Chapter 260: A Complicated Truth (5)
The most important thing for a corrupted soldier was its master's command. However, the hyena had not yet issued any commands, so it simply stood still.
Tak!
Han-Yeol slammed his fists together.
[Alright, shall we have some fun?]
[Ha! You humans are far too foolish and arrogant for your own good, but that’s what makes you so entertaining. Sure, I’ll give you what you want. Go and rip that arrogant human to shreds!]
“Kwuoo… Ooohh!”
Tak! Boom!
The Master Rank Corrupted Soldier took a single step before suddenly darting toward Han-Yeol, appearing in front of him in less than a second while unleashing a sonic boom around them.
[Oh? You’re quite fast,] Han-Yeol said with a smirk.
The boss monster was impressed that the human was able to react to its corrupted soldier’s ambush.
‘It was the right choice to corrupt a strong human and have him fight in my stead. That human is exceedingly fast, and even for me, corrupting him won't be easy…’
The hyena was confident that it was stronger than Han-Yeol, but its race relied on curses and intellect rather than physical strength, unlike the other Bastrolings. They avoided physical confrontations because they lacked the physical strength compared to other beasts, compensating with their curse skills and intellect.
While the mana density on Earth wasn't as high as in the Bastro Dimension, most humans were physically weaker. However, the beings referred to as 'Master Rank Hunters' were not to be underestimated.
The boss monster was a low-ranking sorcerer in the Bastro Dimension, while the human facing its corrupted soldier represented the pinnacle of humanity.
Ziiiing!
Han-Yeol's five senses sharpened as the Master Rank Corrupted Soldier dashed nearly seven meters in just 0.1 seconds. Other Hunters would have perished before they even had a chance to react, but that wasn't the case for Han-Yeol, who possessed the Master Rank Sixth Sense skill.
The Sixth Sense broke down time into increments of 0.01 seconds whenever Han-Yeol was attacked. This meant that even though the Master Rank Corrupted Soldier closed the distance between them in just 0.1 seconds, it felt like ten seconds for Han-Yeol.
In other words, the Master Rank Corrupted Soldier wasn't a formidable opponent for Han-Yeol.
Chwak! Seuk…!
The Master Rank Corrupted Soldier stabbed with its rotten hand, but Han-Yeol easily avoided it by twisting his body.
‘It's over,’ the hyena thought.
The foolish human might not have been aware of it, but the corrupted soldier possessed a unique skill.
“Gwuoh!”
‘Hmm?’
It was then that Han-Yeol saw it.
Shwiiiik! Boom!
Once again, it happened in an instant. The Master Rank Corrupted Soldier stabbed with its hand, but it immediately opened its palm and clapped with its other hand the moment Han-Yeol avoided the initial attack. Then, an explosion, similar to that of a hand grenade, occurred the moment its hands met.
The explosion was relatively small, but it was not to be underestimated, as it was created purely from mana.
‘Haha! Stupid human!’
The hyena was both baffled and amused by how easily humans could be deceived. How could they possibly fall for such inexpensive tricks?
Unfortunately, the only foolish creature on the rooftop was none other than the hyena.
“Phew! That was a close call,” Han-Yeol said after distancing himself from the explosion.
‘It was a good idea to check his details before coming here,’ he thought.
Sammy wasn't a Master Rank Hunter shrouded in mystery. In fact, he was quite famous before he became a terrorist. His recent immersion in religion and the creation of the Shabab organization marked a significant shift.
Moreover, even after becoming a terrorist, he consistently utilized his explosion skills, earning him a notorious reputation among the Hunter community. Fortunately, Han-Yeol had been briefed by Mujahid before their arrival.
[Oh? You’re quite the slippery one, aren’t you? Well, not that it matters since you’re going to… die!]
“Gwuo Ooooh!”
Bam!
The Master Rank Corrupted Soldier kicked off the ground and darted at Han-Yeol once again, but Han-Yeol was already anticipating this move and intently observing its movements.
‘It's fast but straightforward.’
The Master Rank Corrupted Hunter was indeed fast, but its movements were overly simplistic. While its speed might have compensated for its simple attack pattern against most opponents, Han-Yeol possessed the Sixth Sense, rendering speed useless against him.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Boom! Boom!
An explosion triggered each time the Master Rank Corrupted Soldier swung its arms, as if to demonstrate its past status as a Master Rank Hunter.
A Master Rank Hunter's mana pool could withstand continuous skill usage, a feat impossible for those of S Rank or below. So, how could those who had not attained Master Rank possibly contend with these near-transcendent beings? In truth, it was an impossible task to begin with.
‘Wow, these explosions are not a joke,’ Han-Yeol thought as he calmly avoided all of the attacks with ease.
“Gwuoo… Ooooh!”
Whoosh!
“Hap!”
There were a few close calls, but most of the attacks were rather simple and straightforward.
‘I guess it can't do anything complex after having its consciousness corrupted. Hyenas are quite adept at scheming, but they always seem to fall short,’ Han-Yeol thought as he reminisced about his time living as Harkan in the Bastro Dimension.
During that period, he had worked as the peacekeeper of the Bastro Dimension, frequently pursuing the hyena race, who sought to dominate the entire dimension.
There was a time when Harkan's peacekeeping forces had raided the hyenas' base, and the hyenas had fought fiercely to repel them. The peacekeeping forces had nearly faced annihilation, navigating the numerous cunning traps set by the hyenas. However, they had only lost ten percent of their forces, thanks to the traps failing at critical moments.
This was a common tactic of the hyenas, and it appeared to be the same with the corrupted soldiers.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
“Heave-ho!”
Han-Yeol continued to defend without launching a single attack. It was more crucial for him to keep the boss monster at bay than to defeat the Master Rank Corrupted Soldier as quickly as possible.
‘If I go all out from the beginning, the bastard is highly likely to intervene. I need to make it appear that I'm narrowly losing before taking care of this zombie with a single decisive strike. Otherwise... facing two opponents at once would be the worst outcome right now.’
The hyena race might have possessed weak physical attributes, but they were still creatures from a second dimension. Han-Yeol knew from experience that the mana density in the second dimension was incomparably denser compared to Earth, which remained in the first dimension.
It seemed that the twenty years he had lived as Harkan had not been in vain.
‘I wouldn't have devised such a plan if I hadn't spent twenty years as Harkan.’
In fact, he wouldn't have bothered pursuing the hyena at all; instead, he would have evacuated after completing his mission. Then, the hyena would have gradually grown stronger, eventually becoming an unstoppable force.
Whoosh! Boom!
The Master Rank Corrupted Soldier threw a punch. Han-Yeol narrowly avoided it on purpose, and the punch connected with the wall behind him instead triggering an explosion.
Sammy was a Hunter specializing in explosions so he was immune to most explosions, and this meant that the Master Rank Corrupted Soldier was immune to explosion as well.
This got Han-Yeol thinking…
‘Whoops! That was a close one. Hmm… It would have been dangerous if this guy got completely corrupted with his brains intact. It would be impossible even for me to fight against this infamous terrorist if he had both his strategies and empowered corrupted mana.’
He was correct. His opponent’s mana and power might have been enhanced, but it came at the cost of its attack pattern becoming extremely straightforward that it did not pose a threat to him at all.
[Hmm… There’s something strange about this… How can a mere human of the same rank fight equally against my puppet?]
The boss monster began to grow suspicious of the situation. It calculated the likely outcome of the battle and concluded that the human wouldn't last thirty minutes against its corrupted soldier.
However, its calculations were way off the mark, and the battle was still ongoing, albeit at a slower pace.
[This is starting to get boring. Alright, enough playing,] the boss monster said, finally taking a step forward.
‘Tsk... It's sooner than I hoped,’ Han-Yeol clicked his tongue inwardly.
He was quite taken aback after seeing the boss monster decide to get involved, as he had hoped to buy a bit more time.
“Gwuooo Ooooh!”
Pukeok!
“Argh!”
The Master Rank Corrupted Soldier's attack pattern might have been simple, but it had been a Master Rank Hunter before its mana got corrupted.
The corrupted soldier threw a ferocious punch at Han-Yeol's midsection, surprisingly landing this time.
Boom!
The punch was immediately followed by a powerful explosion that sent Han-Yeol flying back into a wall.
"Ugh..." Han-Yeol groaned as his entire upper body was in a mess.
[Haha! Who would've thought you would fall for such a cheap trick? As expected, you humans are too foolish! Kekeke!]
‘Argh... Damn it, that was bait?’ Han-Yeol grumbled while grabbing his abdomen, which was pulsating from the impact.
[Kekeke!]
Anyone could tell that the hyena was laughing, even if they did not understand the Bastro tongue.
Kwachik!
A vein bulged on Han-Yeol's forehead.
“Kyu!”
“Are you alright, master?”
Mavros and Tia asked, but neither appeared worried, as they both looked quite relaxed.
“Yeah, I’m alright,” Han-Yeol replied while dusting himself off.
Tak! Tak!
The punch and explosion had caused some damage to him, but it wasn't to the point where he couldn't stand up.
“Do you need help?”
“Kyu?”
“It’s alright. Just help me if you see that bastard move.”
“Hoho~ Alright, master~”
“Kyu!”
Seuk…
Han-Yeol assumed his stance and channeled his mana. It was time to get serious since he had already achieved his goal.
‘Alright, shall we get serious this time?’
"Gwuoo... Oooh..."
The Master Rank Corrupted Soldier followed suit, assuming its stance as it prepared to attack.
“Gwuoo…”
“…”
A strange connection seemed to have been established between the two for a split second.
‘Time to play!’
It was at that moment, just as Han-Yeol was about to kick off the ground, that he suddenly sensed a familiar mana presence.
“!!!”
He immediately shouted with a smile, “Tia! Mavros!”
“Hoho~ I was waiting for this~”
Seuk… Tak!
Tia transformed her hands and quickly ran up the walls as soon as Han-Yeol gave the command.
“Kieeeeeek!”
Mavros was already in combat mode, his wings spread wide as he flew toward the Master Rank Corrupted Soldier.
[Ha! How foolish! It seems you no longer value your life!]
The boss monster was furious with the human who did not obey the rules it had set.
[I’ll make you beg for a swift death!]
Crack…!
The sound of the boss monster gritting its fangs in anger echoed through the air.
Playtime was over; it was now time for the boss monster to punish the insolent human for defying the rules.
[Foolish human! Blame no one but yourself!]
Woooong!
The boss monster gathered its powerful mana in both hands as it prepared to unleash one of its most formidable curses.
Whoosh!
[Hmm?]
A gust of wind blew, and it seemed the boss monster detected the disturbance in mana, but...
Whoosh!
A figure clad in a full suit with a helmet shaped like a falcon soared through the air. The person was flying at an astonishing speed and didn't slow down for a second, even as they approached the city hall building.
[T-This...!]
Caught off guard, the boss monster was in the midst of casting its potent curse. In that split second, it calculated whether to continue channeling the curse or cancel it and employ a different attack.
While it might sound like a lot to process in a split second, the hyena race were exceptionally intelligent creatures with the brainpower to make such quick decisions.
Bam! Kwachik!
[Kuheok!]
The falcon suit slammed into the hyena, but it managed to save itself thanks to the large shield it was holding with one hand. However, the shield had served its purpose and was now completely shattered.
Han-Yeol smirked after witnessing what had just happened. ‘Alright, it's over.’
Every hyena carried a shield with them, and this shield was one of their secret weapons as well as their trademark. The shield protected them from danger, and the hyenas depended heavily on it for their survival.
The problem was that destroying the shield was quite tricky, as they tended to avoid combat just when their shields were about to be destroyed. The shield possessed the ability to self-repair while out of combat, making it extremely difficult to break.
However, it was not without its weakness, as it would take twenty-four hours after the shield had been destroyed for the hyenas to resummon it. Fortunately, the person wearing the falcon suit managed to destroy the tricky shield right from the start.
[No! Damn it!]
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