Chapter 138
Chapter 138
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 138
Chapter Title: ACT.24 Hunters (8)
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“So, you’re the players from Paradise.”
“…Kim Se-hyeon. How do you know about Paradise?”
Just as I expected. Because Shin Hae-yoo, their contact, and the other two were taken down, these guys hadn't received any proper updates.
One by one, more figures wearing the same masks emerged from the surroundings.
It wasn't just one.
Ten more.
A total of eleven had infiltrated, yet no one in the guild noticed?
‘Eight B-ranks and three A-ranks.’
Not eleven A-ranks, but a fighting force far below that.
The reason was simple.
They didn't need to go around diligently killing players themselves.
Their role was merely to incite and manipulate from behind the scenes.
In other words, they were the personnel meant to intervene only when necessary to ensure things went their way.
But since Choi Nam-hoon was about to spill their secrets, they had no choice but to reveal themselves.
‘Even so, if their information about me had been updated, they wouldn't have shown themselves.’
That was confidence.
A confidence based on the information that they could easily take care of someone like me.
How long would it take for them to realize that information was wrong?
“Se-hyeon-ssi. Those people are…”
“They're the ones who were backing Choi Nam-hoon. Some of them were involved in the attack on Lee Do-hyeon-ssi.”
“Then the answer is simple.”
Jeong Ha-yeon turned her sword.
Six of the Paradise players were behind us, so she focused her attention there.
Perhaps because they had witnessed Jeong Ha-yeon's presence when she was about to attack Choi Nam-hoon, they spread out very cautiously, attempting to surround them.
*Fwoosh!*
“Kuh!?”
“Unni isn't the only one here.”
Of course, the twins who had taken care of the hunters on the rooftop weren't about to stand by idly.
Jo Min-ah immediately scattered blue flames, blocking their path.
Jo Min-ah, Jo Min-woo, and Jeong Ha-yeon.
The three of them had grown strong enough to hold their own against most first-generation players.
The Paradise players, realizing things weren't ordinary, nodded to each other and sent more people that way.
Lee Do-hyeon is a slight concern, but…
He's put his mask and cloak back on.
With all eyes on me and Jeong Ha-yeon, it seemed like a natural misdirection.
He should be safe like that.
“Aren't you forgetting something?”
The three A-ranks were all marking me.
A decision they must have made after analyzing me as an A-rank.
Take out me, the strongest one here, quickly, and then join the others.
The strategy itself was sound.
“It'll take the others quite some time to get here. More than enough time to deal with you.”
“You're the one who shouldn't be so relaxed.”
The three A-ranks slowly closed the distance.
[Using the skill, ‘Extreme Eye’.]
I quickly scanned their information.
Some were characters who were here in the original game, while others were complete unknowns.
…Weapon Throw? He raised it all the way to S-rank?
It's a trait that's practically useless until it hits S-rank, yet it seems he stubbornly raised it to S while leaving his other traits untouched at E and D.
What kind of pervert was this guy?
“We'll handle this side, so you can fight without worrying.”
“That's right. Oppa, you focus on them!”
“I feel like we could make a bet on whether we take them all down first, or you do, Hyung.”
“You've still got a long way to go.”
“We'll see about that.”
The twins and Jeong Ha-yeon.
I met their eyes for a moment and smiled, then we stood back-to-back.
Jo Min-woo had certainly grown up.
He'd become quite confident after gaining power.
“Do you think those three will take care of that side and come help you? Sure, that woman is definitely strong. The kids are surprisingly holding their own too. But there's a clear difference in experience. Above all.”
The man who seemed to be the leader of the Paradise players here sneered.
“The difference between being accustomed to killing and not is plain to see.”
He had a point.
Jeong Ha-yeon, after gaining the power of Judgment, did attack with killing intent, but only against targets judged as ‘evil.’ The twins, however, still stopped at suppressing their opponents.
Taking another person's life.
It was because I had long stressed the weight of that act.
‘Otherwise, they could become murderers who simply take pleasure in killing.’
Even in the game, such NPCs were common.
Those who first killed to protect themselves gradually became desensitized to it, and eventually became madmen who felt pleasure in the act of killing itself.
I had to be careful not to become like that myself.
“I hope you're not thinking they'll be able to come help you. The most they'll be able to help with is your funeral!”
“You're mistaken, Park Dae-jun.”
When I mentioned the name I'd learned through Extreme Eye, he frowned.
Basically, the information of those belonging to Paradise is highly confidential.
So much so that you could say almost no information had been leaked to the outside.
Despite that, I had mentioned his name directly, so it was natural for him to be bewildered.
“How do you know my name…?”
“You're the one who's mistaken about two things.”
Drawing my sword, I slowly began to walk.
“First. Those three can suppress all of them without allowing a single attack.”
“Impossible. Second-generation players who haven't even shown much promise should be B-rank at best.”
“Second.”
Just what era of information were they operating on?
For guys whose purpose was to hunt players, they'd failed to grasp the most important thing.
“That it will be faster for me to take you down than for those three to take them down.”
*Fwoosh!*
Black flames erupted along my sword.
Black Flame has a power that intimidates those who see it.
Did he sense that something was wrong?
The corner of Park Dae-jun's mouth tightened.
“Black flames…?”
Park Dae-jun faltered, staring at my sword.
He must be vaguely sensing it.
That if he attacked recklessly, the Black Flame would incinerate his body.
“Your information hasn't been updated. Is this a power you acquired recently?”
“Recently?”
By my standards, it had only been about two or three days.
I happened to acquire it while healing Jo Min-ah, and right after that, I went through the Ark Gate and defeated the King of Disease.
It took about that long to go to another dimension, come back, and clear almost all the missions.
“I guess you could call it recent.”
When I affirmed it, Park Dae-jun suddenly burst into a sneer.
“No matter how strong a power is, if you're not used to it, it's worse than a weaker but mastered one. Besides, even if you've gained a good power, if there hasn't been a dramatic change in your stats, your vessel for that power will be lacking.”
A pair of daggers spun in Park Dae-jun's hand.
Then, he hid himself in the shadows.
The remaining two spread out to either side as if unfolding wings, each preparing to attack.
“That power certainly looks terrifyingly strong, but if the base stats are low, it becomes weak.”
I confirmed he hid in the shadows, but I could hear his voice clearly.
It felt like listening to someone speak in a small, enclosed room, so I couldn't pinpoint his location.
I didn't know the principle behind it, but it was a curious thing.
I glanced over at Jeong Ha-yeon's side.
I wondered if he might join them and attack from behind, but that didn't seem to be the case.
“Despite your words, it seems you're hoping that woman will help you, aren't you?”
“Not at all. I was just worried your subordinates might be defeated too easily.”
“You've certainly mastered bluffing, Kim Se-hyeon!”
Was that the signal to attack?
The two spread out on either side attacked simultaneously.
A whip covered in iron filings, and dozens of poisoned knives flying at once.
It was obvious these were attacks where it didn't matter if they hit or not.
They were purely meant to restrict my movements.
The real attack was something else.
“Alpha.”
Ignoring their attacks, I turned and reached my arm into my own shadow.
My hand, which should have been stopped by the ground, sank into the shadow as if entering a space.
I grabbed the neck of Park Dae-jun, who was hiding in my shadow, and lifted him up.
“Gak!?”
“Too obvious.”
“H-how did you know I was hiding in the shadow!?”
“Guys with that power always pull the same stunt.”
As I spoke with a smirk, Park Dae-jun's face twisted.
His plan was likely to jump out of my shadow and attack my back after the other two attacked, but for someone who knows about this trait, it's an all-too-obvious trick.
Of course, if you don't know, you're bound to fall for it.
“But if you ignored those attacks just to catch me, then you're just an idiot…”
Park Dae-jun's face, which had been about to grin, froze as if he'd seen something impossible.
“What… is that…?”
“My faithful subordinate.”
Alpha stood silently, flicking the blood from its sword.
A severed whip and countless knives lay scattered around.
And one of them, unconscious with their legs severed.
On my command, Alpha had not only parried all the attacks on the spot but had also left the one using Weapon Throw in a near-death state.
“Ah, and unlike someone else's subordinates, he's even competent.”
“Kim Se-hyeon…!”
“Do you want me to burn you to a crisp with Black Flame right now?”
“Kuh…”
As I slowly gathered black energy in my hand, a panicked Park Dae-jun swung the daggers in both his hands.
Not only that, but he also made numerous thorns sprout from my shadow.
The difference in agility stats between Park Dae-jun and me was over 30.
The attack looked ridiculously slow, but I obediently released my grip on his neck and stepped back.
‘I can't kill him.’
Slowly.
Slowly, I had to eat away at his mind.
So that the Eyes of Bewitchment could have maximum effect.
“To dodge that so easily…”
Park Dae-jun, who had instantly moved to another spot, let out a groan.
Park Dae-jun's ability was a trait called ‘Master of Shadows,’ which specialized in assassination.
It had great utility and mobility, allowing one to hide in shadows or move from one shadow to another, and it could also use shadows for various attacks.
In some ways, it was similar to my Lord of Darkness.
“Gyaaaah!!”
In the meantime, Alpha finished off the last one.
I could have summoned my soldiers to help the twins, but I didn't.
This was a good opportunity for them to gain practical combat experience.
I didn't want to offer unconditional help.
‘And it doesn’t look like they need it, either.’
The leisure had completely vanished from Park Dae-jun's face.
Instead, its vacant spot was filled by anxiety.
When your attacks are countered so easily, and your opponent, in contrast, wears a relaxed smile, that anxiety is amplified.
Park Dae-jun gritted his teeth.
“Strange, isn't it?”
“…”
“Your abilities, your stats. Everything seems to have a huge gap compared to the information you had.”
He flinched, unable to hide his panic.
A momentary agitation is just as quickly recovered from.
Before he could recover, I had to keep hitting him with consecutive blows, so he'd be swallowed by his agitation.
“Your regular information briefing was probably supposed to be today, but a lot of time has passed, and no one has shown up.”
“…What's that got to do with anything?”
“Why is there still no word from them? If they were just running late, shouldn't they make a grand entrance right about now and turn the tables?”
“What are you trying to say?! Are you trying to tell me you killed all of them too?!”
“You catch on quick.”
An immediate answer, without the slightest pause.
Park Dae-jun stared at me blankly, then his body trembled as he ground his teeth.
“Don't give me that bullshit! The business we're conducting here is important, so it's the executives who deliver the information! To prevent any unforeseen circumstances, it's a strict rule in our Paradise that at least two S-rank or equivalent players move together! Are you saying you killed them all by yourself?!”
“Being skeptical is good, but.”
I took something out of my pocket and threw it in front of Park Dae-jun.
“It's the truth.”
Proof of a Paradise executive.
There was no way Park Dae-jun, a member of Paradise, wouldn't recognize it.
And just as I thought.
His eyes widened as if they would tear, and they shook violently, as if in an earthquake.