Chapter 36
Chapter 36
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: uly
Chapter: 36
Chapter Title: Price of Standing
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Hwan-in felt tension surging within him as he looked down at his own chest from the perspective of the greatsword monster.
His vision obscured by the massive cloud of dust, Hwan-in had anticipated the direction from which the greatsword monster would charge. He was certain that if he couldn't see the monster, the monster couldn't see him either.
And the moment the monster charged in the expected direction, Hwan-in circled silently behind it, drew the staff from his back, and fired the advanced soul arrow he had already loaded.
Thwuck!!
The backstab was a success.
With a short burst of air, the soul arrow pierced straight through the greatsword monster's heart in an instant and, without losing momentum, blew the head off a small brown monster on the opposite side.
The greatsword monster, its chest torn wide open, spewed blood in a massive gush.
He had originally aimed to blow off its head. But due to its turtle-like retracted neck, he couldn't target it and went for the heart instead—a blow that would kill any living thing.
And indeed, he had obliterated it...
'Why? No signs of death.'
Be it beast or monster, when death approached, their color spectrum faded by 30 to 50 percent in brightness.
Yet the greatsword monster's color spectrum— a vivid amber somewhere between yellow and orange—remained steady and sharp, unwavering.
A fierce sense of crisis screamed warnings. If not now, there would be no chance.
"Go!"
Ignoring no warnings, he hurled every mid-to-low-grade soul bead into the gaping hole in the greatsword monster's chest.
Kaboom!!!
The moment a shockwave like rupturing air engulfed a 5-meter radius, Hwan-in's eyes widened at the unbelievable sight.
'It dodged?'
In that split second, the greatsword monster had leaped backward, escaping the center of the explosion.
Stunned that it had evaded a soul explosion with grenade-like power—an attack with no prelude until detonation—the shock was brief.
"!!?"
Feeling chills erupt across his entire body, Hwan-in dropped to his knees without hesitation and fell backward, witnessing the rusted iron greatsword slice past the tip of his nose.
The greatsword monster had burst through the explosion's aftermath at several times its previous speed and swung its blade.
Kraaaah??!!!
The monster roared as it slammed the greatsword down. His nose tingled from the near miss, but without a moment's pause, he rolled sideways like a donkey.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
As the monster pursued, chopping down like splitting firewood, Hwan-in desperately rolled to evade.
Amid the chaos of sky and earth alternating, Hwan-in finally confirmed the greatsword monster's condition.
Its pupils had vanished above its eyelids, leaving only blood-red sclera exposed.
Blood poured from its eyes, nose, mouth, and ears, while the fist-sized hole in its chest overflowed like a spring.
It had dodged the direct hit of the mid-to-low-grade soul explosion but clearly suffered significant damage. A state where death at any moment wouldn't be surprising.
'I'll die first.'
Each time the greatsword struck the ground, vibrations rattled his organs. The sensory disorientation from rolling only worsened it.
He had to turn the tables somehow, but evading the blade crashing down every second left no room to try anything.
Spear and staff were already out of hand. Even a 0.1-second delay in rolling would have been too late; the lightning-fast greatsword would have severed his waist.
This evasion had limits.
No, the limit was right before him. But any distraction in that fleeting gap, and the greatsword would cleave him...
To reach this state from a single prediction error— was this what they meant by the unpredictability of fortune?
It was in the midst of this dire moment that the stray thought surfaced.
Kroooarrrgh!!!
Kwaaaang!
"Guhk!?"
A deafening roar like tearing eardrums hit alongside an immense impact that slammed into Hwan-in.
Instinctively realizing his body was flying through the air, he curled up and guarded his head with both arms.
Then came a lung-crushing shock, the world flipping dozens of times, pain like tumbling down stairs wracking his entire body.
Finally stopping his involuntary rolls, Hwan-in staggered to his feet with an unintended groan.
'Not dead.'
Every joint screamed like it was dislocated, but survival was what mattered.
Pain was pain, but his body moved, no obvious breaks visible.
Quickly assessing, he looked up to see the blade boar standing rigidly on all fours—dead.
'Flew 40 meters. Did the blade boar charge right before dying?'
Glancing at the straight furrow in the ground from the boar's position, Hwan-in rapidly pieced it together, then spotted the greatsword monster rising amid the clustered small brown monsters over there.
"...!"
He kicked off toward his spear and staff, flung far away.
Kraaaah!!!
Its right arm utterly shattered by the blade boar's charge, covered in its own blood like war paint, the greatsword monster bellowed vengefully and charged at the standing corpse of the blade boar.
"...?"
Why was that thing running there?
—That monster has the power to heal wounds by drinking blood. Even exposed organs heal to mere scratches if it drinks enough blood. It seemed to restore stamina too.
The jindo dog's words echoed like an auditory hallucination.
"Ha."
Sighing in complaint as he ran, Hwan-in groped his waist, gripped the stone axe handle the moment it touched his hand, gnashed his teeth, and hurled it with full force.
'Hit!'
Whoooosh— The stone axe flew with a sinister hum, smashing precisely into the greatsword monster's temple.
Crack! The monster toppled with a massive sound but sprang up roaring again. By then, Hwan-in was nearly at his weapons.
Kiyaaah!
Kyarrgrr!
Did the roar carry a command? The small brown monsters, left alive for soul supply, charged at Hwan-in.
Twenty coming to kill, yet utterly unthreatening. Just annoying for stealing time in this crisis.
Snap.
Quickly grabbing staff and spear, Hwan-in first summoned the vividly visible soul of the blade boar.
The soul was as massive as its body, distinctly shaped like a six-legged horse-deer, wrapped in a hazy aura like heat shimmer.
But the soul wouldn't come.
'Come!'
Shouting inwardly, the blade boar's soul finally approached, glared at Hwan-in with bulging orb eyes, then transformed into a soul bead.
The greatsword monster's possession effect was waning anyway. Without waiting, Hwan-in possessed the blade boar's soul.
"Grgh...?!!"
His entire body—no, soul—ignited in agony, eyes widening to tearing.
Heart pumping like it would burst. Heat surged from head to toe, then suddenly icy chills engulfed his flesh.
'Something's wrong.'
Soul scorching, body alternating blasts of heat and cold.
In this mind-numbing state, one knee buckled. Clutching the ground, he suppressed a scream, pressure building like eyes would pop.
"Kuhk! Gruuuh...!"
Amid the horrific pain, Hwan-in desperately thought.
Instantly like this upon possession. Had the blade boar's grudge flipped buff to debuff?
'No! This is... the power, body can't handle it...!'
Muscles spasmed like electric torture—contracting, bulging, shrinking, expanding repeatedly.
Dangerous. Even ignoring soul agony, body might explode first.
Kiyak!!
Kyaooot!
As small brown monsters closed in, grabbing his hair and clothes, Hwan-in roared and swung his spear wide.
"Kraaak!!"
Booom— Fssshzzzt!
Brown monsters overlapping the spear's arc shattered like hit by a train.
'The pain?'
Realizing bodily pain eased slightly, Hwan-in roared again, pulverizing the surrounding small brown monsters.
'Use the power, power!'
Spear swung one-handed bent like a bow, smashing brown monsters to pulp.
Fist impact exploded flesh; leg swing didn't send flying—it severed.
In moments, 16 turned to meat chunks. Hwan-in glared at the greatsword monster emerging from the blade boar's gut, ribs torn.
Blood-soaked brown hide flushed crimson; chest hole already sealed.
Shattered right arm, save ugly scars, restored like rewound time.
Against this monster, he could wield 'sufficient' power. Instinct told him so. Hwan-in instantly leaped at the monster gripping the blade boar's spine instead of greatsword.
Thud!
One ground-shaking step reached it. With fierce shout, spear thrust like lightning.
"Kraaaap!!"
Kraaaah!!!
Monster unflinching, growled back, swinging spine club at Hwan-in.
Bang!
Weapons clashed with explosion. Again, again.
Intervals shortened, eventually no gaps, unmoving, pure weapon clashes.
No mercy, solely to kill.
Each full-force clash, Hwan-in felt rampaging bodily pain gradually subside.
But soul scorch unchanged by 1mg. Seesaw-like: less body pain, more soul agony.
'Grrruhh...!'
Pain worse than light steed's end; teeth grinding to shatter, he swung spear.
Monster's eyes—rage or ecstasy?—spewed bloodlight, maniacally swung spine club.
Dozens exchanges later, pop, faint rupture—Hwan-in's black spear shattered the spine club.
Monster discarded handle-less bone without hesitation, thrust fist.
Hwan-in saw fist growing larger, slashed spear diagonally—but dreaded happened.
Thwuck!!
Severed half arm, but knot binding blade snapped, flying into woods.
Black spear became black club?? But thoughtless, Hwan-in swung faster, pummeling disarmed monster.
Thwack! Crack!! Thud thud!! Pow!
Feint head, strike flank; feint chest stab, smash thigh; feint arm block, crack skull.
Guarding with arms approaching, smashed monster's balls; Grrooogh...! It doubled clutching, merciless uppercut to jaw.
Body lifted half-foot, exposed solar plexus pow pow pow!! three lightning jabs; Kweeeh...! Clutching retreat, smashed knee forcing kneel.
Monster flailed, mind lost to storm assault.
Overwhelming with berserk physicality, but soul agony pushed Hwan-in's mind to brink.
Death now.
Not monster—himself.
Hwan-in vaguely guessed why.
'Blade boar's... possession...'
Current soul intensity, body durability, warm ki and cold ki levels couldn't handle blade boar soul possession—hence disaster.
Obvious in hindsight.
Lowest souls lacked form. Low/mid-low differed vastly in effects.
Like mismatched knowledge overloads brain, mismatched soul overloaded soul and body.
Problem: overload potentially fatal.
Dozens blows turning monster to pulp was forced will and month's tension miracle.
Miracle ended; mind fading, arms slackened, movement stopped.
Kuwaaahk!!!
Beaten monster seized gap, vengeful roar, tackled Hwan-in's chest.
Pin enemy, crush head to kill.
But granted Hwan-in another miracle.
Warm ki and cold ki flowed left-right along spine as aorta. Mismatched possession tangled/blocked flow, stagnating body.
Tackle shock shook spine, unblocking stagnation.
Ground impact shook more; dam burst, pent-up ki flooded brain compensating pressure.
Result: Reserved warm ki met cold ki in head, exploded.
Blade boar's trait rampaged.
Kraka boom— Kwaaakaboom!!!
Warm/cold ki-charged thin lightning bolt, thunder accompanying, arced around Hwan-in.
Occasionally outward or on body, but miracle smiled again.
Takedown-riding monster to crush head absorbed all descending bolts.
...! ..!! ......!!!
Arms raised pose, first bolt hit—muscles contracted, paralyzed; endured nine more fully.
Massive blood for max enhancement, resonated pearl stone amplifying bolts—10 hits unsurvivable.
Four surviving small brown monsters fled forest from lightning/thunder terror.
Endless electric shocks scattered beasts/animals fleeing.
Left: Unconscious fallen Hwan-in, charcoal atop arms raised; white giant boar corpse, two hundred brown monster corpses.
Silence fell on noisy monster village.