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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 9
Chapter Title: The Wolf King's Fall
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A dense forest of thirty-meter-tall trees.
This was the forest region in the western part of Rainbow Island.
"Kiiik…"
The Rage Ape, the beast that ruled the forest, lowered its head.
*Squish!* Park Jongwon pulled the knife from the Rage Ape's nape.
"Wow, as expected of the Hwarang Guild's rising star, Park Jongwon. You're on a whole other level."
"To think you could finish off that Rage Ape in a single blow."
"Wasn't that skill just now Swift Thrust? To wield a 3-star skill with such mastery."
"It's amazing enough that you've learned a 3-star skill, but to strike a vital point with such precise timing! You're truly incredible!"
The Players in his party praised Park Jongwon in unison.
A rising star nurtured by Hwarang, Korea's number one guild.
Every piece of equipment he wore was a top-tier item, among the best available at these low levels.
With outstanding skills befitting a rising star combined with high-performance equipment, he was able to defeat the Rage Ape on the first day of the tutorial.
And yet, the expression on Park Jongwon's face—the man who had accomplished this difficult feat—was grim.
[You are currently on Floor 0, Rainbow Island.]
*Field Bosses
Giant Snake Nessie - Alive
Wolf King Seorin - Alive
Deep Slime - Deceased (Hunted by: Yoo Jinho)
Respawning in 163:52:19
Rage Ape – Deceased (Hunted by: Park Jongwon)
Respawning in 167:59:31
…
*Point Rankings
1st - Yoo Jinho (407 points)
2nd - Park Jongwon (131 points)
3rd - Jung Shinho (63 points)
4th - Oh Jiwon (53 points)
5th - Lee Doyoung (45 points)
Park Jongwon's gaze turned cold.
'I'm not in first place?'
131 points.
Compared to the other Players in the rankings, it was an overwhelming score.
Ironically, that same description applied to him.
The gap between him and the first-ranked Yoo Jinho was more than double.
'This is impossible.'
A deep frown creased Park Jongwon's forehead.
In the tutorial stage, you get 1 point for hunting a normal monster and 100 points for hunting a boss.
Hunting the Rage Ape was how he'd shot up to second place in an instant.
'That guy, Yoo Jinho. How the hell did he earn 400 points in such a short time?!'
Park Jongwon retraced his memories from before entering the Tower.
Oh Jiwon, Jung Shinho, and Lee Doyoung were all Players sponsored by influential guilds, just like him.
Could Jinho be one of them too?
He thought for a long time, but the name Yoo Jinho didn't come to mind at all.
'He didn't receive any guild support, and he hunted the Deep Slime?'
Heh—Park Jongwon let out a dry laugh.
"That can't be right."
"Player Park Jongwon, is something wrong?"
"It's nothing."
Park Jongwon shook his head.
The Player who called him shrugged and approached the Rage Ape's corpse.
'This won't do.'
The Hwarang Guild had invested a lot into this tutorial stage.
If Park Jongwon failed to produce results worthy of that investment…
'I'll fall straight to the bottom.'
Hwarang demanded results proportional to their investment.
A promising rookie from the previous batch had made a big mistake in the tutorial, and they had withdrawn all support afterward.
The equipment provided by the guild all turned into debt, leaving him unable to move elsewhere.
*Grit.*
Park Jongwon ground his teeth.
He stared at the ranking screen again, his eyes cold.
'Yoo Jinho, was it?'
A rival he had to crush for the sake of his bright future.
As if vowing never to forget the name, Park Jongwon glared murderously at the stage status screen.
* * *
"Grrrr! Woof!"
"Awoooo!"
The pack of Silver Fangs rushed forward, wagging their tails.
You bastards.
Aren't you welcoming me a little too enthusiastically?
[You use Sharp Claws.]
I imbued the protruding claws with mana and swung.
A blue arc sliced through the air.
Droplets of blood sprayed into the air a moment later.
"Grrr!"
"Woof! Woof!"
The Silver Fang pack surrounded me, baring their sharp fangs and claws.
A formation specialized for pack hunting.
But you know what? I have those claws too.
[You use Carapace.]
[You imbue Sharp Claws with mana.]
As long as I had a way to finish a Silver Fang in one blow, there was no need to fear a frontal assault!
*Splaash!*
Blood splattered in all directions.
One by one, in a single strike. I tore through vital spots like the nape or the heart with my claws.
[Carapace durability has decreased by 26%.]
[Carapace durability…]
Meanwhile, the Silver Fangs' teeth and claws didn't reach me.
"Grrrr?!"
A few Silver Fangs turned their backs and ran in the opposite direction.
They chose to flee as soon as they sensed defeat.
Oh, dear.
Go on, run.
I didn't bother chasing the fleeing Silver Fangs.
No need to bother when they'll just bring more of their friends to me.
[You use Predation on the Silver Fang.]
Just because I'd collected all the essence didn't mean Predation's usefulness had diminished.
Health and mana recovery.
It was time for [Dissolution] and [Dragon's Heart] to shine.
The mana consumed in the battle with the Silver Fang pack was about a fifth of my total.
Using Predation on the scattered corpses, it was quickly restored.
The value of the Silver Fang corpses would drop to zero, but right now, getting stronger quickly was more important.
As I defeated pack after pack of Silver Fangs, I gained four levels.
It should be about time for that guy to show up, right?
"AWOOOOO!!!"
The roar of a beast echoed thunderously.
[You have been exposed to the Wolf King's Howl.]
[Strength and Agility are reduced by 10%. Lasts for 20 seconds.]
A tingling sensation ran through my body.
The howl's debuff effect had taken hold.
"Not much of a gentleman, are you."
I frowned and looked towards the source of the sound.
Wolf King Seorin.
Unlike a typical Silver Fang, it was a wolf that walked bipedally like a human.
Its height was about three meters.
The beast looked down on me, accompanied by forty Silver Fangs.
"Grrrr. Human. Alone."
The Wolf King's voice was bizarre, like a modulated mechanical sound.
"What, you think you stand a chance because I'm alone?"
"Grrr, prey. Tear him apart."
Forty Silver Fangs spread out wide, pressing in from all directions.
The Wolf King watched the situation with its arms crossed.
The fool, calling himself a 'king', wouldn't step in until his Silver Fangs had worn down the prey's stamina.
Stupid beast. That arrogance will be your undoing.
[You use Sharp Claws.]
[You use Carapace.]
A gray carapace covered my entire body, and my claws lengthened.
Three minutes later.
Only two remained standing on their own two feet: the Wolf King and I.
Blood flowed where the [Carapace] couldn't block all the attacks, but…
Despite appearances, my condition was optimal.
I had used [Predation] occasionally while taking down the Silver Fangs.
While losing a lot of blood from the significant bleeding was dangerous, it wasn't enough to hinder me in battle just yet.
"Stop posing and come at me, you damn mutt."
I beckoned with my right hand.
* * *
Wolf King Seorin judged according to its instincts.
'The King. Steps forward. Last.'
It planned to step in when the Silver Fang pack had drained as much of Jinho's energy as possible.
Subordinates could be replenished at any time.
The important thing was the king's safety!
The Wolf King did not join the battle until all the Silver Fangs had fallen.
"Yelp!"
The moment the last Silver Fang fell, Jinho beckoned with his right hand.
"Stop posing and come at me, you damn mutt."
"Grrrr!"
The Wolf King let out another howl.
Jinho's shoulders trembled slightly.
The howl's debuff effect shook his body.
The Wolf King kicked off the ground.
The distance between them closed in an instant.
'Grrrr. Prey. Very tired.'
Jinho was bathed in blood.
The Wolf King judged that Jinho must have used up a lot of stamina fighting forty Silver Fangs.
Even for the king, facing forty Silver Fangs was quite a difficult task.
Although Jinho's abilities seemed impressive, it was confident that he couldn't win in his exhausted state.
"Grrr!"
The Wolf King swung its right arm.
Jinho raised his guard, crossing his arms in an X.
The gray carapace covered his skin.
*Screeech-!*
Sparks flew in all directions the moment the claws and carapace collided.
A power far superior to that of a Silver Fang.
The carapace's durability was reduced by a whole 70%.
Yet the Wolf King was not satisfied with this result.
'One hit. Can't break.'
It was difficult to inflict a fatal wound on Jinho with a normal attack.
The Wolf King raised its left arm high.
[Strike Shot]
A white energy covered its claws.
[Strike Shot] was a skill that ignored a certain amount of equipment defense to deal direct damage to the opponent.
'Strange carapace. Try using it again.'
The Wolf King swung its paw with a confident smile.
*Whoosh!*
The claws sliced through empty air instead of Jinho's carapace.
Jinho had narrowly avoided it by taking a step back.
"I knew you'd do that."
Jinho immediately stepped forward.
He drove into the Wolf King's wide-open chest and thrust his hand out straight.
[Sharp Claws]
[Superhuman Strength]
Claws whose cutting power was enhanced with mana.
He imbued them with the [Superhuman Strength] manifested from the Utoori myth and stabbed at the Wolf King's heart.
*Stab!* The Wolf King's eyes widened.
An intense pain, as if his chest were being seared with fire.
Jinho's claws tore through the Wolf King's muscles and dug in near its heart.
"Kaoooo!"
The Wolf King twisted its body.
It narrowly avoided having its heart pierced, but it had already sustained a wound fatal enough to impair its fighting ability.
"What's wrong? Something not going your way?"
Jinho taunted, shaking off his right arm.
"Grrrrrr."
Several capillaries turned the Wolf King's eyes red.
The Wolf King continuously swung its paws.
"Looks like the pain's made you blind."
*Scrape! Scrape!*
Jinho calmly blocked the Wolf King's onslaught one by one with [Carapace].
It took a minute to regenerate the carapace on the same spot.
Therefore, he blocked attacks with parts of his body where the carapace hadn't formed and tore at the Wolf King's skin with his sharp claws.
The more they exchanged blows, the more wounds appeared on the Wolf King's body.
"Grrrrr. Human. Weak. But why?"
The Wolf King once again unleashed [Strike Shot].
It was confident that if it landed even one hit, it could tear the carapace-protected body to shreds.
But [Strike Shot] would never reach Jinho's body.
"You know, you have a habit when you fight."
"Grrr?"
"When you're about to use a skill, you pull your arm way back."
Jinho already had a complete understanding of the Wolf King's stats and skill set.
It was information that any 5th-year Player would know, even if he wasn't a regressor.
The important thing was whether one could internalize that information and react accordingly, and…
For Jinho, the strongest Player who had reached the rank of Monarch, it was a piece of cake.
"Grrrrrr! I. Am. King!"
The Wolf King's silver eyes filled with despair.
This can't be happening.
He had even used his subordinates to drain his stamina, yet Jinho's movements showed no signs of fatigue.
In fact, as the battle continued, it was the Wolf King who was growing short of breath.
"AWOOOOOO!!"
The Wolf King charged, letting out a monstrous scream.
It was a final attack, betting everything on it.
With lightning speed.
A charge nearly twice as fast as usual; it was certain Jinho couldn't dodge it.
"How can I thank you? You've saved me some trouble."
In that moment.
The smile on Jinho's lips filled the Wolf King's pupils.
[Agile Hind Legs]
The Horned Rabbit's ability manifested in Jinho's body.
*Thud!* The distance between them, which had been closing, was suddenly maintained.
Jinho moved back in time with the Wolf King's charging speed.
Just as the Wolf King's strength began to wane.
"You will become my prey, too."
Jinho stabbed the wound he had made earlier once more.
The Wolf King, infamous in the tutorial stage as a Player-slaughterer.
A boss monster that required at least two parties of skilled Players to hunt reliably was taken down by a single person.