Chapter 96
Chapter 96. Department Store (4)
Barbarians are considered the top priority threat among the invaders entering Earth.
Excluding those forcibly captured, the number that settled on Earth is barely five, leaving no room for negotiations at all.
A warrior-like race that has brawled with siblings since they learned to walk on two legs.
Interestingly, they do not target ordinary humans or much weaker opponents first; they specifically aim for heroes who possess strength.
Tatatatatat—!
Min Yu-ri, Chilla, and Kim Si-hu quickly joined Yoo Ji-han’s side.
Armed, they remained vigilant against the barbarian ahead.
“Bro, that’s not—!”
“An invader.”
“Everyone, be careful!”
For the first time encountering an invader, Kim Si-hu and Min Yu-ri tensed up.
The overall statistics show that the survival rate for heroes who fought invaders is about 70%.
It sounds quite high, but it meant that three out of ten would die, indicating the many brutal battles encountered.
“What’s going on?”
“Newcomers?”
Thump! Thump!
Two male barbarians from above the movie theater jumped down behind the barbarian confronting Yoo Ji-han.
Surprisingly, each of them was holding a person.
One person with a completely shattered jaw and face.
One with grotesquely bent leg joints.
‘They’re all dead.’
Yoo Ji-han’s eyes turned cold at the sight of the corpses.
The captured individuals looked like heroes.
But among them, there wasn’t a single survivor.
“That jerk interrupted my fight.”
“What?”
“He’s a real piece of work!”
To dare interrupt a holy battle!
Upon hearing the female barbarian’s words, the other barbarians wore angry expressions.
‘Stay calm.’
Yoo Ji-han slightly lowered his upper body as he kept an eye on the three barbarians.
The rough momentum of the barbarians, ready to charge at any moment, was felt against his skin.
‘I can do this.’
How long had it been since they fought as a party against invaders?
But it wasn’t much different from fighting monsters.
Win to survive.
That was all there was.
“You will regret getting in our way!”
“We kill the bad guys!”
The barbarians dropped the corpses they had been holding.
Then they pulled out their crude axes from their belts.
“Braaahh—!!”
One barbarian wielding an axe shouted loudly as he charged at Yoo Ji-han.
Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!
A straightforward charge lacking any particular technique or skill.
Yet, the rippling muscles and the sound of footsteps thundering on the movie theater stage were enough of a threat to Yoo Ji-han’s party.
“Thud!”
Chilla confidently stepped forward to block the attack.
The shield he raised clashed with the swinging axe.
Kwaaaang—!
“What the…?!”
An incredible impact that resonated off the shield!
Chilla was thrown off balance by the colossal shock, slipping back.
He had managed to fend off the attacks from the giant monsters on the rooftop, but nothing compared to this.
He worried if the shield would crumple under such power.
“How dare you, rat, block me!”
The fact that Chilla had blocked him seemed to scratch the barbarian’s pride.
Crash! Crash! Crash!
Like he wouldn’t be defeated by something as trivial as a shield, the barbarian continued to swing his axe toward it.
Pure, unrefined brute force.
But thanks to that, the other heroes had a chance to breathe.
[Arrow Rain]
Min Yu-ri unleashed a flurry of magic arrows aimed upward.
The arrows quickly gathered like clouds and soon began to rain down on the opposing barbarians like a storm.
Tudududududuk!
Tudududududuk!
Arrows fell without leaving any openings.
The barbarians seemed largely unfazed by them.
“Pathetic!”
“Is this all you’ve got!”
The magic arrows definitely hit the barbarians.
However, they didn’t penetrate their skins, leaving only marks as if lightly scratched by a fingernail before falling to the ground.
A muscle-bound physique with magic resistance strong enough to bounce off any average spell.
Min Yu-ri, seeing the rumors she had only heard confirmed before her eyes, gritted her teeth.
“If that’s all you’ve got, I’m disappointed!”
The female barbarian glared at Yoo Ji-han.
In a battle, the primary targets should be the ranged dealers in the back.
Yet, she wanted to deal with Yoo Ji-han, who had interrupted her fight, first.
“You better not think you’ll die peacefully.”
“Sorry, but I’m not dying here.”
“I’ve torn apart mouthy players like you!”
I’ll cut that mouth of yours wide open with my axe!
Determined, the barbarian charged at Yoo Ji-han.
The barbarian next to her also leaped forward at the same time.
‘Their movements are simple.’
The barbarian’s actions were straightforward enough for Yoo Ji-han to take in fully.
Yet, the strength known as a blessed physique could not be overlooked.
He eyed the female barbarian while using his Sampling skill.
<—Probability of dodging that barbarian’s attack>
<67%>
<—Probability of deflecting that barbarian’s attack>
<76%>
Choosing to dodge or deflect with his sword held firmly stable.
Yoo Ji-han summoned the sylph while watching the barbarians.
Ding!
[Haste]
[Energize]
[Iron Skin]
…
…
With the help of the spirit and Kim Si-hu, Yoo Ji-han donned all possible buffs and prepared to act.
“Braaahh!!”
The first to attack was the female barbarian.
An enormous downward swing of her axe.
Yoo Ji-han measured the distance and waited for the dropped attack.
And just as the blade fell,
He twisted his waist to evade the axe.
Whoosh!
“You little!”
The terrifying sound of the rough axe slicing through the air followed.
The other barbarian nearby aimed his axe at him as well.
It wasn’t a vertical strike, but a diagonal swing.
‘I see it.’
The slightest rotation of the barbarian’s shoulder.
The raised elbow and the angle of the bent arm.
He even observed how the opponent gripped the axe handle.
Yoo Ji-han calculated the trajectory of the axe while checking all possible factors.
He tilted his sword at an angle, slightly raising it.
Clang!
The sharp axe collided with Yoo Ji-han’s sword.
Kigiigiig—!
The barbarian’s axe brushed across the inclined blade and moved downwards.
The sound of metal meeting metal echoed around.
It was a successful deflection.
‘Ugh, such strength…!’
It wasn’t a clash of weapons head-on.
It was an intentionally crafted collision made to deflect the attack.
Yet, the tremendous force still reached Yoo Ji-han’s grip through the sword.
Truly, brutish strength!
While continuing the cycle of attack and defense, Yoo Ji-han gripped the hilt tighter to not let go of his sword.
[Stone Hammer]
While Min Yu-ri attacked the barbarian Chilla was dealing with,
Kim Si-hu, gathering all his magic, summoned two gigantic stone hammers over the enemies confronting Yoo Ji-han.
In terms of raw power, it ranked among the strongest spells he could wield.
Lifting his staff high, the hammers swung back with considerable force.
“Urah!”
As his staff swung down, the stone hammers smashed down on the two barbarians.
Kwaaang! Kwaaang—!
The stone hammers shattered after two precise hits.
The barbarians, who had desperately tried to protect their heads with their thick arms, faltered significantly.
“That mage! More dangerous than I thought!”
“Gaaahh! I’ll kill him!”
It was only after being hit by the magic that the barbarians realized the danger they were in.
Changing their targets, they glared fiercely at Kim Si-hu.
Receiving all those glares, Kim Si-hu was taken aback.
“Who are you going to kill?”
Yoo Ji-han didn’t miss their opening.
Shwick!
In an instant, the black sword adorned with green aura swiftly severed the arm wielding the axe of the female barbarian.
“Ahh!”
“Diana!”
Thud!
The arm severed from below the shoulder fell onto the stage.
The barbarian, now missing an arm, gasped and knelt down.
Her comrade, wanting to rush to aid her, was blocked by Yoo Ji-han.
“You little! You little! You!”
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
The enraged barbarian swung her axe wildly.
But there was no way her frantic attacks could reach Yoo Ji-han.
The pressure generated only swayed Yoo Ji-han’s hair.
[Stone Hammer]
Once again, Kim Si-hu completed the magic that appeared in the air.
Holding his staff as if actually wielding the hammer with both hands, he swung down with all his might.
Thump! Crack!
The sound of flesh and blood exploding from the barbarian’s body echoed.
The barbarian, who had been pummeled by the hammer, finally fell to the floor.
‘My intention was to smash the body…’
As the desired result didn’t materialize, Kim Si-hu gulped down his disappointment.
The barbarian’s physique was far sturdier than he had anticipated.
“Thud thud!”
Chilla, meanwhile, was riddled with arrow holes while facing off against the barbarian.
All of it was the result of Min Yu-ri’s work.
If the arrows couldn’t pierce flesh, she would simply compress her magic and create a sharper arrowhead!
‘We can win.’
The party was gradually gaining the upper hand.
Yoo Ji-han swung his sword toward the still-standing barbarian.
The opponent frantically attempted to block the sword with his axe.
Sha!
Just before their weapons clashed, the green aura reappeared around Yoo Ji-han’s sword.
For that brief moment, the aura was sufficient to cut through both the axe and the barbarian’s tough physique with ease.
“Gaaaah!”
The barbarian screamed in pain.
Yoo Ji-han glanced at the sylph, confirming she was still in good condition.
The power consumed by the aura was quite large so it needed continuous monitoring.
Pook!
Finally, Yoo Ji-han’s sword pierced through the barbarian’s neck.
He lay back, staring at the ceiling of the movie theater, and breathed his last.
Now, with even the barbarian that Min Yu-ri had been dealing with down,
Only Yoo Ji-han’s party and the freed heroes remained standing.
The male hero, now regained his senses, was tenderly rubbing his neck.
Min Yu-ri approached him and asked,
“Are you okay?”
“Ah, y-yes! Thank you for saving me!”
He expressed deep gratitude.
The deceased individuals from earlier were his party members.
“Y-you guys are Rank 3? Or Rank 2?”
“Rank 4 actually.”
“No way….”
He could hardly believe that Yoo Ji-han’s party were heroes of the same rank as himself.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Meanwhile, Yoo Ji-han repeatedly stabbed his sword into the hearts of the barbarians lying on the floor, ensuring they were dead.
Only when the movie theater stage was completely soaked in blood was he able to relax.
“When did the barbarians start appearing here?”
“They attacked us while we were hunting for the Anamore flower. I’m not sure exactly when they showed up….”
The surviving man was unaware of the exact path the barbarians had taken to appear.
Though the fight concluded, they were still trapped in this building.
“I don’t think this place is safe.”
Kim Si-hu, who was detecting magic in the surroundings, shook his head, stating that he didn’t sense the presence of magic stones similar to the rooftop.
Just as Yoo Ji-han’s party was about to relocate in search of the magic stones, a booming roar echoed from the exit of the movie theater.
“Braaahh—!!”
Everyone turned their heads immediately towards the sound.
‘Were there more of them!’
New barbarians were glaring at them.
“Our friends are dead!”
“This can’t be!”
“What the hell is going on!!”
Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!
Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!
The barbarians all jumped onto the stage as a group.
And this time, a whopping eight of them descended.
“Diana! Tayan! Hulino!”
“Oooooo—!”
They roared the names of their dead comrades.
Under that pressure, Yoo Ji-han had no choice but to step back slightly.
“Those must be the ones!”
“They killed Diana!”
“They killed Tayan too!”
“They killed Hulino!”
“I won’t forget your deaths!”
All the fury of the barbarian tribe directed at Yoo Ji-han’s party.
