Chapter 16
This is a B-rank Fissure, without a doubt, Do-Jun thought as he clicked the “Select Fissure Rank” button, scrolled down, and selected B-rank.
He then chose orcs and trolls as the types of appearing monsters, and the registered Fissure’s border turned red.
[B-rank Great Fissure has been registered.]
[The map completion rate is below 5%.]
After confirming the system message, he looked up from the SpacePad and ahead.
Choi Ho-Jun, the designated leader of the newly formed party, positioned a massive iron shield in front of him and adjusted the formation. Moments later, his shield began to shine.
“Kerr!”
Three trolls turned their attention to Choi Ho-Jun and lumbered toward him with their massive bodies.
He’s using a taunt skill, Do-Jun realized.
A troll’s fist cut through the air, extending toward the shield.
Bang!
Choi Ho-Jun winced as a loud thud echoed.
The two party members, except Ye-Ji, began their attack while the attacks of the three trolls were focused on Choi Ho-Jun as if this was their routine.
“Target the one on the right first!” Choi Ho-Jun ordered.
As the Archer, Park Sung-Min, drew his bowstring, a target appeared on the troll’s body.
Thwip!
An arrow was then released toward the troll.
Thuck!
The arrow pierced the troll’s body, but Park Sung-Min didn’t stop shooting.
The most annoying characteristic of trolls was their rapid health regeneration. If left alone, an arrow wound like that would heal in the blink of an eye.
Thwip! Thwip!
This time, two targets appeared on the troll’s body, and Park Sung-Min aimed for the center of the marked targets.
Thuck! Thuck!
He was using Striker’s Mark, a B-rank skill that drastically lowered the defense of the marked target and increased inflicted damage by 50%.
Park Sung-Min was a former national archery team member. With this skill, he could climb to B-rank in less than a year since becoming a Hunter.
“Kwooooh!”
Pierced by three arrows, the troll turned its head toward Park Sung-Min and charged ferociously with a roar.
Thump! Thump!
At that moment, Ye-Ji took a running start and spun in the air. Using the rotational force, she concentrated her body weight on her sword.
Mana flowed from her dantian into the Skeleton Soldier’s Sword, which sliced through the troll’s neck with the mana concentrated at its tip.
Thud.
“I did hear that your skills were comparable to most B-rank Hunters,” Park Sung-Min remarked.
“We work pretty well, don’t we?” Ye-Ji replied playfully.
Choi Ho-Jun was drawing the trolls’ aggression and was under attack, but he grinned despite steadily declining health.
As the Healer, Kang Tae-Sung, used a healing skill on Choi Ho-Jun, a green light flickered from the staff in Kang Tae-Sung’s hand, which was circling around Choi Ho-Jun.
“Mr. Administrator, are you okay?” Ye-Ji asked Do-Jun.
“Yes, I’m just watching over here.”
“Stay back at least fifty... no, two hundred meters away.”
“Ye-Ji.”
“Yes?”
“Enemy ahead.”
As one of the trolls that shook off the taunt skill charged at Ye-Ji, Do-Jun slowly retreated as per her advice to avoid being a distraction during the battle.
Whoosh!
Ye-Ji leaned back and narrowly dodged the troll's fist. Then, she started emitting a murderous intent toward the troll that attacked her, but it wasn’t because she almost got hurt.
If Mr. Administrator had been hit…
If an ordinary person like Do-Jun, who wasn’t even wearing a combat suit, had been struck by the troll’s fist, he would have undoubtedly been killed.
Thinking this, Ye-Ji’s anger surged, and her heart burned.
I’m going to kill you.
She took a nimble step toward the troll as the second form of the Scholar’s Swordsmanship technique was drawn in her mind.
Then, with a brilliant flash, the sword was drawn.
Park Sung-Min was about to release another arrow but was stunned silent by the scene of Ye-Ji gracefully dodging the troll’s attacks and pouring strikes onto it with her sword in a movement that was better described as a choreography.
Shortly after a series of wounds appeared on the troll’s body, mana exploded from Ye-Ji’s sword and pierced the troll’s heart.
Thud!
The troll collapsed to the ground, and the others in the party gaped in astonishment.
“T-that was...”
“Sword Aura...!”
It was a rare ability that only S-rank Hunters and very few A-rank Hunters were known to possess.
It was the pinnacle of Infusion, where mana was transferred to a weapon.
“There’s still one left,” Do-Jun reminded.
At those words, Choi Ho-Jun raised his shield and swung at the remaining troll while Park Sung-Min drew his bowstring and unleashed his shots.
Thuck! Thuck!
Thud!
With the last troll defeated, the party sighed in relief, catching their breath.
Do-Jun walked over to Ye-Ji, who had dropped her sword.
He took her trembling hand and asked, “Why did you overdo it?”
For the final strike, Ye-Ji exhausted all her mana using a technique known as mutual destruction, which placed a tremendous burden on the user.
It was a final blow that could deal a fatal strike to the enemy, but if Choi Ho-Jun’s party hadn’t been there, Ye-Ji would have faced death herself.
“I’m sorry…” Ye-Ji mumbled.
“You don’t need to apologize to me, but please be more careful next time.”
Ye-Ji nodded in agreement.
But this is incredible growth, Do-Jun thought despite his words of caution.
What Ye-Ji had shown at the end was undoubtedly Sword Qi: a peak technique that only the absolute masters in the Central Plains could use.
Even though it was a fleeting moment, manifesting it with such a small amount of mana demonstrated significant talent.
“Shall we take a short break?”
Everyone nodded at Do-Jun’s suggestion.
***
“I bet he’ll love this, hehe,” Yoon-Hee said to herself.
She looked at her smartphone screen and inspected the ingredients she bought from the market: one monkfish, bean sprouts, mugwort, and tofu, along with a few seasonings she didn’t have at home.
“Top 10 Winter Seasonal Dishes to Boost Energy.”
“Rich in vitamin C, protein, and excellent for dry winter skin. Let’s make monkfish stew!”
Yoon-Hee was certain that Do-Jun would be happy to find a delicious monkfish stew ready after coming home from a hard day at work.
Imagining this, she couldn’t help but smile.
“I’ll start with the cleaning first,” she muttered as she put on an apron and took out the vacuum cleaner.
She then carefully opened the door to Do-Jun’s humble room. The only furniture was a bed, a desk, and a large bookshelf.
There wasn’t even a computer, but the bookshelf held various books, most related to daily knowledge.
“100 Common Sense Tips You Need to Know”
“Understanding the Trends of 20’s and 30’s”
“He’s trying his best,” Yoon-Hee commented.
Do-Jun, who supposedly had amnesia, felt like someone from the past who couldn’t adapt to modern life. He wasn’t completely ignorant, but sometimes he did absurd things.
“He didn’t know how to turn on the hot water and kept showering in cold water…”
Recalling that event, Yoon-Hee chuckled.
Perhaps it was because their age difference wasn’t that big, but sometimes he seemed genuinely adorable.
“50 Ways to Be a Good Dad”
Yoon-Hee picked up the book sitting on his desk and flipped through it.
“He has highlighted so much…”
She could picture Do-Jun studying this book every night before going to bed. Thinking of this made Yoon-Hee blush. Honestly, Do-Jun could have lived comfortably on his own and was more than justified to feel burdened by the unwanted daughter.
“He’s even studying... for me…”
As she carefully returned the book to its original location, she resolved to become a good daughter. She vowed to become a Hunter and repay this debt multiple times over—no, thousands of times over.
At that moment, Yoon-Hee noticed the slightly open desk drawer. Curious, she opened the drawer and found a few items: a blade-less sword with just the hilt, nine small blue stones, and a white mask.
“What is all this? Is this… a Hunter ID card?”
The card read: F-rank Hunter, Kim Hyun-Woo.
***
[A Fissure Break is in progress.]
[Remaining regular monsters: 171]
[Remaining champion monsters: 3]
[Remaining boss monsters: 1]
After defeating the last troll, Choi Ho-Jun checked the remaining number of monsters.
We’re moving at an insane speed.
In just two hours, they had killed 109 trolls, almost entirely thanks to Ye-Ji.
Whenever Choi Ho-Jun used the Shield Howling skill to draw the trolls, Ye-Ji would slaughter the trolls with ghost-like movements. While Park Sung-Min’s ranged support played a part, the finishing blows were always dealt by Ye-Ji.
“Mr. Administrator, are you alright?”
“As I keep saying, I’m just watching.”
“Alright. Step back three hundred meters.”
Do-Jun sighed and checked his SpacePad.
[The current map is 30% complete.]
The mapping was progressing smoothly. At this rate, it seemed possible to reach a hundred percent completion within the day.
The Hunters saw their wounds heal quickly and were in good condition thanks to the healer.
Not only that, but…
Do-Jun turned his gaze to Ye-Ji, who was wiping blood off her sword, and used his qi senses to examine her dantian. The amount of mana had clearly doubled compared to before entering the Fissure.
It’s at least double what it was before.
Of course, it didn't seem like much to Do-Jun, but in terms of levels, it was quite a significant growth and seemed almost monstrous by usual standards. Moreover, the steadily rising mana without undergoing physical enhancement was basically a cheat in the eyes of ordinary Hunters.
I wonder how much her level has increased. Her other stats must have gone up significantly, too...
Then, he detected another massive energy that was unlike any troll they had encountered so far.
“Prepare for battle.”
“Huh? Let us catch our breaths for just a bit longer, Mr. Administrator,” Park Sung-Min joked with a smile.
“Enemy, two hundred meters ahead...” Do-Jun stopped mid-sentence.
He sensed qi gathering two hundred meters away, then he finally saw it: a three-headed troll. Qi was gathering in its three mouths, and the energy soon converged into a single point.
Boom!
Then, it was launched.
Fwooooosh!
In Do-Jun’s eyes, everything was playing out like a slow-motion video.
The trajectory of the qi shot from the troll was headed straight for Ye-Ji’s head, who was wiping her sword.
It’s going to kill her, Do-Jun realized.
The suit didn’t protect the head.
I can save her if I use Barrier.
But that would undo all his efforts to keep his identity hidden.
If the target were any Hunter other than Ye-Ji, he would have let it happen without hesitation.
Do-Jun lunged toward Ye-Ji and pushed her away. Simultaneously, a layer of blue shield formed around Do-Jun in that brief moment.
Boooooom!
As an enormous explosion sounded, Do-Jun was hurled dozens of meters away.
“Mr. Administrator…?” Ye-Ji muttered in a daze.
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