ad-fusion Chapter 61 : Chapter 61
Chapter 61 : Chapter 61
Chapter 61
I, Lee Ju-seong, remembered.
From the beginning of Season 2, non-human ability users often appeared.
Animals, plants, objects, and so on.......
The appearance of an animal with abilities informed me that the flow had passed Season 1 and entered the section corresponding to Season 2.
Squeal! Squee-eal!
The wild boar’s natural breath-stopping cry came welcomingly.
I was familiar with wild boars.
I had been entrusted to my grandmother’s house in the countryside for about three years, from age 7 to the 2nd grade of elementary school.
It was a backwoods village where 20 households lived, and the only shop was a small Nonghyup mart.
It was a place where cows often escaped from the stable, gathering all the village people, and where one could frequently see wild boars or water deer when going to the fields.
I took out one small blood bag, held it in my hand, and popped it.
Ability to turn one's own bodily fluids into blades.
The sticky blood seemed to flow through the gaps in my palm, and then the blood itself took on an elongated shape as if it had a will.
As the texture of the blood changed to the texture of metal, it quickly transformed into a Hwando.
"What, I wondered who it was, and it turned out to be Lord Boar. It reminds me of my childhood, so it's good."
Unlike me, who was full of leisure, Park So-yul was very tense even though it wasn't her turn.
"Ju-seong, is this right? We weren't supposed to be facing humans."
"It’s actually better. We just have to knock it down without worrying about things like logic."
"But humans and animals have different basic specs."
"Even so, a beast is a beast."
A wild boar was still on the cute side.
In the drama, animals much more ferocious than a wild boar appeared quite often.
Was my leisure contagious?
Park So-yul, who had been anxious after being surprised by the unexpected situation, regained her stability quickly.
Meanwhile, the Bronzes who brought the wild boar in bowed their heads to me and then proceeded with the game.
"Every battle that takes place inside this game is decided as a win or loss only when one side dies. And if someone who is not in turn intervenes in the battle, it is considered a foul loss. The fine for a foul loss is ten times the existing fine."
Only someone's death could end each battle.
It was effectively a wildness reproduced with concrete.
It was a place where one could survive only by facing it with the determination that if you don't kill, you die.
I let the Hwando hang to the side and tossed a question to the Bronzes.
"Let's assume this side loses. Upon defeat, will the remaining players decide the direction to move again from this location?"
The Bronzes shook their heads at the same time as if they had matched their timing.
However, one Bronze staying at the lead took charge of the answer.
"If the player side loses, they return to the starting point of the corresponding turn."
"And one more thing. If other members who were watching get caught in the aftermath of the battle and suffer damage, what is the judgment then?"
"If someone who is not in turn ‘dies’, it is declared a foul loss for the side that caused the death. In this case as well, the fine for the foul loss, or the prize money, is ten times the existing amount."
The Bronze in charge of the answer quietly let out a short exclamation from inside the copper mask.
It was because every single question I tossed was an element that pierced the core of this game.
I was certain that this game was not just a simple fistfight.
‘They didn't involve people not in turn in the battle site for nothing. Are they saying to appropriately use even foul losses if necessary? The problem is that April will also know this fact, and he can apply it diversely as much as he wants.’
A moment later, the Bronzes loosened the chains draped over the wild boar's body.
In addition, the Bronze who was in charge of the answer took a small kit out of his pocket.
Inside the transparent plastic kit, several short syringes were included.
The Bronze took out one syringe and placed it on the wild boar's neck.
And he announced the start of the battle.
"I have just injected a stimulant into the test subject. Please start the battle."
The Bronzes retreated from the wild boar all at once and exited through the door left open on the north side of area A1.
The wild boar's eyes gradually became stained red, and then the whites turned bright red without any gap.
The pupils gradually contracted and became small dots, and because of that, it became a sight as if red billiard balls were embedded instead of eyeballs.
Huff! Huff! Huff!
The wild boar's breath became one level rougher than before.
Its fur stood on end, and long saliva under its fangs stretched out like a spider web and fell down.
The fellow finished its preparations to charge while scratching the floor with its front hooves as if I were its mortal enemy.
I flicked my hand with the intent of provocation.
"The smell of gamy meat is already vibrating? I’ll bathe you with bay leaves and whole peppercorns, so hurry up and come here."
Did it understand the mockery that I would cook it as boiled pork?
The wild boar accelerated while strongly kicking the floor.
Being a beast, the grace time from zero to peak speed was extremely short, and it ran with a terrifying momentum, surpassing 40 kilometers per hour in the blink of an eye.
Squee-eeal!
The wild boar's roar filled the space of about 30 pyeong.
A spoonful of Park So-yul's voice was mixed into the resonant roar.
"Ju-seong! The footsteps! There's an ability contained in the footsteps!"
She was the first among us to realize the wild boar’s ability and inform me.
Referring to her advice, I listened to the wild boar's footsteps.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
As a result of listening intently, I was able to find out the ability the wild boar possessed.
The volume of the footsteps was gradually increasing.
Until just a moment ago, it was at a level similar to the clicking sound of shoe heels, but now it made a sound like asphalt being compacted with a vibrating roller.
The noise hit my eardrums.
As the discomfort index rose to the maximum as if encountering noise between floors, a tingling sensation flowed through the bridge of my nose, and my focus shook at the same time.
I pulled the Hwando to the side of my left waist and muttered.
"It seems to be an ability that can gradually increase the footsteps. It’s a 4th-rank ability, but it’s quite powerful when equipped on Lord Boar."
Air mixed with musty dust and the smell of a beast.
The wild boar in front of my eyes was no longer a beast.
It was a killing weapon added with hatred, hunger, and the organization's technology.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The floor shook. No, my inner self rang.
I endured the ringing seeping into the bridge of my nose and drew the wild boar in to approach closely.
Squee-ee-eal!
The wild boar gave a strange cry, added a sudden acceleration, and thrust its fangs at me.
The monster that gained speed created a gale while leaving dirt-stained footprints on the concrete floor, and its massive body turned into a black mountain covering my entire vision.
In an instant, I twisted my head and inhaled.
"Hup!"
At the same time, after tilting my upper body fully to be horizontal with the floor, I stepped forward with my right foot and twisted my body diagonally.
The fangs collided with my forearm, and then the recently copied ability was activated.
Damage Doping.
The influence from the collision vanished, and the wild boar’s head bounced upward as if it had hit a giant wall.
In a split second, the damage that could be absorbed with the ability reached the maximum.
My physical ability soared to the limit point that could be strengthened with Damage Doping.
Amidst the sharp upward-sloping graph, I gained the strength to cut through the wild boar's hide.
As if performing a sword draw, I swung the Hwando gallantly.
Shrack!
The blade of the Hwando dug into the left side of the wild boar's mouth, then left a long, unhesitating stroke across its neck to the center of its body.
Crimson flesh popped out from the gapped sword mark.
The wild boar staggered even before it could scream.
"The organization guys are quite kind. Sending a sacrificial offering to help us earn a lot of money."
I stepped back half a step and lowered my posture again.
The moment the wild boar lost its balance and slipped, I gripped the Hwando handle with both hands.
Then, I lifted the Hwando vertically and struck down strongly as if executing a sentence.
A silver flash pierced the wild boar's neck vertically.
The head with developed fangs fell down.
Thump!
The massive body collapsed like debris.
The vibration stopped.
The foot-hammers of noise pollution style that hit my ears were also not heard again.
Area A1 was submerged in silence for a moment.
The one who broke the silence was Sim Yong-hun’s low exclamation.
"I-I heard rumors that you were strong, but I didn't know it was to this extent......"
As a ripened rice stalk tilts, I bowed my waist slightly with an exaggerated motion and greeted politely.
Like an actor who finished a performance giving a greeting to the audience before the closing.
And straightening my bowed waist, I tossed a joke.
"Does anyone want to stick a banknote in the pig’s nose?"
Whether my joke hit the target perfectly, Park So-yul laughed as if she were about to lose her breath while clutching her stomach.
While admiration and pleasantness crossed, the numbers on the electric board were updated.
[Current Location: A1]
[Current Accumulated Prize Money: 35 million won]
As the battle ended with my victory, the A1 north door opened.
The Bronzes wordlessly pushed in a large cart.
The cart contained an empty drum, and they picked up the dead wild boar and put it in the drum.
In case we failed to find the exit while moving and retraced our steps, if the corpse remained as it was, it would interfere with the combat in A1, so they were carrying out the cleanup as they went.
"......"
An awkward air flowed in the venue while the Bronzes silently focused on the cleanup.
It was a feeling similar to how customers feel awkward and stay silent when a staff member is close to the table, such as when a staff member grills meat or stirs-fries dakgalbi at a restaurant.
I adjusted my breathing and passed the paper model to Park So-yul.
"It’s a situation we will continue to experience, so let’s get used to it quickly. Next is So-yul’s turn."
"With this, it’s confirmed that there’s no exit at the 7 o’clock corner of the maze. Where should we go?"
"To go to another corner, we’d have to go north 4 times or east 4 times."
"Isn't it a good opportunity to test So-yul’s luck today. Choose without hesitation."
Park So-yul pressed the center of her lips with her index finger and was submerged in a non-responsible worry.
North, or East.
Considering the short time limit, she didn't keep the worry long.
"Hmm, since I’m the one who suggested rotating clockwise, I should follow the existing policy. I’ll head North."
Park So-yul went through the movement procedure in the same way as me.
She inserted both thumbs and index fingers into the bottom of the East West South North paper model and repeated unfolding and folding vertically and horizontally 4 times.
The prize amount was written inside the part labeled ‘North’.
The prize amount was 5 million won.
As the result was confirmed, the text displayed on the electric board changed.
[The second turn is Miss Park So-yul.]
[You have chosen North 4 times.]
[Please move north 4 times.]
Since the maze is a 5x5 checkerboard arrangement and we are at the 7 o’clock edge, moving four squares north would bring us to the 11 o’clock edge of the maze.
The door on the north side of area A1 was already open, and through the open door, the doors of each area could be seen opening sequentially.
We passed by the Bronzes who were cleaning up and headed toward our destination.
A2, A3, A4.......
While passing from area A4 to area A5, a relaxed atmosphere flowed between us.
Sim Yong-hun said.
"If it’s 5 million won, it’ll only be one-seventh of the difficulty of 35 million won. We can win smoothly."
Seo So-hui said.
"Since the minimum prize amount is 5 million won, the lowest difficulty enemy will probably come out? Think of it as a bonus stage and go through it with a comfortable mind."
Park So-yul said.
"The easiest difficulty...... it’s perfect for me since I have little experience. I should get used to the real-combat sense through this opportunity."
The common opinion of the group was that they would pass it smoothly without a crisis because it was easy.
However, my premonition had been ringing an alarm for a while.
One word that briefly flashed on the electric board in area A1.
The keyword ‘Multiplier’ was precisely what was on my mind.
‘Depending on the case, we might not be able to be at ease just because it’s 5 million won.’
Why do bad premonitions always hit the mark?
Arriving at area A5, I was able to confirm that the premonition hit the mark this time too, without fail.
Waiting in area A5 was an electric board text announcing that the difficulty of this battle was not the lowest.
On the electric board, the prize money we would obtain if we won, or lose if we lost, was displayed.
[Prize Multiplier: x10.]
[Prize Money: 50 million won.]
[Battle Opponent: Three 4th-rank ability users.]