Chapter 7: Gangnam Station 3

"Wait a moment!"

"What is it?"

Taesoon, who was already annoyed due to Hansoo's slow movement while he checked the walls and the ground carefully, replied bluntly.

Hansoo ignored Taesoon and searched the surrounding ground.

Monsters are living beings too.

They were dragged along with them into this world but their life habits or markings existed.

As Hansoo checked the ground he found a mark that looked like something had been dragged across the floor.

In the tutorial area, the monsters that drag their body across the floor are 17 kinds.

Plus if you take into account the mucus then it is reduced to three kinds.

It isn't the Black Snail. A unique sour smell was not in the air and the markings are only on the ground. If it was the black snail you would see the mucus on the walls as well.

It isn't Chopped Up Zombies either. Because then the markings on the ground would be half mucus and half intestines.

Then only one choice remains.

'Land Mermaid?'

Land Mermaid.

This is actually more like a nickname.

Their upper body was a unique shaped human and their lower body was like a grub, from one angle it would look like a mermaid that had been dropped onto the land.

To drag their heavy lower body across the floor with their hands, the strength of their hands was very developed and the paralyzing poison that came out of their lower body was dangerous.

Their lower body was heavy and the speed of dragging themselves across the floor was only slightly faster than walking but if you aren't ready and get shot by the paralysis poison, you will witness the sight of your body getting ripped apart by these guys.

Hansoo made an unsightly face after seeing the overall state.

'This is a tutorial area with a high difficulty'

If every tutorial area's monsters were different then their difficulties were different as well.

It's not an opponent that you cannot win against but it was indeed a problem to deal with.

The Goblin and the Green Worm are similar in terms of physical ability and aren't that bad when dealing face to face but the consequences could be dire if you don't know about them.

And because it's the the first day newbie adventurers not knowing was definite.

When he had first come here, the tutorial stage ended before he came to the train station so he didn't know but it was set up with rather troublesome mobs.

'I guess I need a little more preparation.'

Hansoo stopped and then returned back to the convenience store.

The three who had been following mumbled quietly.

"...It is that psychic power again."

"You guys come and help too."

Hansoo returned, gathered all the Soju (Korean Alcoholic Beverage), flipped them upside down and started to empty them.

Gluglugluglug

'They did say it would be here.... but why is something like this here.'

He did heard it from the team he made the plans with but after seeing the paint thinner in the corner Hansoo smirked and laughed. (*TL: Paint Thinner is Extremely Flammable and EXPLOSIVE)

After he emptied the Soju bottles, he filled them with the paint thinner.

'Is there no diesel around.'

Hansoo just replaced it with a cheaper version and poured some of the sesame oil in the corner then plugged the top with tissue.

"...Where did you learn how to make a molotov cocktail?"

"If you live in Korea you should at least know this much. We need to make as much as available."

When the four made it together, it was done quickly.

Hansoo got the lighters from the side of the counter, handed them one each then gathered the molotovs in two backpacks and another bag and talked to the three.

"One will throw the molotov and the three will stand in the front. The Rune displacement will be less for the person on the back who is on the safer location. Anybody up for it?"

Taesoon, who heard that the rune displacement was low, stood without words but Sangjin and Mihee raised their hands slowly.

Hansoo looked at the two and spoke.

"Get into a consensus, as to who will throw."

Sangjin knitted his brows for a moment but since he couldn't bicker with the beauty he was about to lower his hand.

When Mihee was about to make a sigh of relief Hansoo threw out another word as a bonus.

"As a reminder, it will become much more dangerous from now on. Instead of saying let's trade during the fight decide carefully now."

At those words Sangjin, who was about to lower his hands, stopped and Mihee looked at Hansoo with a resentful face.

Mihee looked at Sangjin with a desperate face but when Sangjin had no looks of backing down she just gave up.

"Let's take turns with it."

"...Alright."

Sangjin thought for a moment but since he didn't want to bicker around he agreed with those terms.

'Should I just go up...'

Sangjin pondered for a moment after hearing that it was dangerous but then shook his head.

It felt like if you followed Hansoo something amazing will come out. He also wanted to be part of that.

'It seems like he shares it fairly so...'

If he lent a hand, would they throw him out.

He did say it was dangerous but he could easily run from the molotov throwing position in case of danger.

Sangjin gulped his saliva then slowly headed into the darkness.

.........

Kuduk

"Uaaak! Throw it! Throw it this way!"

Taesoon screamed as he saw the monster crawling towards him over the stones.

Hansoo's poison was very strong.

Even if they were scratched they would still turn and twist around their bodies.

It definitely was worth paying runes for it.

But the problem sprang out somewhere else.

Whilst fighting joyfully, a paralysis poison sketched by his leg.

Taesoon had already been shot in one of his legs so his movements were not completely free.

'Goddamit! I fell for it even though I knew about it!'

Even though Hansoo had gone out to the front and showed how they spat it out but since the look of them crawling over the ground was funny, he was caught off guard.

Thankfully the location he got shot didn't melt or anything but the mobs who spread out their long arms and approached in strides were fear itself.

Them, who had looked slow before, are now almost like grim reapers.

"uaaaah..."

Sangjin who had been fumbling around, barely lit the fire then threw it towards the location where the Land Mermaids were gathering.

Chuuuung!

As the molotov exploded, pieces of flame scattered everywhere.

Keeeeeeeek!

As their skin dried up, they twisted their bodies as if it was painful.

Kudududuk

And at that moment Hansoo ran around between the Land Mermaids and smashed the heads.

Since the edge was dulled it didn't cut well but when the Podao was swingged with enhanced strength, it had no problem getting through the skin and muscle.

One strike One kill.

Honestly it didn't matter if they didn't die in one strike.

The poison on the blade stimulated their nerves and gave them insane amounts of pain.

The Land Mermaids still shot out paralysis poison and stretched out their arms but Hansoo dodged most of it and the rest he deflected with a piece of goblin leather.

'Does that guy have eyes on the back of his head?'

Taesoon spun his tongue around as he looked at Hansoo.

As Hansoo finished them off and all the enemies disappeared they finally sat on the ground as if the tension was released.

"Huuah... Huaahhh"

"Rest a while then bring the runes."

Taesoon walked towards Hansoo who was distributing the runes though he was tired.

At first he was suspicious that he would cheat them but as he perfectly distributed them he stopped worrying.

As if he was looking at the whole warfield the whole time, he knew exactly how many one killed and how much one contributed.

'Goddamit, it isn't much.'

After getting shot by the paralysis shot, he fought while dragging his foot so the amount of runes he acquired was much less in comparison to the floor above.

'Fuck... the physical difference between us is increasing.'

The one who killed takes the runes.

But the combination of the kills of the three was not even a quarter of what Hansoo killed.

And thanks to that the speed at which he hunted increased more and more.

As Hansoo's physical stats rose, it was like he cast off iron chains and was flying around.

"Eey, fucktard!"

When Taesoon felt something boiling up from this chest, he looked at Sangjin and then shouted at him in anger.

Sangjin couldn't even throw a molotov properly because he got scared by a Land Mermaid that was walking towards him.

Even though he was a friend since he couldn't even do that properly while they fought with their lives on the line, Taesoon's anger exploded.

"Uuuu..."

As Sangjin made a sorry expression Hansoo spoke while looking at Sangjin.

"Come and take the runes. The recovery will be faster after you raise the stamina"

And after Hansoo concluded his words, he started to cut the belly of the Land Mermaids.

'Let's see. If you open the area between their rear end and the belly button... it's here.'

Hansoo took out the paralysis poison sac from between the slit of the stomach, carefully shrouded with goblin leather then started to carefully squeeze it out as if he was making medicine and poured it into an empty shampoo container he brought.

Though it wasn't useful against the Land Mermaids it was definitely useful against the life forms of the third floor.

Taesoon then looked at his and Sangjin's runes by Hansoo's side.

'If I take those runes too... I can somewhat catch up.'

Taesoon's eyes shone as he screamed and marched on.

"Why would you give it to a bitch like him! It's better for me to take it and fight!"

A sword stopped his way when he stomped towards the runes in anger.

"...Are you really going to be like this."

"The distribution must be fair. You're not supposed to touch the food line." (*TL: Food line = a way for someone to survive)

At those words Sangjin, who had been trembling in the back, slowly came to the front and took the runes that were considered his.

Mihee, who was sighing, asked Hansoo cautiously.

"Isn't it annoying or anything?"

Though they were fighting zealously but to Hansoo it was probably frustrating to no end but he did not get angry a single time and kept on heading down steadily.

Hansoo merely shrugged his shoulders.

"If it's this much it could be considered gentlemanly."

Normal College students. They didn't even go to the military.

Half were female.

And they were dragged here with no form of preparation.

Will it make sense to fight like a special forces warrior on the first day here against monsters who want to rip them apart.

To those who were living a normal life before, that was a normal reaction.

If it wasn't such a dire situation like this they would have never thought of holding a sword.

'Well I was crazy in the past so...'

Even if he knew that he could only learn 7 skills he would have still learned Dororo Lizard's Essence.

Because he was not in a situation where he could afford to not learn it.

The days where he ran around barely holding onto his lifeline after learning a Lizard Essence were still remembered by him.

Hansoo, who had finished his thoughts, looked at the three in front of him.

Hansoo didn't have any plans about saying anything about things they couldn't do.

As he lived through the abyss life, he found out that the ones that latched onto your ankles in the end were not the ones who were scared or weak near the beginning.

Rather it was the ones that were fearless and strong that made problems.

'It doesn't matter if they can't do it"

As long as they have a limit to what they can't do.

"You aren't abandoning us, right?"

Mihee watched Hansoo with teary eyes and at those words Sangjin and Taesoon both jerked.

Because they felt it through their body.

The only reason they can remain friends and talk leisurely like this was due to Hansoo.

Then Hansoo smirked.

'It seems like they've got the wrong idea.'

He never took them in so what would he be abandoning?

"You three are doing well enough so don't worry. Since we've rested somewhat let's continue forward."

These were not empty words, the three were not at the level of grabbing onto ankles.

Even if Hansoo fought alone the speed would've been around the same. From another point of view he was able to move about more freely because the three took away some of the attention.

If the number of monsters were limited it would be different. The only thing that they weren't short of were monsters and the important thing was how many runes you took in the limited time.

'Let's see'

Hansoo checked his stats as he picked up his runes.

[Kang Hansoo] Strength: 25.3

Stamina: 24.5

Agility: 14.1

Perception: 15.2

'As I expected'

Though it was random you couldn't ignore the specialties of the entity.

The Land Mermaids had high strength and stamina. It seemed like he had gained a lot of strength and stamina in a short amount of time.

'It isn't bad'

Rather strength and stamina were more important right now.

Agility and perception runes had a good effect but he can replace them with battle skills and experience.

But on the other hand the strength to get through the armor and the stamina that helped with healing and the duration of how long one swings their sword was more important during the fight.

'And another thing'

Hansoo moved his hands towards the last stamina rune on the ground anxiously.

And that moment Hansoo's stamina rose from 24.5 to 24.8.

'It's above 50'

The moment the addition of Strength and Stamina rose above 50 the air suddenly stretched apart.

And that the same time a familiar yet unsightly face came out.

'A mission has been given.'

Hansoo smiled at the Fairy that had appeared in front of his eyes.