NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 361
Chapter 362
Fortunately, it was quite simple to track the human traces for our group. Thanks to our regular training in tracking monster signs.
During that process, Kim Yoo-min, who had a lower academic achievement in tracking compared to other kids, got a good scolding from Kim Hyun-soo, but considering the circumstances, it wasn’t a harsh reprimand.
With the situation being so urgent, wouldn’t a stern scolding be the teacher’s virtue? Or maybe not.
“It seems they were quite desperate.”
In fact, their traces were mixed all around. With so many people moving about, it’s only natural.
If it were a usual trace, Kim Yoo-min would have been able to read it skillfully, but now, with the excessive numbers, it was understandable that it was tough to decipher.
“Umm…!! I think I got it, Dad…!! Everyone seems to have gone this way!!”
“Wrong, sister. People must have gone this way.”
Tae-oh and Shar laid out their respective theories and, perhaps out of competitiveness, turned to Yeon-woo at the same time. It was as if they were asking the judge to make a decision, to which Yeon-woo solemnly nodded.
Tae-oh pointed left, and Shar pointed right. The only answer Yeon-woo could provide was one.
“Neither of those. It’s this way.”
“…No! I refuse to accept that! Dad is wrong!!”
“That’s right, that’s right!!”
“If you’re not going to accept it, why did you make me the judge, you little rascals?”
At Yeon-woo’s incredulous gaze, Shar and Tae-oh began to jump around like little monkeys.
“Hmm, Yeon-woo, what about this way?”
In such a gathering of students, a new theory was proposed. Following the Eastern, Western, Southern theories came the Northern theory. In fact, within the four, there was bound to be one correct miracle in academia.
“Let me see. This, right? What’s the evidence?”
“Do you see this footprint?”
Nea pointed at a very light footprint typical of a martial artist with superior movement skills.
In itself, it wasn’t particularly unusual. Excluding the fact that the level of agility was incredibly high, such footprints were commonly seen.
“This is a martial artist’s footprint. Why is it evidence?”
“Look, isn’t something strange?”
At Nea’s words, Yeon-woo stroked his chin and examined the footprint. Strange? What part of it…? Just as he was about to voice that, Yeon-woo realized the answer.
“…Could it be.”
“Yes, this footprint is from an Air Jordan? Some fancy shoe that emphasizes style over function on such muddy ground means they’re a formidable presence, don’t you think?”
“Correct answer announcement!! The correct answer is Nea!!”
This level of agility requires someone who can use that much skill while still sporting such stylish shoes; there’s likely only one person across dimensions.
Samiryun-ju, that old man came here and moved with the adventurers.
Since the hunters had scattered in various directions, it would actually be hard to say which direction was correct.
However, amidst it all, if one had to pick the answer worth a hundred points, without a doubt it would be the direction Samiryun-ju had taken. That old man was in a rush, after all; he wouldn’t bother taking a long way around.
“Kids, Professor, this way!!”
With Yeon-woo’s voice rallying everyone, the party rushed over. Everyone nodded at Yeon-woo’s confident statement and moved forward.
*
“What the hell are you, a piece of work?”
Dooko-hyun complained. Although not a drop of blood was on his hands, blood was splattered around him. It looked so gruesome that even hunters were hesitant to approach him.
“On the left, hold the shield and face forward!! Just focus on taking the hits!! Don’t worry, even if you get knocked back, we won’t let you die!! Just concentrate on taking the blows!!”
Behind Dooko-hyun, Reuters was giving commands. Anyway, he had a knack for sniffing out safe places.
Being next to Dooko-hyun might be dangerous, but having him between them and the enemies instinctively made the other hunters feel quite safe.
“Clerics focus on healing, Mage Unit 1 on offense, Unit 2 on safely absorbing the flying shields!!”
With Reuters’ magically-infused voice, the temporarily assembled hunters sprang into action with military-like precision.
The giant’s thick arms, roaring as they swept the ground, sent several shieldbearers flying, but countless shieldbearers clung on and succeeded in stopping the giant.
Among them, the most prominent figure was Park Giant, a man notable for his thick muscles and massive stature. Usually, he fought with his fists, but he was also quite skilled in shield techniques, often serving as a tank.
[───!!!]
The giant didn’t know its attack would be halted, and it roared, trying to muster up strength to push back.
However, the shield units had no intention of losing either. They seemed not to want to lose even in the volume of their cries, letting out a collective shout.
““Uooohhh─!!””
The two opposing forces clashed fiercely. The blue aura blazed like wildfire from the shieldbearers, while the giant’s tentacle-like arms swelled up.
Among the shieldbearers, one by one began to fall. Nevertheless, they did not retreat. Instead, they pressed forward.
Park Giant’s muscular body was stained red. He could feel his veins bursting and muscles tearing.
Even a simple test of strength needed this many people involved to create such a result. Despite the clerics using divine arts, the healing couldn’t keep up with the damage.
“Right, keep it up, you guys!”
Still, they were putting their lives on the line to hold off a single blow to create this moment.
Before long, Dooko-hyun nimbly jumped onto the giant’s arm. Dodging incoming magic, he walked up the tentacle, his right hand outstretched.
Bam!!
With a clear sound, dozens of holes pierced the giant’s arm. Even holes that seemed too small to inflict significant damage became a different story when dozens were made simultaneously—and with countless holes, frost began to settle in.
“Leave the cleanup to you, Frozen rookie!!”
“Got it.”
With a cold voice, Baek Joo-han began to descend, scattering white snowflakes like the flurries that fell from the sky onto the giant.
The giant’s body began to freeze from the area where Baek Joo-han touched it, showcasing the prowess of an absolute master, causing even hunters to gasp in awe.
“What are you doing, don’t just stand there!!”
As if waking to Park Giant’s shout, the hunters rushed in again, grabbing the completely frozen arms, pushing, and hitting with their fists or any weapon they could muster.
“Urrrhaaa!!”
Clang!!
The giant’s arm shattered into ice shards. Watching the scene, Baek Joo-han blew a gust of wind onto the section of the arm that was attempting to regenerate, instantly freezing it.
Despite such overwhelming achievement, Baek Joo-han frowned.
“Even after freezing, it still tries to regenerate.”
Indeed, despite freezing it down to the particle level, the giant continued regenerating and trying to break the ice as if the cell activity had remained unaffected.
It was quite bizarre. While all demon kings were essentially bizarre beings, this giant was even more so.
I had heard that even the tentacles of the demon king’s servants could not resist a child’s ice and had to come to a standstill.
‘Are they defying the common sense of this world?’
Though it appeared strange in form, it maintained a basic structure but was blatantly disregarding everything accumulated as common knowledge. This wasn’t just about regeneration.
Just moments ago, it had been completely halted, yet it was launching attacks with even greater power than before.
Logically, that shouldn’t be possible. No matter how much strength is applied, striking from the same point shouldn’t be more powerful than a sweeping blow. One could say there was a lack of understanding, but this was beyond even that.
‘Is this the extent of the demon king’s underlings?’
Baek Joo-han sighed quietly, ensuring no one overheard. At this point, he was already convinced that this giant was merely a subordinate of the demon king himself.
No matter how powerful Dooko-hyun was, he never expected the demon king to so easily expose themselves.
“R.I.P, you piece of trash.”
Dooko-hyun’s hand gripped the tentacle-like head with ferocity. Named as the Yama Black Hand, named for its ruthless nature of claiming lives like the King of Hell, his grip tore apart the giant’s head entirely.
[──….]
The giant started to fall with a mournful sigh. Hunters stationed in the area hurriedly dodged. With a thud, the giant’s body collapsed.
In the swirling dust, Dooko-hyun coughed once, then grumbled with a face that looked like he’d chewed on something nasty.
“Playing around, you bastard.”
With a rough curse, Dooko-hyun looked up at the sky, still gazing beyond the gaping hole that spilled forth dark matter.
He felt nothing. As if a hollow doll, devoid of brain or heart; down to its very core, even actual muscles were missing. It felt almost like bursting a karaoke promotional balloon.
A puppet. Everyone here, including himself, had been played by the demon king’s puppet.
Dooko-hyun had a sense that the demon king was laughing beyond that hole in the sky.
*
Though no one knew, the demon king held a profound interest in humans. Isn’t it amusing to watch? The little ones desperately flailing about just to live.
After living for a long time, the most interesting species he’d ever seen. Perhaps akin to a troublesome little pet.
Today, he was looking forward to whatever mishap they might cause next. Thus, he’d set unnecessary pawns in motion. Aren’t you curious? How will the pets react when they find themselves in a crisis?
[This is amusing.]
The demon king laughed as he watched the old human glaring at him.
(To be continued in the next chapter)