novelraw Chapter 118 : Chapter 118
Chapter 118 : Chapter 118
Chapter 118: Midterm Evaluation (5)
[Guardian of the Mountain]
[Destruction: 0]
‘Tough.’
The moment I confirmed the last guardian had fallen, I sank to the ground and took a deep breath.
The wave that crashed in just now was truly insane.
At most, I expected about 10 of them, but who knew dozens would come at once?
The battle fought within the fog was tricky beyond measure, and while concentrating all my nerves, I scraped up every skill I had to barely hold on.
DING-!
[‘Settlement’ begins.]
“Phew.”
It came right away.
The inevitable settlement pain.
By now, I’m used to it.
I inhaled deeply, filling my lungs with air, and waited.
Is it because I used trivial skills multiple times?
The settlement pain also dug in through various strands with its unique nagging aches.
“Ugh.”
Inside my organs felt pressed down hard.
Bloody phlegm boiled up a little from below my throat.
Just as the inside of my nose felt hot, a single line of nosebleed flowed down my philtrum and below my chin with a drop.
“Wow, spicy.”
But it’s not at a lethal level.
Perhaps because I’ve already been tempered by the settlement pain of Hundred Night Yaksha-grade skills, this one felt relatively gentle.
Of course, apart from the pain, accompanied by the feeling of exhaustion as strength drained away, a weak energy took over my body.
Anyway, guardian destruction complete.
Put out the urgent fire.
What remains is the reward of battle.
SLURP-!
The Mimic’s tongue familiarly swallowed the photo of the guardian.
[Mmm! Refreshingggg! Wheeeeee!]
‘Wheeeeee, seriously?’
If you’re going to whistle, do it properly, don’t recite it like a line.
Today too, I quietly throw a retort that won’t be heard by him.
[Would you like to register ‘Guardian of the Mountain’?]
Of course I will.
I went through this hardship to do just that.
[Mimicry space is insufficient. Please select a target to remove.]
[1. Rock 2. Balzac 3. Bongbong Teddy Bear 4. Cat 5. Toy Drone 6. Folding Chair]
The Toy Drone and Folding Chair were targets I added just yesterday at the hospital.
Leftovers from adding this and that to the list to experiment.
Finding useful mimicry targets in daily life wasn’t easy either.
Because they either overlapped with passives I originally had or were useless from the start.
From the removal targets, I chose the Folding Chair without hesitation.
The passive of the Folding Chair is [Invisible Chair], literally the ability to sit comfortably anywhere.
Someone might find a clever way to utilize it, but at least for me, it was an ambiguous one.
Originally, slot 6 was a slot I decided to keep empty if possible.
Since I don’t know when and what I might be able to mimic, I move the most useless one to slot 6.
[Removing ‘Folding Chair’.]
[Registering ‘Guardian of the Mountain’.]
With this, preparations are complete.
While observing the surroundings, I checked the watch.
The coordinates of the cadets were displayed.
Near me…… there is no one for now.
Do Haru and Lee Junhyeok are on the closer side, but at least they weren't something to worry about.
Then, only waiting remains.
WHEEEEEE-!
A resonant whistling sound surged in from the other side.
A signal that the guardians are approaching to take revenge on the intruder.
It was when the whistling sound brushed my skin and got closer.
[Mimicking ‘Guardian of the Mountain’.]
[Warning: ‘Guardian of the Mountain’ functions only within the domain of Hallasan.]
[Will of the Guardian: Detects ‘intruders’ who have violated the domain and eliminates them.]
[Reconstruction: If destroyed by an intruder, returns to the sanctuary to reconstruct the body.]
All my nerves tightened coolly.
Slowly, the shape of my body changed.
My skin contracted as if drying up.
A rough and dense texture spread over my skin.
The joints of my arms and legs twisted with cracking sounds, and fibrous hardness filled in between them.
[Guardian of the Mountain (Mimicry)]
[Body Transformation: 100%]
My fingertips spread open sharply.
From my ankles, a sensation like entangled tree roots was felt.
Breathing quietly disappeared and my heartbeat also subsided.
The wooden spear naturally gripped in my hand felt heavy.
My senses were also switched.
Vision had lost color and was simultaneously subtly blurry.
Instead, my sense of touch and hearing seemed extremely developed.
WHIIISH-
The whistling sound began to be heard much more intensely than before.
It was to the extent that I could feel the sound waves vibrating my tree-bark-like skin and its interior.
‘So they were scanning the surroundings with whistles.’
I grasped the mechanism in an instant.
The guardians remembered the location where they died, and at the same time, had been continuously tracking the intruder with developed wave detection.
WHEEEE-
I also tried making a whistling sound.
The echo that reflected back allowed me to perceive ‘shapes.’
It was quite a fresh sensation.
Soon, they revealed themselves, piercing through the fog.
A group of guardians, dozens of them, were lined up as if forming an army.
I quietly retreated to a corner and gauged their reaction.
Tension filled the surroundings.
If by any chance it didn’t work, I would have to release the mimicry and run away immediately.
But on the other hand, I was already confident.
The fact that this kind of transformation would be effective on these guys.
And not betraying my expectation.
WHEEEE-!
Even after arriving in front of me, the guys continued to make whistling sounds.
As if persistently searching for something.
I didn't move a muscle.
The guardians passed right by my side.
They soon searched the surroundings thoroughly.
Scratching the ground, overturning rocks, and splitting the fog while continuing to whistle.
What they are looking for is one thing.
Ryu Jinwoo.
But he couldn't be visible.
Because I am currently joined in their group as a guardian.
From a certain point, I blended in with them and pretended to search the surroundings likewise.
A hide-and-seek without a seeker that continued for quite a while.
Before long, the guys stopped abruptly all at once.
The whistling sounds cut off simultaneously.
‘It’s about time…….’
After exchanging short signals among themselves, the guardians turned their direction in unison.
It seemed they concluded that the intruder named Ryu Jinwoo had already fled outside the mountain.
The guardians formed a formation and climbed up the mountain.
I also moved my steps following them.
‘From now on is important.’
What I am attempting right now is a route that is virtually impossible normally.
To attempt this by the book, a ‘Elixir of Total Transformation’ made of ultra-rare ingredients is absolutely necessary.
A top-tier transformation item that completely changes appearance, status, and even nature.
Even obtaining the ingredients is a difficulty, and those who can manufacture it are few and far between.
‘Maybe in a game, but now that it has become reality, even an active hero can't obtain it. It’s illegal too.’
Fully impersonating someone else is social suicide in itself.
The fact that the place where one can procure said item in the game is the ‘Black Market’ says it all.
The underground trading place where all kinds of illegal goods circulate.
The conditions are that tricky, but I have the Mimicry ability.
The Elixir of Total Transformation changes appearance and nature.
And my Mimicry changes appearance and copies passives.
In other words, theoretically, it could be equivalent to, or even above, the Elixir of Total Transformation.
And that fact was just proven now.
I was prepared to run away if by chance it didn't work, but fortunately, the effect of the Mimicry ability met my expectations.
‘Well, I deceived even Chief and Edward as Balzac, so that says it all.’
Copying passives itself is cheat-level performance in the disguise category.
It means stealing the entire foundation of existence beyond just copying the appearance.
Anyway, I just need to go on like this.
The plan has entered a full-fledged trajectory.
‘First button is done.’
I have definitely blended into the group of guardians.
Now I just need to follow them like this.
The guardians were all heading towards one place.
That place was exactly my destination.
THUD- THUD- THUD-
If there is one peculiar thing, these guys were more by the book than expected.
From a certain point, they marched in rows and files centering on the guardian standing at the lead.
Their steps matched exactly, and the sound of wooden feet tapping the ground rang in a constant beat.
‘What is this, an army?’
While dumbfounded, I instinctively followed that rhythm.
Then, just once, the beat went off subtly.
At the same time, the gazes of the guardians in front, back, left, and right fixed on me.
The places where eyes should be were deeply hollowed out in black, but an intense gaze was felt nonetheless.
‘……Did I just get side-eyed by magic power entities?’
I feel slightly ridiculous.
Fortunately, guardians didn't have expressions.
If not, I would have made a weird face, and that too would have been a major accident.
Thanks to having no expression, I just had to walk forward quietly.
It was at that moment when the untimely precise marching continued.
WHEEEEEE-!
WHIIISH-!
The group of guardians burst out whistling sounds in unison.
The waves overlapped layer upon layer, ringing the surroundings magnificently.
‘Ugh-.’
Since I was in a guardian state where vibration felt like vivid touch, a tingling sensation tormented my body for a while.
At the same time, I could know the reason why the group reacted suddenly.
Because I felt it too.
Someone was approaching this way from beyond the fog.
One guardian standing at the lead raised its wooden spear high.
The following group also took a stance in unison.
Imminent situation, a battle formation was equipped in the blink of an eye.
Like that, everyone raised their guard.
SWISH-!
The fog parted as if curtains were opening, and he revealed himself.
CRUNCH-! SLASH-!
The head of the guardian standing at the lead flew off just like that.
The severed neck fell to the floor and melted into liquid.
The guardians immediately broke formation and scattered.
Whistling sounds rang from here and there.
At the same time, the sound of metal clashing roughly was heard.
‘What is this chaos all of a sudden.’
The guardians in front were blocking my view.
Only after they rushed forward did the situation become clearly visible.
Although the guardian’s vision was slightly blurry, the revealed face was too familiar.
‘It’s Lee Junhyeok.’
Lee Junhyeok was swinging his sword.
Why on earth?
‘I knew he was close, but why is he attacking?’
Right now, we are close to a guardian squad.
Dozens of guardians are grouped together.
But he charged directly into the middle of that himself?
Lee Junhyeok leaped over the guardians and shouted.
“Let’s fight with full power!”
It was a clear and confident voice.
To think there is a human declaring war on guardians saying he wants a battle.
‘Crazy guy.’
I feel it once again.
Indeed, Zero has no normal people.
***
After the exam started, Lee Junhyeok was searching for guardians before anyone else.
Existences that normal cadets would have been busy avoiding.
But for him, it was different.
“You’re saying there are enemies that attack infinitely?”
That single fact was enough.
Enemies that infinitely respawn in real combat.
Where else could he enjoy such a luxury?
He willingly changed the goal of this exam himself.
Climbing until settlement.
If he does that, he can get good grades?
The exam is important, of course.
But it couldn't be more important than this training opportunity placed right before his eyes.
“I should climb the mountain after training sufficiently.”
After making his decision, he continued to fight.
He cut down guardians as soon as he saw them.
And he realized quickly.
Guardians come back stronger every time they die.
Little by little, but surely.
Movements as if they learned the previous patterns.
Defensive timing was matched, and attack rhythms gradually became sophisticated.
He liked that change more than anything.
Because it was flawless as an opportunity to test his limits.
Above all, for Lee Junhyeok who was recently feeling frustration in the path of the sword, this opportunity felt even sweeter.
He cut down guardians and handled several waves.
And to such him, a new group was detected.
A procession vaguely visible beyond the fog.
Guardians were marching in rows and files.
An orderly formation and their numbers were large too.
“Perfect.”
Lee Junhyeok caught his breath for a moment.
And decided to challenge his limits once more.
Approaching the group immediately, he waited for the foremost guardian to pick up its spear.
The moment they finished combat preparations and held their weapons straight.
SWISH-!
The sword tip cut through the fog.
He cut down the guardians quickly and also coldly.
The guardians rushing in unison were the best practical sparring partners.
‘Hm?’
But there was just one, a guy different from other guardians.
All guardians raised their guard to the extreme and held up their weapons.
In the midst of that, there was one entity standing alone in the back showing hesitant behavior.
‘That guy, peculiar.’
The guardians met so far had no hesitation without exception.
The moment they met, the moment they recognized each other's existence, battle started immediately.
They clashed with the pure will to eliminate the opponent.
However, there is an entity showing a uniquely different pattern.
‘Interesting.’
New patterns are always precious.
Deep interest boiled up like discovering a rare skill book.
While cutting down the guardians rushing at him in an instant, Lee Junhyeok made a decision.
To deal with that hesitating guy last.