episode_0058

58. Cooperation.

Oh Tak-hoon traversed the battlefield as if he and Yo-han had been working together from the start. As Yo-han’s almost first comrade, he was also the man with the most unwavering trust in Yo-han.

Oh Tak-hoon’s job was [Thief]. He made a living with quick speed and surprise attacks. He usually preferred hit-and-run tactics rather than head-on confrontations in one-on-one battles.

“Kuaaaaagh!”

“Kuheck!”

“A ghost, it’s a ghost!!”

But this time it was different. There was no trace of evasion in his current form. Only attack, an attack style that did not mix evasion or defense at all.

Clang! Kwaaaang!

This phenomenon was possible because Yo-han’s shield was diligently assisting him. In the first place, the job of a thief inherently had the characteristic of being weak in body but outstanding in instantaneous lethality. But the help of an excellent magician covered the thief’s biggest weakness.

Thanks to this, Oh Tak-hoon could feel a refreshing feeling. It was like an out-boxer changing jobs to an in-fighter. He didn’t have to calculate this and that, it was very comfortable.

Poo-ook-!

“······Kkeo-eo-eok.”

“You lasted a long time. Good job.”

With this, most of the guys around were taken care of. Oh Tak-hoon looked around. The humans watching from afar took a step back in response to his gaze.

Were they scared of Oh Tak-hoon, or were they scared of some magician whose existence was even questionable? Probably both.

Oh Tak-hoon scanned the battlefield.

‘Most are dead, and a few seem to have succeeded in escaping.’

It was a painful loss. But it was also the best possible result. Because it meant that there were survivors even in the face of so many enemies. Their unity, with the middle-aged man carrying the parrot on his back, was threatening enough.

In a world without cell phones or walkie-talkies, the presence or absence of a parrot as a contact was crucial. The main reason why modern humans were able to blossom into the current civilization was thanks to the exchange of information.

Because it was important, the tower gave the message function that was only possible once a day, and because it was difficult to implement, the middle-aged man’s ability was being treated well.

Oh Tak-hoon didn’t know such detailed circumstances, but he could sense that the enemy’s exchange of opinions was rapid. That’s because he was a veteran killer.

At that time, a young man with an ordinary face took a step forward. Since he didn’t show any particular intention to attack, Oh Tak-hoon didn’t react much either. Instead, he just stared intently.

The young man flinched. But he had something to do. No, to be exact, the animal on his shoulder had a mission to carry out.

The parrot, who was lounging like his own home on the young man’s collarbone, straightened his body.

[Kkieee······ Ah, ah. Can you hear me?]

The vocal cords of the parrot, who was emitting an ultra-high-pitched cry, gradually became thicker. Soon, a serious voice flowed out through the pointed beak.

[Wouldn’t you surrender? If you keep doing this, you’ll lose, and we’ll lose.]

It was quite a bizarre sight. A cross-eyed bird spouting human words, it was like something out of a third-rate horror comic.

The parrot, or rather the middle-aged man’s words continued.

[I don’t know where you’re hiding, but do you think we’ll never find you? There are dozens of superhumans who can slap an Olympic gold medalist. Catching one magician is nothing.]

“······.”

[If you climb the tower, you’ll end up meeting again anyway, so how about ending it peacefully? Let’s definitely join forces next time we meet.]

“······.”

Oh Tak-hoon didn’t answer. The subject of the conversation wasn’t Oh Tak-hoon, and it wasn’t a very nutritious story either. The enemy’s intentions were obvious.

Oh Tak-hoon’s mouth opened slightly. He didn’t know it, but it was wording that represented Yo-han’s heart.

“Seeing that your tongue is so long, I guess you can’t see at all? What’s the point of letting out stupid bird brains if they can’t find anything.”

[······Was it that obvious?]

“It was very obvious.”

The parrot paused for a moment and then continued.

[Seeing that you’re hiding so well, I guess you don’t have any intention of coming out easily?]

“Maybe so?”

[Even you don’t know? Where that magician is hiding?]

“I’m curious too. Our team leader seems to have a lot of talent. He’s also good at hide-and-seek.”

The middle-aged man thought. Is what that guy is saying real? Or is it a bluff? If I torture this guy, can I find out the magician’s location······

[······.]

“······.”

In the next moment, the middle-aged man, who looked at Oh Tak-hoon through the parrot’s eyes, stopped thinking. He had already made up his mind. It wouldn’t be easy to get useful information from that guy.

Anyway, if I keep killing the magician’s teammates, won’t he come out someday? Yo-han’s power has already been greatly weakened. The middle-aged man decided to be patient.

Wheeeeeeing-

A quiet wind blew from somewhere. The two instinctively sensed that the conversation was over. Immediately after, the parrots flew over the heads of the crowd surrounding Oh Tak-hoon.

Flutter-!

The fact that the parrot, which was mainly used as a substitute for a walkie-talkie, spread its wings meant that it was no longer a situation to leisurely exchange opinions or information.

In other words, it was a wingbeat that signaled the start of the battle.

[Chirrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr-!]

“Kill himmmmmm!!!”

“He’s alone! Pour out ranged attacks first!!”

“The magician’s magic power is bound to run out someday! Keep fighting!!!”

“Uwooooaaaaaaa!!!”

Peeeee- Shuhwaaaaaak! Hwareureureuk!

Various noises created an unpleasant harmony and rushed towards Oh Tak-hoon. Oh Tak-hoon felt his eyes shining brilliantly and thought of Yo-han.

‘But where did he really hide? I have to ask him later.’

Surprisingly, Oh Tak-hoon’s words were sincere. He also had a strong question.

***

The noise coming from above is magnificent. Do ants usually live with such a roar? Somehow, I felt sorry for the ants.

“······.”

Yo-han turned his head and shook off the trivial thoughts. If I stay still, I get all sorts of thoughts. He refocused his mind.

Although he fell into trivial thoughts for a moment, it was actually a dangerous thing. That’s because the spell that Yo-han is currently casting requires a high degree of mental strength.

It was a spell that even Yo-han, who had enough talent, had only recently acquired, and it was also something he had been working on continuously while on the 2nd floor.

The magician closed his eyes again.

Latent Eye. LV. 1

Although his eyelids were closed, the field of vision to see the world was wide open. Yo-han’s spine tingled at the bizarre sensation.

It wasn’t a pleasant situation.

‘He killed a lot.’

Currently, his vision was not much different from Oh Tak-hoon’s vision. That’s because the spell he secretly placed on Oh Tak-hoon worked. It wasn’t an easy task, but it was able to proceed smoothly because he received Oh Tak-hoon’s ‘approval’.

‘A parrot, the guy who handles that bird brain must be the team leader.’

But that problematic person was nowhere to be seen. At least not from Oh Tak-hoon’s point of view. He guessed that he was probably in the rear. That’s because his ability seemed more useful in the rear than in the front.

Exchanging information using birds? It was a really fraudulent ability. If Yo-han had such a skill, he would have eaten more areas.

At that moment, the numerous enemies surrounding Oh Tak-hoon poured out various ranged attacks. Yo-han loosened his fingers here and there with his eyes closed.

Shield.

[Extrinsic Implementation] [Structure Comprehension]

Fire Arrow, Magic Missile, Arrow, Dagger, each magician’s special spell······etc. He didn’t block everything. Oh Tak-hoon attempted to evade most of them, and Yo-han only blocked the ambiguous ones.

That alone was enough to be a monstrous assistant. It was by no means an easy task for a mere magician to distinguish between valid and invalid attacks and build a shield. It was thanks to a combination of his bizarrely outstanding memory and his talent.

It felt like the sounds of Clang, Kwaang were echoing in Yo-han’s head. He didn’t actually hear it. Currently, the sensation he implemented was only ‘sight’. He hasn’t yet obtained the spells for the remaining four senses.

‘My magic power isn’t running out.’

Yo-han thought so while sitting cross-legged. That’s because he is double-casting [Latent Eye] and [Shield]. The former spell alone consumed a lot of magic power, and on top of that, he added a shield. It was truly like becoming the head of a family.

Fortunately, the enemy’s magic power and hail of blades soon came to an end. They were also tired. But there was no time to be happy. Now it was the turn of those with close combat jobs.

Muscular humans opened their mouths wide like lions and rushed towards Oh Tak-hoon. From Yo-han’s point of view, it was as if they were coming to him. It was like watching a highly immersive movie.

‘They’re probably screaming.’

He thought so, looking at the veined neck and wide open mouth. Yo-han unfolded [Thought Acceleration]. Immediately after, he was left alone in the world.