Chapter 192: Vs. The Natural Enemy

Episode 192

“He was your Team 1 leader?”

Kim Jinsung looked at Dumont, whose eyes were wide with shock, and said,

“If this is the skill level of your Team 1 leader, I can only imagine the rest of your clan.”

“……!”

“Hey, Juan! Don’t join the FCC. It looks like a downgrade from here.”

Kim Jinsung’s provocation was successful.

All the FCC Clan members, including Dumont, glared at him with murderous intent.

“You little punk…!”

Dumont’s eyes were blazing with fury, a level of anger he hadn’t shown before.

The FCC Clan was weaker than the Triunfo Clan!

There was no insult worse than that for the FCC Clan members, who had always considered the Triunfo Clan their historical rival and beneath them.

“What are you waiting for?! Attack him!”

At Dumont’s furious command, all the remaining FCC Clan members charged at Kim Jinsung.

There were about 30 of them.

And they were all elite hunters, each radiating a powerful aura.

‘Judging by the abilities they used earlier, it’ll be troublesome if I get surrounded.’

Kim Jinsung made a decision.

He wouldn’t fight them alone.

**Thud! Slash!**

“Ugh…!”

“Aaaargh!”

Screams suddenly erupted from behind the charging FCC Clan members.

Everyone turned their heads and gasped in shock.

“W-what?!”

“They’re all Alopsky!”

Dozens of figures, all identical to Alopsky, had appeared out of nowhere and were attacking them from behind.

There were at least 60 of them, easily outnumbering the FCC Clan members.

Dumont muttered in disbelief,

“Don’t tell me… Shadow Clone…?”

**Slash!**

“Aaaaargh!”

“Damn it! Kill them all!”

“Don’t get surrounded!”

A fierce battle ensued between the 60+ Alopsky ‘clones’ and the 30 or so FCC Clan members.

And from the start, the advantage was overwhelmingly in Alopsky’s favor.

Not only were his clones individually as strong as, if not stronger than, the FCC Clan members, but they also had the advantage of numbers.

‘Phew! That’s satisfying.’

Kim Jinsung smiled, watching his clones relentlessly pushing back the enemies.

He had been holding back on using Shadow Clone for so long, afraid of being exposed.

‘I didn’t want to use it this time either.’

He was wearing armor with a wireless camera for the broadcast. Whether it was through the live feed or recorded footage, his use of Shadow Clone would eventually be revealed.

But he had decided to reveal his ability because…

**Slash! Slash! Slash!**

‘…Of him.’

His gaze shifted towards the back.

He saw three of his clones being decapitated by a single swing of a sword.

It was Dumont.

‘I’ll need to use all my power to fight him.’

He instinctively felt it.

Dumont looked at him and shouted,

“Come out, the real one! Before I kill all your clones!”

Kim Jinsung responded by charging at him.

**Clang!**

A loud clang rang out as Dumont hurriedly raised his sword to block the attack.

His sword trembled from the impact, and he felt a tingling sensation in his hand, a feeling he hadn’t experienced in a long time.

He couldn’t help but say,

“You’re not bad.”

He twisted his body and unleashed a roundhouse kick.

Kim Jinsung raised his other arm to block the attack.

**Thud!** His arm was pushed back, and he stumbled back.

He quickly regained his balance and glared at Dumont, his guard up.

‘He’s definitely strong.’

Was this the power of a Major Clan Master? He was on a completely different level from Henrique, the Team 1 leader he had fought earlier.

He had the strength to push Kim Jinsung back with a single block, and the agility to react to his surprise attack, just like Henrique.

They had only exchanged two blows, but that was enough for a skilled hunter like Kim Jinsung to gauge his opponent’s level.

‘His basic skills are at least on par with mine, if not stronger.’

It was no wonder he had decapitated three of his clones with one swing.

His clones were only 75% as strong as him, and a 25% difference in power was a huge gap in a battle between experts.

‘I have to go all out.’

Black miasma started to rise from his body as he activated his Demonic Energy, which he had been suppressing.

Dumont was also preparing to fight Alopsky seriously.

He had realized, after exchanging blows with him, that Alopsky’s skill level was far beyond his expectations.

‘I was wrong. This guy was never a mere prospect.’

Based on the videos he had analyzed, he had estimated that Alopsky, at best, was comparable to the top rookies who had made a name for themselves in the New Continent.

Realistically, he had placed him a level or two below them.

But after facing him directly, he realized that Alopsky was at least on par with the Vice Masters of most Major Clans.

He was certain that even Igo, the second-in-command of the FCC Clan, wasn’t stronger than Alopsky in terms of basic stats.

‘And when he charged at me earlier, his speed was almost as fast as Henrique’s.’

What surprised him the most was Alopsky’s speed when he had attacked him earlier.

It was almost as fast as Henrique, whose lightning-fast movements had earned him the position of Team 1 leader.

If he hadn’t sparred with Henrique countless times and gotten used to his speed, he wouldn’t have been able to block that surprise attack.

‘Where did this guy come from?’

He couldn’t help but wonder, even in the midst of their tense confrontation.

If Alopsky was this strong, his name should have been known throughout the continents before he even came to the New Continent.

But he had never heard of a skilled hunter named Alopsky before.

‘I can’t let my guard down.’

He steeled himself, determined to not underestimate his opponent.

Kim Jinsung charged at him again.

At the same speed of light as before.

‘The same tactics as Henrique won’t work on me!’

He shouted inwardly and raised his sword, guided by his instincts.

**Clang!**

Kim Jinsung’s sword was blocked.

This was how Dumont had defeated Henrique for the first time.

His superior basic skills and sharp instincts had allowed him to overcome even Henrique’s lightning-fast agility.

‘…Hmm?’

But he frowned as he blocked the attack.

He had blocked it the same way as before, but the impact felt stronger this time.

He was pushed back half a step.

‘What? His strength doesn’t seem to have changed…’

He was puzzled, but Kim Jinsung continued his assault.

**Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!**

The sound of swords clashing echoed repeatedly.

Dumont blocked all of Kim Jinsung’s attacks, which were coming at him with incredible speed.

But he couldn’t help but be pushed back.

‘Ugh…! What is this?’

He racked his brain, trying to figure out why he was losing ground.

The impact he felt in his hand was the same as before, so why was his body struggling?

He soon realized the reason.

‘My Mana is being overwhelmed by his Mana.’

He noticed that half of his sword was momentarily turning black every time their swords clashed.

His green Mana, his unique Mana color, was being overpowered by Alopsky’s black Mana every time they exchanged blows.

It was the complete opposite of what had happened when he fought Juan.

His green Mana, the natural enemy of Heavenly Energy, had always overwhelmed Juan’s entire body.

It was as if Kim Jinsung had become Dumont, and Dumont had become Juan.

‘Don’t tell me his Mana is…? No, that’s impossible.’

He immediately dismissed the thought.

How could a being from the Middle Realm, with ‘reason’, control Demonic Energy?

Only demon lords from high-level demon world dungeons could do that.

‘Anyway, I can’t fight him head-on like this.’

The nature of Kim Jinsung’s Mana wasn’t important right now.

What mattered was that he needed to change his fighting style to overcome this disadvantage.

‘I’ll lure him into a false sense of security…’

He made a decision and deliberately blocked Kim Jinsung’s next attack half a beat slower.

Half a beat was an eternity in a battle between experts, especially for someone like Kim Jinsung, who was one of the most skilled hunters in the world.

**Slice.**

His waist was cleanly severed by Kim Jinsung’s sword.

His upper body fell to the ground, rolling helplessly.

But Kim Jinsung didn’t lower his guard. He continued to scan his surroundings, wary.

“…Whoa!”

He suddenly jumped back in surprise and swung his sword at the ground.

**Clang!**

“Oh dear.”

Dumont, who had just emerged from the ground, blocked his attack with a disappointed expression.

“You didn’t fall for it.”

“I wouldn’t fall for it when you’re not even bleeding.”

Kim Jinsung replied.

Indeed, instead of blood, a strange green liquid was oozing from Dumont’s severed upper body.

“And you were too obvious about letting me hit you. That’s a trick I used to use a lot back on Earth.”

“Hehehe, is that so?”

A chuckle came from behind him, not from the Dumont in front of him.

He turned around and saw another Dumont standing there.

The problem was that there wasn’t just one.

“…You can use Shadow Clone too.”

He looked at the countless Dumonts surrounding him and said.

“I was honestly surprised. There are only a handful of hunters in the New Continent who can use Shadow Clone.”

One of the clones replied,

“But your Shadow Clone is nothing compared to mine. I realized that after fighting your clones earlier.”

All the Dumont clones took a fighting stance.

“Let me show you what a real Shadow Clone is like. For the first and last time.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the clones charged at Kim Jinsung.

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