The Second Coming of Gluttony Chapter 128:
Even without looking, he could tell where the sound came from . The Orc Champion had swung its axe the moment Seol Jihu lost balance .
A disk just barely managed to block the blade, but the shockwave sent Seol Jihu’s hair flying back . The sharp winds pierced through the disks, and facing the merciless wind pressure ravaging his face, Seol Jihu shut his eyes .
When he opened them back up, he realized his body was in the air . He flew like a car frantically driving in reverse, until he eventually struck the wall .
Thud!
“Puhup!”
Blood spurted out of Seol Jihu’s mouth as he suffered internal damage . With his blurred vision, he could see the Orc Champion striking down with his battle-axe .
It was then… Click, click! Sharp sounds of a chain shot toward the monster’s neck . Just as a chained scythe was about to hit its neck, the Orc Champion struck it down with his arm without even looking back .
“…Chet . ” A giant clicked his tongue and pulled his chain back . Ten or so arrows immediately followed .
The Orc Champion, which was about to end the puny insect’s life, couldn’t help but grit its teeth and fall back . But where had all these reinforcements come from?
Krrrr?
Its nose twitched, and then it quickly scanned its rear . After seeing that the old Orc had been decapitated, it finally realized the cause for the unusual change . The Orc Shaman had been killed while it was focused on the weakling who he mistakenly thought was strong .
When the Orc Champion saw Kazuki darting away from where the Orc Shaman used to stand, it let out an angry snort .
“Hurry up and take him!” The giant man swinging his chain in a circle shouted .
Lara Wolff ran in while being covered by others . She grabbed the legs of the sporadically convulsing youth and pulled on him frantically .
Of course, Seol Jihu couldn’t recognize anything happening around him . He was in a state of complete bewilderment, like a TV screen full of miscellaneous signals .
“Concussion and seizure… . He needs immediate treatment…!”
He could faintly make out a few words .
“The Orc Champion’s power surpasses my expectations . Can you do anything about it?”
“I’m sorry . I cannot use power beyond that of a High Ranker as long as I’m inside the Banquet . ”
“Even though you used a Divine Wish…!”
“People who cleared the Banquet cannot enter it again . I could bend the rules using a Divine Wish, but a restriction has been placed on my abilities… . ”
A conversation he couldn’t understand flowed out .
“First . ”
He felt a soft touch enveloping his face . A warm sensation flowed into his body, and his vision focused . Seol Jihu opened his eyes and saw Kazuki’s face .
“Are you okay?”
Seol Jihu picked himself back up . His body was drenched . At first, he thought it was blood, but he then realized it was sweat .
When he lowered his head, cold sweat dripped down . He also felt a bit exhausted . Although the battle was short, this was proof that he had been pushed to a corner and expended much mental energy .
His hand fumbled on the ground, searching for his spear . Seeing this, Kazuki opened his mouth .
“Don’t worry . The man you saved is surprisingly skilled . He’s holding up with a hit-and-switch tactic . ”
Seol Jihu quickly grasped how the battle was playing out . The Orcs fighting spirit had died down greatly . Their crimson eyes had also returned to their original color .
The most important thing was that the old Orc in the back was killed . He was wondering why Kazuki wasn’t supporting him . It seemed that he had gone to assassinate the Orc Shaman .
Kazuki placed his hand on the youth’s shoulder .
“Good job . You did well— truly . Thanks to you, we are now in an advantageous position . ”
These weren’t empty words . Although the robed Priest played a huge role, Seol Jihu was the one who caught the Orc Champion’s attention and fought it directly . Thanks to him, Kazuki was able to assassinate the Orc Shaman without the Orc Champion finding out .
But it was too early to celebrate . Most of the Orc Warriors were alive, and the Orc Champion was still kicking . The giant and the six others were barely keeping the Orc Champion in check under the Priests’ support .
The Orc Champion’s power was truly incredible . And in reality, its physical power surpassed that of most High Rankers . A ‘true’ High Ranker like Oh Rahee might be needed to fight it on an even ground .
Even then, there was a chance that she would lose . Victory wasn’t guaranteed .
Right . Kazuki couldn’t deny that Seol Jihu did a good job . However, the result people were expecting from him was no longer that of a Level 3 Warrior .
“Do you think you can go on?”
Kazuki chose his words carefully as he knew how overwhelming it was to take on the Orc Champion’s attacks .
Seol Jihu trembled . All humans possessed a primitive fear . Seol Jihu was no different .
The Orc Champion’s consecutive axe-attacks, its wind-using ability, and its charging power… . As someone who had experienced them all, fear crept up inside Seol Jihu .
A part of him wanted to dump everything onto Kazuki . Since he toiled away until now, he wanted to leave things to others and run away .
But he knew he couldn’t . If he did, he would be no different than Audrey Basler .
He was the one who convinced people to enter this place . He was also the one who agreed to send Chohong, their strongest fighter, to another team .
Regardless of the process, he was the one who led 110 people into this place as a result . Thus… .
“Mister Kazuki . ”
He had to ‘repay’ what he received .
“I can’t fight him for long . We need to settle it in one go . ”
Seol Jihu admitted inwardly — that he alone was incapable of handling this monster . He had to borrow others’ strength .
“You want to go for the kill in one exchange?”
“Yes . Can you create an opening?”
Kazuki nodded before turning back to the Orc Champion . Seol Jihu seemed to have regained his composure as he calmly gazed at the Orc Champion, readying his posture .
“…I can do it once . ”
Kazuki threw away his crossbow and took out a deep-purple longbow .
“I used two shots to kill the Orc Shaman… so I only have one left . ” He muttered as he nocked an arrow onto the long, pole-sized bow .
Even while they were chatting, several people were risking their lives to buy Seol Jihu enough time to recover . There was no time to hesitate or waste .
“Let’s go . ”
Kazuki aimed his bow .
Seol Jihu bit his lower lip . Looking back, he had been too helpless . It was true that the Orc Champion was powerful, but he failed to bring out his full potential due to fear . From the moment they first crossed weapons, he got too intimidated and was busy running away .
[Don’t forget . Training is a battle . ]
‘Sir . ’
Seol Jihu recalled Jang Maldong’s words and tightened his grip on his spear . He suppressed the mana wildly flickering around it .
“Go!”
Ping! The moment Kazuki let go of the bowstring, Seol Jihu shot forward like a ray of light . The arrow drew an arc in the air before gliding down like a bird .
The Orc Champion was already enraged to the limit . No matter how many mayflies1 gathered together, in the end, they were just mayflies . But every time the Orc Champion tried to do something, the disk-shaped barriers blocked his attacks, frustrating him endlessly .
Swish! With a short slashing sound, a chilling energy reached it . The Orc Champion glanced up before instantly jumping back . At a glance, it looked like the Orc Champion was trying to get out of the range of the arrow .
From a common sense standpoint, it was impossible for a fired arrow to change its course . However, High Rankers had the power to alter common sense .
The arrow hurling downward wiggled like a living creature just before it touched the ground . Next, like a swallow sailing up, the arrow drew a clear arc and chased after the fleeing enemy .
After finally catching up, the pole-like arrow grazed the Orc Champion’s Achilles tendon, and Kazuki immediately shot past the Orc Champion while slicing its right shin . He had snuck forward while the enemy’s attention was drawn to the arrow and landed a perfectly timed attack .
Clearly, he had planned out the entire move to restrict the Orc Champion’s movement .
Thinking that he succeeded, Kazuki turned back to check . However, the Orc Champion wasn’t paying any attention to Kazuki or the arrow . It was only staring out front in a daze .
Kazuki examined the monster once more . Now that he thought about it, he felt like the arrow missed its mark by a slight margin, and even his dagger had only cut him lightly .
Next, when he saw the Orc Champion’s beast-like glare, Kazuki went “Ah!”
The Orc Champion had not run back to dodge the arrow . It was the opposite . Knowing that Seol Jihu was aiming for it, it had cleverly fallen back to gain momentum and reduce the damage it received .
The Orc Champion stomped down with its right foot, almost as if to sneeringly say, ‘Did you just find out?’ Then, it strongly kicked off the ground .
‘Shoot!’ Seeing the Orc Champion leap forward like performing a long jump, Kazuki realized he made the wrong judgment .
He shouldn’t have killed the Orc Shaman . Even though the Orc Champion would have been stronger, it was much better to have it in a state of madness . Now, while its physical prowess had been reduced, it had regained its intelligence .
That wasn’t the worst part . If a monstrosity like the Orc Champion noticed Kazuki’s plan, it most certainly would have calculated its following moves . As if to prove this, it had already gone past the range of a Priest’s normal barrier . Now, only the disks could protect Seol Jihu .
But the Orc Champion had been bothered by the disks the entire time . How could it not have put them into its calculations?
Kazuki was filled with despair . The moment Seol Jihu entered the attacking range of the Orc Champion; he would die without a doubt .
“FALL BACK!!”
Kazuki shouted at the top of his lungs, but Seol Jihu was charging forward from the moment Kazuki fired his arrow . He had even used the final charge of the Festina Earring .
And when the Orc Champion stopped retreating and suddenly shot forward, Seol Jihu was taken aback . He planned to chase after it and drill a hole in its chest with an Aura-infused thrust . However, the Orc Champion had closed the distance between them with a sinister smile .
As if it knew what Seol Jihu planned to do, it was clearly saying it would finish him off .
By the time Seol Jihu realized this, the Orc Champion was already making its move . It carefully watched where the white disks were being created and left leeway in its movements to change course .
Seol Jihu still couldn’t read its attacks . However, he could guess what would happen next from the devastating wind pressure striking against him .
His head turned blank, and his eyes also became vacant .
“Ah… . ”
Just when he thought, ‘This is it’… .
[Don’t forget . Training is a battle . ]
A calm voice brushed past his head .
[Brat, stop trying to do things without a plan and use your head . ]
[I told you not to move from that spot . But I never told you not to move at all . ]
Seeing the Orc Champion’s right arm swinging down, Seol Jihu ducked to the left .
[That’s it . ]
A sharp, prickling sensation grazed past him . The Orc Champion still had the same bored look it did before . After all, it had more than one weapon . And as if to say, ‘What’s the point of dodging?’ it swung down its other axe at the insect ducking down .
In reality, Seol Jihu didn’t even know he barely dodged the first attack . And this time, he didn’t even have the chance to see the Orc Champion’s arm .
But he intuitively knew that the Orc Champion’s attack wasn’t over . After all, he could see Kazuki running toward him with a frightening face, and more importantly, he was feeling a clear, prickling sensation on his neck .
Seol Jihu’s head was empty . But just as he had learned and as his instincts led him… Seol Jihu instantly straightened his back halfway and ducked to the right reflexively .
Swish!
Could this be what it felt like to have a fiercely spinning chain-saw graze past oneself?
[Good job . ]
As chills ran down the backs of everyone watching, Kazuki stopped running . A look of shock spread across his face, enough to make him forget everything .
“What… . ”
The first attack was one thing, but the second follow-up attack should have been checkmate . No matter how he saw it, it should have been impossible to avoid .
Not only did the Orc Champion time it perfectly, but unless one had eyes behind their head, there was no way to tell which direction it was coming from .
However, the youth had dodged it . He had crossed over with an acrobatic movement and avoided the attack by a paper-thin margin .
Kazuki witnessed the entire scene, yet he was still full of doubts .
It was as if the youth had moved ‘intuitively’… .
“Could it be?”
Kazuki’s jaw dropped .
‘He learned Intuition?’
Even dodging Jang Maldong’s wooden logs ten thousand times might not allow one to obtain this ability . Even among the gifted, it was said that only a small minority could obtain this marvelous ability .
If the onlookers were this surprised, how shocked would the involved parties be?
The Orc Champion, who now had both its arms crossed downward, looked confused . Its first attack had been a feint to draw out the white disk . It hadn’t even considered the insect in front of it to dodge .
While both friend and foe were in states of disbelief, Seol Jihu was also wrapped up in a strange sensation . To be precise, he was feeling the wind that touched him while he dodged the Orc Champion’s axes .
Just like when he was floating in the lake and feeling the flow of the water, he mindlessly focused on the current of wind sweeping past him .
[Flash Step is a technique in which you move instantly by using the elasticity that comes from bending your body like a bow… . Since it uses your entire body, you can say it’s closer to a body technique than a foot technique . ]
Coincidentally, his body had been bent .
[The key is to consume minimal energy . ]
As if he was worried that this sensation would disappear, Seol Jihu roused his mana and controlled it subconsciously .
Dividing one large stream into dozens of smaller streams, he evenly spread them through his veins and meridians . Soon, when the streams connected together like a well-woven spider web, Seol Jihu’s head shot up .
Past his droplets of sweat, he could see the Orc Champion looking down at him . A refined light flickered from Seol Jihu’s eyes as he straightened his bent back .
Boom!
With an explosive sound, the spear Seol Jihu extended… no, his entire body shot forward .
Kkudeeeeeuk!
The Ice Spear penetrated the Orc Champion’s armor and dug into its side . The monster’s jaw dropped open .
Festina Earring and the explosiveness of Flash Step . Since the attack even came from such a short distance, not even the Orc Champion could react immediately .
When a sharp pain spread through its body, the monster grit its teeth rather than scream .
Not yet . Although an unexpected incident occurred, it hadn’t lost . It could just endure an injury of this level . It still held onto its weapons, and the enemy was within its range . A weakling like a human should turn to meat paste if it just swung its axe .
The Orc Champion tried to raise its battle-axe, but its arm lagged . Before it noticed, the giant man had wrapped his chain around it and was pulling on it .
Keeeeeeeeu!
Refusing to give up, the Orc Champion threw away the axe in its right hand and grabbed the spear stuck in its body .
It was then… Suddenly, a blue spear filled its vision .
BOOM!
Blood spurted out from its nose . Seol Jihu’s Mana Spear had tilted its chin up, so much so that its helmet flew off .
The Orc Champion even let go of the spear it held in its hand . With a near-dead huff, the monster dropped its head .
In the next moment, the Orc Champion saw the Ice Spear flickering with blue flames .
The Thrust .
A truly clean and beautiful thrust unraveled .
Psssh!
The tip of the spear pierced through the Orc Champion’s solar plexus and exited through its back . The monster’s neck wriggled, and blood spurted out from its mouth .
Strength escaped its lower body . Although its legs bent down, its fierce eyes were still alive . It no longer stared at the youth like some weakling . Almost as if to engrave the visage of the existence marking its end, the Orc Champion gazed at Seol Jihu swinging his spear .
Soon… .
Its head separated from its body, shooting up into the air and then rolling on the ground .
Seol Jihu drew heavy breaths while staring at the slowly collapsing corpse with widened eyes .
Thud!
The muscular body fell to the ground and created a small rumbling . The Orc Champion had finally fallen .
And… .
Confirming the death of one of their commanders, the Orc Warriors became disarrayed . This couldn’t be helped . There was a clear difference between the Orc Warriors and the Orc Champions . Comparing them to a nation’s army, they were foot soldiers and generals, respectively .
But the general receiving their absolute trust had just been executed by a mere thousand-man… no, a hundred-man commander . How could they not be shocked?
Not only did they falter back hesitantly, but some even dropped their weapons .
Kazuki clenched his fists . The moment Seol Jihu had dodged the Orc Champion’s second attack, goosebumps shot up all over his body and he could no longer hold himself back .
“Seol…!!”
He shot his hand up .
“Carpe Diem’s Seol Jihu has defeated the Orc Champion!!!”
And he shouted out loud .
1 In Korean, Mayfly is famous for living only one day (they literally translate to One Day Livers) . They are used to mean ‘someone who is really weak and frail’ .
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