Chapter 61: Chapter 61

“You can’t call that training.”

“W-what is training, then?”

Choi Yeonseung casually replied to Richard’s question.

“Training is knowing what you’re lacking and doing everything possible to make up for it. It’s usually a ‘waste of time’ to just go and fire a few shots without thinking about the magic you use.”

“......”

“I don’t know why you came here, but if you want to?change, then you shouldn’t do things the way you used to,” Choi Yeonseung said with a yawn.

It was a casual remark, but Richard was shocked. He had never heard anything like this before. Richard grew up in a family that called him a genius.

“Well, if you don’t want to live as a hunter, then you don’t have to... Wait. Wake the kids up.”

Choi Yeonseung stood up as fast as lightning and drew his sword. Richard was shocked. He didn’t sense any monster presence.

“W-what?”

“Ambush! Get up!” Choi Yeonseung shouted. With his voice filled with internal energy, his words swiftly hit the hunters’ eardrums!

The magic-sensitive hunters woke up in fright.

“What? What is it?”

“How dare you try to ambush me? It won’t work!”

“Antony, Stop talking nonsense and move!” The first one to act was Elisabeth. She immediately picked up her weapon and used magic.

-Intermediate Combat Nerves Enhancement.

It was a must-have magic spell for close-quarters magicians. It sped up one’s reaction speed and reflexes.

‘Why are they attacking so often?’

Elisabeth cursed the dungeon’s difficulty. No matter how she looked at it, the monsters’ movements were different from the ones in ordinary dungeons. If they came to attack during breaks like this...

“I don’t think this wave’s only composed of rock gargoyles.”

“?”

“A bigger one is coming.”

***

“The dungeon’s boss monster is accompanying the rock gargoyles!”

The analysts were shocked. They had replayed this dungeon several times, but this was the first time the monsters moved like this. The boss monster normally didn’t move from its territory. Nobody knew what the rock gargoyles did, but they were taking the boss monster with them in surrounding Choi Yeonseung’s team.

They had never seen this phenomenon before!

“What is different?”

“I don’t know. Why are the rock gargoyles doing this... ”

The rock gargoyles were clever monsters. They realized during their first battle against him against Choi Yeonseung that beating him would be difficult. They couldn’t kill him with their own power alone! Hence, the rock gargoyles responded by waking the boss monster up and bringing it over.

A rock predator! Resembling an earthworm or snake, this large monster roamed through the earth. Rocks were its staple diet, but this fierce monster ruthlessly ate hunters as well! In addition, it had a different size and destructive power from the rock gargoyles or rock chameleons. Its rock-like skin had a defensive power that blocked a lot of magic...

‘Is this as far as they go?’

‘This training is?so brutal...’

The analysts felt bad. Choi Yeonseung’s team was really good. This team was composed of new recruits and people that didn’t know how to work with each other. The analysts had thought, ‘We shouldn't?expect anything,’ but they unexpectedly displayed great teamwork.

They felt the happiest about their job whenever they made new discoveries! Likewise, they were glad to see them becoming the new force for the 1st team, but they didn’t think it would end like this. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

“Their fate isn’t set in stone yet. If they can properly retreat from the boss monster and reengage…”

Nobody was crazy enough to fight the rock gargoyles and boss monster at the same time. Their best move was to retreat, then find another chance! However, the monsters they were up against weren’t weak enough to let them leave.

“They can’t. The rock gargoyles have blocked all exits.”

“I know you’re well aware of how hard it is to win when you’re ambushed by a boss monster. They don’t move that much, but...”

The rock predator was extremely mad due to what the rock gargoyles had done. There was nothing they could do.

***

“Onix?”

Choi Yeonseung momentarily thought. However, that wasn’t the case. The giant rock snake and rock predator were distinctly different monsters. One was a rock, while the other was a rock eater!

“What are you talking about, friend?!” Smallwood shouted in amazement while preparing magic. Choi Yeonseung suddenly said something strange.

“Calm down. I’m watching everything.”

Choi Yeonseung aimed his sword, then used Origin of the Celestial Step to move like an arrow. His actions confused the monsters. He was clearly just one man, yet he was so fast it was as if there were dozens of him! Moving in all directions, Choi Yeonseung thrust his sword toward the monsters approaching from the walls. A flash enveloped the area as white sword energy pierced through the walls and the gargoyles inside.

A deadly blow!

The moment the sword energy penetrated them, the gargoyles moving with their guard down were instantly killed. The scene shocked the analysts.

-He got them!

-How did he do that? Are they even visible?

The hunters in the dungeon didn’t see what happened since they were preparing magic, but the analysts had a good view of it. They witnessed Choi Yeonseung killing the gargoyles hiding inside the wall.

-Ahlos’ High-speed Ice Bullet!

Richard cast magic and prepared ice arrows. He was ready to shoot down any monsters that emerged. However, the remaining gargoyles ran away instead of charging in upon witnessing some of their kind being slain. Choi Yeonseung didn’t chase after them. Rather, he moved toward Richard.

“H-Huh?”

“It’s coming from below!”

Choi Yeonseung grabbed Richard and used a footwork skill. As he did, the ground where Richard was standing collapsed. The rock predator had burst through it with a roar.

-Kyaaaaaah!

The magical cry caused the hunters to feel a pain that momentarily made their minds quiver.

“Choi Yeonseung! Get back!” Elisabeth cried out. Against large monsters, magicians who focused on close combat had to employ hit-and-run tactics. Martial artists didn’t have attack magic, so they were at an even more disadvantage. It was better for them to back off.

However, Choi Yeonseung rushed forward without?hesitation instead. Acknowledging his existence, the rock predator quickly turned its head toward him and spewed out acid from its throat.

Like a Breath, the acid melted the rocks it hit and swept away the surroundings.

Elisabeth, who was watching, closed her eyes. She thought Choi Yeonseung was dead. However, Choi Yeonseung had already moved elsewhere. The rock predator let out a bewildered cry.

-Kyaaack!

‘Should I use concentrated sword energy to kill it?’

Concentrated sword energy was the best against such a large monster. It could be used to create an unstoppable attack that would penetrate the target in one shot despite its large size. He could just use sword energy, though.

The sword energy at the tip of Choi Yeonseung’s sword stretched out and became as thin as a thread.

Spin.

Choi Yeonseung quickly circled the rock predator and fired off a series of sword energy strikes. Like ice cracking, red lines started to form on the rock predator’s sturdy body. Sword energy tore apart the outer layer of its skin, revealing the red flesh inside.

How did martial artists deal with an enemy bigger and stronger than him with a sword that didn’t contain magic? They could use sword energy, but in the end, it really just made their sword longer. Choi Yeonseung displayed the answer to that question:?technical skills. A skilled martial artist could stretch, wield, and fire off sword energy with technical skills.

Choi Yeonseung hovered near the rock predator and fired a series of sword energy strikes that were as thin and long as possible! The soaring sword energy stretched like a soft whip and wrapped around the rock predator. It was by no means soft, however.

This weapon had immense destructive power. In an instant, it tore apart the rock predator’s skin and dug in.

Above them, sword energy continuously struck it! There was no need to use concentrated sword energy. The sword energy was like water droplets falling on and ceaselessly piercing the rocks.

“......!!!!”

“!!!!”

Aside from Richard, the hunters present were all aces who had been through many raids. However, they had never seen anything like what happened today. The power to cut a boss monster with a sword!

Antony had forgotten he was preparing magic and was now looking at Choi Yeonseung with his mouth wide open. What he had just witnessed was so amazing he didn’t feel like competing at all.

Elisabeth momentarily let go of her greatsword. That?was a rookie mistake, but?she couldn't help it. Choi Yeonseung’s sword strikes were that eye-catching.

-Kyack, kyack, kyaack!

Every time Choi Yeonseung ran and moved, the monster let out mournful screams. The rock predator was large enough to fill up the area, yet it couldn’t do anything against him. The sword energy Choi Yeonseung released flew in every possible direction.

The rock predator soon fell on its side and bled all over. Dust rose up when its huge body crashed on the ground.

Choi Yeonseung rushed in to stop it from breathing. Powerful sword energy lingered and grew at the end of his sword, which had previously only fired pale and thin sword energy. With a flash of light, Choi Yeonseung boldly swung his sword and decapitated the rock predator’s head!

Everyone?watched as?the sword energy became unbelievably long and turned into a gigantic attack. The rock predator’s power to resist had long disappeared. Its head rolled to the side.

“Gasp, gasp, gasp...!”

Choi Yeonseung let out the breaths he had been holding.

Restrained to the peak-class stage, his entire body ached and his breathing quickened. There was a limit to how much he could protect himself with internal energy.

That battle showcased Choi Yeonseung’s accumulated experience—his technical skills in stretching, wielding, twisting, and firing sword energy! Having fought for hundreds of thousands of years, he learned how to do such a powerful technique.

Meanwhile, Ernest grew speechless. Watching all of this shocked him.

***

“......”

In the past, Li Yuyuan, an A-grade hunter, was considered the best martial artist in the world. He even showed his sword energy, which overlapped with an ordinary sword. He then severed a monster’s famously tough muscles in one blow using it, displaying shocking penetration power that was hard to imitate with any magic! It was later revealed to be a scam made using various spells and editing, but...

For Ernest, that image was still fresh in his mind. Now, however…

What Choi Yeonseung showed was a few steps above what Li Yuyuan had faked. He didn’t just stretch out his sword energy and swing. He used all types of tricks to defeat the boss monster alone!

‘Chairman! This person is really...’

Ernest realized that he had misunderstood what Hwang Gyeongryong truly meant. Choi Yeonseung wasn’t a gemstone full of possibilities. This hunter was already?complete! He could?become?an A-grade hunter. What Hwang Gyeongryong meant when he sent Choi Yeonseung over wasn’t, ‘Raise this hunter properly. He reminds me of the old days.’

Rather, he meant, ‘Test him and you'll see just how strong he is. Figure it out quickly and make a team to support him!’

The Icarus clan collected aces and made them stronger. However, with such a powerful hunter in the clan, that was no longer necessary. What they had to do now was create the strongest team possible around Choi Yeonseung.

‘How did the chairman even get this hunter... !’