Chapter 38 – Eyes (1)
1.
When Kim Tae Hoon said that he would hunt the demon snake, the survivors reacted in one of two ways.
Some considered joining him, and some prayed for his success.
There was n.o.body who wished for Kim Tae Hoon’s failure in killing the demon snake.
However, n.o.body thought that Kim Tae Hoon would be able to successfully kill the snake.
It wasn’t because they couldn’t imagine it.
Rather, it was because thinking about his failure would make their bodies tremble and their faces turn blue.
They couldn’t even feel desperation.
That was why they didn’t even bother to imagine it.
But at this moment.
"Ah!"
Kim Tae Hoon was eaten.
The snake, with its mouth open so wide that it could swallow a car, swooped down at Kim Tae Hoon.
Meanwhile, n.o.body in the area could move properly.
The demon snake’s grandeur was like the petrification effect of Medusa’s head.
So like that, the gigantic mouth swallowed their only hope.
The demon snake didn’t stop there.
To make it easier to put Kim Tae Hoon into its stomach, the snake erected itself and stood tall like a tower so that Kim Tae Hoon who was at the opening of its throat would easily slide in.
The others witnessed all of it.
They couldn’t look away.
n.o.body dared to turn their heads and close their eyes.
It was basically torture. Everyone was forced to stare as their only hope became an abyss of black despair.
Puk!
Despite being ownerless, a sword that had been attacking the demon snake brought an end to their torture.
The sword dug through the demon snake’s neck, causing the snake’s upright body to fall over like the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
But unlike the Leaning Tower of Pisa, its body fell without stopping.
Eventually, its body collapsed onto the floor.
Ggwareung!
The ground trembled as though an earthquake had struck. The scene overwhelmed them that everyone in the vicinity did not dare run away, and simply fell to the floor.
That was all. Those who had fallen were simply lying down on the floor like mannequins.
They were still within the grasps of despair, there was n.o.body able to escape it on their own.
There was only one person who could solve this.
Kim Tae Hoon.
The collapsed demon snake’s open mouth revealed Kim Tae Hoon.
2.
Gulp gulp!
Kim Tae Hoon audibly gulped, his neck tilted up, a thermos at his lips.
Ahn Sun Mi handed Kim Tae Hoon some more wine since he had been drinking from his thermos.
Kim Tae Hoon downed the contents of the wine goblet that was so full that the liquid inside threatened to spill over.
"How is your body?"
Finally, after consuming the medicinal pills that Ahn Sun Mi had made from mud trolls. Kim Tae Hoon opened his mouth, exuding an earthy smell.
"I just wish I could drink a cup of coffee."
"Ah, is that so?"
Hearing his blunt remark, Ahn Sun Mi could only sigh.
It was a sigh of relief.
If Kim Tae Hoon had the luxury to say something like that, then it must mean that his condition was alright.
"You can make it yourself."
Speaking bluntly, Ahn Sun Mi stood up from her seat.
Kim Tae Hoon did not look at her. He closed his eyes instead.
He began ruminating.
"That was the worst."
The hunting of the demon snake, the entire process from beginning to end.
"Everything about that was the worst."
The absolute worst, there was no other way to describe what had happened.
"From the preparation phase to the end of the fight."
Even though he had said that he was ready, as soon as what was basically a prologue ended, he was immediately plunged into deadly crisis right at the start of the fight.
In the end, Kim Tae Hoon was devoured by the demon snake. He could hear his body crack while inside the snake’s throat.
An unforgettable experience, but unforgettable in the sense that it wouldn’t be surprising if it was a trauma he carried with him for his entire life.
"I almost died before I even saw the dragon again."
However, instead of trying to repress the memory, he was trying to remember the moment even more clearly.
He concentrated so that he would never forget.
"That’s the only thing I got from this whole thing."
Kim Tae Hoon had succeeded right at the moment when he was being crushed.
"The sword responded to my Telekinesis."
Kim Tae Hoon’s will had reached out towards the sword.
The Sword of the Commander had stabbed into its heart.
It was the first time.
"Even though all I saw was darkness······."
Kim Tae Hoon had relied on his vision in order to use his Telekinesis. No, rather, it was an absolute necessity for him to use Telekinesis.
Kim Tae Hoon did not have the ability to move things he could not see. It wasn’t something that Kim Tae Hoon thought was possible.
His sword had disappeared from his vision and senses when he was in the snake’s throat.
No, to be honest, it didn’t occur to him to use his Telekinesis to control the sword.
He willed it. The sword responded to his will and flew in the direction of the demon snake’s heartbeat.
He was trying to recall the moment so he could recreate the same action.
"Chet."
Of course, it wasn’t so easy to recreate it.
The feeling of desperately clinging onto life······ it was like a miracle created by Kim Tae Hoon’s life-long desire.
It wouldn’t be a miracle if it could be easily recreated.
"Can’t do anything about it now."
So of course it wouldn’t be easy to experience the same feeling again.
"For now I just have to be content with the fact that it’s possible."
However, one thing was clear. The possibilities for Telekinesis were endless.
Furthermore, there was a power that Kim Tae Hoon could acquire right away.
Kim Tae Hoon got up from his seat. The gigantic body of the demon snake that occupied the vacant lot entered Kim Tae Hoon’s gaze.
It was time to exercise the right of the victor.
3.
The dead snake still exuded a b.l.o.o.d.y air from within the vacant lot.
As a result, n.o.body dared to approach the open s.p.a.ce.
Even the armed Mek Clan’s soldiers who were a.s.signed to guard access to the corpse felt the same.
Their faces sported neutral expressions while they stood in front of the snake. They were like mannequins, and to be frank, the only difference between them and a mannequin was the fact that white foggy breaths would plume out of their mouths.
A man approached the lot that was strife with fear.
Some terrified spectators who couldn’t help but stare at the demon snake spotted Kim Tae Hoon.
n.o.body immediately noticed that it was Kim Tae Hoon.
Although Kim Tae Hoon’s name had spread quite a bit, most people had never seen his face before.
Even if they had seen his face, most people wouldn’t have good enough vision to recognize him from a distance.
However, there was no reason for anyone to have to explain that that man was Kim Tae Hoon.
The monsters that utilized Fear and inspired fear and despair in the survivors of Bucheon City were all dead now, so naturally, there was only one man with the victor’s right to the body.
"That person?"
"It’s that person!"
As Kim Tae Hoon got closer to the demon snake’s corpse, the surrounding people began to recognize him.
In the end, when Kim Tae Hoon approached the demon snake, someone saw it.
"Oooowaaaaah!"
A shout.
A cry of victory, and the first one of many.
"Oooowaaaaah!"
It was a shout, a symbol of human hope, the hope that had been stolen from the humans on December 31st, the day when the monsters suddenly appeared and waged war against humanity.
In order to survive, everyone had been living on their last breaths. There hadn’t been a real victory until now. There were some who had feigned death to survive– there was no way they could die so they had to live.
They could not bear to cheer or shout for joy for none of their battles had been real victories.
This was the first time.
The survivors who had their livelihood robbed and been forced to flee had their first real victory, and so they couldn’t help but shout as much as they could.
Ooowaaah!
The sounds of their cheers rang out. Their zealous cheering melted the dismal atmosphere.
Furthermore, their cheers convicted their hearts.
Badum badum badum, all of their hearts began to work up a frenzy of beats in the heat of the moment.
In the center of all the cheering was Kim Tae Hoon, who was staring at the sword embedded in the snake’s neck.
Only the hilt of his sword was visible. It was like it had been waiting for its owner.
Kim Tae Hoon grasped the hilt and pulled it out. It was like the legend of King Arthur who had retrieved the sword in the stone.
Swik!
Without any hesitation, the sword sliced the demon snake’s body, revealing its silvery flesh.
The silvery surface reflected a similarly silver colored light onto its surroundings.
Ooowaaah!
Seeing the silver light, the spectators began to shout again.
Amidst all the shouting, Kim Tae Hoon immediately went to work on the snake’s body.
He dismantled the beast’s flesh, cutting off the snake’s flesh until the demon snake’s black heart was revealed. What was revealed was a yellow gem, like a pearl in an oyster, of which he took a photo of with his smartphone.
[Black Snake’s(黑蛇) Jewel]
– Strength and stamina are greatly increased when consumed.
– Energy Ranking is greatly enhanced when consumed.
– Mana Ranking is greatly enhanced when consumed.
– Physical Defense ranking is greatly enhanced when consumed.
– The Black Snake’s ability [Black Snake’s Evil Eye] is learned when consumed.
Kim Tae Hoon retrieved the yellow gem and immediately consumed it.
Gulp!
There was no hesitation.
It had immediately gone in his mouth and he had swallowed it without any hesitation.
Kim Tae Hoon’s body accepted the Black Snake’s Jewel and had a.s.similated its power into its flesh.
"Hmm."
First, the Energy residing in his stomach began to change. The loach-like Energy began to frenziedly act up and grow bigger. It became a snake.
Power from the now large and snake-like Energy coursed through his body. It felt like it would burst his body if it couldn’t be controlled.
At that moment, the power of the Energy coalesced in his eyes. The whites of Kim Tae Hoon’s eyes disappeared until his eyes were pure black.
At the same time, the Energy in his stomach area was swiftly exhausted.
"Is this the Black Snake’s Evil Eye?"
By feeding it Energy, the world before his eyes had changed.
The things he could see were sharper. It wouldn’t be impossible to count the number of feathers on a bird.
Furthermore, he could see what had been invisible before.
Kim Tae Hoon looked at his right hand.
[Basic Abilities]
– Strength : 135
– Stamina : 122
[Special Abilities]
– Energy : D Rank
– Mana : D Rank
– Telekinesis : A Rank
– Physical Defense : D Rank
– Magic Resistance : D Rank
Kim Tae Hoon, he had obtained eyes.
4.
Chang Sung Hoon had not partic.i.p.ated in the hunt.
He had no qualifications to partic.i.p.ate in the hunt against such a terrifying creature.
Instead, he received a report after all had been said and done.
Kim Tae Hoon had been ingested by the demon snake, had then miraculously stabbed the snake’s heart with his sword, then had consumed its monster stone.
Hearing the report, Chang Sung Hoon felt dizzy.
"That could have been the end of us."
Attracting the beast had all gone according to plan.
Everything that happened after was a c.r.a.pshoot.
It wouldn’t have been strange if Kim Tae Hoon had died. No, rather, by all means Kim Tae Hoon should have died.
However, he was the one to come out on top.
So of course he would take the spoils of war.
Chang Sung Hoon rose from his seat.
‘Well then, the old man who worked at the shoe factory was named Park Gabsu now was it?’
[TN: Alright, so I"m no snake expert, but considering how the snake was large enough to swallow cars whole, KTH may not have been experiencing as much crus.h.i.+ng as you would expect. Suffocation was probably a bigger concern than having his bones crushed since most snakes constrict first then swallow. Also, KTH was at the "opening" of the snake"s throat, so he wasn"t in the stomach and didn"t need to worry too much about the digestive fluids. Also, it"s a fictional piece of writing. I highly doubt a giant snake being unable to kill a superhuman who is at the opening of the snake"s throat is enough to make the rest of the story unbearable to read.]