Chapter 118: I Don't Like It When Extras Have Flashbacks or Talk Too Much
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 118: I Don't Like It When Extras Have Flashbacks or Talk Too Much
'It doesn't look like they've pulled any cheap tricks.'
I focused my senses as I stepped onto the stage following the announcement.
From checking if there were any faint mechanical sounds coming from within the stage to sensing if anyone else was lurking nearby—I scrutinized everything just in case.
Even though I knew Noble cared about public perception, I couldn't rule anything out. They might lose their minds and interfere if the match started going south, ruining the whole thing.
'Of course, they'd probably save a move like that for the finals...'
Still, that was no reason to let my guard down.
'He looks so incredibly weak that it’s actually more suspicious.'
It would have been less nerve-wracking if he looked imposing or like a seasoned expert. Then I could have just assumed he’d made it this far on pure skill rather than feeling like he was hiding an ace up his sleeve.
But Park Byeong-cheol was the furthest thing from that.
"Baek Tae-yang, this is where you fall."
He started with the most stereotypical extra's line.
"I absolutely cannot afford to lose here."
Then he threw out bait that could easily lead into a flashback at any moment.
"Even if you manage to beat me, you won't even be able to touch the feet of those people. It’s better for both of us if you just fall here."
He even went as far as foreshadowing a mastermind and predicting future hardships. He was the textbook definition of a villainous extra.
'I used to hate guys like this when I read comics.'
In stories where the protagonist's victory is already a foregone conclusion, these guys just eat up page count by dragging out their backstories and repeating the same old foreshadowing.
The real problem was when it didn't end in one chapter; the flashback would start and the entire next chapter would be dedicated to the extra. I remember sucking my thumb in frustration, waiting for the next update while skipping those parts entirely.
"So, I'm telling you this for your own sake, Baek Tae-yang. Forfeit. You might not be one of us, but as a Hunter, you're a massive asset. Forfeit now and wait for a better time. By then, everything will be divided... but someone of your caliber could easily build a foundation to join our side..."
"Stop. Stop talking. I hate it when extras talk this much."
"Still as rude as ever. You and that Kim Min-su bastard... you're exactly the same."
To think there was someone even more talkative than Kim Min-su. If I stayed quiet, it felt like he’d keep rambling forever.
The main tournament was a round of 16, meaning there were four matches in total. I had two more to go before the semifinals.
'Park Byeong-cheol... he might not be a complete bottom-feeder, but he's definitely weak...'
Based on my analysis of Chubby Ahn’s light-novel-style plot progression, there was no way a strong opponent would appear before the semifinals. Since Chubby Ahn loved the predictable and adored clichés more than anyone, it was a safe bet.
Was there any need to spend a long time dealing with a guy who was only there to drop hints and wasn't even important?
The answer was 'No.'
"Ahem! It seems both sides are ready, so we will begin the match immediately! Now then! Let the match... be-giiiiiiiiiiiiin!!!"
Boom!
The moment the announcement ended, I kicked off the ground.
'I'm going all out from the start.'
I had hidden my full power during the selection and preliminary rounds, but there was no need for that anymore. If I finished the opponent instantly, they wouldn't be able to see my full power properly even if I showed it. Ending a one-on-one fight quickly was actually a better way to hide information than dragging it out.
"I knew you'd come at me like that, Baek Tae-yang! But I know it takes quite a while to pull a weapon out of that massive weapon case! In that opening...!"
"Don't explain every little thing. It makes you look pathetic."
Park Byeong-cheol wasn't wrong. Swinging a weapon case the size of a bed or taking a weapon out of it did take time. To prevent that, Kaivan had added a 'Deployment' function to allow all stored weapons to be ejected.
However, even that required time. All things considered, the Kaivan Series had the disadvantage of needing a wind-up time before an attack. That window became a gap in defense, making the user vulnerable to an opponent who could close the distance.
Until now, I’d had plenty of time to prepare my weapons because I was fighting in brawls, but not today. Park Byeong-cheol, who was rushing toward me just as I was toward him, seemed to know that weakness better than anyone.
'He's trying to land a blow before I can draw a weapon.'
His strategy was perfect—assuming I was actually using the 'Kaivan Series.'
Thud!
Just before we collided, I dropped the weapon case. My body, now significantly lighter, accelerated even faster than my initial dash.
"Hahaha! Did you give up your weapon for speed? How laughable! To think you'd try to take me down barehanded! I'll make you realize the agonizing gap between our Main Skills! Activate Vajra Body!"
So that was his plan. I wondered why he wasn't holding a weapon; it turned out he intended to use his entire body as one. Thanks to him shouting the skill name, I knew exactly what his Main Skill was.
'A physical enhancement type. It's basically just a Pokémon using Harden.'
The only difference was that his body sparkled like a diamond. It was a mystery how a skill like that even made it through the preliminaries.
"And following that!!! Rocket Propulsion!"
He didn't even try to activate his skills secretly; he just laid all his cards on the table. It was a textbook extra move through and through. Regardless, the distance between us closed even faster. Judging by the flickering flames on Park Byeong-cheol's spine, that was likely the 'Rocket Propulsion.'
"You're working hard."
It was a touch-and-go situation where a collision would result in more than just broken bones. Yet, I was calmer than anyone.
[Single-Point Concentration activated! All physical attributes are pushed to their limits!]
The synergy between 'Alpha Male,' which extremely enhanced physical abilities, and 'Single-Point Concentration,' which allowed for freer movement of power through focus, enabled me to utilize the human body in impossible ways.
Right before I hit Park Byeong-cheol, I dug my toes into the ground, instantly killing my momentum. My physical balance remained perfect, unaffected by the constraints of inertia. It was as if I were living in a different flow of time.
Park Byeong-cheol reached out to take me down in one go. I lightly spun my body, moving to his side.
"Haha! Dodging is useless! You can't leave a single scratch on me barehanded anyway!"
Park Byeong-cheol spoke as if he had expected me to dodge. He claimed I couldn't hurt his Vajra Body with my bare hands. He was right.
'Except I'm not using my bare hands.'
[Cleanup activated! Tidying up a messy space!]
The moment I activated Cleanup, the Club of Greed appeared in my hand. It was a crude wooden club that looked like it belonged in the Stone Age. It might look like that on the outside, but in reality, it was harder and more destructive than anything else.
'It works, as expected.'
[Cleanup] is a skill with the condition that it can only be used for actions one can perform with their own body to tidy a messy space. I had wondered if I could use the effect and conditions of [Cleanup] offensively.
The Club of Greed was a powerful weapon, but it had many restrictions regarding equipping or retrieving it. While the Kaivan Series could be stored in the bed-sized case, the club had to be carried manually. Furthermore, while the Kaivan Series weapons returned automatically when thrown, the club lacked such a feature. In short, it was a powerful weapon, but its disadvantage was that you had to reveal it to the enemy from the start.
However...
Ever since I discovered I could use [Cleanup] offensively, that disadvantage completely vanished. If I put the Club of Greed inside the weapon case, it was judged as a foreign object invading an otherwise organized space. When I activated [Cleanup] on the weapon case, the 'Club of Greed' was 'cleared out,' naturally ending up in my hand.
"This should do it."
Whack!
I slammed the club in my hand directly into the back of his head.
Boom!
Hardening one's body and absorbing impact are two completely different things. No matter how immune you are to strikes, you can't be entirely free from the force of the blow.
"Let's wrap this up quickly."
With a single strike, Park Byeong-cheol's head was driven into the arena floor. I grabbed him by the back of his hair and lifted him up.
"Gah! What! Why isn't it working?! What's happening?!"
"What do you think? It means your Vajra Body isn't all that."
Park Byeong-cheol's Vajra Body seemed to do nothing but make him hard. He must have chosen close-quarters combat because he trusted his body, but he made a grave mistake. I had a weapon in my hand that was harder than his Main Skill.
Flail, flail.
The moment his hair was grabbed, he must have sensed his impending doom because he began to struggle violently. He looked pitiful, flopping around like a loach caught in a net.
"Let go! I said let go!"
Park Byeong-cheol kept repeating the same words while squirming. Whenever he tried to move an arm, I swung the club at his elbow; whenever he tried to move a leg, I bashed his shin. No matter how hard a metal is, it will crack if you hammer it, and it will shatter if you keep hitting those cracks. Indeed, fine cracks were spreading across his body like a spiderweb, as if he were about to break at any moment.
"Got anything else to show me?"
"Urgh... ah... uh..."
"Ah... I guess I hit your mouth too much because you were being noisy. You can't even talk now."
There was no need to do more. I slammed the back of Park Byeong-cheol's head into the arena floor.
"The winner is... Hunter Baek Tae-yang!"
As soon as the announcement rang out, I checked the electronic scoreboard and stepped down from the stage.
<< Baek Tae-yang Victory, 35-second KO >>
'Not bad.'
The one disappointing thing was that Park Byeong-cheol didn't have a hidden trump card. I thought he might use a stolen skill when cornered, but there was no sign of that. I expected more from someone who made it to the round of 16 through close ties with Noble.
'He's too weak.'
He was strangely weak. Come to think of it, something he said in the middle of the fight bothered me.
'Did he ask why it wasn't working?'
What if that comment was related to the activation of a stolen skill? It was entirely possible. Perhaps right before we clashed, they saw my weapon and hastily withdrew the skill. Or maybe they decided that adding a few more skills wouldn't help Park Byeong-cheol beat me anyway.
'Are they smarter than I thought?'
I couldn't know the truth, but one thing was certain.
'I'll have to reach the semifinals before they show themselves.'
Noble was definitely waiting further up the bracket.