Chapter 123
Curiosity solves something whenever something unknown appears. Even if this is the current state, everything will become known by learning each one by one.
“Should we look for it? Or call it?”
“Call?”
“Didn’t I tell you? This was the mission area for my tutorial.”
Cha Jun Sung explained about the drunk person. The Caicus appeared after he screamed, and it is possible to do this again.
“Always be on alert. It’s 600,000. 2 of them could come out.”
Cha Jun Sung threw the bait.
“We were saying that too because there are too many points for catching 1. How are you going to divide the people up? Half and half?”
When Cha Jun Sung went up to the transmission tower, the party members talked about the mission amongst themselves. Their conclusion was that there are 2 of them and not 1.
“Koharu, Ms. Violet, and me in the front. Jin Hyuk, just harrass.”
“Jun Sung, what about me?”
Kyoko asked. Though she is a medic, she engages in battle.
“You stay in the rear with Hercules and then join in wherever there’s an unexpected situation. Help us concentrate on fighting.”
Kyoko also has a battlesuit. Even though she holds a scalpel, she is strong than a level 4 and can take on a level 5 if she combines her strength with Hercules’.
“Anyone who doesn’t understand?”
There is no one. Fine and detailed? It is more important to know what they each need to do and what their roles are, rather than getting into the messy aspect of it.
It is obvious to help each other in a party, but it is possible to create the best scenario with these people who are plenty able to take care of themselves.
“So let’s call it.”
“It’s a bother to go looking for it.”
“I agree. It’s something for us to be thankful for if it comes looking for us on its own.”
The decision has been made.
They will call the Caicus. It would be better if 1 came, but they do not care even if there are 2. As long as they have an appropriate place for battle, all they have to do is use force.
***
Cha Jun Sung selected an open space where they would be able to go into a concentrated attack if surrounded by mutants.
He thought about the Caicus. A narrow space is bad for it, but it also becomes restricted for the party. He would rather fight so that neither side has that handicap.
If it shows its desire to kill, mutants will be too scared to come out of the buildings. Kawods will be the same, won’t they?
4:2 is a perfect match. The party has become so strong that a 600,000 point mission does not scare them. It is true that the level of difficulty is relative.
[Are you ready?]
Park Jin Hyuk raises his thumb from the roof of a 7 floor building. He distracts the Caicus with his Head Hunter. The 3 people will lead the main battle.
“Let’s start.”
Koharu and Violet breathe. They shake the anxiety and fill that with confidence instead. The two emotions mixed to harmonize their thoughts.
Bang!
Wiing!
Cha Jun Sung threw a noise grenade. It flew hundreds of meters and made noise. If they see a reaction, they will narrow the distance and make it come to them.
Kyak!
As the noise grenade cut off, the mutants made a fuss at the phenomenon. It is out of the blue in the middle of the night.
“It’ll take the bait 100%. It’s pride won’t allow for intruders.”
There are a few reasons for it if it does not take the bait. It either cannot come or is not here, but it must be here because there is a mission.
Kung!
It is intense and thick. A giant’s scratchy roar encroaches the closed area and the chirping mutants quiet.
They were frightened off by the sound of a predator. All living beings treasure their lives, so they must disappear if they are weak.
Bang bang!
Boom boom!
“It’s coming.”
A building collapses and debris flies out. They can hear the screams of the mutants living there. It viciously destroys everything in its path.
“Why is it overdoing it so much?”
Park Jin Hyuk can see the Caicus from his high position.
It is pretty far. Over 1km. He is able to make it out because of the battlesuit’s abilities and the Caicus’ size.
Wiing!
Noise grenades show it the way. Its strides are large, so it goes 1km within seconds. Its body became clear once it was only 100km away.
“It’s not that one.”
Its looks are indistinguishable from a human or animal. But the atmosphere of its physical characteristics are subtly different.
Is it alone? Good. 4:1 – it will only take 10 minutes to handle it if the 4 of them go. Taking them on one by one is better for the party’s safety.
Grr!
“..... Well it was good while it lasted.”
Boom!
A giant monster jumped down from the trees and grass behind Cha Jun Sung. A diversion tactic, they are caught in the rear.
A heavy tree is uprooted and flung across. Cha Jun Sung’s group leapt away to avoid being hit.
Tatang!
Park Jin Hyuk shoots. The Head Hunter’s bullets are unable to pierce through the Caicus’ skin and bounce off. The Caicus is one of the highest of physically strong mutants.
It is an upper level 5 on strength, stamina, armor, and bodily characteristics alone, but it cannot be at the top with just a sturdy body.
That is where the Caicus falls short 2%. There is a better balance as the level becomes higher. Getting closer to level 7 is nearing perfection.
Level 8 is where they become perfect, and level 9 transcends perfection. The Caicus cannot reach the highest level.
“It’s show time.”
Papapat!
It is the one from then – the one that squeezed potential Lifers into a pulp. As soon as Cha Jun Sung pulled back, Koharu and Violet ran forward.
Their opponents were automatically decided.
It is a coincidence that the Caicus that the Cha Jun Sung met approached them from the back. Diversion tactic? It is not related to using their minds.
Not too long ago, the Caicus brothers claimed the area because mutants of comparable strength came near the Closed Area.
A boundary formed around the area. They only met and did not overlap directly, so they just watched each other and pretended the other were not there.
But this guy, no this girl was a female but mated somewhere and had children. Dozens of them at that – it was like cell division.
They grew and became level 3 at some point. Mutants do not have a sense of level, but they instinctively determine strength.
The Caicus brothers felt danger. What if they grow and get unbelievably powerful?
Even if it does not get to that point, they are a bother because there are so many of them. They need to take care of them while they can.
Area invasion. It would not have mattered if they had not known, but if they did it knowingly, they have practiced more than 50% of the intent to kill that area’s owner.
They exterminated them – ripped them apart into pieces. The mother is as strong as the Caicus brothers, but they could handle the children by bleeding them out because they are immature.
It is just that one of the brothers went back to its usual area and one stayed behind to make the area stronger.
That is when Cha Jun Sung entered and set off the noise grenades.
It had wanted to avoid battling for the time being as it is almost completely recovered but the enemy had appeared, so it was extremely angry and acted more wildly than it normally did.
The other Caicus was coming back when the enemy appeared, so it quieted its movement and sandwiched them.
They had unknowingly exposed their backs to them, but nothing has changed.
They already had it in mind that they might need to take on 2 at the same time. The important thing in this situation is only whether or not they win.
***
Bang!
It is above average strength, 100 times that of humans. It swings a large tree around as though it is a stick. Each time they avoid it, there is wind pressure that sounds like it is tearing through the air.
Just like in the virtual version and training room, the Caicus has the human form and employs its extensions well.
It is a tricky weapon when even the weak use it, but it is even cunning when it is with a strong mutant. Its attack range is so wide that they cannot even approach it.
“Do you remember me?”
Kung!
His face is covered by the battlesuit. Even if he were not wearing it, the Caicus would not remember a human’s face. Cha Jun Sung knows this as well.
“The repair costs are a waste, but shall we see some blood?”
The part around the battlesuit’s eyes flash. The battle core thunders. He is going to reproduce the battle from the training room.
Bang!
The tree flashes like an arrow in the speed it is thrown. Cha Jun Sung did not move and faced it instead. It happened in a very short moment.
A kick from his left leg drives force from the booster and bursts through the middle of the tree. The obstacle disappears and the Caicus’ chest is wide open.
“Take one... no a bunch.”
Wiing!
Bang bang bang bang!
Cha Jun Sung approached, stuck to it, and went for the unprotected stomach.
Dozens of stabs went into the steel muscle and gave intense shock. He felt repulsive force against the rubber-like toughness, but he did not give in.
Kuk!
The Caicus straightened its chest and inflated. It is like a wall is coming at him. Cha Jun Sung went flinging out at the unexpected attack.
Bang bang bang!
[Impact 7.5t, battlesuit damage rate 3.9%, system is shaking.]
Chest bump? Stomach bump? There was an error in functionality with an attack that is not use the arms or legs. It would be something to see if he gets caught and thrown.
Tap tap.
Grrr!
The Caicus strokes its stomach. It is bruised. After dozens of blows that could scrap a car, it was only left with bruises.
“It hurts, right?”
They cannot converse, but he can tell that it is in pain. The Caicus’ body is hard. He can only beat it as though he is tendering meat.
He has not taken the Wolf Kill out yet. Its cutting force is incredible but because it is a level D weapon, the energy will drop quickly with that steel lump.
The Caicus had even broken it during training. He intends to use it at a decisive moment. When he can wound it even if he cannot kill it?
Tatang!
Bullets fired from the Head Hunter bother the Caicus’ face. There is an effect because it is comparatively weaker than the muscle armor it has.
Bang!
A grenade comes flying. The Caicus is covering its face, so the grenade explodes against its unprotected stomach. Fragments fly and scratch its skin.
Even after the grenade’s impact, the Caicus’ stomach is fine. The bulging muscles absorbed the shock.
“It’s time to change you too.”
Park Jin Hyuk flew up with the booster and moved to another building. The Caicus threw the building debris around and roared, but could not find him.
Cha Jun Sung is flitting around from below while Park Jin Hyuk is bothering him from above. It is being driven mad by the tantalization.
“That side’s doing well.”
Papapat!
Park Jin Hyuk bought time, allowed Cha Jun Sung some freedom in his movement.
Koharu and Violet are battling much more easily because they are a team of 2. It is obvious that they have the advantage.
Koharu circled the Caicus and concentrated on attacking its lower body while Violet did not think about such things and faced it head on.
Their combat styles are distinctive.
Cha Jun Sung rolled on the ground. The Caicus left Park Jin Hyuk and tried to grab at him. Is it trying to squeeze him like it did with the drunk person last time?
Papat!
It does not adjust its power. There is no room for doubt. It is clearly trying to kill him. It has accepted the fact that Cha Jun Sung is small but powerful.
Tatatang!
It decided on a target. He put Park Jin Hyuk aside and only goes after Cha Jun Sung.
‘It’s fast!’
A giant 10m tall flies up like a butterfly and shoots forward like a bee. It is faster than when it was coming at him with a tree. It has various methods of attacking because it has joints.
It must have a lot of experience fighting because it does not just push forward with its strength, and instead changes its position in a timely manner to make Cha Jun Sung dizzy.
“Damn it!”
He falls behind in basic physical aspects even with a battlesuit, so his bare hands are not enough. He took the Wolf Kill out and swiped it horizontally.
A solid line is drawn across its chest and blood flows out. The Caicus is surprised and crosses its arms to protect the wound. The bruising and blood are incomparable.
‘It’s shallow. It didn’t touch the muscle and only cut the skin a little.’
To compare in terms of humans, it is like making a cut on the finger with a box cutter. It is not truly like that, but there is almost no damage.
Kung?
The Caicus rubs the blood. It is frequently wounded these days.
It is not easy for mutants to easily get past seeing blood. The strong do not see blood. Why? Because they are strong. Only the weak see blood.
The Caicus’ eyes become red. It is going mad. Lifers say that it is going bezerk, and this is where it is a true Caicus.
It puffs out its muscles. As though composed of tens of thousands of threads, the rhythm is clear.
historical
The wound that Cha Jun Sung made becomes covered with the tightened muscles. In battlesuit terms, this is like employing 100% of the power.
It cannot maintain this for a long period of time because it has gathered all of its internal strength in one place, but its battling power is stronger than usual for a short time.
Kung!
As one Caicus roared, the other one went crazy as well. Well, the situation on the other side was worse off.
[Battle core 100% deployed! Booster output rate 100%, battle option in full operation!]
He had not won once against a Caicus of normal strength in the training room. It is too difficult to take on with a basic type battlesuit.
However, it is not a one-on-one this time. Park Jin Hyuk is covering him from the top of a building. He will not be able to avoid getting hurt, but he will not lose.
“We’ll start going through level C with this mission as a starting point.”
They will go forward on skill and reduce the number of workers. The important thing is advancement. Though they have a lot of points, they cannot purchase items from the upper level store.
Knock knock.
Boom!
The Caicus drools as it walks toward him. Its face is full of confidence and eyes say death. From looks alone, it is a bigger monster than the devil.
“Die for me.”
Become a small step for a high place called advancement.