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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 4
Chapter Title: Time to Go Kill Some People
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'That orphan bastard.'
That was what he thought of Ju Gonghyeok, who had taken all the Minotaur rewards for himself.
On a road 4km from Saerom Orphanage, Gonghyeok's hideout.
Late at night, five masked and heavily armed hunters headed toward Saerom Orphanage.
"Bro, that punk straight-up soloed a Minotaur like it was nothing. You sure we're good?"
"No matter how strong he is, no one's immune to an ambush. Rankings don't mean shit when you're sleeping and a pickaxe cracks your skull from behind. Plus…"
The leader-like hunter eyed one of his trailing subordinates.
"We've got an ace up our sleeve that'll drop him in one shot."
"Just leave it to me, boss. Even a pro hunter couldn't handle this."
The subordinate patted his waist confidently, drawing the leader's gaze.
"Man, that Ha Yeonsi chick? She looked tasty as hell."
"Heh, gonna tie her up and have some fun."
"Whoa, I looked her up. Better than ginseng—prime high school tail. Though high school's gone now. Heh."
"Wanna bet how many toes I gotta chop before she bites her tongue? Puhaha."
As the vulgar banter heated up from behind, a trusted underling sidled up to the leader and murmured.
"If we devour that girl's avatar too, your avatar jumps a rank, right boss? Can I take that Ju-what's-his-face sheepherder's avatar?"
"Keuk, no dice. Not just any avatar works. Only beast or monster types like mine or Taehun's there."
They were the hunter killers recently whispered about in Seoul. Their goal: 'avatar predation.'
The urban legend of 'avatar predation' meant absorbing another hunter's avatar. But there were conditions.
One: Avatars with predation ability were mostly beast or monster-shaped.
Two: The target had to consent to hand over their avatar before dying.
Rumor had it someone in America had amassed three avatars that way, but it didn't matter to them now.
More important than unverified gossip was devouring the avatar of the hunter right in front of them to grow stronger, even a little.
Hunters were dragged to the final dungeon Babel based on total stats and strength rankings.
It had been five months since the 6th Great Summoning— the 7th was coming soon.
They had to get stronger before Babel, by any means necessary.
Reasons aside, they'd ambushed and kidnapped high-rank avatar hunters, stealing their avatars.
The process involved brutal torture and their demonic hobbies. To the point where death seemed preferable.
Of course, only then would someone give up their life and avatar, right?
The killer leader felt a thrill of excitement.
'Both those siblings have S-rank avatars at least. From healing shattered legs to earning titles by slaying boss monsters.
Devouring those two, my avatar's definitely hitting B-rank.'
His avatar grew murkier in color and more grotesque with each feast, but who cared? Strength mattered, not looks.
Gotta be strong to survive Babel.
Grinning at the thought of two S-rank avatars, the leader heard a chilling sound from behind.
Pffft.
"Huh? Wh-what?"
A kitchen knife. It was buried in him.
The subordinate hunter, with a gleaming blade plunged into his gut, panicked and flailed helplessly.
It was Gonghyeok's ambush, lying in wait in the roadside bushes.
===
The honed kitchen knife slips between armor plates.
It tears through the thin dress shirt, twisting soft human innards around the invading metal.
'Monsters feel good with all that muscle. Humans? Total letdown in handfeel.'
Gonghyeok twists and swings the knife, shredding the guts.
"Gaaargh!"
The hunter screams and convulses. Gonghyeok yanks a knife and tools from the hunter's belt, blocking an incoming axe.
"You fucking bug, where'd you come from?!"
Knife meets axe in a clash; the axe wielder pushes like it's a strength contest.
'Damn, raw power.'
Gonghyeok's strength was a measly 16[F]; the axe hunter at least 20[F].
His legs, shattered that afternoon, hadn't fully healed, and in a pure strength match, Gonghyeok would lose…
"You. Do I look like a monster to you?"
Taking raw strength head-on was for tutorial orcs.
He slides the blade straight down the axe haft toward the fingers gripping it.
"Guk! Graaah!"
The axe hunter's index and middle fingers snap off. As Gonghyeok debates ending him, two more attack from both sides.
A steel bat like a baseball bat and a sharp Japanese sword rush in.
But as Gonghyeok naturally crouches, the bat and sword slice empty air.
Rising, he spins in a fierce rotational strike—three hunters, axe man included, clutch knees and guts as they stagger back.
"Shit, this fucker's insanely strong! Dangerous!"
"What the hell is this monster? Dodges all our hits, lands his on us every time!"
Excluding the leader, four hunters were wounded in an instant. The leader dragged his gut-stabbed minion back and glared at Gonghyeok.
Gonghyeok, awkward on his bad legs, assumed a counter stance with the stolen knife—and smiled.
The killers' leader felt certainty that something was very wrong at the sight of Gonghyeok grinning while slicing people.
"What are you? Why are you here?"
"And why are you lot here? Like shit-digging stray dogs."
"Fuck! Sungjae! What're you waiting for—pull it out and kill him!"
The leader yelled at the first hunter stabbed by Gonghyeok's knife.
But that hunter had been pale-faced for a while.
"I-it's gone! It's not here!"
"What!? What the hell's that supposed to mean, you retard? Find it now!"
The leader bellowed in rage. Ignoring his bleeding gut, he pitifully patted himself down.
But it was gone. Their trump card, brought so confidently, had vanished without a trace.
"Mister. Looking for something? This maybe?"
Ju Gonghyeok pulled out a black object the size of his palm.
The masked hunters froze stiff.
The item Gonghyeok had snatched along with weapons when stabbing the first hunter.
A jet-black pistol.
"Hm? What's this do? Useless junk in dungeons, right?"
Modern weapons don't work on monsters.
But they work on hunters.
Average stats at 2-30 made them athlete or spec-ops level at best.
To such hunters, a gun's threat dwarfed monsters' crude primitive weapons.
"Why so serious, you guys?"
"Damn it, scatter!"
At the leader's desperate shout, the killers dove or turned to flee upon seeing the gun.
Gonghyeok expertly aimed.
[Master of All Martial Arts (S++) activates.]
Skill correction and combat experience shone; instant aim-fire.
Muzzle flashes lit the night.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
"Hahahahahahaha!"
Fifteen shots filled the quiet road.
"Cough cough."
"Ugh… mercy…"
In the wake of the mad barrage lay pitiful sacrifices bleeding out.
Gonghyeok shouted in exhilaration.
"Good, good. You've got some grit. Anyone else wanna charge? Ghost-hunting hunters whimpering like this? I'll revoke your licenses."
The fingerless axe hunter ground his teeth, barely rising.
"A-avatar Wungolriant! Kill this psycho…"
A massive spider from mythic tales charged on eight steel-pillar legs.
'Yeah. Come at me like that—I'll develop some skills.'
As the shredder legs surged, the Observer floated behind.
[2nd Ability
Observer's calculations whirred.
Attack speed, power—numeric data flooded Gonghyeok. His techniques and experience fed trajectory predictions back to Observer.
Observer's math fused with Gonghyeok's experience, birthing a new skill.
[Prediction Path (Unique S) discovered.]
All predictable facts display in the optimal form in my vision.
Circles lit on incoming legs, signaling capture. Timings and info followed.
[Left leg 1: 2s to right arm hit. Expected: arm severed.
Left leg 2: 4s, passes left head side.
Left leg 3: 1s to left thigh. Expected: massive bleed, immobility.
…]
Predicted paths traced; Gonghyeok slipped forward, evading.
Scraaaape.
Eight razor spider legs gouged only innocent asphalt.
Foam-mouthed, the axe hunter raised his weapon for the finisher post-avatar attack.
Gonghyeok smashed a fist into that incredulous face.
COUNTER ATTACK!
Observer flagged the diving punch.
The axe hunter crumpled, face caved.
Gonghyeok glanced at charging hunters, then approached the groveling, trembling leader.
"Wanted me dead? Should've done it then. Lots of eyes, sure. Maybe they'd help for coin greed?"
"Sorry! I'm sorry! I overstepped—forgive me once, please!"
The groveling leader had taken several back shots.
Not one penetrated properly.
Bronze Giant Assault, leader Park Juntae.
That afternoon, when Sangmin raged over skill coins and threatened, he'd mediated fairly, distributing coins evenly as raid leader.
Yet nightly, he led hunter kidnappings and murders.
"Classic Bronze Giant Park Juntae. 'Bronze-ification' makes bullets worthless, huh?"
Problem: It hardened like bronze but froze movement—Minotaur would crush him flat.
"You were gonna frame me on that rampaging Park Sangmin from afternoon? After killing me and Yeonsi."
"Heh, no way, sir. Just heading to Seongnam dungeons—never meant harm to you, elder…"
"Bullshit."
Bang!
"Gaaaaah!"
A bullet hit Park Juntae's eyeball, ricocheting off the bronze skull into the dirt.
"Grah! Argh! Guuuuuh!"
Eyeball burst, bullet slamming skull interior—agony made him thrash wildly.
Gonghyeok calmly lit a Camel from his pocket. Gunpowder haze mixed with tobacco smoke into an odd aroma.
Puffing one-handed, he grabbed Park's hair with the other, smashing and scraping his head on asphalt repeatedly.
"I know who you are. Serial hunter killer, bottom rung of secret society 'Giants.' Bronze Giant Colossus, Park Juntae."
"'Giants,' how…?"
"Eh, no need to wonder. Avatar powers next."
He pressed the lit cigarette to Park's remaining good eye? No—to the already-burst one.
"Gaaaah! Nooo! Please, don't! I was wrong! Teacher! I'll do anything! I'll live right! Please!"
"Yeah, 'live right' my ass. Bullshit."
Gonghyeok mercifully ground the ember into the ruined socket.
"Aaaaaagh!"
"Juntae. Tell the 'Giants' who climbed Babel first."
"Y-yes! I'll tell! I will!"
"Devils can use villains as they please—no issue. But small fry selling souls for pocket change? They die pathetically.
Most saviors despise small fry and petty scum."
"Huh?"
"? You questioning me?"
Bang! Bang!
Two holes punched in the unbronzed knee hollows.
"Gruuuuh!"
"Say it again. Two bullets. How's that?"
"Th-the devils can use villains as they please, but—"
"Good. Perfect."
Straightening from his squat, Gonghyeok aimed the gun.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Click, click.
"Hm, empty."
[Exterminated the infamous killer hunter gang.]
[Hunted hunters 'Park Juntae,' 'Yang Hyeongin,' 'Park Sungjae,' 'Jang Taehun,' 'Min Jeongyeong.']
[Achievement 'Soul's Match Dye (1)' 6/3 exceeded by double.]
[50 purple coins granted.]
[Excess achievement bonus: 1 indigo coin granted.]
[Title 'Duelist on the Edge of Death' acquired.]
After finishing the other four, Gonghyeok tossed the spent pistol and looted the dead hunters' items.
Brave Orc's steel bat, Japanese sword Maigaru Type 4, root-splitting axe. Various defenses and aids.
Useful until the 7th Great Summoning soon.
"7th Great Summoning in three days. But folks'll find you a day early. Dump all your coins into treatment. Stuff these bodies in your inventory. If they're still here when I check later, you die."
"Elder, how do you know the 7th date?"
"Ask again, you die."
"…"
"See you in Babel, Juntae. Till then, grind your org buddies hard."
Leaving the broken Park Juntae, Gonghyeok smoked his way back to the orphanage.
===
The orphanage remained peaceful despite the nighttime gunfire—no one stirred. Gonghyeok slipped in with a wry smile.
Bloodstained clothes went into the incinerator. After a cold shower, he emerged lightly dressed into the kitchen.
Ha Yeonsi, whom he'd blanketed before leaving, drooled on the ledger in her sleep-talk.
"Choco muffin, yummy. Tiramisu, yummy. Choco land, love it."
Gonghyeok sat beside her, taking in her neat face.
He calmly recalled Ha Yeonsi's deaths.
'Two by my hand, five left to die. Yeah.'
The other six were gruesome, unavoidable ends.
Ju Gonghyeok remembered countless ordeals climbing Babel Tower 13 times.
Demon King Bel Marduk with 'Law Annihilation,' erasing avatars.
His mighty Four Heavenly Kings and Thousand Knights under him.
Blazing heroes who burned their lives against them.
Ugly traitors who sold souls to devils in madness.
'So tiring. Sick of it.'
How long must these hands endure this bullshit?
Gonghyeok sank into worn-soul fatigue and reverie.
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