Episode 5: The Other World’s Mission (3)
Crack. Crack.
*Was it too weak?*
Looking at the wild dog still clinging to life, Akan’s eyes grew cold. Despite striking it square in the head, he had failed to finish it in a single blow. Instead, Akan frowned at the throbbing pain in his wrist.
*No. My strike was accurate. It’s just that the wild dog’s hide is abnormally tough.*
Its skull was hard enough, but its leathery hide seemed to minimize the damage from impacts. Because of that, a blow that would have shattered its head under normal circumstances had only ended with drawing blood.
Grrrr.
The other wild dogs reacted sensitively to the sight of the dog dripping blood and whimpering pathetically. Gleaming red eyes converged on Akan.
“Ah, Akan hyung-nim. Thank you.”
Go Changhyeok’s voice came from behind. It was a voice mixed with awe, unlike how he normally ignored Akan.
“Forget it. Prepare for battle.”
“…Huh?”
“If you don’t want to die here, get ready to fight!”
Go Changhyeok’s eyes went wide at Akan’s changed demeanor. The Akan Go Changhyeok remembered wasn’t the type to snap at people. Especially not at him. Rather, he had been so docile that Go Changhyeok had tended to look down on him.
Though Go Changhyeok tried to question Akan’s sudden change, what greeted him was Akan’s bloodthirsty roar. Intimidated by the murderous momentum, Go Changhyeok found himself nodding unconsciously.
“A-alright.”
Go Changhyeok hurriedly picked up a wooden stick he had spotted earlier.
Akan withdrew his gaze from Go Changhyeok and spoke to the people from the chicken restaurant, who were still wandering in confusion.
“I understand that you must be confused. But if you keep drifting like that, everyone will die. All your questions can be answered after you survive this ordeal. For now, focus on survival.”
At Akan’s sharp rebuke, the people came to their senses. Though Akan’s transformation bewildered them, what mattered more was that he was taking charge.
Survival.
No one here wanted to die.
Fueled by the will to live, fierce resolve rose in the people’s eyes. They all grabbed whatever could serve as weapons nearby and faced the wild dogs with savage glares.
*Now they’ve finally come to their senses.*
Seeing the people showing fighting spirit, Akan withdrew his gaze and assessed the wild dogs.
He hadn’t saved Go Changhyeok out of human decency. From the moment the situation began, unlike the others here, Akan had been seeking a solution alone.
Akan was a being who had dimensionally shifted from the Macedonian Continent. Having experienced things that couldn’t be explained by conventional common sense, he could adapt quickly to new changes.
*My Strength is 11. If 10 is the average, then I’m slightly above average. No matter how much combat technique I possess, with this level of physical ability, even one wild dog is a struggle. Then, to survive this mission, I have no choice but to join forces with the people from the chicken restaurant.*
Saving Go Changhyeok had been a tactical judgment for survival. Go Changhyeok was, after all, the quickest to assess situations among the chicken restaurant people, and relatively outstanding in physical ability.
Go Changhyeok would be helpful in fighting the wild dogs. So when Akan saw a wild dog lunging at him, he had stepped in without hesitation.
Grabbing a stone from the ground, he smashed it into the wild dog’s head. The dull sensation traveling up his hand made him think he had killed the dog instantly, but the wild dog was stronger than expected.
Seeing the wild dog still alive despite being struck dead-on, Akan tightened his grip on the stone.
*These things only resemble dogs in appearance. They’re another lifeform from the Other World. The wild dogs’ physical abilities are on the level of low-grade monsters. My attacks are incapable of inflicting fatal wounds on their tough hides. What I need is timing. Gather my strength into one point and strike a vital spot by surprise.*
He moved his fingers, orienting the sharpest part of the stone forward.
*Attack magic is unusable.*
Using magic would certainly help against the wild dogs. But openly casting it was problematic with everyone watching. Right now they were carrying out a mission for survival, but according to the fairy, they would eventually return to the real world. Akan had no desire to be in a situation where he had to explain his use of magic afterward.
A peculiarity that set him apart from others would only breed intense alienation. Akan pushed aside the countless attack spells rising in his mind.
Instead, he found a compromise.
*But giving up magic—my only advantage—would be foolish. If it’s a blessing-type magic that doesn’t manifest externally, it will help in hand-to-hand combat.*
There was a problem, however. Blessing-type magic required at least the 2nd Circle. With the amount of mana Akan currently possessed, he could cast at most one spell.
Using magic inefficiently wasn’t Akan’s style, but given the circumstances, he had no other choice.
*Among 2nd Circle blessing magic, there are Strength and Haste.*
Strength increased power, and Haste made one’s movements faster. Considering Akan’s Strength was 11 and his Agility was 10, conventional wisdom would be to amplify his Strength. But Akan’s thinking was different.
*The wild dogs’ hides can’t be penetrated by a slight increase in strength anyway. Then rather, I should increase my movement speed to deliver a more accurate strike. That is probabilistically the better choice.*
His mind worked rapidly. His instantaneous situational judgment was indeed worthy of the Archmage of Macedonia.
Though in South Korea he had been merely a nobody working part-time at age forty, his current self was Akan’s true nature.
*Haste.*
Huaaak!
He drew the mana fluttering within his mana core up into circles. As he rotated the two circles, he felt his dantian hollowing out, and simultaneously, vitality began coursing through his body.
Numerically, his Agility, which had been 10, had likely doubled to 20.
Just as Akan finished casting the spell, the wild dogs that could no longer hold back stomped the ground.
Woof! Woof! Woof!
Grrrr!
“Ugh!”
“Block them!”
The people panicked at the sight of the wild dogs charging all at once. They wanted to flee immediately, but perhaps because of what Akan had said, they gripped their weapons tightly.
Soon, the wild dogs arrived right before them.
The people swung their weapons with all their might.
-To be continued in Episode 6-