## Chapter 166 – 166. Dungeon Survival
166. Dungeon Survival
The sword slashed down, cleaving into Kang Seok-soo’s body.
“Kuh?!”
Kang Seok-soo dropped to his knees. His energy protect turned red.
At the same time, the ice sword flying towards me vanished. The idea that it would disappear if it broke or I fell was bullshit. It disappeared because Kang Seok-soo, the user, lost his concentration. The ice sword was just magic powered by mana.
“I won!! I won, senior!”
I made a fuss, looking for Han Ha-rin. It was to pretend I didn’t know about the ‘Resurrection’ treasure Kang Seok-soo possessed.
If I didn’t show joy here and instead was wary of Kang Seok-soo, he would definitely suspect me.
“…Senior?”
Han Ha-rin was sitting on the floor, gasping for breath. She really seemed to be at her limit.
‘This is bad. It means I have to face Kang Seok-soo alone when he’s resurrected, without Han Ha-rin’s help. Damn it. And I can only use ‘Flash’ once now.’
My expression hardened. It was a mistake, but it didn’t seem to be a problem. Situationally, it looked like I was worried about Han Ha-rin, my teammate, so my face was stiff.
‘I overdid it earlier, twisting the sword’s trajectory. The energy protect took the brunt of it… I can’t do that kind of attack again.’
I could tell instinctively. My energy protect was at its limit now. It wasn’t like I hadn’t taken any damage while attacking hunters until now. Among the hunters I had attacked, some had retaliated.
‘I can’t get hit by Kang Seok-soo’s fist, not even once. The energy protect will turn red immediately.’
‘Flash’ was only available once. I had to take him down without getting hit even once. It was a nauseating condition.
From the right, a staff member from the association rushed over. He immediately began to replace the energy protect on Kang Seok-soo’s shoulder.
Pretending to be flustered, I asked the staff member.
“W-wait a minute. What are you doing? The situation is already over!”
“Hunter Kang Seok-soo has the treasure ‘Resurrection.’ It’s an ability that allows him to exchange his energy protect for a new one without being eliminated, even if it turns red.”
“…Is the replaced energy protect fully charged with 100% energy?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“Oh, for f…”
Just as I was making a frustrated face, Kang Seok-soo asked me.
“Wasn’t your ability lightning? The movement you showed earlier can’t be explained without an ability.”
“Do I have a reason to tell you?”
“It doesn’t matter if you don’t tell me. Judging by the association’s silence… I guess you had a second awakening or something.”
“……”
My mind was a mess. I was at a loss as to how to deal with this guy. Should I use ‘Flash’ and attack him right away as soon as the fight starts?
‘It doesn’t seem like it would work if he’s using Sensory Maximization…’
I stared intently at Kang Seok-soo. Looking closely, he seemed much more exhausted than before.
‘…It’s clear he can’t maintain Sensory Maximization for long. He probably used it when things went to hell earlier too.’
The association staff member who had replaced the energy protect stood between me and Kang Seok-soo.
“I will count down. You may begin the fight when I say ‘1’. Get ready. 5. 4.”
Kang Seok-soo and I faced each other.
It was a distance where a swing of a sword could reach.
“3. 2.”
I gripped the sword hilt again. I had enough mana left for about two or three uses of ‘Ten Thousand Thunders’.
Should I create some distance first? No. That would be too disadvantageous for me.
I shouldn’t give Kang Seok-soo any leeway. I had to stick close and overwhelm him with relentless attacks. I took a ready stance.
“1.”
I charged at Kang Seok-soo. Kang Seok-soo extended his right hand. A magic circle was drawn on his palm. The hand he extended wasn’t towards me, but towards where Han Ha-rin was.
Yeongcheon Style Practical Technique: Thunder Flash.
Lightning crackled on the blade.
Kang Seok-soo dodged the fastest sword strike I could unleash by twisting his body. He didn’t completely avoid it, but it only grazed his shoulder.
A sharp rock flew towards Han Ha-rin.
“Senior Ha-rin!!”
I shouted urgently.
Han Ha-rin glared at the sharp rock and created a gravity shield in front of her. It was an unstable gravity shield, so much so that I could see it shaking even from where I was.
The sharp rock shattered the gravity shield and struck Han Ha-rin’s body. Han Ha-rin rolled on the floor several times. The energy protect on her shoulder turned red.
The association staff member took Han Ha-rin away.
‘That bastard…!’
I knew Han Ha-rin was okay. But seeing my woman get hit with my own eyes, I was momentarily filled with rage. If she didn’t have an energy protect, I might have tried to kill Kang Seok-soo using any means necessary, regardless of the broadcast.
A twitch.
Something twitched inside my body.
The mana inside my body was stirring, as if it was about to transform into something.
It was a familiar feeling. I thought I knew what it was.
‘…Demonic Qi! Shit. Why is the Demonic Divine Art reacting here?’
I was planning to use the Demonic Divine Art to take down Kang Seok-soo since things had come to this, but the feeling of Demonic Qi disappeared without a trace.
‘This is a problem. Seriously.’
I put the issue with the Demonic Divine Art aside. This wasn’t the time for that.
Kang Seok-soo skillfully dodged my sword and began to move towards the rest area.
‘That bastard… he’s planning to hole up in the rest area.’
He had eliminated Han Ha-rin, who could be a hindrance, early on, removing even the slightest chance of a variable. I bit my lip.
“Kang Seok-soo! Are you planning to run away to the rest area?!”
If he ran away, it would be his victory. Kang Seok-soo had a large number of survival points. If he could just hold out until 3 PM tomorrow, he could win.
“I have more than enough confidence to win even if I fight you head-on. But my current physical condition isn’t good. Let’s fight again in the evening.”
If what Kang Seok-soo said was true, I couldn’t miss this opportunity.
“Fight again in the evening? That’s a joke that even a dog wouldn’t laugh at. Let’s fight right now!”
I swung my sword. Unlike before, when he had perfectly evaded, this time the blade slightly touched his left arm. It seemed his physical condition really wasn’t good.
“I have to pursue a certain victory, even for the sake of my team.”
Kang Seok-soo suddenly stopped. Before I could even wonder, Kang Seok-soo’s left foot stomped on the ground. It was the magic circle that was still there. The magic circle emitted a flash of light.
A powerful wind blew. The wind pushed my body backward. A distance of more than 10 meters opened up. It was a wind that blew in all directions, so I couldn’t dodge it even with ‘Flash’.
‘Damn it. If that had been an attack spell instead of a pushing spell, I might have been eliminated.’
Kang Seok-soo was getting farther away.
“…Kuh.”
I pretended to be in pain, frowning and pressing my shoulder. I covered the microphone attached to my energy protect with my hand.
Then, I lowered my head, being careful not to be caught on camera, and moved my lips.
-Yoo Jung-mi’s pussy was pretty good. The grip was good for a used one. You know Yoo Jung-mi has yellow pubic hair, right? Well, you’re her ex-boyfriend, so you’d know. Are we hole-sharing brothers now?
It was a small voice, but Kang Seok-soo, who was using Sensory Maximization, would definitely have heard it.
There was a possibility that Kang Seok-soo wouldn’t react. If that happened, I would cleanly give up on winning.
Fight in the evening? If my energy protect was in good condition, maybe, but in its current state, it was impossible to win.
‘If it doesn’t work out, I’ll just fuck Baek Ji-eun.’
It would be a lie to say I wasn’t disappointed. But even if I didn’t win, there weren’t any particular disadvantages for me.
“……”
Kang Seok-soo stopped moving and glared at me.
The atmosphere changed. Right now, Kang Seok-soo was emitting cold rage towards me.
‘It worked. So this bastard, even though he dumped her first, still has feelings for Yoo Jung-mi?’
Kang Seok-soo wouldn’t go around telling anyone what I said, no matter who asked.
If my statement was made public, I would get a lot of hate. And Yoo Jung-mi would naturally become the subject of gossip. Kang Seok-soo would remain silent for Yoo Jung-mi’s sake.
I gripped the sword hilt tightly, stood up, and looked at Kang Seok-soo confidently.
‘Wow. He could kill someone with just his eyes.’
I had nothing to lose.
The sex with Yoo Jung-mi was consensual. Rape? Given Yoo Jung-mi’s personality, she wouldn’t have stayed quiet if she had been raped. Kang Seok-soo knew that fact, and that’s why he was being cold even while he was angry.
And Kang Seok-soo was currently just a friend to Yoo Jung-mi.
“What? Have you finally decided to fight?”
“…I’ll fight you as you wish.”
I might have been a little disappointed in Kang Seok-soo if he hadn’t chosen to fight me.
I ran towards Kang Seok-soo.
A magic circle was instantly drawn in front of Kang Seok-soo.
Kang Seok-soo’s energy protect flickered. He was overdoing it.
White electricity crackled from the magic circle. I thought I knew what kind of magic it was. It was definitely lightning magic.
‘He intends to humiliate me by eliminating me with lightning, a lightning user.’
Just because I was a lightning user didn’t mean I was immune to lightning damage.
Something flashed through my mind. A technique from the old popular game ‘3kg’.
‘It might be possible.’
I jumped up just as the lightning was about to be fired from the magic circle. I received the threatening lightning with my sword. At the same time, I generated my own lightning to control the incoming lightning. It was much easier than I had expected.
The lightning stayed on the tip of my sword.
Immediately after, I swung my sword towards Kang Seok-soo.
‘Lightning Counter!’
The lightning flew towards Kang Seok-soo.
Kang Seok-soo couldn’t dodge the lightning. It was proof that he could no longer use Sensory Maximization.
Kang Seok-soo gritted his teeth in pain and endured it, then used another spell.
“Nine Energy Bolts. No matter how fast you are, you won’t be able to dodge all nine energy bolts.”
Nine energy bolts flew towards me. If even one hit, it would be over.
‘I have no choice but to use ‘Flash’.’
As I used ‘Flash’, the world slowed down.
The nine energy bolts weren’t flying at the same time.
‘Should I dodge safely to the side? No, that would be too late. That guy is preparing his next spell.’
I chose to break through head-on. That was faster.
First, I tilted my head slightly to the left, then moved my body diagonally. Immediately after, I slid across the floor. I broke through the nine energy bolts.
I extended my sword towards Kang Seok-soo, who was right in front of me. Kang Seok-soo wasn’t flustered at all, and looked at me while lifting his shirt.
There was a magic circle drawn with the blood of a red monster on Kang Seok-soo’s firm abs.
‘Sorry, but I expected that.’
Kang Seok-soo had hidden a magic circle drawn on his palm.
But was it only hidden on his palm?
It was natural to have doubts. And I thought that if it was Kang Seok-soo, he would have hidden a magic circle in a place that wasn’t visible.
‘I won.’
I passed by Kang Seok-soo.
Kang Seok-soo turned around. He wasn’t looking at me, but at the ‘Ten Thousand Thunders’ I had left behind. The ‘Ten Thousand Thunders’ was left in the air, slowly rotating.
“This is….”
“Discharge!”
The ‘Ten Thousand Thunders’ exploded, and lightning spread in all directions. Kang Seok-soo, who was the closest, had no choice but to take the full brunt of the lightning.
“Kuhhh! It’s not over yet. Not yet…!”
Kang Seok-soo didn’t fall and was trying to activate a magic circle.
Thwack!
The sword I threw hit Kang Seok-soo’s head. Kang Seok-soo’s body collapsed. The energy protect on his shoulder turned red.
Silence fell.
Kang Seok-soo looked back and forth between his energy protect and me with a hollow gaze.
“…Is it over with this?”
Association staff members surrounded us.
I shouted towards the dozens of cameras.
“I won! It’s chicken tonight!”
•••
“Hunter Seong Yu-jin’s sword has connected! Ah! Hunter Kang Seok-soo’s energy protect is turning red! But this isn’t the end! Hunter Kang Seok-soo has the treasure ‘Resurrection’!”
Jo Seok-hoo said quickly.
“What was that attack just now? It was so fast that I couldn’t see it properly. Let’s check it with a high-speed camera!”
The main screen video moved slowly in slow motion.
“Ah! The direction of the sword suddenly changed!”
Hong Su-won began to comment as the slow motion ended.
“…He forcibly changed the trajectory of the sword using force. If you look closely, Hunter Seong Yu-jin’s energy protect is flashing. The energy protect took the recoil from forcibly changing the trajectory. If he didn’t have an energy protect, his arm would have been unable to move.”
Baek Ji-eun didn’t stay still either.
“If you look, his speed increased momentarily. This is one of the techniques used by skilled acceleration ability users, instantaneous acceleration. Only three people in our country can use instantaneous acceleration. Ah, now it’s four.”
