Chapter 9 (1/2)
Max Talent Player
Chapter 9: D-Tower 1st Floor (2)
Kang Sunhwa trembled like a leaf.
‘I-It went through the ATM.’
The spear stuck out from the ATM. What would have happened if she had taken such a hit face-on?
‘I-I would have been skewered.’
She might have died in an instant.
‘How is he planning on catching such a monster?’
She was scared. She wanted to turn and flee, right now. She wanted to cry, but she resisted.
‘I have to be helpful.’
Otherwise, she could be abandoned, and she didn’t want that.
[I’ll be back after just 100 days and nights. Promise. You’ll be good, won’t you, my daughter?]
Her mom abandoned her with those words. After 100 days passed, 200, even 300, her mom didn’t come back. When Sunhwa turned ten, she realized then that she had been abandoned. She was abandoned by her mom and grew up in the orphanage. That feeling… She hated and feared it so much. Even more than the Goblin Soldier.
She reviewed each and every thing Kim Hyukjin had said, balling her fists.
‘I can do this!’
Sunhwa jumped out from behind the ATM.
‘Just like what oppa said.’
Like Kim Hyukjin said, the monsters in the vicinity had been revived.
“Taunt!”
Sunhwa used her skill, ‘Taunt’, and ‘!!!’ marks appeared over the heads of the city foxes and goblins that had been revived with the appearance of the miniboss monster. It was an indication that she had properly drawn their aggro.
‘I have to do well.’
Some distance away, she saw a goblin around 180 centimetres in size, far bigger and bulkier in appearance than regular goblins.
‘Because oppa is facing that monster.’
The monsters rushed in. But she wasn’t scared. She already knew from experience that even if they bit, attacked, and struck her, it wouldn’t hurt.
Putting as little force as possible in her fists, she hit the goblins and city foxes.
‘That’s enough. I have to stop here.’
The HP of the monsters had been reduced to around 10%. Keeping them at that level, Sunhwa waited, periodically using ‘Taunt’ to keep that ‘!!!’ over their heads. Surrounded by monsters, Sunhwa stared at Kim Hyukjin. He was panting hard, looking exhausted to the point of collapsing at any moment.
‘Please…!’
Sunhwa put her hands together and prayed. She prayed they would be able to survive.
* * *
Kim Hyukjin caught his breath, thinking, ‘The feeling of pressure is insane.’
It was bigger than an average adult man. With a little exaggeration, even the muscles were like Hulk’s. It was nothing compared to the monster on the 2nd Floor, but right now, it looked extremely imposing to him. He thought he had grown rather used to that existence called a ‘monster’, but this monster overturned those thoughts. It was getting a miniboss stat buff, but still, he was floored by the power of a level 13 monster. He couldn’t even imagine how intimidating high level bosses would be.
‘The thing I have to watch out for is that spear attack.’
It wasn’t a high level monster. It was different from a regular level 13 because of the inherent boss mob stat buff, but it still had a very simple attack pattern. A stabbing attack, and a swing from top to bottom. Those were the only two attacks.
The ‘Goblin Soldier’ quickly closed in on Hyukjin.
‘Here it comes!’
Hyukjin gripped the Rusted Iron Sword.
‘Will he stab, or will he swing?’ He raised his focus to the max. ‘It’s a swing.’
He saw it. He saw that the Goblin Soldier was preparing to swing its spear from top to bottom. He evaded slightly to the side, rushing towards the goblin and swinging the Rusted Iron Sword at the same time.
He sliced at the Goblin Soldier’s side. But because his attack power was too low, he wasn’t able to deal an effective blow. It only served to enrage the Goblin Soldier.
Kikikikik!
Making a sound far louder than a regular goblin, the miniboss swung its spear down on Hyukjin, at a speed that looked extremely fast in Hyukjin’s eyes. It was fast, but not unexpected.
Kim Hyukjin swung his iron sword to deftly parry the Goblin Soldier’s strike.
The half-transparent Senia focused on that scene. She could see the Guardians making a huge fuss.
Senia almost smiled for the first time ever. They didn’t reveal their ‘True Names’, but the Guardians joined her channel all the same. Her boring, unpopular channel. However, she did not smile. Ever since she was a child, she had been taught that ‘the act of showing one’s emotions’ was vulgar. She did become an Intermediate Administrator, but she jumped into this job determined not to become vulgar.
Various anonymous Guardians peppered her with questions.
[Are you sure he’s really level 8?]
[A level 8 Player is truly raiding the Tutorial Dungeon’s miniboss?]
Senia nodded to show her assent. It was true. He avoided the ‘Initial Strike’ that would cause certain death to a level 8 Player by cleverly using some cover and was fighting the Goblin Soldier. It was unbelievable, but that was the truth. She had never seen a Player like him in any dimension before, at least not in the Tutorial.
She wondered what kind of stats he must have to be able to execute such movements. The anonymous Guardians, aka the ‘Rabble’, were clamoring in disbelief.
[Those aren’t the movements of a level 8 though?]
[How can a level 8 move in that manner?]
[He didn’t lie about his level?]
The Rabble fussed to their content, and the Guardians who had revealed their ‘True Names’ were keeping an eye on the situation, their eyes glued to the level 8 Player’s incredible Playing. Senia was the same. At this point, even Senia was curious.
Yet another Player without much presence caught her eyes. Her name was Kang Sunhwa, an Awakened of the tanker class. She stood still, surrounded by monsters.
Just then, Kim Hyukjin yelled, looking so incredibly exhausted it seemed he could faint at any moment.
“Now! Kill them!”
Senia instantly realized what Kim Hyukjin was trying to do. Sunhwa killed the city foxes.
[EXP acquired.]
[7 Coins acquired.]
As someone in the same party as Kang Sunhwa, Kim Hyukjin’s level went up.
[Level increased.]
[Current level: 9]
With the level up, his condition recovered. Hyukjin felt refreshed. Moments ago, he was gasping for breath and felt like he could drop dead from exhaustion, but now, he was fine. He purposely timed and planned his EXP like this, so he could level up when needed.
“Take the monsters and get some distance between us. The monsters will keep reviving, so kill as many as you can, until I give you the signal to stop.”
* * *
* * *
After saying that, I engaged with the Goblin Soldier again. Now level 9, I was a little stronger, and a little more used to the Goblin Soldier. Our battle went on for a long thirty minutes. I stuck to the Goblin Soldier like a burr, avoiding critical injuries and occasionally attacking. Time and time again, I aimed for the nape, the common weakness of all goblins.
Meanwhile, Sunhwa continuously killed monsters.