I Possess Too Many Characteristics

Chapter 67

Speed and strength incomparable to skeletons?

Organizational skills befitting an army?

What does that even mean?

It was a story that didn’t apply to Jeonghyeon, who was beyond a certain gap.

Outwardly, he looked like a swan leisurely floating on the water’s surface.

Of course, like the common saying, he wasn’t paddling furiously beneath the surface either.

‘The attacks are simple, so there’s nothing to worry about.’

That was the reason why Jeonghyeon could leisurely weave through the Skeleton Warriors.

Although the skeletons’ movements were organized, the structure of their individual attacks wasn’t much different from ordinary skeletons.

There were no attacks that restricted or guided his actions, only direct blows aimed at inflicting fatal wounds while exuding killing intent.

For Jeonghyeon, who received buffs to thought acceleration, battle sense, and agility, there was no easier attack pattern to dodge.

Clang━

As a result, the skeletons that occasionally gave him an opening were turned into piles of bones.

Even if the Skeleton Warriors were wearing armor, it was just rusted scrap metal in front of the mace made of Marium.

Furthermore, since the mace’s characteristic was focused on striking and impact, its damage wasn’t reduced much.

‘They’re holding up well on their side.’

Jeonghyeon glanced towards Jina when he had a brief moment of respite.

She also possessed agility that wasn’t inferior to Jeonghyeon’s, so she was excellently drawing the skeletons’ attention.

However, her weapon, a rapier, wasn’t a good match against the undead.

Piercing through the armor often meant hitting empty spaces, and the solid helmets weren’t easily penetrated by the rapier.

Although she occasionally displayed excellent skill by accurately aiming for the eyeholes and shattering their skulls, fundamentally, she couldn’t help but kill fewer skeletons than Jeonghyeon.

Anyway, thanks to Jeonghyeon and Jina holding up well on both sides, the burden on Cha Jin, the tanker in the center, was significantly reduced.

And in such times, the tanker’s massive shield transforms from defensive equipment into an offensive weapon.

Bang━

The powerfully swung shield collided with a Skeleton Warrior, emitting a sound close to an explosion.

Even though skeletons were undead with no particular weaknesses other than their heads, it was a different story if they received such a bone-shattering impact.

The one hit by Cha Jin’s shield flew far away, collided with other skeletons before finally falling to the ground, rattled a few times, and then stopped moving.

And if you were part of the Se-ah Guild’s raid team, you would know where the source of this advantageous situation lay.

‘Just who is that guy!’

One person everyone couldn’t help but glance at while faithfully fulfilling their roles.

It was Han Jeonghyeon.

『You have earned 1 coin.』

‘As expected, coins drop well when I directly shatter their skulls!’

Of course, the person in question, Jeonghyeon, was simply excited about the significantly different coin earnings compared to before.

The Skeleton Warriors were definitely fast.

If it weren’t for the coordinated attack, he would have suffered misfortune while dodging the various attacks coming from all directions.

However, the C-rank Time Acceleration gave Jeonghyeon the time to calmly judge all those attacks.

When that Time Acceleration combined with Battle Sense, which clearly displayed the attack paths, he could find the optimal movement path no matter what.

‘If I were surrounded, it would be a different story, but there’s a barricade behind me.’

Jeonghyeon, who grabbed the spear thrusting towards him, pulled it with force.

A skeleton, losing its center of gravity, stumbled forward.

As he flung the spear away, the skeleton was in an awkward posture, with its head right in front of Jeonghyeon, in a perfect position for him to target.

Crack━

No matter how much the helmet was on, Jeonghyeon, who had already shattered hundreds of skeletons, could clearly see where to strike.

The purple mace struck the helmet, and the sensation of the bones inside shattering was clearly transmitted through his hand.

The unavoidable gap created by dealing with one skeleton,

Ping━

Hayul’s arrow, fired without fail, filled it.

‘This is definitely convenient.’

Honestly, he had rarely benefited from archers in his hunts so far.

However, Hayul possessed the skills that allowed Jeonghyeon to reveal an opening for about one timing without worry.

Although it took longer than the previous two battles, in the end, the thirty Skeleton Warriors couldn’t inflict any significant damage on Jeonghyeon and the other Hunters.

“Aaah━ Go easy on me.”

“Don’t be a wimp. There’s no such thing as gentle or rough healing.”

The injuries they did sustain were quickly healed by Heejun.

“Mr. Jeonghyeon, are you alright? Your armor is torn in several places.”

“Ah, I’m fine.”

Heejun also examined Jeonghyeon’s body thoroughly, but there were no significant injuries.

Jeonghyeon explained that although his armor was torn in a few places, it didn’t reach his skin.

In reality, the few injuries he had sustained were already healed.

‘Roughly speaking, I’m probably around E-rank now.’

The natural healing ability of Physical Enhancement was now supplemented by F-rank Healing from the synergy.

The effect was more significant than he thought.

“What will come out next?”

Since the clear message hadn’t appeared yet, there were still waves remaining.

And it felt a bit lacking for it to end here.

Even though the Skeleton Warriors were 5-level Gate monsters, they weren’t at a level befitting a mission-type Gate.

“Well, something stronger than Skeleton Warriors will come out, right?”

“Hayul and Heejun, don’t be complacent just because there’s a barricade. It might break next time.”

“Are you me?”

“What did you say!”

It seemed like no one had any clear ideas.

Since Skeleton Warriors appeared, stronger undead could also emerge, or it could be ordinary monsters like hobgoblins or kobolds.

And the answer was soon revealed by the Gate itself.

“……Orcs.”

“Orcs.”

Jeonghyeon nodded in agreement with Hayul’s brief words.

Heavy yet domineering footsteps.

And an aggressive speed too.

It was similar to the presence he felt in the Tadan Orc’s Encampment.

‘It’s stronger and more refined than that.’

Based on the previous patterns, the refinement was likely due to the Subjugation effect.

However, the fact that it was stronger meant that this opponent was a higher species than the Tadan Orcs.

And at the 5-level Gate level, if it was a higher species than the Tadan Orc, the answer was simple.

“It’s Ropu Orcs.”

“Prepare for battle!”

“Jina and Mr. Jeonghyeon, stay behind the barricade and keep your distance!”

A wave of 30 Ropu Orcs was coming.

“Isn’t 30 Ropu a bit too much?”

Cha Jin, who had taken his position between the barricades, spoke.

His expression seemed considerably more tense than before.

It was understandable, as Ropu Orcs were almost the highest species in 5-level Gates.

Thirty of those Ropu Orcs rushing in at once?

It was a level of quantity and difficulty only possible in a mission-type Gate.

Thud━ Thud━ Thud━

Footsteps that felt like they were about to shatter the marble floor.

And the moment their vanguard revealed their dark brown heads from the passage.

Whizz━ Ping━

Jeonghyeon and Hayul’s arrows greeted them.

Thwack━ Clank━

‘What?’

However, Jeonghyeon couldn’t help but be slightly shocked. Out of the three arrows and one dagger,

two were blocked by the Ropu Orc’s massive axe.

Jeonghyeon’s dagger also failed to achieve its goal, being deflected by the axe before it could reach the Orc’s head.

‘What if you block it once!’

Of course, the dagger he threw immediately afterward succeeded in severing its lifeline, but it was a fresh shock since his Throwing Technique had never been blocked before.

And the first move of the 30 Ropu Orcs that appeared boasted a destructive power that was clearly different from before.

“Charging!”

The reckless charge, which could be called the identity and instinct of Orcs.

It was demonstrated without reservation even in the Subjugated state.

It was no exaggeration to say that the weight of goblins and kobolds was like feathers compared to Orcs.

The barricade made of their corpses crumbled like a bursting dam under the Orcs’ physical charge.

“Ugh, I can’t hold against Ropu for long!”

Although Cha Jin managed to tie up a considerable number of Ropu Orcs at the front, as he said, it wasn’t a very comfortable situation.

Should it be considered amazing that he managed to block that many Ropu Orcs, who were a head taller than him, just by himself?

The reason why Jina and Jeonghyeon initially kept their distance behind the barricade was because of this.

As Cha Jin held them back in the center, the left and right flanks of the Orcs inevitably protruded forward. They had to intercept them while also playing the role of a supporting tanker to protect the rear.

‘Honestly, it’s insane to entrust an unregistered Hunter with the role of a supporting tanker against Ropu Orcs.’

Jina thought as she dodged the axe swinging down towards her head.

When she heard that Ropu Orcs were coming, she instinctively gave the order and formed the formation, but rationally, it was absurd.

Even most B-rank vanguards had a hard time holding their own against Ropu Orcs.

However, in that moment where every second counted, she unknowingly entrusted Jeonghyeon with an important position.

Considering that Hayul also possessed the Battle Sense trait and could act as a supporting tanker to some extent, it was an even more abrupt decision.

But in moments of crisis, human instincts, especially the instincts of a Hunter who had countless brushes with death, sometimes produced results that defied rational explanation.

For instance, this was precisely such a moment.

‘Just what is he, that guy!’

Jina couldn’t help but repeat the same thought she had when they were blocking the Skeleton Warrior wave.

◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈

Ropu Orcs, known as the top-tier monsters of 5-level Gates.

Their reputation was certainly extraordinary.

Although they were almost on par with the Tadan Orcs that Jeonghyeon had encountered before, those were just weaker versions.

Ropu Orcs in their prime condition, further buffed by Subjugation, were truly well-trained warriors themselves.

Moreover, with the barricade gone, they had no choice but to engage in a melee.

Amidst that chaos, Jeonghyeon was skillfully dodging the violently swinging, ferocious attacks.

‘It’s definitely not easy.’

The moment he let his guard down, an axe or glaive would tear his flesh.

And if he, a pillar of the front line, were to be breached, there would be no time for healing, and the rear would be swept away.

Even now, Hayul was marking and dealing with the Orcs that were leaking through one by one.

On the bright side, thanks to her, the front line was barely holding, preventing a complete collapse. But on the downside, there was no timely support fire like when they were fighting the Skeleton Warriors.

However, Jeonghyeon was confident.

His body blurred.

Activation of the Stealth trait.

And the Ropu Orc, momentarily losing its target, was visibly flustered.

Since the rank of his Stealth trait wasn’t that high yet, they would soon find him, but Jeonghyeon didn’t intend to maintain Stealth for that long anyway.

Jeonghyeon, appearing behind the targeted Orc in an instant,

Stab━

plunged the dagger into the lower part of the Orc’s back.

The back was a place where vital organs were concentrated, making it a vulnerable spot.

Since the Ropu Orcs, despite being a higher species, likely had a similar anatomical structure to ordinary Orcs, he just had to choose the optimal location.

Moreover, with the increased critical hit chance due to the Stealth synergy, the Orc with its back turned couldn’t avoid the finishing blow.

‘The finishing blow……’

However, Jeonghyeon, who was about to swing his mace because he couldn’t be completely relieved, hurriedly rolled away from the spot.

It was because he sensed a clear attack from behind.

The moment Jeonghyeon moved, an axe was embedded in the head of the Orc with the dagger in its back.

It was the result of swinging the axe with full force, despite knowing that there was an ally in that spot.

The true nature of Subjugation, which paralyzed reason and made them attack only the enemy.

This time, it fortunately worked in Jeonghyeon’s favor, but the indiscriminate attacks were not something to welcome for the side that was significantly outnumbered.

Whack━

Seizing the opportunity as the Orc that swung its axe widely lost its balance, Jeonghyeon struck its chin with his mace.

Then, he hit its right temple with the mace.

The Orc, its neck bent at an unnatural angle, collapsed on the spot.

Dodging the attacks pouring towards him once again, Jeonghyeon assessed the situation.

It was not an easy battle.

Cha Jin was gradually being pushed back, and as a result, Hayul and Heejun were getting closer to the Orcs.

Fortunately, Jina was achieving similar results to Jeonghyeon, but there were still more Orcs remaining than those that had fallen.

Thirty Ropu Orcs were no easy opponent, even for Hunters of this level.

No, it was because of this level that they were able to hold on without collapsing immediately.

‘I’ll be fine, but.’

Could there be no casualties until the end of this battle?

He had to make it so.

At least now that he had gained power, he would not let anyone die in front of him, not to Orcs.

Jeonghyeon’s grip on the mace tightened fiercely.

To do that, he had to kill even one more Orc.

“Mr. Cha Jin, hold on a little longer!”

Jeonghyeon dodged the Orc’s attack with elegant movements, smashed its head with his mace, and then ran towards Hayul.