I Became a Gallery Newbie Beloved by Transcendents
Chapter 49
Han Yuseong hurled his body toward the other side of the wall.
In his left hand was a black short spear.
Han Yuseong’s body descended like a bolt of lightning.
He activated protective energy throughout his entire body.
[Magic Body Enhancement Lv.10 – Skill activated.]
To the players, knights, and soldiers, it looked as if a pure white lightning bolt had struck.
He threw the short spear, the black javelin.
The spear was aimed at Kabalax’s central core.
KAAANG!
One. The spear failed to pierce Kabalax’s shell and was deflected.
Han Yuseong’s expression remained completely unchanged.
From the beginning, he hadn’t expected this strike to yield meaningful results.
It was merely an attempt to confuse the creature.
The twenty-four eyes on Kabalax’s head stared directly at Han Yuseong’s descent.
TUK—
Han Yuseong’s feet stomped on Kabalax’s armor-like shell.
At that moment.
PWHOOSH!
Steam hot enough to scorch human skin.
But it had no effect on Han Yuseong, who had deployed an impenetrable protective energy barrier.
A white sword aura flashed from Mundum Exstinguit in Han Yuseong’s right hand.
A dense, net-like sword aura enveloped Kabalax’s body.
Kim Joo-eun watched Han Yuseong’s movements and muttered,
“Dual swords…?”
Unnoticed, the black sword was now in his left hand as well.
The Great Sword Karnavalt and Mundum Exstinguit relentlessly struck Kabalax’s head.
ZZZZT! ZZZT! ZZZT!
Fragments of white sword aura filled the air.
Han Yuseong’s slashes began precisely cleaving the twenty-four eyes.
Kabalax flailed, spewing countless strands of webbing, but all were severed by the two swords Han Yuseong wielded.
Even the sickle-like legs that surged forward met the same fate.
They were all deflected by the sword aura Han Yuseong unleashed with both hands.
Cracks began to form in Kabalax’s shell under Han Yuseong’s sword aura.
CRACK! CRACK!
And the densely packed eyes on its head were effortlessly mutilated, robbing it of vision.
Even though it was a 4th-tier sword aura, the reason Kabalax’s shell and exoskeleton shattered was because all its eyes had been sliced away.
Those watching the battle from atop the wall were speechless, their mouths agape.
‘…He’s different. He’s not someone whose strength I can gauge.’
The German woman, Lena Vogel, realized Han Yuseong was beyond her judgment.
Information.
Han Yuseong was deeply feeling the power of the information given by his seniors in the Transcender Gallery.
ă„´Light’s Sword) Your sword aura can cut through Kabalax’s shell to some extent, but completely bisecting it will be difficult.
ă„´Light’s Sword) The source of Kabalax’s increased defense lies in its twenty-four clearly visible eyeballs. If you completely rob it of vision, its shell will break more easily than you think.
ă„´Light’s Sword) If you try to slice its eyes, scalding steam will gush from gaps all over its body. Block it with protective energy. Layer it thickly.
ă„´Sewer Sword Sage) The reason Kabalax is tricky for swordsmen is that crushing its head won’t kill it.
ㄴSewer Sword Sage) Crush its head, and the shell on its body will break easily. That’s the sequence of destruction. That’s the strategy.
ㄴSewer Sword Sage) And even if you pierce its black heart inside the shattered shell, that alone won’t end it.
ă„´Light’s Sword) “If you just stab it, the heart will split and scatter across its body, and in the blink of an eye, the shattered shell and skeleton will restore—no, reinforce themselves to be even tougher.”
ă„´ Light’s Sword) So when you stab its heart, use a sword aura explosion to completely annihilate it.
The shattered shell of the body.
As Han Yuseong prepared to wrap it up with another surge of sword aura—
SWOOSH!
Two other Kabalax on either side spewed webbing toward Han Yuseong, who was tearing apart their kin’s body. The webbing filled the sky like a dense fog.
Han Yuseong swung both swords horizontally, blocking the webbing’s approach, and unleashed a wave of killing intent from his entire body.
“Wait.”
This killing intent, laced with clear malice, was far different from the warning he had issued earlier to keep the players in line.
CREAK—
“…”
CREAK—
“…”
With their webbing ineffective, the two Kabalax, which had been about to move their mouths and legs, froze in place.
They felt a chilling sensation, as if something far denser than their webbing was crawling over their bodies.
It was an eerie pressure that left them no choice but to halt.
Han Yuseong, having stopped the Kabalax’s charge with his killing intent, refocused on the prey before him.
Through the completely shattered shell, a sinister black heart pulsed.
Storing the Great Sword Karnavalt in his inventory, Han Yuseong wrapped Mundum Exstinguit in a whirlwind-like sword aura.
He detonated the condensed sword aura in a single burst.
Dragon-Slaying Sword Style Blade Explosion, Vortex Flow Section.
KWA-BOOOOOM!
With a deafening explosion, Kabalax’s body collapsed flat.
The blade explosion annihilated the heart before Kabalax could split it to preserve its life.
“…To wield such flawless sword aura with two blades. And to hunt Kabalax alone—just who is he?”
Gerard, the 3rd-rank knight, muttered as he watched Kabalax die in an instant.
Though his voice was low, it reached the ears of both NPCs and players.
And everyone agreed.
Matthew’s body trembled.
Fear.
The reason for this terror wasn’t Kabalax—it was Han Yuseong.
‘What kind of monster did I provoke?’
Before the exchange meeting ended, he had planned to teach Han Yuseong a lesson for shattering his pride.
But the battle Han Yuseong had just shown made him abandon that thought immediately.
“Everyone, snap out of it! That man possesses the martial prowess to single-handedly defeat Kabalax! Assist him! Fire your arrows!”
At Gerard’s words, the soldiers, who had been staring blankly at Han Yuseong, sprang into action.
Han Yuseong had already slain one Kabalax alone.
TWANG! TWANG!
With the soldiers atop the wall firing arrows, throwing spears, and providing siege engine support, there was no way he could lose.
Two more blade explosions erupted in succession.
And so, the lives of three Kabalax were extinguished.
[Level has increased!]
[Lv.37 → Lv.38]
With a dazed expression, Gerard, who had witnessed Han Yuseong’s victory, raised his sword and shouted,
“Everyone, descend and begin repairs outside the castle!”
Han Yuseong shook off the sticky blue blood staining his sword and face.
It was Kabalax’s blood.
As he rested against a giant tree, multiple people approached him.
“I apologize for not recognizing you earlier, great swordsman.”
Han Yuseong tilted his head at Gerard, who suddenly bowed.
“Great swordsman? What do you mean?”
“The might you displayed just now is something only a swordsman of the 5th tier or higher could achieve.”
Gerard’s gaze turned toward the spiders, Kabalax, that had been on the verge of destroying the castle walls.
He had never dreamed that three of them could be exterminated so perfectly before the mages even arrived.
“I wish to offer you compensation. I will speak to the lord—”
Han Yuseong raised his right hand, cutting Gerard off.
His brow twitched.
It couldn’t be helped.
The number of participating players displayed at the far right of his vision had changed.
[ 9 ]
It had clearly been 10 earlier—one had disappeared.
Kim Joo-eun approached Han Yuseong with a stiff expression.
Her lips parted.
“…This, could it be—”
Not just Kim Joo-eun, but all six remaining players were staring at him.
Han Yuseong clicked his tongue.
“Since all seven of us here are alive, it means one of the three players tracking the one controlling these spiders has died.”
Dying in the exchange meeting.
It was no different from dying while climbing the Tower’s floors.
In all exchange meeting themes except “Non-Lethal Duel,” death was permanent.
A variable.
Whether the spider-controller killed the player or it was a PK (Player Kill), there was no time to waste.
Han Yuseong looked at Gerard.
“Do you know where the one controlling these creatures is?”
His urgency caused informal speech to slip out, but no one questioned it.
Gerard was still stunned for other reasons.
“You believe they didn’t attack of their own will?”
“Yeah.”
Gerard pointed toward the forest behind them.
“If there’s a controller…a Puppeteer, they’ll be in that forest.”
“You don’t know exactly where in the forest, do you?”
The forest. That much was already known.
Information provided by the system.
The new detail was the title “Puppeteer.”
“No, I’m sorry. A Puppeteer can hide all traces like a ghost in the forest if they wish.”
The only option was to enter.
Han Yuseong scanned the six players.
“We’re scouting that forest in five minutes. Everyone, prepare your weapons.”
All of them nodded hastily, staring at Han Yuseong’s red mask.
They understood the gravity of the situation.
Distorting the view slightly with the Veil of Secrecy, a rear effect of the Formation Talisman, Han Yuseong took out the Transcender Gallery terminal.
Title: I killed three Kabalax. One player died at the hands of their controller.
Author: Anonymous*
ă„´ There were seven of us here and three chasing the controller, so I thought the controller would be weak. Was it a PK?
A 3rd-rank knight said the controller is likely a Puppeteer. Is that correct?
ă„´ Priestess) It could be either a Puppeteer or a PK.
ă„´ Elf) Yeah, but the former seems more likely.
ă„´ High Elf) The World Tree management is so tedious…
ㄴ Elf) Managing the World Tree takes too much effort—time and people.
ă„´ High Elf declares World Tree management is annoying.
ㄴ Elf) Isn’t it annoying? Why are the standards for elves so strict?!
ă„´ Murder! Murder! Occurred! Occurred!
ă„´ Usually, in missions where teams start separated, no one PKs recklessly. Even lunatics try to assess the situation first.
ă„´ From the perspective of the one who killed three Kabalax, the Puppeteer might be very weak.
ㄴ I didn’t think he’d actually kill all three.
ă„´ Their defense and durability are terrifying.
ă„´ Light’s Sword) Well done.
ă„´ Archmage) A variable. Assess the situation quickly and resolve it.
ă„´ Anonymous*) Is the Puppeteer a mage-type?
ă„´ Archmage) Yes. A dark mage, technically. No special weaknesses… Their power depends on how strong their insect familiars are and their ritual skill.
ă„´ Archmage) Just focus on maintaining your protective energy.
ă„´ Anonymous*) Got it.
ă„´ Absolute Monarch) Are the other players under control?
ㄴ Anonymous*) Yeah, they’re listening now.
ㄴ After beating one up and slaughtering three Kabalax, of course they’d listen.
ㄴ If they don’t listen now, they’re just insane.
ㄴ Dragon King of Demons) Beltuie—you’re right.
ă„´ Ice Queen) If the Puppeteer killed the player, the other two are probably running for their lives! Finding them should be the fastest way!
ă„´ Anonymous*) Agreed.
Han Yuseong agreed with the Ice Queen senior’s opinion.
He stored the terminal in his inventory.
All six players seemed ready to depart.
“Let’s go.”
