Chapter 146
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 146
Chapter Title: Overcoming Trauma
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You have exterminated the Enhanced Black King Tiger.
You may now enter the next sector.
All the monsters had been wiped out.
Jeong Hoon hurriedly stepped through the portal to the next sector and arrived in front of the building where his mother worked.
Rumble.
But the building had already been half-destroyed by a monster attack.
Lv. 300 Hydra
A massive level 300 Hydra was demolishing the structure while slaughtering people.
It resembled a wyvern, with three dragon-like heads sprouting from its body.
Oh, you've got three of those exact same things attached?
'What? Nonsense. Are you saying I look that ugly?'
No matter how I look at it, they look just like you.
'Tsk, judging with no eyes of your own.'
Whoa, resorting to personal attacks now?
'I merely stated a fact. How is that an attack? Quite the mystery.'
"Shut up, both of you."
Jeong Hoon silenced them and glared at the Hydra.
"Shit! Level 300 is overkill!"
"No way! I'm only level 140!"
"Where's the army? When's the army coming?!"
Unfortunately, when the beast that had wrecked his mother's workplace was rampaging, there wasn't a single player capable of facing the Hydra on site.
Exterminate the Hydra.
Failure will result in automatic test termination.
'Damn bastard.'
Jeong Hoon picked up Anima, drew the string back, and aimed at the Hydra's central neck.
Pewww!
Releasing the string sent an arrow flying, striking the center neck dead-on.
"Kuaaaah!"
The Hydra uses Breath.
The remaining left and right heads shrieked as they unleashed their breath attacks.
The blasts engulfed the city center, turning the surroundings into a hellscape in an instant.
"Aaack!"
"Uwaaaah!"
Screams echoed like ripples across the area.
It was just a fake constructed from memories, yet it sounded so vividly real.
Jeong Hoon bit his lip because of it.
'If only the barrier had been established by now.'
Barrier establishment.
A ability only high-ranking mages among the mage classes could perform.
Once established, it protected a designated area and its structures from monster attacks.
Before his regression, Jeong Hoon had tirelessly tried to set one up but ultimately failed.
For now, priority was swiftly eliminating the Hydra before more damage occurred.
Activating Black Field.
All stats are boosted by 1.2 times.
Monsters entering the Black Field have all stats reduced by 3.
He activated Black Field, boosting all his stats by 1.2 times.
He held off on using the stat amplification ring.
There might be more tests ahead, so he was saving it for then.
Jeong Hoon drew the string again, targeting the right head.
Pewww!
The arrow flew and embedded precisely in the right head's forehead.
Passive: Black Flame activates.
On top of that, the 1 chance triggered, and black flames erupted on that head.
"Kyaaaak!"
The beast screamed from the black flame's heat.
Seizing the opening, Jeong Hoon drew again and fired at the same spot.
Pewww!
The arrow streaked like a beam of light, piercing the same spot.
"Kyaaak!"
It kept shrieking.
The Hydra uses Breath.
At that moment, the intact left head spewed breath toward Jeong Hoon.
He rolled sideways once, then deployed his movement technique to widen the distance.
The Hydra uses Gaze.
The Hydra's eyes glowed green as it locked onto Jeong Hoon.
Movement speed reduced by 30.
It had applied a movement speed debuff.
Using Dispel.
The debuff is removed.
Jeong Hoon used Dispel to quickly shake off the debuff.
He drew the string again and loosed another arrow.
This time targeting the left head.
The arrow struck the left head squarely.
"Kyaaaak!"
Now all three heads had arrows embedded in them.
The Hydra thrashed wildly, its entire body turning red.
The Hydra prepares Mana Storm.
It was gearing up for Mana Storm.
If it unleashed the area-wide Mana Storm, everything around would vanish without a trace.
That would repeat the past all over again.
Jeong Hoon drew his string.
'Aiming for the vital heart.'
The only way to interrupt the casting Mana Storm.
Destroy the heart in its core.
But failing to pierce it in one shot would trigger the Mana Storm anyway.
'Carefully now.'
The heart was located in the same position as in a dragon.
He released the string, and the arrow arced through the air.
Pewww!
The arrow pierced the Hydra's heart as it prepared Mana Storm.
"Kyaaaak!"
Its red body exploded on the spot.
The heart, condensing mana, had been punctured, dispersing the mana and shattering the flesh.
Unlike in the game, though, the Hydra didn't vanish; chunks of flesh and blood splattered everywhere, creating a gruesome scene.
"Ugh, uweeeck!"
"What's that fishy smell!"
"Shit... that's disgusting... what the hell is even happening?"
Even in New World, people had never witnessed such a horrific sight; they retched or grimaced in disgust.
You have exterminated the Hydra.
You may now enter the next sector.
Jeong Hoon entered the portal at the building entrance and stepped inside his mother's company building.
The structure was half-collapsed from the Hydra, barely holding its form.
"Mom!"
Just then, a familiar voice called from behind.
Oh? It's the master.
'Master? That's a fake.'
A manifested clone of Jeong Hoon was rushing into the building.
It sped past him and raced up the stairs.
"...Let's head up."
His mother's office was on the fourth floor.
With a gate spawning a Hydra directly onto the roof, collapsing the building, there'd been no time to evacuate.
Floors two and three were filled with injured and dead.
Jeong Hoon's expression hardened gravely at the sight.
When he reached the fourth floor.
He saw the world's manifested clone of himself with his mother.
"...Mom! Mom! Please open your eyes!"
The clone was gently shaking his mother, pinned under building debris.
She didn't so much as twitch.
Jeong Hoon deployed his movement technique, approached, and effortlessly lifted the debris crushing her.
"Huh...?"
Only then did the clone notice him, looking up with teary eyes.
"Move. You're in the way."
Jeong Hoon quickly checked his mother's condition.
The ceiling collapse had crushed her lower body; it was dire.
'Shit, even my healing can't handle this fully.'
Her lower body's bones were pulverized, muscles completely torn.
To perfectly heal that would require top-tier healing.
But Intermediate Healing alone could stabilize her enough to save her life.
'Good... that's good...'
Using Intermediate Healing.
Using Intermediate Healing.
Jeong Hoon poured Intermediate Healing onto his mother without restraint.
Master... are you crying?
'...So tactless.'
Anima chided the tactless Mook-ho, and both fell silent.
Tears streamed down Jeong Hoon's cheeks.
The memory of finding his mother's cold corpse in the fully collapsed building before his regression was too vivid.
Overlapping with that memory, the relief of not repeating the same nightmare washed over him.
"H-Healing...? You're using healing right now, right?"
The clone asked in a trembling voice.
Before regression, he'd occasionally played New World in capsule rooms at Ha-jin's urging, so he recognized it instantly.
"Yeah."
"...Then Mom's...?"
"No threat to her life. She's safe."
"...Thank God. Huhuuh."
The clone broke into relieved sobs.
The first test has ended.
The screen shifted, revealing the interior of an unfamiliar training ground.
"Where's this?"
"Long time no see."
Ahead stood a familiar old man in his late seventies.
A well-honed body unfit for his age.
Over two meters tall.
How could he forget.
"Fist King...?"
Jeong Hoon's eyes widened.
The Fist King had passed on the Martial Emperor's power to him and vanished.
For the Fist King to reappear now.
What was going on.
"No need to be so shocked. When I granted you the Martial Emperor's power, I slipped a part of my spirit in with it."
"...I see."
Jeong Hoon wiped his tear stains with his sleeve and nodded.
"Sorry. I wonder if I inflicted too great a wound on you."
The Fist King smiled bitterly.
Martial Emperor drew out the ultimate will of martial arts, unleashing boundless power.
Thus, it pushed mental strength to the limit, stirring dormant traumas in the subconscious.
Overcoming trauma.
That was the goal of this first test.
And Jeong Hoon had passed it spectacularly.
"Yes. If it had been like before... I'd have resented you forever."
A faint murderous glint lingered in Jeong Hoon's eyes.
"Haha... just hearing that sends chills down my spine."
Fist King Nak Jin-cheon shuddered.
"So, what's the second test."
"Before that."
Nak Jin-cheon snapped his fingers.
The screen shifted again.
Jeong Hoon and Nak Jin-cheon now stood outside his mother's workplace building.
"Move the injured, quick!"
"No idea how, but we've got powers from New World. Contact any healers you know, stat!"
Quite some time had passed; firefighters had arrived and were transporting the wounded.
Injuries were rampant, and with too few rescuers, one or two had to handle all the victims; the situation was dire.
But did they know.
This was merely the beginning.
And among the injured was his mother.
"Mom, you okay...?"
The clone gripped his mother's hand tightly; she'd regained consciousness and nodded.
"What are you doing here... it's dangerous..."
"I was studying... got a message. Said there was an accident with you..."
The fall detection alert on his watch.
When she was buried under debris, the watch sent Jeong Hoon the alert.
That's how he dashed from the library to her company so quickly.
At that moment, the screen switched back to the training ground.
"Figured you'd want to see how things changed."
Nak Jin-cheon smiled faintly.
"...I see."
"You were thrilled earlier, but not so much now, eh."
Even knowing it was fake, Jeong Hoon couldn't simply rejoice.
His mother had survived, but she'd live with a crippled lower body from now on.
In that hellish world.
That's why he was determined to eradicate that hell with his own hands.
"Let's get started. Second test."
"Right. Let's begin."
Nak Jin-cheon snapped his fingers.
A clone materialized before Jeong Hoon.
Lv. 250 Clone S
Unlike the previous one he'd fought, this was a perfect rendition of Jeong Hoon.
Unlike his current self, its face was covered in minor scars.
"That's..."
My pre-regression self.
It matched his appearance around level 250.
Dredged from memories and manifested.
Jeong Hoon looked at Nak Jin-cheon.
"This is the final test. Pass it, and I'll release the limit."
With that, the Fist King clasped his hands behind his back and vanished.
The second test begins.
Exterminate the Lv. 250 Clone S.
This was the last test.