Chapter 506. Enlightennt (4)
Glance. Glance.
The Awakened kept checking on Kim Giryeo out of the corner of his eye Of course, despite such focused attention, he had only managed to identify minor personal preferences so far.
~When given the choice between juice, non-alcoholic champagne, and coffee, the hunter chose non-alcoholic champagne as his drink.
The conversation between the flight attendant and the Korean was, naturally, trivial.
However, once the plane safely arrived at the target country, the situation changed sowhat.
"He's checking his phone."
Around this ti the Korean S-rank hunter finished his tour-style hurt and returned to his ho country. Kim Giryeo checked his personal electronic device the mont his feet touched the ground. He muttered to himself while scanning the phone screen.
"That Kang Chang-ho... he sure tests fast."
"..."
"But what's gotten into him this ti, suddenly setting up a face-to-face eting unilaterally..."
The Korean spilled continuously from his lips, beyond the comprehension of a foreigner.
"Is the translator not catching it at this distance?"
In any case, he hadn't co to converse with the man.
The hunting industry suffered from labor shortages everywhere. Therefore, disguised as a physical enhancent type Awakened—the kind that is easy to fake because it doesn't show on the outside. The man who had completed his entry into the country this way eventually slipped into a suitable B-rank gate within the Republic of Korea.
"I definitely chose the right place."
The Tar planned to divert several monsters here.
"A [Moonlight Fairy] is indeed the most suitable for this kind of work."
Moonlight Fairy. Common. Small-bodied. Seen from a distance, they could look like tiny specks of light. Capable of both physical and ntal attacks, and possessing a habit of avoiding living creatures once they sense them, they were not easy to find once they escaped outside
Moonlight Fairies frequently vanished only to abruptly reappear near unsuspecting civilian hos.
Thus, the Tar thought he could naturally manufacture an incident by using such creatures.
"Ultimately, the key is to manage the monster's health until the [Taming] skill can be applied."
Moreover, today he intended to utilize not just monsters, but one of humanity's devices as well.
"Let's test the equipnt first."
PIXY, a company famous for selling hunting supplies. He hadn't expected to pull out an item here that they had released as a special event after the Dungeon Shock.
~Click.
This object, which looked like a cassette tape player, was actually a complex observation device.
~Beep.
First, pressing the primary button on the body brought up shared sentences stored normally like other analyzers.
[Na: Moonlight Fairy]
[Rank: B]
[Special Note: A magical creature that looks sparkling and pretty from a distance. However, since the main body at the center of the light is insectoid, those with insectophobia should refrain from detailed observation.]
However, the true value of this machine was revealed in its second function. 10, 15, or 108. Because the invention could represent the degree of damage a living being received as a nurical value.
"As expected of forr ga developers, it's exactly like the familiar damage counters."
One couldn't expect great accuracy. However, by using this limited-edition product from PIXY, one could at least technically distinguish which attributes a particular hunter was weak against.
[0]
[0]
[0]
If the target were Jeong Ha-seong, holding a lighter fla near him would likely produce such numbers...
[3]
[5]
Conversely, using a skill like [Brainwashing] would display mana applied beyond the Awakened's barrier in this manner. In any case, the Tar only needed to confirm whether certain attributes look effect on Kim Giryeo.
"It's a dangerous invention, regardless."
Co to think of it, developnt of this device had been halted because weak Hunters began a deranged "High-Damage Challenge."
"PIXY was fined for allegedly encouraging violence. That was before they fell under U.S. authority."
That was enough background explanation. The Tar searched for a monster to ta, wearing silver knuckles—items from the dungeon—on the back of his hand.
"First, one that's separated from the pack—"
Crack!
And in the process of draining a suitable specin's health, a specific thought occurred to him.
"In any case, what area will the hunter Kim Giryeo show a weakness in?"
If the body is strong, the mind is weak. If they are a specialist using brainwashing skills, it's common for their physical strength to be lacking. People with perfect "hexagonal" stats were rare in this world. Just as a lion, significantly stronger than a human, is weak in terms of endurance. The bias of ability was a kind of law of the universe.
"Does he lack resistance to fire? Or poison?"
The Tar speculated about the blond Korean's traits.
"There must be a gap sowhere. After all, the number of items one can wield is limited."
anwhile, the Tar knocked out several fairies with his fists.
"Hoo."
These fallen monsters would later beco the materials for his skill. Well, now that the blueprint for the work was all drawn. From now on, he just had to fulfill his assigned main mission...
"This part's easy. The other part isn't."
The discomfort he had felt since being inside the airplane cabin returned. Because the Tar had never directly attacked a person before. He was swept by a wave of intense anxiety even before starting the work.
"I've only been an Awakened for a short while. Even hitting monsters still startles ."
Until now, he had only used his [Taming] ability to cause minor confusion. Like starting an important person in a governnt departnt with a beast. Or playing superheroes by deploying another employee who was waiting in advance. At any rate, he had never once let a monster directly bite a person. He wondered if his heart was feeling restless because the scale of the job had grown.
"Hmm."
But no matter how much he wasn't in the mood for work, running away alone was not an option.
"It'll be fine. If the opponent is S-rank, he won't be seriously injured by what I send..."
Rustle, rustle.
"I've never been caught until now."
The Tar finished the rest of the preparations for the task.
~Sparkle.
~Flicker.
Each ti he invoked [Taming], the results were satisfactory.
~Sparkle!
The otherworldly creatures, half-conscious monts ago, rose clearly to their feet. They entered a standby state, awaiting commands.
"W-what?"
However, upon controlling the monsters nad Moonlight Fairies, an incomprehensible reaction suddenly erupted at so point.
"Why are they moving like that?"
"Uh..."
But thinking about it carefully. For so reason, it felt like a situation where fear should co first. Incidentally, there were no factors in the Taming skill that should cause a separate error. Yet the fact that the magical creatures moved without a command ant that soone had stimulated the instincts of those near-death beings.
[Moonlight Fairy]
[A magical creature that displays temporary hiding behavior upon encountering other living beings]
Instinct. Nature. Habit. Co to think of it, there was only one reason the creatures in this dungeon would fly away in flight.
"Could there be soone else nearby?"
By the ti he realized it, it was already too late. Then, turning his head to check, the silhouette of an S-rank hunter was suddenly discovered among the trees of the dungeon. Moreover, even though he was dressed in black, the person who appeared this ti was not Kim Giryeo.
"Hiiiek!"
An Awakened with an exotic impression appeared without a sound and was staring this way. Just how had he hidden S-rank level magical power? He couldn't even tell soone else had newly entered the dungeon until his eyes t the opponent's.
"Gi vây! [What is it?]"
The Tar was struck with horror. No one welcod unplanned encounters in a dungeon.
"Why is he here? They say he rarely hunts these days."
The eccentricities of Kang Changho, S-rank Hunter, were known abroad. Recognizing him, the Tar activated the translator at his waist with trembling hands.
"The, the dungeon I will hand over the dungeon to you."
Soon, Korean flowed out. Incidentally, the reason he operated the device was simple. It was to surrender. Although he had never spoken with the party involved, wasn't this a situation where an Awakened with a bad status as a criminal had suddenly entered soone else's territory illegally?
"Moonlight Fairies are common everywhere. I don't know why he'd want this hunting ground, but whatever."
Just in case, he relinquished rights imdiately.
"I don't need that."
And what sort of remark was that?
~Crack!"
And what was that violence for?
~Thud!
The sound of a person being hit echoed twice. As the one with [Taming] skill slunk toward the gate entrance, the S-rank hunter watching him suddenly snapped the man's left shinbone. Furthermore, almost at the sa mont the pain flared in his leg, the Tar's nose was also attacked. It was because the Awakened, who had learned boxing, struck the person's face.
"Ugh!"
He clearly hadn't seen the arm move. By the ti the man nad Kang Chang-ho extended a jab and lightly retracted his hand, blood was already bursting from the crushed nose.
"Crazy! It feels almost like being hit by a bullet!"
His vision flashed.
"Agh!"
He's a mixed-blood himself anyway, does it make sense to mistreat a foreigner he t for the first ti today? But separate from the pain flowing from his leg and nose, this was a clear anomaly.
"Please spare !"
Thus, he first collapsed on all fours and rubbed his hands together as a sign of surrender. However, while the Tar, the one-sided victim, continued his earnest reaction to this extent. The man nad Kang Chang-ho even stiffened his neck and began to speak with a chilling attitude.
"Don't tremble."
His first words.
"I won't kill you."
A man with a criminal record for assault. And even now, to make such a leisurely statent after striking soone's face with his trademark boxing skills.
"But actually, if you think about it calmly, there's no reason to feel so wronged. All the actions I just took fall within the category of self-defense."
Self-defense? The man with bluish-purple hair shoved both hands into his pockets. And he engaged in the conversation with an arrogant attitude, only glancing down with his eyes.
"You crawled here to attack a Korean. Do you think getting hit is unfair?"
"?"
"There are ways I know anyway. Plenty of ways."
"...!"
"Maybe I've already belonged to that little league of yours by stealing soone else's identity."
"..."
"Besides that, there are plenty of extraordinary information-gathering thods. This is the era of [Dungeon Shock], after all."
If Kang Changho truly held information, the situation changed.
"Damn it!"
There were still many elents he didn't understand, but since Kang Changho's goal wasn't the dungeon anyway.
"S-so, is it because I was about to harm a Korean... more precisely damage Korea's reputation?"
What kind of crazy ex-con patriot is this? Such thoughts occurred in his mind, but he didn't voice them. The Tar continued his efforts to stay alive while trembling, and Kang Chang-ho soon answered his thoughts.
"Don't attack Korea's fourth S-rank Hunter."
It was a sowhat absurd statent.
"So suddenly... that's..."
The news that the only son of a steel company fought with his family over inheritance issues was sothing everyone knew even across the ocean. And yet, a man who was stoic even when things went wrong with his parents was looking out for the safety of a complete stranger, a colleague in the industry?
"Aren't you just doing this because you're greedy for my skill?"
Soon, a voice filled with fear burst out. The thoughts that had flowed out so far were mainly soone's public image, but if his information power was superior, it was quite possible to know that Kang Changho was suspected of being the owner of [Improvent]. Thus, the Tar asked back, unable to hide his fear—
"Your reaction makes sense."
"Huh?"
"But that suspicion about using Improvent or whatever is actually just useless talk you've co up with because you, Tar, know too little about the background situation."
"What do you--"
"Listen carefully."
Even the aggressor's tone wavered.
"Don't lay a hand on him!"
Because the Tar was keeping his posture low, he couldn't see the other person's expression. The only thing he could perceive was the shout barked by the physical enhancer.
"For everyone's sake."
Kang Changho, who usually showed a relaxed attitude whenever he thought of the na Kim Giryeo. Even when he was still early to feel true horror, however, in order to clearly deliver the ssage to those who hired the Tar he quite a few things he relied on. This S-rank hunter actually had quite a few things he relied on.
"But if Kim Giryeo starts taking interest in things beyond hunting, it'll beco troubleso for all of us."
Yet, at this mont, Kang Changho showed a transford appearance. It was also a sowhat hysterical attitude.
"Gasp!"
"But I am crazy enough to just leave that Awakened alone? I like it pointed out at first, I'm also fundantally a Korean living in Korea..."
It was around the ti when the Tar was unable to even properly stop his nosebleed and was breathing through his mouth, crushed by the pressure exerted by the opponent. Kang Changho continued, looking at the Tar's unbroken body parts. By now, his tone had beco relaxed again.
"Anyway, for all these reasons, I hope everyone respects that hunter from now on. Understood?"
A man who had just caved in soone's nose was speaking in an erratic way; it was truly terrifying. It seed it were no factors in the Taming skill that should cause a separate error. Yet the fact that the magical creatures moved before him, Kang Changho took additional asures. It was the application of torture so fierce that the grown Tar earned at the top of his lungs. Still, Kang Changho kept the promise he made at the beginning.
~Crack!"
He did not kill him. He rely inflicted intense pain, even utilizing the dungeon's privilege of a regeneration potion. Still, after going through such a process, there was no way the opponent would forget his warning. Believing that his intent would be successfully conveyed to the Tar's employer, Kang Changho muttered quietly to himself.
"I, at my age..."
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