Chapter 24
Chapter 24
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 24
Chapter Title: Giant Atel
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It was Yang Su-hyeok's first time seeing the flower petal monster, whose official name was Atel.
'It's about two meters tall just for the petals, with purple petals and tentacle stems whipping around like arms...
Every portal that opens leads to a different world.
That's why there are many monsters that resemble each other but have slightly different characteristics.
Atel was no exception.
Among the forms discovered so far, none were as enormous as the one Su-hyeok was seeing now.
Most were under one meter in petal size, closer to mid-sized monsters.
In fact, the highest rating for worlds where Atels appeared was only Grade 4.
"Looks like you're about to set a new record."
Su-hyeok flashed a grin while holding Park Tae-jun close to his chest, his eyes gleaming.
At that moment, a tentacle shot toward him, slamming into the ground.
Su-hyeok retreated using the Taiji Eight Immortal Steps, clicking his tongue in annoyance.
'If it's a plant type, a sword would be easier to handle.'
He was unarmed, and cradling an ordinary person in his arms.
It wasn't an ideal situation.
A typical Grade 6 Awakener would choose to flee in this state.
To free up their hands first and fight properly.
But Su-hyeok didn't have time for that right now.
'Multiple presences on the other side.'
It wasn't just Park Tae-jun.
Beyond the flower petal monster's back, not far away, he sensed the presences of at least three people.
Breaking through would be much faster than turning back.
'Will it break?'
As Su-hyeok pondered, another black stem whipped down from above like a lash.
It carried tremendous force.
"No, flowers are meant to be plucked."
Su-hyeok dodged the stem and charged forward.
"Eek!"
Park Tae-jun let out a startled scream at the incredible speed.
In that instant, another stem he hadn't noticed erupted sharply from beneath his feet.
It was an unexpected attack, but Su-hyeok lightly leaped over it and landed on the sharp stem as if it were flat ground.
'Lightness Skill ?? : Upper Flight.'
The advanced lightness technique that allowed walking even on powerless, thin blades of grass unfolded.
It wasn't a lightness skill an average first-rate martial artist could perform.
Only someone at the peak of superhuman level could imitate it.
Su-hyeok executed it using amplification from his middle dantian, his innate high enlightenment, and the profound power of the Taiji Eight Immortal Steps.
It wasn't perfect—more like an imitation—but that was enough.
Just achieving that much let him effortlessly ignore the tightly packed Atel's stem attacks.
The distance closed rapidly.
Park Tae-jun's nose was overwhelmed by a rotten stench he'd smelled once before.
Gyaaaak-!
Atel bellowed ferociously, dripping yellowish saliva threateningly as it gaped its maw wide.
And in the moment it thrust its neck forward to swallow the approaching Su-hyeok in one gulp...
'Taiji Eight Immortal Steps.'
Just like with Kim Yu-min, Su-hyeok mirrored the Atel's petals as he slipped past, arriving right in front of its main stem.
'Retreating Wind Kick ultimate technique: Charging Strike.'
The Retreating Wind Kick was a kicking art designed to repel wind.
And wind inherently has no form.
That ultimate technique, made to strike intangible wind, now crashed into the tangible stem of a plant.
Krunch-!
The sound of Atel's flower stem tearing and snapping echoed simultaneously.
Gyaaaak-!
As the scream pierced his ears, stems erupted from the ground again in a frenzy.
But Su-hyeok was already gone from that spot.
Using the Taiji Eight Immortal Steps once more, he had leaped behind the half-severed Atel's neck, airborne.
"Wind Submersion."
His leg, raised high, unleashed the Retreating Wind Kick again.
Boom-!
Atel's massive body collapsed, crashing into the ground.
There were no more screams or movements.
As Su-hyeok coldly eyed it and prepared to dash forward...
"Wait a moment!"
A human voice called from behind.
Han Tae-min.
Su-hyeok didn't know his name.
But he remembered him as one of the Awakeners who had been waiting outside with Kim Yu-min.
"I'll protect him!"
Su-hyeok nodded at Han Tae-min's shout and asked Park Tae-jun,
"Can you walk?"
"Y-yes. Now..."
Park Tae-jun, mouth agape from the insane speed, intense maneuvers, and shocking scene, nodded.
The moment Su-hyeok set him down and turned to run ahead again...
"Ah, wait just a sec!"
Han Tae-min grabbed his attention once more.
He then tossed the sword from his waist.
Su-hyeok snatched the airborne longsword by the hilt.
"Use it! It'll be useful against Atel!"
"Thanks."
Su-hyeok grinned at Han Tae-min and vanished.
Tongue-tied by the astonishing display, Han Tae-min took the hand of the approaching Park Tae-jun, who clutched a plastic container tightly.
"You okay? No injuries?"
"Y-yes. Thanks to the Awakener arriving... Thank you so much for coming to rescue me."
A wry smile crossed Han Tae-min's lips at Park Tae-jun's words.
"Haha... You're making me embarrassed. Save your thanks for that guy. I'm barely past the crawling stage myself."
"No, just saving my life is enough—I'm grateful."
Tears poured from Park Tae-jun's eyes.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ 'Roughly twenty people got pulled in.'
Su-hyeok recalled.
The people sucked into the portal the moment it opened.
He couldn't count precisely, but he remembered roughly.
'I've only saved one so far.'
A Hunter's primary goal was the world's core device somewhere inside the portal: the Cosmo Energy that sustained it, which had to be destroyed to close the portal.
That's why Su-hyeok couldn't take down the boss monster right now.
The Cosmo Energy, akin to the world's massive heart, existed in countless forms—so varied they were hard to list.
It could appear as a common stone, disguise itself as that dimension's strongest lifeform, or masquerade as a sword, or even a massive building. In worlds with many intelligent beings, it hid even more subtly. Hunters preferred when it took an obvious form.
Killing the boss monster here meant slaying the dimension's strongest being.
In other words, it could destroy the Cosmo Energy.
If unlucky, the world would collapse immediately.
In the ensuing chaos of crumbling reality, ordinary people finding an exit would be near impossible.
So Su-hyeok's immediate goal was rescuing all survivors.
Just then, he spotted four people huddled together ahead.
Three men and one woman.
The three men looked fairly muscular, like they'd trained.
One held a wooden club scavenged somewhere.
They leaned on each other for support, while two Atels slightly smaller than the one Su-hyeok had killed loomed before them.
'Not too late.'
Su-hyeok sighed in relief.
Atel wasn't something three ordinary men with clubs could handle.
The four surviving this long was thanks to the Atels' leisure.
A horrific plant monster that toyed with human emotions.
Su-hyeok was grateful for their arrogance.
He charged, grabbing the petals of one Atel from behind with both hands.
Then, channeling internal energy from his upper dantian, he poured strength into his arms.
"Hup!"
Riiip-!
The petals split in half with a tear, ripping straight through to sever the stem; the halved Atel body toppled to the ground.
He saw the shocked faces of the people.
"Grade 6 Hunter, Yang Su-hyeok."
Relief washed over their faces at his words and overwhelming display.
They hadn't said it, but immense tension must have gripped them.
The remaining Atel seemed startled upon seeing Su-hyeok too.
One of its kind had been torn apart right before it.
No way it would underestimate him.
Su-hyeok grinned fiercely and drew his sword.
'Haven't used one in a while, but...'
As he'd said, Su-hyeok preferred bare-handed combat over weapons.
But he wasn't incapable with them.
He knew quite a few peak-level sword techniques.
As he closed in swiftly, he bisected the incoming black stem.
The sword's balance was better than expected.
'This level would be from a first-rate blacksmith on the Central Plains.'
His surprise didn't end there.
The sword moved like an extension of his arm.
It had been ages since he'd wielded one like this; Su-hyeok relished it.
And by the time he'd cleaved the screaming Atel's neck in two...
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Level up! Achieved Sword-Body Unification. Sword usage increases qi circulation efficiency by 50% and cutting power by 30%. "Nice."
Su-hyeok chuckled in delight and looked at the four.
"I'll guide you to the safe zone."
He was pleased, but time was still short.
???
When Su-hyeok returned to where he'd left Park Tae-jun, Han Tae-min wasn't alone—two more Awakeners had arrived.
They stood with tense expressions, stiffening further upon seeing Su-hyeok.
"Here to help?"
"Yeah. None of us like being treated like kids."
Han Tae-min grinned, and the two in their early twenties—a man and a woman—nodded in unison.
"Appreciate it. Time's tight."
Their faces relaxed a bit at Su-hyeok's smile.
They seemed intimidated by his urgency.
Considering his rough behavior before entering the portal, it made sense.
"I'll guide you five to the exit first."
Su-hyeok nodded at Han Tae-min's words.
"I'll go save more people."
"You sure? You've already taken down several Atels..."
"Plenty of margin. Feels like we'll wrap this up safely."
As Su-hyeok flexed his arm like showing off muscles, warm smiles crossed the three's faces.
"Luckily, the world doesn't seem too vast. I'll bring rescues back here as I go."
"One gathering point might get complicated. We'll split into three spots and coordinate."
Han Tae-min tapped his bronze bracelet.
Along with his license, a map unfurled.
Astoundingly, it marked the terrain he'd traversed and his current position.
Like fog-of-war revealed in an old strategy simulation game.
"I'll license-mail your positions."
"Sounds good."
Su-hyeok tapped his own bracelet to display his license.
Awakener bracelets had various functions. Su-hyeok knew of them but hadn't thought to use them. He felt his lack of experience here.
"Grade 6 Hunter... Yang Su-hyeok."
A familiar name.
But he couldn't quite recall.
As he tilted his head, Su-hyeok and Han Tae-min finished sharing license mail accounts.
"Alright, moving out again."
"Sorry we can't help more.
As you know, we're not great at direct combat."
The man and woman, who had also shared accounts, blushed at Han Tae-min's embarrassed words.
"Just stepping up means a lot.
Let's save people first.
We've gotta show that crying kid looking for mom how real walking looks."
The three burst into laughter at Su-hyeok's joke.
"Hahaha!"
"Hehe."
"Alright, gotta hustle then. Good luck, everyone."
The rescue operation kicked off in earnest.
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