Chapter 10 – Mana Exhaustion
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BOOM─────!!!
A powerful shockwave erupted.
No matter how strong his defense was, there was no way he could withstand this.
As expected, Yong Tae-soo, hit by One Punch, was sent flying.
Crash—
He smashed through the 7th-floor window and disappeared beyond it.
‘Phew.’
I let out a sigh of relief internally.
‘I did it!’
I had won a battle against a 4-star Hunter.
Of course, it wasn’t easy.
Honestly, if it hadn’t been for the One Punch skill, I would’ve lost.
No.
It wasn’t just One Punch.
‘Prill. You did great, too.’
【Hmph. This is the kind of spirit I am!】
If not for Prill’s help, I wouldn’t have been able to buy the time to cast the skill.
It was truly a battle where I had to give my all.
‘But in the end, I won.’
Of course, the result is what matters.
Winners and losers.
In the ruthless world of Hunters, where you can only be one or the other, I was at least the winner of this fight.
“Oh my God. W-What kind of destructive power is this…?”
“Team Leader Yong lost!?”
“…What is this? Isn’t he just a porter?”
“That guy might not be a porter after all.”
I could hear the shocked murmurs of the spectators who had been watching belatedly.
“C-Crazy. Someone hide me.”
“What’s wrong?”
“I-I don’t know! Just hide me!”
I even witnessed the sight of a guy who used to bully me freaking out and trying to hide.
Yeah.
This was undoubtedly an outcome no one could have predicted.
A mere porter they treated like a toy had knocked down the Hunter Team Leader they worshipped like a god.
“W-What the…?”
And the most bewildered of all was none other than Ma Gwang-jin, the Human Resources Officer.
His plan to suppress me through Yong Tae-soo and negotiate for a dirt-cheap contract had been utterly crushed.
“C-Capture that bastard! Catch him now!”
Panicking, he ordered the other Hunters to subdue me.
‘Not good.’
Things had gotten quite troublesome with all these spectators around.
It was obvious they wouldn’t take my side.
Moreover—
Ding!
[You have entered a state of Mana Exhaustion.]
The backlash of the One Punch skill, Mana Exhaustion.
All the strength drained from my body.
If I got attacked by the Hunters in this state?
‘I can’t stop them.’
There was no doubt I’d be captured without any resistance.
‘I have to hold out until the Mana Exhaustion ends, no matter what.’
And right now, in this situation, I only had one option.
‘Prill, buy me some time.’
【Hmm. I’m weak right now, too.】
‘Just stall them.’
【I’ll try!】
Using Prill’s power to hold out until the Mana Exhaustion ended.
Honestly, I didn’t want to rely on Prill’s power unless absolutely necessary, but I had no choice.
Survival was my priority.
I had to survive to grow stronger and seek revenge.
However—
“D-Damn it! How are we supposed to catch that guy?”
“Even Team Leader Yong couldn’t…”
“I-I don’t want to die!”
Maybe, just maybe, I wouldn’t have to use Prill at all.
【Ice Spe—】
‘Wait!’
I stopped Prill, who was about to use a low-level ice skill.
Instead, I observed the reactions around me again.
And came to a new conclusion.
‘This situation might not be as bad as I thought.’
Even though Ma Gwang-jin had ordered them, the Hunters were hesitant to attack me.
And for good reason—most of them were only 1-star or 2-star Hunters.
There wasn’t a single 3-star or higher Hunter among them.
As a result, none of them could properly assess my current state.
They were all too overwhelmed by the impact of the One Punch skill to realize that I couldn’t repeat such an attack.
“What are you all doing? Attack him already! He’s just a lucky guy who picked up a random skill!”
“But…”
“Sir, we’re not directly under your command, are we?”
“Y-Yeah! We don’t have to follow your orders!”
“You… You bastards…!”
Moreover, they weren’t loyal enough to risk their lives for his orders.
‘Serves you right for not treating them better.’
I silently cursed Ma Gwang-jin as I scanned the Hunters one by one.
The area grew silent.
The Hunters avoided making eye contact with me, turning their gazes away whenever our eyes seemed to meet.
“If you’re going to attack, come at me all at once. Don’t waste my time.”
I threw out a line full of bravado, seizing control of the atmosphere.
Finally, I made eye contact with Ma Gwang-jin.
Even he averted his gaze.
He was quick to assess the situation.
‘Good.’
For now, I was the dominant force in this space.
At least, outwardly.
‘But I’m barely holding on.’
In truth, Mana Exhaustion had left me the weakest person here.
But as long as they misunderstood my situation, I could mask my weakness as confidence.
Step by step.
Since I’d gained control of the situation, I began my next move.
First, I retrieved the Everfrost Sword embedded in the ceiling.
Screech—
‘Ugh.’
However, a problem occurred.
The weight of the sword caused me to stagger slightly as I pulled it free.
‘I can’t even handle this much?’
The Everfrost Sword was far lighter than a typical iron sword.
Pulling it out of the ceiling wasn’t the easiest task, but this slight imbalance was embarrassing.
Mana Exhaustion was proving to be a far more severe debuff than I had anticipated.
‘Just hold on a little longer. It’ll be over soon.’
Thanks to my unique trait, Overcharged Mana, the duration of Mana Exhaustion wasn’t long.
Still, in this kind of situation, even a second felt too long.
And then—
“…Isn’t that guy bluffing?”
“…He might be.”
The tide began to turn.
It was clear now.
Everyone had started realizing the truth.
That I wouldn’t be able to unleash another attack like the one that took down Yong Tae-soo.
“Catch him, and I’ll give you 15 days of paid leave!”
Ma Gwang-jin wasted no time in dangling a tempting carrot.
“…Damn it. I’ll do it.”
“I’m going too!”
Then, a few of the more action-driven ones started charging toward me.
Tap-tap—
The Hunters from the Ironclad Faction quickly closed the distance.
“Where does someone so weak get the nerve to act tough?”
One of them lunged at me from the front, holding his spear with both hands.
Mana Exhaustion hadn’t worn off yet.
But—
‘Prill!’
【Ice Arrow!】
Crack—Thud!
An ice arrow created by Prill pierced through his neck.
“Gah!”
That’s one down, but it wasn’t just him coming at me.
“Die!”
“Hyaaaah!”
One guy with a sword charged at me from the right, and another with a mace from the left.
There were two more.
‘Damn it. Prill!’
【W-Wait! Ice Arrow…!】
Craaaack—
Prill used her skill again, but it was slightly delayed.
She was clearly weak at the moment.
So much so that even dealing with three mediocre Hunters at once was beyond her.
‘Damn it.’
I couldn’t just sit back and do nothing.
I forced my weakened body to move, stepping toward the guy with the sword.
“You’re slow! You’ve lost your strength!”
The swordsman shouted gleefully, his face lighting up with excitement.
He seemed thrilled at the thought of capturing me and claiming the reward.
‘Just dodge this one attack.’
With a grim expression, I moved my foot.
If I could dodge just one attack, I could count on Prill for backup.
Even if it meant rolling on the ground…
‘By rolling across the floor if I must—’
But at that moment—
Ding!
[Due to rapid mana recovery, the Mana Exhaustion state has ended prematurely.]
‘—Good.’
I realized I didn’t have to go that far.
Strength surged back into my body.
Boom!
I planted my foot on the ground, which I’d been about to use to roll, instead.
At the same time, I quickly assessed the direction of the incoming attack.
‘Right chest.’
The enemy’s sword was thrust toward my chest.
‘Duck to the left.’
I immediately lowered my body to the left.
The blade barely grazed my right shoulder as it passed by.
“!?”
The enemy was visibly startled by my suddenly enhanced movements.
I stepped forward with my left foot and—
Pow!
Delivered a clean uppercut with my right fist.
The swordsman was sent flying.
If I had still been in Mana Exhaustion, it might have been different. But in my current normal state, this guy was nothing more than a lightweight.
“H-Hic!”
Then I heard a terrified gasp from my left.
I turned my head to see the guy with the mace clutching his frozen neck in terror.
‘…Hmph.’
It seemed Prill’s attack had slightly missed.
Killing him would have been cleaner, but this was enough.
【It’s because I lost all my strength when we made that contract! Hmph.】
‘I didn’t say anything.’
Prill had done her job well.
She covered for my vulnerable moment when I couldn’t act.
At that moment, a thought crossed my mind.
‘Maybe I should change my approach.’
Until now, I had been reluctant to use Prill’s powers actively.
This was mainly because I didn’t see her power as truly mine.
But perhaps that wasn’t entirely true.
‘After all, Prill is my contracted spirit, and I can use her power as I see fit.’
Perhaps learning to make full use of her abilities would actually increase my overall combat power.
‘I don’t hate the idea.’
I decided to revisit this thought later.
For now, I had to focus on the situation in front of me.
“If you’re not going to fight, then scram.”
I growled, pointing my sword at the terrified Hunter.
“Hiiik!”
He fled so quickly that he didn’t even think to retrieve his mace.
With that settled, I turned toward Ma Gwang-jin and began walking toward him.
“Human Resources Officer.”
“Y-Yes!?”
He looked up at me, half-dazed.
‘I can’t blame him.’
After all, I had every reason to kill him right here, given how much resentment he’d earned.
Still—
“I’ll just take what I’m owed. Let’s leave it at that, okay?”
“Y-Yessir…!”
Killing him now would be too risky.
If I killed him, I’d effectively be stuck in the heart of enemy territory.
Even though I’d defeated Yong Tae-soo, the second-in-command of the Ironclad Faction, I wasn’t yet strong enough to take on the entire faction alone.
With that, I calmly walked through the Ironclad Faction’s headquarters.
The Hunters merely watched me from a distance, not daring to stop me.
Before leaving, I made sure to visit the supply room to collect my share.
“This much is mine.”
I took mana stones of equivalent value instead of the deceased Hunters’ equipment, which would’ve been too cumbersome to carry.
Honestly, I might have taken a bit too much, but I didn’t care.
After all, the unpaid wages they’d withheld under various pretexts over the years were worth much more than this.
“What? That damn porter is still—”
“Supply Officer.”
“Human Resources Officer? Why…?”
“Just let him take it.”
Lee Se-han, who was late to catch up on the situation, tried to stop me, but Ma Gwang-jin intervened.
He must have decided it was better to let me leave quietly than to risk me causing a scene.
After all, with Yong Tae-soo down, there was no one left who could stop me.
‘Unless Ma Gwang-chul shows up, that is.’
Ma Gwang-chul, the boss of the Ironclad Faction and a 4-star Hunter.
As long as he didn’t appear…
‘Ma Gwang-chul isn’t here right now.’
I already knew that he had entered a dungeon.
That’s why I could act as boldly as I did.
‘I hadn’t planned to be this audacious, but whatever.’
In any case, what mattered was that I had successfully escaped from the Ironclad Faction’s headquarters.
I glanced back.
The Hunters were cautiously watching me from a distance, their wariness evident.
Among them, those who had directly bullied me were nowhere to be seen. They must have fled.
“Well, if they had any sense, they’d run.”
I muttered quietly.
Considering they had no idea when I might decide to settle old grudges, staying out of sight was their safest option.
Of course, I had no intention of exacting revenge here and now.
‘It’s best to avoid unnecessary trouble.’
Piling on more animosity with the Ironclad Faction in the name of revenge would only make things harder for me.
Honestly, if I could sever all ties cleanly here, I’d gladly do so.
But—
‘That won’t happen.’
Knowing what I’d experienced with the Ironclad Faction, there was no way that could be the case.
Moreover—
“Team Leader! Pull yourself together!”
“Call a healer immediately!”
I had defeated Yong Tae-soo, the second-in-command of the Ironclad Faction.
There was no way such a grudge could be cleanly resolved.
‘Still alive, huh?’
Yong Tae-soo, who had fallen from the 7th floor, was somehow still breathing.
I noticed his body was riddled with shards from his axe, leaving him on the verge of death, but alive nonetheless.
I recalled the moment I used the One Punch skill.
‘…He blocked with his axe in the end.’
Yong Tae-soo hadn’t taken the One Punch attack head-on.
In the last split second, he had managed to block it with his axe.
Even so, the axe shattered into pieces, and his massive frame was sent flying. But at least he had reduced the impact enough to avoid instant death.
‘Does he have a defensive trait? That’s some incredible durability.’
I couldn’t help but admire his toughness.
【Yujin. Wouldn’t it be better to just kill him?】
‘Who?’
【That guy with the glasses.】
At Prill’s words, I turned my gaze toward Ma Gwang-jin.
‘Hmm.’
Ma Gwang-jin’s eyes were blazing with rage, enough for Prill to suggest killing him.
Now that he seemed convinced I wouldn’t kill him, his suppressed fury was coming to the surface.
It didn’t take much thought to understand.
His gaze was the kind that vowed revenge, no matter the cost.
‘Not that I did anything wrong to begin with.’
I smirked bitterly, thinking about the irrevocably damaged relationship between me and the Ironclad Faction.
If I wanted to avoid future troubles, killing him, as Prill suggested, might have been the best option.
But I had my reasons.
‘I can’t kill him yet.’
【Why not?】
‘I need justification.’
【Hmm?】
Prill tilted her head in confusion, but I didn’t feel the need to explain further.
She’d understand soon enough.
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