Nightmare Forest (5)

Quentin.

That was the hybrid’s name.

It was displayed through the status window, and since he was a guy from the original work, Kang-hoo already knew the name.

Quentin had good footwork.

He was similar in type to Lee, a boss monster Kang-hoo had fought in a dungeon before.

Since his magic resistance had risen greatly after becoming a hybrid, magic-type skills didn’t work well against Quentin.

For example, the mana bullets Ayane would fire from the rear. They were weak against Quentin.

Bang!

Ayane’s muzzle was already spitting fire.

Because this place wasn’t just Quentin alone either—acetic-acid bats were appearing one by one around them.

Since the acetic-acid bats’ target was the closest person to them, it had to be Kang-hoo.

Shaaa. Shaaa.

Park Dong-jae’s buffs kept coming in with a time lag.

He didn’t bother turning around, but it was certain he had taken a position closer.

He had attached Mumyeong just in case, but it was true that Park Dong-jae’s position wasn’t safe.

But he decided not to worry about that. He couldn’t protect a buffer every time like a greenhouse flower.

This was something Park Dong-jae also understood after talking a lot with Kang-hoo, and he must have come forward because he was confident he could look after himself.

‘Quentin didn’t use Black Cross Fire Lotus from the start. He definitely used it after a probing fight, so the early phase is a chance instead.’

The plan was organized to some degree. It was a matter of whose battle of wits would be above.

He had come to Western Australia, a place he hadn’t even been sure he could reach, and had finally made it deep into Nightmare Forest.

When he first recognized this place existed, he had no connections and no way to come, so it felt hopeless.

But he had made a good link called the Rikou Guild and came this far. Even now, his connections were expanding.

So naturally, he also grew greedy about other “spots.”

For example, places like the pyramid dungeon zone in Egypt, or the dungeon zone of the Sahara Desert.

In particular, the Tibetan Grand Temple spot was famous for the dungeon connected to its entrance being beyond imagination in size.

According to what had been revealed, it was said to be so large that even all of South Korea’s landmass could fit inside without filling it.

It was a place that didn’t accept outsiders easily because it was so closed off, but if the opportunity came, he really wanted to go.

Of course, that was something to think about after dealing with the Quentin in front of him.

Kang-hoo’s first strategy was the same pattern he had used against Bimok earlier. If it succeeded, it was the most effective.

“Phew.”

A short deep breath.

And just like the tactic he had used on Bimok, he opened the battle’s curtain by aiming at Quentin.

The start of the hidden-skill plunder battle.

One minute later.

“Tsk.”

Kang-hoo clicked his tongue.

Because the gambit didn’t work. When Quentin sensed some strange energy swirling around his body, he retreated backward.

As a result, from Kang-hoo’s perspective, only Hostile Trade and A Saint’s Wish had been wasted meaninglessly.

He hadn’t been optimistic about success, but Quentin dodging so nimbly still drained him a little.

For now, he used Unfair Trade to create a protective orb that would block one physical attack and one magical attack.

What was scary about Quentin was that he could suddenly dive in and deliver a foot attack with tremendous destructive power.

Each strike was strong enough to smash the ground and tear space, so insurance for that was essential.

‘Jang Si-hwan rolled around like a dog from start to finish to subdue Quentin…… but I’m different.’

As the original author, Kang-hoo already knew the countless hardships and mistakes the protagonist of the original work had gone through.

So he could guess how Quentin would come at him.

However, there was no reason to give off a scent like he could predict everything in advance.

Kang-hoo was waiting until Quentin showed the movement Quentin wanted.

The first exchange was extremely important.

If possible, he even envisioned a picture where it ended there.

Because if several of his attacks were seen through, Quentin might become more passive.

Then Kang-hoo and the party wouldn’t be able to stay free from the influence of the acetic-acid bats that would keep gathering.

Later, there was also a big worry that variables could appear. Quentin could even devise tactics using the acetic-acid bats.

“……”

As Kang-hoo stood at a stable distance in a posture ready to switch offense and defense at any time—

“Hng.”

With a snort that could have been a sneer or a breath, Quentin closed the distance.

A probing pattern.

A light jab Quentin threw to gauge the opponent’s skill when facing a first-time outsider.

He lifted his usual dominant foot—his right foot—about halfway, measuring the distance as if he would strike Kang-hoo, as if he wouldn’t.

When Kang-hoo slightly raised his center of gravity—

Whak!

Quentin powerfully shoved the ground backward with his left foot, then extended his right foot straight toward Kang-hoo.

In an instant, the entire right foot turned red.

Body reinforcement.

But judging by the degree of redness, it wasn’t full power.

In the next moment—

Kang-hoo sharply ramped up his body movement—

—and immediately used the Hatred ability of the Grudge Gloves. It was an option that could keep increasing grip strength as long as the gloves held.

At the same time, he tightly grabbed Quentin’s right foot as it came at him. More precisely, the ankle.

“Ghk……?”

Up to the moment he extended his leg, Quentin’s face had been as calm and expressionless as Kang-hoo’s.

Then it changed completely.

A reaction that couldn’t come out unless he was genuinely flustered. An emotion he couldn’t hide surfaced plainly on his face.

Kwaaaak!

When Kang-hoo poured a large amount of mana into the gloves, the gloves gripping Quentin’s ankle bulged.

Quentin tried to pull his center of gravity back and break free with his ankle seized in Kang-hoo’s hand—

but even a small movement was impossible.

As if his leg had been caught in a compression press, the entire leg was fixed in place.

Certain there was no immediate escape method Quentin could think of, Kang-hoo pulled the leg.

Hwaek!

Quentin’s body rapidly drew closer.

As always, together with the Weirdo constellation’s effect that tripled mana consumption and doubled expected damage—

—Great Decapitation, excellent for delivering the biggest close-range impact immediately, drove straight into Quentin’s side.

Puuuk!

“Ughk!”

Quentin’s face, flushing red in an instant, swelled as if it would burst. A reaction born of pain.

Kang-hoo understood that pain well. It had been a long time since he felt his dagger truly sink in.

That unique, unobstructed feeling you could sense when the blade properly tore muscle and pushed deep inside.

The case that gave you a strange thrill that the hit had truly landed was exactly now.

The chain didn’t end there.

Holding the dagger, he linked Flame of Annihilation so the fire seeped along the wound and burned it.

“Kraaaagh!”

Quentin’s composure—he had looked taciturn, and in a way as if he was posing—vanished.

Quentin screamed at the pain of blazing fire that forced its way into the wound and burned the inside entirely.

The only solution Quentin had to break this situation was to regain freedom of his right foot, which was bound to Kang-hoo.

So he exerted himself with everything he had to pull the foot out, but Kang-hoo responded by feeding in more mana and raising his grip strength.

That made the one being held far more disadvantaged.

Since he was caught by the very end of the foot, force didn’t transmit properly either.

Instead—

Swaak!

“Gghhhh!”

Because he tried to yank the foot out forcibly while his ankle was seized, a ripping sound came from the thigh area where he had strained himself and tore a muscle.

‘Since I tightened it, I’ll loosen it.’

Kang-hoo gave a fleeting, intentional gap from the start.

For a very brief moment, he loosened the gloves’ grip.

If Quentin had good skill and sense, he would notice the change, and Kang-hoo was sure he would see a chance for a counterattack.

Hwaek!

Quentin’s foot slipped free.

In a normal case, he would pull it out, disengage from danger, and look for a timing to catch his breath—

but he had a strong gambler’s temperament that tried to turn crisis into opportunity. Meaning—

Hwaek!

He came back in.

This time, it was far more enhanced than the earlier kick. He had maxed out body reinforcement.

As Kang-hoo used Master of Manipulation and immediately copied Quentin’s body reinforcement skill as a one-time use— before Quentin’s foot could land, he played a counter that would completely flip the situation in a totally different direction.

It wasn’t some half-baked frontal dodge or physical technique.

It was another counteroffensive that calculated Quentin’s counterattack.

Ppupupung!

A blood explosion.

When Blood Flower triggered from the side area, Quentin’s balance collapsed completely as he was caught in the shock.

The direction of the extended foot was lost, and it slammed into the ground in an unrelated direction instead of Kang-hoo.

And as his body pitched forward to the right from the Blood Flower that erupted on the left side, his upper body’s left side was exposed without defense.

A perfect opening.

Kang-hoo wouldn’t miss it.

Then Kang-hoo maximized the power of the dagger arm with the body reinforcement skill—

—and loaded even Leap’s propulsion into his body, then, just like before, linked Weirdo and Great Decapitation and drove it into the collarbone.

“……!”

This time, Quentin seemed to be gritting his teeth through it, glaring at Kang-hoo.

In the next moment—

as if he had already abandoned any regret about the deep wounds in his collarbone and side and the blood pouring down—

Skaaaah!

Quentin spun his entire body at high speed in place.

It was a skill named Screw, a technique that rotated the whole body like a top.

Especially at the peak of rotation, the damage skyrocketed to an absurd degree, so if you got hit wrong, you could die.

At the peak, the expected damage formula shot up to more than ten times the usual. It was essentially a one-hit kill.

Since it was a predicted counter, it wasn’t hard to calculate avoiding it.

But if he retreated here, it would be too easy of a dodge. It would also give Quentin a chance to regroup.

So—

He threw a counter-fire.

Kang-hoo stayed right where he was, but Quentin’s attack meaninglessly sliced the air.

It only scattered a few strands of black smoke, and failed to inflict even a scratch on Kang-hoo.

In that instant—

Quentin, still spinning midair with the rotation not yet ended, realized something had gone horribly wrong.

Even though Kang-hoo’s “outline” was clearly in the position he saw out of the corner of his eye, his attack wasn’t landing.

While using Screw, he couldn’t change position or redirect his direction.

What that meant was something the user who had used the skill like breathing knew better than anyone.

After releasing Eumhwa and taking a position outside Quentin’s attack range, Kang-hoo—

“About time.”

—casually flicked his dagger, waiting for Quentin’s rotation to slow and decelerate.

A rat trapped in a jar.

Quentin instinctively sensed his future.

And that soon—

—concluded with a message being broadcast at once to every hunter who possessed hidden skills.

It was the moment a sixth hidden skill was added to Kang-hoo.

In addition, he hit Top 3 in hidden-skill holdings.

He had become an unseen named figure.