Chapter 14
[Translator – Peptobismol]
Chapter 14: Gumi Strongest Sword vs. Gumi City Councilor
“Aaaaah!”
With a thunderous roar, Jang Seonbok landed amidst Yeongwoo and the people from Haneulchae, shaking the ground beneath them.
Kuuuuung!
The concrete shattered, dust swirling in all directions from the impact of his descent.
Swaaah!
Due to the haze obscuring their sight, not only Jang Seonbok but also Yechan and the others from Haneulchae vanished from Yeongwoo’s view.
‘Shit, if this continues…’
Yeongwoo unconsciously thought of the kids from Haneulchae.
The idea that they might get hurt if Jang Seonbok continued rampaging crossed his mind.
‘Damn it, I don’t have time for this.’
Eventually, Yeongwoo shouted loudly enough for everyone to hear.
“Take the kids and run! You won’t be his opponent!”
Instantly,
Fwooosh!
A rumbling presence emerged from within the dust cloud. Jang Seonbok had followed the sound and launched an attack.
Naturally, Yeongwoo had already prepared himself, firmly holding onto his shield.
However, the problem was…
Whiiiing!
The guy was stronger than anticipated.
‘Ugh, unbelievable!’
Yeongwoo felt his entire body being lifted into the air along with the shield.
And then.
Whoosh!
He soared upwards, reaching a height of about three or four meters.
But soon, Yeongwoo regained his composure.
‘What?’
He realized he was subconsciously controlling his center of gravity.
‘Is this the effect of Senses?’
[Senses]
|It involves control over body functions such as reflexes and balance.
Having pushed his Senses from a mere 24 to a whopping 100, feeling the difference was only natural.
Thud!
Yeongwoo landed steadily on the ground, the wind blowing vigorously.
Thud, thump!
From the midst of the dusty soil, someone was springing forth.
[Gumi City Councilor – Jang Seonbok]
Once again, the first thing visible was the blurry name tag shimmering within the cloud of dust.
Soon after, his figure became distinct under the sunlight.
Thud!
What caught Yeongwoo’s eye first were his reddish skin and bulging muscles.
The goblins from before had unbelievably muscular physiques, but Jang Seonbok…
‘Why is he so massive? Is there a premium mutation or something?’
Standing at a height of 3 meters, his muscles matched his stature.
Moreover, what was more surprising…
[Ho-oh?]
Jang Seonbok also seemed taken aback upon seeing Yeongwoo.
Moreover,
[Gumi Strongest Sword? What’s this about?]
The goblin uttered human words.
‘Wait, he can talk?’
Yeongwoo alternated his gaze between the goblin’s pointed ears and its fiercely shaped mouth.
Then, standing tall, Jang Seonbok slowly bent his long waist, observing Yeongwoo.
[Are you the leader of these scums? What exactly happened here?]
It seemed like the term ‘scums’ referred not only to the people present but the entire citizens of Gumi.
[What year is it now? I have no idea how long I’ve been held captive.]
He started seemingly throwing questions out of nowhere after swinging his axe just moments ago.
‘What… does this guy have no concept of time? No, wait, more importantly, he’s speaking like a person.’
Despite the brief conversation, Yeongwoo could be certain of at least one thing: Jang Seonbok in front of him, a mutant—or rather, a monster—still contained the consciousness of a human being.
Also, judging by him calling Gumi citizens ‘scums,’ it seemed he retained all memories from the time of the reset.
“It’s June 10, 2025, Tuesday. The first day of the reset.”
When Yeongwoo mentioned the date, confusion flickered in Jang Seonbok’s bewildered eyes.
[The first day? So, am I the first one here? Ah, I see.]
Jang Seonbok seemed to reason with himself upon this revelation.
Quickly seizing the moment, Yeongwoo threw another question.
“The first one? Where were you before coming here? Have you met other mutants?”
At this, while lost in thought, Jang Seonbok smirked wickedly.
[Why does a dying man like you have so many questions?]
Whoosh!
His axe tore through the air, aimed at Yeongwoo.
‘Ugh, this bastard!’
Unexpectedly, an attack came out of nowhere, causing every cell in his body to tense, but soon, a hologram appeared in his line of sight, offering reassurance.
A hologram resembling Yeongwoo himself, extending the Early Bird with his right hand while his left shoulder was pulled back completely.
—Slay
The Gumi Sword Technique had activated.
‘Gumi Sword Technique? It didn’t activate against the monsters before, so why now…?’
Yeongwoo, following the guide of the Gumi Sword Technique, rotated his body while thrusting the Early Bird from his right hand.
Then,
Whoosh!
Jang Seonbok’s axe barely grazed past Yeongwoo’s left shoulder, which was leaned backward.
“…!”
Though shivers ran through his body, it seemed both sides attempted an attack.
Swish!
Yeongwoo watched the tip of his Early Bird heading towards Jang Seonbok’s left chest.
And the black axe blade, intercepting it, changed the ‘Slay’ symbol into ‘Void.’
“…?”
Soon, a sharp shriek erupted as the Early Bird and the axe blade clashed.
Clang!
[What… You’re not a simple human.]
Jang Seonbok’s bewildered voice followed the grinding sound.
Equally surprised, Yeongwoo exclaimed.
“You… are you still human? Why the Gumi Sword Technique?”
[What? You bastards… you made me like this!]
While exchanging incomprehensible words, the Gumi Sword Technique presented the next instruction.
—Break
‘Break?’
‘Break’ to shatter.
In the stance of meeting Jang Seonbok and his weapon, the Early Bird was commanded to thrust into the opposite elbow.
Meanwhile, the hologram covered with a shield in the left hand was also guarding.
‘Whatever it is, it’s probably the best move.’
[Translator – Peptobismol]
Whit!
With strength at 200 and Senses at 100, the execution ability was sufficient.
The tip of the sword, previously in contact with the axe blade, twisted and shot out diagonally, piercing Jang Seonbok’s right elbow.
[Kraaaagh!]
A scream unheard before.
Following that, the guide suggested breaking the guy’s jaw with the shield but was immediately canceled.
‘Huh.’
It was because he had started his attack one step ahead of Yeongwoo.
‘I’m late…!’
Even if the Gumi Sword Technique proposed the optimal move, it was meaningless if the timing didn’t align. As Yeongwoo needed to process, assess, and execute the guide, an inevitable delay occurred.
So, when facing a formidable opponent like this…
[Get lost!]
It was about getting hit by a kick as fast as light.
Bang!
“Ugh!”
The 3-meter tall goblin’s calf and thigh generated explosive kinetic energy.
It felt like being hit by a car, leaving Yeongwoo unable to catch his breath.
Amidst the continuous flickering in front of his eyes, it seemed the Gumi Sword Technique was issuing the next instruction, but due to the unforeseen physical impact, his entire body felt paralyzed.
Moreover, amidst this, Jang Seonbok was pulling back his right leg again, akin to pulling the trigger of a gun.
[You bastards, why did you torture me like this!]
Mixed frustration and sorrow resonated in Jang Seonbok’s voice.
Thud.
Even from Jang Seonbok’s firmly planted foot, alarming sounds emanated.
Thud.
Just as he was about to aim the second kick at Yeongwoo’s head.
Swish!
A sharp, but quite fast sound cut through the air.
From behind Jang Seonbok’s torso.
[Arggh!]
Yeongwoo heard the familiar sound accompanying Jang Seonbok’s curse.
“Mister! I’ll die after this if you don’t hurry!”
A desperate voice calling out to him.
It was Yechan.
“Ugh.”
He blinked to regain focus, spotting Yechan behind Jang Seonbok.
The kid had pierced Jang Seonbok’s waist just before the second kick.
[What kind of dog…!]
As an enraged Jang Seonbok turned, the Gumi Sword Technique displayed two symbols on his body.
First was,
—Slay
The familiar ‘Slay’ character always seen.
This was attached to the back of his body, requiring a leap to reach it.
And second was,
—Life
‘Life’ for preservation.
Similar to the previous ‘Break,’ this was a symbol Yeongwoo had never seen before, attached to Jang Seonbok’s Achilles tendon.
But why?
Why did the choices of killing and saving appear together?
“Oh, mister!”
Upon hearing Yechan’s second plea for help, Yeongwoo realized that it wasn’t about saving Jang Seonbok but another life entangled in this battle—saving Yechan.
“Quick, get away, you idiot!”
Yeongwoo shouted at the top of his lungs, much like when he had yelled for the kids.
Simultaneously,
Swish!
He thrust his sword forcefully towards Jang Seonbok’s Achilles tendon.
Fwip!
The Early Bird. A one-handed sword, its only advantage being its lightness.
However, since it was as light as it was, its presence was small and it was quite swift.
Thud!
Like lightning, the Early Bird pierced through Jang Seonbok’s reddened skin, ruthlessly assaulting his Achilles tendon.
[Gaaaaahhhhh…!]
Just as Jang Seonbok, who was about to attack Yechan, was pierced in the Achilles tendon, he shivered violently and stood frozen in place.
Then, he turned towards Yeongwoo.
—Slay
A clear mark shining near the guy’s neck.
As Yeongwoo saw it and exhaled the ‘Slay,’ Jang Seonbok tried to say something but—
Swoosh!
The Early Bird had already pierced his neck.
[Heik.]
An ambiguous word, barely a sentence.
That was the last sound he made before his pupils lost their strength.
Next,
Fwaaaat!
A white beam of light shot up from his head, as if his soul was departing.
‘Does this mean the mutant’s dead?’
Yeongwoo watched the beam rise until it disappeared from his sight.
If that beam represented Jang Seonbok’s soul or consciousness, where was it being called to? No, who was calling it?
Shilling!
Finally, Jang Seonbok’s red body dissolved into thin air like the other monsters.
However, there was one significant difference.
‘Is that the reward?’
A golden spherical object remained where the body had been.
About the size of a watermelon, the sphere hovered about a meter above the ground, rotating slowly.
Thud, thud.
As Yeongwoo approached the sphere, Yechan looked at him with a worried expression, and the people who had fled into the distance cautiously began to return.
“Mister… what is this? What could it be?”
“It seems like some device to determine the reward recipient. Most likely.”
He said this, but Yeongwoo was convinced. Whoever made the first contact with that sphere would receive the mutant kill reward.
[Epic] “Dilemma”
{Mission} Track down and eliminate or return the mutant.
{Reward} Mutant equipment. A large amount of Karma.
Confirming that the Epic Quest was still incomplete, Yeongwoo touched the sphere left behind by Jang Seonbok.
Thud.
As expected, a new interface appeared the moment his hand made contact with the sphere’s surface.
[You have been granted permission to complete the Epic Quest ‘Dilemma.’]
[Please choose a reward for the final completion of the quest.]
‘What…?’
Yeongwoo’s mouth gaped open.
It was unprecedented to pre-select a reward, and the contents of the reward were strikingly unconventional.
{{Guaranteed Reward}}
[Furious Goblin] – Mutant Ring
[Strength increases by 100 every day]
[–Empty Slot–]
{{Selectable Reward}}
[3 million Karma]
Or
[Grant 30,000 Karma to all residents in the area]
[Translator – Peptobismol]
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