abcnovels
Chapter 44
Chapter 44
Chapter 44
Kang Jin-hyuk, who had prepared the scrolls, took them out from his inventory and placed them one by one on the ground.
He connected them in a straight line all the way to the exit to ensure that a proper chain reaction could occur, consuming a considerable number of scrolls in the process.
“How many have I used today?”
Counting the ones given to Jeong Dae-yun as well, he had burnt through forty scrolls, each costing 150,000 won, which totaled over 5 million won.
Although it was painful to see that much money vanish, Kang Jin-hyuk had gained a precious item that would be difficult to acquire even with money.
He swallowed his regret, thinking of it as sacrificing the small for the greater cause.
After setting a separate activation time on the last scroll,
Kang Jin-hyuk hurriedly made his way to the exit.
It was when he had distanced himself enough that a loud boom echoed from below, shaking the ground like a minor earthquake.
“Whoa.”
If the shock from the thick-walled basement was seeping out, the facilities down there must have been reduced to dust along with the corpses of their creators.
“Now that I’ve dealt with the Alraune, there’s no way for the Hwandan to be created.”
To create Hwandan, the honey and pollen from the Alraune’s flower were absolutely necessary.
Moreover, according to Lucia, the Alraune only bloomed once every five years.
If this opportunity was missed, it would be as if the Tyrant would have no next chance.
They wouldn’t actually have the chance to look for a new Alraune.
Kang Jin-hyuk quickly ran to the location where he had heard Jeong Dae-yun’s directions and found the Alraune huddled in leaves, covering itself.
Sensing his presence, the Alraune slightly lifted its head and turned to look towards the source of the sound.
The Alraune, resembling a young woman, showed its true monstrous form the moment it spotted Kang Jin-hyuk.
“Shaaaaa!”
Numerous vines sprang from its head, stretching out and targeting Kang Jin-hyuk’s limbs.
Despite the situation where vines capable of piercing through armor were rushing at him from all sides, Kang Jin-hyuk remained calm.
He focused on the figure of a lightning bolt in his mind while aiming the bat at Alraune.
Crackle!
The blue flash of lightning surged out, turning the Alraune’s vines into ashes in an instant.
“Shiiik?!”
The Alraune displayed a panicked expression as its most trusted weapons were incinerated by the lightning.
Until now, the humans it had encountered were either friendly or those offered as prey.
Was there another human with such clear hostility towards it?
The Alraune suddenly recalled Jeong Dae-yun, who had attempted to set it ablaze.
“Shiiiiik!!”
Just like then, it thought it could call other humans to surround him. The Alraune let out a fierce cry.
However, no one came to help, no matter how much the Alraune screamed.
While wasting time on pointless antics, Kang Jin-hyuk had approached even closer.
“Whatever you’re trying to do, you should just give up.”
The moment he entered range, Kang Jin-hyuk swung the bat down vertically.
The Alraune attempted to block the falling bat with layers of vines piled on top.
But before the red aura-wrapped baseball bat, its durability was less than cardboard.
Eventually, more than half of Alraune’s body was crushed along with the vines, and it let out a horrifying scream.
“Gyaaaah!!!”
Kang Jin-hyuk frowned instinctively at the sound that was almost like splitting wood.
It was utterly ridiculous for a flower that grew by consuming humans to scream like a person.
While striking down with the bat to stop the Alraune’s screams, he simultaneously unleashed lightning.
Crushing its entire body and setting it ablaze with lightning, there was no way the Alraune, which had grown without a single hunt, would withstand such an attack.
The once blackened Alraune let out a soft groan before going limp.
“……”
From the remains of the Alraune’s corpse, Kang Jin-hyuk discovered something shimmering.
[You have obtained a material item.]
The item he picked up was a metallic object about the size of a handball.
Even through appraisal, all the information displayed as ‘???’, unable to recognize its identity.
“It seems I need a more specialized appraisal skill.”
Among material-type items, there were occasionally items whose identities couldn’t be verified with just standard appraisal skills.
To uncover such items’ true nature, it was necessary to consult someone with a production-oriented profession, like a blacksmith or an alchemist.
Kang Jin-hyuk thought it would be best to hand it over to a dwarf since it looked like a metal material.
“What a coincidence; I also need to prepare a gift for the uncle.”
After stowing the item in his inventory, Kang Jin-hyuk turned his gaze towards the empty air.
At a glance, it seemed like everything had come to an end.
However, Kang Jin-hyuk did not relax his vigilance.
The ‘Presence Detection’ ability enchanted onto the baseball bat by the dwarf had alerted him to a concealed presence.
Aiming the tip of the bat towards where his attention was drawn, Kang Jin-hyuk issued a warning.
“If you don’t want to end up like this monster, you should come out now.”
To someone else, he might have looked like a fool talking to himself.
Yet, he was clearly aware that someone was hiding in sight.
“Tch.”
With a click of his tongue, Yoon Song-ho revealed himself, having been masked in a black face-covering and uncloaked his stealth skill.
He had been hiding in stealth until Kang Jin-hyuk captured the Alraune.
The figure was the assassin who had ambushed Kang Jin-hyuk in front of his house.
“When did you notice?”
“Since you followed me through the barrier.”
“So, that time when I exchanged glances with the archer girl wasn’t a coincidence after all.”
Yoon Song-ho realized that Lucia’s apparent inaction had been deliberate.
But it didn’t matter.
He intended to reveal his identity right then and there.
Whatever Kang Jin-hyuk had up his sleeve, it didn’t matter as long as he could take his life.
“I wanted to kill you without you noticing, but it seems I have no choice now.”
Yoon Song-ho continued, insisting that the outcome would remain the same despite the slight alteration in process.
“Now that you’ve collected Hwandan and taken down the Alraune, you’re of no use to me anymore.”
“Collected Hwandan? That I have it secured.”
“If I kill you, it becomes mine anyway. It’s the same difference.”
“What a pathetic rationale.”
Yoon Song-ho made no move until Kang Jin-hyuk took his stance.
Although it was unexpected that he’d noticed the stealth, such a minor slip was nothing but a trivial hiccup for an assassin.
‘He’s not an ordinary C-rank hunter…’
Yoon Song-ho recalled the display of skills Kang Jin-hyuk had showcased when he ambushed him at his doorstep.
Despite having the class of a cleric, which wasn’t strong in combat, his actions had proven to be faster and more dangerous than anticipated.
‘But no matter, he’s still nothing more than a flea.’
Yoon Song-ho had slain many hunters before, even those who possessed capabilities on par with Kang Jin-hyuk.
Such individuals would only cause him slight issues at the beginning.
Once their incapacity was revealed, they would become no different from anyone else.
Yoon Song-ho resolved to make Kang Jin-hyuk feel the difference in experience as he secretly readied his attack.
“I’m different from the guys you’ve battled until now.”
“Oh yes, yes. How commendable.”
Pretending to clean his ears, Kang Jin-hyuk dismissed the threats with trivial insults, making Yoon Song-ho furious.
“What gives you the courage to talk so boldly when you’re not even with that cursed archer anymore?”
“If you’re curious, why not confirm it yourself?”
Kang Jin-hyuk winked his finger, baiting the assassin into attack.
It was quite a cliché provocation, yet it proved effective.
“……If you want to die so badly, I’ll grant you your wish.”
Yoon Song-ho’s lighthearted demeanor shifted 180 degrees.
His gaze, sharp as a snake preparing to strike, scanned Kang Jin-hyuk thoroughly.
Hiding his fangs, Yoon Song-ho instantly cloaked himself, planning to launch an attack unexpectedly.
Kang Jin-hyuk was quick to grasp that Yoon Song-ho had vanished not because of his stealth, but because he had moved with unsettling speed.
Vibrant dust kicked up from where Yoon Song-ho had been, a testament to his rapid movements.
He took advantage of shallow spots in visibility to maneuver swiftly, creating the illusion that he had vanished from sight.
‘He has guts to act so cocky.’
Without the Presence Detection skill, Kang Jin-hyuk might have faced a grim fate like fellow hunters who fell all around.
“Where are you!?”
Kang Jin-hyuk swung the baseball bat towards Yoon Song-ho, who was targeting his flank.
The bat swung in an arc, colliding with Yoon Song-ho’s dagger, and sparks flew in all directions.
“Ugh!”
Overpowered, Yoon Song-ho retreated, having abandoned his approach.
“What an absurd occurrence!”
Yoon Song-ho was shocked, not only because Kang Jin-hyuk had successfully defended against his assault but more from realizing that a mere baseball bat had shattered his dagger.
Though he had come across hunters who could stop his attacks, none had broken his weapon until now.
“How on earth did you manage to do that with such a poorly made weapon?”
Yoon Song-ho’s dagger was a rare item, gifted to him by his organization based on trust and achievements.
It had also been directly enhanced with abilities of ‘Durability B’ to become one of the finest items.
A baseball bat made of aluminum should have easily shattered under similar circumstances.
“What are you mumbling about? Not going to attack?”
Kang Jin-hyuk, unwilling to waste time, advanced toward Yoon Song-ho as he hesitated.
“Ah?”
Yoon Song-ho let out a surprised sound as Kang Jin-hyuk bested the fifteen-meter distance in a split second.
“You arrogant little brat!”
Despite that, Yoon Song-ho soon regained composure, an expert assassin at heart.
He produced a new dagger, ready to counterattack against Kang Jin-hyuk.
With no hesitation, he clashed once more against the bat.
The clash of metal echoed throughout, with Kang Jin-hyuk’s bat soaring above Yoon Song-ho’s dagger in sheer force.
As they struggled, it became apparent Yoon Song-ho was the first to buckle under pressure.
“Strength is indeed your strong point; I can see that.”
In a berserker’s state, strength only enhanced as sanity dwindled; this was wisdom Kang Jin-hyuk had learned.
If Ha Jin-hwan’s strength was dwarfed by Alraune’s elixir, the increasing madness in Baek Jin-wook would likely yield overwhelming dominance.
“Come on! Strike me!”
With his senses sharpening, Kang Jin-hyuk readied his bat for another swing.
Despite the pressing threat, he needed to remain focused on the battle at hand.
“Don’t let them kill the magicians!”
“Stop!”
If the magicians fell, it would lead Titan down a road to ruin.
Hastily working calculations in his mind amid chaos, Han Young-seok soon resolved to take robust measures.
Yet he kept his resolve grounded, determined to face Yoon Song-ho and not let him escape from his immediate sight.
“If you truly believe you can take me down, then come at me!”
Yoon Song-ho readied the blade to catch Kang Jin-hyuk off guard, eyes reflecting sheer determination.
“Where are you hiding?”
Kang Jin-hyuk swept at shadows to find Yoon Song-ho.
As each calculated movement would mean one misstep closer to caution, he maintained complete focus, swimming through layers of action.
As Kang Jin-hyuk unleashed his next attack, he felt Yoon Song-ho silently backup, ensuring the deadliness.
Just as Yoon Song-ho had finally decided to attack, Kang Jin-hyuk could not hold back an eager smile.
Launching forward, he swung with all the accuracy of his bat, a precise aim directed toward Yoon Song-ho’s exposed region, meant to sandwich blows wide as a shield.