# Player with Maxed-Out Talent, Episode 80

I looked at the ‘Orc Warrior’, bellowing a predator’s roar in the distance. Its level appeared as ‘?’ to me right now.

‘The brute’s probably around level 40.’

That would be a fair guess. While I couldn’t ascertain it visually, I have a very useful skill called ‘Sensory Eye’.

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[Monster]

Name: Orc Warrior

Level: 41

Race: Orc

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The level was 41. The one showing up this time wielded a massive ‘axe’.

‘This is good.’

A type similar to Kim Taecheon. An enemy that crushes with strength, holding the power of a heavy strike.

‘The kids are doing great, too.’

Now all that’s left is for me to do my part. It’s not the time for me to maintain the position of an ‘observer’. I need to act decisively to capture this creature.

I focused my mind. Its level was 41, and mine was 30. In reality, if there’s a gap of about 10 levels, soloing without a special strategy is nearly impossible. That’s the conventional wisdom. The ‘Orc Warrior’ doesn’t have a fatal weakness like the Lycanthros Wolf.

‘I had the help of paralysis poison last time.’

Dozens of mutant wolf fangs were hammered into the orc’s body, restricting the Orc Warrior’s movement, which I then hunted. But this time, I don’t have that. I must confront the beast head-on.

‘One hit and I might die.’

That’s a possibility if I’m unlucky. But the situation has changed from before.

‘I didn’t have a set of Orc Warrior’s gear back then.’

Now it’s different. I possess the Orc Warrior set.

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Partial Set Effect: Defends against one unbearable physical attack per day, provided the attacker’s level does not exceed 30. If the level is above 30, the intensity of the attack determines the degree of damage reduction applied.

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Complete defense is impossible. However, there is definitely a ‘damage reduction effect’.

‘It’s an item useful even in the intermediate levels.’

I’m wearing three pieces of that gear.

‘I should be able to take at least three hits.’

I never thought about catching it without damage. It’s a strategy of sacrifice; giving up flesh to take the bone.

‘As long as I avoid the vital spots, I won’t die in one hit.’

I continued to approach the Orc. The aggro of the other orcs was completely caught by the others. I only moved with the Orc Warrior within my focus.

However, I felt strangely light on my feet. It’s hard to articulate, but it was certainly the case. The Orc Warrior drew closer. It looked at me too, possibly recognizing me as its ‘prey’.

‘This time… let’s go with a straightforward approach.’

Many Guardians were focused on this moment. I chose the conventional method on purpose. Our average level was barely in the early 30s.

‘I’ve shown plenty of unorthodox tactics until now.’

A textbook execution of defeating the Orc Warrior. This would surely excite the Guardians. It might hurt a bit, but it was definitely doable.

‘Here I go.’

Krrraaaack!

The Orc Warrior, screaming its battle cry, slung the axe over its shoulder and began to charge. It was like a great bison charging at me.

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!

As it ran towards me at this moment,

I still read its movements through the Observer’s Eye.

[‘Observer’s Eye’ is observing the target.]

The scene became clear in my head. The tutorial field. The time the Magic Troll attacked me. It was a similar situation to then. That time, I overcame the ‘Death Sentence of Hyper Sense’.

‘That feeling from back then.’

Back then, Hyper Sense visualized all sights my eyes couldn’t see. According to its ability, my head should have been crushed by the Magic Troll’s club.

Just like then, the scene naturally played out in my mind.

‘I see it.’

How a level 40 monster would move became clear.

‘I’ll need to dig in to the left from here.’

The path was visible.

* * *

Kim Hyukjin moved quickly to the left as he had conceived. He instinctively calculated the distance and speed of the incoming Orc Warrior, luring it to swing its axe towards him.

Whoomp-

The axe cleaved through empty air.

For a brief moment, the Orc Warrior staggered. It lost its balance from swinging the axe too fiercely.

Kim Hyukjin brandished his sword, still intending to face-off directly. But groundwork was needed before that.

‘First, I need to rile it up a bit.’

Bam!

It made a sound like striking leather with a blunt weapon. Kim Hyukjin’s sword didn’t pierce the Orc Warrior’s rib leather. He didn’t intend to. The goal was to excite it.

Krrraaaack!

The Orc Warrior was enraged. The idea that a prey, a mere morsel, could move so swiftly was intolerable to it.

The Orc Warrior roared out.

“Chweeek! Eats… all! Eat! Eats… all!”

Sin Yeonseo watched Kim Hyukjin while dealing with other orcs, glancing over occasionally. As the orcs, suppressed by Kim Hyukjin’s force (霸氣), weren’t so difficult to handle. Although she trusted Kim Hyukjin fully, she still felt a slight worry.

‘Huh?’

But something seemed off.

‘That movement just now…’

Kim Hyukjin’s movements. They felt so familiar.

‘Cheonmabibo (天魔飛步)?’

Her own lightness skill, Cheonmabibo, it was somewhat similar to it. While it wasn’t perfectly Cheonmabibo, it had slight resemblances. It made her wonder if Kim Hyukjin was also training in Cheonmabibo.

‘No, it’s not Cheonmabibo.’

It was subtly different from Cheonmabibo. How to put it… It was more muscle-bound and forceful. Fundamentally, ‘Cheonmabibo’ carries the name ‘lightness skill’, not ‘footwork’. The lightness skill Sin Yeonseo understood allowed for rapid movement or to operate even in places where it’s very difficult to step.

Sin Yeonseo jabbed with her sword.

“Hyaaah!”

She precisely stabbed an orc’s neck. At the same moment, she felt something.

‘If I transformed Cheonmabibo into footwork, it would feel something like this…’

The idea crossed her mind that if the movement-focused ‘Cheonmabibo’ was utilized more like combat-centric ‘footwork’, that would be the sensation it gives.

Her feeling was almost accurate to reality. Kim Hyukjin, unbeknownst to him, was instinctively emulating her movements observed through his ‘Observer’s Eye’, without anyone teaching him or his own intentions to do so. His body just responded automatically.

The Orc Warrior screamed.

“Krrraaaack!”

Despite trying to remove the ‘metal rod’ lodged into its mouth, it failed. It was firmly embedded in the roof of its mouth and jaw. The Orc Warrior’s weakness: its open mouth.

Enraged, the Orc Warrior unleashed its innate ability.

[Orc Warrior’s unique ability, ‘Orc Fear’, has been activated.]

‘Orc Fear’ weighed down on Kim Hyukjin.

[Force (霸氣) resists ‘Orc Fear.’]

He wasn’t completely free from its influence. Kim Hyukjin intuitively felt his movements slowing down.

‘And here’s where my shoulder would be smashed.’

He closed the distance. The Orc Warrior swung its axe down hard from above. Kim Hyukjin clenched his teeth. He’d rushed a bit when he lodged the metal rod into the Orc Warrior’s mouth, expecting to allow the attack.

‘Just need to dodge vital spots.’

He evaded the edge of the axe. He allowed his shoulder to meet with the axe’s ‘shaft’ rather than the ‘blade’ – like being hit by a club.

Thump!

A resounding impact followed.

[The partial set effect of the Orc Warrior activates.]

[Damage is reduced.]

Decked in the Orc Warrior’s items and mitigating the blow with the ‘Partial Set Effect’, the shock was still tremendous despite not shattering his shoulder.

“Kkuk!”

A groan leaked from Kim Hyukjin. Fortunately, his shoulder wasn’t annihilated, thanks to the partial set effect.

‘The attack doesn’t end here.’

Now was the time when the Orc Warrior would instinctively throw punches at him. The Observer’s Eye visualized it – the fist was aiming for Kim Hyukjin’s temple.

‘Can’t avoid it.’

Sacrificing for the metal rod investment.

‘Take that and… get hit one more time.’

He couldn’t afford to use ‘Form-Shift Maneuver’ from his current stance or state. Like raising a guard in martial arts, he protected his temple, bracing for the impact.

‘Wait.’

When there appeared to be no other way but to defend, another path suddenly revealed itself. In that split-second, he made his judgment.

‘The beast’s belly!’

Kim Hyukjin kicked at the Orc Warrior’s abdomen. Not to deal damage, but as he kicked, he was pushed backwards.

Whoomp-

The Orc Warrior’s fist missed and cut the air.

‘I dodged it.’

It was a close brush. Like a giant boulder flying past.

‘If it had hit…’

Despite being on guard, the impact would have been considerable. He rolled backward to distribute the force and ended up tumbling on the ground. Rolling on the ground wasn’t a graceful sight, but it was definitely better than taking the hit.

Kim Hyukjin was caught by a strange sensation.

‘This feeling… What is it?’

There had been no path. Defense was the only option. But naturally, a way presented itself. As if his instincts had reacted on encountering the situation. But he couldn’t dwell on this feeling for long.

‘It’s visible again.’

He saw it. An orc, still unrecovered from swinging and missing, exposed and enraged.

‘The orc’s mouth.’

The mouth was visible.

‘In this state…’

Should he use ‘Form-Shift Maneuver’? If he failed to land a critical strike, he’d be counterattacked right away. There was no time for long thoughts. The Orc Warrior’s moment of vulnerability was fleeting. An instant, as minuscule as a speck of dust, couldn’t be missed. A perfectly safe attack never exists, especially when facing someone stronger.

When facing the strong, a bit of risk is necessary.

[Special skill. ‘Form-Shift Maneuver’ activated.]

A line. The shortest route connecting two points. He moved along that trajectory, closing the distance instantly. As if through a telescope, the Orc Warrior’s blood-red mouth became clear.

‘With the speed of Form-Shift Maneuver…’

This velocity, if managed, could wield incredible destructive power. This speed, coupled with his weight and strength, could exploit the orc’s weak point, dealing serious damage. The orc’s mouth became a ‘point’.

‘I puncture that point.’

Kim Hyukjin was unaware that he was embodying the state of ‘Sword-Body Unison’ as a ‘Observer’s’. He replicated what he had seen from Sin Yeonseo, a ‘Swordsman’, despite the difference in their classes. Yet, he presented a new realm.

Sswift!

With a sound of cutting through the air,

Pffft!

Kim Hyukjin’s sword pierced through the Orc Warrior’s mouth, protruding out the back of its neck.

“Kwuak!”

The Orc Warrior spewed a cry of pain. In anguish, it flailed its arms aimlessly.

Thump!

Kim Hyukjin took a punch. Pain surged through his wrist. It wasn’t a vital hit nor a weighty strike. It was just a glancing blow, yet the damage was significant.

‘My wrist might be fractured.’

He kicked the Orc Warrior again like before, widening the distance. He took a quick survey of his surroundings.

‘Everyone else… is finishing up.’

They played their parts well, befitting the heroes of the future. If even one of them had been missing, this encounter would’ve been nearly impossible.

Pant! Pant!

Between heavy breaths, Kim Hyukjin spoke.

“Do you remember my last order?”

As Kim Hyukjin finished his sentence, the waiting Gwak Taeun and Kang Sanggu sprang into action. Kim Hyukjin steadied his breath and looked at Senia. Senia’s expression was still emotionless.

‘I said I would make this play, Senia.’

It wasn’t idle talk. He couldn’t move the Guardians with lies or deception. If he had promised a demonstration, he had to deliver.

‘If we’re showing them a straightforward fight, we show them one.’

Even up till here, it was a decent spectacle. A level 30 player fought head-on against a level 40 Orc Warrior and held a fairly favorable position.

But Kim Hyukjin wasn’t satisfied.

‘The climax… starts now.’

The climax of the quest bet by the cowboy from Las Vegas, the valiant Lion King, and the whispering demon had arrived.

Toward the climax orchestrated by Kim Hyukjin.