Chapter 9

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Translated by Jinmu

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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– ?

– Why suddenly?

– Isn’t it because he saw those guys?

– Ah, please go away.

– Bastards devoid of a conscience.

When Han-bit’s screen disappeared, the viewers showed a heated reaction.

What was visible now was only Yeon-woo’s broadcast screen.

Swoosh.

At the same time, the completely halted movements of the players.

They couldn’t obtain the information they wanted with only Yeon-woo’s screen.

That fluster could be clearly felt without even seeing their faces.

‘I can see inside their heads, alright.’

To anyone’s eyes, Han-bit’s current appearance felt like he was aiming for the slimes below the cliff.

Therefore, the options given to them weren’t many.

If they just observed the situation idly, they would have to worry about other competitors too.

Taking the slimes first instead was the most correct choice.

Rustle.

As expected, the players’ decision didn’t take long.

Hiding their bodies among the bushes and trees, they approached rapidly.

Whirrr.

Checking the distance, Han-bit slowly began to loosen the fishing line.

The hook caught at the end was the old man’s special product.

It was an item that shot thin needles in all directions when a button was pressed.

Should he say it turns the catch into a hedgehog.

‘They don’t seem like total beginners.’

The intruders drew closer while deadening their footsteps as much as possible.

However, it wasn’t remotely enough to completely hide their presence.

Whirrr.

Han-bit’s fishing line slowly descending down the cliff.

It had now crossed almost halfway.

‘I see them.’

Inspecting the forest, Han-bit made eye contact with the intruders who had revealed themselves.

Three men and women wearing equipment.

Seeing that their weapons were all different, it seemed they were a party from the beginning.

Swoosh.

Han-bit, who had turned the transmission screen back on, turned his body towards the intruders.

Then, stretching his hand up, he slowly waved.

“…?”

Flustered, the three blankly stared at him.

– Oh, he turned the screen on.

– Why is he greeting them?

– Suddenly?

At the weird behavior, the viewers also showed an absurd reaction.

However, Han-bit’s greeting carried a slightly different meaning.

Whirrrrr.

In an instant, the loosened fishing line rapidly descended.

Before the three could even react, the hook reached the Bomb Slimes.

Clack!

The needles extended radially as the button was pressed.

That impact quickly led to the slime’s explosion.

Kaboom!

The Bomb Slime’s body exploded refreshingly with a loud noise.

Since the other guys clumped beside it also overlapped, it was several times more intense.

And that explosion was merely the beginning.

Boom!

Kaboom!

The nearby Bomb Slimes exploding while stimulated by the noise.

It began to lead to a chain explosion of their kin in the forest.

“Uwaaah!”

“Ugh!”

“Up! Go up!”

The three intruders who were in the forest quickly tried to escape the area.

However, the slimes weren’t only on the ground.

Drop.

Plop.

Above the heads where they stood.

From the densely extended tree branches, dark brown slimes poured down.

The three, unable to even react, were swallowed by the explosion as they were.

Kaboom!

“That was to bid you farewell.”

Watching their deaths, Han-bit peacefully waved his hand.

Even if they were weak monsters, a chain attack of that scale was hard to endure.

– F*ck lmaoo

– Is he a crazy bastard. Lol.

– If I can’t have it, I’ll blow it up.

– It technically was a greeting, right?

– Yeah, a greeting to death.

– Trying to get a free ride. Lol.

The chat window plastered with ‘lol’s rapidly scrolled up.

Checking below, Han-bit reeled the fishing rod and changed the hook.

‘Finally coming out.’

A space that had remained quiet even while the chain explosion continued.

It was the gap between the cliff and the ground.

Squirm.

A dark brown lump slowly sliding out from inside.

Han-bit called them duds in the past, and true to the word, they were guys that didn’t explode.

Whirrr.

As he moved his hand, the fishing line rapidly descended once again.

When the glittering hook lodged into the squishy body of the slime, he pressed the button.

Clack!

A slime that didn’t explode even with the radially extended needles.

Leisurely reeling the line, Han-bit placed it alive into the sack he had brought along.

– ?

– Why isn’t it exploding?

– Is it a dud.

“Oh, it definitely has the feel of a dud. These guys don’t explode, and they grow by eating their kin.”

At the perfectly fitting chat, Han-bit nodded.

– Wait, how do you know that?

– Tell us you saw this in a web novel too. Lol.

– This bastard is not a newbie.

– Please check if he’s ever been hit by a truck.

– For real, isn’t this his 2nd playthrough in life?

“… No? It’s really not.”

– Like I would believe that?

– Of course not, what the. Lol.

– Seems like he’s soaked in fantasy.

– So cute;

His reaction, which had strangely felt a guilty conscience, was taken playfully.

While inwardly letting out a sigh, Yeon-woo sneakily approached.

“Wow, there was even a gimmick like this. But is it okay to say that information out loud?”

“What information? Duds?”

“Yes. If you clear the quest with this, everyone will really copy you, hyung.”

He pointed at the Bomb Slime in the sack.

However, Han-bit smirked and said.

“Let them search all they want.”

***

‘I was almost royally screwed.’

Standing at the entrance of the forest, the player, Kim Jae-ha, spouted curses inwardly.

Because just a moment ago, he had witnessed three players exploding together with the Bomb Slimes.

Even with a high level, the damage from a chain explosion like that is difficult to predict.

Even worse, if he was caught, he would become complete enemies with Black Dragon and Loafer.

“Phew.”

Logging into RP in a hurry, pushing aside other affairs.

Although half in doubt, he had actually received Atsbel’s quest while watching Loafer’s stream.

And he had left that broadcast screen floating from the beginning until now.

‘Stupid bastards. Like he could just be a newbie.’

The majority of players who received the quest had set out to find their own methods.

It was due to the shallow thought that they were better than Black Dragon, the beginner who first discovered the quest.

It was the delusion of guys who truly knew nothing.

‘These large corporation bastards seriously. Making a move when they’re already pulling ahead…’

Kim Jae-ha was certain.

That player Black Dragon was planted by a large corporation that possessed vanguards.

It was obvious that they popped it after acquiring information about the hidden skills and Atsbel’s quest in advance.

‘What’s their goal?’

The reason they deliberately formed a team with a streamer to reveal the information.

If they were using a Hero grade magic book as bait, it meant there was some huge information behind it.

‘Did something happen on the vanguards’ side?’

Currently, the top vanguards were blocked in their progression in various ways.

If they found some sort of breakthrough there, diverting the eyes of competitors and public opinion was a natural choice.

‘Anyway, let’s at least clear the quest.’

Since he logged in with the company’s gear, he had to produce results quickly.

The story about vanguards, which was completely out of reach for a small and medium-sized enterprise, didn’t matter.

Because dawdling around for nothing would surely get him crushed by the department head.

Step.

Glaring at Black Dragon’s screen sideways, Kim Jae-ha moved his steps into the forest.

However, he never ended up obtaining the Bomb Slime material.

***

“You brought this trash as medicine? It’s disgusting just looking at it. I was a stupid b*tch for expecting anything.”

Arriving at Atsbel’s store, Han-bit was currently being scolded.

On the table between the two, there was the Bomb Slime’s material that had turned into a squishy liquid.

Unlike its dark brown surface, its inside emitted a golden light.

– Getting verbally abused is an absolute win.

– Noona…

– Today’s disgrace… I won’t forget it.

– Going to clear the quest right now.

The viewers who had lost their minds were completely captivated by Atsbel.

Looking only at her beautiful appearance, it would be natural.

Though he couldn’t understand them liking getting abused.

“I will compensate you for the Julio incident with money, so take it and get out. I don’t deal with people who toy with human lives.”

Despite having the track record of catching Julio for her, her reaction was cold.

The situation where her mother’s worsening condition was gradually reaching its limit.

Since she had inwardly placed expectations during such a period, the disappointment was far too great.

Knowing that fact well, Han-bit asked her.

“Aren’t you even going to try it? The situation is bad right now too.”

“Are you spouting such nonsense right now? After bringing this kind of trash?”

Atsbel got angry with a face seemingly ready to pull out a weapon.

Because it was a conversation he had already repeated multiple times in the other world, his coping method was also practiced.

Han-bit steeply scooped up the golden jelly with the spoon he brought along.

“Look at this. Doesn’t it look like pudding?”

“Pudding my ass. Giving that kind of trash to my mom…!”

Tap!

In an instant, the spoon was lodged into Atsbel’s mouth.

Unable to even react, her eyes grew wide.

And.

“Mmph!”

Suddenly covering her mouth with both hands, she ran to the restroom.

Splash!

Screams and the sound of water were heard for a moment.

“What is this!”

Her anger soaring to the top of her head, Atsbel quickly returned.

She rapidly closed the distance while picking up the dagger that was on the table.

“Do you want to die? What did you feed me? Disgusting seeds came out mixed in!”

“That’s the true identity of the illness you and your mother were suffering from.”

“What?”

“You’ve been constantly sick too, right? Though you probably suffered alone in silence.”

“How did you know that…”

Atsbel, who had been hiding similar symptoms to her mother, was flustered.

Because she had tried to appear as perfectly fine as possible.

‘I can’t even call it foolish.’

So as not to worry her mother.

To avoid having her weaknesses caught by guys like Julio.

To continue making a living even under such circumstances, Atsbel hid her pain.

Even thinking about it now, it was an impossible feat with ordinary mental fortitude.

“What you ate is called a Parasitic Seed. It causes trouble inside.”

“Parasitic Seed?”

A Parasitic Seed rarely seen in the far southern region.

This thing sticks to the stomach and grows, and only the Bomb Slime’s slime can detach it.

It happened because it got mixed into food ingredients during the trading process.

“It’s not an illness, but because of a seed?”

“Parasitic Seeds are done once you throw them up. It means it’s not even an illness.”

“If I throw it up…”

In an instant, Atsbel’s gaze changed.

Grabbing the golden material, she quickly exited the store.

[Moving to the cutscene.]

Swoosh.

On the screen that changed along with the message, there was Atsbel holding the golden jelly.

She stood in front of her mother with a resolute face.

“Mom, I brought the medicine.”

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Atsbel raised her mother’s faintly conscious upper body.

The golden, fluffy liquid contained in the spoon.

Contemplating for a moment, she let the liquid flow into her mother’s mouth.

The change occurred immediately after.

Gulp.

“…!”

Her mother, opening her eyes wide along with a single swallow.

Covering her mouth with her hands, she staggered and ran to the restroom.

Swoosh.

With that scene as the last, the screen returned.

Standing right in front of him, Atsbel’s expression had visibly brightened.