chapter 23
Stream of the Transcendent Hunter -23-
023.
After the cutscene ended, Idohyeok felt control returning to his body.
The battle didn’t start right away.
“No way! Isn’t this AI going too far?”
With these words, Jian temporarily paused the game.
Ding-
[“General00” has donated 1,000 won.]
-Isn’t it a bit too much, sir from your house?
-For real lol
-Oh, then why not chop it all up with two axes~?
-Honestly, watching someone clear a game without even using a single bullet makes me feel like even if I were an artificial intelligence, I’d get mad lol
-??? : Try breaking this too, human
“No matter what, that’s too much! How am I supposed to break that?”
“Are those guys really that tough?”
“Of course. Everyone around there is a special creature, and while Chloe isn’t as difficult as a final boss, that guy Morder is no joke. In addition to being tough, he apparently goes transparent when attacking.”
Upon Jian’s words, Dohyuk looked inside the cell.
Three giant venomous snakes circling around Chloe.
Their wide-open mouths revealed dozens of sharp teeth reminiscent of saw blades.
They must be Morders.
“They’re visible now. Do they turn transparent only during attacks?”
A guess based on their appearance.
Ring-
[“Gukhipwontop Jieun” has donated 1,000 won.]
-If you shoot them with a gun, the hit area loses its transparency, easy to break.
Just then, a donation confirming that guess rang out.
A donation containing a rough strategy.
‘Shooting them with a gun removes their transparency…’
“Does it have to be a gun specifically? Does it clear if it’s just hit?”
Idohyuk asked.
Although a kind viewer shared a strategy through donation, it seemed unlikely that they could apply it directly.
-Oh.. Oh..
-It has to be shot with a gun…
-We can’t use that method here.
-Why?
-It’s a melee weapon-only mission lol
-If that’s the case, can’t your sister shoot?
-Uhm.. that’s true..
A moment of confusion in the chat.
Viewers who watched the broadcast from the beginning or saw video donations in Black Oak’s room might understand the current situation, but those who only followed Idohyuk’s play that became an issue in the community did not.
Even though Idohyuk had to use melee weapons for the mission, couldn’t Jian shoot around Idohyuk to reveal Morder by shooting?
“Hmm.. that’s a point.”
After quickly scanning the chat, Idohyuk turned to Jian.
Though her equipment slot contained a grenade launcher, a shotgun, and a submachine gun, all of them were there, but…
-There’s a reason the captain hasn’t shot once until now…
-He can shoot, but hitting accurately is impossible lol
-Is he really that clumsy?
-He’s even clumsier than you think
-ㅇㅎ
“Me… Shoot me?”
Jian met eyes with her brother, a look of unease on her face.
The chance she had been waiting for, beyond mere support, had finally arrived.
*Eek!*
Yet, she honestly didn’t feel confident in her abilities. While she had brought all the weapons just in case she needed to farm ammo, the weight felt the same due to the reality mode, making it hard for her to aim properly.
Not to mention, she had to aim at places where Merders might be around to avoid hitting her brother.
On top of that, she had to selectively shoot around the running Lee Dohyuk, who was already hard to hit.
“Just trying to follow with my eyes is tough enough.”
*Gulp-*
Jian swallowed nervously.
But there was no other choice.
Who else could be here besides her?
She was the only one who could help her brother.
In that case…
“Alright. Trust me, brother.”
Jian spoke with a determined face, as if she had made up her mind.
Well, there’s a saying like that, isn’t there?
Even in a state of temporary insanity!
If her brother needed her!
Where would I not go···
“Huh?”
*Swish- Swish- Swish-*
“Oh… Brother? What are you doing?”
“Oh, just in case.”
With a calm face, Lee Dohyuk turned on the equipment slot window and released all the grenades, shotguns, etc., from Jian’s slot.
Even though it was a reality mode, there was some arcade aspect to it, and since it was a two-player game, [Eat Kills Two], viewing and removing the opponent’s equipment was possible.
He spoke up.
“Jian, if you shoot even a gun at me to help, it’ll be a big problem.”
“..Huh?”
Rather than entrusting Jian to reveal the appearance of the Merders, he was actually trying to prevent any such attempts just in case.
Viewers who heard their conversation flooded the chat with laughter.
-hahahahaha
-No way, give her a chance to shoot, lol
-Nah, this is right
-hahahahaha, seriously, where is this going?
-Isn’t this a bit too much?
Of course, there were viewers who didn’t understand such reactions.
At that moment, a viewer’s video donation rang out.
[‘User’ has sponsored 1,000 won.]
-You’ll understand when you see this (video).
“Oh.. Ouch..”
With Ji-an’s startled gasp fading into the background, Lee Do-hyuk pressed play.
[Boom! Sizzle, Puff!]
[······]
At first, it showed Do-hyuk grabbing Ji-an’s neck collar.
Then, the perspective shifted back to Ji-an.
Followed by screams and gunshots.
[Ahh, Ahhh!]
[Ta-da-da Ta-tang!]
[Oof!]
[Ting- Tting-]
And finally, the sound of shell casings hitting the ground.
It was a video that perfectly captured the scene of that day, focusing solely on the highlights.
-?????
-hahahaha lol
-?
-It’s still funny when I watch it again lol
-hahahaha
Thanks to Yeongdo, some viewers were finally able to grasp the current situation.
-If it’s like this, wouldn’t it be a reverse psychology move for the captain to aim at Do-hyuk and shoot somewhere else?
-Oh
-Oh, that’s clever
-Are you a genius?
**
Still, Do-hyuk hadn’t taken away all of Ji-an’s weapons.
“When the battle begins, throw this forward.”
Handing Ji-an the grenade he had tucked away earlier, Do-hyuk explained, “Do you know how to throw it? First, pull the safety pin. Oh! Hold onto this part firmly. And your stance when throwing···.”
“Ugh. I know that much too.”
-Now, this is the click
-hahahahaha
-Somehow, I don’t think the safety pin will be pulled
-No way
-Don’t jinx it
“Seriously, everyone, I’m good with grenades too!”
“That’s right. Our Ji-an is not an idiot.”
-Excuse me?
-You treat him like the biggest idiot?
– She’s kind.
– Oh, hahahaha, she may be foolish, but she’s not a fool.
Nevertheless, Idohyuk reiterated the importance of pulling out the safety pin and throwing it just in case, after starting the game himself. He even mentioned that he would open the bars immediately after starting the game, so they should throw it at that moment.
Click-
Clang-
After that, the pause was lifted.
Soon, the bars opened with a metallic sound.
“Incoming! Catch!”
With a strong shout, Jihan threw the grenade into the bars.
Idohyuk tightened his grip on the two axes in his hands, preparing to leap out with all his might.
‘3.. 2.. Now!’
Thud!
Keeek! Kwaaak-!
Whether it was the trigger for the players to cross the bars or as soon as Idohyuk entered, the creatures all turned to look at him.
The Meders also looked at him, spewing screams from their mouths.
Kwaaah—!
At that moment, a grenade exploded in the air.
Shrapnel shredded into pieces scattered in all directions.
A situation where Idohyuk could have been hit by the fragments.
So, just as viewers were questioning Idohyuk’s entry.
Crack—!
– Huh?
– He went in too quickly.
– Wow.
– Wow.
– ?
– hahahaha.
Before such chat messages could even appear, Idohyuk plunged the ax blade into the creature’s neck right in front of him.
Then, using the dead creature’s body as a shield, he advanced further to block the grenade fragments.
Thud! Thud!
Ignoring the other creatures for now, Idohyuk raced towards the Meders.
The ones who were not currently transparent due to the grenade explosion.
Idohyuk killed them.
Looking at the tongue visible inside the mouth, it didn’t seem very tough, probably not used for attacking.
Merders’ main attack method would be to ambush and consume the player in their transparent state.
‘If that’s all they’ve got, it’s nothing.’
In the past, among the various extraterrestrial species Idohyuk had faced, there was one who, during attacks, changed their molecular structure to let all light pass through, making them transparent.
Although it wasn’t in the form of a snake, it was a terrifying creature made up of dozens of tentacles, even more horrifying than a snake.
Compared to that, facing three snakes didn’t seem like a big deal.
And in reality.
—Hwook!
It was nothing much.
Lee Dohyuk narrowly dodged Merder’s attack.
The axe blade shot straight into Merder’s forehead.
He drove it in deeper, putting more force into it.
Probably where the brain was located.
“No depth.”
It was said that he lacked regenerative abilities.
Instead, he only had tough scales that were hard to penetrate.
That was true.
Even when he put in the effort, the sensation left in his hands was unsatisfactory.
There was a reason for Ji-an’s displeasure.
Perhaps because even with a firearm instead of a close combat weapon, he would have to shoot dozens of bullets directly to cause any impact.
For someone who could even turn invisible, he wasn’t just a boss monster for show.
“Hup!”
Lee Dohyuk exhaled as he pulled out the axe blade.
Simultaneously, he reflexively swung the other axe towards the opposite side.
Thud.
The creature aiming for him had its neck exposed into the air.
It was not just one that had approached him in front, but several zombies.
The creatures rushed towards Lee Dohyuk.
Crack!
Crack!
No matter how much they were zombies, once their heads and bodies were separated, they fell.
Lee Dohyuk dodged the attacks flying towards him, precisely aimed at their necks, and brought down two zombies.
However, there was a cost.
Kweeek-!
Merder, who initially targeted him, raised his head high and screamed in anger.
Seemingly upset from the previous attack.
He had no choice but to let him go while dealing with the zombies.
It seemed unavoidable since it appeared multiple attacks were needed to pierce his scales.
‘If it goes like this···’
A change in the plan seemed necessary.
Taking advantage of the opening created by the explosion of the grenade, he aimed to start by taking down one Merder.
But the scales were tougher than expected, and the numerous zombies were quite cumbersome.
It seemed more prudent to deal with the minions first.
That’s when it happened.
Hook-!
Lee Dohyuk’s head was suddenly knocked to the side.
A sudden movement.
Slightly delayed, had he not tilted his head, his face would have been covered by the thorny tentacles.
A surprise attack by Chloe, who had been quiet until now.
– Wow.
– This is intense.
– Is this guy for real?
– What a physique!!!
– Holy sh*t.
– How did he dodge that?
With just the gameplay so far, the chat had already gone wild.
Viewers pouring out all sorts of admiration.
But it was still too early for them to show such reactions.
Because.
Thwack!
Moving his body forward again, Ido-hyuk leaped forward utilizing his strength.
Axes moved like dancing at his fingertips.
And what followed was a one-sided massacre.
Crack! Breaking the first one’s neck.
Using a zombie’s body as a shield, blocking the onslaught of attacks.
Slash! This time, splitting another one’s skull.
Not a single move showed any error.
As if everything was calculated, avoiding attacks from zombies, Mereders, and Chloe with paper-thin margins, carrying out a slaughter.
Of course, [It Kills 2] being a horror game, the difficulty of dodging creatures’ attacks isn’t that high.
The creatures’ pre-movements are large, and if one concentrates on the attacks, most can react in time.
But what if it’s not just one attack?
If dozens, hundreds of attacks pour down from all directions?
Dodging all of that is beyond estimation.
Moreover, if
Crack! Crack!
Each swing of the axe takes out one at a time.
Cutting off even the zombies’ breaths?
One can only be silently astonished.
“······.”
Hence, even if just for a moment, the chat window stood still.
Thousands of viewers seemed to have made a silent agreement not to chat.
Jian, too, was staring blankly from outside the bars, observing the scene inside.
What broke the silence was Ido-hyuk’s muttering.
“··· This is bad.”
‘It’s more fun than I thought.’
A sense of excitement that comes in extreme concentration.
Although it may not be real, the adrenaline rush pulled up.
Everything feels quite exciting.
Is this how game addiction feels, getting addicted to games?
It was at that moment when Yido Hyuk started having such pointless thoughts.
-Wow
-Wa
-Wtf
-??
-Wow
-This is insane
-?????
-(After killing all the zombies) This is a big deal
-hahahaha there are only bosses left to kill, that’s a big deal
The chat window began to rapidly fill up.