Yong library
# Player with Maxed-Out Talent: Episode 13
Sung Minchul considered meeting Ma Sanghyun to be the greatest stroke of luck in his life. In his view, Ma Sanghyun possessed enormous talent in the art of ‘play’—he was, in a sense, a genius.
“I’ll help you. Let’s go together.”
He vividly remembered those kind eyes that had saved him from being devoured by a goblin. Ma Sanghyun was truly overwhelming among the players. Sung Minchul felt that as long as he was with this man, he would at least be able to survive this ‘abnormal phenomenon.’ He had no doubts. This ‘Tutorial Field’ was a stage meant for Ma Sanghyun.
But the situation had slightly changed. A green muscular mass appeared in the distance. Its name was ‘Magical Troll.’
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Magical Troll. LV ?
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The name was colored red. Not even its level was displayed.
Uwoooh!
The Magical Troll swung its massive fist.
“Kuk!”
Ma Sanghyun managed to block the fist, but the situation didn’t look good. His left arm dangled limply—it seemed dislocated at the shoulder.
“Huff! Huff! Huff!”
Ma Sanghyun looked exhausted. Sung Minchul had barely managed to get up. Blood flowed from his mouth. Beside him lay people who had been struck by that fist and were either unconscious or dead—it wasn’t clear, but he thought they were probably dead. There was no time to check properly. The only ones who were fully conscious at this place were Sung Minchul and Ma Sanghyun himself.
Sung Minchul wiped the blood with his sleeve.
“Damn…”
He had a gut feeling. That he was going to die here. If someone could survive this place, he thought it wouldn’t be him. Not that he hadn’t thought of running away.
[The boss zone has not been unlocked.]
[You can only escape the boss zone within 10 seconds of entering.]
[Escape is not possible.]
But there was no escape.
‘I might… die here.’
No. It was highly likely that they would die here.
‘I’m going to die.’
Fear gripped him. Before coming to the second floor, he boasted with bravado, and now he sincerely regretted that attitude. Ma Sanghyun’s right fist shone with a blue light.
“Uaaaaah!”
He thrust his fist. It hit the green monster, the ‘Troll,’ in the flank precisely. Ma Sanghyun’s punch, which had floored every monster in one hit up to now, had no effect.
Thud!
There was a sound, but the Troll merely scrunched its face a little.
‘Damn it!’
Even Ma Sanghyun felt like he was fighting against a giant wall. And then, another notification sounded.
[New player entering.]
[There is no limit on the number of people.]
[Escape from the boss zone is only possible within 10 seconds.]
Sung Minchul and Ma Sanghyun simultaneously looked towards the escalator. Sung Minchul shouted.
“Run away!”
10 seconds. That’s all the time they had left.
“You can escape within 10 seconds!”
If they didn’t take the escalator within 10 seconds, they wouldn’t be able to leave this place. He saw a young girl in front of him, probably in her early teens. Tears welled up in his eyes.
‘Minah.’
He had a daughter about that age, just starting middle school. The face of his daughter came to mind; the girl in front of him seemed to overlap with the image of his daughter. He hoped the child wasn’t dead. Though she wasn’t his daughter, he still wished for her to live. He hoped she wouldn’t come here, because there would be nothing but a brutal death waiting.
“This thing can’t be beaten, so get out of here!”
Whether the newcomers heard him or not, from a distance, two people appeared from the escalator.
“Please! Just run. Can’t you hear me? Don’t you see this monstrous beast?”
He had walked boldly to this place like them. It was just a tutorial field after all. That’s what he thought. Because Ma Sanghyun was there. Because he was with someone born for this play. That self-confidence shattered in just a minute. The young man was no different. It was evident.
“Don’t be reckless—go back! It’s too dangerous!”
Please, go back. Don’t die in vain in this dreadful place.
Boom!
A sound of an impact echoed. It was the sound of Ma Sanghyun getting hit. He was knocked out by a blow to the head from the Troll’s fist.
Meanwhile, Kim Hyukjin approached even closer.
* * *
“Should have aimed for its left eye,” Kim Hyukjin said.
He walked closer to the Troll, doing so neither too quickly nor conspicuously. Despite its massive size, the creature moved with a swiftness akin to a tiger. Judging that drawing its aggro at this unclear stage would be unwise, he deliberately approached slowly.
Amidst the cries that sounded like desperate pleas to “Run away!” he ignored them and continued. As he neared, information about the ‘Troll’ appeared above its head.
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Magical Troll. LV ?
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Its name was marked in red. This means it’s definitely not an easy monster for Kim Hyukjin to catch. Rather, it’s difficult.
Far away, he saw Ma Sanghyun who had been knocked unconscious.
‘A monster counter to the ‘King of Fists’ Ma Sanghyun.’
Trolls are creatures with an incredible pool of life and, not to mention, their durability is remarkable. Moreover, regarding ‘fist attacks,’ they have even greater resistance. And with the boss monster bonus considered, it was definitely a tough opponent. For a boss monster, continuous damage needs to be accumulated.
[‘The Nameless Observer’ is watching you.]
[‘The Old Lady of the Scales’ is watching you.]
Even the guardians seemed to think that the current Kim Hyukjin couldn’t defeat the Troll. However, Kim Hyukjin did not retreat. Instead, he continued to advance. Notifications flooded to Kim Hyukjin.
[‘The Nameless Observer’ looks forward to your next action.]
[‘The Old Lady of the Scales’ admires your heroic demeanor.]
The Nameless Observer appeared to be interested in understanding how Kim Hyukjin would defeat the Troll, and The Old Lady of the Scales seemed to look forward to seeing how he would rescue the survivors. Although the two guardians had slightly different expectancies, the fact remained the same—it was imperative to beat down the Troll.
Kim Hyukjin pulled out his ‘Steel Sword’ and checked his ‘Slots.’
‘I’ve understood how to use it.’
By using a slot, potions can be used without manual intake. Items moved to a slot can be used instantly with just a thought. It’s like the hotkey in a game.
‘I’m all set.’
His heart was racing. Normally, this was a place he would have never entered. However, Kim Hyukjin now had an ‘Item Shop.’ Potions exist.
‘The defense is high, but its offensive power isn’t that strong.’
For example, most of Ma Sanghyun’s party survived. They’re almost in a comatose state, lying down. The Troll doesn’t even have the intelligence to analyze whether they are knocked out or dead. The Troll can be defined as a dumb monster with great stamina and health.
Kim Hyukjin said, “Sunhwa, those people. They’re not dead yet. They’re not corpses.”
“What?”
Sunhwa was slightly startled and her face blushed a little.
“I-I didn’t think they were dead! Really! I didn’t have any bad thoughts.”
“It’s not about that. Here. Put this in their mouths.”
He handed her a recovery potion. He had bought a generous amount from the Item Shop. With this, they should at least be able to survive. It was his last bit of conscience after having ignored the deaths of so many. He wasn’t planning on dying for them, but he could at least try to save those who were dying.
‘This is all I can do.’
It was up to them to survive here. He added one more thing.
“If by any chance they regain consciousness, tell them not to move and to stay still. Tell them not to attack.”
“Got it.”
After ensuring he had done all he could, Kim Hyukjin looked forward once more.
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Magical Troll. LV ?
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The Hulk-like creature. The Magical Troll also looked his way.
‘Such a creature was defeated by the past ‘King of Fists.”
In the past, it was Ma Sanghyun who had defeated this creature. Of course, there were differences. Everyone except Ma Sanghyun would die in this place. And the Junior Boss monster, the Goblin Soldier, it was likely Ma Sanghyun hunted it as well.
‘As a result, the Tutorial’s ‘King of Fists’ has become weaker as I’ve gotten stronger.’
Thus,
‘I’m not strong enough for the current situation.’
Ma Sanghyun was still unconscious. Careful not to provoke the Troll too much, Kim Hyukjin approached closer.
‘The stamina and movement speed are fast, but the attack speed is slow.’
There’s no significant method to exploit. Slowly. You have to accumulate damage over a long period of time. If we can hold out long enough, potions will make that possible.
Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!
The muscular body began to approach. It was fast.
[‘Outstanding Hunter’ title effects are applied.]
Whoosh!
Kim Hyukjin dodged the swiftly swinging colossal fist.
But even to Kim Hyukjin’s eyes, the fist was glaringly obvious. He couldn’t read its next move completely or predict the trajectory perfectly,
‘Attack trajectory is visible.’
At least in this moment, how the fist was being swung was clearly visible.
‘Just duck slightly.’
Whoosh-!
The fist of the Magical Troll grazed past his hair. Fitting for a creature of its size, there was a certain powerful momentum, but as long as it didn’t hit, it was harmless.
Kim Hyukjin stabbed swords towards the Troll’s abdomen.
‘As expected, it doesn’t work.’
Just like Kim Hyukjin read the movements of the Troll, it, too, appeared to read Kim Hyukjin’s movements. Their speeds seemed evenly matched, with neither clearly superior or inferior. Under the buff of ‘Outstanding Hunter’ title effects, there was parity.
‘Okay.’
He opened the status window.
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[Status Window]
Name: Kim Hyukjin (Player)
Level: 15
Titles: [Outstanding Hunter] [The First Pioneer]
Strength: 17 Intelligence: 17
Dexterity: 17 Sense: 17
Stamina: 17 Mental Power: 17(+30)
Bonus Stats: 2
Random Stats: 4
Remaining Stats: 6
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Currently at Level 15. Oddly enough, the random stats kept on adding, causing my own stats to differ from the usual Level 15 player. If compared to a normal level player, it would be a minimum of 20.
‘Remaining stats are 6.’
When facing the Lycansthropos, he tried using the ‘Strength Elixir.’ At that time, he experienced firsthand how significant a ‘+6’ effect could be.
‘Invest everything into Dexterity.’
The creature has a solid stamina, not ‘Armor’ that is undeniably tough to penetrate.
[Dexterity has increased.]
…
…
[Dexterity has increased.]
With Dexterity increased by +6, the current Dexterity is 23. As his Dexterity rose, his body felt lighter, and the movements of the Troll were read more accurately, with Kim Hyukjin gaining a slight advantage in speed.
Woooh!
The Troll swung its fist. Kim Hyukjin dodged and stabbed repeatedly, starting the Troll hunt with a somewhat precarious look. From afar, Sung Minchul watched the scene, astounded.
‘Ma Sanghyun was helpless against it, yet…’
Not only Ma Sanghyun, but also the dozen or so people here could not lift a finger against this monster. He was facing it alone. Although it seemed precarious as if he might fall at any moment, he was nonetheless hunting down the Troll.
‘A solo kill?’
Extraordinary beyond extraordinary (天外天). Is there really a heaven above heaven? That’s how Sung Minchul felt.
‘How is this possible?’
They played the game for the same amount of time. How could he alone handle this monster?
‘Is that… a real genius?’
A talent so overwhelming it reduces even the genius he thought to be Ma Sanghyun to a mere mortal. A talent that demotes geniuses to the ordinary, unreachable by effort alone, possessing some capability or power beyond that. That seemed to be within that man.
At that moment, this was how Sung Minchul perceived the situation. An hour passed.
* * *
Blood dripped continuously from the Troll’s left eye. Kim Hyukjin panted heavily.
“Huff… Huff…”
Level estimated to be over 25. Including the boss monster modifier, the health of the ‘Magical Troll’ was beyond imagination. Yet, Kim Hyukjin wasn’t all that anxious.
‘I can do this.’
While fighting the Magical Troll, Kim Hyukjin had another realization. It wasn’t an impossible creature to hunt. It is believed among tutorial-level players to be unsoloable, but that’s not the case.
‘Surely, it can be captured.’
It’s not through trickery, but by proper battle strategies. Maybe I am indeed a genius. Amidst the fight, Kim Hyukjin could clearly feel this.
[Using a Low-grade Health Potion.]
[Using a Low-grade Health Potion.]
Of course, it wasn’t solely my talent and strategy that got me this far. There was no doubt that item effects played a part. More precisely, it was ‘potion effects.’ If two potions are used at once like this, that’s the level of strength you would reach with potions; without them, Kim Hyukjin would have fallen long ago. However, the end was now in sight.
‘The end is in sight.’
Affected by the ‘Magical Troll’s’ special ability, the others still hadn’t thought of getting up. Still in a comatose state an hour later. If they or Ma Sanghyun would wake, it could provide some assistance, but regardless, the end was near. As tired as Kim Hyukjin was, so was the Troll.
[Magical Troll’s ‘Regeneration’ ability is being extinguished.]
The Troll was no longer capable of regenerating. This was the result of an hour-long bloody battle. Another 10 minutes passed, and Kim Hyukjin tightly gripped the hilt of the sword.
‘The final blow will come later.’
He had to wait. It was a moment to bide time. Just a little longer, and the whole picture along with the puzzle would be complete. The final point to the image Kim Hyukjin had been painting was nearing.
But then, an unforeseen variable occurred.