's nose.
"Gasp!"
Jang Eun-seok reacted a beat too late, but it was already over.
Far, far too late.
"If you hadn't pulled a stunt like this, it wouldn't have come to this."
He meant it.
If the guy hadn't crossed the line, Jinhyuk would have just taught him a moderate lesson and left it at that.
With those final words—
The Twin Dragon Swords, drawn from his subspace inventory, slashed horizontally.
Along with a long spray of blood, a severed right arm spun through the air.
"Aaargh! My—my arm! My fucking arm!"
Jang Eun-seok shrieked in agony.
He thrashed around in the snow, clutching his stump, but Jinhyuk didn't feel a shred of sympathy.
A coward who abandoned his injured raid members to save himself.
A piece of trash who believed anyone could be sacrificed for his own survival.
In that light, losing a single arm was a cheap price to pay for karma.
'There's no need for me to finish him off.'
Since he had threatened their child, the ice trolls wouldn't let him off easily anyway.
* * *
"...Astonishing."
Caracal's eyes shook with shock.
When the humans had first abandoned their honor and attacked in numbers, he had thought they were typical humans.
Dirty, underhanded, and pathetic.
But seeing how this human perfectly commanded and suppressed the others, Caracal couldn't help but be amazed.
And then there was the movement he had just witnessed.
'...The speed at which he closed the distance was impressive, but the speed of his sword strike is on an entirely different level.'
It wasn't that the human named Jang Eun-seok was weak.
Cowardly as his actions were, bypassing the warriors in an instant to take a hostage behind them required a high level of skill.
Yet, this human had subdued such a formidable opponent in a single strike.
It was a sight hard to believe even while watching it unfold.
The incredibly clean quickdraw technique still lingered in his mind.
What if...
...the one standing there had been him? Would he have been able to react to that attack?
What were the chances of blocking it and launching a counterattack...?
As his thoughts reached that point, Caracal's heart began to beat faster.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
If it was a human this strong...
...then perhaps it was possible.
Perhaps they could deal a blow to those who exploited their tribe and trampled on their honor.
To test that possibility—
Rumble!
Caracal released his mana.
* * *
To earn Caracal's recognition, Jinhyuk had to make him clash with everything he had.
That was how the Frostblade Tribe, who revered martial prowess, acknowledged other races.
'Just as expected.'
The corners of Jinhyuk's mouth curled upward.
Originally, he had planned to use a different method instead of slashing Jang Eun-seok...
...but in hindsight, this made for a much more convincing stage.
Using his 'Communion' ability to lower the other's guard had also played a major role in setting up this scenario.
Now, next...
Jinhyuk activated 'Gluttony's Eye'.
[Name: Caracal]
Race: Ice Troll
Age: ? (Locked for unknown reasons)
Level: 82
Strength: 30 / Agility: 28 / Stamina: 30 / Mana: 35 / Hero: 45
Unique Ability: 'White Beast'
Skills: Lv14 'Path of the King', Lv13 'Acceleration', Lv13 'Unyielding Heart', Lv12 'Superior Regeneration'
Description: Caracal is the chieftain of the Frostblade Tribe, hailed as the strongest in its history. Trolls are a race exploited and persecuted by the powerhouses of the Tower. Caracal is prepared to sacrifice his very life to break these chains. As a race that values honor and pride, once a bond of gratitude or grudge is formed, they will never betray it.
[Copy Conditions]
To earn the trolls' recognition, you must pass two conditions:
If both conditions are met, you can choose and copy one of Caracal's unique abilities or skills.
Once again, something completely absurd had slipped into the conditions.
'Well, I'm used to it by now.'
In fact, he might have been disappointed if only the first condition had appeared. That was how well-adjusted Jinhyuk had become to the system's insane demands.
Now that he had confirmed the copy conditions, there was nothing holding him back.
"I'm actually quite fond of one-on-one duels."
To be honest, leading a large group to conduct a raid like earlier wasn't really his style.
After all, combat was best when it was just two people trading blows without any interference.
Jinhyuk also released his mana to match his opponent.
[Unique Ability 'Grave of Swords' is activated!]
Along the blade—
Whoosh!
...a dark red energy coalesced into a distinct form.
"Indeed!"
A broad grin spread across Caracal's face.
This energy.
This feeling...!
There was no mistake. The human named Kang Jinhyuk was strong.
The moment that thought crossed his mind—
...they swung their weapons at each other.
Clash!
The snow piled on the ground scattered in all directions. A spear with the power to warp the laws of physics pierced through the blizzard.
The environment turned everything into a blind spot.
Even so.
Jinhyuk predicted the trajectory by watching the subtle fluttering of the snowflakes.
Whoosh!
The spear sliced through the air.
The spearhead grazed past Jinhyuk's neck.
"A spear that ignores defense... That is certainly interesting."
Jinhyuk lightly leaned his cheek close to the blade.
Wow, it certainly felt chilly.
But.
Whether it had the ability to ignore defense, or the power to spread poison throughout the body with a mere scratch—
...it didn't matter as long as he dodged every single strike.
In fact, some veterans even threw away their armor entirely and ran around naked.
"Amusing! But I haven't shown you all my cards yet!"
With those words, Caracal's spear began to vibrate at high speed.
Hummmmm!
An optical illusion occurred, making it look as if dozens of spears were overlapping into one.
Was he finally going to use that?
Jinhyuk's eyes narrowed.
At the same time—
[Caracal activates the unique ability 'White Beast'!]
A gust of wind swept over the snow-covered ground.
It was starting.
Shhhk!
Just as Jinhyuk threw himself to the side—
...spikes made of ice and snow shot up from the ground.
If he had been even a fraction of a second slower, his feet and entire body would have been skewered.
Shhhk! Shhhk! Shhhk!
Spikes erupted in rapid succession.
Jinhyuk leaped through the air like a flying squirrel.
"Haaap!"
Anticipating where Jinhyuk would land, Caracal threw his spear, but Jinhyuk dodged even that.
The spear, half-buried in the snow, vibrated violently.
"To react to even this with such ease... Truly, it is astonishing no matter how many times I see it. Yes, this is the kind of human I expected."
Caracal gasped in admiration.
Normally, anyone would have fallen to this surprise attack without even being able to react.
Even when they first fought the Decasus Family, both Bertion and Ophelia had succumbed to this attack.
Although...
'...it didn't work on that last guy.'
His expectations were rising.
Because there was a high probability that this human possessed strength comparable to that monster.
No, perhaps even...
Just then.
A smirk played on Jinhyuk's lips.
"Same here."
"What?"
"I would've been disappointed if you couldn't even do this much, but you barely pass."
He was a force that could be fully utilized as a pawn.
So, it was about time to bring up the terms.
Jinhyuk opened his mouth to speak.
And then—
"...H-how on earth do you know that?"
Caracal's eyes shook with utter shock.
He had no choice but to react that way.
Because what Jinhyuk had just said was something an outsider, who wasn't part of their tribe, could never possibly know.