Episode 6: The Other World's Mission (4)
“Die—!”
Thud!
Crack!
Wooden sticks and stones struck the wild dogs’ heads directly.
Along with dull impacts, several wild dogs were knocked to the ground, but some of them had achieved their purpose.
Rip!
“Kuaaaah!”
The teeth of a wild dog digging into a part-timer’s shoulder!
Before the part-timer could tear the dog away, it ripped out a chunk of flesh with its powerful bite force.
The part-timer’s face twisted in agony as bone came out with the flesh.
The people nearby, thinking they could die just like that part-timer, gritted their teeth and attacked the wild dogs.
‘I’ll wait for the right timing.’
Akan didn’t make the foolish decision to face the charging wild dogs head-on.
If he acknowledged that he was weak, he needed a fighting style suited to that.
It was a selfish thought, but Akan’s own survival was his highest priority.
Stepping forward to help when he lacked the ability was nothing but recklessness.
This way of thinking was precisely why Akan, who had risen to the highest position on the Macedonian continent, could get by without issue even as the lowest class in a new world called the Republic of Korea.
Accepting reality.
It seemed like a simple thing to say, but Akan accepted this truly difficult thing without difficulty.
‘Breaking through the wild dogs’ hides with crude weapons is clearly impossible. In that case….’
As soon as the battle began, Akan naturally stepped back.
Buried among the crowd charging at the wild dogs, he assessed the current situation.
Even when people attacked with all their might, the only damage the wild dogs suffered was reddened skin and dripping blood.
Had they been ordinary wild dogs, the attacks would have been enough to pierce their skin, but as expected, these dogs possessed extraordinary physical abilities.
‘Target the weakest part of the body.’
Stomp.
Akan stomped the ground.
Thanks to using Haste, Akan’s body was extremely light.
Akan, who had been staying behind the others, shot forward in an instant.
‘Now!’
While the other wild dogs were engaged in fierce combat, one wild dog had its nose buried in a corpse, devouring it frantically.
It paid no attention to its surroundings, completely absorbed in its gluttony.
It was the most ideal prey Akan had judged.
Thud!
Crack!
Akan’s lightning-fast strike lodged directly in the wild dog’s eye.
No matter how hard the wild dogs’ hides were, the eyes were the most vulnerable part of the body.
Having gouged out the wild dog’s eye with the sharp edge of a stone, Akan kicked the stone with his foot before the dog could counterattack.
Crunch!
Krrrrk.
The stone disappeared from sight.
The stone turned the wild dog’s brain to mush, and it collapsed forward, foaming at the mouth.
Even its tough, hard hide was useless when its brain was attacked directly.
‘One down.’
Bark! Bark!
The fact that one of their own had fallen caused the other wild dogs’ gazes to turn this way.
Akan hurriedly retreated, escaping their line of sight.
Akan had no intention of exposing himself directly.
Using the chicken restaurant workers as shields, he would launch his attack at the best possible timing.
If he reduced their numbers like that, there would be casualties among the people, but he would eventually be able to clear the mission.
‘Items?’
Akan’s eyes gleamed as he surveyed the situation.
Shimmering objects were visible from the corpse of the wild dog he had just finished off.
As the gazes focused on him scattered, Akan quickly checked the corpse.
Inside the corpse were a red fragment and a fairly sharp dagger.
[Fragment of Strength]
[Sharp Dagger]
[Effect: Cutting Power +3, Strength +1]
‘Nice timing.’
The sharp dagger was an item Akan needed right now.
Having confirmed the information just by touching the items, Akan stored the Fragment of Strength in his inventory and gripped the dagger.
Akan’s lips twitched at the cold sensation lingering in his hand.
‘The difference between having a proper weapon and not is like heaven and earth.’
To Akan, the dagger’s existence was like having the force of a thousand troops and ten thousand horses.
Akan had once received teachings at the Blaze Tower in the past.
The Blaze Tower was a group that handled fire-attribute magic, so belligerent that they enjoyed close combat despite being mages.
The fact that he had sought out the Blaze Tower, which was also the rival of the Rainbow Tower that Akan belonged to, had caused a stir on the continent at the time.
It had been an eccentric feat, but Akan had eventually received the Blaze Tower’s permission through a deal.
While staying at the Blaze Tower at the time, he had mastered not only fire-attribute magic but also the combat techniques of war mages.
Although Akan’s physical abilities had been severely lacking in mastering combat techniques, he had solved this through blessing magic.
The Laboratory Mage.
True to that title, Akan, who had been obsessed with magic, did not invest time in physical training while learning the Blaze Tower’s techniques, and had only mastered their combat techniques and fire-attribute magic.
For Akan, who was relatively weak in brute strength, the dagger was a beloved weapon he could wield most easily.
Confidence surged as a familiar weapon came into his hands.
But he didn’t rush in blindly because of that.
The wild dogs were too strong to act like a hero.
Killing one of them was simply because luck had been on his side.
Akan stepped back again, intending to observe the situation.
“Kyaaah!”
“Damn it!”
But Akan had no choice but to change his mind.
A woman screaming and collapsing to the ground.
At the sight of Lee Minyeong, terrified out of her wits, Akan stomped the ground in a hurry—unlike when the others had been attacked.
* * *
Akan is a selfish person.
He always puts himself first.
But when it came to dealing with people, there was one thing that set him apart from ordinary selfish people.
‘If someone is trustworthy, make sure they become your person. Gaining people is also a benefit to me.’
Akan valued not only material gain but also people.
Therefore, he was always thorough in repaying kindness and exacting revenge.
By repaying those who showed him kindness a hundredfold, he made sure they became his people.
Akan’s peculiar disposition ensured that despite his many eccentricities, he was never left alone.
‘Minyeong is someone I must repay, along with the boss, at the chicken restaurant.’
Lee Minyeong.
What Lee Minyeong, who was only eighteen, had done for Akan was not much.
She had simply treated Akan warmly when everyone else despised him.
For Akan, that was reason enough to repay her kindness.
Rationally speaking, clashing head-on with the wild dogs was a foolish act, but to save Lee Minyeong, he had no choice.
He made a reckless decision for his own person.
“Kyah!”
“Minyeong!”
He saw a wild dog charging toward Lee Minyeong.
Just before the wild dog pounced on Lee Minyeong.
Akan stepped in front of Lee Minyeong one step faster.
“As if!”
Swish!
The dagger cut through the wind, aiming for the wild dog’s neck.
The swift strike slashed the wild dog’s neck in one breath, but Akan’s expression was still twisted.
‘The dagger isn’t biting properly.’
The attack had succeeded.
But it had only caused a scratch.
He couldn’t inflict a fatal wound on the wild dog’s hard, tough hide.
Bark! Bark! Bark!
“Damn it!”
The wild dog’s eyes reddened as it lunged at Akan fiercely.
The wild dog’s speed, closing the distance in an instant, was difficult even for Akan, who was using Haste, to react to properly.
Kraaack!
Clang!
Faced with sharp fangs filling his vision, Akan swung his dagger.
The fangs and dagger clashed, and a clear sound rang out.
As the wild dog faltered for a moment from the counterattack, Akan quickly retreated.
But he couldn’t run away.
‘If I retreat like this, Minyeong will be exposed.’
Lee Minyeong, sitting on the ground, didn’t seem to be in her right mind.
She too had tried to somehow escape, knowing she was a hindrance to Akan, but her trembling legs wouldn’t move as she wished.
In the end, to protect Lee Minyeong, he had to face the wild dog head-on.
Akan gritted his teeth and steadied his stance.
- To be continued in Episode 7 -