Chapter 32

Chapter 32.

 

John was two meters tall and had an imposing build.

Perhaps because he had awakened as a tank, his strength was tremendous.

Even so, he probably could not throw a person a hundred meters into the air.

However, Ha-kyung paid that no mind and asked him a question.

“Do you have a defensive skill that coats your shield?”

“Of course. I am a tank. That much is basic.”

“Where did you even learn that kind of…… Never mind. Anyway, do it like before, but endure it with your skill.”

“And I bounce you at the right moment?”

“Of course.”

“Will that really get you more than three hundred twenty-eight feet up?”

As if to prove he was American,

The answer came back in imperial units.

Ha-kyung paused for a moment, then shook his head.

The important thing right now was not something as trivial as the unit of measurement.

Ha-kyung backed away and dodged the spikes shooting up from the ground.

Then, when John stopped and took his stance,

He charged forward at a terrifying speed.

“Here I come! Hold firm!”

“Okay!”

Ha-kyung’s legs were wrapped in ash-gray energy.

He had concentrated Abyss Refinement into his feet.

He stomped hard on John’s shield, which was glowing blue.

TAP-TAP-TAP! BOOOOM!

Then an enormous repulsive force erupted.

Pain shot up his leg as if it had been struck by an iron mace.

However, the pain lasted only a moment.

[Cloak of Command activated]

[You become immune to pain]

Thanks to the Cloak of Command, Ha-kyung could focus only on his leap.

Immediately afterward, John bounced the shield upward with all his strength.

The timing was truly perfect.

WHOOOSH!

Ha-kyung flew in an arc like a shell fired from a howitzer.

Of course, he did not reach the one hundred meters he had mentioned.

Even so, he had risen to a height close enough.

Ha-kyung quickly calculated his landing point.

‘This is much more accurate than before. At this rate, I will fall right above Crack Swarm.’

He pushed abyss energy into his karambit.

FWOOOSH!

An ash-gray blade blazed to life.

The third-stage refinement ability emitted an eerie killing intent.

It seemed to reflect Ha-kyung’s will exactly.

[Abyss Challenger’s “Compression” authority increases the density of abyss energy]

ZING!

Ha-kyung sharpened Abyss Refinement even further.

At the same time, he immediately deployed Soul-Sever.

A strike filled with all his body weight as he fell from nearly a hundred meters above.

His body, united with the karambit, slammed down.

SWAAAAASH! CLAAAAANG!

Soul-Sever drove into Crack Swarm’s body.

Because it was in the middle of deploying its ultimate, Crack Swarm could not close its fissures.

So Ha-kyung’s attack pierced straight through the red mass of flesh.

SHLUNK!

‘It worked!’

Ha-kyung rejoiced inwardly.

Soul-Sever had entered far too cleanly.

So he thought the situation would reverse right then and there.

However, something different from before unfolded.

A new body grew from Crack Swarm’s side.

“Kieeek!”

SPLAT! SHLASH-SHLASH-SHLASH!

Dozens of tentacles surged up from the ground and targeted Ha-kyung.

It seemed the creature had briefly redirected the ultimate that had been aimed at the raid party.

But the number of them was unusual.

Ha-kyung, who had been trying to slip to the side, found himself in danger.

‘I cannot dodge this.’

Then there was only one method.

He had to cut down the countless spiked tentacles and escape.

[Reactive Magic Armor activated]

[Impact is converted into mana]

Fortunately, he could also use the armor’s mana amplification function.

It was thanks to the repulsive force generated by John’s shield.

Of course, it was not a particularly strong force.

However, now was the time to accept any help he could get.

Ha-kyung concentrated his remaining abyss energy and mana into the karambit.

SWOOOOSH!

“Tzaaaat!”

The moment Compression Soul-Sever unfolded, the spiked tentacles were cut down in droves.

It was truly a counterattack made with all his strength.

SHLASH-SHLASH-SHLASH!

For an instant, the view around him opened wide.

However, Ha-kyung could not help but frown.

‘Didn’t it redirect the ultimate toward me?’

The raid party still could not recover their composure.

Crack Swarm’s spiked tentacles were still surging up endlessly.

The fact that it could still do that while dealing with Ha-kyung made him wonder what kind of absurd monster this was.

After landing on the floor, Ha-kyung adjusted his grip on the karambit.

However, he could not recklessly charge in.

Crack Swarm’s presence was far too vicious.

It carried a powerful will to kill him the moment he approached even slightly.

Yet Ha-kyung took one step forward.

STEP! SWISH!

Several more tentacles crawled out of Crack Swarm’s body.

At that very moment,

Ha-kyung realized it.

‘This bastard…… was bluffing?’

Because of his actions, one Crack Swarm had been driven to the brink of death.

And the raid party had finished off another one.

Although they had merged into one, it did not seem to have fully recovered.

It only looked that way on the outside.

Ha-kyung moved forward.

STEP! STEP! STEP!

All he had left now was a tiny amount of abyss energy.

His mana had already hit bottom long ago.

Even so, Ha-kyung did not stop.

As the distance narrowed, Crack Swarm’s spiked tentacles came flying in.

Along with a shriek.

“Kieeek!”

KRA-CLANG!

Ha-kyung swiftly knocked the tentacle aside.

He realized why Crack Swarm was acting this way.

‘It is struggling desperately to keep me from coming closer. Like a frightened dog barking even more fiercely.’

The blade formed on his karambit was terribly faint.

It was first-stage refinement, like a shimmer of heat.

That was because his abyss energy had nearly run dry.

Even so, Ha-kyung deliberately acted relaxed.

Right now, this was a battle of momentum that would decide everything.

If he showed hesitation, he would only give his opponent certainty.

A tentacle attack came flying at him again.

“Kiiieeek!”

CLANG!

Ha-kyung knocked the attack aside once more.

However, he had almost no strength left now.

At this rate, Abyss Refinement would go out,

And he would be turned into a pincushion by Crack Swarm’s spiked tentacles.

The fear of death drew close before his eyes.

But Ha-kyung did not stop.

The distance between him and Crack Swarm was now roughly five meters.

For an Awakened person or a monster, that was practically within arm’s reach.

Even so, Ha-kyung took another step.

STEP! SPIT!

A spiked tentacle pierced up through the floor.

This time, even Ha-kyung had not predicted the strike.

So he ended up taking a hit to his left arm.

However, his expression did not change.

SHUNK!

He cut off the tentacle indifferently.

And continued moving forward.

Of course, he had not been completely unprepared.

[Tyrant’s Bracelet activated]

[Your body rapidly recovers]

SSSSSSS!

The wounds on Ha-kyung’s body healed in an instant.

A few more of Crack Swarm’s attacks landed immediately afterward.

KRA-CLANG! THUD-THUD!

However, they could not stop Ha-kyung’s steps.

A short while later,

He reached a point only one meter in front of Crack Swarm.

It was the exact same distance as the length of the Abyss Refinement on his karambit.

Even while being struck by tentacle attacks, Ha-kyung swung his blade.

THUD! STAB!

“Kriiieeek!”

Crack Swarm writhed in pain.

Its reaction was even more violent than it had been during Ha-kyung’s two leaping attacks.

Covered in blood, he continued swinging the karambit.

SHUNK! STAB!

While Ha-kyung stabbed and cut,

Crack Swarm continued piercing his body.

It was truly a desperate head-on clash.

Then Ha-kyung’s body, which had been constantly recovering, stopped twitching.

Tyrant’s Bracelet had run out of effect.

Since he had already used the Restoration Veil as well, there was no longer any way for him to recover.

At that moment,

Kang Woo-jin’s voice rang in his ear.

―Lee Ha-kyung, can you pull back? If you wait just a little longer, the raid party can support you!

However, Ha-kyung shook his head.

If he retreated here, the direction of the battle would become uncertain.

Right now, becoming a headbutting dinosaur offered the highest chance of victory.

Ha-kyung clenched his teeth and shouted, “……I cannot pull back.”

He had not used Whisperer, so the raid party probably did not hear him.

But that did not matter.

He had not said it for them to hear anyway.

It was merely something he had spoken to steady his own heart.

Ha-kyung swung the blade, which had shortened to fifty centimeters.

SHUNK! FWOOSH!

He made a new fissure in Crack Swarm’s body,

Then entered it and thrust his karambit madly within.

After the blood became so tangled together that no one could tell whose it was,

Crack Swarm’s movements stopped.

[You have defeated Crack Swarm, the dungeon guardian]

[As a reward, you have received “Skill Enhancement Scroll (A)”]

The moment Ha-kyung confirmed the system message, he collapsed.

Still wedged inside Crack Swarm’s fissure.

If he remained there, he would be crushed beneath the monster’s massive body.

However, he had no strength left to escape.

Right then,

SCOOP!

Someone grabbed Ha-kyung by the back of the neck and pulled him out.

When he tilted his head back, John’s upside-down face entered his vision.

“Hey, bro. Are you okay? John will get you out right away.”

“Thank you.”

“Everyone survived thanks to you, so I should at least provide this much service.”

Ha-kyung smiled faintly as he looked at John speaking so smoothly.

He had been slung over the shoulder of a burly white man, but it did not feel unpleasant.

After all, John was carrying him to a safe place on his own.

Ha-kyung muttered quietly to himself.

“This is nice.”

“Huh? Did you call me?”

“Yes?”

“You whispered my name just now. Honestly, I am only letting it go because you are my bro. If some other guy blew his breath into my ear like that, I would have slammed him into the floor first.”

“…….”

It seemed John had misunderstood something.

Ha-kyung wore an incredulous expression, then let out a small laugh.

Because John’s full name had suddenly come to mind.

‘Was it John Nager?’

It was understandable that he had misunderstood.

If a sturdy man whispered his name, anyone would get chills.

Ha-kyung silently hung limp.

Until they rejoined the raid party.

***

Ha-kyung quietly opened his eyes.

‘I slept as if I had passed out.’

He was still inside the Abyss of Proliferation.

Immediately after defeating the guardian,

The raid party had stopped for a while.

The damage had been much greater than expected.

The healers had pushed themselves to their limits, but there had still been fifteen casualties.

A full twenty-five percent of their fighting force had been lost.

As Ha-kyung slowly raised himself,

Kang Woo-jin came over and sat beside him.

“This is quite a difficult situation.”

“Thirty percent is usually the limit, but I do not think this will work. It is an Extreme-grade dungeon, and a medium-sized one at that.”

“I think so as well.”

Honestly, Crack Swarm had been on a level similar to the final boss of an Unfathomable-grade dungeon.

And that had only been the guardian.

From here on, the difficulty would rise even higher.

As if he had made up his mind, Kang Woo-jin stood with a sigh.

“Whew! This raid ends here. We found the escape gimmick, so let us get out quickly.”

“Yes.”

“Ah, and……”

Kang Woo-jin trailed off.

Then he raised his thumb.

“Your father was the greatest Awakened person I knew. And indeed, like father, like son. You were truly remarkable today.”

His way of speaking was rather old-fashioned,

But it was praise spoken with sincerity.

Ha-kyung smiled faintly and bowed his head.

“I learned a great deal.”

Kang Woo-jin’s raid party left the Abyss of Proliferation.

It was a bitter defeat, but it had not been without gains. 

The artifact obtained from Crack Swarm was extremely valuable.

Normally, an internal auction would have been held, but due to the circumstances, it was postponed for a while.

There had simply been too many casualties.

Meanwhile, Ha-kyung rested for a while.

His head-on battle against Crack Swarm had left serious aftereffects.

‘Even if I feel restless, I have no choice. I have to recover first before I can challenge anything again.’

However, there was a small change in Ha-kyung’s daily life.

It was because of the large white man who showed up at his private training ground every single day.

John Nager.

“Why do you keep coming here every day?”

Ha-kyung asked John a question.

Then an absurd answer came back.

“Because there is no one like you. We even shared life and death together, and now you are really acting like this? What is the word? There is a perfect word for this kind of thing.”

“What word?”

“partner .”

“…….”

It seemed this was a side effect of K-culture.

Ha-kyung let out a long sigh.

Then he raised his head as if he had no other choice.

Pointing at the exit.

“Get out.”