Episode 8
Pow!
A fist using stone skin touched the air.
There was a dull sound.
"Keuuk… ."
Han Sang-do, whose skills were released, appeared with a groan.
At the same time, he aimed at Taehyun's neck with the dagger in his hand.
Kwagwagwak.
It's hard to believe that he cut his throat.
Han Sang-do's face distorted.
'Damn you little boy!'
It's already been 5 minutes since the battle began.
Han Sang-do no longer thought that the kid in front of him was an ordinary kid.
However, it is not a named level skill.
This guy's skills are at least a C level player. Even if I play well, I would still be a B-grade player.
On the other hand, Han Sang-do was a named mine that even B-level players had hunted.
Except for Ahn Hyun-soo, there is probably no one nearby who can deal with him.
however.
Kwasik.
Taehyun stopped Han Sang-do, who was about to use a skill, with a headbutt.
Han Sang-do, whose skill was canceled, was thrown back.
"You bastard!!"
Han Sang-do cursed and grabbed his throbbing arm.
His strength level is close to 30.
Still, the pain in my guarded arm was significant.
'Damn you. I never thought I would use the body strengthening skill.'
Han Sang-do's stats were mainly focused on speed.
A hit-and-run strategy using stealth skills.
Even though it is B grade.
It was a source of confidence to challenge A-grade players.
Of course, Ahn Hyun-soo's spirit was better than expected, so it failed.
The fact that he succeeded in his first surprise attack alone showed that he had an advantage over the average B-grade player.
however.
The guy in front of me, who has no special skills, maintains a poker face the whole time and withstands his attacks.
'It's not that fast.'
It's just that the timing of hitting at a critical moment is annoying.
Han Sang-do, who grabbed Tae-hyeon from behind, plunged his dagger into him.
Kaaang!!
Taehyun gave his back and swung his arms wide.
Boom.
Han Sang-do's dagger, which he dodged one beat quickly, was once again thrown towards his back.
Phew.
"… … !!"
Although it couldn't penetrate deep, I could feel it at my fingertips.
Sigh.
Han Sang-do pulled out his knife and stepped back.
Taehyun frowned and placed his hand on his back.
It wasn't a deep wound, but blood was flowing.
"Kkkkkk. I understand the weakness of that poor skill. "You can't block the same place twice, right?"
"… … ."
Han Sang-do, who thought he had won, rubbed the blood on his dagger.
So far, I've had a hard time with the compatibility of skills and the resistance of a guy who gives me flesh and cuts bones... .
'The luck ends here.'
Han Sang-do took out another dagger in response to a belatedly discovered solution.
Taehyun's face, who until now had trusted Stoneskin and engaged in hand-to-hand combat, changed subtly.
"Hehe. Kid. "How would you like me to cook it for you?"
Han Sang-do cut Tae-hyun's side 'twice' as he rushed in.
Taehyun clicked his tongue as he looked at the blood flowing down.
'I never thought Stoneskin would have this weakness.'
Even while dealing with C-rank monsters, I could not find any weaknesses.
That is why he confidently attempted hand-to-hand combat against Han Sang-do.
I was curious about how strong I had become after growing up to D rank.
'As expected, the names are different.'
Looking at Han Sang-do, who was smirking, Tae-hyun burst into laughter.
Han Sang-do, a B-grade demon.
Belonging to a malicious guild.
A guy who is notorious for hunting down players and civilians.
Nevertheless, the reason he wasn't caught was largely due to his stealth skill.
This is because stealth, which has been raised to the limit by killing countless people, is so annoying that it is difficult for the average player to detect.
'If you make a surprise attack there, the effect will be doubled.'
We watched how Ahn Hyun-soo's mobility was diminished through the first surprise attack.
Taehyun's eyes sparkled.
Unthinkable.
I now have a skill I want to have.
"Kid. "Are you so shocked that you forgot how to speak?"
Han Sang-do, who had regained his composure, licked his tongue.
'Is that possible?'
The corners of Taehyun's mouth rose, as if laughing at Han Sangdo's easy-going attitude.
It's actually a good thing that I learned about Stoneskin's weakness.
If it had been discovered in a future battle, it could have resulted in serious injury.
'Now let's slowly finish it.'
Taehyun recalled two things he wanted to achieve through this gate break.
The first is the experience gained by catching monsters. This is an achievement because you have grown to D rank.
The second is to take advantage of the break and absorb the skills of the demon running wild.
Although each and every one of them is infamous.
Therefore, there was a high possibility that the skills he possessed were also upper level.
By dealing with them, it was a bonus to obtain a ring from a malicious guild that could be sold for a high price.
'I'll try it out soon.'
In the first place, I had no intention of dealing with him with only Stone Skin.
I just wanted to know how effective I could be against a B-class demon with just my physical strength.
We have collected enough data.
at that time.
Han Sang-do's body disappeared from sight after using the stealth skill again.
Taehyun no longer has any regrets about hand-to-hand combat.
Used the skill Predation.
Tiring.
A message emerged with a cheerful sound.
[The unique skill Predation has been used. The target is determined based on the user's perception.]
Hahahahaha.
The light leaking from Taehyun's body.
Dark red magical power settled at the feet of Han Sang-do, who used Stealth.
This was not surprising, since we know that predation also has a detection function.
"What is this…?" You really have multiple skills... ."
Taehyun seems to be taken aback by his new skills.
Han Sang-do moved around to remove the magic power from under his feet.
However, Taehyun had no intention of waiting.
[Please select the part you want to feast on.]
Just like Bae Hyuk-soo, Han Sang-do's body was marked in red for each part.
'I have to leave the ring behind.'
All parts except the hand wearing the ring were designated as targets.
[Target has been selected. Predation begins.]
Crack.
The guy's feet were the first to be swallowed.
Then, the magic spread to the waist, chest, arms, and neck.
Quad deuk. Quad deuk. Quad deuk.
Han Sang-do, who lost his mobility, screamed and rolled around on the floor.
Taehyun looked at him indifferently.
Unlike Bae Hyuk-soo, he has already killed numerous civilians.
He was not the person to give unnecessary sympathy to.
It was confirmed through monsters that it is possible to eat an opponent's body depending on perception.
It would be no different from being human.
Quad deud deuk.
Han Sang-do's screams stopped only after his head was swallowed.
[Feasting has been completed. The skill is released.]
Tuk.
At the place where the predation is over.
There was only one arm left holding the sword.
"Whew~ persistent guy."
Taehyun took the skull ring from his hand and put it in his arms.
[A new skill has been registered.]
'Good.'
My fist clenched at the message I was waiting for.
I checked the status window again.
Name: Taehyun Kim
Age: 19
Grade: D
Strength: 13 Stamina: 16 Speed: 15 Horsepower: 20
Fatigue: 71%
Remaining horsepower: 5/20
[skill]
Predation (5%) – Can prey on the desired target. Magic power: 10
Stone Skin (D) – Can strengthen the body. Magic power: 3
Stealth (D) – You can hide your body. Magic Power: 5
Even though he feasted on a B-class awakened person, his experience level did not increase much.
'Is it because the grade went up? Or is it because it wasn't dead in the first place... .'
I couldn't be sure because all the riddles weren't solved.
I thought it was a truly arbitrary skill.
Nevertheless.
Thanks to the newly added skill 'Stealth', I didn't feel disappointed.
[Fatigue has exceeded 70%. Predation skill cannot be used. Cooldown time 28 minutes 49 seconds.]
Another part of the status window that has been upgraded and changed.
That's because the vague status window message has become a little more detailed.
He expended a lot of stamina while fighting with Han Sang-do.
Thanks to this, fatigue was high.
'This is enough.'
We achieved everything we wanted to achieve with this gate break.
Now it was time to move to where Jaeyoung was.
at that time.
Kwaang!!!
Something flew towards where Taehyun was and landed on him.
That something.
It didn't take much time to realize that I was human just a moment ago.
"shit!! "You monster!!"
"Ouch!! "My arm!!!"
"Don't block, avoid!"
Screams heard one after another.
Taehyun stuck his head out of the collapsed building.
"Krrr… human… Hiding… ."
"The ogre said... ?"
"This guy is half ogre!!"
"You have to run away! "We are no match for him!!"
Taehyun tilted his head as he watched the players scattering in confusion.
'Did the half-ogre also appear?'
A grade A monster, half ogre.
A monster that is treated as an evolved form of a C-grade ogre, along with the Giant Ogre.
He was a guy with not only strength but also great speed.
It is highly intelligent and has a high level of danger even among Class A monsters.
'There were definitely no articles about half-ogres.'
Wood-dud-dud-duk.
Meanwhile, another player collapsed and died.
If things continued like this, it seemed natural that the other two would also lose their lives.
'Shall I help you a little?'
Coincidentally, a skill useful for the current situation has also arrived.
The moment Taehyun makes up his mind.
Another player's skull was crushed.
[Skill stealth has been activated. The skill lasts for 5 minutes.]
Ssssss.
Taehyun's body was assimilated as if it were a part of the space.
* * *
"C'mon!!"
A B-grade player belonging to the Association.
A curse burst out of Jaejun Lee's mouth.
A grade A monster, the Giant Ogre.
I barely survived this guy, but this time it was an A-class monster, a half-ogre.
The giant ogre that broke the barrier was currently being played against A-rank player Ahn Hyun-soo.
Thanks to this, he joined forces with the dispatched players and focused on eradicating the spread of monsters and demons.
This much additional troops.
We should be able to block the gate break within an hour.
That's what I thought.
I said so.
Kwajangchang.
The barrier he had spread was helplessly broken.
Jaejun Lee swore once again.
B-class awakened person.
A B-grade player who passed the difficult association test.
The weight of two titles is not light.
Another Association player screamed right in front of me.
In his haste, he broke the guarding arm and his skull was shattered.
For a B-grade player who was recognized by the association, it was a meaningless death.
"Jenjaang!!!"
The half-ogre's red eyes turned to Lee Jae-jun.
The moment I blinked once.
The guy's fist, which had reached right in front of his nose, was pulled back with all his might.
'perishing… .'
The moment Jaejun Lee gave up everything.
Push shot.
Blood spurted from the half-ogre's shoulder.
The guy started looking around due to the sudden wound.
The same was true for Jaejun Lee, who was entranced.
'what… what?'
At that time, Half Ogre and Jaejun Lee were unable to understand the situation.
Phew.
Something sharp got stuck in the half-ogre's neck.
The moment the screaming guy twists his body.
Jaejun Lee could see clearly.
Someone's dagger stained with red blood.