Chapter 273 – Kill the Hero (1)
Translator: Seven
Editor: Ana_Banana
Kim Woo-jin hadn’t been a hunting dog from the start.
To put it bluntly, he used to be a stray dog.
A stray who could only wander around, wondering what to bite while knowing nothing of the parents who birthed him or what to do with his life.
“Hunting dog Kim Woo-jin, I need your strength.”
It was just this one simple statement that transformed a stray dog into a hunting dog.
With that one statement, the stray dog went through countless training and practice, through numerous hards.h.i.+ps and adversity, and soon became the world’s best hunting dog.
It became a hunting dog that could hunt any prey.
‘To put an end to this game and save the world.’
And he became a hunting dog who could hunt anything for one reason.
Even when Kim Woo-jin returned to the past and countless things changed, that one thing didn’t change.
‘For that, I need to kill you, Lee Se-jun.’
To hunt everything standing in his path, put an end to the game, and save the world.
That was the reason Kim Woo-jin made his move. (TL: not for revenge?)
That was why, in the midst of the charging Death Knights, the 300 raging Skeleton Soldier, and the Lich and Skeleton Knights who were leading their own troops into battle, Kim Woo-jin ran towards Lee Se-jun.
[You have received the Winner’s Blessing.]
Holding Excalibur in his hand, Kim Woo-jin clashed with Lee Se-jun.
…
Everything didn’t always go according to plan.
This was especially true in dungeons.
No one knew when or where an unexpected situation might occur.
It was impossible to be able to deal with these unexpected situations perfectly, after all, if that was possible, it wouldn’t be an unexpected situation.
That was why having a manual was important.
It allowed the players to just keep specific rules in mind in order to avoid the worst outcome in an emergency situation.
“Wake up!”
“Act according to the manual!”
In an emergency, it was important to form a battle line.
Once a battle line had been established, they would at least be able to buy some time, and in that time, they would be able to make plans according to the situation.
“Get ready!”
“Parties, gather together!”
Among the members of the Messiah Guild, there was definitely no one who didn’t know this fact.
Rattle!
However, the Skeleton Soldiers who fell from the sky did not allow the Messiah Guild members to easily gather together.
The Skeleton Soldiers, who had crashed into the heart of the Messiah Guild’s formation in the form of a Bone Dragon, began to attack before the Messiah Guild members were able to create their battle line.
“Dammit!”
“Protect the healers and wizards first!”
Even the Skeleton Soldiers and Skeleton Knights on the outside persistently attacked the weakest members in the Messiah Guild’s formation.
“These crazy b.a.s.t.a.r.ds are only aiming for the healers!”
Among them, their offensive against the healers was the fiercest. There were even cases of three or four Skeleton Soldiers rus.h.i.+ng towards the same target.
“G.o.dammit!”
“Give up! We can’t save them!”
Naturally, the results were devastating.
But even under such circ.u.mstances, the Messiah Guild members were able to identify and implement the best course of action in this situation.
“Focus on the situation!”
“Don’t lose focus!”
Maintain focus and don’t panic.
It didn’t seem like much, but it was very important in a situation like this one.
Just like you can escape a tiger’s den as long as you stayed alert and focused in order to seize the opportunity whenever it arrived.
Hihihi!
[The Banshees’ cries resound.]
However, the cries of the Banshees, who began weeping among the Messiah Guild members, did not allow them to do this easily.
“Kuh!”
“Uahhh!”
Moreover, only a few had ways to block the effects of the Banshees’ cries now that the healers were the first to be attacked.
Most of them could only freeze up as they felt cold hands grip their hearts on the fierce battlefield and shake their heads like they were trying to clear them.
Kyaha!
Unfortunately, the Skeleton Knights and Skeleton Soldiers would not miss such an opportunity.
When the Messiah Guild’s members lost their concentration, the Skeleton Knights began attacking them.
“Kuaah!”
“Uaah!”
Screams rang out from every direction.
Of course, there were still some who were able to put up a fight.
Paak!
The talented members of the Messiah Guild who had excellent personal abilities not only ruthlessly and relentlessly crushed the Skeleton Soldiers, but even pressured or crushed the Skeleton Knights.
“Gather around me, I’ll destroy everything!”
It was like the appearance of a main character in a movie.
It was like the appearance of a great figure.
[The Lich raises the Skeleton Soldier again.]
Rattle!
“G.o.dammit!”
However, in the face of a constant series of attacks launched by the Skeleton Soldiers who would return even if they were ground into bone dust, this dignity didn’t last very long.
“There is no end!”
Rattle!
The series of terrible events didn’t end there.
Tuk, tuk!
Rain began to fall over the battlefield.
‘Rain?’
‘What’s going on?’
The sudden rain cooled the heat of the Messiah Guild members that allowed them to move and think during the fierce battle with the skeleton army.
[You have been afflicted by Blood Poison.]
It cooled down to the extent that the faces of everyone in the rain became white.
“It’s poison!”
“Watch out for the poison!”
“It’s a Blood Golem!”
And with the appearance of the Blood Poison, the Blood Golem no longer concealed itself, and made its existence known.
[The Knight of Death appears!]
It was around that time that the Death Knights began appearing.
Thirty of them.
This unbelievable number of Death Knights rushed atop their skeleton horses towards the already ravaged battlefield.
“Ah…!”
The moment they saw this sight, the minds of the Messiah Guild members couldn’t help but go blank.
‘It’s over.’
It was over.
They couldn’t help but have this thought.
“Gather around the Master!”
In this situation, Park s.h.i.+n-hye’s voice tore through the battlefield.
As the Bifrost had ended, she was now free and she shouted out, her red hair fluttering.
“Protect the Master!”
Hrrrr!
Along with that cry, the figures of multi colored demons began to charge towards the undead army.
The cold atmosphere on the battlefield began to heat up once again.
‘Master!’
The members of the Messiah Guild, who had been filled with despair just a moment ago, began to feel hope.
‘Right, there’s still the Master!’
Lee Se-jun!
The name that could bring hope to a despairing heart.
The moment this name appeared in their minds, the members of the Messiah Guild began to move for one purpose.
“Protect the Master!”
“a.s.sist the Master!”
They started to gather around Lee Se-jun.
However, as she looked at this scene, Park s.h.i.+n-hye’s expression was not good.
‘The sacrifice will be greater.’
In truth, Park s.h.i.+n-hye already knew.
In the midst of battle, the skeleton army would not allow their opponents, who hadn’t even formed a proper battle line, to untangle themselves and move away suddenly.
After all, that basically meant allowing them to gather in another place after letting them run away.
‘Only Lee Se-jun needs to survive.’
Nevertheless, the only reason she gave the order was to save Lee Se-jun.
And that was the answer.
‘As long as we stop them, we’ll have the chance to turn the tables.’
The abilities Isaac Ivanov had shown so far were incredibly unbelievable, but Lee Se-jun was also not much worse than he was.
Furthermore, it was true that Isaac Ivanov’s abilities exceeded common sense too much.
There were 300 Skeleton Soldiers that had transformed from a Bone Dragon, a Lich and 30 Death Knights there!
No matter how she looked at it, there was no way such a thing as possible without any conditions.
‘There is probably a condition for Isaac Ivanov’s skills.’
That was why Park s.h.i.+n-hye believed Isaac Ivanov and Kim Woo-jin’s abilities had certain limitations.
‘Time is on our side.’
She thought that they would surely disappear after a while.
‘There will be plenty of opportunities.’
More importantly, the Lee Se-jun that Park s.h.i.+n-hye knew was not someone who would die easily.
Lee Se-jun had many skills that could practically turn him into an immortal and items that he could use to escape from desperate situations.
‘In time.’
In other words, with a little help, Lee Se-jun would never die, and as long as he was alive, there would be many opportunities to reverse the situation.
Except for one variable.
‘…Ah.’
Park s.h.i.+n-hye’s expression couldn’t help but stiffen as she thought of this variable.
…
What were player vs player fights like?
When they heard this question, most people thought of scenes from superhero or martial arts movies.
Of course, fights between players differed from the scenes shown in movies in many ways.
However, fights between players were also different from fights between ordinary people.
It was not enough to call the sight of people with physical abilities that far surpa.s.sed human capabilities who also had all kinds of skills superhuman.
Battles like that were things that anyone could imagine and expect.
Hunting dogs should never fight in ways that anyone could expect.
‘A hunting dog just needs to find their prey’s weakness and latch on to it.’
It was okay to be messy or dirty, as long as you could persistently target and hold onto the prey’s weaknesses.
Kim Woo-jin’s battle was like that.
Due to the effect of Excalibur, Kim Woo-jin had been given the Winner’s Blessing, and Lee Se-jun the Challenger’s Curse.
[The Dignity of Hercules settles within you.]
In this situation, Lee Se-jun increased his physical strength by activating the skill Hercules’ Dignity.
The two of them had similar stats.
In this situation, Kim Woo-jin didn’t bother to engage in a fancy battle.
There were no sounds of metal clas.h.i.+ng as they constantly locked blades as seen in martial arts movies.
Clang!
As soon as their swords met, Kim Woo-jin kicked Lee Se-jun in the stomach, and as soon as Lee Se-jun stepped back, he leapt forwards with his sword in hand and wrapped his other arm around Lee Se-jun’s waist.
And in this state, they rolled on the floor without stopping.
As if they were a ball, the tangled forms of Lee Se-jun and Kim Woo-jin rolled along the ground.
It was really like a dog fight.
As they rolled nonstop, Lee Se-jun constantly tried to get away while Kim Woo-jin managed to always catch him somehow and continue rolling.
“Kuh!”
Even Lee Se-jun couldn’t help but let out a grunt filled with complicated feelings as they continued this ridiculous dog fight which couldn’t even be described as a battle.
Of course, Kim Woo-jin was different.
‘You probably never fought like this before.’
In fact, this was quite natural for him.
For him who always had to fight opponents and monsters stronger than himself, he had learned to not care about dignity, splendor or beauty.
In particular, when dealing with a player, he always prepared to get tangled and dirty in the mud.
He always used a method that the other person had never experienced or would expect.
By doing so, he wore away at their mental power, concentration, and physical strength, as well as bought time.
‘Lee Se-jun, this was the way I lived for you.’
This was the way Kim Woo-jin learned to live as the Messiah Guild’s hunting dog.
Therefore, Kim Woo-jin bit Lee Se-jun in the same way that he had learned as the Messiah Guild’s hunting dog.
There was nothing Lee Se-jun could do in the face of Kim Woo-jin’s offensive.
[Sacred light explodes.] (TL: author left out sacred here, but it’s the same skill so I put it in ^-^)
Even if he used the Blinding Explosion skill, it would not have any effect on Kim Woo-jin, who was stuck to him.
He really stuck to Lee Se-jun like a dog biting its prey.
“Kuh!”
After a while, Lee Se-jun’s eyes began losing focus little by little.
He could feel his reason begin to melt bit by bit.
He also started to feel a sense of crisis.
Suddenly.
Fwoos.h.!.+
Lee Se-jun’s body erupted with white flames.
[Surt’s(1) Flames burn.]
Surt!
It was the moment when the power of the Fire Giant, who brought destruction to the world, erupted from Lee Se-jun’s body.
‘Finally.’
It was only then that Kim Woo-jin let go of Lee Se-jun for the first time.
And for the first time, he was forced to widen the distance between them.
Nevertheless, the look in Kim Woo-jin’s eyes didn’t change.
This was natural.
After all, this was exactly what Kim Woo-jin had been waiting for.
Puk!
At that moment, something stabbed deeply into Lee Se-jun’s side.
“Kuk!”
Lee Se-jun screamed.
Following that scream, the ident.i.ty of the invisible being who had stabbed Lee Se-jun was revealed.
[The effect of the Cap of Invisibility has disappeared.]
It was Lee Jin-ah, who was wearing the Cap of Invisibility.
[The effect of the Longinus Spear activates.] (TL: Karma?)
With the Longinus Spear in his hand.
Lee Se-jun couldn’t help but stare at Lee Jin-ah, who had stabbed him in the side, with wide eyes.
Puk!
And in that moment, a sword pierced Lee Se-jun’s chest.
[The Curse of Balmung has been activated.]
Kim Woo-jin had stabbed Lee Se-jun in the chest with Balmung.
(TL: I like the way the MC didn’t change his modus operandi even for the final battle, despite having more than enough power to just slug it out. I also like the fact that he didn’t go ‘I will fight the enemy on my own despite having a team!’ like the usual action mc.)
(Note:
1. In Norse mythology, Surtr, also written Surt in English, is a j?tunn. He is a fire giant who leads his kin into battle against the Aesir and Vanir G.o.ds during Ragnarok, the destruction of the cosmos. His particular fate is to kill the G.o.d Freyr and to be slain by him in turn.
Fun fact: Freyr(Frey) is the male twin of Freya and some of their authorities coincided. ^-^)
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