Episode 114. Scavenger (3)
Lee Hyun-seung’s weapons began to dance as if they had minds of their own. Thanks to his fundamental characteristic, he could maintain his no.1 position as a solo hunter without belonging to a guild or teaming up with a party.
A force that looked similar to the Mirage I use, but on a different level. Hundreds of rays of light raged violently, wiping out everything in sight.
“This is… tough!”
One of the five Returnees shouted. As soon as I saw his face, memories of my past life came to my mind.
James from England. He could make invisible, intangible barriers and specialized in using telekinesis to move nearby objects as he pleased. Of the Five Kings, he was the shield.
As soon as I remembered his information, I immediately poked Lee Jin-woo in the ribs and said.
“That guy. Aim for him first.”
“That guy? No. I shot him already, but it didn’t work.”
“It didn’t work?”
“Yeah. I definitely penetrated his forehead, but he was fine. Which is impossible for a human being…….”
‘Shot in the forehead, but he’s okay?’
“Then aim for the heart next time.”
“What?”
“If the heart doesn’t work either, target every vital body part you know. They lived in another world for a tremendous amount of time and constantly reconstructed their bodies to become stronger. You’re the only one who can penetrate that barrier to attack them.”
“…….”
Lee Jin-woo closed his mouth.
“…Okay. Just draw their attention away from me. If they are aware of me, First-strike Victory might not work properly. Keep them distracted until they are oblivious of my presence.”
“Okay.”
I nodded. Lee Jin-woo was holding a pistol, but he now took out a large bow from his coat.
Ta-dat!
Lee Jin-woo ran to the back and moved in search of a blind spot. Once out of sight and away from the subconscious, First-strike Victory becomes activated again. We needed Lee Jin-woo to get rid of that annoying barrier.
I looked back at the front.
‘…Well, I did say okay.’
It was a total mess.
‘But even without me, they look distracted enough.’
“I said, get─out!”
I couldn’t tell if Seol Ah-rin had regained her memory or if her trauma had been triggered, but she was on a rampage with her configured weapons.
Countless bullets rained on the barrier, pounding on it, and the five Returnees standing beyond it could not dare to move. Cold weapons and modern firearms rained down. The collaboration between Lee Hyun-seung and Seol Ah-rin was quite fantastic.
I wondered how disastrous it would have been if they weren’t on my team.
“Hm… Well, I should get started.”
Five rays of light rose from the back of my hand. The shining lights flew like grains of dust, and soon, they flew in and rammed the barrier, drawing beautiful trajectories.
And as soon as my Mirage hit the barrier, I could tell. No monster that I fought had a shell as hard as this. I lacked basic specs. The solid barrier felt like an iron fortress.
[Use what you learned. Two of your sides are already hammering mindlessly, so wouldn’t it be better if you use your head?]
‘I was going to, anyway.’
Ta-dat!
As soon as I heard what the Traveler said, I sprinted on the ground. At the same time, a faint amount of Ki swirled in the palm of my hand. The energy of Moorim that was different from mana and could destroy things from the inside.
Using the momentum, I bent my elbow and hit the barrier once. It bounced out due to the strong repelling force, and I couldn’t help but frown. Yeah, that’s not going to work.
“Huh…!”
I heard Lee Jin-woo groan from behind. Was he drawing the bow? Until First-strike Victory was reactivated, I had to agitate them as much as I could.
There were five powerful men. Only one of them was using their strength entirely, and the other four were standing still, observing the situation.
They were underestimating us. They had been praised as rulers, kings, and emperors in different worlds, and they had their guards down. If we didn’t go after them now, it would be tough to kill those tenacious survivors. We had to get rid of at least one of them. Or at least cause severe damage.
Boom!
The next moment, a sound burst out that was different from when I reached out with my arm. My Ki hit a deeper part of the barrier, not the outer surface.
The elaborately weaved transparent wall became somewhat distorted. I could feel the blow. It was a Mugong meant to destroy the Danjeon and inner organs of Moorim warriors, whose skins were rock solid. The moment I saw this technique from the Spirit of Moorim, I thought it would be useful when fighting someone too strong for me to handle.
[‘Link’ is activated.]
I recalled the faint memory further, bringing in the technique, not the force. The clumsy movements begin to flow smoothly together, and the consequent attack directly targets the Returnees beyond the barrier.
So, you guys were rulers of other worlds? Then see if you can take this attack as well. I’ve learned dozens and hundreds of skills from other worlds that you use.
One world versus dozens of worlds.
The difference was obvious.
Thud… Thwack!
It wasn’t just martial arts. Numerous techniques and experiences accumulated in my body instinctively delve into the barrier. The perspective of an Analyst, the intuition of a Moorim warrior, the insight of a wizard, and the vigor of a fighter.
Jeong Si-woo, the hunter created by the Akashic Records, can move actively and effectively against any enemy. I was developed and honed over a short period and had become the most perfect weapon I knew.
[Good, you’re doing well.]
The originally unscathed barrier became crushed out of shape.
“……!”
The face of the Returnee casting the barrier stiffened. He looked surprised and bewildered, as if he couldn’t believe it. So did the four others standing nearby. Their carelessness provided an opportunity to turn the tables.
“What did you just….”
All eyes were on me. And at that moment.
“Si-woo, lower your head!”
Lee Jin-woo, who was aiming for the right moment, shouted.
He’s good at catching the right moment like this. I don’t have to tell him. I lowered myself as if I were falling to the ground. A sliver of light passed over my head.
It was an attack more powerful and threatening than anything Lee Jin-woo had shown me before. An object too thick to be called an arrow flew through the air, containing the force of a storm.
The blue mana was so compressed that it looked dark purple. The arrow, strung the well-constructed fortress and flew towards the person standing beyond it.
“What…!”
Smash!
And the barriers that were so solid broke like glass windows. They broke into pieces and pieces. It was the perfect timing. A dagger that could pierce through anything once. Lee Jin-woo was a skillful sniper.
“That’s dangerous, stop it─!”
One of the four Returnees that was standing still moved hastily. The weapon hanging from his waist was pulled out of its sheath and exposed. The pitch-black giant sword flew upward, causing a violent gust of wind. The man wearing a red mask stuck the giant sword in his hand into the trajectory of the flying arrow.
“Hmmph!”
However, Lee Jin-woo’s characteristic was not that easy to deal with.
-First-strike Victory-
If Lee Jin-woo attacks first, no one can stop his blow. At this very moment, Lee Jin-woo’s attack was the perfect full-stop to the end of a messy fight.
The giant sword that looked solid broke down. And the arrow still flew through the pitch-black sword fragments scattered about. The tip of the sharp arrow ultimately ripped through the Returnee’s chest, right where the heart was.
“…Wow.”
Seol Ah-rin, who was very agitated, unconsciously expressed her admiration.
“That’s awesome. You are a pretty great kid. Heh heh.”
She smiled and spoke foolishly. But Lee Jin-woo didn’t even seem to have the energy to answer.
“No, I’m not. You’re the awesome one…….”
Lee Jin-woo, who was breathing hard, collapsed on the spot. Even Zhang Wei’s healing failed. He seemed to have exhausted his energy. But no one there was able to take care of Lee Jin-woo.
“Ugh… Aargh. Ah… Aaaarghh!”
The Returnee, who was said to be fine when he was hit in the head, grasped his chest and coughed up blood. He had been severely hurt. There were a lot of Returnees who reconstructed their bodies into monsters-like forms. But they couldn’t completely change their fundamental vital parts.
In some cases, they rearranged their organs or changed the shape of their bones and muscles. But either their head or chest always remained a vital point. In this case, the heart seemed to be it.
“Ugh… what…”
Looking at the Returnee writhing in pain, the man who swung the giant sword groaned. He also collapsed on the ground after his weapon’s destruction.
Swoosh.
Kwa-Gwa-Gwa-Gwak!
“……!”
And numerous weapons lodged themselves around the man struggling on the ground. Countless weapons intertwined to create a prison. He lay helplessly, unable to move.
“Get James; we’ll retreat for now.”
“Damn it. Let your guard down once, and this happens? Reminds me of the -Great War-. I never thought I’d go through something like this on Earth.”
“You shouldn’t let your guard down ever. Lee! Get out of those weapons and join us quickly! We’re leaving right now!”
The Returnees hurried. They were on the verge of losing two of the Five Kings.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
And the strongest and most relentless hunter here.
The predator, whose sharp incisors never let go of their prey ever since he started hunting, trampled the fallen Returnee Lee’s chest.
“You’re going to give us information. The rest of you can go. I’m going to tear all of you apart soon anyway.”
Lee Hyun-seung. The owner of the weapons roaming the sky declared menacingly.
-Scavenger-
There was no way the strongest man was missing his catch.
“Ugh…Ughhhh…”.”
Trampled by Lee Hyun-seung, Lee struggled wildly. But Lee Hyun-seung did not budge, and he slowly reached down and grabbed the mask covering Lee’s face. Then, he pulled.
The red mask hung on the tip of Lee Hyun-seung’s hand and came up. First, I could see the thick hair that was hidden. Long brown hair that came down to the shoulders. I could see large eyes and beautiful features through the hair.
“……!”
That moment, Lee Hyun-seung’s body trembled. And a gap opened in the previously airtight prison of weapons.
“Huh!”
Crack!
Lee pulled out a sword stuck in the ground and swung it. Lee Hyun-seung hesitatingly stepped backward, and Lee rolled on the ground and escaped.
“Hurry up!”
As she grabbed the hand of the Returnee who was preparing something, the Five Kings disappeared.
“…….”
We had lost the prey we had captured.
“…Ah.”
“Mr. Lee Hyun-seung.”
I couldn’t believe it. Lee Hyun-seung made a mistake. Was it because she was a woman? No. He wasn’t someone who was swayed by such a thing. He was a righteous man who could do anything to protect humankind. But why the hell did he let her go?
“Why did you hesitate? We could have finished one off!”
I unconsciously raised my voice. Lee Hyun-seung didn’t express dislike at my yelling, nor did he attempt to make excuses. Instead, he stood still for a while and then muttered helplessly.
“…Why is she there?”
“What?”
“No, no, I’m sorry. My mistake made matters worse. I missed my chance. It’s all my fault.”
Did he know her? Could there be someone he knew among the Returnees? Numerous questions came to my mind.
“I shouldn’t have hesitated. It can’t be her. I’m sure they used some trick to confuse me. And yet… I fell for it.”
“What did you see?”
Instead of criticizing him again, I asked him calmly. This time, Lee Hyun-seung opened his mouth right away without pause.
“My wife.”
As soon as I heard those words, I could resolve some of the doubts I had in my mind.
“The moment I took off the mask, I saw my wife’s face.”
The reason why Lee Hyun-seung, who was evenly matched against the Five Kings, died so helplessly. Why he wasn’t able to actively respond to the Returnee Situation. Why he just lost the Returnee we had captured. Why he was still shaking.
“The face of my wife, who was caught up in the Mass Disappearance case and vanished a long time ago.”
Those words answered them all.
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