Ep. 9 — Chapter 38: Youngest Prodigy (3)

"I'm not sure where you got the balls kid, but get out of here. We don't want to kill any young people with a future ahead of them." Ali warned the boy, gripping onto the [Greatsword] to threaten the boy to back off.

Leon didn't support his harsh tone against the kid, but the only thing he could do now was to just agree with Ali's words. If the kid continued to stay any longer, it would just harm all of them equally. Worst case scenario, he would die and the two of them would be left to live with a lifetime of regret; a young boy's life would be in their hands.

However, seeing the young boy's proud look only made them all the more desperate. There was nothing more stubborn than a teenager that is too full of themselves.

Leon sighed and walked forward, trying to reach out to the boy.

"Listen, it's really unsafe here. Why don't you just hide and let the others from your group deal with activating the monoliths. It's really unsafe for someone like you to be around, facing off against people. Alone, of all things. We don't want to hurt you, but who knows if other people in this forest have the same intentions we do."

The only thing he got in reply was a mocking laughter from the boy. That caused Leon to turn over to Ali. The latter shrugged and they continued to face the boy.

Eventually, his laughter stopped and he turned to them, still bracing his stomach.

Indeed, when a world has gone to shit, younger people would be affected most. Especially when their minds are fresh, their delusions would lead them in the new world.

Ali sighed and walked forward, reaching out to touch the boy. Suddenly, right before his fingers could grab him, he felt something striking his hand and immediately both men fell back. Leon had already wrapped his fingers around the hilt of the [Treasure of Ancient King], facing the boy.

Sudden chills ran down the backs of both individuals. The aura coming from the boy was powerful, and he pointed the end of his staff at Ali.

"Don't touch me again, or you'll regret it."

Ali grinned and chuckled to himself, immediately drawing his [Greatsword] and rushed forward. "You've got some balls, kid!"

"Ali, wait!"

Leon was already too late by then. Ali was already approaching the boy with his [Greatsword], ready to strike the latter at any moment. This caused Leon to spring to action as well, moving in to stop Ali from slaughtering the boy.

Surprisingly, the boy moved in as well and leapt forward. The three people met in a three-way clash, with Leon trying his best to stop Ali's attack.

The [Greatsword] and the [Treasure of Ancient King] collided, scraping against each other's surface. Sparks flew in all directions and Leon planted his feet down, glaring angrily at Ali.

"What are you doing?! He's just a kid!!"

"Gah, what do you take me for?! I won't kill him, damn!"

"Then?!"

Instead of a reply, Ali lifted his giant blade and manoeuvred around Leon, tapping his shoulder. The man jumped forward and reached out to strike the kid.

However, that all came to an abrupt halt when the end of the staff struck Ali's neck at a quick speed, sending the man flying towards another direction. Leon stepped back in bafflement, slowly reconsidering his fight against the kid.

He raised both hands and tried to talk things over with the kid. "Wait, wait. Listen, we weren't going to hurt you."

"That man tried to kill me. Do you take me for an idiot or something? Or are you really just stupid, old man?"

"…No, wait, listen. I…"

"Shut up, stop talking to me!" The kid yelled and jumped ahead. He swung his staff quickly and Leon hastily moved his blade to push the staff back, deflecting the swift attack.

Chiiiikkk!!

The impact was great. Leon doubted that such force came from a mere boy. His legs skidded across the floors of the forest, dirt was slowly making its way into his shoes.

Before he got another chance to think, the kid flipped midair and struck Leon against the shoulder using his foot. He grabbed hold of his staff and jammed it into Leon's stomach, causing him to fall to his knees. Normally, an attack like that would barely be felt since his durability had past level 15.

But this amount of strength being displayed by the boy was a different case. It was an absurd possibility.

Ali had gotten back up, wiping the dirt off his butt and watched the spectacle. The big and muscular Leon was being held off by a young boy who was barely past the age of 15.

"You…what the hell are you…?!" Ali's voice was a bit tense, as he was still in pain from slamming his back against the tree. Such force exerted out of a body as small as that. Clearly, this person's level was way beyond his. It was at least by 10 whole levels.

"Never in my life would I have thought that I'd be put down by a brat…! Quit playing around,

Blondie…huh?"

It is an unexpected sight. Leon, who was at least thrice the size of the boy, was on the ground. The boy poked the former's head with his staff and laughed. "I thought you were stronger. Hey, you were holding back, weren't you? You think a kid can't fight you at full power?"

"Hmm? Oh, you're still up."

"What the fuck kind of monster are you, kid?"

The kid walked over to the monolith, picking it up with his hand and inspected the object. "I didn't think it'd be this small. I must have passed by a few by now. Tsk."

Ali watched as the boy activated the monolith. Then, a message flew in the sky and appeared before him.

[The second monolith has been activated!]

[Contributor: Player 'Amamiya Kenji'!]

The boy named Amamiya Kenji tossed the activated monolith on the ground and began walking over to Ali, who was still clinging onto his consciousness. He crouched down a Ali faced him with a rather bemused expression.

"Better luck next time. But I heard you two already qualified, so don't get too salty, okay?"

"Damned kid…urgh!"

Ali felt his consciousness fading as the boy struck his neck. His head dropped to the floor and the sounds of his footsteps were heard, slowly getting less and less loud.

Soon, Ali blacked out entirely.

.

.

.

The second round had begun a while back.

Like the previous round, I was 'hunted' this time as well. Although, I begin to wonder whether I'm doing the hunting or not.

Several bodies of the 'hunters' were laid ahead of me. They were all the ones I had taken down in a short span. They must be desperate for Points, possibly one of the ones that switched from being a 'hunted' to a 'hunter'. The Points they accumulated were now gone.

Well, it wasn't as if any other room actually managed for get any Points besides ours. So that shouldn't be a possibility.

It could very well be because of that actually. Because room #3 was already in the lead. They feared that other rooms would qualify in this round and they would have to accumulate Points in 30 minutes, after two rooms have qualified.

It would be a bloody and gruesome situation when that happens. 2 entire rooms would still be present, which should be around 50 Players in total. Added the 'hunters' that did not qualify, it would be an extremely desperate fight between the people. I was most definitely not ready to see that, much less experience it in person.

The next moment, several messages flew my way and I watched the Points being delivered to me.

[The second monolith has been activated by Player 'Amamiya Kenji'!]

[Room #3 is currently in the lead!]

[Your room currently possesses 650 Points!]

Just one more monolith and our room will qualify. Then, I can get off before the next round and won't have to deal with the bloodshed later on.

Somehow, I felt like the System would try to fuck me over or something. Things have been going far too smoothly for comfort. Especially after knowing I've been 'marked' by the System, it was unlikely that it'd let me pass this easily. Though, I would be glad if it really did.

I jumped past the group of dead 'hunters' on the ground. Especially with the 'Wind Cloak', it had boosted my Agility level and my body was a hundred times lighter. Gravity and its laws had a weaker effect on me as long as I wore the 'Wind Cloak'.

With the 'Wind Cloak' and its boosts, my Agility level should be well past 30. Which was why I could technically 'fly' over the bodies. Hopping from one side to the other side of the river didn't prove to be much of a problem either, as the combined effects of [Lightweight] and the 'Wind Cloak' allowed for that in only 5 steps.

Speaking of rivers…Han Jiwon should have qualified by now. That bastard went around killing his entire group and even those other guys after that. And it isn't unlikely that he'd murder a few more people after I threw him in the river.

I suppose I should ask their souls for forgiveness before they curse me later on. It was partly my fault that they became victims to begin with.

"There's one here."

The voice came from behind me. I was lost in thought, so I didn't realise that someone had approached me from behind. No, even if I was busy thinking, detecting approaching enemies shouldn't be hard especially with the [Vigilance] skill.

This person was pretty stealthy, indeed.

"Iris Falcone."

"Rayes Kim. We meet again. Though the situation is a bit different now. It is regretful, really."

"I feel honoured. To think that the great Iris Falcone of the ≪Purple Hyacinth≫ guild would worry for me like this." I replied, the dagger was in my hand in a position that would be easy to slash at her. After humiliating her as such, she was definitely back for revenge. Even more now that she is a 'hunter'. "Do you need something?"

Iris Falcone smirked and snapped her fingers. In that instant, her men surrounded me from all sides. Other than being skilled with ranged weapons, she was also formidable in hand-to-hand combat. I won't win if I fight her now, as these other bastards were here as well.

"But this is rather disappointing. I was hoping I would get to face you head-on. Just the two of us. These…'gorillas' seems to be a bit in the way."

"You dare?!"

Iris Falcone raised her arm and silenced the other guys. She eyed me with a slight smirk, her light coloured hair reflecting the moonlight. "You are certainly a unique one. But I don't involve myself with no-named players who, not only don't have a guild, but also unknown even by the Guild Tower."

"So, you're saying I'm not worthy of you, is that it?"

"It's what I'd like to say, yes. However, given the circumstances, consider yourself lucky. Because I, Iris Falcone, will give you what you want."

My lips stretched into a tiny smirk. So she was going to fight me alone? Although, I can't really trust her words. If things starts going to my favour, she would simply command these guys to jump in and kill me. Even so, it was better than having to face them all at once.

"And if I kill you instead?" I asked, sounding rather haughty.

Iris Falcone laughed out loud before facing me again with an intoxicating look. "You seem to be very sure that you can take me on. I'm starting to like you, Rayes Kim."

"Again, I am honoured." I said. Iris Falcone took out her weapons and loaded them with bullets.

"Circle around. Don't intervene no matter what. Do you understand?"

"Yes, ma'am."

[Your Skill, 'Vigilance' is…]

"Oh, and one last thing." I said, raising a finger. Iris Falcone turned to me and I grinned. "I won't be fighting you, actually."

"Huh? What are you…?"

"He is."

At my words, a weapon shot across my face and slammed against the face of one of the guards, knocking them out cold instantly. Iris Falcone jumped back and her other guys moved as well, looking for the intruder.

I reached down and picked up the object from the ground, "It seem that he actually has a bigger grudge against you than I do. So it's only right to let him handle you all."

The person appeared from the shadows and I tossed the staff at him.

"Isn't that right, Amamiya Kenji?"