Chapter 137: “Frost Blade” Tribe (3)
“You… What did you say? Trash, trash? Are you calling me trash!”
Jang Eunseok exclaimed in shock.
His grip on the dagger tightened.
The trickle of blood from the troll’s neck started to flow more forcefully.
“……!”
Karakal flinched, but only for a moment.
Instead, observing Jinhyuk’s calm approach, his pupils trembled ever so slightly.
He felt a mix of curiosity and interest in the human who was standing up for his tribe.
Step.
Jinhyuk walked a bit closer.
“Stop there! Don’t come any closer! If you do……”
“What will you do? Kill that kid?”
“Why? Do I seem like I don’t have the guts? If I felt like it, I could easily…..!”
“No, I didn’t mean it like that. I was wondering what you’d do after killing that kid. Just curious, that’s all.”
The players from the Dan-gun Guild were all incapacitated in battle.
With significant injuries making it difficult to even stand.
Would Jang Eunseok actually be able to leaving this place alive if he killed the only hostage?
Well……
That seemed unlikely.
“Then, I’ll take this kid and leave this place. Yes! If you let me out safely, that’s when I’ll release the kid.”
“And your comrades? They don’t look like they can move easily. Can you really escape with all of them?”
“Unfortunately, there’s no other choice. At least someone has to survive, right? At least I can make an escape by myself.”
So it seemed, he was planning to escape alone.
But.
“It’s already too late for that.”
Jinhyuk shook his head.
Players like him, naturally suited to the tanker’s role and also capable of playing a decent dealer, are rare.
Jang Eunseok was a card that could always hit the average mark.
‘But crucially, his strong pride and tendency to quickly lose reasoning are his downfall.’
He should not have been the person in charge of a raid party.
Especially since the role requires calm, critical decision-making even in dire situations.
Of course, there was a reason Jang Eunseok had been given such a crucial position.
The ‘real’ main attack force of the Dan-gun Guild was striking elsewhere, not here.
Targeting a more dangerous site known only to a select few.
Perhaps it could be called a hidden route?
Suiting a group of seasoned players, the Dan-gun Guild had also found another method to conquer the 7th floor.
‘Officially, they praised Jang Eunseok as if he was carrying the future of Dan-gun on his shoulders, but in reality, he was just a smokescreen to deceive the other guilds.’
No matter how hard they tried to hide it, it was futile.
Jinhyuk had already seen through their plans.
‘The main strike force of the Dan-gun Guild can be dealt with slowly…’
But for now, dealing with this guy comes first.
Jinhyuk slowly stretched out his left hand.
His index and thumb came together.
Jang Eunseok crouched down in response.
He didn’t know what Jinhyuk was planning to do, but he was sure he’d be safe using the troll as a shield. Jang Eunseok was certain of that.
At that moment.
Snap!
A crisp sound came from the fingertip.
But nothing happened.
No unique ability, not even the sign of a skill activation.
“Ha… Was it all just a bluff?”
Jang Eunseok’s voice mixed with relief and scorn just as something waddled toward him from among the trolls.
On four legs with a plump tail swaying from side to side.
A reptile with black scales and yellow eyeballs.
It was Goguma (Sweet Potato).
As if waiting for Jinhyuk’s signal, a tremendous magic power emitted from Goguma’s body.
“Mosquito!!”
[Goguma uses Lv2 ‘Bloom’!]
A resonating atmosphere.
The ancient ‘Bloom’ dominated the entire space.
Not only the trolls who had seized the freshwater lake by hunting large monsters but even Karakal, who led them, felt a moment of fear.
There was no way someone like Jang Eunseok could remain calm.
The strength drained from his dagger.
Thud!
Jinhyuk moved.
Lightly, yet swiftly.
Whisking by overhead, his body reached right in front of Jang Eunseok.
“Gasp!”
Jang Eunseok reacted a beat too late, but by then it was too late.
Way too late.
“If you hadn’t done something like this, it wouldn’t have come to this.”
This was sincere.
Had he not crossed the line, he would have been satisfied just by bullying him a bit.
With those words.
The twin dragon swords drawn from the subspace inventory slashed across horizontally.
Accompanied by a long trail of blood, the severed right arm spun in the air.
“Agggh! My, my arm! My arm, damn it!”
Jang Eunseok screamed in agony.
Rolling on his back with his wound clenched, but not a hint of sympathy was felt.
A coward who abandoned his injured comrades to try to survive alone.
Trash who would sacrifice anyone in order to live.
Therefore, losing just one arm was, in fact, a cheap price for karma.
‘There’s no need to finish him.’
After threatening their young, the Ice Trolls wouldn’t just stand by and do nothing.
＊＊＊
“……It’s astonishing.”
Karakal’s pupils quivered.
At first, when they had attacked en masse, betraying their honor, he thought Jinhyuk was a typical human.
Dirty and treacherous, just like any other human.
However, he couldn’t help but be surprised by the way Jinhyuk commanded the humans and pressed them.
And most of all, the movement he just exhibited.
‘……The speed closing the distance is surprising, but the speed of swinging the sword is of a completely different dimension.’
It was not that the human called Jang Eunseok was weak.
Even though he acted cowardly, being able to break through the warriors and capture the hostage in the back was possible only because he had the skills to back it up.
But to subdue such a formidable man with one blow…
Even as he watched, such a sight was hard to believe.
The footwork was still impressively clear in his mind.
If…
Had he been standing in Jinhyuk’s place, would he have been able to react to that attack?
Would he have been able to block and counterattack the next moment?
As that thought came into mind, Karakal’s heart began to beat faster.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
If such a strong human was…
Perhaps it is possible.
To those who exploit and trample on his tribe’s honor… Maybe, just maybe, he could give them a serious blow.
To verify that possibility.
Krrrrrr!
Karakal released his magic power.
＊＊＊
To gain Karakal’s respect, Jinhyuk had to provoke him to attack with all his might.
That was how the Frost Blade Tribe recognized other races.
‘Just as expected.’
Jinhyuk’s lips curled into a smile.
Originally, he intended to use a different method than beheading Jang Eunseok…
But retrospectively, this had turned into a rather fitting spectacle.
Using the ability ‘Sympathetic Bond’ to soften the opposition, it played its role in orchestrating this situation.
Now, the next step…
Jinhyuk activated ‘Eye of Gluttony’.
[Name: Karakal]
Race: Ice Troll
Age: ? (Not unlocked for unknown reasons.)
Level: 82
Strength 30 Agility 28 Vitality 30 Magic 35 Heroic 45
Unique Ability: ‘White Predator’
Skills: Lv14 ‘Path of the King’, Lv13 ‘Acceleration’, Lv13 ‘Robust Heart’, Lv12 ‘Outstanding Regeneration’
Traits: Karakal is considered the strongest chieftain in the history of the ‘Frost Blade’ Tribe. The trolls, an oppressed tribe used by the tower’s strong, are prepared to give their lives to break free from this subjugation. As a tribe that knows honor and pride, once a debt of honor has been established, they will never betray it.
[Copying Conditions]
To gain the recognition of the trolls, you must pass two conditions:
1. Win a duel with Karakal.
2. At the drinking affair with the Frost Blade Tribe, remain conscious until the end.
If both conditions are fulfilled, you may copy one of the unique abilities or skills Karakal possesses.
Once again, there was a slightly unconventional aspect casually mixed in.
‘Well, I’m used to it by now.’
Had there been only the 1st condition, Jinhyuk may have been disappointed. He had already adapted to the system’s crazy demands.
Now that the copying conditions were clear, there was nothing to hesitate about.
“I quite enjoy a good battle.”
To be honest, like before, leading many in a raid wasn’t to his taste.
The true essence of battle is when two fighters exchange blows without interference from anyone.
Jinhyuk also began to unleash his magic power.
[Your Unique Ability ‘Tomb of Swords’ manifests!]
Riding the sword spirit.
Hurrrrrr!
A crimson energy took shape.
“Indeed!”
A broad smile emerged on Karakal’s face.
This aura.
This sensation…!
It was undeniable. The human called Kang Jinhyuk was strong.
And at that moment.
Both swung their weapons at each other.
Kwaaaah!
The snow piled on the ground scattered. A spear defying the laws of physics pierced through the blizzard.
This natural environment, creating blind spots in everything.
Yet.
Jinhyuk estimated the trajectory through the slight vibrations of the snowflakes.
Whooosh!
The spear whizzed through the air.
The spear blade barely missed Jinhyuk’s neck.
“Defensive ignoring spear… definitely interesting.”
Jinhyuk cheekily pressed his cheek against the spear blade.
Oh, the touch is cold.
But.
Whether it was an ability that ignored defenses, or if even grazing it would spread poison throughout the body.
If you dodge it all. Simply all of it, that’s the end.
In fact, a few top players ditched their armor entirely, roaming around bare-skinned.
“Exciting! But I haven’t shown you everything yet!”
With those words. Karakal’s spear began to vibrate rapidly.
Wuuuuuum!
It created an optical illusion, as if dozens of spears overlapped into one.
Finally using that move?
Jinhyuk’s eyes sharpened.
Simultaneously.
[Karakal activates his Unique Ability ‘White Predator’!]
A gust of wind rose over the blanketed snow.
It was just the beginning.
Thud!
Jinhyuk leaped sideways, coinciding with the spikes of snow shooting up from the ground.
Had he been even slightly delayed, his entire body would’ve been skewered along with his foot.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Spikes erupted one after another in quick succession.
Jinhyuk soared through the air like a flying squirrel.
“Haap!”
Predicting Jinhyuk’s final landing spot, Karakal threw his spear, but Jinhyuk dodged that too.
The spear, half-buried in the snow, shivered.
“Even this didn’t shake you. Really… you’re just as amazing the second time. That’s right. Only such a human would meet my expectations.”
Karakal exclaimed in admiration.
Ordinarily, this surprise attack would have caught anyone off guard.
Even Bertion and Ophilia of the Decarcus family, during their first encounter, had fallen for this attack.
Although…
‘The last one, that guy, was unaffected.’
The expectation level increased further.
At least there was a high probability that he possessed similar strength to that monster.
No, perhaps…
That’s when.
Jinhyuk’s lips curled into a slight smile.
“Me too.”
“What?”
“I would’ve been disappointed if you couldn’t do at least this much, but I guess you just made the grade.”
Enough strength to consider a valuable asset as a chess piece.
So it might be time to discuss the conditions.
Jinhyuk spoke up.
And then.
“… How, how could you possibly know that?”
Karakal’s pupils shook once more.
He had no choice but to be shocked.
What Jinhyuk had just revealed was something outsiders would never know, unless they were of the tribe.
