[Complete Tunyak’s additional request. Time remaining: 21 hours 20 minutes.] Although it didn’t quite suit the situation, I couldn’t help but recall an iconic movie line: “He’s the one they send to kill the Boogeyman.”[1] Though Tunyak had phrased it differently, his tone had been strikingly similar—that was probably why it had come to mind. To be honest, the name Red-Eyed Sogorong was amusing in its own right. I quietly chuckled at the absurdity of the thought, prompting Tunyak to glance at me with a puzzled expression. “What’s that about? You acted like you didn’t know him, but now you’re laughing. Are you two acquaintances?” “No, not at all. It’s just, um, calling someone the best hunter struck me as funny.” Tunyak nudged my shoulder, his eyes gleaming mischievously. “Ah, I see. It’s bothering you that Sogorong is getting called the best hunter while you’re standing right here, huh?” “What?” I immediately shook my head. “No, that’s not it.” His playful smirk told me he wasn’t convinced. Clearly, no matter how much I tried to explain, changing his mind would be a tall order. I obviously couldn’t tell him that his words reminded me of something from Earth either. I casually shrugged. “If you want to know, his name, specifically ‘Sogorong,’ was what made me laugh.” Still seemingly not quite buying it, Tunyak just offered a half-hearted nod. “Sure, if you say so. Still, I’m a bit surprised. You’ve really never heard of Red-Eyed Sogorong?” His tone had carried a hint of genuine disbelief, only reinforcing how strange my lack of recognition was. Apparently, Sogorong’s reputation as the greatest hunter wasn’t exaggerated. It struck me as interesting that Tunyak found it odd that I hadn’t heard of this hunter. Even though the goddess had revealed to him that I had lied, it seemed she hadn’t shared much more than that. I waved it off and lightly tapped Tunyak on the shoulder. “I grew up in a pretty remote place. Anyway, that isn’t important right now. Let’s focus.” He turned his attention back to the approaching attackers. They had clearly spotted us, yet they made no move to accelerate or change course. Are they assuming that we can’t escape? Who knows. Even their steady, measured pace hadn’t changed. Tunyak furrowed his brow. “They have to be the ones who corrupted the divine beast, right?” “Most likely. There’s no other reason for twenty armed men to show up in such a remote place.” “Pfft. They’ve got the nerve to just stroll up like that.” As Tunyak steadied his breathing, I asked, “Looks like you’ve become an apostle. You got yourself a war chariot now, too. Will you change your combat style?” With Doppy effectively out of commission, it was safe to assume this would be a two-on-twenty fight. We would need to coordinate and understand how each of us fought. “Hmm.” Tunyak paused for a moment. “I’ve definitely gotten a lot stronger, honestly, but I haven’t fully adapted to my newfound strength. I’ll probably stick to my usual bow-focused approach.” “Yeah. I’m more used to riding Kalem. Still, the goddess bestowed the chariot upon me. We’ve got the divine beast now, too.” I nodded. “Alright. You ride the chariot and rain down suppressive fire. I’ll charge in close.” Just as I stepped forward, I remembered something and turned back to Tunyak. “Oh. Can you take Doppy with you? I don’t want to leave him behind in case they double back.” “Doppy, go with Tunyak, alright?” Tunyak climbed aboard the chariot, with Doppy following right after. Picking up the reins, Tunyak turned the divine beast’s head and prepared to circle around. Perhaps thinking we were making a run for it, the hunters began to pick up speed. Just before setting off, Tunyak cautiously asked, “Hey, Kwon. We don’t need to talk with them, right?” “You mean threaten them before killing them?” “No, I mean before the fight starts.” I laughed quietly. “Hah. Nope. I already know what they’ll say.” It would be the same tired exchange as usual. They would try to intimidate us into revealing our identities and handing over our valuables. I had been through enough of these encounters while climbing the tower to know exactly how it would go. As for finding out what they knew, I had a solution to that as well. “We’ll just beat any useful information out of them.” [Complete Tunyak’s additional request. Time remaining: 21 hours 18 minutes.] The battle erupted without the slightest warning. When Tunyak shouted, spurring the divine beast forward, the raiders led by Red-Eyed Sogorong instantly broke into a full sprint. They seemed more focused on pursuing Tunyak than me. Accelerating eagerly, I kicked off the ground and charged straight ahead. While Tunyak maneuvered around them, I would pull their focus. Seemingly catching on, they split their group, sending eight my way. The only silver lining was that Red-Eyed Sogorong was among them. I glanced at Tunyak out of the corner of my eye. Seeing the twelve pursuers, he redirected the divine beast once more. This update is available on novel·fiɾe·net Judging by how fast the divine beast is going, he should be fine. Reassured, I focused back on the task at hand. I could only head over to support Tunyak once I dealt with these eight. Wind brushed against my cheeks. I hadn’t had a chance to visit a barber while climbing the tower, so my hair was roughly cut—by me, of course. It now whipped about in the wind, unkempt and wild. Inspecting their formation, I noted that the seven additional hunters were flanking Sogorong on each side. Though I felt supremely confident, I decided to put some thought into the battle. Defeating them wasn’t my biggest concern; I was deliberating something else entirely. Should I kill them, or not? Tunyak didn’t seem to have any intention of showing mercy, but I had only heard one side of the story: the Master of the Five Carriage Wheels’s. Even with context, there was a ninety-nine percent chance they were the villains here, though. Still, I think I will try to avoid killing them if I can. I would knock them down first, then start asking questions. Gripping my axe more tightly, I picked up speed. Everyone’s charges had kicked up a violent cloud of dust, sand, and debris. I channeled my mana and created a thin film of it around my eyes to block the swirling irritants, clearing my vision. I briefly glanced back. Tunyak had just fired an arrow that struck true, piercing a rider atop a mechanical horse. The hunter floated in the air for a second before crashing violently to the ground. As the other mechanical horses began to turn, the riderless one suddenly bolted ahead. A sudden chill ran down my spine. I snapped my eyes forward. Unlike Tunyak, who rode the divine beast, I was still on foot and had a considerable distance left to close. Perhaps that was why the enemies hadn’t attacked me just yet. What is Sixth Sense warning me about? I wondered as a dark-crimson flash flickered in Sogorong’s eyes. Before my mind could even process it, I instinctively swung my axe upward. Sparks flew as my axe split a bullet cleanly in two, the pieces whistling past both sides of my head. Immediately afterward, I spotted a flash coming from Sogorong’s hip. The deflected bullet exploded violently behind me. It had all happened in an instant, but it looked to me as though the bullet had reached me before he had even pulled out his gun. Now that the flash had vanished, I could see Sogorong’s raised mechanical arm, aiming a revolver directly at me. He had taken less than a tenth of a second to draw and fire his gun—an impossibly fast draw. Although I had let my guard down for a moment, that kind of speed was still unreal. I hadn’t even seen him pull the trigger. If I used Flash Strike, I probably could have seen it. The scene brought back memories of those quick-draw videos I had seen online, where someone would whip out a holstered gun and fire in a flash. Sogorong, too, seemed mildly surprised. He hadn’t expected me to block it. My gaze lingered on the red mechanical arm. That absurd quick draw just now was undoubtedly the result of the synergy between his eye and mechanical limb. Maybe that arm is the secret to his success. Compared to the other mechanical arms I had seen, Sogorong’s was far more intricate and advanced. Same with the revolver. There has to be something hidden in that arm. Sure, Sogorong required some amount of skill to become the “greatest hunter,” but his arm looked specially modified. Considering the state of the world, a god could have blessed it as well. Whatever the case, I would definitely be taking it with me once this was over. One thing was certain, however: dragging this fight out wouldn’t be ideal. If the others were armed with revolvers like his, things would only get harder. Moreover, if things went sideways, I would be forced into using Flash Strike. I would rather not, but still. As if triggered by Sogorong’s earlier shot, the other raiders began drawing their own revolvers. Spark after spark flashed from each of their belts. Sogorong’s second shot reached me first. I swung my axe upward. Though I barely managed to deflect it, the glancing shot still grazed my left arm as it passed. A searing heat bloomed across my forearm. Moments later, the bullet exploded behind me with a delayed burst. Thankfully, I didn’t have to parry every shot—not every bullet was as fast or as powerful as Sogorong’s. I deflected some and dodged others. They weren’t idiots, though. They shot in sync, creating an even spread with each volley. The intervals between volleys were also tight and relentless. Bang, bang, bang! Bang, bang! Gunfire continued to roar across the open plains. Veering left, I swept my axe in a broad arc to the right. A colossal bolt of lightning-infused Aura surged forward with terrifying force. Delaying a moment, I swung my axe back across the same arc, sending a second wave cutting over the scorched red earth. Instead of the hunters, however, I targeted their mounts. The first strike sliced through the legs of three separate horses. Another had barely leaped out of harm’s way, but the second wave crashed onto it as it landed, shredding it and three other horses. Their riders crashed to the ground in chaos. Some broke their necks on impact, and the rest wouldn’t be moving anytime soon, either. I had aimed to spare as many as I could, but it couldn’t be helped. In the end, only one remained standing—Sogorong. I slammed a foot against the earth and launched forward. His eyes widened in disbelief. Realizing a head-on clash wasn’t in his favor, he yanked on the reins and tried to veer off to the side. Unfortunately for him, I was faster than any mechanical horse at full sprint. Twisting just his torso, he fired three rapid shots in succession. They traveled at a monstrous speed, but by now, I had adapted to it. Even I had to admit that my growth bordered on absurd. Three sparks flared from my axe, and three back-to-back concussive blasts followed. Sogorong was still scrambling to reload when I reached him and slipped behind his back. Aside from his shooting speed, there was nothing extraordinary about him. He was no stronger than the average climber. I seized the back of his collar and brutally slammed him onto the ground. His riderless horse bolted ahead while he tumbled across the dirt like a ragdoll. At this distance, a gun became even more dangerous. Rather than risk kicking him away, I stomped down hard on his arm. With it being mechanical, he likely still wouldn’t drop the revolver otherwise. Panting heavily, Sogorong looked up at me with his glowing red eyes. “Huff, huff!” A chilling sensation rose within me. I jerked my head left without thinking, just in time. A red beam surged from his eye and missed me by inches. So he had a trump card after all. Honestly, I had been caught off guard. The beam seemed like it had traveled almost as fast as light, so if I had hesitated for even a moment, it would have pierced straight through my skull. “Y-you bastard! How the hell did you dodge that?!” I ignored his sputtering and stared into his red eyes. What kind of fucking mechanism are they? Even though his eyes had just fired a laser, they didn’t appear extraordinary from the outside. They looked almost too ordinary, in fact. Still, he was called Red-Eyed Sogorong for a reason. Hmm. I can’t just leave him . I couldn’t exactly gouge out his eye either, though. Thankfully, an idea popped into my head. Time to use Master of Shadows. I would pin him down, help Tunyak, and then question him. Still burning from the adrenaline that came with my near-death experience, I drove my foot hard into his face, then activated Master of Shadows. Letting momentum and gravity carry my foot, I slammed his head into the ground and anchored it there. 1. Famous line from the movie ‘John Wick.’ ☜