Chapter 98
Chapter 98: Movie Theater
The moment Kim Si-hu pointed his cane at Yoo Ji-han and collapsed with a nosebleed.
An invisible, formless energy enveloped Yoo Ji-han’s body.
‘……?’
Yoo Ji-han felt an incredibly strange sensation.
There was no other way to express it.
All the people in the movie theater and the total of 367 seats.
The pieces of caramel popcorn that had fallen under the first seat in row D and the thin duck down presumed to have come from a spectator’s clothing…
Things he hadn’t been able to see properly due to the lack of light were all coming into his view.
All the elements he was seeing but hadn’t fully registered were entering his scope of perception.
‘It doesn’t hurt.’
The pain in his abdomen had completely vanished.
The physical stamina he had expended while moving about seemed to have fully recovered.
No, it felt like his condition was much better than usual.
This explosive power swirling throughout his whole body!
He really felt like he could accomplish anything.
‘What’s going on?’
The fierce-looking barbarians were somehow moving very slowly.
Though their upper bodies leaned far forward, it looked like they were in a posture to run with all their might.
Yet their movements were sluggish, as if playing a video in slow motion.
Min Yu-ri and Chilla, among others, were the same.
Everyone’s actions appeared much slower than usual.
Fwooosh—!
Meanwhile, the Sylph in his arms was emitting a bright light.
‘…….’
Yoo Ji-han took about 3 seconds in perceived time to collect his thoughts.
Then he reached a conclusion.
‘My mind has accelerated.’
Acceleration of thought.
While others spent 1 second, he felt like he was experiencing 10, 20 seconds of time.
He was stretching the time generously given to all beings solely for himself.
‘Oh, my goodness.’
What a selfish ability this was.
How on earth could this be possible?
He didn’t know the exact reason.
He could only assume that Kim Si-hu had cast some kind of spell before collapsing.
‘If this is the case, I can do it.’
As the distance closed between him and a Chilla holding a shield against the barbarian.
In the slowed-down time, Yoo Ji-han slowly moved his legs.
His movement was just a bit slower than usual.
However, it was much faster than the others.
Tatatatat—
In an instant, he arrived in front of Chilla.
Sliding to a stop, Yoo Ji-han swung his sword toward the barbarian’s neck.
Swish!
The sharp blade sliced the skin of the neck and plunged inside.
Gently cutting through the cartilage and muscle, he reached the solid neck bone.
Crunch!
The blade cleanly severed the white neck bone as it continued to advance.
As he swung his sword and it came out the other side.
The head of the running barbarian completely separated from its body and fell.
That barbarian gazed fiercely at Kim Si-hu until its very last moment of life.
Yoo Ji-han hadn’t even registered that he had approached.
“……!”
“What the!”
Only after one had died did the remaining barbarians recognize Yoo Ji-han.
But even then, nothing changed.
<—The probability that I will win against those barbarians>
<98%>
Their defeat was already assured.
*
The barbarians of the Elutara world are made up of over 40 different tribes, unified into a tribal federation.
Among them, Tarong was a barbarian from the Bultara tribe.
As a baby, he was the loudest among the other babies born at the same time, crying with a powerful wail, and after he learned to walk, his competitive spirit was so intense that he would push other babies over with his hands.
Having been a leader since childhood, he had come to be seen as a promising candidate for the next tribal chief.
Living his life as a constant winner.
But those thoughts shattered when he encountered barbarians from another tribe.
——Pathetic.
The first loss he ever experienced in his life.
After that, Tarong’s life changed drastically.
‘I am a loser.’
He discarded the thought of himself as a winner and focused solely on pursuing strength through training.
Then one day.
“The passage has opened?”
A passage connecting to another world had opened in the territory of another tribe.
According to legend, it served as a test.
For barbarians, there exists a chief representative of all tribes, and the previous generation’s chief had entered the passage, annihilated enemies, and successfully returned to Elutara.
“I will go too!”
As the barbarians were chosen to enter the passage.
Tarong joined the assault squad as the Bultara tribe’s representative.
He thought that if he could return to Elutara after completing all the trials, he could once more walk the path of a victor.
But Tarong’s thoughts shattered less than a day after entering the passage.
‘What in the world is that!’
The most reliable chief barbarian in the assault squad was killed by a giant hand summoned by a magician.
And Tarong watched.
‘……!’
A giant’s hand stretched into a hole in the ceiling.
Perhaps it was akin to the passage he had come through.
Something far larger than a hand that could squeeze his brothers like a rag…
“Ah, ah, ah…!”
It was terrifying.
So terrifying that the bravery of the barbarians dissipated!
How could such a thing exist in the world?
Tarong’s whole body trembled like a leaf in the wind.
‘I must kill it!’
After the giant’s hand disappeared, Tarong struggled to suppress his fear and tried to kill the magician.
This too must be part of a challenging trial.
I will overcome this trial and stand at the top!
He made that vow.
“Ugh!”
But then, a lone human warrior began to rampage.
Just a moment ago, he had been desperately avoiding attacks.
Now every time he swung his sword, the heads of his brothers rolled off.
What he showed was different from the magic the magician displayed.
The human wielding a sword simply demonstrated overwhelming physical ability.
‘I can’t believe it…’
Tarong, at the back of the group, watched his battle with awe instead of fear.
It felt like catching a glimpse of the legendary fragments he had once dreamed of.
Even though he was the enemy, he felt a sense of respect.
“Ugh!”
The barbarian in front of Tarong halted his movements.
His body, which had been tilting sideways, soon fell completely.
All the other brothers were dead.
The only living barbarian left was Tarong.
‘Is this the end?’
The moment Yoo Ji-han’s sword, surrounded by a green aura, pointed at Tarong.
Tarong also sensed his impending death.
*
Slash!
The solid muscle chest was sliced open horizontally.
The lone remaining barbarian kneeled and fell forward.
He looked as if he had resigned to death even before being attacked.
Whoosh!
Having dealt with all his enemies, Yoo Ji-han swung his sword in the air to shake off the blood clinging to it.
It was a scene that seemed almost leisurely.
With a vigilant posture, Min Yu-ri, who had been watching, had her mouth agape.
The male hero standing next to her was likewise astonished.
‘What, what did I just see…?’
The barbarians who had looked so strong were taken down effortlessly one after another.
Their physical bodies couldn’t evade Yoo Ji-han’s sword, which even lightly deflected magical skills.
His movements were so swift they were almost impossible to comprehend!
He had thought he would contribute to this fight in some way.
Now, that thought seemed laughable.
“Is everyone okay?”
“Ah, yes, yes.”
“What about Ji-han?”
“I’m fine.”
Retrieving his sword, Yoo Ji-han returned to his party members.
He was rubbing his stomach with one hand.
The power that had enveloped his body had disappeared, and the stomach pain had returned.
The duration of the magic that had subjugated him had ended.
“You did well.”
“Squish.”
Yoo Ji-han lightly patted Chilla on the shoulder, who was holding the slightly dented shield.
He had excellently protected his party members as a tanker.
“Hmm…”
Min Yu-ri looked at Yoo Ji-han with a complex expression.
What he had just shown was a power that far surpassed the abilities of the Yoo Ji-han she remembered.
It was definitely not something a Rank 4 party warrior could display.
“Um, Ji-han. What was that just now?”
“I don’t really know either.”
“…….”
“But…”
Yoo Ji-han looked down at Kim Si-hu, who was collapsed on the ground.
Kim Si-hu’s face was covered in blood near his philtrum.
He thankfully looked like he was just asleep, breathing softly.
Wiping the blood from Kim Si-hu’s nose with his hand, he said.
“It seems Si-hu cast some kind of spell.”
Min Yu-ri nodded quietly.
It had all transpired so quickly.
Thanks to the strange magic Kim Si-hu had used before collapsing, the Yoo Ji-han party was able to defeat the barbarians.
“It’s not over yet. We’ll listen to the details later when he wakes up, but for now, let’s go find the magic stones.”
“Got it.”
“You over there, you must help us too.”
“Yes! Just give me any orders!”
The male hero, who had miraculously survived, responded energetically.
And so, the search for the magic stones resumed.
“Squish squish!”
“Right!”
“Well, this little one is quite clever!”
Today, Chilla, feeling particularly sharp, quickly located the magic stones used in the barrier on the 7th floor while collaborating with the mages who survived the department store.
Although barriers were also set up on the lower floors, things proceeded smoothly thereafter.
The heroes trapped on other floors, who were searching for magic stones, contributed as well.
The mages, who had grasped the unique magical patterns of the broken magic stones, set out for comprehensive detection.
It didn’t take long for them to reach the 1st floor while moving with various parties they encountered along the way.
*
For the busy hero Jin Seok-woo, Sunday was his only day of rest.
Whether it was hero activities or broadcasting as a celebrity.
No matter how busy he was, he always finished all his work by noon on Sundays to relax in the afternoon.
“Whew!”
An expensive beam projector displayed the screen on the wide white wall.
Laughter erupted from Jin Seok-woo as he watched the delayed drama through it.
Crunch! Crunch!
Enjoying the drama while munching on salty snacks on the sofa.
Even the whiskey placed on the table!
It was a fantastic combination for enjoying a holiday.
“Ah, my stomach is going to burst.”
Once an episode ended, Jin Seok-woo pressed the remote.
Should I watch the next episode or perhaps a different movie?
He was lost in a delightful dilemma.
Ding!
A new notification arrived on his mobile phone.
It was a message saying a new email had arrived.
“Is it a feedback video?”
The email alert was set to chime only for important emails.
Jin Seok-woo briefly put down the remote and picked up his phone.
[Submitting feedback video for Yoo Ji-han party.]
[Sender: Yoo Ji-han]
“Correct.”
The arrived email contained a video from the Yoo Ji-han party that would be used for the next training session.
From the very first lesson, they had submitted quite an unusual feedback.
Jin Seok-woo felt a peculiar sense of anticipation for them.
“Hmm?”
The email contained a short message along with the attached video.
As Jin Seok-woo downloaded the video, he read the message.
“Encountered a Maple Goemi and a Giant Goemi?”
The Yoo Ji-han party, who had encountered a Maple Goemi and a Giant Goemi on the rooftop while hunting for the An-Gye flower in the department store.
What was written in the email surprised Jin Seok-woo quite a bit.
It indicated that the Rank 4 Yoo Ji-han party had hunted Rank 3 monsters.
“Surely, the anomalies are increasing…”
But he found it hard to believe.
No matter how narrow the discrepancies were between Rank 4 and Rank 3 compared to those between Rank 3 and Rank 2, the party’s ranking wasn’t just a number game.
Moreover, both the grown Maple Goemi and Giant Goemi among the Rank 3 monsters were categorized as quite challenging foes.
‘I’ll know once I watch the video.’
However, that wasn’t the end of the email’s content.
The last paragraph carried shocking news.
[……We fought against barbarians that invaded the department store. Their corpses are included in the video, so please be cautious while watching.]
“What? They encountered intruders in the MA?!”
Jin Seok-woo leaped up from the sofa in surprise.
Barbarians—they were a perverse race that would either attack him or target heroes with magical powers!
They were not something an ordinary Rank 4 hero could handle.
“Quickly, faster…!”
Jin Seok-woo fixed his gaze on his mobile phone until the video was completely downloaded.
And when the download finished.
The screen of the mobile phone linked to the beam projector was displayed on the wall.
The video began in front of the department store building.
After entering the department store and hunting for the An-Gye flower for a while, the Yoo Ji-han party was shown in the video.
As they climbed one floor after another, they eventually reached the rooftop.
“…….”
Jin Seok-woo, watching without blinking, found that his house had transformed into a private movie theater.
