Chapter 53

“…”

A new quest arrived.

• You will be transported to the quest location in 10 minutes. Please move to a safe place. (Time remaining: 10 minutes)

“…”

Now that the waiting time had increased to ten minutes, it felt a bit awkward. It was already a secluded mountainous area, and it wasn’t a dangerous region that required him to urgently take shelter, so there was no real need to move anywhere. Moreover, he had just finished exercising, so there was no need for a separate warm-up. Jun-sang first rehydrated and wiped off the sweat. Still, he had time left.

“Was 10 minutes always this long?”

Jun-sang retied his combat boot laces, then took out his knuckles from his inventory and put them on. But there was still time left. When messages arrived on his phone, he just accepted them, but seeing the countdown constantly displayed before his eyes made time seem to drag on even more. He never thought the transmission time would feel this long. It really seemed like one lived and learned.

As the transmission approached 1 minute, Jun-sang lightly stretched and prepared himself mentally. Finally, the countdown ended, and a white light began to envelop his body. He calmly watched the surrounding scenery change.

“…”

However, the scenery didn’t change much. The place he arrived at was a secluded mountain path, just like where he had been. Jun-sang first checked the quest information that appeared in his left vision.

Epic Quest – Dawn

1. Move to the area marked on the minimap. (Unachieved)

“Epic Quest?”

Jun-sang couldn’t help but cock his head at the quest information, which was different from before. Moreover, no hidden quests or sub-quests appeared separately. But upon careful thought, this wasn’t the first time he had encountered this type of quest. The tutorial also had this kind of linked quest format. Jun-sang checked the blue exclamation mark displayed in the upper right corner of his vision.

“Minimap, huh…”

Like the previous special mission, this “Epic Quest” also seemed to be a quest that was activated only for those who met certain conditions. However, as Jun-sang looked at the quest information, he discovered something strange. He belatedly realized that this quest did not specify how many people were performing it. Until now, whether it was solo or multiple, such information was clearly stated at the bottom of the quest information, but this time, no such information appeared. Come to think of it, this was also similar to the tutorial.

“Hmm…”

Jun-sang realized that this quest, unlike previous ones, would likely require a considerably long period. Epic quests often referred to central storylines in large games. Jun-sang, lost in thought about this quest for a moment, confirmed that there were no signs of others arriving. He then took out the shovel and the bag of dirt from his inventory.

“Open Gentle Breeze.”

As the command came from Jun-sang’s mouth, a stream of wind began to blow around his body.

“Be vigilant of the surroundings.”

Gentle Breeze, receiving Jun-sang’s command, began to monitor the surroundings for anything approaching. Having a sentry just in case, Jun-sang picked up the shovel and immediately began to dig. After digging a space roughly large enough for a person to lie down in, Jun-sang took out the man’s corpse from his inventory and buried it there. He then poured the blood-stained soil over the corpse and stacked stones on top to prevent wild animals from digging it up.

After crudely completing the grave, Jun-sang took out a towel, roughly wiped off his sweat and dirt, and then, only after storing the shovel and bag back in his inventory, began to walk in the direction indicated by the quest. Unlike before, with a somewhat leisurely pace, Jun-sang walked towards the blue exclamation mark on the minimap, and after about 10 minutes, he finally arrived at the designated location.

Then, the sound of combat erupted somewhere, and the quest was updated.

Epic Quest – Dawn

1. Move to the area marked on the minimap. (Achieved!) Reward: Very little experience -> Would you like to claim your rewards now? (Y/n) _ (Caution) Unclaimed rewards will be automatically deleted after 7 days.

As soon as he claimed the rewards, the next quest appeared.

Epic Quest – Dawn

2. It seems combat is occurring somewhere.

• Carefully approach and assess the situation. (Unachieved)

Feeling like it was a cliché progression, Jun-sang nevertheless found himself running towards the sound. As he descended the mountainside like the wind, he soon witnessed a battle taking place in a small valley.

“Hmm…”

A small carriage was stopped on the road in the valley. The battle was between a group of people who appeared to be escorting the carriage and monsters that had them surrounded from front and back. The monsters had bulldog-like heads, short necks, and brown skin. Their height only reached an adult man’s shoulders, but their arm and leg muscles were quite solid, giving them a very sturdy build.

As soon as the enemy’s appearance was confirmed, the Insight ability activated. Green flags, indicating slightly weaker than Jun-sang, appeared above the monsters’ heads, and among them, some even had blue flags, indicating much weaker. They didn’t seem as strong as he had thought, but being surrounded by about ten monsters from both front and back, the five or six escorts were having difficulty dealing with them easily.

Just then, as Jun-sang quietly observed, the figures of three or four monsters preparing to roll boulders down from above the valley came into his view. Then, as if on cue, the quest information updated.

Epic Quest – Dawn

2. It seems combat is occurring somewhere.

• Carefully approach and assess the situation. (Achieved!) -> Monsters are preparing a surprise attack. Stop the surprise attack. (Unachieved)

“…”

The monsters were located on the opposite side of the mountainside from Jun-sang’s position. It would be very difficult to move there unless he had the ability to fly, so Jun-sang had no choice but to use another method. Jun-sang picked up a large stone, then chose one of the monsters grunting as they moved a boulder, aimed for its head, and threw the stone.

WHOOSH!

The stone, cutting through the wind, accurately struck the monster’s head as Jun-sang had aimed.

-Kee-ek!

His sporadic practice while climbing mountains had paid off. Jun-sang confidently threw a second stone, but this time, perhaps with too much force, it flew wildly off target.

-Kee-ee-ek!

However, because the monsters were gathered in one spot to roll the boulder, the stone Jun-sang threw succeeded in breaking another monster’s leg. With two monsters incapacitated, they abandoned the large boulder they were trying to roll and began to retaliate against Jun-sang with stone throws. But their throwing accuracy was even worse than Jun-sang’s.

“Hoo…”

Jun-sang steadied his breathing and threw another stone.

WHOOSH!

The stone, flying through the wind like a meteor, once again shattered the head of another monster. With things turning out this way, the monsters seemed to decide it was hopeless and quickly began to flee, carrying their injured comrade.

Then, the quest information updated again.

Epic Quest – Dawn

2. It seems combat is occurring somewhere.

• Carefully approach and assess the situation. (Achieved!) -> Monsters are preparing a surprise attack. Stop the surprise attack. (Achieved!) -> Defeat the monsters surrounding the carriage. (Unachieved)

Jun-sang considered throwing another stone, but decided to intervene directly, also curious to gauge the monsters’ abilities.

“Bloodlord.”

As the command came from his mouth, the existing cards were removed, and new cards were equipped in their place.

Frenzy (R),

Bloodbath (R),

Bloodbath (R),

and Bloodbath (SR).

As these four cards were equipped, the combo card ‘Yanthunsen’s Bloodlord’ activated. Jun-sang felt power surging within his body and, just like that, launched himself down into the valley.

The monsters, who had been gaining momentum and pushing back the escorts, instinctively turned their heads as something suddenly landed behind them with a thud. And the next moment, the sight of a man with fierce blue eyes entered their vision.

“Hoo…”

Perhaps he had miscalculated the height, but a shimmering haze was rising from Jun-sang’s body for regeneration, as he hadn’t fully absorbed the impact of the fall. However, this appearance was even more terrifying to the monsters. His entire body emitting a shimmering aura and his fierce blue eyes flashing made him resemble a demon that had just burst forth from hellfire.

-KROAAAH!

But the monsters, who had been intimidated by Jun-sang’s sudden appearance, quickly regained their senses as the roar of their large, seemingly leader monster echoed, and they began to charge at Jun-sang, swinging their axes.

“…”

One monster leaped into the air and brought down the hand axe it was holding. But at that very moment, Jun-sang lightly stepped back, then swung his foot in a wide arc, kicking the descending monster in the belly with his combat boot.

-Kee-ek!

The monster couldn’t withstand the impact and floated into the air like a ball. Jun-sang swung his fist towards the rising monster’s head. The punch descended from above, striking the monster’s head directly, then dragged the monster’s body down to the ground, crashing it against the surface.

CRUNCH!

Then, the monster’s seemingly sturdy head shattered like a squashed watermelon, its contents splattering in all directions.

FLINCH!

The monsters instinctively trembled at the sight of their comrade’s gruesome death. And they shuddered again as they saw Jun-sang slowly rise, covered in their comrade’s splattered blood and bodily fluids. Jun-sang, having risen, took a step towards the monsters. Seeing this action, the monsters, who had suddenly regained their senses, screamed in desperation and simultaneously charged at Jun-sang.

“Hoo…”

Jun-sang lightly balled his fist. And with both elbows tucked to his sides, he lunged towards the monsters charging at him, swinging their axes.

Jun-sang lightly dodged the axe swung by the foremost monster with a weave, then rotated his body and delivered a powerful hook to the opponent’s exposed side.

CRACK!

Feeling and hearing the sensation of bone breaking inside the body through his knuckles, he swung his elbow towards the nose of the monster, whose body had folded from the impact.

SMASH!

It was only two blows, but the monster’s eyes lost focus, and it collapsed to the ground like a rotten log. A dark combat boot then descended onto the head of the fallen monster.

CRUNCH!

Leaving the terrifying sound of a crushed skull behind him, Jun-sang lifted the foot that had just crushed the monster’s head and delivered a low kick to the knee of an approaching opponent.

THWACK!

The bulldog-headed monster, who had just raised its arm to swing its axe, aiming for a rare opening, lost its balance and fell sideways as its kneecap shattered from Jun-sang’s brutal low kick. Even as it fell, the monster swung its axe with a flailing motion, but Jun-sang stepped back to avoid it, then stepped forward again and stomped on the arm holding the axe, crushing it.

-KRAAAAH!

Jun-sang, who had completely crushed the elbow by stomping on it, used that foot as a pivot and delivered a soccer kick to the monster’s head again. The monster saw the dark combat boot flying towards its brow and tried to block it with its remaining hand. But its body wouldn’t move. The monster didn’t know it, but it was the effect of Jun-sang’s fear inducement. And Jun-sang’s kick, which flew towards the frozen monster, accurately dug into its brow, crushing its skull.

“T-that’s…”

The escorts, who had been desperately holding back the monsters, had thought they were all going to die when they heard sounds from above the valley. But after a few screams from above, something suddenly fell from the sky with a thud. It was a man. His eyes flashing with blue light and emitting a thick shimmer from his body, he slowly rose and began to crush the heads of monsters, which had thick skulls difficult to cut even with a knife, as if they were rotten fruit.

“T-this can’t be.”

In an instant, blood and flesh seemed to explode into the air, and the monsters’ tough bodies began to be thrown through the air. No, by the time they realized what was happening, more than half of the monsters that had been blocking the front were literally lying on the ground, turned into bloody pulp.

“Why are you standing there stupidly! Get a grip!”

The escort captain, while breathing a sigh of relief as the monsters in front began to be swept away by the suddenly appearing man, couldn’t relax his guard. They instinctively knew that if that man had the intention, they would never be able to stand against him.