Chapter 27
Chapter 27
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 27
Chapter Title: The Perfect Punching Bag
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Quests are whimsical things.
After comforting Shim Young-jin yesterday, a new quest had arrived.
[Quest]
Classification: Sub (Elatra)
Content: To look into another's heart and understand it is empathy. For true empathy, slay the Graykins and avenge them. Then, I shall grant you the ability to see even more. (Progress: 0/10)
Time Limit: 48 hours (Time Remaining: 36 hours, 11 minutes, 30 seconds)
Reward: Eye of the Golem Enhancement
Failure Penalty: Indefinite restriction on the use of Eye of the Golem
A sub-quest that arrived out of nowhere.
It was as if someone was watching Do-jae in real time.
‘Elatra…’
For the first time, a specific name appeared next to the quest classification.
He was almost 100% certain that ‘Elatra’ was the name of the goddess who had given him the Eye of the Golem.
‘Restricting the Eye of the Golem upon failure? Giving something just to take it away?’
The Eye of the Golem was an incredibly useful skill.
He might not have missed it before he had it, but now, it was undeniably helpful.
It was a skill he couldn't afford to lose.
Besides, he was already worried about Shim Young-jin. He thought that bringing back the heads of the Graykins might alleviate some of his guilt.
‘If it's just ten of them, I should be able to hunt them down quickly and get out.’
This was the very reason he had decided to move separately.
If a dangerous situation arose, he could manage to escape on his own.
But if the squad members were with him, things would surely get complicated.
It was better to leave the golem with them and go alone.
‘Is this the place?’
He looked at the map displayed on his smartphone.
He switched between a picture of the map showing the operation area and a GPS-enabled map.
The entrance to the mountain, where trees were gathered in sparse clumps.
Beyond that point was the Graykins' territory.
*Shhhk-.*
Do-jae deployed his Golem Armor.
Unlike the Grade 7 Red Orcs, the Graykins were Grade 5.
He even took out the Harpy Queen's Plumage, and after thoroughly preparing, he stepped into their land.
***
*Whoosh-.*
The refreshing sound of trees rustling in the wind filled the air.
Tall trees blocked the sunlight, making it feel dusky despite being midday.
It was indeed a natural fortress, perfect for the Graykins to live in.
‘Should I try it?’
Do-jae stood still and focused.
He was trying to sense the presence of mana.
The faint presence of mana he had felt while hunting the golem identical to his own.
Back then, he had taken a shortcut by using a skill to quickly pinpoint its location, but as time passed and he fought more battles, his sensitivity to these presences had increased.
No, thanks to the Eye of the Golem, which was influenced by the ‘Spirit’ stat, investing points into it had allowed him to sense things more clearly.
‘Nothing out of the ordinary…’
Mana was an energy that all living things possessed.
Animals, insects, and even plants had mana.
Of course, the lower a creature was on the food chain, the less mana it had.
Just as energy increases as it moves up the food chain.
And Do-jae still couldn't detect such faint energies.
*Rustle-.*
However, his keen hearing compensated for his less-than-perfect mana sense.
Do-jae turned his head in the direction of the unfamiliar sound.
‘Something's there!’
Where Do-jae looked, he could see trembling branches and falling leaves, indicating something had just been there.
It couldn't have been a small animal.
Because from the moment he entered, it had been unnervingly quiet, without a single birdsong.
*Swish-!*
The sound of movement came again.
Do-jae immediately looked toward it.
And he spotted a Graykin standing on a tree branch.
"Kyaaa!"
A Graykin with long, flowing black hair, baring its sharp fangs as it aimed an arrow.
Do-jae immediately readjusted his grip on his sword.
"Kyarr. Kiaaak. Kakkuk!"
The creature chattered in an unknown language.
He couldn't understand the words, but he could feel the intent.
‘Is it telling me it'll attack if I don't leave? How kind of it.’
It showed hostility, but why wasn't it attacking immediately?
Was it wary because of yesterday's battle?
In any case, Do-jae wasn't here to play.
He had to complete the quest and get revenge for Shim Young-jin.
"If you won't come to me, I'll go to you."
This one-on-one situation with the Graykin was the perfect opportunity to take one down quickly.
Hoping to end it swiftly before the creature could call its friends, Do-jae leaped forward.
*CRASH-!*
Do-jae's sword aimed for the Graykin's chest.
But the Graykin's bow slightly deflected the sword's trajectory, cleaving an innocent tree in half instead.
"Kyaaak?"
The Graykin leaped back, a look of surprise on its face.
The hand holding the bow trembled, a clear sign that Do-jae's strike had not been light.
"You're quick to dodge."
He had attacked with great speed and strength, but what Do-jae lacked was technique.
Hunters and the Suppression Corps were individuals who hunted monsters using the bodies and magic they gained through awakening.
Those who used what could be called ‘technique’ were rare.
The same was true for Do-jae, which made his attacks rather simple.
‘Should I learn swordsmanship?’
Kim Hwan-soo flashed through Do-jae's mind.
He decided he would have to ask him to teach him swordsmanship sometime during his stay with the Chilgok Unit, then aimed his sword at the Graykin again.
*Fwoosh-!*
*Thwack-!*
If technique wasn't enough, he would just have to push through with his abilities.
He took the powerfully shot arrow head-on with his Golem Armor.
There was a slight impact, but it was negligible.
Do-jae blocked the continuous volley of arrows with his sturdy Golem Armor, closing the distance to the Graykin.
"Kyaak! Kyaruru!"
When its arrows no longer worked, the Graykin tossed aside its bow and attacked.
Its sharp, overgrown nails raked across Do-jae's chest.
But there was no way fingernails could pierce the armor that a taut bowstring and sharp arrowhead had failed to penetrate.
*Swish-!*
*Swish, swish-!*
The Graykin used its long arms and legs to flexibly dodge Do-jae's attacks.
Tumbling and leaping like an acrobat.
But that only lasted for a moment.
*Halt-.*
"Kyar?"
The Graykin suddenly stopped.
The creature struggled to move, but something had caught its legs and wouldn't let go.
"I can do this, too."
What was wrapped around the Graykin's legs?
It was a mass of stone extending from Do-jae's Golem Armor.
Thin, thread-like tendrils of stone had stretched out from below his thighs, creeping up from the Graykin's feet to immobilize it.
*Shluk-.*
The Harpy Queen's Plumage pierced the Graykin's chest.
The creature collapsed, spilling black blood that matched its ashen skin.
- [Spoils of Victory] effect is applied.
- Your level has increased.
‘Nine more to go.’
Do-jae retracted the Golem Armor that had bound the Graykin's legs and ventured deeper into the woods.
***
Squad 2, led by Kim Jun-seo.
Kim Jun-seo, Son Jeong-gyu, Yook Hyun-jae, Jang Pil-ho, and Lee Ji-woong.
They were currently taking a short break.
"Pil-ho, isn't it strange?"
"What is?"
"That thing."
Lee Ji-woong asked Jang Pil-ho, who was resting.
He was pointing at Do-jae's golem.
"Being on the same team as a monster, isn't that weird?"
"It is strange, I guess."
The golem stood in place, completely motionless.
Anyone who didn't know better would have mistaken it for a peculiar statue that had always been there.
"But can we really trust that thing?"
"Why? You doubt it?"
"Of course. A golem is a monster. Who would trust a monster?"
Lee Ji-woong's eyes narrowed.
His expression as he looked at the golem was one of clear disapproval.
"I fought alongside a monster once before."
"Really?"
Lee Ji-woong showed interest as Jang Pil-ho began his story.
Jang Pil-ho reminisced about the past and continued speaking.
"Was it two years ago? It was when I was in a different unit, before coming to the Chilgok Unit."
"Oh, I heard about that. When you were stationed down south, right? Namwon?"
"Yeah, back then, we were conducting a suppression mission to handle a dungeon break in Namwon. The unit commander at the time was Tamer Park Seong-gil."
"The 1st Corps Commander?"
"That's right. He's the 1st Corps Commander now."
"Wow, is that even possible? From a mere unit commander to a corps commander in just two years."
"In the Suppression Corps, promotions depend on your achievements. He was incredibly strong and handled things cleanly... Hey! I'm telling a story here!"
Jang Pil-ho, who had been lost in thought, snapped at Lee Ji-woong's interruption.
Lee Ji-woong put his hands together and made an apologetic face.
"Anyway, to continue, the commander controlled four wyverns and six drakes."
"Damn, ten dragon-type monsters..."
"There wasn't much for us to do. We just finished off the monsters that were on the brink of death."
"But isn't that our role anyway? All we do here is hunt the small fry. Only someone like Jeong-gyu gets to do anything significant."
"You little punk. Then why did you ask?"
"Huh? I didn't ask. You just started talking..."
Jang Pil-ho flicked Lee Ji-woong on the forehead.
Lee Ji-woong exaggerated his pain.
"Ow! Why'd you hit me!"
"Just because. You're getting on my nerves."
"Why take it out on me? Go take it out on that thing."
Lee Ji-woong pointed at the golem again.
"Are you crazy? That's the Squad Leader's golem."
"Squad Leader or not, has he really shown us anything? Jeong-gyu seems totally convinced, but I think we're barely getting by even with the Squad Leader. I'm not trusting some junk like that."
"So what are you suggesting?"
"Just watch."
Lee Ji-woong stood up.
Looking around, he saw that the other three were preoccupied with their own rest.
"Follow me."
Lee Ji-woong stealthily approached the golem.
Then he beckoned with his finger, and the golem began to move toward him.
And so, Lee Ji-woong and Jang Pil-ho led the golem to a spot a short distance away.
"Watch this."
Lee Ji-woong raised his standard-issue sword.
And before Jang Pil-ho could stop him, he attacked the golem.
"Hey! What are you...?"
*Clang-.*
Just before the sword made contact, the golem raised its arm and blocked Lee Ji-woong's strike.
One of its arms fell to the ground, kicking up a small cloud of dust, but it was quickly restored as if nothing had happened.
"Hoh. It blocked?"
"You bastard. What do you think you're doing?"
"Pil-ho, this thing is pretty good, isn't it?"
Lee Ji-woong didn't stop, continuing to attack the golem.
The golem defended against the attacks, and even if parts of its body were shattered, they regenerated in an instant.
It sometimes threw a light counterattack, but nothing threatening.
It was, in short, the perfect punching bag.
"What the...? You look like you're having fun."
"Want to give it a try? It's really satisfying to hit."
"Really? Maybe I'll give it a shot."
Jang Pil-ho, who had been watching quietly, joined the attack.
The golem began to be pushed back slightly.
But soon, it started dodging their attacks, showing enough speed to match both of them.
"Whoa, this is fun."
"Right? Let's ask the Squad Leader if we can use it for training."
"Sounds good. Alright, if it can take this, it passes."
Jang Pil-ho gripped his spear with both hands.
He was getting serious.
And so, the two men's ‘play’ began to heat up.