Chapter 19
Chapter 19
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 19
Chapter Title: Surviving the Rabbit Monster (3)
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Dokgo Hyun asked the cat,
"You can go berserk two more times from now on, right?"
"That's right, meow."
"Good. Looking forward to it."
Dokgo Hyun extended his hand toward the winged cat.
Sniff sniff.
The winged cat, smelling him, made a suspicious face and backed away.
But Dokgo Hyun stubbornly tried to pet it.
"Don't touch me, meow."
"Why not?"
"Why? A loyal cat follows only one master's touch, meow."
"Heh. Very summon-like. No matter what, you only obey your master and accept only their touch?"
"That's right, meow!"
"Pretty loyal for a chubby cat. I like you."
Dokgo Hyun playfully grabbed the cat with both hands.
"Stop it, meow."
"Ow, this guy, that spot—nice and plump."
Dokgo Hyun confirmed that the winged cat was a summon but also a warm-blooded animal and felt satisfied.
The winged cat twisted uncomfortably as Dokgo Hyun kept petting it.
'Good. This has real potential.'
The rabbit monster had one eye badly injured by Na Youngho.
Sniff sniff!
So it sniffed around, searching for targets.
"Grrr……!"
The rabbit monster stealthily entered the main building.
A summon watched it do so.
It was Baek Seonghui's winged cat.
"The rabbit monster just entered the main building."
Baek Seonghui said, her eyes closed.
She could share vision with her summon when her eyes were shut.
"Good. Then play the bait role well."
Dokgo Hyun said.
Baek Seonghui's role was reconnaissance and bait.
Scout with the summon, and if the rabbit monster entered, become bait herself.
"……."
Baek Seonghui glared at Dokgo Hyun and Na Youngho like a cat.
"What? Hurry up and go."
The two wondered why she wasn't leaving quickly.
Baek Seonghui had secretly hoped for encouragement like "Do your best!" or "Don't worry, we'll back you up."
But the two guys showed no such awareness.
"Hoo... If I die, my summon will claw your faces."
Baek Seonghui said that and headed out to the 3rd-year hallway.
"Alright, let's get to our positions too."
"Mm."
Dokgo Hyun and Na Youngho left the classroom as well.
As they went, Na Youngho asked,
"But will it go according to your plan?"
"It has to. If not, what can we do? We all die, that's it."
"You're so damn cool about it, seriously."
Dokgo Hyun just shrugged without replying.
Two minutes later.
"Grrrrr……!"
The rabbit monster had already climbed the stairs.
Upon reaching the top, the bathroom was to the left, and a long hallway stretched to the right.
"……."
"……."
Baek Seonghui and the rabbit monster faced each other across the long hallway.
The rabbit monster drooled but stayed wary of Baek Seonghui.
She stood vulnerably alone in the middle of the hallway.
It was so obvious she was bait that the rabbit monster assumed others hid in the classrooms.
The moment it perked its ears.
Point.
Baek Seonghui pointed behind the rabbit monster.
"Yeah, the ones you're after are behind you."
She said in a trembling voice.
The rabbit monster thought it was a trick but listened anyway.
Drip drip…….
Faint sound of water from the bathroom sink.
The moment it decided no other presence was there.
Thud!
Baek Seonghui suddenly flattened herself on the hallway floor.
"Grrr……?"
As the rabbit monster puzzled over the ploy.
Vrrr……!
A sound came from behind it, at the bathroom entrance.
Dokgo Hyun and Na Youngho had emerged and were attempting a skill combo for the first time.
"Ngh……! Not ready yet……!"
Na Youngho groaned, drawing his bowstring.
"Accelerate it a bit more!"
Dokgo Hyun stacked [Instant Acceleration] on Na Youngho's air arrow.
Their plan: accelerate an already fast air arrow even further with multiple layers of Dokgo Hyun's skill before firing.
"[Instant Acceleration], [Instant Acceleration], [Instant Acceleration]……!"
Up to six times the boost.
"Hurry up!"
"It's ready! Air arrow at 6x acceleration!! Fire!!"
"Firing!!"
Boom!!!
The launch's backlash alone shattered the bathroom door, windows, and mirrors.
"Ugh!"
The two who fired tumbled to the bathroom floor from recoil.
"Kyak?!"
The rabbit monster twisted in shock but too late.
Splat splat!!
Its left arm and shoulder exploded entirely.
"Hey! You missed!"
Dokgo Hyun yelled at Na Youngho.
"My fault? The power was too much—it twisted on release!"
The two bickered.
"Kya, kyaaak!!"
The rabbit monster charged toward the bathroom, seizing the chance.
That moment.
Rooooaaar!!!
A true monster's roar echoed from behind the rabbit monster.
It turned in alarm.
"Keeek?!"
A massive winged tiger stood there.
It was Baek Seonghui's winged cat, injected with Dokgo Hyun's mini-item, the Berserker's Syringe.
The cat's [Berserk] was powerful already, but the mini-item elevated it to [Max Berserk].
"Rip it apart, kitty!!"
The moment Baek Seonghui shouted.
"ROOOAAAR!!!"
The injured rabbit human was devoured in five seconds flat.
Crunch crunch!
Nom nom……!
"……Whoa."
"Insane."
Even tough guys like Dokgo Hyun and Na Youngho paled at the gruesome sight.
"Grrr……."
The winged beast licked its lips.
Shrink…….
It shrank back to normal size in an instant.
"Meow……."
The winged cat ran to its master for praise.
That moment.
"Yes! It worked just like the plan!"
Dokgo Hyun grinned.
Pretend to use Baek Seonghui as bait while Dokgo Hyun and Na Youngho blast the rabbit monster's back—that was Plan A.
If Plan A missed and it charged them, have the original bait Baek Seonghui unleash the berserk summon to devour it—Plan B.
Plan A was ideal, but Dokgo Hyun thought Plan B worked pretty well too.
'The rabbit monster has a 50% revival chance. But if it's completely eaten, maybe no revival?'
He'd built the plan around that idea.
So Dokgo Hyun gave Baek Seonghui his Berserker's Syringe.
In exchange, he took her Mana Boosting Syringe.
And the plan succeeded perfectly.
"Hahaha! Teaming up does the trick!"
Na Youngho cheered genuinely.
"We did it! Guys, we're alive!"
Baek Seonghui shouted joyfully.
Pop!
A box labeled '???' appeared for the players.
Unlike random boxes, the contents were fixed, with only '???' on the outside.
"Hope it's not a bomb when we open it."
Na Youngho muttered.
Dokgo Hyun smirked and boldly opened his.
"Huh?!"
Dokgo Hyun exclaimed involuntarily.
"Mine's an Elixir too."
"Me too!"
Na Youngho and Baek Seonghui also drew Elixirs.
The mission reward was fixed as Elixirs for everyone.
"My god……!"
Dokgo Hyun trembled staring at his Elixir.
Na Youngho nodded seriously at him.
"This... is incredible. Even fatal wounds can be survived with this."
But Dokgo Hyun's reason for awe was different.
'If I give this to hyung, won't he be completely cured?'
His brother suffered myriad diseases.
One sip of this, and all gone.
'The issue is surviving to leave this game alive.'
That depended on the next mission.
There were four surviving players.
3rd-year Dokgo Hyun.
3rd-year Na Youngho.
3rd-year Baek Seonghui.
2nd-year Oh Sua.
"Just four……."
Dokgo Hyun muttered.
Only four survivors in this huge school.
"Um...... So what do we do now?"
Oh Sua mumbled uncertainly, looking at the others.
She, who survived by convincing the rabbit monster not to eat her, seemed shrunken.
"You're ridiculously lucky."
Na Youngho tossed at Oh Sua.
Not out of dislike.
Just hard to believe the owner of the most ambiguous skill survived.
Then, the mission window appeared.
Tutorial Mission 9: Courageous Dropout Application
📍 Goal: Choose to continue the Apocalypse Game or drop out of school and go home.
Any choice succeeds the mission.
A. Stay and proceed: Teleported to next mission location.
B. Go home: Teleported home. Avoid contact with non-family third parties today.
⏰ Selection: Raise right hand for A, left for B.
No choice or refusal within time limit = failure.
🎁 Success Bonus: Full Stamina and Mana recovery. 400 Coins.
💀 Failure Penalty: Death.
⏱ Time Limit: 10 minutes.
"Drop out……?"
"Means quitting, right?"
Na Youngho and Dokgo Hyun muttered.
Then, a portal opened at the school gate.
Shimmer…….
The Total Administrator reappeared, wearing his question mark mask.
"Whoa! Four survivors? Impressive!"
The Total Administrator clapped.
"Bunny Girl plus 50% reviver combo, and this many live. Congrats! Everyone clap!"
Clap clap…….
Only his claps echoed.
"Why so quiet? Come on, group clap! No clap means execution~ Clap!!"
Reluctantly, everyone clapped.
Clap clap clap!!
"Good. Straight to mission. Dropouts, left hand. Continuing, right hand!"
"Got a question."
Dokgo Hyun stepped forward.
"What?"
"Any penalties for dropping out?"
"Huh? It's in the description. Besides that...? Oh right, yes."
"Death?"
"No. All skills and coins vanish. Stats weaken to normal human levels. Basically, lose all player power."
So, declaring dropout doesn't kill you suddenly.
Just lose special skill powers.
No other traps apparent.
"Artifacts and mini-items?"
"Hmm... Let's see."
The Total Administrator pondered.
"Special permission: Artifacts and mini-items as souvenirs. Take them all."
"Thanks for answering."
Then.
Raise.
Na Youngho raised his right hand.
True to form, ignoring others, he stared down the Total Administrator.
"I'll continue."
"Ooh?! For real? Even if it means possible death?"
"Cut the crap."
Na Youngho gritted his teeth.
"Next mission's probably some bullshit too. But I'm ready. I'll see this damn game through."
"Heh heh. Good."
Flash!
Na Youngho vanished somewhere.
"Ah!"
As everyone startled, the Total Administrator laughed.
"Haha! Just moved to the next mission spot somewhere in this school. And yes, it's truly the Tutorial Final Mission. No take-backs~."
"……."
Grip.
Baek Seonghui grabbed Dokgo Hyun's left sleeve.
"Hyun. You're dropping out, right?"
"You?"
"Obviously dropping out."
"Hm."
"You'll come with, right?"
"No."
"Why?"
"Wanna see it through."
"Why the hell?!"
"Well......"