TSCU 08

Chapter 8

Kang Hyuk thought.

It works.

The tail of a low-mid-level monster had been stopped by nothing more than a single sheet of paper.

The Guardian Talisman was the strongest of the five talismans he had created. Although the other four were nowhere near as powerful, they were still satisfactory enough.

After all, his Talisman Crafting skill was only at the Basic level.

As expected, setting strict conditions was the right choice.

The Guardian Talisman had been designed solely to block attacks from Yohara Batum, that particular monster.

In other words, if anything other than that monster attacked it, the talisman wouldn’t even be able to stop a stone thrown by a passing child.

“Everyone, keep your balance! Watch your distance!”

Kang Hyuk temporarily put his satisfaction with the talisman aside and shouted loudly.

Perhaps because of the ability he had just demonstrated, or because they had witnessed one of their teammates nearly being turned into jerky in an instant, the team members nodded with tense expressions.

“Huu.”

He took a deep breath and charged forward.

Unfortunately, none of the talismans he had made were suitable for offense.

Even if he imposed strict conditions with his current skill, he knew he wouldn’t be able to create anything particularly useful, so he hadn’t even attempted it.

But Talisman Crafting wasn’t his only ability.

As he approached, the monster reacted and attempted to swing its claws.

Crack!

—Graaaargh!

Kang Hyuk avoided the claws simply by lowering his body slightly, then pierced the monster’s leg with his spear.

He twisted the spear violently as he pulled it out before retreating.

“Its hide is thinner than I expected! Our attacks are getting through just fine!”

Talisman Crafting was a skill that had only appeared a few days ago.

His primary weapons were his body and his combat skills.

Seeing Kang Hyuk’s successful attack, the other team members gradually regained their confidence.

Batum is slow, and aside from its tail and head, its hide is relatively weak.

There was a reason it was classified as a low-mid-level monster despite possessing the Evil Eye, a massive body, and tremendous strength.

Normally, when faced with something that large and powerful, people would naturally assume its outer hide was equally tough.

But Batum’s hide could be pierced and wounded even by ordinary bladed weapons.

—Graaaargh!

Boom!

Enraged by the wound on its leg, Batum swung its tail again.

But the nearby team member calmly moved out of range.

As long as they didn’t panic, the monster’s attacks were more than avoidable.

Thwack!

Crack!

One after another, the team members succeeded in landing effective attacks.

They weren’t completely stupid, either.

Their attacks were concentrated on the monster’s legs, making the already sluggish creature even slower.

“That’s it! Focus on the legs!”

Kang Hyuk shouted again as he attacked the monster’s unharmed leg.

It was easy.

Very easy.

He recalled the Batum-hunting training from his previous life.

Back then, Kang Hyuk hadn’t been among the first teams, but the process had been so horrific that he remembered it vividly.

After the battle began, three team members were caught by the Evil Eye.

Batum approached them, and two of them were killed by its tail attack.

At the time, there had been five people per team.

The three survivors, overcome with fear, began running away.

The orc assistants beat them with clubs and forced them back into the fight.

Then another person without sufficient resistance was caught by the Evil Eye and died.

The remaining two managed to pull themselves together and fight, but one more person died while they were trying to kill Batum.

Only one person survived in the end.

It was horrific.

The situation now was completely different.

There were currently zero casualties.

Meanwhile, Batum was steadily accumulating injuries.

The team was avoiding every one of its attacks while concentrating their assaults on its legs.

It was practically the textbook method for hunting Batum.

The atmosphere is good, but…

Kang Hyuk narrowed his eyes.

It was good that everything was proceeding smoothly, but because no one had been injured at all, he could see the team’s tension gradually dropping.

Meanwhile, although Batum’s legs were almost completely immobilized, its primary weapons—its head and tail—were still perfectly fine.

The loosened tension couldn’t be restored simply because Kang Hyuk shouted a few more words.

After all, this was merely a temporary team that had been formed only a few minutes ago.

Preparing for an emergency, he pulled a talisman from his inventory and stuffed it into his pocket.

—Gwooooooaar!

The battle grew increasingly fierce.

The team members had begun attacking areas other than the legs, and Batum appeared to be completely helpless.

Then—

One of the team members charged toward its neck.

“Don’t get too close!”

Kang Hyuk shouted loudly.

But it was already too late.

Batum’s eyes, which had been patiently waiting for an opportunity, emitted an eerie light.

“Ugh!”

The team member’s body froze completely.

He happened to be someone who hadn’t been affected by the Evil Eye earlier.

Without any resistance, his body immediately stiffened, and Batum’s mouth was far too close.

Crack!

Its jaws opened, revealing rows of saw-like teeth.

The Guardian Talisman had already been used up.

The distance was too great for Kang Hyuk to run over and help.

He tore one of the talismans he had taken out earlier.

Vrrr—!

An unfamiliar strength surged through his body.

The talisman he had just used was a Strength Enhancement talisman.

It had four restrictions.

Only its creator could use it.

After use, it caused severe muscle pain.

For one day after use, the user could not use another talisman of the same type.

Finally, its effect disappeared two days after it was created.

Perhaps because of those strict restrictions, an enormous amount of strength surged through his body—far greater than the effect of the Strength Enhancement Necklace that was already applied to him.

Tap.

Kang Hyuk grabbed his spear.

Of all his skills, only two had advanced from Basic to Beginner.

One was Basic Spearmanship.

The other was Basic Throwing.

“AAAH!”

Whoooosh!

Kang Hyuk poured all his strength into the throw.

The spear tore through the air.

Just before Batum’s jaws could bite down on the team member beneath it—

Crack!

The spear passed straight through its open mouth and embedded itself deep in its throat.

—Gwoooaargh!

With the spear lodged deep in its throat, the monster writhed in agony.

During that moment, another team member grabbed the frozen trainee and threw himself sideways, dragging him out of danger.

Kang Hyuk confirmed that and immediately charged toward Batum.

The creature was still suffering and unable to regain its senses.

When he got close enough, he kicked off the ground.

The enhanced strength launched him much higher into the air than usual.

Thump.

Kang Hyuk landed on the monster’s head.

Naturally, Batum shook its head violently, trying to throw him off.

But Kang Hyuk had already drawn his dagger and driven it into the monster, using it to hold himself in place.

No.

He wasn’t merely holding on.

He shifted his position and firmly settled himself directly above the monster’s eye.

But even this wasn’t enough.

He muttered inwardly.

Confusion.

—Graaagh?

The monster, which had been thrashing about repeatedly, suddenly twisted its body violently.

It looked as though it had become intoxicated, just like before.

Kang Hyuk didn’t miss the opportunity.

He gripped the dagger firmly with both hands.

Stab!

The dagger plunged into the monster’s eye.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

And again…

The team members seemed to realize that this was their opportunity and began attacking the monster’s body like mad.

By the time the dagger had pierced its eyeball more than ten times, Kang Hyuk drove it even deeper, pushing through the ruptured eye.

Then he activated Acidic Fluid.

Hissssss!

It was merely an ability derived from a slime.

But there was no way a low-mid-level monster like Batum could withstand acid flowing directly into its eye.

—Gwoooooo…

Batum collapsed sideways with a weak groan.

Kang Hyuk threw himself away before being crushed beneath its body.

A moment later, the monster’s enormous body slammed heavily onto the ground.

“Haa… Haa…”

Kang Hyuk breathed heavily as he looked into the air.

[Your level has increased.]

[Your level has increased.]

Soon, messages appeared announcing Batum’s death.

“Good! All six of you passed!”

The orc instructors waiting nearby shouted with satisfied smiles.

All six members had survived.

It was certainly a result worth celebrating.

The more people who survived, the more it would benefit Kang Hyuk as well.

The others who had watched the hunt stared at them with expressions mixed with astonishment, awe, and jealousy.

Kang Hyuk turned toward a particularly intense gaze and found himself making eye contact with Mirian.

She gave him a strange smile when their eyes met.

He was puzzled for a moment, but soon turned away and joined his teammates in celebrating.

---

“Three dropouts. Not a bad result.”

Black Hammer spoke from the platform.

He didn’t praise them by saying they had done well or that the result was good.

But Kang Hyuk knew that this was an extremely favorable expression coming from him.

Even when an ordinary result was achieved, Black Hammer was the sort of person who would spew insults about them being trash and tell them never to expect anything from monkeys.

Black Hammer continued with a satisfied smile.

“Team 1, which achieved the best performance, will receive special meals tonight and tomorrow morning, as well as plenty of rest time. And, Kim Kang Hyuk.”

Kang Hyuk answered his call in a loud voice.

“Yes, sir!”

“After the assembly is dismissed, follow the assistant instructor.”

“Understood!”

His booming response seemed to satisfy Black Hammer even more, and the orc nodded.

Perhaps it was like watching a well-behaved pet.

After the assembly ended, Kang Hyuk followed the assistant instructor in the opposite direction from the accommodations.

Before long, he found himself standing in front of a building that was incomparably larger than the trainees’ accommodations.

“Human. Don’t even think about doing anything foolish once you enter. Show proper respect.”

“Understood.”

Kang Hyuk nodded at the orc assistant instructor’s words.

The assistant instructor knocked on the door.

A moment later, a voice from inside told them to enter.

Swoosh.

Unlike the doors of the accommodations, this one must have been well-oiled because it opened without making a sound.

Kang Hyuk entered and saw Black Hammer, an orc sitting behind a wooden desk.

He was one and a half times larger than an ordinary orc, who was already huge to begin with.

To accommodate his enormous body, both the desk and chair were equally massive.

The moment Kang Hyuk met Black Hammer’s eyes, he lowered his head.

“It is an honor to be summoned here.”

“Hmm. Sit there. Sniff.”

Black Hammer made a snorting sound through his nose as he stared intently at Kang Hyuk before speaking again.

“That strange paper you threw. Is it a Unique Ability?”

“No.”

Kang Hyuk answered without hesitation.

He had expected this question from the beginning and had known that Black Hammer would summon him for precisely this reason.

“Then a skill?”

“Yes.”

“How? I understand the monkeys in this region cannot use magic.”

By this region, Black Hammer meant this vicinity, where only people from Earth were dropped.

Not every human in this world came from Earth.

Some came from what could commonly be called worlds of swords and magic.

Others came from technologically superior worlds, or even from a place known as Murim.

In the first place, such people weren’t summoned to the Underworld, and they themselves hated being compared with humans from Earth.

But…

They weren’t actually all that different.

For some unknown reason, powerful individuals capable of breaking through the limits of their species were never summoned here.

“There was something I used to do back on Earth. It wasn’t nearly this effective there, but it seems to work differently here.”

“Hmm. Is that so? Then was it your ability that stopped the monster for a moment?”

Black Hammer’s eyes gleamed sharply.

Kang Hyuk’s mind raced in an instant.

He had deliberately used the ability without making it obvious, but apparently he hadn’t managed to escape Black Hammer’s keen eyes.

The fact that Black Hammer had noticed wasn’t a problem in itself.

However…

Did he see Hiro use his ability?

If he had seen it, answering yes now would make it a lie.

And knowing the Black Hammer of his memories, he wouldn’t tolerate a mere human lying to him.

There was no time.

If he took too long to think, Black Hammer would become suspicious.

He needed to make a decision quickly.

“Yes.”

In the end, Kang Hyuk chose to lie.

Black Hammer stroked his chin thoughtfully before speaking.

“Useful. Your basic combat instincts are good, and your ability is also focused on combat. You’ll probably survive for quite a long time.”

He spoke with a satisfied smile.

Fortunately, it seemed he hadn’t connected Hiro’s ability with Kang Hyuk’s.

Black Hammer continued.

“After you monkeys graduate from the training camp, you will have two choices.”

“Yes, sir.”

Black Hammer leaned forward slightly.

“You can become free. Or you can sign an employment contract. Which would you choose?”

Kang Hyuk answered without hesitation.

“I would like to sign an employment contract.”

“Oh? Why?”

“Because I don’t think I would have much of a future if I became free with such a weak body.”

The words he had prepared in advance came smoothly.

But his true thoughts were completely different.

Free? What a joke.

If they truly intended to make him free, there would be no reason for him to devise an escape plan.

They actually release you, then hunt you down and capture you again. Then they sell you as a slave or put you in debt before letting you go. They’re truly a bunch of bastards.

That was what the orcs were like.

They pretended to be warriors who revered martial honor while committing every kind of despicable act imaginable.

Of course, Black Hammer had no idea what was going through Kang Hyuk’s mind.

The orc nodded with a satisfied expression and pulled something out from inside his clothing.

“Here. Take this.”

Kang Hyuk had assumed Black Hammer would give him some moderately useful item as a reward for today’s training.

But the moment he saw what was in Black Hammer’s hand, he couldn’t hide his astonishment.

“Thank you!”

The words of gratitude burst from his mouth.

Black Hammer chuckled.

“If you’d chosen to become free, I would’ve given you something moderately useful. Consider this part of your signing bonus as well.”

“Yes, sir.”

Kang Hyuk thought Black Hammer had every right to boast about it.

The item the orc had given him was none other than armor from Midland.

The moment the item was placed in Kang Hyuk’s hands, information appeared before him.

[Midland Standard Chain Mail]

[Grade: Rare]

[Standard chain mail from Midland. Automatically binds to the wearer upon equipping. Has automatic repair and removal abilities.]

The grade was Rare.

Once he reached Midland, it would probably be considered no more than Magic grade.

But this was the Underworld.

Naturally, it was Rare here.

It was practically a game item.

Simply by holding it and thinking about equipping it, it automatically equipped itself.

Furthermore, it possessed a repair ability, meaning minor damage would be automatically repaired.

It was even better armor than what the orc assistant instructors were wearing.

At this level, having this in the Underworld is practically the same as having an extra life.

If he had possessed this when fighting Batum today, he wouldn’t have needed to struggle nearly as much.

He could have endured minor attacks while fighting.

“Hehe. Looks like you like it. That means I have high expectations for you.”

“Thank you!”

“Yes, yes. And the day after tomorrow, the day after tomorrow’s day after tomorrow—two days from now—the main base will personally come to inspect you trainees.”

Kang Hyuk was about to answer immediately, but he was startled and looked at Black Hammer.

“The main base?”

“Yes. That’s where you’ll go after graduation. I heard the quality of the trainees here is excellent, so they want to come and see you personally.”

“Ah. I-I am honored.”

He was so startled that he even stammered.

Black Hammer assumed that Kang Hyuk was simply overwhelmed with emotion.

But Kang Hyuk’s mind was spinning rapidly.

They’re coming from the main base to inspect us? That never happened in my previous life.

He knew that personnel from the main base occasionally visited training camps that produced particularly outstanding results.

But since it hadn’t happened in his previous life, he hadn’t considered the possibility.

I’m an idiot. Of course the future could change, and yet I didn’t take that into account.

While Kang Hyuk berated himself, Black Hammer began boasting about himself and the main base.

Kang Hyuk pretended to respond enthusiastically while continuing to think.

Then, in the middle of the conversation, Black Hammer said something else that Kang Hyuk hadn’t expected.

“…So I’ve decided to personally go to the front city to greet them. It’s been a long time since this training camp produced an outstanding soldier. I’m really looking forward to it.”

Black Hammer had mentioned it casually while boasting.

But to Kang Hyuk, it was an invaluable clue.

The front city is half a day’s journey away!

If Black Hammer went out to greet them, that meant he would be absent from the training camp for at least half a day.

And if the strongest combat force in the training camp, Black Hammer himself, was absent…

It meant this was the perfect opportunity to immediately put his escape plan into action.

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