Chapter 47 : Hunting Dogs
Chapter 47: Hunting Dogs
Having made his decision, Baek Woohyun stood firmly in place and threw his chain scythe high into the sky. High enough that he could barely hold onto the very end of the chain.
His target was the enemy hiding behind the wave. He intended to plant the scythe into the head of an enemy who mistakenly believed they were safe.
If it was the chain scythe that boasted superior range, it would be possible. Just like when he had severed Choi Hyeongcheol’s breath.
Kwagagagak-!
“─!”
Soon, with a thunderous roar, [Wave of Earth] crashed over Baek Woohyun. The wave composed of dirt, sand, and gravel pressed down on him with tremendous pressure.
What was fortunate was that this was inside a virtual reality game. Thanks to that, he was fine even though he should have received a shock that would normally crush his entire body.
Of course, while there was no pain, the pressure on his body remained the same, so he truly had to grit his teeth and continue his actions.
‘Now!’
While being swept away by [Wave of Earth], Baek Woohyun swung the arm he had raised upward.
The scythe that had soared as if to pierce the sky responded to his movement and plunged down like lightning.
Toward the defenseless crown of the enemy’s head.
“[Guardian Stone]!”
However, the enemy responded quickly, as befitting someone who claimed to be a veteran awakener. They crossed both arms in an X shape and activated a new supernatural ability technique.
A rock that instantly rose from the ground precisely blocked the chain scythe’s trajectory, and as a result, the scythe that would have originally pierced through the enemy’s crown merely ended up embedded in the rock.
At that moment when a twisted smile formed on the enemy’s lips, thinking they had blocked even this last desperate struggle.
Kwaak!
Baek Woohyun gripped the chain tightly and pulled his body out from within [Wave of Earth]. This was possible thanks to the scythe firmly embedded in [Guardian Stone] serving as an anchor.
His entire body became covered in blood from breaking through the wave made of dirt and gravel, but his eyes burned pure white. As if surviving was enough.
Using the chain as a lifeline, he ran across the top of the wave, and by the time the enemy whose vision was blocked by [Guardian Stone] noticed, he had already reached right before them.
“Eeek! [Rock Spi─”
The enemy awakener trying to attack Baek Woohyun again with [Rock Spike].
However, the distance that now existed between them was not a distance where that creature had the advantage. The price for overlooking that fact was severe.
Having approached past [Guardian Stone], Baek Woohyun thrust his military dagger before the new technique could even activate. The jet-black blade moved freely through the air.
The time it took for him to cut the tendons of both arms that the enemy instinctively raised, slice the carotid artery in the neck, and finally stab into the heart was truly an instant.
“Khuk!”
The enemy collapsed as if collapsing. Blood gushed out between the two hands clutching to stop the bleeding. It was the same appearance as their comrades who had been struck down earlier.
Baek Woohyun standing before them wasn’t unscathed either. Rather, he had more wounds. Unlike the enemy who was cut only exactly three times, his entire body was full of wounds.
But regardless, the victor was him. Although he might have more wounds, weren’t there truly none that were fatal? On the other hand, the opponent was dying in real-time due to massive bleeding from having their carotid artery cut.
“He struggled quite a bit toward the end, but Hackphysical ultimately won! Wow, even when enemies that should appear in the mid-game pop out at the beginning, he still claims victory!”
“He got through that slightly dangerous moment well and won. When [Wave of Earth] came rushing in, it was nerve-wracking. I wondered how he’d avoid that.”
“Actually, I didn’t expect him to endure with his body while counterattacking. Hackphysical must have done that because he had it all calculated!”
-He actually wins this ㄷㄷ
-The hunting dogs got cut down like dogs kekekeke
-Is this difficulty right for a first actual mission
-The starting conditions had no buffs from the beginning anyway
“Difficulty… This is just my prediction, but I think normal users could probably clear this by hiding and enduring together with Lee Yujin, or by finding an escape route avoiding those three. Not by killing all three like just now.”
“Hackphysical taking down three hunting dogs at this point in time is what’s abnormal.”
Seogeok!
“Haa-”
Having definitively severed the enemy’s breath, Baek Woohyun exhaled the breath he’d been holding.
A tingling sensation was felt throughout his body. If this were reality where pain reduction settings didn’t exist, it would certainly have been throbbing pain.
He frowned while clenching his blood-stained hand.
‘Even after taking out two by ambush, it’s this much.’
Baek Woohyun was quite unsatisfied, but actually speaking, it was remarkable that he killed three veteran awakeners with merely this degree of injury.
There existed that much of a spec difference between him who hadn’t even properly opened the second Core Element yet and veteran awakeners.
If he hadn’t exploited the enemies’ carelessness and mistakes, the one who would have become a corpse here would have been him.
‘Anyway, I won so that’s enough.’
“Phew-”
Walking unsteadily, Baek Woohyun rummaged through Choi Hyeongcheol’s pockets and pulled out a smartphone.
It wasn’t particularly with the intention of contacting the outside through the smartphone. He could have used his own smartphone for that in the first place.
Moreover, since no cell towers existed inside the Reverse World, contact with the outside was impossible anyway as it would show as out of service area.
Even so, the reason he took Choi Hyeongcheol’s smartphone was simple. To check the information that would be contained within it.
From something as minor as call records, to texts or emails, or even internet search history if nothing else—if he wanted to find it, there was truly much information he could obtain.
Having unlocked it through fingerprint recognition—with Choi Hyeongcheol himself’s involuntary consent—he carefully examined the smartphone.
“Hmm-”
Fortunately, the content he was looking for was discovered quickly.
It was a text message exchanged with someone presumed to be from Geumshin Electronics, containing content instructing them to carry out an operation since Lee Yujin and the target would be dispatched to the Reverse World.
Additionally, there were even additional instructions that they should preferably capture alive but could kill if it proved difficult.
‘So they were hunting dogs. Well, I expected as much from when I smelled blood.’
“What should I do…”
Baek Woohyun tapped the smartphone screen while falling into contemplation. It was a worry about how to handle this situation.
However, his thoughts didn’t continue for very long. This was because the conclusion was reached that the various methods that flashed through his mind would all be ineffective.
As far as he knew, binding a corporation with merely this level of evidence was impossible.
‘The text content can’t prove who sent it.’
If the personnel on Geumshin Electronics’ side weren’t idiots, they would have used a burner phone so tracking would be impossible.
Therefore, even if he confronted them using this as evidence, it would end at merely tarnishing their reputation somewhat for having employed the crime-committing Choi Hyeongcheol.
Even that would likely end up buried if the corporation side engaged in public opinion manipulation.
‘Rather than needlessly stirring the bushes and startling the snake, it’s better to leave them uncertain.’
Having made his decision, Baek Woohyun pocketed Choi Hyeongcheol’s smartphone. It was the thought that he might be able to use this someday even if not right now.
After that, he naturally rummaged through the corpses, wondering if there might be something worth taking since they were veteran awakeners after all.
Since this was work he had done often in ‘that place,’ his hands stripping items from corpses were extremely skilled.
After rummaging through not only Choi Hyeongcheol but also the enemy he fought until the end and the enemy he lured far away and killed, he was able to obtain various items.
A dagger, bracelet, and necklace respectively—the reason he picked up those things when normally he wouldn’t have been interested in trinkets was simple.
It was to examine them closely since he felt strange wavelengths from the three items.
‘What is this?’
[Sharp Dagger of Return]
[First effect: the blade’s cutting power slightly increases]
[Second effect: when thrown, it returns to the hand that threw it at the desired moment]
*[These effects only apply in PVE content]
‘This is-‘
Baek Woohyun examined the equipment information that appeared before his eyes with a serious gaze. This was content he had never seen in ‘that place.’
Of course, equipment imbued with special abilities wasn’t completely nonexistent in ‘that place’ either. There was equipment that flowed out from the Reverse World side or equipment made from materials from there.
However, those were extremely rare and difficult to obtain, and they didn’t explain effects precisely through system messages like this.
They merely speculated through research that such and such effects probably existed.
‘I knew that equipment here had different effects like a game should… but seeing it directly is fascinating.’
Upon calmly checking, the dagger had cutting power enhancement and return effect when thrown, the bracelet had supernatural ability technique power increase and cooldown reduction effects, and lastly the necklace had a <Shadow Storage> effect.
Although there was the limitation that all effects only applied to PVE content—that is, story missions, or Reverse World sweeps or boss subjugations—so what?
These would be able to play a major role in future fights. Especially in the case of the necklace, it would certainly be of great help immediately. Since he wouldn’t need to carry weapons bundled up everywhere.
‘I should look into them more closely later.’
Having put the two longswords he’d been wearing into <Shadow Storage>, Baek Woohyun surveyed his surroundings.
The sight of everything having become a complete mess due to [Wave of Earth] sweeping through came into view. Overturned ground, fallen trees, scattered rocks and all.
With this much, even a skilled tracker would find it difficult to obtain information about him.
Then there was one thing he had to do now.
The original reason for coming here—Reverse World sweep, that is.
“…Phew.”
The Reverse World sweep method was extremely simple.
He just had to act according to the dictionary meaning of the word sweep.
In other words, it meant killing and eliminating all enemies existing inside the Reverse World as soon as they were visible.
Kill normal entities, kill elite entities that appear rarely, and finally kill the boss entity that would pop out—that was Reverse World sweep.
=Kyaa?
=Kreuk, kreureuk
There were even creatures that came looking for their place to die just in time.
Insect monsters that gathered after hearing the commotion during battle.
They revealed killing intent toward Baek Woohyun, the only survivor of this place.
It was hostility that appeared even blind, but it wasn’t particularly strange. All insect monsters were creatures sent from another world for dimensional invasion.
Since they were creatures sent for war, no different from biological weapons, loading them with killing intent toward local lifeforms was an all too natural thing.
=Kyaaaaaak!
=Kreureuk!
Monsters with the appearance of grotesquely distorted various insects—mantises, bees, stag beetles, spiders, centipedes, and so on, though some weren’t insects!—came rushing.
Their momentum was so fierce and violent that an ordinary person would have flinched without realizing it. It was that horrific a sight.
However, what was unfortunate for them was the fact that their opponent was Baek Woohyun.
How could someone who had seen even more horrific and terrifying sights than this, and had even directly created them, be frightened by mere appearances?
“……”
With an indifferent expression, Baek Woohyun regripped his military dagger and leaped unhesitatingly among them. It was an action in which no fear or hesitation could be felt.
Only the boredom of one doing what must naturally be done existed.
=Kyaaaak!
Swaek!
The first to step forward was a mantis monster with forelegs as sharp as blades. The creature swung its forelegs with a sharp roar.
The forelegs cutting through the air seemed like they would cleave anything in two with their characteristic sharpness. It wasn’t simple exaggeration—that much momentum and power was truly contained within.
However, Baek Woohyun smoothly deflected such foreleg attacks. He merely twisted the flow gently with the blade of his military dagger.
Since the first attack became a grand miss, a gap naturally formed.
Baek Woohyun’s eyes gleamed as he thrust his military dagger. It was a strike aimed at the defenseless neck of the mantis monster.
Since he targeted between the hard carapace, the blade smoothly dug inside and tore the neck joint to shreds before the mantis monster could do anything.
=……! …!
The head of the mantis monster falling with a thud to the ground, emitting a soundless cry!
It was a horrific sight, but no being in this place paid it any mind. Not only Baek Woohyun but the other insect monsters as well.
Because the battle had only just begun, so there was no leisure to carefully observe the first casualty.