Chapter 26

Having fought the King Fist Monkey herself, she was well aware how tough his skin was. Yet Jin-Hyeok had penetrated it like it was butter.

The body of the King Fist Monkey finally stopped convulsing and laid spread out on the ground. He was still breathing, but he wasn't long for this world.

"...didn't you say you were a Streamer?" Ji-Soo asked.

"I am."

"How come a Streamer like you is so skilled at attacking?"

"I just kept an eye out when he ran out of breath. As long as I got the timing right, I could easily penetrate his skin while he was breathing in. As a result, I was able to maximize my damage output."

Right. Timing.

But it wasn't just that. Jin-Hyeok had used his Broadcaster's Barrier Skill offensively rather than defensively.

"You're only talking because you were lucky enough to dodge his attack," said Seo Ji-Soo, who was standing nearby.

As far as she was concerned, the move pulled by Jin-Hyeok was far too dangerous.

It really looked like he had avoided the punch by the skin of his teeth.

"That's how you're meant to dodge attacks," Jin-Hyeok said.

In his experience, one could better capitalize on attack windows if they reduced the amount of movement required to dodge incoming strikes. To put it another way, dodging by the skin of one's teeth was the most effective method.

"There's such a thing as acting too much like you're tough and all that! Keep this up and you'll die for real!"

"I did that because I didn't think I would die."

"Oh, for crying out loud…"

True, this level of intuition could only be instilled in someone through countless experiences and lessons. It was impossible to explain in detail to someone—they need to experience it.

'Hey, to be fair, I still took one hit on purpose, just in case.'

As if analyzing the King Fist Monkey's attack patterns for over an hour wasn't enough, Jin-Hyeok purposefully took one of his attacks head-on to see if he could withstand it. Being able to practice and experiment so much on the battlefield was truly a blessing.

'I can't even call myself a Player if I can't land a proper attack after all that testing.'

Seo Ji-Soo looked dissatisfied as she stood there. Jin-Hyeok's explanation didn't convince her.

"Look, I know you're upset that I took away all the fun," Jin-Hyeok stated emphatically.

"What?"

"But it worked, and that's all that matters in the end, right?"

With a twinge of annoyance, Jin-Hyeok wondered if Ji-Soo was grumbling because she wanted all the fun for herself. He'd held himself back the entire time, only joining in because the timing was too good to pass up, and now he was being chastised for it.

While Jin-Hyeok was debating whether or not to tell Seo Ji-Soo, she was the first to speak up.

"If you were that strong offensively, you could have given us a hand from the start."

"That timed attack was the best I could do."

Jin-Hyeok had chosen to enter the fight at a time when there was an optimal balance of risk and effectiveness.

"At the least, you could have let us know of your plans before you did that. Do you know how much of a shock that gave me? I legit thought you were about to die," Ji-Soo said.

"Do you really think that would've worked?" Jin-Hyeok asked.

"What do you mean?"

"I bet you wouldn't have been able to focus on your own attacks if you always kept an eye out for when I'd move in."

Jin-Hyeok had accurately assessed the sisters' battle capabilities, and he'd concluded that they weren't at the level where he could simply share his delicate plans with them.

That's why he chose to wait for the right moment to jump in on his own, leaving everyone else to focus on their own tasks.

"Do you actually think you would have been able to create that window of attack for me on purpose?" Jin-Hyeok asked Ji-Soo.

"...For some reason, I feel like you're looking down on me."

"I'm just stating the facts as they are."

"..."

"Good," Jin-Hyeok stated.

"What is?"" Ji-Soo asked.

"At the very least, you accept it when someone says something you know to be true. There are many children who are incapable of doing so. It's good to know you have that going for you."

"Enough. Don't bother talking to me. Even if you hadn't told us about your plans, you could have joined us as a three-man team from the start. That would have been preferable to whatever you did."

"As I previously stated, I am a Streamer. My job is to literally record things. Do you honestly believe things would have turned out differently if I had fought with you guys?"

This was something Jin-Hyeok was saying to himself as well as Ji-Soo.

"...You're right. You're a Streamer," Ji-Soo announced.

Seo Ji-Soo didn't go so far as to ask why on earth a Streamer was stronger on offense than she was.

What irked her the most was not so much that, but more so why such a strong Streamer was so unaware of the fact that his own strength just didn't make any logical sense.

'It almost seems like he actually thinks he's on the weaker side.'

And not just that, it seemed as if he was disappointed in his own strength.

The gap between his thinking and reality was truly strange.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Jin-Hyeok approached the still-breathing Alexander—who was hanging on by a thread—and stabbed him in the heart a few times.

It took a few tries to get through because his ribcage was protecting it.

Shuk!

Jin-Hyeok finally pierced through. An insane amount of blood sprayed forth, but he knew that wasn't enough.

Shuk! Shuk!

This had to be done properly. It was only once they had confirmed that the monster was deceased that it was all over.

'Oh, man… I can't help but keep falling back to my nastier habits.'

Jin-Hyeok couldn't help but find it fun to join in the fighting himself.

It was nothing short of thrilling when he narrowly avoided a monster's attack and wielded his blade.

He kept telling himself that he was only participating because it was 'something he could only experience in the lower Levels,' but that just seemed like an excuse. It was just difficult to control something that was a part of his nature.

'Ah, yes… this is satisfying.'

No, hang on. That wasn't right.

Shuk! Shuk! Shuk!

'I'm just following the standard procedure to make sure he's dead. That's what I'm doing.'

Shuk! Shuk! Shuk!

'I don't like doing things like this anymore. I don't.'

That's right. They needed to hear the System notification they were expecting before he could allow himself to stop stabbing, out of protocol.

Yeah, it wasn't because he liked the sensation of it.

The notification they wanted to hear finally came in.

[You have slain the King Fist Monkey.]

Shuk! Shuk! Shuk!

[You have leveled up.]

[You have leveled up.]

Shuk! Shuk! Shuk!

[You are now Level 34.]

'Oh, wow,' Jin-Hyeok thought. 'I've already reached Level 34.'

Shuk! Shuk! Shuk!

'Should I have just streamed everything?'

Streamers were able to Level up quicker depending on the number of viewers and the overall reaction toward their streams. The more viewers, the faster it was.

'Ah, not again!'

He caught himself thinking about the most efficient ways to raise his Level once more. He needed to avoid Leveling up too quickly.

Jin-Hyeok was conflicted in some ways.

'Would it be better to turn off the stream when I'm actually fighting, like today?'

He realized this was a decision he needed to think about carefully. Jin-Hyeok knew he wasn't the most knowledgeable person about streaming, but he did know that he needed to create content that would be sustainable in the long run.

The most he could go playing the way he was now was Level 100, and even if he was a regressor, there was no way he was going to become a real estate owner in Yeonhui-dong by then.

'Yeah, I need to give this one a proper think-through.'

[You have unlocked the Achievement 'All-Clear (Sareoga Mart Dungeon)'.]

'An All-Clear, huh?'

Jin-Hyeok had been expecting an Achievement along those lines at this point. He received two 'First' Achievements after defeating the Big Fist Monkey on the second floor, as it was the first time the monster had been defeated. He predicted that clearing the third floor would result in an even greater achievement.

An 'All-Clear' Achievement was unlocked if a player not only cleared all of a Dungeon's Fields, but also discovered and acquired all of its hidden secrets.

'Damn, All-Clears were scarce even when I was the Sword King.'

Indeed, if Jin-Hyeok had been asked beforehand, he would never have imagined he'd be earning an all-clear at his current Level.

Even if one followed the standard procedure for clearing Dungeons, All-Clears Achievements were rare.

Aside from the exploration itself, a team needed luck and timing to satisfy a variety of odd factors depending on the Dungeon. Overall, it was extremely difficult, if not impossible, to deliberately aim for and obtain an All-Clear.

'Wow, an All-Clear at this Level...'

Jin-Hyeok's heartbeat was speeding up again before he realized it.

He immediately checked his Achievements.

────────────────────

[All-Clear 'Sareoga Mart Dungeon']

An Achievement that is given to those that completed All-Clear Sareoga Mart Dungeon.

1) Mark of the All-Clearer (on activation, appears on: right wrist)

- The Achievement bearer will not be attacked by the monsters of Sareoga Mart Dungeon.

- The Achievement bearer receives a significant boost in all experience gained in Sareoga Mart Dungeon.

2) +1 to Defensive Attributes

- The Achievement bearer may boost the Attributes of one of their defensive abilities.

- The Attributes of the defensive ability that are boosted will differ depending on the ability.

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The rewards for unlocking an All-Clear Achievement did not disappoint him.

The perk of no longer being attacked by monsters was actually quite useful—though its usefulness depended on whether the Player intended to return to Sareoga Mart Dungeon to grind despite having cleared it.

Furthermore, the fact that Jin-Hyeok's experience would be significantly enhanced meant that he could train in this Dungeon and gain a few Levels ahead of time, allowing him to see how he could shape himself as a Player.

'If I train here, I'll be able to see what path awaits me ahead of time.'

True, such a benefit didn't have the same impact it could have because Jin-Hyeok had already reduced himself to the role of a Streamer. However, the opportunity to become more acquainted with the Skills of 'Broadcaster's Truesight' and 'Broadcaster's Barrier' while also gaining experience, experimenting, and brainstorming on how he could mold himself as a Streamer in the future wasn't too bad of a consolation prize in and of itself.

Jin-Hyeok turned on his stream.

"As you can see, we managed in killing Alexander. I received this mark because I received an All-Clear."

He raised his right arm into the camera's, view. A black-colored mark in the form of a band was now imprinted on his wrist.

"It looks like a tattoo, doesn't it? I will now be changing its setting to be not visible."

There was no need to inform everyone he passed on the street that he had an All-Clear Achievement. The band on Jin-Hyeok's wrist faded away the moment he set his mark to be invisible.

"It's worth noting that I also get to boost the Attributes of one of my defensive abilities. I'm not sure what will happen as a result of this. I'm going to try it on Broadcaster's Barrier, which is a defensive Skill right now."

Jin-Hyeok used the attribute boost on Broadcaster's Barrier.

[An attribute boost was applied to Broadcaster's Barrier.]

A moment later, a new buff popped up on the description for the Skill.

Jin-Hyeok recited it to the stream as calmly as possible.

"It says, 'The following attribute has been added: When Broadcaster's Barrier is active, the Player is immune to all physical and other physical attacks received that are under Level 50'... that's good."

Jin-Hyeok maintained his posture when relaying the information to his viewers, but his heart was beating rather fast at the moment.

Which pre-Level 50 monsters had the strongest physical attacks again?