Chapter 35
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 35
Chapter Title: SS급 비명헌터-35화
-----------------------------------------------------------------
```html
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 35
Chapter Title: Chunhyang's Lovers
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Of course, games and dungeons aren't the same, but right now I desperately needed a story-skip function. Walking for hours was already exhausting enough to kill me, but every time we hit a monster point, the haunting strains of Chunhyangga would echo out, and scenes from the Chunhyang tale unfolded like a full-blown play right in front of us.
"Strike her hard!"
"Yes!"
"Both of you!"
"Is your heart untouched by irreverence toward your father and mother, different from mere beasts?"
Right now, it was the scene where Chunhyang was being tortured by Byun Hak-do. They said the gate wouldn't appear until all these scenes played out and Yi Mong-ryong finally showed up... but this was way too long.
Where the hell is Chunhyang's human rights in all this?
I hated watching Yi Mong-ryong boss her around—this way, that way—because she was a gisaeng's daughter, but now some tyrannical bastard shows up demanding she attend him. And through it all, Chunhyang endures the torture to protect her chastity.
Is this really a Joseon-era romance novel? Does anyone actually get butterflies from this?
"The secret royal inspector has arrived! The secret royal inspector is here! As the cry rings out two or three times, the sky splits open, the earth caves in, thunder roars through the hundred-mile walls, and the summer day bursts into flames, scorching the reeds!"
"Whatever, just end it already..."
Yi Mong-ryong appeared in shabby clothes, holding a royal seal. Soldiers burst into the government office with all sorts of clamor, and Byun Hak-do, trying to flee, fell flat on his ass in disgrace. His soldiers scrambled to escape, and at the same time, the knife around Chunhyang's neck came loose.
Yi Mong-ryong caught Chunhyang's limp body as she collapsed, and they seemed to exchange tender words... but it didn't carry all the way to where we were.
Kung.
A gate dropped right where Byun Hak-do had been sitting, and the Path-Lighting Lantern pointed straight at it.
"Shin Ji-ui Hunter, Kim Su-a Hunter, the three of us will handle the offense. Lee Sang-wook Hunter, please assist with defense and protect Jin Ju-hyeon Hunter."
"Got it!"
Lee Sang-wook Hunter erected sturdy wooden shields around Jin Ju-hyeon Hunter, then stood outside them to support us, ready for any contingency.
"Shall we get into position too?"
"Yes!"
As Kim Su-a Hunter and I took a step toward Chunhyang and Yi Mong-ryong, Choi Min Hunter turned into a blazing inferno and shot toward the gate. Unquenchable flames swirled around her, but she ignored them completely and placed her hand on the gate.
Kugugung!
"That's when Chunhyang spotted the soldiers in the bushes and cried out! 'Oh dear, my lord! There are still assassins trying to kill us!' She grabbed Mong-ryong's hand and sprang to her feet!"
As the storyteller said, Chunhyang—no, the boss monster 'Seong Chunhyang'—who had been on the verge of death moments ago, grabbed 'Yi Mong-ryong's' hand and stood. Her other hand pointed at me and Kim Su-a Hunter, while she leaned against Yi Mong-ryong, tears streaming down her porcelain face like in a movie.
They're really milking their romance for all it's worth, using us as props.
Yi Mong-ryong pulled Seong Chunhyang into a tight embrace, then stared us down. He drew the sword from his waist high into the air and took a deep breath.
"You bastard, Byun Hak-do! Do you still not know your crimes? I will punish you severely and restore discipline to Namwon!"
"I'll draw their attention, so keep attacking."
Choi Min Hunter whispered, then leaped into the air, her entire body wreathed in flames.
Peopeopeobang!!
An explosion rocked the space where Seong Chunhyang and Yi Mong-ryong stood, amid scorching heat. Black smoke billowed as the two shot out with agile movements, charging at Choi Min Hunter.
Taang!
I pulled the trigger toward the sky. A pure white bullet sliced through the air, resonating through the entire space.
"Kraaak!"
Yi Mong-ryong's sword tip never reached Choi Min Hunter. Clutching his head, he crashed back to the ground. Kim Su-a Hunter swung her mace, ripping through the air with a ferocious wind roar, sending razor-sharp wind barbs flying at Yi Mong-ryong.
"My lord!"
Sararak.
A dazzling cloth of light enveloped Yi Mong-ryong, and the wind barbs shredded it slightly before scattering. Multicolored cloths erupted chaotically around Seong Chunhyang, draping the government office like spiderwebs.
These things are a total mess.
Firing at the cloths cut them easily, but they were immediately replaced by new ones, blocking our vision instead. The situation was turning into a real headache.
Indiscriminate shooting would just backfire.
I pushed through the cloths by hand, running to find Yi Mong-ryong and Seong Chunhyang.
"Kuhuk!"
"How dare you try to separate me from my lord!"
Air...!
Seong Chunhyang gestured, and a cloth instantly coiled around my neck. All that came out was a scraping sound like metal on metal. Too faint to trigger an explosion around me.
But with my skill...!
I pressed Ego to my neck without hesitation and pulled the trigger.
Tuwoong.
My body vibrated lightly as the cloth shredded to pieces.
Attacks that don't affect allies come in handy at times like this.
"Ku, heuk! Heok, heuk."
That didn't mean there was no impact. The sudden rush of oxygen to my lungs made me cough and gasp repeatedly.
Before my blurred vision cleared, I roughly aimed Ego at the sky.
Taang!!
"Kyaaak!"
Seong Chunhyang plummeted from the cloth overhead, but a new one caught her fall.
Hwoong!
I leaped with Word Without Feet, grabbing the edge of the cloth where Seong Chunhyang stood and dangling. Every time I closed in, she swung away like on a swing, landing lightly on another cloth.
"Argh, she's not even showing off her swing skills!"
From the patterns so far, Seong Chunhyang's attack power was basically zero. Her only offense was strangling with these cloths, mainly to obscure our vision.
A—woooo!
"Nokdu?!"
'Don't bully my big sis!'
While chasing Seong Chunhyang from behind, Nokdu suddenly burst from the bracelet. She overtook me, weaving through the cloths, then swiftly latched onto Seong Chunhyang's skirt and yanked.
"Kyaaak! What the hell is this mutt?!"
As Seong Chunhyang fell, dozens of cloth layers surged toward Nokdu.
Taang!!
I formed a shield with Ego and hurled it at Nokdu. The cloths hitting it slithered like seaweed, tearing apart strand by strand.
"Did you just call her a mutt?"
I dragged out a sonic wave, and Seong Chunhyang clamped her mouth shut, tumbling forward.
Tang!!
Dozens of cloths tried to wrap her, but my shot landed first.
"Ah, aaah..."
The white bullet embedded in Seong Chunhyang's back, and she muttered a final word in a dying rasp.
"My... lord..."
Pasasak.
Cracks spread across Seong Chunhyang's body, shattering into thousands of petals that scattered into the air. The multicolored cloths draping the office vanished like mist, finally revealing the battered Yi Mong-ryong and the other hunters.
"D-Did you take her down solo?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah. Somehow..."
Kim Su-a Hunter gaped at me. Taking down an S-rank boss monster alone must have been a shock.
Still, since Seong Chunhyang's attack power wasn't that high, others could probably handle her easily too.
"Chun... hyang... ah."
Then Yi Mong-ryong murmured. Propping himself up with his sword, he stared vacantly at the petals drifting far away.
"Chunhyang!!"
Kwaang!!
Whoa, what the—!
"Everyone, be careful! He's entering an awakened state!"
Kim Su-a Hunter shouted. Jet-black sand began spewing from Yi Mong-ryong's body. I covered my mouth with my arm and used my Authority to inspect him.
"You killed her!"
"Ugh!"
Yi Mong-ryong rocketed toward me like a bullet. I backpedaled frantically, deploying a shield.
Chaenggrang.
It shattered?!
The razor-sharp sword tip pierced my shield in slow motion right before my eyes.
Puk!
"Eueuk!"
Dizzying pain exploded as his blade sank into my right shoulder.
"Get lost!!"
Peng!
Screaming instead of using Ego, Yi Mong-ryong's form glitched like a noisy screen and staggered back a step.
Peopeobeobang!!
Heat flushed my face. Choi Min Hunter planted herself in front of me, engulfing Yi Mong-ryong in flames and detonating the space in an instant.
"I won't let you get away!!"
Even as his body burned, Yi Mong-ryong prepared his next attack.
"E-Everyone, where are you?!"
"Huh?!"
Lee Sang-wook Hunter suddenly yelled. He swung his shield blindly like he couldn't see, and Choi Min Hunter froze in place, wrapping herself in flames.
Darkness skill!
Thanks to the Path-Lighting Lantern, I was immune, but the others had already fallen victim.
"Stay calm, everyone! It's a darkness skill!"
I calmed them first, then locked onto Yi Mong-ryong.
Passeu.
Black sand gathered on his sword, swelling to a size that could cleave the entire space. The tip aimed squarely at us, poised for a massive horizontal slash.
Need to build a defense line first.
I checked positions: Lee Sang-wook Hunter with defense skills and Choi Min Hunter. Closest to Yi Mong-ryong was Choi Min Hunter, with Lee Sang-wook behind her.
If Choi Min Hunter activated Air Raid Shelter right there, maximally wide horizontally, it would cover everyone except me.
"Choi Min Hunter! Deploy Air Raid Shelter from your current position! Make it as wide horizontally as possible!"
"What are you planning...!"
"No time—now!"
Peng!!
"Euup."
Choi Min Hunter activated Air Raid Shelter the moment she heard me. A long, horizontal firewall formed just as I said, and I slipped through the gap to circle behind Yi Mong-ryong.
[Ego]
[7%]
Charge was iffy, but a direct hit would end it.
"One Blade Two Cuts!"
"Haaaa!!"
Seogeuk.
Yi Mong-ryong swung horizontally, black sand hurtling menacingly at the shelter. At the same moment, I raised my trembling arm and fired.
Taang!!
The massive bullet splintered into dozens, punching through the sand's midsection in a flash. It split top to bottom, disintegrating midair, and fragments burrowed into Yi Mong-ryong's body through the gap.
Peng!!
"Kraaaaa!!"
With a agonized scream, Yi Mong-ryong writhed, ultimately crumbling into a handful of sand that floated upward.
Self-Sacrifice for Others
Sacrifice yourself to protect another.
*Bearers of the Self-Sacrifice mission do not die when taking attacks meant for others. However, pain is still felt.
Achievement Increased
Achievement: 75%
It counts as taking a hit for someone even if I wasn't hurt this time.
Tanggrang.
The royal seal clattered down where Yi Mong-ryong had been.
Finally dead.
Confirming his total annihilation, tension drained from me, and pain throbbed from my pierced right shoulder.
Tuk.
"Careful."
I swayed, losing balance, but Choi Min Hunter caught me before I hit the ground.
She pulled me close like she knew and slowly sank to the floor with me.
"I'll heal you right now! Relax your body!"
Jin Ju-hyeon Hunter rushed over, knelt before me, and cast her healing skill.
"Uh, kuhuk...!"
It felt like pouring a bucket of disinfectant straight into the wound.
Black mist enveloped the gash, knitting torn flesh and muscle. The raw healing process was so vivid I buried my face in Choi Min Hunter's shoulder, gasping.
Kung, kung.
Then my heart started pounding wildly.
"Why do you keep doing such reckless things?!"
"Then... let Choi Min Hunter take the hit?"
A booming voice I'd never heard from Choi Min Hunter before rang out.
This is from before regression too...
Lifting my head with effort, I saw her lips pressed tight, eyes fixed only on my wound.
"Isn't it about time you relied on me?"
"..."
"What the hell am I to you anyway?"
What was this now?
Melodramatic lines straight out of a soap opera spilled from Choi Min Hunter's mouth.
"Hahaha..."
Pre-regression me laughed weakly, like a deflated balloon.
"Lately, I don't even know who I can trust anymore."
"Healing's done. You okay now?"
"Ah..."
As Jin Ju-hyeon Hunter spoke, pre-regression my voice faded into the distance. Lowering my head, I checked my shoulder: black residue clung over the scab like soot.
"Thank you, Jin Ju-hyeon Hunter."
"Just doing my job."
She beamed back brightly.
That memory was too vivid...
As 'One Who Steps on Karma' achievement rose, past memories flooded in clearer. They might come more often now.
"Can you stand?"
"Ah, yes."
I extricated myself from Choi Min Hunter's arms and rose. She stood slowly too, then trudged toward the gate.
"What the hell am I to you anyway?"
Staring at her back, I replayed the memory. In that timeline, I'd taken a hit for her.
"Lately, I don't even know who I can trust anymore."
After all that sacrifice, why say something like that?
'Big sis, you okay?'
Nokdu padded slowly toward me.
'Our Nokdu landed a hit on Seong Chunhyang.'
"Good girl, our Nokdu~"
Kya—woo!
Scratching her chin and pressing foreheads, she purred happily.
"Shin Ji-ui Hunter! Let's go!"
"Ah, yes!"
Lee Sang-wook Hunter beckoned, and I hurried to the gate.
I figured the interview after an S-rank dungeon was routine, but our clear time was so fast it dragged on longer than usual. Any longer and I'd have dozed off standing.
"I just wanna go home..."
"Shin Ji-ui Hunter."
"Wak!"
The sudden voice from behind made me yelp involuntarily.
"Ch-Choi Min Hunter?"
Turning, she gazed at me calmly. She gave a light bow.
"Sorry if I startled you."
"N-No, I was spacing out... You haven't left yet?"
"I have a question."
What could she possibly want to ask me?
Choi Min Hunter stared silently, waiting for my response.
"Uh, what is it?"
She glanced at her hand, then formed a circle with her thumb and index finger.
Wait, no way...?
Every movement made my hairs stand on end, my heart hammering like it would leap out.
Choi Min Hunter slowly raised her arm, bringing the hand-gesture right in front of my eyes.
"What is this?"
```