Chapter 36

Chapter 36

Tracking

15 years since the tower and awakeners appeared.

Information about awakeners has already been sufficiently released.

Most information was sufficient with just a simple search.

Most hunters obtained organized information in the community, in my case from the archive.

But even such information clearly had limits.

The number of awakeners is pyramid style.

The lower side overflowed with information but the upper side wasn't.

The higher it went, information became insufficient, and information about the highest hunters was at most speculative articles.

From level 140, the information amount had already decreased a lot.

Information about level 160 and above was almost nonexistent.

That's why this kind of reaction was completely unexpected.

“Kkeuk!”

Pain as if squeezing the chest pushed in.

Breathing became short, and the head spun.

Fortunate that the trolls were completely dealt with.

If even one remained, would I have been able to cope.

It would have been hard.

Thud.

Kneeling, I supported the floor with both hands.

Breathing became short, and a wheezing sound popped from the lungs but the voice doesn't come out.

Yes.

It was exactly the feeling of drowning in water with breath exhausted.

“Heok, heok···!!!”

Fortunately not long after, breathing returned.

The bizarre pain as if squeezing the whole body muscles also slowly disappeared.

Completely exhausted, I collapsed backward as if falling.

Above the field.

Stars were sparsely floating above the sky that started to darken.

Time flowed for a long while.

Along with the feeling of blood circulating in the brain, somewhat normal thinking became possible.

‘Is it because the level rose excessively in a short period.’

The probability was high.

Level 1 to level 20.

Level 120 to level 140.

Simple level is similar at about 20, but qualitatively it can't help but be a different dimension.

In reality, the aftermath of level up is dramatic.

Mana sweeping and circulating the whole body like a tsunami.

A bizarre feeling of not even sparing mana, but seeming to have to extract mana by using skills immediately.

Uncontrolled blue mana is leaking like smoke from the eyes, nose, and mouth.

Right.

The same phenomenon as Hwang Seol-hwa who clashed last time.

At that time, Hwang Seol-hwa also, when properly raising power, purple energy leaked outside the body.

Probably a phenomenon where the body can't control the overflowing mana amount.

‘This, if going out I must definitely know the solution.’

It can't be denied that I grew magically.

In the current mood, even confidence to knock down Hwang Seol-hwa in one go came.

But the body is clearly not normal.

A feeling like the flow of mana is excessively strong, so the body can't follow.

Truly enormous imbalance.

If this much inside the tower, maybe in reality a situation where I might have to move the body with Mana Thread.

Absolutely didn't want to do so.

The place staying now isn't a 40,000 won motel, but the highest class hotel where high-level awakeners stay.

Didn't particularly want to move the body with Mana Thread and attract gazes.

Step. Step.

While continuing thoughts, the field ended and an uphill path started.

The forest gradually thickened.

The surroundings darkened, and the vision narrowed.

No particular relation.

Since the Detection skill was piercing every single movement of the trolls.

Puuk!

The bodies of three charging trolls were pierced by earth spears.

The bodies of two trolls that leaped from the side were sliced into quarters by Wind Cutter.

Burned the meat lumps with Fireball in one go.

Suddenly two clubs that fell from the empty air.

Enormous destructive power, but no need to even block with shield.

Because it completely missed the place I was.

Refraction.

Refracts moisture in the air, and causes confusion in the enemy's cognition.

The skill worked properly.

Whoong!!

Two clubs simultaneously cut the empty air.

While the guys were flustered by the gap between cognition and reality, the ground that collapsed with the Collapse skill swallowed one troll.

Listening to the sound of crushing the troll inside the ground.

I placed my hand on the side of the remaining troll and pushed in lightning.

“Kgegegegegege!!!!”

The troll rolled its eyeballs, and the whole body trembled.

A 3m monster was before my eyes but wasn't particularly tense.

The originally wide power gap widened to the extreme through level up.

Now to the guy, I was no different from a disaster.

Chiing.

In the end, the troll collapsed while raising smoke.

Even regeneration power completely collapsed from the merciless lightning.

“...”

The result of level up was satisfactory.

Even though using skills simultaneously, there was no burden at all on mana and mental strength.

Skills became stronger, and also more skilled.

Even the Refraction skill that was secretly tricky in actual use was perfectly succeeded.

With steady practice and level up combined, a feeling that even difficult skills naturally become mastered, or something.

Whoosh!

Moving like that and burying, cutting, and burning trolls for a while.

Dozens of red dots newly floated on the board.

Among them, 5 were quite large, and one was enormously large.

No need to even think deeply.

5 variants and 1 unique monster appeared.

Ordinary trolls surrounding them were about twenty.

No thought of letting guard down, but confidence overflowed.

A feeling of having surpassed a kind of limit after level up.

Used the Windwalk skill for securing vision.

An ability that can step on the empty air like a foothold.

Originally not a skill that receives great attention···but rising to the maximum level, it became useful for both combat and non-combat.

Tat. Tat.

Lightly kicked the empty air and walked upward.

Vision instantly widened, and the trolls' village came into view far away.

“...That's the unique monster.”

Nehulm.

The appearance of a troll priest holding a staff.

Height about 3m, not greatly different from other trolls.

But whether a shamanistic meaning, the whole body dyed fluorescent color appearance.

Easy to distinguish from other guys.

Rather the size was larger for the variant fellows around.

The height itself was the same, but enormous muscular trolls.

To the point the ground sinks every time walking around.

Seeing it, tension does come.

Came down to the ground and slowly moved steps.

Started staring at the board not the naked eye.

A while later, the first to react was Nehulm.

When the fellow recognized me, the variant trolls reacted.

But what actually moved were the ordinary trolls.

“Krrrr!!”

“Kkeuu!”

The sound of the guys howling rang the forest.

Twenty trolls carefully approaching.

Variant trolls and Nehulm are quietly watching that appearance.

A somewhat calm appearance.

Puhwaaaak!!

But the Fireball thrown with Mana Thread pierced the heads of five trolls.

The moment the spreading flame swallowed the remaining fifteen bodies like a living life form.

The guys could no longer wait quietly.

“Kaaaaaaaaak!”

Nehulm let out a shriek while glaring at my side.

Roughly shaking the staff, the bursting mana permeated the variant trolls.

The change was immediate.

Bloodshot rose above the pupils, and muscles swelled as if piercing the skin and popping out.

The bodies of the fellows who kicked the ground approached at tremendous speed.

Puuk!

Earth Spear.

The earth's spear pierced one guy's crotch, but the guy madly charged even while the body was torn.

A feeling as if seeing a berserker.

Definitely earth series skills have the advantage of immediacy, but suppression power was slightly lacking.

Sarak!

Refreshingly cut the legs with Wind Cutter.

Two trolls whose legs disappeared rolled on the floor.

As expected, wind series skills are overwhelming in terms of cutting power.

Puk!

Smashed the heads of the fallen guys with Earth Spear.

Heads of two variants that burst refreshingly.

Then with the Collapse skill, pulled the two charging guys to the floor.

Two variants sucked into the sunk floor.

Slowly extended my hand toward the remaining one.

Aimed at the head, and threw condensed flame.

Flame Burst.

Kuwaaaaaang!!!

The smashed guy's body burst in all directions, and flame roughly burst.

Split the flame pushing at me left and right, and flowed it forward again.

A huge flame like a raging tide swept the remaining four variants in one go.

Two variants struggling to pull the buried bodies from the ground.

Two variants restoring the burst heads.

All swept by flame and turned to ash and disappeared.

“Kaaaaaaaaak!!!”

The last remaining was only the unique monster, Nehulm.

Slowly approached the guy.

From the staff swung while letting out a shriek, ominous dark green energy extended but useless.

An extremely simple straight line attack.

Just vainly blocked by one lightly created shield.

Looked at the fellow running wild while flashing fluorescent light above the skin.

Boss monster of the 8th floor of the tower.

The fellow with such high notoriety is going crazy without being able to do anything before me.

The level difference was extreme.

Even if a unique monster, it couldn't even become any threat to me.

“...This, is it okay to do this?”

Anyway, the desired purpose of confirming the unique monster with the naked eye was achieved.

Quietly extended my hand.

Suddenly the front flashed pure white.

Pazchuk!

One streak of lightning that struck from the sky.

Pure white lightning that fell without any precursor symptoms at all.

The body of Nehulm whose head was struck instantly turned into an ash pile and scattered in the wind.

“...”

Call Lightning skill that reached the maximum level.

Indeed its speed and power were truly enormous.

Can an awakener block this skill?

Well.

First I don't think I can block it.

[You have cleared the 8th floor of the tower]

Then the front brightly flashed.

#

Meanwhile at that time.

An old detached house located in Seongbuk-dong.

One woman was holding yellowed clothes and closing her eyes.

Around, about fifteen men silently watched that appearance.

Soon the woman slowly opened her eyes.

The blue light lightly leaking from the pupils gradually disappeared, and the woman opened her mouth.

“Succeeded.”

One of the men raised the corners of his mouth.

A scar mark as if torn was visible beside the eye.

“As expected, excellent skill as heard.”

“You're too kind.”

“Not too kind. Heard as many as seven already raised both hands saying it was harder than thought. Anyway since succeeded, I'll prepare the bonus thickly.”

“...Thank you.”

The woman's face brightly brightened.

A slight sneer brushed the face of the man who saw that appearance.

“Then shall we move.”

Immediately the vehicles started moving.

Men who boarded divided into a total of 3 vehicles.

The scar man and the woman boarded the foremost car.

According to the woman's instructions, the vehicle ran the Olympic Highway.

South of the Han River.

While moving straight west, the man asked the woman.

“How much is the distance?”

“Because the distance is still far, specifying is difficult. But from experience, if this feeling, it seems not outside Seoul.”

“...Yes, is that so?”

The man's smile deepened.

Inwardly worried if having to go outside Seoul because of one cripple.

It didn't seem that would happen.

The vehicle passed Noryangjin Station and Daebang Station in order.

The surrounding scenery started becoming musty in an instant.

The man slightly furrowed his brow.

“A neighborhood where bugs live.”

Guro, Daerim.

A neighborhood where gray elements live.

The woman nodded.

“But there would be no neighborhood as good as this for hiding people.”

“That's true.”

The man's gaze headed toward the woman.

“By the way, is the distance still not caught?”

“...That's right. This case is rare but···.”

Suddenly the woman blurred the end of her words and furrowed her brow.

“Please stop for a moment.”

The woman reused the tracking skill with a flustered face.

But the tracking skill that was working well until just now became broken.

The line that continued before the eyes also disappeared.

The scar man furrowed his eyes.

“What? Why suddenly?”

“...Th-the tracking path disappeared.”

“What kind of damn talk is that?”

“Something seems to have interfered with the tracking.”

“Just what?”

At the man's words, the woman fell into thought.

Cases that can nullify tracking aren't that diverse.

Equipment or skill that can nullify tracking.

Or if the tracking target himself is a high-level tracking skill holder, blocking or misleading tracking is also possible.

But the tracking target was clearly said to be a vegetative person, so the latter case is not a consideration target.

“Someone seems to have used equipment or skill that nullifies tracking.”

“...As expected, no doubt Kang Min-cheol's side is playing tricks.”

The gaze of the man who exploded in anger headed toward the woman.

“First try moving toward the side the line pointed. If the distance gets closer, something might change. Which side?”

“Th-that side.”

“Daerim-dong?”

“Yes.”

At the man's instructions, the stopped vehicles started moving.

#

Above the bed.

Lightly raised the corners of my mouth.

“...Ha.”

Now on the board reaching a radius of 3km.

Northeast, Daebang Station direction.

A yellow dot seen for the first time in life was approaching.

[Tracker detected]

Maximum level tracking skill.

The effect wasn't simply limited to tracking.

Amazingly, even the guys tracking me could be confirmed in real time.

Linked with the Detection skill, the tracker's position was displayed in real time on the board.

“...Don't tell me, did the Taesung side notice.”

Probably correct.

The only ones who would particularly look for me would be great uncle Lee Taesik, or Chairman Choi Han-seong.

Faster movement than expected, but not greatly worried.

Since my growth rate was also much steeper than expected.

[Blocked the opponent's tracking]

Blocking the tracking, the yellow dot stopped.

But the yellow dot on the board wasn't erased.

Raised the body from the bed.

This time it was my turn to become the tracker.

© Dome Hwangcha #1yy6t