Solo Resurrection - Chapter 19
Chapter 19 – Crazy Guys (1)
Late at night. Two men faced each other in an empty training room.
“You may wear armor if you like.”
“What are you saying when you’re not wearing any yourself?”
“I don’t need to, as I won’t be hit.”
Kim Yi-hyeon provoked with a smirk. Kang Hyeon nodded back with a smile.
“Don’t worry, I won’t die even if I get hit. This is enough.”
Kang Hyeon pulled out Bilgein’s longsword from his inventory. The sword, stained entirely blood-red, looked threatening at a glance.
Name: Bilgein’s Longsword
Grade: B
Durability: 476/500
Ability: Berserker, Durability Enhancement
“That’s no ordinary sword. Could it be that you’ve cleared up to the 6th stage?”
“I picked it up on the way.”
“…”
“I won’t use any skills or abilities, so don’t be scared.”
Kang Hyeon started stretching in earnest to warm up.
“Then I’ll also use something I picked up on the way.”
Kim Yi-hyeon pulled out two daggers from his inventory. They were clearly extraordinary weapons at first glance.
“Interesting. I like it.”
Judging by their appearance, they were certainly high-grade weapons.
And the only place to obtain such weapons now was the 6th stage of the tutorial.
‘As expected, he’s quite capable.’
As it became clear that Kim Yi-hyeon had indeed passed through the higher levels of the tutorial as predicted, Kang Hyeon’s body heated up even more.
“Then, here I come!”
-Clang!
Kang Hyeon charged forward, swinging his sword with full force from the start.
Kim Yi-hyeon smoothly deflected the attack.
‘He’s stronger than expected.’
With his strength still at 16, Kim Yi-hyeon found it a bit challenging to directly block Kang Hyeon’s sword.
“Yeah! That’s good!”
Excited that Kim Yi-hyeon easily deflected his sword, Kang Hyeon’s attacks became even faster.
-Clang, clang!
Kim Yi-hyeon narrowly dodged or deflected all the attacks.
Kang Hyeon’s sword path chasing him became increasingly sharper.
He was swinging at angles that made it difficult for Kim Yi-hyeon to easily block.
‘His swordsmanship is also top-notch. But he’s getting too excited.’
-Whoosh!
As Kim Yi-hyeon dodged a wide swing, he simultaneously dove into Kang Hyeon’s embrace.
“Ugh..!”
In the blink of an eye, the tip of the dagger touched Kang Hyeon’s neck.
Kang Hyeon’s eyes filled with bewilderment.
“It might be better to calm down a bit.”
Kim Yi-hyeon withdrew his dagger and slowly backed away. Seeing this, Kang Hyeon chuckled.
“As expected, you also find it too disappointing to end it right away, huh?”
“Let’s go again.”
***
Ippotranslation
***
-Clang!
The sword flew through the air and fell to the floor.
“Haa, haa… I’ve lost.”
Kim Yi-hyeon declared his surrender while panting heavily.
He was completely soaked with sweat that had poured like rain.
His skin was slightly cut and bleeding, but not to a dangerous extent.
“Hup, whew… Don’t say such embarrassing things. This is practically my loss anyway.”
Kang Hyeon also slowly caught his breath.
Kang Hyeon’s clothes were torn and soaked in blood, looking like rags, but his body showed no particular wounds.
“Isn’t that recovery skill too unfair?”
After losing once to the initial surprise attack, Kang Hyeon regained his composure and fought more cautiously.
As a result, neither of them could easily gain the upper hand.
Kang Hyeon clearly felt he had the advantage in physical strength and speed, but he couldn’t land a clean hit.
‘It’s like he knows where I’m going to attack.’
Kang Hyeon suspected that Kim Yi-hyeon might have a skill related to prediction. But in fact, his unique ability was thought acceleration.
In his slowed perception of time, Kim Yi-hyeon could recognize and dodge the sword no matter which path it took.
That’s why Kang Hyeon, despite having a higher level and superior physical abilities, couldn’t land a proper attack.
Eventually, the fight dragged on, and Kim Yi-hyeon, who ran out of stamina first, declared his surrender.
“Your skill seems even more unfair to me. Anyway, thank you. I feel like all my stress has been relieved.”
Feeling refreshed after sweating for the first time in a while, Kang Hyeon extended his hand.
“I should be thanking you. It was very helpful.”
Kim Yi-hyeon grasped Kang Hyeon’s hand and shook it.
***
Ippotranslation
***
Time passed, and it was the last day of training.
Over 100 people stepped out of the training hall.
“The final training is to fight monsters in an actual dungeon. Form groups of 5 and defeat monsters to pass.”
Under Kim Yi-hyeon’s guidance, they arrived in front of an F-class dungeon.
“This is Keika’s Forest, designated as a training dungeon by the Ability User Cultivation School.”
Keika’s Forest.
Although an F-class dungeon, it was known for the powerful Keikas that appeared there, stronger than typical monsters.
Still, there was a reason the government designated this place as a training dungeon.
“Keika’s Forest is a field-type dungeon, so there are no threats other than monsters.”
“…”
“And Keikas have a habit of moving alone, not in groups, so if you’re all a bit careful, there shouldn’t be any particular danger.”
Kim Yi-hyeon’s explanation continued, but the tense expressions on people’s faces didn’t ease.
“I’ll step in anytime there’s a dangerous situation, so please be at ease. Now, follow the teaching assistants to enter.”
Four teaching assistants entered the dungeon first, followed by the trainees in order.
‘It’s my first time entering a real dungeon.’
Even Kang Hyeon, who had been bored throughout the training, felt excited as he entered the dungeon.
-Flash
Kang Hyeon smiled at the familiar sensation of his vision sparkling and his body floating, which he hadn’t felt in a while.
‘This is just like the tutorial.’
When he finally opened his eyes, he saw a dense jungle. It was a place where the high temperature and humidity naturally increased discomfort.
“The teaching assistants will demonstrate first. After that, you’ll have to hunt yourselves, so please watch carefully.”
At Kim Yi-hyeon’s signal, two teaching assistants entered the forest. Soon after, a strange cry was heard from the direction they went.
“Keeeeek”
Finally, what appeared was a beast that looked similar to an ostrich, slightly over 2m tall.
As the Keika approached, the two waiting assistants joined in and began to fight.
“Keikas are characterized by their fast feet and hard beaks. You should be especially careful because if you’re hit by the beak, there’s a high chance of a fatal injury.”
“The standard strategy for tackling a Keika is to surround it with multiple people, tie its legs, and then attack steadily.”
The assistants skillfully pressured the Keika, increasing its injuries.
“When Keikas feel threatened, they sometimes try to run away.”
“Kyaaak!”
“That’s why it’s important to target the legs first to subdue it. Remember, you must never rush in hastily.”
Kim Yi-hyeon continued his explanation as they watched the assistants fight.
-Thud!
A moment later, the Keika, covered in blood, collapsed to the ground.
“Kiee…”
One assistant approached and stabbed the Keika’s neck with a knife. The life gradually faded from the Keika’s eyes, and they eventually closed completely.
“After finishing the hunt like this, you extract the magic stone. The location of the magic stone varies for each monster, but in the case of Keikas, it’s located near the chest, close to the heart, so keep that in mind.”
An assistant cut open the Keika’s belly with a dagger and rummaged inside with their hand.
“Ugh…”
People frowned watching this. Some even dry-heaved.
“You might find this quite disgusting now, but you’ll get used to it soon.”
The assistant pulled out a small, purple gem about the size of a marble from the Keika’s body.
“Because magic stones are this small, it takes a considerable amount of time to find them, but I recommend collecting them if possible.”
After that, several more demonstration hunts took place. As the hunts were repeated, people’s tension gradually eased.
“Now then, we’ll start with the first group.”
Finally, it was time for the first group’s turn. They were each holding weapons obtained from the second stage and wearing armor provided by Kim Yi-hyeon.
“They’re completely frozen.”
When it was finally their turn, everyone was stiff with fear. Seeing this, Kang Hyeon shook his head.
“Well, this is reality after all.”
Everyone here had passed the tutorial’s second stage.
In other words, they had experience killing monsters.
But this was reality.
If they got injured, they might have to live with a disability for the rest of their lives, and if they made a mistake, they could die right there.
Everyone had come this far prepared, but the fear they faced in person was much greater.
“Those who find hunting difficult can give up. There are no penalties, and you can apply for training again later, so don’t push yourselves too hard.”
As soon as Kim Yi-hyeon finished speaking, several people raised their hands and declared their withdrawal.
“Hmph, cowards.”
Some people shot contemptuous glances at them, but their voices were trembling too.
In fact, even that was just a means to hide their own fear.
“Kieek!”
“Get ready!”
Finally, the assistants drove a Keika towards them.
The first team stepped forward and formed a formation to face the Keika.
“Ugh…”
That’s when it happened.
One man turned around and started to run away.
“I can’t do this!”
“What are you doing?!”
“Don’t run away!”
The man couldn’t overcome the terror of facing a giant beast over 2m tall right in front of him.
Fortunately, an assistant filled the man’s empty spot from behind.
“The assistants will fill in any gaps, so don’t worry and please continue.”
At Kim Yi-hyeon’s words, the agitated people gradually regained their composure.
They had already spent ten days living as a team, received education on party strategies, and were sufficiently in sync with each other.
“Just do as you’ve been taught!”
The assistant drew Keika’s attention from the front. In that gap, people gradually inflicted more wounds on its body.
“What? This is doable?”
“Great!”
People began to find their confidence. And after about ten minutes, the blood-covered Keika collapsed to the ground.
“Wow! We did it!”
“We won!”
The people who caught Keika hugged each other and shouted with a sense of achievement.
Those watching also seemed to feel their fear subside a little as the monster fell without much injury.
“Next group. Step forward.”
An hour later. More than half of the people had defeated Keika.
Some people were injured in the process, but Kim Yi-hyeon quickly stepped in to handle it, preventing it from escalating into a major incident.
The wounds they sustained were not life-threatening thanks to emergency treatment by the standby medical team.
“Finally, it’s my turn!”
As the turn of the team including himself finally approached, An Yu-seong shouted and rushed out.
“Kieek!”
An excited An Yu-seong imitated Keika’s sound and let out a strange cry.
“Please be quiet. I ask you to take this seriously.”
An Yu-seong stopped at Kim Yi-hyeon’s restraint, but he was visibly excited about the prospect of battle.
“Crazy bastard…”
Kang Hyeon, being almost last in line, was waiting with a bored expression. However, contrary to his expression, Kang Hyeon was actually very curious about An Yu-seong’s battle.
“Well then. Assistants, move…”
It was when the assistants were about to move for the next drive.
[The dungeon’s Main Core has been removed]
[A portal to the outside is opening]
[The dungeon will collapse, so please exit]
Kim Yi-hyeon stopped at the sudden message.
People also murmured with confused expressions at the unfamiliar message.
“Everyone! Please don’t panic and exit through the portal that has appeared in front. It could be dangerous if you don’t leave in time.”
“What the hell is this shit!”
An Yu-seong swore at the sudden turn of events.
He was frustrated by the fact that he had to leave the dungeon without even fighting.
“Haa…”
But no one knows what will happen if they don’t leave now.
They might even be trapped in the dungeon forever.
Eventually, An Yu-seong resigned himself and headed for the portal.
“There’s enough time. Move slowly.”
Kim Yi-hyeon calmly led all the people out and checked until the last person.
“Is it all over?”
After confirming that no one was left in the dungeon, he exited.
“What’s going on?”
“Well, didn’t it say the Main Core was removed?”
“I heard removing the Main Core means perfectly clearing the dungeon.”
Kim Yi-hyeon pondered as he watched many people murmuring.
‘Someone cleared the dungeon…’
It was certain, given that the Main Core was said to be removed, and cracks were gradually appearing on the dungeon door.
‘Who could it be?’
This is a government-designated dungeon, controlled to prevent clearing. No, entry is restricted unless it’s related to training.
“But why…”
That’s when it happened.
“Kyaaaah!”
“What is that!”
Suddenly, screams of people were heard.
Kim Yi-hyeon quickly moved his gaze to check.
“Damn, what the…!”
The dungeon was crumbling with its door wide open. Keikas were pouring out from inside. At the same time, a Keika overwhelmingly larger than the others came out as well.
[Mutant Keika]
A size reaching 3m, much larger than other Keikas. Moreover, this one even had a tail, its presence alone was overwhelming.
“Assistant! Request support from headquarters! Everyone, please evacuate. My assistants and I will hold them off here, so run away!”
As he spoke, Kim Yi-hyeon also took out two daggers, his favorite weapons, from his inventory and rushed out.
“Save me!”
“Argh!”
As an enormous number of Keikas rushed out along with the dungeon boss, people screamed and scattered in panic.
Some people tried to band together to face the Keikas, but fighting surrounded by enemies attacking from all directions was a completely different matter from surrounding and fighting one.
“Don’t try to fight, just run away!”
Kim Yi-hyeon shouted urgently while stabbing a dagger into a Keika’s neck.
“Damn it! The Keikas alone are overwhelming, and now the boss too…”
The situation seemed hopeless.
‘Let’s move for now.’
There wasn’t even time to think like this.
Even now, people were dying at the hands of the Keikas in real-time.
“Kyaaaah!”
“Argh!”
“Kieek!”
A hell on earth that unfolded in just a few seconds.
When everyone was at a loss for what to do,
“All of you, get out!”
A thunderous shout erupted.
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