Chapter 43: (2): Season 1: Preparation
The Korean Union and the government simultaneously announced similar content.
- Korean Union: Strong recommendation to prohibit Turtle Monsters’ attacks. Recruitment of Slayers with Gold rank or higher.
- Korean government: Recommendation for Slayers to withdraw based on safety and efficiency.
Both the Union and the government requested the withdrawal of Slayers. It was not easy to give such explicit orders. South Korea was a country that adopted liberal democracy. However, interestingly enough, the ordinary Slayers were voluntarily withdrawing.
“What’s the point of attacking when there won’t even be a scratch… It would be better to catch a deer at this time.”
“A waste of time, a waste of strength.”
“How can we handle that thing? Let’s just go back.”
“Fortunately, the Union also recommended withdrawal. Looks like there won’t be any issues.”
The Slayers, who had been relentlessly attacking, were now getting tired and slowly withdrawing. The rate at which existing Slayers were leaving was faster than the rate at which new Slayers were entering. Since the Union had also issued a withdrawal recommendation, there was hardly any pressure to withdraw. It was like being “left out.”
Despite the continuous attacks from the Slayers, the H/P (Health/Power) remained untouched, not even a 1% decrease in the shield gauge. It became apparent that slaying was impossible. On the other hand, the quality of the Slayers had gradually improved.
- Slayers with Gold rank or higher: Estimated to be around 100 in South Korea.
- The current number of Slayers slaying Turtle Monsters is approximately 300. However, it is decreasing!
The Slayers with experience and skills had already distanced themselves from the situation. They had grasped the situation early on. No matter how much they attacked, there were no visible results. In that case, there was no need to exert their strength in advance. It would be better for elite-level Slayers to gather and focus their attacks simultaneously. In this context, the term “elite-level” was similar to what the Union referred to as the Gold rank.
The Gold-rank was a prestigious grade with only about 100 Slayers in South Korea, which accounted for less than 1% of the total number of Slayers. Being within the top 1% in any field was an extremely difficult achievement, and being in that top percentile meant being a considerable elite.
As the Gold-ranked Slayers gathered while ordinary Slayers withdrew, the number of Slayers participating in slaying reduced from around 300 to 200. Among those 200, Hyun-seok was included.
‘The shield is incredibly tough.’
The shield was not only strong but also had remarkable regenerative abilities. Hyun-seok had not fully unleashed his power yet, but it was safe to say that the monster he encountered had the highest defense among all the monsters he had encountered so far. Every strike reverberated with the sound of wrists and ankles, and the rebound seemed to be quite strong. Given Hyun-seok’s formidable attack power, the rebound was substantial.
‘It seems I was wrong to assume that entering Normal Mode would eliminate the monster’s rebound.’
Hyun-seok had thought that there might be no rebound when slaying monsters above Normal Mode, but it turned out to be a mistaken assumption. The rebound was incredibly strong. This led to a new assumption that reaching a certain level of defense triggered the rebound. At the moment, this assumption seemed to be the closest to the truth.
‘I should consider using weapons.’
Until now, Hyun-seok had been able to slay monsters effortlessly even with his bare hands or feet. When slaying the Cyclops, he had purchased ” Sea Support” as insurance, but he didn’t need any weapons. However, now he thought it might be a good idea to handle at least one weapon.
Currently, he was testing it by tapping lightly. If he struck with full force, he felt like he might get stunned just like the Cyclops. Therefore, he decided to adjust his strength and gradually increase the intensity.
‘Should I give it a little more power?’
Hyun-seok began to exert more strength. As he gradually increased his strength, he noticed something.
‘Oh! The shield gauge is gradually decreasing!’
‘Great! Let’s keep it up!’
As Hyun-seok exerted more strength, the shield gauge started to decrease slightly. The more he exerted, the faster it decreased. Of course, “faster” was a relative concept. While ordinary monsters would “die with a single hit,” the gauge of this monster was slowly, really slowly decreasing.
‘For now, I shouldn’t overexert myself.’
With a little more strength, Hyun-seok managed to reduce the turtle monster’s shield gauge by about 1% with each strike. However, the problem was that when the attacked turtle retreated into its shell, its defense significantly increased. Striking a turtle within its shell would only decrease the shield gauge by about 0.3-0.5%, and it quickly recovered inside the shell. It was difficult for Hyun-seok to slay it easily, no matter how skilled he was.
‘The rebound is becoming a problem.’
Although it might work to continuously strike without hesitation, doing so would probably result in his body being severely damaged. Since entering Normal Mode, external forces had only caused a decrease in H/P, but “rebound” was a different issue. It didn’t cause H/P reduction even with the rebound. It wasn’t even particularly painful. It just felt strange. It was as if a warning of “your whole body will be destroyed” was echoing in his head, a feeling like that.
It seemed that more research on Normal Mode was necessary while Hyun-seok continued to strike. It was ironic that he was absorbed in other thoughts during monster slaying, but that was indeed the case.
After some time, a notification sound rang. To Hyun-seok, it was a sound that he found both very welcome and unfamiliar.
[Due to repeated practice, the skill level of Iron Fist has increased.]
[Continuous attacks have been recognized as repeated practice.]
[A new skill has been created.]
[Skill: Power Control is created.]
The skill level of Iron Fist had increased, and a new skill called Power Control had been created. However, the notification sound didn’t end there.
[You have received a level of rebound exceeding a certain threshold.]
[It is determined that you have accumulated a rebound exceeding the specifications of Normal Mode.]
[It is recognized as an extremely difficult achievement.]
[You receive a bonus stat of +10.]
[Due to the penalty of exceeding the specifications of Normal Mode, it is reduced by 50% and given.]
[Skill: Impact Control is created.]
It turned out that he had received a rebound exceeding the specifications of Normal Mode. In that case, there was a high possibility that this turtle monster was also a monster that surpassed the Normal Mode. Generally, when referring to monsters in Normal Mode, people would think of Trolls or Twin Headed Trolls, but this turtle monster, although not dangerous, had an incredibly high defense.
‘Indeed… the defense is excessively strong. Could it be that when it surpasses Normal Mode, monsters exceeding the specifications continue to appear?’
Considering the proportion among the total number of monsters, it was less than 0.0001%. As the number of Slayers increased, the number of monsters had also slightly increased. There were currently over 100 million monsters in South Korea, including the lowest-ranked insect-type monsters, which were still overwhelmingly numerous. However, so far, only two monsters had exceeded the specifications of Normal Mode. In terms of proportion, it was almost negligible.
However, those two monsters had an overwhelming presence, giving the feeling that they had appeared in great numbers for no reason.
‘Receiving a rebound exceeding the specifications of Normal Mode… How much time has passed? And is it because this achievement is impossible for other Slayers?’
Looking around, there seemed to be no Slayer struggling with the turtle monster’s rebound. It appeared that they only received the rebound if they attacked with a certain level of power.
‘It seems… only I can do it. In that case, it might be possible for Jong-won as well.’
Being recognized as an extremely difficult achievement made Hyun-seok feel good. A bonus stat was given, and a new skill was obtained. In the first place, it was difficult for Hyun-seok to achieve repeated practice in this situation. Nevertheless, due to the turtle’s incredibly strong shield, his repeated practice was acknowledged. It was his second skill. Additionally, due to the cumulative rebound exceeding the specifications of Normal Mode, another skill had been obtained.
Hyun-seok forgot about the raid and quickly opened his skill window. As he did, a strange sound escaped his lips.
‘What… is this?’
Hyun-seok’s expression twisted. Despite gaining two new skills, his expression was not cheerful.
Meanwhile, the turtle monster’s shield gauge had risen back to 100%.
Hello, web novels fans and supporters!
I am seeking your support on Patreon. With your help, I can dedicate more time and resources to ensuring that this novel is translated accurately and with the highest quality possible.
Translating a novel takes time, effort, and resources. Your support will not only contribute to the translation process, but it will also show that the web novels community is a supportive and passionate one that is dedicated to promoting the web novels culture we all love. Thank you for your support and for being a part of this amazing community.(You can now get early access to more chapters on my Patreon. Visit it now and enjoy. Have a nice Day)