Chapter 85
Chapter 85
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 85
Chapter Title: Cooperate or Clash - 4
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Before hunting the griffin, I needed to run an experiment.
From my previous test, the dimension gate opened one meter in front of my line of sight.
Even when lying down, it formed perpendicular to the ground. But in midair, there was no ground.
So what would happen if I opened a dimension gate while falling?
I explained this to Da-jung, and she tilted her head while sitting on a rock.
"Hmm... Wouldn't it just smash into the ground and go splat?"
"That's why I need your help to find out. I want your zombies to catch me."
"With your stats, you probably wouldn't die even if you fell flat."
"That's not what you said a second ago..."
"Oops. My evil scheme has been exposed."
She feigned innocence and pointed at a tree.
"You're jumping from there, right? Hurry up and climb."
"I trust you, Choi Da-jung."
"Heh heh heh, you've made the mistake of trusting me."
Da-jung laughed like a villain, then looked up casually.
I set my backpack on the ground and started climbing the tree.
"Whoa, you look like a rhesus monkey right now."
Was that a compliment or an insult?
Rhesus monkeys were monsters that hunted survivors in groups.
They were experts at throwing stones, and if you got caught, you'd be pelted to death by a shower of rocks.
They were incredibly agile and strong, so no one liked fighting them.
Hearing their constant "kikikik!" shrieks in a group could drive you neurotic.
"You at the top yet?"
"Yeah, just a sec."
I answered, then stepped up onto a branch.
Please don't break...
Now I just had to look down at the ground and jump.
Glancing below, Da-jung's zombies were ready to catch me.
This setup felt familiar.
It was just like the old days when I'd get bored and leap into the arms of enhanced ghouls.
They wouldn't let the zombies swarm me... right?
I held my breath and—
The moment I kicked off the branch, the zombies zoomed in massively.
"Open dimension gate!"
A cold floor soon smacked my face.
"Ugh!"
I clutched my head and rolled around dramatically.
To exaggerate the pain, of course.
But surprisingly, it didn't hurt much.
"..."
I slowly stood up. I was in my cave.
Four dung beetles stared blankly at me mid-meal.
I'd left Dingo back on the island.
I waved the beetles off.
"Keep eating. Don't mind me."
Let's see... If my plan worked out, I'd need the shelter's ballista at the end.
An injured subadult griffin would go down in one or two shots.
Charging in with a long knife risked getting counter-killed.
Those things were notoriously tenacious.
"To set that up, I need bait."
Zombies to draw its attention and die in my place.
Now, how do I get out of here?
The dimension gate wasn't perpendicular to the floor like usual—it was parallel.
Because I'd summoned it while falling.
Anyway, time to go.
I poked my head out, and Da-jung looked up at me.
"You're only halfway out? That's so weird... Is that your youkai world?"
"It's not a youkai world."
I grabbed what I needed, fetched a chair, jumped down, and closed the gate.
Da-jung clapped.
"No flips, so five points."
"Shut up. Anyway, how many zombies can you spare?"
"Hmm... Who should I sacrifice... They're all such good kids."
"You can always pick up more outside. Make ghouls this time."
"Ghoul guys are gross."
Da-jung shuddered.
These guys didn't stink sourly?
Well, they at least looked somewhat human.
Which was creepier to me, but whatever.
I shouldered my backpack and explained the plan in detail.
She raised doubts at the final step.
"Can you really deal that much damage? You know griffins have insane vitality. A few arrows and stabs won't kill it."
"Don't worry. I'll hit it with something heavy."
"Sword Guy's gonna flip. 'I landed the first hit, and you stole the kill.'"
"Nah. We'll just be raiding the nest when the griffin flies in pissed."
Da-jung's mouth fell open slightly at that.
"Oh... right. Griffins are super protective of their nests."
It was just a probability play.
Not guaranteed to work.
If it failed, we'd improvise.
I had plenty of griffin bait anyway.
Da-jung nudged my arm with her shoulder.
"I'll give you the skill points, but the nest is mine, right?"
"Obviously."
I wanted it all, but she was helping, so she got a cut.
Nothing amazing in there anyway.
Just chicks and some shiny trinkets griffins liked.
We double-checked the plan and waited for the griffin below the nest.
"Smoke's key. Smoke. Sword Guy might come sniffing around. When he does, get pissed. Say you were raiding the nest but their screw-up cost your zombies."
"Won't they know what's happening at the nest?"
"We don't know their habits."
"Fine, got it."
.
.
.
Sword Guy brimmed with confidence.
With this many people, a subadult griffin was no problem—even an adult wouldn't be.
He'd land the killing blow.
The reward he'd promised wasn't small, but worth it.
The griffin's unique skill.
Plus the prestige of griffin hunting. Solid deal.
Sword Guy needed trust from people with diverse traits.
Not love or loyalty—just solid faith to follow him.
Problem was, there weren't many.
So far, just two or three, filling his multi-trait slots.
Truly a shame.
If only he'd won over Bunny Duo or Duck Down Quack.
No extra effects, but the traits alone were huge.
Infinite resurrection and zombie control—shivers just thinking about it.
He was also pissed at Kimbap Lover.
Circumstantially, Bunny Duo and Duck Down Quack had met him.
No other reason for them to head south.
Ditched me to party without me.
Common in games.
He ignored that it was his shelter-hiding that caused it.
Just felt bitter.
I'll become the Ruler right in their faces.
Once he fully controlled the government shelter, they'd have to acknowledge him.
Expand territory, become king of all survivors.
The only obstacle: Jang Won-taek.
Ex-president aura kept eyes on him.
His trait strengthened with more people.
To overcome that, he needed results.
The griffin is just the first step.
He gripped his long knife.
A future minion reported.
"Griffin's heading back to the nest! Light the fireworks?"
"Let's start!"
Precious fireworks, but necessary.
Flames burst in the clearing, catching the low-flying griffin's eye.
It opened its beak, signaling its presence, and descended.
It thumped into the clearing. Sword Guy signaled.
"Now!"
People burst from both sides' brush, hurling nets.
Spears and arrows followed simultaneously.
The griffin took shallow wounds and rampaged in rage.
Kieeeaak!
"Pin its wings!"
"Throw more nets!"
Key was keeping it grounded.
But its thrashing foiled wing restraints.
Wings spread wide in the narrow clearing.
Had to draw its eyes now.
"Go!"
Sword Guy charged. His allies hesitated briefly.
No one wanted to be griffin chow.
He took the glory, so he took the risk.
That split-second delay was fatal.
Sword Guy exposed himself in its direct view!
It spotted him and charged furiously.
Its bulk moved shockingly fast. Startled, Sword Guy blinked to its back.
Kieeeaak!
Something on its nape, it twisted and took flight.
Spears and arrows flew, but no lethal hits.
"Kuh!"
Sword Guy slammed his long knife into its nape with all his might.
As the blade pierced feathers and flesh, he lost balance and fell off.
"Ugh!"
He blinked back to the ground.
Head spinning.
The griffin ascended, knife still lodged.
Its furious eyes swept the party.
I said charge together!
But he couldn't berate them.
He'd shared traits; had to recruit them.
Sword Guy swallowed his anger.
"It'll come down again. Let's do it right this time."
"Y-yeah."
They'd hesitated too, so silence.
Griffin descent meant round two.
Furious, unlikely to flee elsewhere.
As they recovered spears and arrows, something odd happened.
"Wha? Griffin's flying off!"
"What? Ditching us?"
Sword Guy blinked atop a tree in shock.
The griffin was indeed heading to its nest far off!
He cursed.
"Fuck!"
.
.
.
Blink?
I definitely saw it.
Sword Guy on the griffin's nape vanishing suddenly.
Couldn't explain without blink or stealth.
Wasn't his trait shelter enhancement?
Multi-trait maybe?
Either way, he had blink-level mobility.
I peeked out at zombies looting the nest.
Did he see that?
Kieeeaak!
Spotting the nest raid, it puffed feathers and dove straight.
Zombies needed to hold aggro for me to mount.
A fresh chick died, tumbling into my dimension gate.
Seeing its chick vanish, the griffin raged harder.
Krawk!
Zombies bared teeth in defiance.
Pointless against its beak.
Zombies shredded instantly. I dropped onto its nape in the gap.
Long knife plunged deep.
Kyaaak!
It writhed in agony.
I gripped hard to hold on.
Two long knives?
Sword Guy must've stabbed and fallen.
Talk about a gift.
While I clung to feathers frantically, it flew up again.
Circling the nest made me dizzy.
Its wingbeats slowed.
Bleeding out?
Feathers soaked red.
Kiiiaak—
Its sky-shredding screech now sounded pitiful.
Good, keep it up...
I just gripped feathers desperately.
Endure, and opportunity comes.
Screams from below.
Get down quick!
Injured griffin wasn't landing.
Wings too weak; gliding on wind.
We drifted from the rocky mountain.
I yanked both long knives, then slammed them into wing roots.
Kiiak!
Last spasm flung me off.
I fell toward earth.
When grass patterns sharpened, I opened the dimension gate.
Landed atop griffin chicks.
"Whew... close one."
Beetles peeked from nests, spooked by chaos.
I calmed them, piled griffin corpse, slotted one long knife in my rack.
Focused on outside noise.
Thud!
Griffin down.
Move fast now.
I dashed to shelter, loaded ballista, exited.
At crash site, it heaved breaths.
Eyes still glared.
Even exhausted, lethal potential.
Approach too close? Deadly.
"Stay put."
From gate, aimed ballista.
Its eyes tracked, then froze.
Sudden vanish must confuse.
Switch up—string hurled bolt instantly.
Thwuck!
Kieeeek!
Bolt in eye socket, writhing.
I reloaded, fired again.
Consecutive shots finished it; limp.
Done.
Items later—no time now.
Smashed back knife marks fully, removed bolts.
Eyeball and blood spurted.
No one would know how it died now.
Murmurs approached.
"Looks like it fell there?"
"Tell everyone quick!"
Sword Guy's party, surely.
I opened a gate in cover.
They arrived, sighing.
"Dude..."
"Did it just... fall to death?"
"Head's badly damaged."
Sword Guy blinked before corpse.
Definitely blink.
He stared, laughed hollowly.
"Ha... for real."
Party around, so no outburst—just trembling.
Poke him, he'd blow.
Kneeled, inspected closely.
"No long knife. I definitely stabbed it."
"Fell out on impact?"
"Griffin thrashed too much."
"..."
His gaze hit mangled head.
"This isn't from falling..."
Party chatted, circling carcass.
"No one but us around, right?"
"Zombie Queen's doing?"
"Nah, zombies are no match."
"Bet it tastes good, though."
"Well-cooked, edible."
"Heard chicks taste better than adults."
"Tender meat... big for a chick..."
"With soju... heh."
"Nest's empty over there?"
"Grab chicks?"
"Food first!"
Already fuming Sword Guy finally snapped.
They flinched at his aura but grumbled heatedly.
"Survival's priority—what else?"
"Not our fault it failed—why yell?"
"Who gathered us anyway?"
"We got tempers too, y'know."
Sword Guy's eyes flashed realization.
They weren't fazed.
"Tch, whatever. Clear it."
"Chicks or not, take this."
"Gonna be a pain to butcher."
"Sword Guy, settle our deal proper."
Sword Guy slumped defeated.
Kinda felt bad.
I played dumb and closed the gate.
End of Cooperate or Clash - 4