Thunk—
While Hanseok was wearing a helmet made of monster leather, the impact was by no means light. The acceleration from above, the weight of the mace, and the sound of impact, all indicated that.
Especially with “Decent Combat Sense” (E, Lv.2), Jeonghyun’s senses, which had risen from F to E, were saying so. With just three coins, he could acquire one F-rank which enabled him to upgrade. The gamble he took, staking everything on it, had succeeded.
Moreover, even if the rank increased, it seemed that the existing level would be maintained. It was the best situation that Jeonghyun could expect.
“Huff—”
Despite trembling all along, Jiyoon now completely lost her leg strength and sank down as if her legs had given way.
Although Jeonghyun had promised to rescue her at a critical moment while dealing with Hanseok on her own, it probably wasn’t a pleasant situation. After all, it was a fight against a D-rank hunter.
However, the battle was not over yet.
Even though his attack had landed properly, Jeonghyun couldn’t finish off Hanseok.
‘Is he really this big?’
Hanseok’s head was about half a foot higher than Jeonghyun’s.
The swing of the massive axe felt even more substantial.
Jeonghyun, holding the mace with both hands, swung it with all his might.
Clang—
And suddenly, it was blocked by the raised axe.
Hanseok’s actions, which had been standing still as if he had lost consciousness, were unbelievably fast.
Blocked by the raised axe, Hanseok slowly turned his body to face Jeonghyun.
Blood dripping from his right temple made his face even more terrifying.
Perhaps Jiyoon had hesitated to sit down after seeing this face.
“…Did you kill Heesoo?”
A low voice.
Jeonghyun was speechless.
“Was her name Heesoo? Why, was your partner so precious to you?”
“Profit!”
Hanseok’s distorted face sent his axe flying.
Until now, in battles that Jeonghyun had faced, such as zombies, skeletons, and goblins, the speed of Hanseok was incomparable to those.
His Combat Sense Attributes could predicted attack paths by sensing the opponent’s muscle movements.
In the battles so far, if that path was displayed, it would be followed by some delayed attack.
‘But this is almost instantaneous.’
In the case of Hanseok, the delay was almost nonexistent. If the path was not avoided as soon as it was seen, it would be likely that Jeonghyun’s head would be sliced off.
A swing with an axe of this size at such speed was unbelievably fast.
It truly revealed the power of a D-rank hunter.
Jeonghyun quickly avoided Hanseok’s axe.
There was no room to close the distance or attempt an attack.
If tried to do so, he would have lost one arm by now.
But even that had a purpose.
Observing Hanseok’s forehead, Jeonghyun thought.
‘With that much, his strength should decrease quickly.’
The bleeding from the first attack had not stopped; instead, it got worse with each use of strength.
Now, blood was dripping from his chin, and it was about to reach the point where blood would drop from his jaw.
Bleeding from the head, where sensory organs are concentrated, is fatal enough in combat.
Moreover, if he had been hit so hard, a concussion would likely have occurred.
In reality, Hanseok’s axe was fast, but the swing was not as neat.
It was a mess.
‘But I hope his strength decreases a bit faster.’
Of course, Jeonghyun’s condition was not great either.
Even with “Physical Ability Slight Enhancement” (E, Lv.1) natural healing, he can barely face Hanseok. Compared to a normal state, his combat abilities had significantly deteriorated.
Fortunately the rank of his combat sense had increased.
Otherwise, such a one-sided clash might not have happened.
“You rat!”
Thud—
Hanseok’s axe seemed to have the momentum to cut through anything it touched.
A tree where Jeonghyun had just been standing was crushed like a stick.
But if it didn’t hit, that was it.
If Hanseok had been a little calmer, he might have realized that Jeonghyun, an F-rank newbie, was evading his attacks one after another.
Even if he was injured, he had the attribute of D-rank axe skills.
Would an F-rank newbie effortlessly evade his attacks?
Isn’t that strange?
However, his anger for the death of his partner, Heesoo was immense. Together with attack that hit him in the head, and the rage from having his entertainment gone had all clouded Hanseok’s mind.
For Jeonghyun, it was luck more than anything else.
“Huff—huff—.”
Not long after, Hanseok started being out of breath.
As expected, his attack became significantly slower, and the heavy breathing became more pronounced.
Jeonghyun’s eyes sparkled.
Snap—
‘Now—’
The massive axe plunged deep into the ground, and Jeonghyun got away from Hanseok to prepare to attack him.
While it might not be as sturdy as Heesoo’s armor, he had already fought opponents who could take hits like this. Targeting the heart was a better strategy, just like with Heesoo.
However, in that brief moment, Jeonghyun’s eyes widened. His intuition, sharper than Hanseok’s reaction, sensed that his own trap was about to be seen.
A new attack trajectory was vividly outlined, and the line was directed towards Jeonghyun’s right arm.
“Nooo!”
With a powerful impact and the excruciating pain flowing to his whole arm, Jeonghyun flew backward, his body tumbling. It wasn’t the axe, it was Hanseok’s fist. Hitting the bandaged area of his previous wound and sending Jeonghyun flying.
Hanseok, still catching his breath, smirked.
“Do you think you’re the only one with a head? You unlucky bastard.”
Even with agonizing pain, Jeonghyun realized he had fallen for Hanseok’s deception. The loss of strength was inevitable; he couldn’t adjust his physical responses at this point.
But what Jeonghyun missed was this: he had underestimated Hanseok.
Hanseok, too, might not have imagined Jeonghyun’s true strength in his wildest dreams. Despite being aware of Hanseok’s existence, Jeonghyun hadn’t fully grasped the extent of his power.
“Ugh…”
Nevertheless, amidst the overwhelming pain, Jeonghyun realized he had made a mistake.
‘Hanseok, I took you too lightly.’
He, too, had momentarily let his guard down. Hanseok might not know Jeonghyun’s true attributes, but Jeonghyun wasn’t entirely aware of Hanseok’s genuine strength either.
“Hey, how did you kill Heesoo? Are you really an F-Rank?”
Pulling out the axe stuck in the ground, Hanseok asked, his laughter brimming with confidence.
“F-rank? Hah, I’ve killed so many of them. I know your not one of them.”
Hanseok, holding the axe, approached while mocking Jeonghyun.
F-rank? Even if he had underestimated them, there was no way they could lose so badly to a mere F-rank. Until now, those labeled as F-rank were nothing more than bugs.
“Well, it doesn’t matter. What matters is that you’re going to die now.”
Finally, Hanseok approached Jeonghyun, who had fallen in front of him.
Is this really the end?
Rather than closing his eyes, Jeonghyun glared at Hanseok with burning eyes.
“Let me ask one last thing. What’s your real name?”
“What? Real name?”
“Yes, your real name.”
“Hahaha, it’s Na Jucheol. Satisfied?”
“No.”
“What?”
Jucheol looked puzzled.
Jeonghyun chuckled weakly.
“How can you be so unskilled in learning ability?”
“This guy has been-”
“Behind your knee!”
Thunk!
“Ugh!”
Jucheol’s massive body knelt down. Jeonghyun managed to avoid the falling axe just in time.
When Jucheol, with bloodshot eyes, turned to look back, Jiyoon was there, shivering with fear but holding a sharpened piece of broken wood struck in his back.
“These bastards-!”
However, Jucheol’s words didn’t finish properly. Jeonghyun, who had stood up from the fall, thrust the mace into his back.
It couldn’t be confirmed whether it pierced his heart, but the sensation of it piercing through the spine was undeniable.
As Jeonghyun pulled out the mace, a gush of dark red blood poured out.
Jucheol looked at Jeonghyun in disbelief.
“How…?”
Jeonghyun weakly smiled.
“You thought you were the only one hiding something, Newbie Hunter.”
And that was the end.
Almost simultaneously, Jucheol and Jeonghyun collapsed in their respective directions.
“Jeonghyun!”
Jiyoon rushed to Jeonghyun in an instant.
Luckily, he was still breathing.
“Jiyoon… thank you.”
“What?”
“Good job.”
“…”
Jeonghyun couldn’t help but smile, showing a trembling thumbs-up. In reality, the situation left Jeonghyun with no choice but to smile.
[Hidden Achievement unlocked: ‘Enforcement of Justice.’ You’ve earned 5 coins.]
[Hidden Achievement unlocked: ‘Overwhelming Strength’ You’ve earned 5 coins.]
As soon as Jucheol’s breath was cut short, two notification windows appeared simultaneously in front of Jeonghyun. How could he not smile in such a situation?
However, Jiyoon, who was unaware of the situation, didn’t know how to react to the unexpected news and ended up both laughing and crying.
Then, as if something occurred to her, Jiyoon opened her bag again. The bandage wrapped around jeonghyun’s right arm was already damp and stained with blood.
“Uh, it hurts.”
“Just a moment.”
Removing the bandage revealed a mess underneath. Jiyoon poured water from a bottle over the arm to clean it. Jeonghyun let out a scream, but there was no other choice.
As Jinyoon was about to use healing magic again, she was surprised.
“No, the wound isn’t as deep as I thought. Well, it’s deep, but…”
It was a situation that Jiyoon, who had seen Jeonghyun’s entire healing process, couldn’t understand. Desperately applying healing magic, the visible wounds gradually improved.
Around that time, the urgent footsteps of many people could be heard from a distance. Jeonghyun lifted his head towards the source of the sound, but nothing was visible to the naked eye.
Again? Whatever.
Regardless of who was coming, there was nothing he could do now. It would be regrettable to lose consciousness without using the coins, but the situation was already beyond anyone’s control.
Jiyoon, despite busy wrapping the bandage, kept a tense eye on her surroundings. Soon, a person appeared.
“Mr. Han Jeonghyun, Ms. Nam Jiyoon! If you can hear, please respond – Team Leader!”
Starting with him, more people began to gather. They were wearing black armor with the association emblem engraved on their chests.
They surrounded Jeonghyun and Jiyoon, protecting the area. A while later, a person with slightly more advanced armor arrived.
He surveyed the situation and showed a surprised expression.
“Wait, what in the world… First, let’s assess the situation!”
“Yes!”
Some people approached Jeonghyun and Jiyoon, examining here and there. Then, a person who looked like a commander took out his official badge and introduced himself.
“I’m Kim Seokwoong, Investigation Team Leader of Investigation Department 3 at the Hunter Association. First of all, I must apologize for being late. I’m sorry.”
Facing Seokwoong bowing deeply, Jeonghyun couldn’t figure out how to react and let out a dry laugh.
It wasn’t easy to express anger when a person who was already apologizing politely. Although he was frustrated, Jeonghyun had to acknowledge that Seokwoong’s position was understandable.
“First, we need to move you two to a safe place, but we can’t do that. The culprits have been changing their faces, so…”
‘May I ask how the situation unfolded?’
Perhaps Seokwoong even doubted them. His expression was calm, but his body seemed tense. The idea that villains were changing their faces and moving around was absurd.
Jeonghyun had already seen it, but those guys were unbelievable.
Although he was happy just thinking about the 10 coins, the 10 coins he had earned through his understanding were also a relief.
“I killed them all.”
“What?”
“I said I killed them all.”
What else could he say?
Even so, revealing everything here felt too dirty. At that moment, a voice came from Seokwoong’s shoulder radio.
– Team Leader, we confirmed Kim Heesoo’s body. She’s definitely here.
“Um… Team Leader, I can confirm Jucheol’s body as well.”
Almost simultaneously confirmed identities of the true criminals caused Seokwoong to pale.
The two who entered the gate with the 2-person Newbie Hunter ‘The Mask’ were newly awakened newbie hunters. One of them hasn’t even registered his attribute, and the other was E-rank healers who wasn’t a combatant.
How could such people have killed D-rank Level 2 villains?
Moreover, they had been active for quite some time.
Even if they were level 2, they were almost at the end of the level. It was incomparable.
“How on earth… No, I’m sorry. We should leave this place first and meet again. After retrieving the bodies, let’s withdraw.”
Seokwoong, who gave a similar order through the radio, looked around.
Although it was a gruesome scene, most of it seemed to be Jucheol’s doing.
Thinking about what had happened inside, the more he thought, the more he felt like sinking into the mist.
Jiyoon, supported by medical staff, and Jeonghyun, carried on a stretcher, left the scene.
By now, Director Cha Yerin would have arrived and sealed off the area.
‘How should I report this?’
Reporting that a recently registered hunter with an unknown attribute, accompanied by an E-rank healer, had killed two D-rank villains would be unbelievable to anyone.
However, considering the circumstances, it was also a fact.
As long as the two were alive, he considered it fortunate, but the situation that unfolded was beyond Seokwoong’s comprehension.
