7. Test

Joo-eun was the strongest player in the ‘Valentino Saga’.

He boasted an overwhelming win rate regardless of which player he fought.

Because he had high-level skills?

Because he had Mythical-grade equipment?

Of course, those were some of the many reasons.

However, there was another reason.

‘If you want to be really strong, you need to be able to fully understand your skills.’

It was because he fully understood any skill.

Once he acquired a skill, he first fully understood how it was used.

This time was no different.

The Demon King’s unique trait <Reflect>.

The higher the skill’s level, the stronger it is.

In that respect, Reflect was a Unique-grade skill.

Originally, it was the Demon King’s skill, so a test was needed to use it perfectly.

“Keuheuk… .”

The fallen man was bleeding to death.

It was because Joo-eun had <Reflected> the trap damage.

“It seems that the directional test was a success.”

When he <Reflected> the trap.

Who would be the one to take damage?

I didn’t know anything else, but I definitely needed to know this.

That way, no one innocent would get hurt.

As expected, it should have been Hunter Jack who was <Reflected>.

‘After all, he’s the one who set the trap.’

However, what Joo-yeon wanted was the criminal in front of him.

Will Jack, who set the trap, get hit?

Or will the criminal that Joo-yeon wants get hit?

There was a chance that Hunter Jack might get hit.

That’s why he used a trap that he wouldn’t die from.

Since he knew the location of all the traps, it wasn’t difficult.

‘There was a quest to maintain traps among Hunter Jack’s quests.’

Of course, he also knew about traps that were dangerous, but not enough to kill.

But it was really unexpected.

Woong.

The voice that was heard the moment he used <Reflect>.

<It can be reflected back to Hunter Jack or escapee Roan>

<However, you cannot change the target once selected>

The image of Hunter Jack falling and the criminal running away appeared in Joo-yeon’s mind.

‘It’s like he’s telling me to choose. Whether to attack the one who set the trap. Or to reflect it to the one I want.’

Of course, he chose the criminal.

As a result, Joo-yeon was able to knock down the criminal instead of Hunter Jack.

But the situation wasn’t over yet.

“Why isn’t that bastard coming?”

“I hear a weird groaning sound outside?”

“That bastard. He said he was going to relieve himself, but what is he doing. Go and bring him right now.”

“Yes, Hyung-nim.”

Another criminal was trying to come out from the hunter’s shelter.

If he stays like this, he might get caught.

‘I still have a lot to figure out.’

They were the ones who dared to touch ‘Jack the Bountiful’.

He could never let them go.

‘If I’m going to test it, I’ll do it for sure.’

Joo-yeon grabbed the head of the fallen criminal.

Thud.

“aaagh…… My head……. My head!”

Then he dragged the fallen criminal and hid himself in the grass.

It was where another trap was.

The criminal who just came out of the shelter didn’t see him.

“This is weird. I thought I heard a noise here just now?”

As soon as he came out, he looked for the fallen man.

The strange thing was that he wasn’t wearing a criminal uniform.

It was leather clothing like a hunter’s.

He seemed to have changed his clothes in the meantime.

At that sight, Juyeon’s gaze grew even colder.

‘That must be the quest reward from the hunter, Jack.’

It was one of the beginner sets that newbies would always wear. It was quite useful in the early stages.

Originally, that was an item that Juyeon should have received.

Juyeon trampled on the fallen man with his foot.

“Kyaaah!”

The other prisoners who came outside were startled by the man’s scream.

“Roan!”

They ran towards the forest where the scream had come from.

It seemed they were trying to save their comrade.

‘They’re just a bunch of ingrates who repay kindness with enmity, but they have such tearful camaraderie.’

Juyeon pulled on the string next to him.

Ting-.

The string to which the trap was attached snapped pathetically.

Then, a wooden spear sprang out from the ground.

The wooden spear pierced Juyeon.

Thud!

The prisoners who had been running fell down on the spot.

He was clutching at his abdomen, from which blood was gushing out.

“Keuheuk…”

It was a wound as if he had been pierced by a wooden spear.

Just like the wound on Juyeon’s abdomen right now.

“Two.”

Swish!

Juyeon, who had pulled out the wooden spear with a flick of his wrist, slowly rose from his seat.

“Then, how many are left?”

He hoped there were as many left as possible.

The wooden spear in Juyeon’s hand was shining ominously.

* * *

“What the heck. Why aren’t they coming?”

“Are they holding hands and taking a piss?”

“This bastard’s eating so messily!”

Charlie, the leader of the group of prisoners, threw the pheasant leg he had been eating at his subordinate.

The subordinate who had been hit in the head hurriedly got up.

“I’m sorry. I’ll go and check right away.”

“No. Wait.”

“Yes?”

“Something doesn’t feel right.”

Charlie’s eyes sharpened.

It was clear that he had instinctively sensed that something had happened to his men.

His senses, which had kept him alive despite the numerous crimes he had committed so far, were screaming danger.

That was why he looked at the bloodied Hunter Jack.

“Hey. Didn’t you say you were alone?”

“Uh-huh.”

Hunter Jack shook his head.

He really was alone.

Furthermore, no visitors would come to such a remote forest.

Charlie stroked his beard.

“Of course. No idiot would come looking for a guy living alone in a place like this.”

If there were any, it would only be the slave hunters.

Charlie Pagari still had a slave brand.

Until he got rid of it, he would be forever chased.

But there was no way they would have chased him this far already.

“Could it be the soldiers from the labor camp?”

“It’s quite a distance from the labor camp. It can’t be them.”

“Then could it be slaves who escaped like us after falling into the waterfall?”

“What? No way. If that were the case, their physical condition wouldn’t be so good. We barely survived thanks to this bastard.”

“Don’t let your guard down.”

At Charlie’s glare, his men’s eyes sharpened.

They couldn’t let their guard down and return to the labor camp because of carelessness, after surviving this far.

Charlie felt the same.

‘I’m the one who injured the knight and survived. I don’t plan on getting caught by those bastards again.’

He would definitely survive.

He had a place to go to get rid of the slave brand. He couldn’t let anyone who interfered with him live.

So he ordered his men.

“Go out carefully and check it out. There’s definitely something wrong.”

“Yes, Captain.”

The most reliable of his men stepped forward.

He was a back-alley出身 who was quite good with a sword.

Charlie threw him something he had just in case.

“Take this.”

Hunter Jack’s dagger.

It was the only weapon they had right now.

The bow broke during the process of catching the hunter bastard.

But this much was enough.

‘If it’s a guy who’s used to a sword, he should be able to handle most guys on his own.’

Just as he was about to send him off.

Thud!

“Keuk…….”

The servant who was about to leave collapsed on the spot.

From Noble mtl dot com

A red stain was visible on his abdomen.

There was no doubt that he had been attacked from a distance by someone.

“……!”

Charlie hurriedly crouched down.

However, no matter how much he searched the surroundings, he could not see the enemy.

The remaining servant trembled violently.

“It seems that the pursuers have already arrived!”

“That can’t be. The remaining slaves are still there, so there’s no way they could have already cleaned up that mess…….”

Then the most likely possibility was the slave hunter.

Or that the hunter guy had deceived them.

“First, figure out what kind of weapon it is! So that we can counterattack!”

“That is!”

The servant exclaimed in a bewildered voice.

“There’s nothing in the wound! Blood is just gushing out from the wound!”

“What?”

What is this all about?

“It’s not an arrow or a crossbow bolt…….”

What could have made such an attack from a distance?

At that moment, Charlie’s eyes widened.

“Then could it be…… magic?”

Only a wizard can use magic.

Did someone of that caliber come all the way here to catch escaped prisoners?

There was something else strange.

Even the most basic normal-grade magic has tremendous destructive power.

It wouldn’t leave such a small wound. The surroundings would have been scorched.

“Then what did they attack with…….”

Things became more ominous.

“This won’t do. Let’s take the old man first! We’ll use him as a hostage and escape this place!”

“Yes! Captain!”

The servant immediately grabbed the hunter, Jack.

He pointed the dagger that their fallen comrade had been holding at Jack’s neck.

However, the servant’s hand was trembling.

“C, Captain. But will this old man be useful as a hostage?”

“Can’t you tell by looking at the situation! The enemy is definitely after that hunter guy. Since things have come to this, we might as well extort some money from them!”

“……!”

However, the escapees did not know.

Who was targeting them now.

“Not only did you repay his kindness with ingratitude, but you even put a knife to your benefactor’s neck…….”

It was a truly chilling voice.

Charlie’s eyes widened as he saw the lead actor appear behind him with a cold glare.

“As expected, these are guys who shouldn’t be killed gently.”

The eyes of Charlie and his men flickered.

It was because the lead actor appeared in a bloody soldier’s uniform.

“He’s a real soldier?”

“No way… He came all the way here to catch us…!”

Charlie shouted urgently.

“If you don’t want to see this old man die, you’d better step back! Are you trying to save this old hag?”

“Kill? Who?”

The corners of the lead actor’s mouth turned up.

Charlie gritted his teeth and shouted.

“What are you just watching for! Cut off the old man’s fingers!”

But at that moment, the lead actor moved.

He stabbed his own arm with the wooden spear he was holding.

Poof!

Charlie and his men’s eyes widened.

Just when they wondered what the crazy guy was doing-.

Clang.

The only weapon in the subordinate’s hand fell to the floor.

It was natural for Charlie’s eyes to turn fierce.

“You idiot! What are you doing now…”

“C, Captain…”

Thump.

The subordinate collapsed to the floor.

His body was trembling like an aspen tree.

“W, What!”

It was natural for Charlie to be bewildered.

The subordinate’s condition was strange.

“His lips are blue? No way… This is…”

<Poison>

A pale face with blue lips.

It looked like someone had been poisoned.

But Charlie had been watching everything since the lead actor appeared.

“There was no sign of poison anywhere!”

Of course, the lead actor just turned up the corners of his mouth.

“The abnormal condition response is also fine.”

Poison doesn’t react that quickly.

But this guy collapsed right away.

It was clear that it was a special effect of <Reflect>.

‘Well, it was the same with the Demon King. Even the abnormal status effects that take time were <Reflected> right away.’

Judging by the symptoms, it seemed the poison had taken effect immediately.

At that moment, Charlie felt a sense of foreboding from the protagonist’s calm demeanor.

‘If this continues, I’ll die.’

He didn’t even have the courage to charge at him.

That guy was a monster that he couldn’t even dare to face.

His survival instincts, which had allowed him to survive even after attacking the knights, were screaming at him.

[Run away.]

Charlie gritted his teeth and ran outside.

“I won’t forget your face! I’ll definitely get revenge! Definitely!”

He was going to avenge not only his fallen subordinates but also the loss of his comfortable hideout.

However, the protagonist didn’t chase after him.

Instead, he activated his [Reflection] aura.

“Is this a durability test?”

The protagonist looked at the wooden stake that he still hadn’t pulled out of his arm.

The poison was still spreading because the stake hadn’t been removed.

And then.

“Kuaaagh!”

Charlie, who was running away, grabbed his hand.

“Hand… my hand…!”

As soon as his hand was injured, it turned blue.

It was exactly the same poison that his subordinates had been afflicted with.

However, Charlie didn’t stop running.

‘I’m not sure, but I think I’ve heard of it before.’

An advanced magician who could inflict status ailments on others without touching them.

‘Could there really be such a guy hiding among the labor camp soldiers?’

For now, he had to escape.

“Somehow… somehow I have to survive… Heuk!”

Suddenly, Charlie’s footsteps came to a stop.

The poison that had started in his arm had spread throughout his body.

His face was pale, and his lips were blue.

As the poison reached his heart, he could no longer move.

And then.

“What should I do? If you run, the poison will spread faster.”

The protagonist was approaching with a cold look in his eyes.

Tap the screen to use advanced tools Tip: You can use left and right keyboard keys to browse between chapters.

You'll Also Like