Chapter 6
Chapter 6
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 6
Chapter Title: ACT1. The Beginning of the End (6)
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“Graaah!!”
A Death Bite charged at me.
Just an hour or two ago, even dealing with one would have been a struggle, but things are different now.
[Strength: 6(+3)]
[Agility: 7(+3)]
I calmly deflected the Death Bite's attack and countered through the momentary opening.
Shunk!
The Death Bite, its neck pierced, staggered and then went still.
Was it startled by how easily its companion fell?
The remaining one, which had been waiting for an opening, flinched and began to move cautiously.
“If you won't come to me, I'll come to you.”
Whoosh!
I retrieved the dagger from the dead creature's neck and threw it at the other one.
As expected, it twisted its body to dodge.
And was left wide open to my follow-up attack.
Crunch!
“...Not a pleasant feeling.”
I frowned, recalling the sensation of crushing its skull.
After retrieving my dagger, I scanned the spot where the Death Bites had been.
Just as I thought.
What I was looking for was lying there.
[Hunter's Leather Gloves]
Gloves commonly used by hunters.
They are stained with the scent of beast blood.
Attack Power +8% when facing beast-type monsters.
+) Set (2/3)
All the weapons provided at the start form a set.
The problem is, you'd never know the weapon is part of a set until you find a hidden item like this.
Worse, they can only be found early on. If you miss them, you can never get them again.
It's as if they were designed to be obtained only by those who have played the game multiple times.
‘I just need to find the last piece quickly, then I can head to Jeungsan Station.’
Finding two hidden items within the sub-quest's 60-minute time limit is no easy feat.
But that doesn't apply to me.
The hidden locations of the items.
The shortest routes to get there.
The positions and behavioral patterns of the monsters along those routes.
Because I have them all memorized.
‘Right about... below here.’
I opened a window on the third-floor landing and leaped out.
I landed squarely on a Death Bite prowling the alley below, swinging my dagger before it could even react.
Slice!
[You have hunted a monster of a higher tier than your current progress.]
[100 coins have been awarded.]
‘And right up ahead.’
I immediately invested the coins into my stats and kept moving.
Stopping just before a bend in the path, I thrust my dagger forward, piercing the forehead of a Death Bite that was just rushing out, killing it instantly.
Everything is just as I remember.
As long as my body can keep up, I can use the same methods I did when I played the game.
“I feel like I've become a game character.”
I chuckled and entered the underground parking garage.
The last piece of the set item is hidden here.
The only problem is...
“Grrrr...”
a creature one and a half times the size of a normal Death Bite is lurking here.
‘Well, there's a way to handle this too.’
I threw a fist-sized rock I had picked up earlier to the opposite side of the creature.
A car window shattered with a loud crash, echoing through the garage.
“Krrk!?”
As expected, the creature reacted sensitively to the sound and dashed in that direction.
In the meantime, I moved to where the item was and opened the box.
The trick isn't to defeat the beast and then get the item.
It's the other way around.
Get the item, become stronger, and then take down the beast.
That's the easiest way to clear this area.
[Hunter's Utility Belt]
A belt commonly used by hunters.
It has plenty of space for hunting tools.
Attack Power +7% when facing beast-type monsters.
+) Set (3/3)
Attack Power +20% when facing animal-type enemies.
Hunter's Camouflage: Erases your scent for 1 minute. (Cooldown: 10 hours)
With this, the set is complete.
The Hunter Set. The high-efficiency early-game gear we used to call the 'HuntSet' for short.
Most early-game enemies are animal-types, so having this makes things incredibly convenient.
Beast-types are, of course, included in the animal category.
[Achievement - 'Hunter' has been completed.]
[You have been awarded 200 coins as a reward.]
[Using 200 coins.]
[Agility 7 -> 9]
My stats were now unbelievably high for Chapter 1.
Factoring in the bonus from my 'Accustomed to Battle' trait, my Agility was already at 12.
With this, I can take down that large, mutated Death Bite without much trouble.
The option to just leave without fighting it exists, but...
‘there's no reason to.’
To get strong quickly, I have to collect all the hidden rewards as I go.
And as the only person to have ever cleared the game, I know every single hidden reward.
I had no intention of letting that thing go.
CRASH!
I kicked a nearby car hard, then immediately hid behind another.
Seeing the Death Bite, which had been lingering where I'd thrown the rock, charge straight toward me, I used the skill from my set bonus.
[Activating skill, 'Hunter's Camouflage'.]
[Your scent will be erased for 1 minute.]
The Death Bite reached my vicinity and started sniffing the air.
Death Bites have no eyes.
They essentially detect their enemies' locations solely by scent.
But if I erase my scent like this...
‘it won't notice me until I ambush it.’
I held my breath and waited silently.
Until the perfect moment to strike.
As the Death Bite's body slowly passed by, its neck and flank completely exposed...
Shhhk!
I lunged with all my might and swung the dagger.
“Kraaaak!?”
Struck without warning, the Death Bite shrieked, slammed into a car, and staggered.
It drooled as it looked around frantically.
Unable to pick up my scent, it couldn't find me.
‘Twenty seconds left.’
This time, the legs.
I slashed the ankle of its hind leg, where the Achilles tendon would be, and it screamed again, flailing its front legs wildly.
I didn't stop there.
I attacked its other hind leg, crippling its mobility, which significantly reduced the force of its rampage.
The wound from the first attack was deep, and it was bleeding heavily.
‘It's over.’
[The effect of 'Hunter's Camouflage' is ending.]
As the skill's duration ended, the strange aura enveloping my body vanished.
At that moment, the Death Bite's head snapped toward me.
It opened its maw wide as if it had finally found me, ready to bite down.
Slice.
As if I'd been waiting for it, I swung my dagger.
Its head was sliced open along its gaping mouth.
It teetered.
No longer able to stand, the Death Bite collapsed, spewing blood.
The corpse vanished instantly.
And where the corpse had been, something that wasn't there before appeared.
I quickly picked it up.
[Hunter's Lost Bracer]
An item lost by a hunter during a fierce battle with a powerful foe.
'Hunter Set' option increased by an additional 10%.
“I guess that’s everything, including the hidden piece.”
With this, I can handle the events of Chapters 2 and 3 much more easily.
I checked the quest timer.
30 minutes remaining.
If I ran, I'd have plenty of time to get there.
***
[You have cleared the sub-quest.]
[You have been awarded 200 coins as a reward.]
Jeungsan Station wasn't in much better shape.
It looked no different from the place we had left.
Still seeing no other survivors, the people grew even more haggard.
The journey must not have been smooth, as some people were injured.
‘Well, monsters do attack while you're on the move.’
Jeong Ha-yeon, in particular, seemed to be in bad shape.
One of her arms was in a makeshift splint, bandaged with a small stick.
There's no way she can fight like that.
Lee Seong-chan was cowering, hands clasped over his head, trembling in fear.
“Se-hyeon-nim! We were worried about you!”
Lee Seon-yul spotted me and approached, wiping his chest in relief.
I did leave without a word, after all.
Sensing he would start pestering me with questions if I stayed quiet, I changed the subject first.
“What happened to her?”
“If you mean Jeong Ha-yeon-nim... she was attacked by a monster while helping someone else who was in danger.”
Lee Seon-yul's expression soured.
“...I see.”
“Still, thanks to the experience everyone gained fighting the Death Bites, there were no casualties. It's all thanks to you, Se-hyeon-nim.”
Lee Seon-yul bowed his head in gratitude.
I gave a faint smile and shook my head.
If anything, I should be thanking them for the easy coins.
“Um, Seon-yul-nim. There's something I'd like to ask.”
Jeong Ha-yeon, who seemed to have been waiting for our conversation to end, spoke up.
“Yes, go ahead.”
“You said you were like reinforcements sent to rescue us. Does that mean there are others like you, Seon-yul-nim?”
“Not many, but there are some. Why do you ask?”
“Seeing how much stronger you are than us, it feels like you must have awakened a long time ago. I was wondering if something like this has happened before, and for some reason, people just don't know about it.”
Though she sounded anxious, her eyes held a hint of certainty.
Seeing that, I was inwardly impressed.
She's right.
While everyone else is too busy trying to survive to even question the situation, Jeong Ha-yeon has hit on the most crucial point.
“You have a sharp eye. That's correct. This time, the gates activated on a massive scale, causing some people to awaken as players, but you could say similar things have happened before. In fact, gates have been opening intermittently for some time.”
“Th-then, you mean that even while we were living our daily lives, monsters were appearing somewhere...?”
“And dealing with them was our job.”
Lee Seon-yul gave a bitter smile.
Even so, the others reacted as if they couldn't quite grasp the reality of it.
It's understandable. To think that things they believed only happened in fiction were actually occurring in their everyday lives.
Even though it was happening to them now, only two hours had passed; their perception of the world couldn't change that quickly.
“This is really like a game...”
Someone muttered.
I immediately glanced around, but no one seemed to be taking it seriously.
'End of Apocalypse' may have been a failed game, but there are definitely people who played it.
In other words, I'm not the only one who realized reality has turned into that game.
If they become an ally, they'd be a great help. But if they become an enemy, they'd be just as much of a nuisance.
‘Though no one knows more than I do.’
“Excuse me for a moment.”
Lee Seon-yul took out his phone and stepped away.
I couldn't hear the call, but I could see his face stiffen.
“He doesn't look well...”
Jeong Ha-yeon murmured anxiously.
Of course he doesn't.
He's probably receiving *that* call.
The time has come.
The time for Chapter 1's greatest trial.
“Hoo...”
Just then, Lee Seon-yul returned, and I quickly approached him.
“Is something wrong?”
“A request for support came in. Apparently, there are students trapped in a nearby school.”
“But all the civilians were evacuated. There are still students at the school?”
“It seems a number of things happened at once. The problem is, the elementary and middle schools are adjacent, so there's a large number of students who need to escape. One of our people is already there, but they've requested help, saying it's too much for one person. And I'm the only one nearby.”
Lee Seon-yul's voice wasn't loud, but it was enough for everyone here to hear.
That's because no other group was talking.
“What on earth happened at the school...?”
“It seems a massive number of Death Bites have surrounded it.”