CHAPTER 232: A HERO FOR THE LITTLE THINGS (2)

“Shhhk! Shhhhk!”

A screeching metallic sound, like fingernails scraping against steel, assaulted their ears.

The monster, with front legs bent at a ninety-degree angle, flapped its wings and soared into the air.

“Ah! Mister! U-Up there!” NT shouted in a panic.

While she flailed in alarm, Kwon Oh-Jin calmly raised his spear as he stared at the airborne monster.

“Shreeeek!”

The monster, now about thirty meters above ground, violently swung its sickle-like forelegs. White energy gathered along its limbs and rained down so strongly that it could split thick steel plates in a single strike.

“So monsters are capable of using something like sword energy too, huh.”

Where in the world did they even find these monsters?

Kwon Oh-Jin chuckled under his breath and looked up at the rain of deadly white energy.

Stigma of Hourglass.

The world slowed down like a slow-motion video as he dodged the rain of white slashes with minimal movements. Some barely grazed the edge of his clothes. By limiting his movements like this, he conserved every ounce of energy he could.

“Shhhk! Shhhhk!”

A flicker of panic appeared in the monster’s grotesque, fly-like compound eyes. It reacted as if someone just walked through a rainy storm without getting the slightest bit wet. Sensing instinctively that something was wrong, the monster flapped its wings harder and soared higher into the sky.

“Shreeee, shreeek!”

No human without wings could possibly follow it up. Feeling secure, the monster calmed itself and looked down again.

“You can use sword energy, but you’re still dumb as hell.” Kwon Oh-Jin smirked and aimed his wire shooter at the creature.

Bang!

Six wires shot out like arrows and wrapped tightly around the monster.

“Shreeeek!” The monster flailed and wildly swung its sickle-like forelegs to break free. Its overwhelming strength yanked Kwon Oh-Jin into the air like a weight on the end of a rope.

“Ah! Mister, you’re in danger!” NT cried out.

Her face went pale as she watched him being dragged high into the sky.

“Yeah, it’s dangerous, alright.”

Instead of resisting, Kwon Oh-Jin used Lightning Steps and launched himself even higher than the monster.

“But I’m not the one in danger. That damn mantis is.”

Shhh!

With a loud mechanical sound, the wires rapidly retracted and pulled him down at incredible speed. He aimed his spear down and accelerated with gravity as the wires reeled in.

Lightning Strike.

Crackkkkklle!

A bolt of blue lightning tore through the monster. It didn’t even have time to scream before it instantly died. The monster’s body disintegrated and rained down in chunks.

“Phew.”

Kwon Oh-Jin had killed three green-ranked and one blue-ranked monster so far. He looked at the nearly three hundred points he had racked up and smiled faintly.

Just cleaning up whatever I find along the way is still getting me a good amount of points.

Of course, he could’ve earned even more if he weren’t escorting NT.

“You’re amazing, Mister! That was so cool!”

NT’s eyes sparkled as she jumped up and down, full of excitement. Just seeing her like that made any lingering regret disappear.

“By the way, aren’t you hungry?” he asked.

It had been almost two hours since he started moving with her. Who knew how long she had been waiting in the forest beforehand?

“I am!” NT ran up to him, practically drooling with excitement.

“Here, eat this for now.”

“What is it?”

“A protein bar.”

Just one bite could fill you up.

“Do you always carry stuff like this around, Mister?”

“Two of these can get me through an entire day.”

He didn’t eat them as often after getting scolded by Riarc, but protein bars used to be his staple since they were cheap and efficient.

“Heh. That’s kind of unexpected.”

“Unexpected?”

NT took a bite of the bar and continued. “When I think of the Thunder Wolf, I imagine some kind of natural-born genius. I thought you were probably from a rich, elite family.”

“Like Namgung Hui?”

“Yeah! Exactly!”

Kwon Oh-Jin dryly chuckled at her bright-eyed nod. He never imagined that ordinary people saw him like that.

“I grew up in an orphanage too.”

“What? Seriously?” NT’s eyes widened with shock.

“Why? Are you disappointed that it doesn’t match my image?”

“Nope! That’s even better!” NT smiled and clenched her little fists. “So if I awaken one day, I can become a cool hero like you, right?!”

Kwon Oh-Jin wasn’t sure if he really deserved to be called a cool hero, but he gently smiled and patted her head.

“Yeah, you definitely can.”

“Hehe. Meeting you here must’ve been fate!” NT beamed from behind him.

Kwon Oh-Jin turned around. “Let’s get moving.”

“Okay!” She stuck close behind him as they walked.

After about ten minutes, a fresh breeze with moisture blew in, accompanied by the sound of rushing water.

Splash!

Have we entered the underwater terrain?

He had initially set this area as his destination. True to its name, the underwater terrain featured a massive waterfall pouring into a powerful river below.

“Wow! Mister, look at the waterfall!” NT clapped and bounced around excitedly like a seal finally finding water.

“Watch your step.”

Whatever machinery was powering it, the current was ferocious. Even an Awakener would be in trouble if they lost their balance and fell in. A regular person wouldn’t stand a chance.

Since we’re here, maybe I’ll hunt a few monsters while I’m at it.

As expected, it didn’t seem like any other Awakeners were around.

“Hmm?”

“Huh? Mister, is someone flying this way?”

A strong wind swept in over the raging river. A strikingly handsome young man rode that wind like some elegant immortal. Kwon Oh-Jin recognized Namgung Hui immediately.

“Hmm. I didn’t expect to run into you here, Thunder Wolf.” Namgung Hui smirked at Kwon Oh-Jin.

Then, his eyes shifted to NT and sparkled with curiosity.

“Looks like you’re still searching for a safety zone.” Namgung Hui mockingly laughed. “It’s been a while now, and you still haven’t found one? That’s disappointing.”

“So I guess that means you have?” Kwon Oh-Jin asked.

“Of course.” He chuckled smugly. “In fact, I just finished escorting someone.”

Namgung Hui shrugged proudly and walked up to NT. Suddenly, he switched to a sweet tone. “Hey there, little miss. Why don’t you come with me instead of that mister? I can take you straight to a safety zone.”

He sounded like a shady man who lured children with candy.

“Once you’re in a safety zone, you won’t have anything to worry about. I can get you there in no time,” Namgung Hui said with a smile.

From NT’s perspective, it seemed like a tempting offer since she wouldn’t have to follow Kwon Oh-Jin and face more dangers when she could be safe right away.

“No, thank you!” NT shouted boldly and clung tightly to Kwon Oh-Jin’s arm. “I like him way more than you!”

“I-Is that so...?” A crack appeared on Namgung Hui’s cheerful smile.

Kwon Oh-Jin laughed as he watched Namgung Hui clench his fist and tremble with an awkward smile.

“Wow, that’s twice you’ve been rejected,” Kwon Oh-Jin said.

“S-Shut up!” Namgung Hui yelled, his face flushing red.

Born into one of China’s most prestigious families and raised like royalty, he rarely faced such direct rejection.

“And who said I didn’t know where the safety zone is?”

“Weren’t you looking for it just a moment ago?”

“Yeah, I was.”

Until you showed up. Vega’s Hunting Dog.

Crackle.

Faint sparks of electricity spread through the air.

Kwon Oh-Jin’s heightened sense of smell began tracing the path of Namgung Hui’s scent. He quickly mapped out the exact route Namgung Hui had taken.

“Three kilometers to the southeast... It’s not too far.”

Namgung Hui’s jaw dropped in shock. “H-How did you...?”

“How? You showed me yourself.” Kwon Oh-Jin grinned.

“When did I ever—?!” Just as Namgung Hui protested, he recalled the brief burst of electricity that radiated outward moments ago. “I see. So you have a tracking skill.”

He bit his lip, scowling in frustration.

Kwon Oh-Jin shrugged, turning away with an annoying smirk. “Thanks for the info. I was actually having a hard time finding it myself.”

His laughter echoed throughout the riverside.

Namgung Hui’s expression turned icy, and a faint killing intent began to rise.

“If you’re thinking of doing something stupid, I’d stop right there. You know the rules, no attacking other candidates,” Kwon Oh-Jin said as he looked back at Namgung Hui.

“Of course, I know the rules well.”

Namgung Hui’s lips twisted into a crooked grin. “But you know, sometimes unfortunate accidents just happen, don’t they?”

He pulled a fan from his pocket and glared at Kwon Oh-Jin.

“For example... say someone lost their footing from a sudden gust of wind and got swept into the current.”

Whoosh!

A whirlwind blew in without warning.

Caught in the gust, Kwon Oh-Jin flew into the air and was violently thrown into the raging river.

“M-Mister!” NT cried out in panic.

“Or say, the waterfall collapsed due to a sudden whirlpool.”

Splash!

Namgung Hui snapped his fan open wide and flapped it toward the waterfall. A massive whirlpool formed, slamming into the rock wall that held the waterfall.

Rumble!

The rock wall crumbled like a bursting dam and released an overwhelming amount of water.

“Haha. I noticed earlier from above that tons of aquatic monsters were lurking up there.”

Dozens of monsters fell like rain into the crashing water. Caught in the current, the monsters swam straight toward Kwon Oh-Jin.

“Well, what a bizarre turn of events.”

With feigned innocence, Namgung Hui rose into the air on a gust of wind.

“I can only save one person in such a dangerous situation. How tragic.”

“Kyah! L-Let me go!” Wind wrapped around NT and lifted her into the air as she struggled.

Namgung Hui wickedly smiled at Kwon Oh-Jin being swept away in the flooded river.

“I agree,” Kwon Oh-Jin said.

Contrary to Namgung Hui’s expectations, Kwon Oh-Jin didn’t look panicked at all. In fact, he calmly swam through the raging current as if it were a heated spa.

Ring!

[The air is saturated with the energy of water.]

[The efficiency of Water Affinity Lv MAX has increased dramatically!]

[The Stigma of Seahorse’s power has greatly increased, granting full underwater movement and breathing capabilities!]

Dismissing the glowing blue status messages, Kwon Oh-Jin looked up at Namgung Hui in the air, completely unfazed.

“What a bizarre turn of events, right?”

Not only had Namgung Hui conveniently revealed a safety zone, but he had also flooded the entire area with water and condensed the monsters for Kwon Oh-Jin to easily gather more points.

“At this rate, what else will you hand me on a silver platter?” Kwon Oh-Jin smiled brightly at the approaching monsters.