“Jiyoon, it’s okay now.”
As Jeonghyun whispered those words to Jiyoon, he showed a smile.
In reality, the pain was excruciating.
Jeonghyun deliberately offered his right arm to lure Gareng and Hanseok in order to lower their guard, but the pain was so intense that it felt like he might die at any moment.
“Next time, I’ll purposely get more severe injuries.”
“What?”
“If Gareng and Hanseok suggest leaving the gate, you don’t have to worry. But if they won’t do it, don’t be surprised. Just keep healing me until I say I’m okay.”
It was partially a gamble, but there was no other way to ensure Gareng and Hanseok remained off guard.
Even if they saw the goblins and start fighting them, they had to act like they knew nothing about their plans.
Jeonghyun risked his life relying on his E-rank ability “Physical Ability Slight Enhancement” (E, Lv.1) for natural healing, along with his mediocre hunter skills.
And the result,
“What the heck! What are you doing!”
Although he felt a tearing pain every time he moved his arm, Jeonghyun managed to maintain enough composure to rush towards Gareng.
However, beyond his expectations, they were hiding some skill. Gareng effortlessly cast several mana bolts, faster and more powerful than when directed at goblins.
Jeonghyun narrowly dodged the projectiles, showcasing his maximum possible movements at that moment. It was a surprise attack, and Jeonghyun, closing in on Gareng with relentless pursuit, suddenly,
“Keup!”
Thrust the mace deeply into Gareng’s chest. Even for a D-rank hunter, there was no chance when the heart was pierced.
Jeonghyun pulled the mace from Gareng’s body. The tense muscles initially resisted, but with some additional force through the pain, the mace came out.
Puck!
Jeonghyun then struck Gareng’s head with the mace again.
“You…”
Gareng collapsed, displaying an expression of helpless defeat.
Jeonghyun watched this scene while inhaling and exhaling fast. It could be seen that he was nervous.
Even though his own life was threatened, this was the first time he killed a person.
Although sensations were similar to dealing with goblins or zombies, the emotional impact was different.
Gareng’s lifeless body, blood spurting from the hole in her chest, left Jeonghyun in shock.
The fact that someone died before her eyes, Jiyoon, who had been watching with a stunned expression, gasped in astonishment.
“Huh? Her face has changed!”
As Gareng let her last breath, the magical effect on her face was also lifted.
Gareng’s face transformed into that of a stranger. Completely different from the face in the Hunter ID she showed before.
After confirming her death, Jeonghyun slumped down.
“Hmm?”
An alert window popped up in front of Jeonghyun.
[Proficiency level of “Meager Combat Sense” (F) has increased from level 1 to 2.]
In this unexpected situation, a level-up notification was something that Jeounghyun couldn’t have imagined.
While it was certainly welcomed, the urgency of the situation didn’t allow him to enjoy it.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah? Ah, yes. Sort of…”
Approaching Jeonghyun, Jiyoon used her healing ability on his arm, despite Jeonghyun insisting he was fine. Even if he claimed to be okay, the deep wound wouldn’t heal easily.
It was fortunate that the intense movements didn’t cause him a deep pain.
“Ugh.”
Jeonghyun also groaned.
The “Physical Ability Slight Enhancement” (E, Lv.1) attribute was truly exceptional.
Even with E-rank healing, without Jeonghyun’s natural healing, it would have been impossible for him to move so freely when he faced off Gareng.
However, defeating Gareng didn’t mean Jeonghyun could finally relax.
Jeonghyun urgently told Jiyoon to stop healing as soon as the pain subsided a bit.
“Now, we need to move slowly.”
“Ah, yes.”
Hanseok was still there.
In fact, Jeonghyun was in an advantageous position when he faced of Gareng. It was naturalfor a long-range hunter to be at disadvantage during close-combat.
But Hanseok?
Facing the guy swinging a giant axe freely, what could he do?
Even though the proficiency of “Meager Combat Sense” had reached level 2, it was still just an F-rank.
Hanseok was returning from searching for a group of goblins nearby.
“Ah, you’re late.”
He couldn’t find them as quickly as expected, but such variables would only delay the pleasure.
Jeonghyun was still unable to move, lying down, and Jiyoon was still healing him.
“Kerrr! Kerrr!”
Hanseok look back at the goblins chasing him to kill the people in front of him.
“Just wait a moment, I’ll introduce you to the ones I’m going to kill.”
However, when he returned to the open field, there was no one left there. Well, more precisely, only Gareng’s lifeless body lay there, cold and still.
“Heesoo!”
Startled, Hanseok called out Gareng’s real name and rushed over to check on her. The goblins screamed in protest, hindering him as he tried to examine her.
“Kek-”
“These damn things!”
It was unclear who the rage was directed at.
Nevertheless, the enraged Hanseok, with an axe in hand, effortlessly split the goblins he had brought into two halves.
Only then could he carefully inspect Gareng’s body. There was a hole in the chest that seemed to be a direct sign, and evidence of a blow to the head with a blunt object.
It couldn’t have been Jiyoon, so the one who could do it was Jeonghyun. He was the only one with a mace in their party.
“How the hell did this happen?!”
He shouldn’t be able to moved after having his arm struck by the goblin. Even with an E-rank healer healing him, he wouldn’t recover so easily.
If not, there was only one possibility left.
“He deceived us with some trick.”
Jeonghyun had deceived both Hanseok and Gareng.
Hanseok, who had laid Gareng’s body back down, touched his own face.
He couldn’t see it, but the sensation was different. The magic that had changed his appearance, due to Garey’s death, had also been dispelled.
Hanseok picked up the axe he had left on the ground. Originally, he had no intention of personally killing them, but now there was no reason to hesitate.
He could only kill them with his own axe.
Hanseok scanned the surroundings with his bloodshot eye.
It was not difficult to find the footprints of the two. Having hunted hunters inside the gate, Hanseok had experience in tracking them.
His strides were short and irregular. They could have killed Heesoo, but they still left some traces.
The footprints were towards the exit of the gate.
“Let’s go after them.”
Hanseok’s movements were quite swift. If Jeonghyun was able to kill Gareng, his actual strenght must be better than what he showed them. Knowing that fact, Hanseok couldn’t be careless when facing these newbies.
Hanseok started chasing their footprints. With his speed, he could easily catch up with the injured F-rank.
“Don’t stand there, you bastards!”
Hanseok’s voice echoed through the forest.
Whether they had already left the gate or not, it didn’t matter. He already decided that he will kill them no matter what.
Even if they had left the gate, he would chase and kill them outside.
***
“Don’t stand there!”
The voice of Hanseok’s anger echoed from behind.
It was quite a distance away, but Jeonghyun could hear it well enough. His expression was desperate.
Although he killed Gareng, he knew that Hanseok was the more formidable enemy. It was difficult to take advantage of any carelessness coming from him, and he was also aware that it would be hard to narrow the gap in strength.
“Wait a moment.”
Jeonghyun bit his lower lip and immersed himself in deep thought.
Even with a level-up in one of his attributes, due to the injury, the difference in strength between him and Hanseok had only widened.
The distance to the exit wasn’t far, but it was certain that the two of them would be caught while going there, and even if they managed to escape, there was a possibility that he might catch them outside.
There was no point in saving coins now that things had come to this point.
The only option was to increase the rank of the attribute he currently possessed. With two already secured and one at level 2, if he could get one more…
‘Please, please!’
Jeonghyun silently prayed as he refreshed the list once more.
[The list has been updated.]
As always, the attributes list was updated.
Jeonghyun, who was frantically scrolling down the list of attributes, and sighed in relief when he saw it.
“Meager Combat Sense.”
The one and only card that had a chance. It shone brightly, indicating that it could be synthesized.
“Jiyoon, I’m sorry, but let’s give it one more try.”
“Yes?”
A glimmer of hope flashed across Jiyoon’s face.
In this desperate moment, if Jeonghyun said something like that, it must mean he had found a way to escape the villain’s clutches.
However, upon hearing Jeonghyun’s explanation, Jiyoon couldn’t help but be in disbelief.
***
The exit was still quite a distance away.
Hanseok looked at Jiyoon, who was frozen in fear at being caught, and a sly smile played on his lips.
“If you can only come this far, trying to escape—”
But even though he was confident, seeing that someone was missing, he suddenly stopped talking.
Hanseok stood in front of Jiyoon and scanned the surroundings.
“Where did that guy go?”
Jeonghyun was nowhere in sight.
Hanseok didn’t really care about Jiyoon.
He could easily kill her anyway.
But Jeonghyun was crucial.
Someone like Gareng, who had the power to kill hin with a single blow, was killed by him.
First, he needed to find that guy’s whereabouts.
However, Jiyoon looked at Hanseok with fear.
“I… I don’t know.”
“What?”
Hanseok approached Jiyoon with suspicion, taking slow steps.
Unable to hold back her frustration any longer, Jiyoon blurted out.
“I really don’t know! He was so injured that he couldn’t move properly. So, I left him in the ruins!”
“Is that so?”
Hanseok pondered for a moment with his head tilted.
Even though Jiyoon was kind, one’s behavior could change drastically when their life was at stake.
How many times had he enjoyed watching such scenes?
Meanwhile, as Hanseok hesitated for a moment, Jiyoon, who had been watching him, hurriedly shouted.
“I’ll go outside and say it was an accident! Please spare me! Please!”
“What?”
Hanseok scoffed as if to say, ‘What nonsense is this?’
If Gareng were still alive, that might be a different story.
But how could he let Jiyoon go, especially when he could no longer disguise his face?
Leaning against a tree, Hanseok, raised his axe towards the trembling Jiyoon.
It might be a bit bothersome, but by retracing their steps and examining the traces, he could easily find at least one seriously injured person.
In his excitement on the way here, he didn’t notice it.
“Ahhh!”
Jiyoon raised her arms above her head and screamed.
It was a futile gesture.
With an effortless swing, the axe would easily tear through such feeble arms.
Taking a deep breath to swing the axe, Hanseok focused.
And in that brief moment, a dark figure dropped behind him.
Thunk!
A harsh sound echoed as iron clashed with the head.
Behind Hanseok, struggling for breath, was Jeonghyun.
