HACKED 91

‘Why of all things.’

San Gun clicked his tongue. 1 versus 3. Even that was a burdensome situation, but of all things, two of the three enemies he faced were his worst possible matchups.

On top of that, the enemy unit possessed a damnably annoying formation bonus called ‘Hunter’s Pride.’ Overlapping disadvantages bound him like shackles. It felt as if he were fighting with his limbs tied.

Clang! Ka-clang!

The bamboo spear wielded by <The Silver Grass Flower of the Warring States Period> clashed with San Gun’s blade. Sparks flew.

Since it was a spear carved from bamboo, it should have normally split when struck by a sword, but there wasn’t even a scratch on the Silver Grass Flower’s bamboo spear. San Gun’s body was pushed back slightly.

Comparing simply by strength stats, San Gun was higher. However, ‘Hunter’s Pride,’ which granted weights to all stats, and ‘Ochimushagari,’ which increased attack power against enemies using longswords, temporarily empowered the Silver Grass Flower.

Commoners whose villages were burned, resources plundered, and livelihoods lost after being caught in the power struggles of high-ranking people. Those who were always in the position of being hunted eventually rose up, filled with resentment and a desire for revenge. They rose to hunt those who acted as if carrying a sword gave them some grand privilege, and those who felt no guilt even after killing a commoner in the middle of the road in broad daylight.

Thus, finally, the hunter and the hunted were reversed.

The Incarnation originating from that is <The Silver Grass Flower of the Warring States Period>. An Incarnation possessing a nature that doggedly pounces on enemies who are socially and physically stronger than themselves. In many ways, they were the polar opposite of San Gun.

The <Chakho Gapsa>, whose duty is to hunt and kill tigers, went without saying.

“You beast, where do you think you’re running to!”

While San Gun was fending off the Silver Grass Flower’s attack, the sound of a net woven from iron mesh cutting through the air was heard from the other side. It was the <Chakho Gapsa>.

Swish!

As if he completely saw through San Gun’s movements, he threw the net precisely at the spot where San Gun would take his next step.

San Gun tried to swing his sword to strike away the iron net. However, there was someone who did not miss that momentary opening. The Myeong-shooter, who had been waiting for the timing from behind, raised a crossbow and fired a bolt.

“Ugh!”

Because he twisted his body to dodge at the last moment, the bolt did not lodge in his body. However, the clothes where the bolt grazed passed were torn, and blood seeped out.

“Damn it…!”

San Gun scowled and bared his fangs. A ferocious growl escaped from him.

Anger at being hit by such an attack took precedence over the pain from the injury. It was pathetic how these guys, who would be nothing if set apart, moved as if they had planned it in threes to tighten the siege. He even felt a sense of humiliation, as if he had truly become a mere prey.

But the moment he tried to regain his stance, a large silhouette appeared behind his back.

That figure was remarkably agile compared to its massive size. He burst into the battle with a movement closer to flying in rather than jumping in.

“It’s nice and bustling. Isn’t there anyone here who wants to go a round of wrestling with me!”

A giant man with wheat-colored hair and light blue eyes. It was <The Bloodless Dokkaebi>.

Thump!

The Dokkaebi landed spiritedly in the middle of the battlefield. At the appearance of a new opponent who looked formidable, the Chakho Gapsa, Myeong-shooter, and Silver Grass Flower flinched and backed away.

The Dokkaebi, whose eyes were sparkling with a competitive spirit, saw San Gun—specifically, the blood on San Gun. His face, which was already on the fair side, turned even paler.

“Ack, it’s blood! Tiger, why are you bleeding?”

“Why do you think?”

San Gun responded indifferently, wiping the blood splattered near his chin with the back of his hand. The Dokkaebi made a crying face and crept backward.

“Don’t come closer. Ugh, I really hate blood….”

“Ah, honestly. Mister Dokkaebi! How can you get scared in a situation like this!”

The voice of a girl shouting in frustration echoed through the hallway. However, the owner of the voice itself was nowhere to be seen.

“What kind of brat is this now?”

The Silver Grass Flower huffed and looked around. Far down the hallway, there was a human figure that looked like a black dot.

‘She’s so far away… but why does the voice sound like she’s speaking right in front of me?’

He blinked his eyes once while harboring the question. But hadn’t the figure, which was clearly several dozen meters away, become significantly closer in that short time?

“…Eh?”

Thump. Thump. Thump.

Every time he blinked, the figure approached with frame-skipping movements. It was a girl with black short hair and a pale face. The girl finally approached right before his nose and….

“Gasp!”

The Silver Grass Flower was startled out of his wits. The next moment, the girl’s figure had vanished without a trace.

A simple movement that only startled the opponent and couldn’t inflict any damage. As a 1-star, <Sickly Model Student>, this was the best she could do. However, it was enough to give San Gun and the Dokkaebi time to catch their breath.

“Heave-ho! Come at me all at once!”

The Dokkaebi made fists with hands the size of pot lids and gallantly thumped his chest. He instinctively noticed the fact that San Gun was unusually unable to use his strength against the Chakho Gapsa and the Silver Grass Flower.

“Tiger, what’s wrong? You’re much more withered than usual. Is it because of those bastards? Fine! I’m being generous. I’ll help you!”

The Dokkaebi used his large frame to block their path. A massive wall made of muscle stood in front of the two old men, the Chakho Gapsa and the Silver Grass Flower.

The two old men were veterans hardened by numerous battles, but in terms of physique alone, they were the average for Asians of that era. They were smaller than the Model Student, who was around 160cm. Once the Dokkaebi decided to commit to physical combat, San Gun wasn’t even visible in their sight.

The situation where San Gun was being unilaterally driven into a corner improved slightly. However, the difference in power remained the same. On top of that, <The Origin of the Amazons> joined in from this side.

“That bastard, I wondered where he popped off to after fighting for a while, and here he was!”

<The Origin of the Amazons> threw a spear toward the Dokkaebi. The spear, with its tip sharpened to a point, flew at a terrifying speed.

“But you won’t wrestle with me!”

The Dokkaebi dodged it by nimbly performing a somersault even with his large bulk.

“You dodged this? Then try dodging the next one too!”

<The Origin of the Amazons> drew a sword and rushed at the Dokkaebi. His movements were fast and aggressive. The Dokkaebi focused on blocking that attack. In the meantime, a bolt fired by the Myeong-shooter struck his shoulder.

“Argh!”

The moment he saw the blood flowing down his arm, he froze up.

Passive Skill: ‘Hemophobia’

: A monkey’s butt is red. Red is… blood? Blood is scary!

Morale decreases when seeing or coming into contact with blood. The greater the amount of blood, the stronger the morale-decreasing effect, and there is a certain probability of falling into the status ailment ‘Fear.’

The Dokkaebi is an Incarnation specialized in close-range physical attacks, boasting overwhelming strength particularly in physical brawls where bodies clash. If it comes to hand-to-hand combat, he can even pick up and throw a 5-star Incarnation.

Furthermore, he has the ‘Trickster’ trait, allowing him to use illusions and sorcery. He is a broken character who has insanely strong physical attack power while also using magic.

However, he had a fatal flaw…. It was that he would cause a panic with a certain probability if he saw blood or touched blood.

[<The Bloodless Dokkaebi> falls into the status ailment ‘Fear’.]

“Scary, it’s scary….”

The Dokkaebi sat down on the spot, trembling. He fidgeted before pulling out the bolt stuck in his shoulder. As he did, the amount of blood flowing from the wound increased even more.

“Ugh, gack!”

Seeing the stream of blood spurting out vigorously, the Dokkaebi became almost fainted while sitting.

“For a male, you fought quite well. But it ends now.”

Seeing that, <The Origin of the Amazons> was certain of victory. He raised his sword to deliver the final blow toward the Dokkaebi’s heart.

It was at that very moment.

[<The Hunter Hunted by Divine Punishment> temporarily loses the ‘Hunter’ trait.]

The notification window is not visible to the Incarnations. However, they could know instinctively. That something bad had happened to their comrade.

“Hmm?”

<The Origin of the Amazons> made a puzzled sound. It wasn’t just him. The Myeong-shooter, the Chakho Gapsa, and the Silver Grass Flower also felt an ominous sensation and flinched.

[The activation condition for the formation bonus, ‘All unit members possessing the Hunter trait,’ has failed to be met.]

[The formation bonus ‘Hunter’s Pride’ is deactivated.]

The formation bonus that had been reliably supporting them vanished in an instant.