Chapter 84

[Translator – Night]

[Proofreader – Gun]

Chapter 84: Stubborn (3)

This time, it was entirely the credit of the Gyeongbuk Sword Law.

It was when Yeongwoo realized that he could inflict pain with his own blood.

「Golden Punishment」 – Legendary Bracelet

【Inflicts pain on enemies.】

The special function of the Golden Punishment only activates when the weapon or body of the owner, Yeongwoo, directly touches the opponent.

No, at least that’s what he knew until now.

‘Well, blood is also part of my body.’

During the second attack on Kim Taejoon, the fact that Gyeongbuk Sword Law did not provide the next guide was a loophole in itself.

To apply pain to Kim Taejoon, protected by the outer layer of granite, Yeongwoo had to let his blood flow into the cracks on his surface.

Therefore, although it was generally suicidal behavior, it was a subtle solution that only Yeongwoo could achieve while still alive.

「Slime Core」 – Mutation Bracelet

【Regenerative power increases dramatically.】

He was the owner of the bracelet that made even his broken body stick back together.

Of course, if Kim Taejoon had struck Yeongwoo’s head, the result would have been much different.

‘But I succeeded. I survived again.’

The characteristic of large area Sword Techniques like Gyeongbuk is that they plan tactics considering the characteristics of other equipment owned by the title holder.

And this characteristic matched well with Yeongwoo, who possessed numerous equipment but had low stats.

Even Jo Sangik, whose abilities numbered in the thousands, could not inflict significant damage on Kim Taejoon.

“……”

As the sky opened with the call of the whistle, and the surroundings darkened, Yeongwoo turned his head to observe Jo Sangik’s movements.

And then, far away, he saw him running towards them.

‘Oh, no way.’

At this point, Yeongwoo realized that his worst fear, ‘Jo Sangik’s betrayal,’ was finally becoming a reality, and he widened his eyes.

In fear, he had also called for Yeongtae.

But in reality…

“Hey, are you okay?”

Jo Sangik’s business was purely to ensure Yeongwoo’s safety.

Or more precisely, to seek advice on how to deal with Kim Taejoon, who had suddenly begun to twist his body.

“Yes. I’ll be fine with a little rest. I’ll be able to move in a bit.”

Although Yeongwoo replied like this, Jo Sangik’s expression showed that he didn’t believe him at all.

“A little… rest?”

Even from an external perspective, Yeongwoo’s ribs were shattered, and his internal condition looked far from good.

“Yes. Just a little rest. And my friend will take care of that time.”

Yeongwoo raised his chin and pointed to the empty space.

Then, right on cue, a thunderous cry was heard from the end of the sky.

「Yaaaaaaah!」

Former mutant, Hong Yeongtae, had returned to this world.

Crash!

Boom!

With a loud landing noise, another asphalt storm swept through the area, and at that moment, Yeongwoo was deeply moved to see Jo Sangik blocking the debris with his own body.

“Sir…”

“It’s Just basic courtesy.”

As the distant storm passed, another name tag shone in the dust.

Swooosh!

[Friend of Jeong Yeongwoo07 – Hong Yeongtae]

“Is that the friend you just mentioned…?”

“Yes.”

Before Yeongwoo could finish his sentence, the name tag fluttered, and Yeongtae walked out, brushing aside the dust cloud with his hand.

Thud, thud!

His footsteps carried a weight not much lighter than Kim Taejoon’s.

And the figure that appeared shortly after was almost on par with Kim Taejoon.

Hong Yeongtae.

A giant humanoid with a height of 3 meters and the head of a hyena.

「Ha-ya…!」

As soon as Yeongtae set foot on the ground, he took a deep breath.

Having spent an eternity in the realm of returnees, this moment of calling felt truly dreamlike to him.

And then…

「Huh…? Kim Taejoon?」

He showed a surprised expression upon discovering a creature of the same height.

Because the opponent was a giant made of granite?

No.

Yeongtae also knew Kim Taejoon from VC Soft.

Another name for Yeongtae was BJ Pagle.

As a former notorious internet broadcaster, Yeongtae knew very well who Kim Taejoon, a figure synonymous with the gaming industry, was.

「Why is Kim Taejoon here?」

As Yeongtae asked this, he belatedly noticed Yeongwoo on the ground.

「Why are you always in a strange state.」

Yeongtae’s line makes Jo Sangik imagine many things.

In response, Yeongwoo barely raised his upper body and asked his friend.

“I’m worried about it. Please stop him.”

The ‘him’ Yeongwoo pointed out was Kim Taejoon, who was throwing punches towards them.

Although still affected by the infliction of pain, he wasn’t in a state where he couldn’t fight at all.

Whoosh!

With a white trail, accompanied by a heavy sound of impact, Yeongtae grabbed Kim Taejoon’s torso in a panic.

「No wait, what the fuck? Teacher, why are you doing this?」

As he turned his long snout towards Yeongwoo, he looked to confirm whether he was simply trying to stop this mutant or fighting with intent to kill.

“Can you win? It’ll be troublesome if you kill him, because I want to recruit him if possible.”

As Yeongwoo made this request, Yeongtae chuckled with his characteristic sinister smile.

「Oh, a new friend candidate.」

Of course, it was just their hope.

Before Yeongtae’s laughter could fully fade away, Kim Taejoon punched him in the snout.

Bam!

Then again.

Slam!

This time, an uppercut landed on Yeongtae’s jaw.

「This…!」

Angry, Yeongtae growled and assumed a fighting stance with both arms, but the ensuing result was clear.

Bam!

Kim Taejoon’s straight punch hit him right on target.

As the target of the attack switched from Yeongwoo to Yeongtae, Kim Taejoon’s sensory values normalized.

「What kind of gamer kid fights this well?」

Bam!

Unlike Yeongtae, who swung his arms with brute force, Kim Taejoon, despite struggling with tremendous pain, landed accurate blows every time.

Wham!

“If you keep going like this, your friend will fall first.”

As Jo Sangik, armed with a curved sword, was about to join the fray.

Thud!

Yeongwoo, who had been barely sitting, reached out and retrieved the Underdog.

“When Kim Taejoon starts to notice me, help me out then.”

[Translator – Night]

[Proofreader – Gun]

It was a story about intervening after the sensory deprivation kicked in, but Jo Sangik was too preoccupied with examining Yeongwoo’s now clean body to notice.

“What’s going on? You, no matter how you look at it, seem like a human…”

Before the follow-up remark that it didn’t seem so, Yeongwoo’s body sprang forward.

Thwack!

“Ugh!”

Although his body wasn’t fully recovered, there was a pain as if his whole body was twisting, but Yeongwoo had no choice but to endure it.

Because Kim Taejoon, who was still there attacking Yeongtae, was likely enduring even greater pain.

He didn’t want to lose to his opponent even in a mental sense.

“Mr. Kim Taejoon!”

As Yeongwoo called out his opponent’s name, Kim Taejoon, who was breaking Yeongtae’s jaw, turned his head with a surprised expression.

But it wasn’t because he was startled by Yeongwoo’s rapid recovery or the golden light flowing through his carotid artery.

Amidst all this, he was astonished by Jeong Yeongwoo’s absurd consistency in addressing his opponent with ‘Mr.’

Whether it was a stubborn concept or a habit.

「What a stubborn guy.」

As Kim Taejoon withdrew his hand from Yeongtae as if to finish the fight, a warning of golden light flashed in Yeongwoo’s vision.

「The sensory values have temporarily risen from the original 600 to 2,144.」

Kim Taejoon began to target Yeongwoo again.

And this meant…

“Yeongtae! We only have now!”

It meant Kim Taejoon’s senses were shattered.

Whoosh!

Eventually, as a granite fist flew towards Yeongwoo, the hologram of the Gyeongbuk Sword Law appeared.

This time, the guide was not a suicidal strategy but evasion followed by counterattack.

Unlike before, Kim Taejoon’s combat power had dropped significantly, so there was room for counterattack.

And indeed.

Thud!

As Yeongwoo dodged the fist and simultaneously Yeongtae’s claws pierced Kim Taejoon’s waist.

Crunch!

「…Ugh.」

Kim Taejoon, who received Yeongtae’s first effective blow, groaned.

Not because of the pain, but because he realized that this hyena’s attack could damage his granite outer shell.

「What’s this? Surprisingly effective?」

Was it because they were both mutants?

The granite outer shell, which could withstand most weapons, was pierced by Yeongtae’s nails as if it were paper.

And then came Yeongwoo’s counterattack.

Whoosh!

As he slashed Kim Taejoon’s thick forearm with the Underdog, a shallow but bleeding wound appeared, with fragments flying out.

“…!”

Therefore, if a few more strikes were to be made, it might be possible to see inside Kim Taejoon’s tough shell.

「Th-this can’t be. Why…?」

Kim Taejoon’s conclusion wasn’t much different, as terror crept onto his face.

If things continued like this, not only would he be unable to confirm the life or death of his family, but since the reset began, he would only suffer unilateral attacks and eventually perish.

「What the…! What did I even do?」

As the assurance of power vanished, rage filled the void left behind.

Finally, he became a true mutant in every sense.

Nevertheless, the Gyeongbuk Sword Law recognized the opponent as human and scattered hologram guides.

Whoosh!

A granite fist tore through the air fiercely.

As Yeongwoo dodged according to the hologram, Yeongtae dashed forward like lightning and bit into Kim Taejoon’s forearm.

Crunch!

Like his claws, the teeth deeply embedded in Kim Taejoon’s body brought out a pile of granite chunks.

Then, for the first time from Kim Taejoon’s body, something other than a whitish rock emerged.

It was…

Sizzle!

A white vapor.

No, it looked like steam.

“Huh?”

「Ah!」

As white steam spewed from the torn arm, Kim Taejoon’s energy, which had been raging as if to destroy the world, quickly dwindled.

Thunk!

He was even unknowingly about to break into a cold sweat.

This was probably…

“Blood? Is this the power source?”

Even though the outer shell was so solid, it was only made up of such gas inside…

Despite not knowing what it was, if all of it were to be released, it seemed certain that Kim Taejoon would also perish.

「Why, why is this happening?」

Yeongtae belatedly covered Kim Taejoon’s forearm with his hand, but was unable to completely stop the steam from escaping.

“Mr. Taejoon!”

Yeongwoo dropped his sword to the floor and approached Kim Taejoon, his granite facial muscles contorting.

「Stop saying that. You didn’t even know me.」

He did not attack Yeongwoo with his other arm.

As Yeongwoo first said, it was because he knew that the game was lost.

「Was I really just a raid monster…? Why is the world like this? Aren’t you the ones who deserve the punishment?」

As white steam began to billow from the torn arm, Kim Taejoon muttered to himself.

In response, Yeongwoo, while looking at the nearly destroyed arm of his opponent, said:

“I’m not sure if it’s enough punishment, but everyone is living in a terrible world. Mr. Taejoon… including your family.”

「This bastard…」

As Kim Taejoon was about to rage again at the mention of family, Yeongwoo took out a fountain pen, ‘Wanted Poster,’ from his pocket and raised it.

“With this, I can find anyone you want. But, only if they’re alive.”

It meant that he had the ability to find the Kim Taejoon’s family he so desired.

Their life or death status included.

At this, Kim Taejoon’s boiling voice somewhat subsided.

「So, are you asking me to enter that conch shell, like that guy?」

As Kim Taejoon said this, looking at Yeongtae, the latter smiled with his elongated jaw.

“Yes. That’s one of the few options left for Mr. Chairman.”

As Yeongwoo said, Kim Taejoon didn’t have many options left.

Either perish as he was or become Yeongwoo’s ‘friend’ to at least maintain existence for the time being.

“…”

Sizzle!

Even in the midst of this, Kim Taejoon’s life was rapidly fading away, and eventually, his granite palm began to emit a blue light.

[Translator – Night]

[Proofreader – Gun]