ยฉNovelBuddy
From Today, I'm a Player-Chapter 238. To Advance Pt. 5
Chapter 238. To Advance Pt. 5
The group of Hunters descended into chaos as the mission to kill Lee Jun-Kyeong ended by devolving into a simple incident.๐ป๐โฏโฏ๐โฏ๐ท๐๐ฐ๐ทโฏ๐ญ.๐ค๐ฐ๐ฎ
Although the mission hadnโt yet been canceled for any of those who had received it and no one had made any moves, the Hunters were already acting as if there was no mission.
โIn case there is someone among you that wants to complete the missionโฆโ
The reason that they were avoiding the mission window was because of the declarations of Zeus and Lee Jun-Kyeongโs other powerful allies.
โThink of what it means to have to deal with all of us. Yes, sponsorship items are great, but youโre not really thinking that it would mean that you would be able to survive against all of us, are you?โ
His angry words worked exceedingly well in stopping the Hunters in their tracks, serving as a realization of Lee Jun-Kyeongโs position.
However, while Zeus had given the whip, Lee Jun-Kyeong approached with a carrot.
โIf you can survive the coming fight, then you will become Heroes who will go down in history.โ
What these Hunters had wanted was fame and money.
โAfter this battle, youโll receive it all, whether you want it or not.โ
All the fame and money in the world was already theirs as long as they survived. Since the man before them was quite possibly the strongest in the world and was a necessary means for their survival, they nodded in agreement and forgot about the mission.
Of course, not everyone reacted in that manner.
Lee Jun-Kyeong occasionally felt hostile gazes toward him from people with eyes filled with greed. However, that was just something that he had to bear.
Moreover, that was a problem for their leaders, or those who would become their leaders, to worry about.
The chaotic atmosphere gradually calmed down as the Hunters now prepared for battle.
Shing! Shing!
The battle that awaited them was unprecedented, and as Lee Jun-Kyeong had said, it was a terrifying battle that may go down in history.
โTake two steps to the right! Youโre leaving an opening on the left!!โ
The Hunters were honing their skills and sparring with each other.
โPlease take a look at my weapon!โ
โIโm telling you! We have the best blacksmiths in the world here. Why donโt you leave it to them?โ
โWhere would a Hunter like me have the money to leave my weapons with those people?โ
โThey said they would do it for free!โ
"What?"
The two blacksmiths inspected their armaments and worked diligently to try to discover even better ones.
Park Jae-Hyun and Park Yu-Jin, the two siblings, were working hard and sleeping fewer than two hours a day. But there was no sign of fatigue on their faces. They polished and repaired countless weapons, preparing for the battle in their own way.
โWhewโฆ I miss my family.โ
โThey should be alive, right?โ
โWeโll have to wait and seeโฆโ
There were those who missed their families.
โHeheโฆโ
Then, there were madmen driven crazy by countless battles.
โโฆโ
There were even those who remained silent as there was nothing left in their lives.
Numerous groups of people had gathered here.
Lee Jun-Kyeong walked between them and took in everything.
Then, an explosion sounded out.
BOOM!
However, not a single Hunter paid any attention to the sound, as they had been hearing it continuously for several days. By this point, all of them knew who was making the noise.
โMr. Lee!โ
A happy voice was heard from the direction where the explosion was coming from.
โMr. Jeong.โ
It was Jeong In-Chang, his precious companion who had now become indispensableโone of the few whom he could trust until the very end.
He was waving his hand alongside the giants, Liu Bei and his two brothers, and even Lee Jun-Kyeong's Familiars.
โYou didnโt have to come all this way! Weโre doing great here!โ
They, too, were preparing for battle.
They knew that in the fight that would take place soon and their role wouldnโt be that great. However, they all knew that even what they could contribute would be difficult. Thus, they were clashing to hone each otherโs strength and sharpen each other.
Lee Jun-Kyeong nodded as if he was happy just to see them.
โNow, itโs my turn.โ
***
Clang!
Although wooden sparring swords were being used, the sound of metal clashing rang out in the air. Moreover, the wooden swords that should have shattered into pieces from the force of the previous collision were strangely still intact.
Upon further observation, a hint of blue color, mana, was overlaid on the surface of the wooden swords.
โWell, your ability to use mana seems to have increased tremendously, hasnโt it?โ Arthur said with a grin that expressed his complete and utter satisfaction.
With such a wide smile on his face, he swung his sword hard once again.
Clang!
Although it looked just like a simple swinging motion, what appeared before Lee Jun-Kyeongโs eyes was different. It felt like a massive mountain pressing down upon him. Lee Jun-Kyeong quickly shifted his stance and raised his sword with both hands.
CLANG!
A huge sound rang out again.
โAt this level, there is a chance for you to win against Gawain even if you only use your mastery of the sword.โ
The smile on Arthurโs face disappeared as he spoke while taking a step back.
โThat was your problem. Your mana is expressed in the form of a flame, so while its destructive power is high, its precision is extremely poor.โ
Arthur spoke about the point that he had made before. Lee Jun-Kyeong knew Arthur was right.
โMy ability is specialized in emitting a flame-like energy.โ
Moreover, since he only used his power of flames, his precision was quite low. At least, he hadn't learned how to input his powers properly.
With his unique experience in learning both swordsmanship and magic from Arthur and Merlin, he had discovered his ability to learn skills as if he were inputting them directly into his brain. However, not even that could adjust the precision of his mana. But now, those shortcomings had been offset.
Then, with a bursting sound, something flew toward where Lee Jun-Kyeong stood.
Bang!
Lee Jun-Kyeong nonchalantly raised one hand as runes floated around in front of his hand.
Ssss.
The red sphere that had rocketed toward him disappeared as if it had never existed.
โYour Dispel has also reached the pinnacle.โ
He hadnโt been able to learn Merlinโs abilities through input. Although he had learned how to use magic just by seeing it, it was still less difficult to cast it than the task of erasing any magic.
Merlin, who had suddenly appeared as she cast a spell toward him, had wanted to verify something about his growth.
โWhat on earth happened?โ
โWhat on earth happened?โ
The two leaders of the Round Table asked at the same time.
โIn the space of a few weeks...โ
โThis isnโt a level of ability that could be demonstrated in such a short period of time. Did you really just learn it by reading it like you said earlier?โ
Concern and curiosity appeared in both of their eyes.
Lee Jun-Kyeong shook his headโthis wasnโt an ability related to his input ability. This was a skill he had realized on his own.
โI went to Andlangr.โ
He had realized what he had lacked alone during that time. Thus, he had been able to grow at an astonishing level.
โOh my god.โ
โJust why would you go to that hellโฆโ
โDid your Sponsor force you? After all this time, now?โ they asked, but Lee Jun-Kyeong shook his head again.
โYou can just think about it as if something had happened. We donโt have enough time for me to tell you such a long story now.โ
โJormungandrโฆ Saeynkaedโฆthese things must have something to do with your new Familiars.โ
Arthur crossed his arms and took a step back. They were done sparring. That had been their last clash to address whatever the other was lacking before the big fight in Seoul.
โI have nothing left to teach.โ
โI have nothing to teach you.โ
There was nothing more for Lee Jun-Kyeong to learn from the two. Now, there was nothing that he lacked.
โYouโre getting closer to perfection,โ said Merlin.
However, even still, their expressions werenโt good. They, too, were some of the โluckyโ few who had also been to Andlangr, and they were worried about the impact the time spent there would have had on Lee Jun-Kyeong.
Rather than trying to reassure them, Lee Jun-Kyeong simply said with a small smile, โWe should be happy because our chances of winning have increased.โ
However, his words and his smile actually made their expressions darker.
โYouโฆโ Arthur carefully opened his mouth. โAre you really planning on going in alone?โ
โ...โ
โIf what you said is true, then it would be suicidal for us to go in. But can you be sure that you are different?โ
What Arthur was saying was simple.
โIf Gehenna is so dangerous, letโs find another way.
Lee Jun-Kyeong had informed them about Gehenna, the most dangerous gate, in a series of meetings. It still remained, and it was a place where no one should enter.
However, the only way to end all of this was to enter it, so he decided that he would go in alone. After the battle with the Demon King, once he emerged victorious, he alone would enter and close Gehenna. That was what he had told them all.
It was the most dangerous and terrifying gate of all.
โYou might have to actually deal with the Sponsors directly.โ
โItโs too big a task to handle alone.โ
It was a dangerous place where no one knew if they would have to face their Sponsors.
โ...โ
Lee Jun-Kyeong stayed silent.
โWhewโฆ I wonโt say anything else, but if you need help at any time, let me know.โ
โWe will do what we can.โ
Eventually, the two had no choice but to agree. They could feel it, too, that Lee Jun-Kyeong was special. Although they were also special, there was something different about Lee Jun-Kyeong.
That was why they had said that they needed to talkโbecause there were many more things that Lee Jun-Kyeong could do.
โPleaseโฆโ Lee Jun-Kyeong said as he was making a promise. โI will succeed.โ
He looked up at the sky once more.
If he wanted to be successfulโno, if he didnโt want humanity to end up in the worst possible outcome, he would need the help of one entity.
.
***
The chaotic atmosphere suddenly turned into breathtaking silence.
Rumble!
A resounding vibration shook the ground as everyone could feel it.
Tremble.
They each grabbed their weapons.
โHadnโt we cleared out all the monsters around us?โ
The Hunters that had gathered here werenโt just playing around, clearing out monsters around them whenever they had time. Thus, the monsters around him should have already been exterminated.
โWhat is this vibration?โ
At this point, Lee Jun-Kyeong and the others could feel an inexplicable trembling. A huge noise rang out as the Hunters who were resting also came out to assess the situation.
โ...โ
However, Lee Jun-Kyeong just stood still.
Then, not only did he stand tall, but there was also Jeong In-Chang, who, before he knew it, had approached Lee Jun-Kyeong.
Even the other Heroes were the same.
โWhew.โ
Heracles was even smiling with his arms crossed.
While the nervous Hunters were puzzled by their appearance, someone was running toward them from afar.
โSomeone is coming!โ
The movements of the person clearly indicated that he was a Hunter, but his face wasnโt familiar. The person running was waving both hands in greeting as if to emphasize that he wasnโt the enemy.
Jeong In-Chang said aloud, โYouโre back.โ
Rumble, RUMBLE!
The vibrations shaking the ground gradually became more severe, and, accompanying it, Jeong In-Chang saw something white running toward him.
โWait, wait, wait, wait!โ
Even at this distance, its main body was clearly visible as something that was obviously enormous was running toward me.โ
โHa, itโs not just one!โ
Next to it, another being was running. It was a wolf with white fur.
Next to it was the Lord of the Mountain that had died, the white tiger. He was running across the destroyed city along with a wolf.
โWe are not the enemy!โ
Meanwhile, the Hunter, who had been waving finally arrived, breathing tiredly.
โHaโฆhaโฆโ
Slowly, the Hunter announced, โUngnyeo is coming!โ
Ungnyeo, Fenrir, and even Sangun were here.
โNowโฆโ
The time had come.
Lee Jun-Kyeong slowly walked forward as Fenrir and Sangun continued to get closer.
Looking up, he smirked as she was sitting on Sangunโs head.