Chapter 19:
Chapter 19
Kang Hye-rim moved flawlessly, despite her slightly provocative remark.
She was agile like a leopard and smooth like a cloud.
More importantly, her speed was faster than when I saw her in the previous kobold mine.
‘Did she awaken more of her trait’s power through repeated battles? Is that it?’
Kang Hye-rim had not fully awakened her trait yet.
Moreover, she had two more latent traits that were not unlocked.
She had plenty of room to grow stronger, and there was no need to be surprised by that.
However, the reaction of the spirits who did not know this background was different.
[Most spirits widen their eyes in disbelief.]
[Some spirits suspect that she might have hidden her strength.]
[The drunkard at the tavern dances with his shoulders in excitement.]
They were astonished because they did not expect Kang Hye-rim to show such a level of skill by herself.
No matter how much it had eroded and weakened compared to the original, the opponent was a minotaur.
It was the ruler of this labyrinth and a mythical creature that had dominated as a monster for a long time.
That minotaur was being pushed back by Kang Hye-rim without any resistance.
‘She handled it well from the first clash.’
It was a big deal that she cut off the tendons of both ankles in the first strike.
Thanks to that, the minotaur could not stand up from its place and had to face her in an awkward posture.
‘She’s doing well as I told her in advance.’
I advised Kang Hye-rim beforehand based on my experience of hunting large monsters in the apocalypse.
If she had not cut off the tendons from the beginning and fought, Kang Hye-rim would have been at a disadvantage.
‘Of course, it’s not something anyone can do. It’s hard for anyone to dive into an attack that tries to crush oneself without a moment’s hesitation.’
Humans have something called instinct.
When something flies at you, you close your eyes tightly or flinch unconsciously, or when you fall, you stretch out your hand to the ground, etc.
It was a kind of reflexive action, but many collectors were seriously injured in real battles because of this instinct.
Usually, to suppress this, one had to suppress this instinct through many real battles.
There was no other way than to practice hard and gain experience in real situations, just like boxers who do not close their eyes when they see a fist flying at their face.
However, Kang Hye-rim did it despite having no experience.
‘She was born with innate talent from the beginning.’
In the first collision, Kang Hye-rim did not stop even when she saw the minotaur attacking.
Rather, she added momentum to her running speed and slipped through its legs as if to show off.
She did such a crazy thing while facing an attack that would crush her head if she hesitated for a moment.
‘I wonder if it’s because of her trait or if she got her trait because of that.’
Booooom!!
Every time Kang Hye-rim’s sword light flashed, scratches appeared on the minotaur’s arms.
Red blood flowed down its arms and dripped onto the floor, and every time it had no choice but to scream in pain.
The effect of not being able to move both legs was too great.
Especially since Kang Hye-rim was a type who fought with speed rather than strength.
She attacked the minotaur one-sidedly as if she was mocking it, and did not allow any counterattack from it.
Swoosh!
Splat.
When the minotaur swung its arm in anger, she dodged it as if she had been waiting for it and counterattacked instead.
The minotaur, which attacked recklessly, inevitably exposed its gaps, and every time its wounds increased.
[You received 100TP as support.]
[You acquired 21TP.]
[You received 100TP as support.]
[You acquired 21TP.]
[You received 100TP as support.]
[You acquired 21TP.]
Some of the subscribers who subscribed to my library right from the first chapter seemed to be happy and excited as they expected this.
Moreover, even the spirits who came to check if my chapter was worth watching could not push their strict standards at this moment.
The points that kept coming in as the battle continued.
I did not take my eyes off Kang Hye-rim’s battle even while checking them.
I had to be prepared for any possible situation.
Kang Hye-rim was fast and beautiful.
She looked like a noble crane in her white uniform and smooth movements.
That appearance was exactly what made the Sword Master so hot before the apocalypse.
Booooom!!
The minotaur could not stand it any longer and let out a roar.
It clenched both fists and pounded the ground like crazy.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The ground shook every time its fist hit the ground.
The ground that was hit by the minotaur’s fist broke, shattered, and cracked into large pieces.
I felt a sense of anxiety as I saw that scene.
And my prediction was right.
The minotaur grabbed a large piece of rock in each hand and threw them at Kang Hye-rim.
Whoosh!
Two rocks the size of a child’s upper body flew towards Kang Hye-rim.
The thrown attack that tore through the air was an unexpected attack that pierced her weakness.
It was impossible to block, and if she was hit, she would be crushed to death.
The minotaur knew that it had seized its chance and smiled wickedly on its ferocious face.
It was a cunning creature, unlike its appearance.
It deliberately induced the opponent’s carelessness and plotted a counterattack at a critical moment.
But.
Clap!
Kang Hye-rim did not flinch at the flying rocks and jumped up from the ground.
At the same time, she twisted her body in the air and dodged the two rocks smoothly.
Boom! Bang!
The two rocks that flew past her smashed part of the wall of the hall, but Kang Hye-rim only looked at the minotaur.
Her eyes were burning with the heat of battle, as if she could see through everything the minotaur did.
Did it feel her gaze?
The minotaur roared again in anger and threw away the fragments in its hands, clenching its fists.
It seemed to want to end it for sure this time.
-Too late.
She said so and moved first.
She kicked off the ground and her body was already inside the minotaur’s arms.
‘Is it possible?’
I narrowed my eyes as I saw that.
It was good that she got inside to prevent it from throwing fragments.
But in the end, it was no different from entering the range where the minotaur’s hands could reach.
The monster also knew that and was about to punch with its fists.
It looked like it wanted to finish it once and for all.
‘She has the initiative, but if she doesn’t end it with one blow here, she’ll be the one who gets hurt.’
Minotauros was ready to counterattack if he could endure this one strike.
The distance between them was only a few steps.
Kang Hye-rim, who had been fighting while keeping her distance, would not be able to dodge his attack.
So, she had to finish the fight in this moment, when his guard was down.
‘But, at her level, she wouldn’t be able to inflict a fatal wound on Minotauros.’
That was what worried me.
It would have been easy to knock down a Kobold, but Minotauros was a more powerful boss-level phantom.
His skin was thick and tough, and even a spear couldn’t pierce it properly.
How could she bring down such a monster with one blow?
‘That’s why I told her to use hit-and-run tactics and wear him down. Does she have some kind of plan?’
I was ready to intervene in case of an emergency, but I stopped when I saw her expression.
Kang Hye-rim’s face was serious as she swung her sword.
She was not arrogant or overconfident, nor did she hope that her attack would work.
She just acted as if it was the right thing to do.
With a determined gaze, she swung her sword.
“…Is that so.”
I watched the scene from [The Observer’s Room] and couldn’t help but laugh incredulously.
She didn’t move differently from the plan because of coercion or panic.
She made that choice because of conviction.
She saw the future where she could win.
Of course, that was possible.
Because there was a white aura swirling around the tip of her sword.
“Sword aura already!?”
Sword aura or Sword Qi.
It was one of the techniques that only those who reached a certain level of mastery could use, by infusing their own energy into their weapon and swinging it.
But, what surprised me was something else.
Most collectors didn’t learn this sword aura by themselves, but through [Stories].
They acquired the usage from the stories, which were not hard to obtain.
It was a technique that anyone could use if they reached a certain level.
‘If they reached a certain level…that is.’
How many people failed and struggled to reach that level?
It was so hard and painful that they resorted to shortcuts and absorbed [Sword Aura Stories] instead.
But Kang Hye-rim didn’t need such [Stories].
She drew out sword aura with her own power.
I couldn’t help but be amazed by that.
‘That’s really an unbelievable talent.’
She unleashed the sword aura for only an instant.
Of course, the sharpness and density of the sword aura were not that impressive.
But it was enough to pierce through the monster’s head.
Thud!
The tip of her sword penetrated Minotauros’ chin and came out of his occiput.
The light in Minotauros’ bloodshot eyes faded in an instant.
The huge body that seemed impossible to fall tilted slowly to the side, and then collapsed on the ground with a loud noise.
Kang Hye-rim stood on top of his corpse, taking deep breaths that she had been holding back.
-Haah. Haah.
Everyone watched the scene in silence.
The light pouring down from the sky, and the figure of the one who claimed the throne of this labyrinth in the center of it.
The victory of the hero who defeated the monster that seemed unbeatable, and overcame her own limits.
Who could mock or belittle that sight?
The time that had stopped for a moment started to flow again.
Ding-dong!
[All spirits cheer for the story that Kang Hye-rim showed.]
The spirits who had lost their words regained their senses and sent explosive cheers.
My eyes were filled with system notifications, and my ears were filled with the sound of points coming in.
Kang Hye-rim smiled while catching her breath.
She smiled with satisfaction, as if she had broken through something that had been blocking her way.
-Yu-hyun… Ah!
She waved her hand at me happily, but then quickly closed her mouth when she realized her situation.
Fortunately, the spirits were so ecstatic about the victory that they didn’t notice her strangeness.
“Phew.”
I let out a sigh of relief and sat down on the chair provided in [The Observer’s Room].
Kang Hye-rim’s final gamble was something I didn’t expect either.
It was lucky that it turned out well, but my heart almost dropped for a moment.
‘I’m glad I didn’t have to step in.’
I clenched and unclenched my fist, recalling what had happened earlier.
‘The good thing is that the atmosphere was so heated that I didn’t have to lead the spirits’ reactions. Is this it.’
The support was still pouring in, so I said it all.
Kang Hye-rim’s gamble was a huge success.
The word had spread already, and the number of viewers started to soar from 110.
[Current viewers: 142]
[Current subscribers: 92]
The subscribers had increased from 46 to twice as much.
If I reached 100 today, I could clear another sub-mission.
It was a series of hits following the first episode.
‘Now, then…’
I got up from my seat.
Defeating Minotauros was good, but there was still one more gate left.
As if to prove it.
-Yu-hyun. Something is wrong. I killed the phantom, but the world of thought is not cleared.
Kang Hye-rim tilted her head and asked me from the screen.
It was normal for the world of thought to be cleared as soon as the boss-level phantom was defeated.
But, it didn’t happen, which meant that this Labyrinth world of thought had a different clear condition.
I came out of [The Observer’s Room] and stood in front of Kang Hye-rim.
She seemed quite confused by the fact that the world of thought was still maintained.
[Most spirits are puzzled by the fact that the world of thought is still maintained.]
[Drunkard of the Tavern 100TP support!]
[What’s going on? Why is nothing happening? Isn’t it over?]
Everyone was puzzled by this moment, which was my cue to step in.
“Everyone. The world of thought is not over yet.”
“Huh?”
[The spirits are puzzled by your words.]
Everyone’s eyes were on me.
“You must be curious. Why is the labyrinth still here, even though we defeated the boss-level phantom? And you are all smart, so you must have figured it out by now. This Labyrinth was not cleared by defeating Minotauros.”
In other words, the condition was not Minotauros’ defeat from the beginning.
“I will tell you the answer.”
This was where I had to step in.
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