Solo Resurrection

Chapter 68

Chapter 68 – A Humiliating Defeat(1)

“Save the Guild Master!”

“Waaah!”

“Die, enemies of Park Se-hyeon!”

Kang Hyeon looked in the direction of the voice. Then he saw the guild members.

All the members of the Badass Guild were running towards them, shouting battle cries.

Seeing this, the faces of the enemies showed bewilderment.

“Grr…”

Seon Yeon-ho, whose flesh had been carved away to the point where his skull was clearly visible, staggered to his feet.

“What are you doing? Kill them all!”

He didn’t think the situation would change just because a few weaklings rushed in.

Even if it did change, it didn’t matter.

The choice would be the same.

There was no escape.

It was better to die than to fail the mission.

“Fight them as if each one is me!”

Kang Hyeon warned the guild members as he rushed towards Seon Yeon-ho.

“Uaah!”

The situation quickly turned into a melee.

But contrary to Kang Hyeon’s worries, the guild members were performing quite well.

The sparring they had done against Kang Hyeon until now was paying off.

The current enemies were martial artists like Kang Hyeon. No, they were physical fighters based on overwhelming physical abilities.

“After blocking an attack, get away immediately!”

For those who had fought Kang Hyeon to the point of nausea, enemies with weaker physical abilities than Kang Hyeon seemed relatively easy opponents.

“What are these guys? This is a new kind of fun! Hahaha!”

An Yu-seong was still the same, and

-Swish, swish

“Urgh!”

Shin Seong-a, as always, coordinated the battle from an unseen location.

“Well, well…”

As the usual scene unfolded, a strange sense of relief washed over Kang Hyeon.

Kang Hyeon, who had always thought he was alone after passing the tutorial.

He had no choice but to admit that he had been relying on these people without even realizing it.

“Uaah! Let’s finish this quickly and have a beef party, guys!”

***

Ippotranslation

***

The battle ended one-sidedly.

The already exhausted enemies couldn’t handle the guild members directly trained by Kang Hyeon and An Yu-seong.

-You’ll surely regret this. We are the protectors of humanity…!

-What nonsense are you spouting in front of members from the Guardian Guild?

Seon Yeon-ho lamented until the end.

Screaming and struggling, he finally quieted down only after his head was turned to mush.

“Somehow, every day is getting harder.”

“That’s how life is.”

“Tch, acting like you know…”

Shin Seong-a smiled faintly at Kang Hyeon’s words.

“By the way, how did you know to come here?”

“With all this commotion, wouldn’t it be harder not to know?”

“Ah, I guess so.”

But the distance from here to the guild office was quite far. Even if they had heard the news and rushed over immediately, it would have been impossible time-wise.

“Even so, didn’t you come too quickly? And with all the guild members too.”

“Actually, An Yu-seong told us in advance.”

“Huh? What did he say?”

“That Kang Hyeon would be in danger.”

Kang Hyeon looked at An Yu-seong upon hearing Shin Seong-a’s words.

“I just told Older sister that I had a bad feeling when she said she was worried. It was Older sister who brought all the guild members here.”

He didn’t quite understand, but it seemed that with the help of Shin Seong-a and An Yu-seong, they had come all the way here.

“Thank you. All of you.”

Kang Hyeon suddenly felt a lump in his throat.

He had thought they were just a ragtag group, an organization for mutual benefit.

But these people were reliable comrades who rushed over in one breath for his sake.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know you all thought of me this much. Let’s do well together from now on.”

Kang Hyeon rubbed the bridge of his nose with an embarrassed expression.

“Ugh. Hyeon, that’s disgusting.”

“Kang Hyepn. Did you hit your head?”

“…”

As always, the harmonious atmosphere didn’t last more than 10 seconds.

“Alright… Alright. Shit.”

“…”

“What are you looking at!?”

Even the guild members who had just joined were openly looking at him with strange expressions.

‘It’s my fault for expecting…’

Shaking his head, Kang Hyeon suddenly remembered that he had received a phone call.

“Where’s my phone?”

Fortunately, the smartphone was safe.

The custom-made special safety case had done its job well even in the midst of the melee.

[16 missed calls]

[Team Leader Shin Tae-gil]

[Team Leader Shin Tae-gil]

?

[Team Leader Shin Tae-gil]

The missed calls at one-minute intervals even gave a sense of strange obsession.

‘What’s wrong with this guy?’

As soon as he called, Shin Tae-gil shouted without preamble.

-Kang Hyeon! Why are you answering the phone only now?!

“I was busy. But are you always this obsessive? There are over ten missed calls.”

-This is no time for jokes. Kang Hyeon. It’s an emergency situation.

“I was in a pretty damn emergency situation until just now too.”

-Please, I beg you. It’s really a crisis situation.

Kang Hyeon nodded at Shin Tae-gil’s desperate voice.

“Okay. Tell me.”

-Kang Hyeon.

“Yes.”

-Come to the martial law headquarters right now!

“No.”

It was a sharp answer without a moment’s hesitation.

-This is no time for jokes…

“I’m not joking! I just had a fight with some drug addicts, you know? I’m just about to die… I don’t even have the strength to move.”

Kang Hyeon then explained the situation up to now.

The first meeting with Seon Yeon-ho.

How he suddenly wanted to meet him again.

That they were drug users.

And even about the side effects of the drug.

-Hmm, so such an important thing happened.

Shin Tae-gil said in a serious voice after hearing the whole story.

-I understand for now. I’ll contact you again.

“You said it was urgent. Can I not come?”

-Will you come?

“No.”

-You, you bas…!

Shin Tae-gil, who was about to say something in excitement, sighed.

“Bas?”

-Haa… It’s nothing. I’ll contact you again.

“Heheh. Okay. Good work.”

Kang Hyeon laughed triumphantly as he ended the call.

“Is something wrong?”

“No.”

“It seemed to be Team Leader Shin Tae-gil…”

“Yeah, he’s been so prickly lately, so I taught him a lesson.”

“I see.”

Kang Hyeon didn’t know.

How much Shin Tae-gil, who couldn’t call anyone in the end, was sweating to resolve the situation.

***

Ippotranslation

***

The next day.

-Tap, tap, tap…

Kang Hyeon, sitting in the guild office, tapped on the table.

-Tap, tap…

“Do you have something on your mind?”

Shin Seong-a, who was designing a new jacket nearby, looked at Kang Hyeon.

“I need new strength.”

“Pardon?”

“New strength, I mean.”

Yesterday’s fight had made Kang Hyeon realize something.

‘I’m still weak.’

Objectively, Kang Hyeon’s stats are top-tier. Add to that various buff skills, and it could be said that his numbers are truly overwhelming.

“Aren’t you already strong enough, Kang Hyeon?”

“No. Right now, I’m just a brute fighter with nothing but strength and toughness.”

This was Kang Hyeon’s concern.

At some point, Kang Hyeon had been resolving all fights with overwhelming physicality.

But when he met an opponent with poor compatibility or similar physical abilities, he keenly felt his limitations.

“Hmm… Then is there something specific you want?”

“I don’t know. Maybe I should seriously learn swordsmanship.”

After the initial stages, Kang Hyeon hadn’t practiced swordsmanship separately. He had only honed his senses through actual combat and resolved with strength what he couldn’t with technique.

“Or maybe more diverse skills…”

“Aren’t you always short on magic?”

“That’s true.”

All of Kang Hyeon’s magic always goes into recovering his body that’s being destroyed by ‘Wayne’s Secret Technique’. Therefore, even if he had other skills, there would inevitably be limitations in utilizing them.

“In the end, I need to improve my technical abilities.”

“Yes.”

“How do I increase my technical abilities?”

“…”

“It’s not like my swordsmanship rank will go up just by attending a kendo dojo, you know.”

“If you practice…”

“How long would it take to get stronger just by swinging a sword in the air? It’d be more efficient to level up by running dungeons in that time.”

“Hmm…”

Kang Hyeon and Shin Seong-a continued to ponder with their arms crossed, but they couldn’t see an answer at all.

“I think it’s best to learn after all.”

“From whom?”

“That guy over there.”

Kang Hyeon nodded towards a spot.

Shin Seong-a turned her head to see An Yu-seong, who was playing by throwing daggers.

“You mean An Yu-seong?”

“Yeah. I hate to admit it, but that guy’s a natural talent. He was born with a sense for combat.”

“That’s right.”

“So I should spar with him. Maybe I’ll learn something too.”

Kang Hyeon stood up from his seat.

“Hey.”

“What?”

“Let’s have a match.”

“Suddenly?”

“Yeah. But no skills, no buffs.”

“Sounds boring…”

An Yu-seong openly showed a bored expression at Kang Hyeon’s words.

“What’s with you? You usually rush in like a mad dog when it comes to fighting.”

“Without your skills, you’re weak, Kang Hyeon. You’re no match for me.”

“What did you say, you little…?”

For a moment, sparks flew from Kang Hyeon’s eyes.

Those sitting in the guild office watched the sudden tension between the two with interested eyes.

“It’s the truth, isn’t it? Without relying on your stats, do you think you can beat me?”

“Of course I can!”

“Turn off your body regeneration skill too.”

“Umm…”

Kang Hyeon’s face clouded with bewilderment at the request to not use ‘Advanced Body Regeneration’.

“We won’t know until we try!”

“Well… Then let’s make a bet if we’re going to spar.”

“What kind of bet?”

“If I win, I get to make and sell figurines of you as I please.”

“Figurines…?”

“Yes. Figurines. Hehehe.”

An Yu-seong chuckled with an evil smile.

“Fine. But if I win?”

“If you win, I’ll cancel the sale of your figurines and compensate the expected profit from my own pocket. At least double the amount.”

“Deal. You’re dead. Follow me to the rooftop.”

***

Ippotranslation

***

A lonely autumn wind blew over the rooftop of the building.

Brushing back his hair fluttering in the wind, Kang Hyeon picked up an ordinary longsword.

“Are you ready?”

“Of course.”

Across from him, An Yu-seong also smiled and drew his sword.

“Why a sword?”

“This is enough.”

“No complaining later.”

“Of course not.”

About a dozen guild members watched the scene.

Their faces were flushed with anticipation for the upcoming battle.

“Hrm, sniff!”

Among them, Han Jae-moon in particular was in an excited state, his nostrils flaring.

“There are two rules,” said Shin Seong-a, acting as the referee in the middle, holding up her fingers.

“One. No use of skills or equipment except for the longsword.”

“…”

“Two. Do not take each other’s lives.”

“Okay.”

Kang Hyeon and An Yu-seong answered with confident voices.

“Then, assuming you understand, let’s begin. Fight!”

As soon as Shin Seong-a’s somewhat excited shout burst out, Kang Hyeon kicked off the ground and leapt forward.

‘Even without buffs, my stats are advantageous.’

Even with all items and skills removed, Kang Hyeon’s base stats were extremely high.

Moreover, since his level was higher than An Yu-seong’s, there was no way he would lose in terms of stats.

“Haap!”

As Kang Hyeon approached An Yu-seong, he swung his sword along the path he had swung tens of thousands of times before. However, unlike before, the sword futilely cut through the air.

“Who would get hit by such a clumsy swing?”

“Not over yet, you!”

Undeterred by the miss, Kang Hyeon swung his sword again.

-Whoosh, clang. Clang, clang, clang!

Sword strikes swung more than five times per second.

The onlookers let out light exclamations.

“Even without equipment and buffs, he seems similar to us now?”

“Yeah. His stats alone are really overpowered, for sure.”

Sparks flew in all directions each time Kang Hyeon and An Yu-seong’s swords met.

Under Kang Hyeon’s relentless onslaught, An Yu-seong was barely able to defend.

“You were so confident earlier, what happened?”

“Is this all you’ve got?”

“What?”

“It’s too boring. Heh. I think I can do this while playing around.”

“You bastard…!”

At that moment, An Yu-seong deflected the incoming sword at an angle and quickly dove into Kang Hyeon’s embrace.

‘You dare to engage in close combat?’

Kang Hyeon was irritated by An Yu-seong’s offensive. Hand-to-hand combat was something Kang Hyeon was even more confident in than swordsmanship.

“Haap!”

As An Yu-seong dove into his embrace,

Kang Hyeon, unfazed, launched a knee kick at his face.

-Thud

However, An Yu-seong, as if anticipating it, twisted his body to avoid the knee.

Then he grabbed Kang Hyeon’s neck with one hand.

“Going for wrestling techniques!”

“Huh?”

Though lower than Kang Hyeon’s, An Yu-seong’s stats were by no means inferior.

With strength over 20, lifting a person with one arm posed no problem.

“Chokeslam!”

An Yu-seong lifted Kang Hyeon and then slammed him back down to the floor.

In an instant, Kang Hyeon’s vision flipped.

‘This is…’

The Undertaker’s finishing move he had seen in wrestling as a child.

The chokeslam.

The memory of his younger self running around the living room in excitement whenever the Undertaker used that move flashed before his eyes.

-Crash!

“Cough!”

Slammed head-first onto the rooftop floor, Kang Hyeon couldn’t regain his senses due to the concussion.

“You can’t see me!”

-Wham

An Yu-seong’s fist drop came down in that gap!

Kang Hyeon’s face, colliding with An Yu-seong’s solid fist, was momentarily deeply caved in.

“Arghhhh! Are you messing around?!”

Kang Hyeon, enraged by An Yu-seong’s playful attack, lashed out.

“You’re dead!”

The moment the highly agitated Kang Hyeon got up,

“RKO!”

An Yu-seong, who had been running towards him, grabbed Kang Hyeon’s head and slammed it down to the floor again.

-Crash!

A loud noise rang out as the cement floor cracked upon impact with Kang Hyeon’s head.

“Ugh… Uh…”

Having hit his head hard three times in quick succession, Kang Hyeon couldn’t regain his senses.

‘I can’t, I can’t recover.’

Normally, he would have used a skill to recover from the concussion and regain his senses, but he couldn’t use them now.

Experiencing prolonged dizziness for the first time in a while, Kang Hyeon felt nauseous.

“Hup, pounding, pounding, pounding!”

Riding that momentum, An Yu-seong mounted Kang Hyeon and threw punches incessantly.

“Hey… Shouldn’t we stop this?”

“Leave it. Why would you want to get involved and risk getting hurt?”

“Besides, he’s always been the one beating others. Isn’t it kind of satisfying to see him get beaten like this?”

“Hmm, it certainly is.”

Even in the midst of being punched senseless, the guild members’ conversation pierced Kang Hyeon’s ears with strange clarity.

“Hahaha! Kang Hyeon, are you just going to keep lying there like this?”

-Thud, thud, thud, thud!

Kang Hyeon neither thought of pushing An Yu-seong away nor putting up his guard, defenseless against the punches.

“Ah, boring. Let’s end this now.”

An Yu-seong, his hands covered in blood, sighed and then pressed down on Kang Hyeon’s body.

“Referee, countdown!”

At his shout, Shin Seong-a ran over and slapped the ground hard.

“One!”

“Two!”

“Three! Ding ding ding, the match is over.”

“Hurray! I won.”

An Yu-seong raised both arms high and cheerfully shouted in victory.

-Clap clap clap clap!

The others applauded vigorously at the sight.

‘You fucking bastards… just you wait.’