Chapter 68: The Skill of Skills

Episode 68

Thief 3’s ability was ‘Escape,’ which increased his agility by over 100% at the cost of reducing other stats by 20%. It was a skill well-suited for a role that required surviving for 24 hours. Thief 3 was confident he could survive as long as enemies didn’t appear right in front of him.

Unfortunately, the Seekers had appeared right in front of him. The fact that he managed to report while fleeing was a testament to the dire situation he was in.

“Huuuup!!”

As soon as Han Minsu spotted Thief 3, he began sucking in air like a vacuum cleaner. The suction was immense.

Despite Thief 3 running at full speed, the suction slowed him down to the pace of an average adult running.

“Damn, damn, damn…!”

Desperately using every ounce of strength, Thief 3 struggled to escape Han Minsu’s vacuum ability. His sheer will to survive seemed to be working as his speed gradually increased.

But Han Minsu wasn’t the only Seeker.

**Whirr~!**

While Han Minsu bought time, the ice user Jang Hyungtae completed his casting and summoned an ice vortex. As it froze the surroundings, Thief 3 screamed in agony as the ice vortex reached him.

“Aaagh…!”

Even as his skin turned bloody from the ice shards, Thief 3 tried to keep running. But his legs began to freeze, significantly slowing him down.

“Haha! Look at him struggle to survive!”

Yang Junggeun, enjoying the scene like a comic, approached Thief 3. He then slammed his palm onto the ground, creating his signature subspace magic circle.

“Oh…?”

Trapped within the magic circle, Thief 3’s face turned pale. Despite running at full speed, he couldn’t increase the distance between him and Yang Junggeun.

Yang Junggeun clicked his tongue at Thief 3, who still hadn’t grasped the situation.

“Tsk tsk… Don’t you know the basics? You can’t escape once you’re in the magic circle.”

Yang Junggeun approached Thief 3 with a predatory gleam in his eyes. Thief 3, realizing the futility of running, collapsed, trembling.

“Hunters who don’t know the basics deserve to die!”

Yang Junggeun swung his mana-infused fist at Thief 3 with all his might. Thief 3 tried to dodge, but his frozen body and the magic circle’s debuff rendered him immobile. He couldn’t avoid Yang Junggeun’s punch aimed at his head.

**Whack!**

With a sound like a watermelon bursting, Thief 3’s head shattered. His lifeless body collapsed, and Yang Junggeun dispelled the magic circle.

A few seconds later, an announcement came through the large speakers installed in the main castle.

[The Seekers have eliminated a Thief. The Seekers have secured 24 preliminary round spots. Yang Junggeun, Han Minsu, and Jang Hyungtae, who were directly involved, are confirmed to pass the preliminary round.]

“Nice!”

“Naaiiice~!”

Yang Junggeun clenched his fist, and Han Minsu cheered with his arms raised. Jang Hyungtae remained expressionless, but Yang Junggeun patted him on the back.

“Well done! You and Wang Mandu did great!”

“……”

“Now, listen up, everyone!”

Yang Junggeun began a loud speech to the remaining Seekers, who were looking on enviously.

“For the next 24 hours, I’ll keep hunting like this! Just because I’ve secured my spot doesn’t mean I’ll slack off!”

“……!”

“Do you know why? Because of Kim Jinsung, Kim Jinsung!”

Yang Junggeun’s eyes filled with rage as he gritted his teeth.

“If I don’t kill that bastard now, I won’t be able to sleep at night. You’re lucky!”

The Seekers, intimidated by Yang Junggeun’s fierce demeanor, nodded reluctantly. Yang Junggeun turned his head sharply, but his expression was serious. He had a specific reason for moving with the Seekers.

‘To kill Kim Jinsung, I need to gang up on him with these guys. I can’t do it alone.’

No one knew what the rules for the third preliminary round or the finals would be. It couldn’t be guaranteed that there would be a situation where many would face a few, as this was a survival program.

He had to take this opportunity to kill Kim Jinsung.

Yang Junggeun turned back to the participants and shouted.

“It’s better for you if Kim Jinsung dies today, right? Who knows if you’ll face him as an enemy in the third preliminary round or the finals? Right?”

Most of them nodded.

“I’ll stay with you until we catch Kim Jinsung. So, make sure you get involved in catching the Thieves and secure your spot. Got it?”

“Yes!”

“Good. Now, let’s gather the loot. Everyone, help out!”

At Yang Junggeun’s command, the nearby Seekers approached Thief 3’s body. As they rummaged through the corpse for loot, Yang Junggeun suddenly shouted in excitement.

“Yes! This is it! Hey, Wang Mandu! Didn’t I tell you?!”

He picked up a communication earpiece from the ground and exclaimed to Han Minsu.

“I told you they would have communication devices!”

“Uh… Is that it?”

“Can’t you see?! Come on…! Keep up with the latest gear, will you? You’re supposed to be a hunter…”

After scolding Han Minsu, Yang Junggeun put the earpiece in his ear and pressed the ON button. He spoke loudly.

“Hey, Kim Jinsung! And the rest of the Thieves! Can you hear me? It’s Yang Junggeun!”

– …What?

A startled voice came through, confirming to Yang Junggeun that it was indeed a Thief’s communication device. He continued with more confidence.

“You heard it just now. One of you just died! This is just the beginning! I’ll eliminate each one of you, one by one!”

– …

“Write your wills! I’ll make sure the production team delivers them after the preliminary round! And Kim Jinsung, you!”

Yang Junggeun shouted angrily.

“I’ll deal with you last. Get ready to beg for your life when we meet!”

After shouting, Yang Junggeun turned off the earpiece communication. He looked at the Seekers with a triumphant expression.

“Now the Thieves can’t communicate. Knowing I’m listening, they won’t use it. Right?”

The Seekers nodded, looking at each other. It was unlikely the Thieves would communicate again, knowing Yang Junggeun could hear them.

“We don’t need to worry about the mana hawk anymore! Without communication, the Thieves can’t get help from Kim Jinsung. They’ll be isolated! And what happens then?”

“……”

“Without Kim Jinsung, the other Thieves will be much easier to catch. Hahaha!”

The Seekers looked at Yang Junggeun with eyes full of trust. His leadership had been flawless so far.

“What do you think, Lee Deokgu?”

Yang Junggeun smirked at Lee Deokgu, who was standing in a corner.

“Isn’t my method much more systematic and effective than your haphazard approach?”

“…”

“Take this opportunity to watch and learn! That way, you won’t make the same stupid mistakes next time, causing your comrades to die like dogs. Hahaha.”

Yang Junggeun’s continued taunts made Lee Deokgu’s face turn red. He was boiling inside, but since everything Yang Junggeun said was true, he had no choice but to swallow his pride and remain silent.

“Alright, did we gather all the loot?”

“Yes.”

“Then let’s head back.”

“Huuuuup!!”

Just as Yang Junggeun was about to turn, he heard the sound of Han Minsu using his suction skill again. Looking over, he saw Han Minsu sucking in Thief 3’s body.

“Ugh… Ah, that’s good.”

Han Minsu, having quickly inhaled the body, noticed Yang Junggeun and the other Seekers looking at him with disgusted expressions. He defended himself.

“What? I can eat a body after we’ve taken all the loot, can’t I?”

Smack!

“Ouch!”

“I didn’t say anything, you pig!”

Yang Junggeun smacked Han Minsu on the head and shook his head in exasperation.

“Let’s go! Everyone move to the Warp Hole!”

Following Yang Junggeun, about a hundred Seekers started moving towards the Warp Hole exit they had come from. As they chatted excitedly, hopeful that they might also pass the preliminary round, the participant in the lead suddenly stopped.

“…What?”

His surprised voice made the others stop as well. Yang Junggeun, walking confidently behind, pushed through the crowd to the front. He, too, was shocked.

“Where’s the Warp Hole?”

The black hole-like portal that should have been there had vanished. Yang Junggeun quickly turned on his smartphone and activated the ‘Hunter Code’ program’s microphone.

“Hey! Choo Chaesu! What’s going on?”

– …

“Choo Chaesu! Choo Chaesu! …What the hell? Jo Kyunghoon! Jo Kyunghoon! Can’t you hear me?”

– …

“Hey, Watchman! Jo Kyunghoon! Choo Chaesu! Answer me right now, or I’ll smash your heads when I get back!”

Despite the threats, there was no response. Yang Junggeun’s expression changed, sensing something was terribly wrong.

‘Could it be…?’

The worst-case scenario flashed through his mind.

* * *

As the announcement of Yang Junggeun killing Thief 3 echoed, Jo Kyunghoon, Choo Chaesu, and a shield skill user were waiting by the Warp Hole. Choo Chaesu, feeling bored, started talking to Jo Kyunghoon.

“Aren’t you jealous of Yang Junggeun and the others who passed the preliminary round already?”

“…”

“We don’t have attack skills and have to stay in the main castle, so we can’t pass the preliminary round like them. We just have to hope the remaining Thieves get caught…”

“Can you be quiet? I need to focus on managing the ‘Eye of Surveillance’.”

“…”

Choo Chaesu fell silent at Jo Kyunghoon’s stern tone. He glanced at the shield skill user, who was engrossed in a smartphone game with earphones in.

‘He’s playing games again. Ugh, I’m so bored…’

Realizing it wasn’t a good time to chat, Choo Chaesu stretched and looked up at the sky.

‘Can that mana hawk be used indefinitely?’

Watching the black mana hawk still circling above the main castle, Choo Chaesu thought.

‘It’s annoying to see it all the time. Even if it can see everything, we have enough defenses to prevent an easy invasion…’

Moreover, Jo Kyunghoon’s ‘Eye of Surveillance’ had four instances around the main castle. According to Jo Kyunghoon, it was impossible for anyone to approach the main castle undetected.

‘…Huh?’

Choo Chaesu’s eyes widened. The black mana hawk, which had been circling endlessly, suddenly dove towards the main castle. It was heading straight for their location!

“Oh no?! Shield! Use your shield!”

Choo Chaesu jumped up and knocked the smartphone out of the shield user’s hands. The shield user, annoyed, looked up at the sky where Choo Chaesu was pointing.

“…!!”

With wide eyes, he instinctively activated his shield magic.

They were fortunate that the shield was created just before the mana hawk hit the ground. Unfortunately, as soon as the mana hawk touched the shield, black mana spread out, completely engulfing the three of them.

Moments later, the black mana dissipated.

“…!”

The three, trapped in the mana, opened their eyes wide. They had been transported to an unfamiliar place. Before them stood a chilling sight.

“Success.”

Kim Jinsung stood right in front of them, smiling. An alert window appeared in front of him.

—

▶ The ‘Mana Hawk’ skill has been fused with the ‘Teleport’ skill.

– The ‘Teleport’ skill can now only be used while using the ‘Mana Hawk’ skill.

– When using the ‘Teleport’ skill, all life forms within a wide range centered on the mana hawk will be instantly transported to a location designated by the user.

– Reverse teleportation from the designated location to the mana hawk’s original location is also possible.

– The mana hawk will disappear immediately after using the ‘Teleport’ skill.

– The maximum teleportation distance is 20 meters.

▶ The ‘Teleport’ skill has disappeared.

▶ 5,000 Beast Karma points have been used for the skill fusion.

▶ Remaining Beast Karma points: 27