Chapter 120: Entry Examination (2)

Episode 120

The bridge Pablo had told them about was a wide, simple bridge that crossed the sea.

Kim Jinsung and his party looked around as they crossed the bridge.

“Looks like the third exam takes place on an island.”

As Maiko said, they were crossing the bridge with the Sselepoh continent completely behind them. At the end of the bridge, they could vaguely see an island covered in lush forest.

‘Another island.’

Kim Jinsung couldn’t help but smile wryly.

This was the fourth island already.

Except for the third preliminary round held at the Jamsil Colosseum arena, he had completed all his missions on islands so far.

Soon, after crossing the bridge, the group followed Pablo’s instructions and went straight to the right.

They arrived at a small beach and looked around.

“He told us to wait here… Ah!”

Rio, who had been looking around, suddenly raised his hand as if he had found something.

Looking in that direction, they saw a well-built South American man emerging from the bushes.

“Franco!”

Rio immediately ran towards him and greeted him warmly.

“It’s been so long!”

“It has been a while.”

Franco smiled broadly and offered Rio a handshake.

Rio, seemingly overjoyed, shook Franco’s hand with both of his.

“But you got here so quickly? Pablo said it might take a while and we’d have to wait…”

“I rushed over as soon as I heard you were coming.”

“Really?! But how did you get here so fast? You couldn’t have actually run here, since it’s an island.”

“There are ways. I’ll tell you when we leave. But it seems like we’re talking for too long just amongst ourselves…”

“Ah! Come this way.”

Rio finally led Franco back to the group.

“Let me introduce you, this is Franco. We used to be in the same ‘Triunfo’ clan. I was the youngest, and Franco was the team leader.”

“Ah~ You’re the one who was the top prospect in Triunfo?”

“I heard about you too! Even after you moved to the New Continent, rumors about your achievements have been spreading!”

“Hahaha… It’s not that impressive.”

Franco responded modestly with an embarrassed expression.

Rio, looking at him with pride, continued,

“One thing’s for sure, with Franco, we don’t have to worry about the entry exam at all. Right, Team Leader?”

Franco nodded.

“We can easily handle the monsters on this island. So, shall I guide you now?”

As everyone nodded, Franco turned around and gestured.

“Follow me this way.”

* * *

It didn’t take long to encounter their first prey. The entire island was teeming with monsters.

**Roar!**

A giant monster roared and swung its massive fist at Kim Jinsung.

Kim Jinsung stepped back to avoid the attack, focusing his gaze on the monster.

The monster’s appearance was all too familiar to him.

‘This is a Twin Head Ogre?’

It looked exactly like the Twin Head Ogres he had hunted countless times during the first preliminary round.

Except for its appearance.

The monster attacking before him was more than twice the size of the Twin Head Ogres Kim Jinsung had seen before.

And its strength, speed, and the dark energy emanating from its body all seemed incomparably stronger.

‘This is practically a different monster…’

Kim Jinsung sidestepped, dodging another fist from the Twin Head Ogre.

The spot where he had been standing was deeply cratered with a thud.

Kim Jinsung glanced at the Twin Head Ogre, huffing and puffing as its attacks missed consecutively.

‘But it’s weaker than the Tainted Ones.’

After dodging a few attacks, he could easily gauge the monster’s level.

Confirming that it was weaker than the Aard, the Tainted One he had encountered during the Colosseum finals, Kim Jinsung dodged another fist, spun around, and swung his sword.

**Swoosh.**

One of the Ogre’s two heads was severed and fell to the ground in a single blow.

With a pained roar, the Twin Head Ogre charged, swinging its fists wildly.

Kim Jinsung quickly closed the distance, dodging the fists, and swung his sword again.

**Swoosh.**

The Ogre’s massive body, having lost its last remaining head, tilted forward powerlessly.

As it crashed to the ground with a heavy thud, a notification appeared before Kim Jinsung’s eyes.

—

▶ You have defeated a monster.

▶ Acquired 130 Beast Karma points.

▶ You have already obtained the trait ‘Mutant Ogre’s Herculean Strength’ from this monster type.

—

Kim Jinsung’s eyes sparkled as he saw the notification.

‘What? It really was just a Twin Head Ogre?’

The contents of the notification were no different from the one that appeared when he repeatedly hunted Twin Head Ogres during the first preliminary round.

The only difference was that he had gained significantly more Beast Karma points.

‘Why is it so strong if it’s the same monster? Do they become this strong when they grow up in the New Continent?’

As Kim Jinsung was making this guess while looking at the notification,

“Oh~!”

He heard Franco clapping and exclaiming in admiration from behind.

Turning his head, he saw Franco approaching with a surprised expression.

“You’re Jin, right? You’re incredibly strong! To think you could defeat a Twin Head Ogre so easily.”

“…Are all Twin Head Ogres this strong?”

“Yes. This is the average Ogre in Sselepoh. Why? Did you think it was a different monster because it was much stronger?”

Kim Jinsung silently nodded, and Franco replied with a smile.

“Not just Twin Head Ogres, but all monsters in the Sselepoh continent are much larger and stronger than their counterparts in other continents.

The reason is still unknown. We can only speculate that it’s due to the influence of celestial and dark energy emanating from Demon World Dungeons and Trial Towers.”

Kim Jinsung nodded again. His earlier guess had been correct.

**Roar!**

A loud roar came from the side.

He saw the rest of the group engaged in a fierce battle with the two remaining Twin Head Ogres.

“Wait, wait. Don’t help them.”

Franco raised his hand to stop Kim Jinsung, who was about to move towards them.

“Let’s leave the rest for them to handle on their own. Helping them gain practical experience in situations like this will prevent them from panicking when they enter dungeons later.”

Franco continued explaining as he watched the desperate struggle.

“If they don’t gain experience now, they’ll definitely die inside dungeons. The monsters there are incomparably stronger than these Twin Head Ogres.”

Kim Jinsung agreed with his last statement.

Even the Demon World minions were more difficult to deal with than these Twin Head Ogres. He still vividly remembered the confusion he felt when his physical attacks proved ineffective against them.

**Swoosh!**

The sound of flesh being sliced sharply was heard.

The sword Karen swung had cleanly cut into the Twin Head Ogre’s left thigh.

**Roar!**

The Twin Head Ogre roared in pain and swung both fists consecutively.

Karen dodged all the attacks with agile movements.

Looking closely, Karen was practically fighting the Twin Head Ogre one-on-one.

‘…He’ll take it down soon.’

Unlike the Twin Head Ogre, covered in wounds and bleeding profusely, Karen was completely unharmed, not having been hit once.

Moreover, he didn’t seem tired at all. The outcome of the battle was clear.

‘As expected, he’s definitely not A- rank.’

He wasn’t judging solely based on Karen’s combat prowess.

His movements throughout the battle were calm and skillful.

Those seasoned movements could only be achieved through countless experiences and unwavering confidence.

‘He’s too skilled for this party…’

Kim Jinsung turned his head to look at the rest of the party members.

**Thud!**

“Ugh…!”

“I told you to dodge, not block with your shield!”

“Maintain the encirclement! Don’t retreat!”

The remaining eight members were struggling against the other Twin Head Ogre, shouting and panicking.

Judging by the Ogre’s pristine condition, it seemed they wouldn’t be able to defeat it with their strength alone.

‘…Looks like I need to revise my plan to stay with them for a while.’

As Kim Jinsung began to revise his plan due to the party members’ unexpectedly low skill level,

Franco, standing behind them, was looking back and forth between Kim Jinsung and Karen, deep in thought.

‘Pablo was right. These two are the problem. I need to separate one of them from the party…’

Franco’s gaze settled on Kim Jinsung.

‘I’ll separate this guy. He looks much stronger than Karen.’

Karen was stronger than expected, but he still couldn’t compare to Kim Jinsung, who had already defeated a Twin Head Ogre alone.

Franco stared intently at Kim Jinsung’s back with sharp eyes.

* * *

Franco continued to lead the group across the island.

Since Kim Jinsung and Karen were easily defeating the large monsters, Franco had stopped them from hunting at some point.

“You two are taking care of everything, so the other team members aren’t gaining any experience. Don’t interfere from now on.”

From then on, Franco only allowed the eight members, excluding the two, to hunt.

If there was a dangerous situation, Franco would step in and help them defeat the monster.

**Thud!**

Another Twin Head Ogre collapsed to the ground, covered in blood.

“Pant, pant, pant…!”

“I’m exhausted…!”

The eight hunters were panting, completely drained.

Franco applauded them.

“Well done! You’re finally able to take them down without my help!”

He exclaimed proudly, then drew his sword, cut open the Twin Head Ogre’s belly, and put the contents into the sack he was carrying.

He checked how many were inside the sack.

“Hmm… 14 in total. We just need to hunt six more, so…”

Franco looked around, thinking for a moment, then snapped his fingers.

“Ah, right. There’s that cave! Everyone, follow me.”

Franco led the group to the northeastern tip of the island.

They arrived at the entrance of a large cave, and Franco stopped, turning around.

“Now that everyone seems to be getting used to large monsters, let’s try a large-scale party hunt.”

“Large-scale?”

“Inside this cave is a habitat for Twin Head Ogres. There should be at least ten of them.”

The eight members, who had been struggling to hunt Twin Head Ogres, flinched at his words.

“Over ten of them…?”

“Isn’t that too dangerous…?”

“What are you so scared of?!”

Franco shouted, seeing the group hesitate.

“The monsters you’ll encounter in dungeons are much stronger and more numerous than the large monsters you’ve met so far! If you’re trembling at the thought of just ten, go back to Argentina right now!”

“……”

Seeing the group speechless and unable to refute him, Franco turned to Kim Jinsung and Karen.

“This time, it’s a group battle, so it’s much more dangerous. You two should participate as well. I’ll fight alongside you.”

After confirming that they both nodded, Franco looked at everyone and said,

“Then I’ll go in first and scout the area. Wait here for a while until I tell you to come in.”

Franco then entered the cave.

After walking for a while, he stopped when he was far enough from the group.

He glanced back to make sure no one was watching, then took out his smartphone and quickly typed a message.

– I’m inside the cave. Commence operation.

—