The All-Time Best Talent was F-Class Purification - Chapter 52

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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52
Chapter 52 – An Elite Talent Awakened as an F-Rank Purifier
Grrr… snap, snap.
The sound came from behind a pile of garbage in the corner of the Alley. A Spike Hound that hadn’t managed to descend was rummaging through a trash bin, greedily devouring food scraps. Its fur was matted and soaked with residual gas, and its movements were noticeably sluggish.
Lee Seung-ryong placed his hand on the hilt of his sword and gave me a meaningful look.
‘Should I take care of it?’
I shook my head.
‘No. There’s no need to provoke it and cause a commotion. Let’s just pass quietly.’
We held our breath and circled around behind it. Fortunately, the creature was too focused on eating to notice us.
After thirty minutes of movement, we arrived at the Abandoned Building Rooftop near the Third Cargo Unloading Facility, our target location. From here, I could see the pillar where I’d hidden the Moon Rover.
“There it is.”
I crouched behind the railing and peered down. The Loading Dock clearing, now that the Mist had cleared. Fortunately, the Moon Rover I’d camouflaged with vines appeared intact. It looked like a massive pile of vegetation, which had apparently failed to attract the monsters’ attention.
“Phew, thank goodness. The vehicle looks fine.”
Lee Ji-young exhaled in relief.
“But… we have a problem.”
Seo Eun-ha gestured downward with her chin.
“What is that thing? Why didn’t it leave?”
Directly in front of the vehicle, something massive was sprawled inside a mud pit.
[Variant: River Ogre]
[Rank: B-]
Its skin was damper and slimier than a regular Ogre. The creature had submerged itself halfway into the mud pit where the gas had dissipated—like a hippopotamus in a swamp.
“It’s taking a mud bath. Of all places, right in front of the vehicle…”
I paused to consider our options.
The distance between the creature and the vehicle was barely five meters. If we descended and removed the camouflage, then opened the car door, it would react in less than a second.
“What do we do? Should we fight?”
Park Jae-jung asked, tightening the straps on his shield.
“No.”
I shook my head firmly.
“It’s B-Rank. We could win, but eliminating it silently is impossible. If the battle drags on, other stragglers will swarm us, and more importantly…”
I checked my watch.
“We have less than an hour before the gas rises again. If we waste time here, we’re all dead.”
“Then what do we do? Abandon the vehicle?”
Han Su-jin asked anxiously.
“No. We need to make it move away.”
I rummaged through my backpack and retrieved the monster lure blood capsule I’d received from Lee Seung-ryong. The red liquid sloshed inside the glass vial.
“Lee Seung-ryong.”
“Yes, Director?”
“Are you… confident in your throwing accuracy?”
“I played baseball when I was younger. I’m confident in my aim.”
“Perfect. That creature is probably hungry right now. We’ll lure it away with an irresistibly delicious scent.”
I handed the capsule to Lee Seung-ryong and pointed toward the collapsed Commercial Building on the opposite side of the Ogre.
“Throw it inside that building. As deep as you can. When it breaks, that thing will react.”
“Understood.”
Lee Seung-ryong took the capsule and positioned himself. His expression turned serious. This was no mere errand—it was a gambit with our party’s fate hanging in the balance.
“Park Jae-jung, Eun-ha. The moment it moves, we run. Cover me while I unlock the car and start the engine.”
“Got it. If the engine doesn’t turn over, I’m torching that car.”
Seo Eun-ha answered with a mixture of jest and sincerity.
“Ready….”
Lee Seung-ryong took a deep breath, drew his arm back, and hurled the capsule with all his strength.
Whoosh—
The capsule traced an arc through the air, slipping precisely through the shattered window on the second floor of the Commercial Building.
Moments later. Crash! The sound of breaking glass echoed across the mud pit.
“Grrrgh?”
The Ogre buried in the mud pit suddenly lifted its head. Its nostrils flared. It had caught the scent of blood—rich and intoxicating.
“Grrraaagh!”
The Ogre hauled its massive body upright, mud cascading off in clumps. It began lumbering toward the Commercial Building, each thunderous footfall shaking the ground beneath us.
“Now! Go!”
I vaulted over the railing. Park Jae-jung jumped down first, landing hard and catching me. Together, we sprinted toward the vine-covered vehicle, keeping our eyes locked on the Ogre’s retreating back.
My heart felt like it would burst from my chest. Please, let the engine turn over on the first try. Please.
“Hurry!”
I yanked open the driver’s side door and threw myself inside.
[Biometric ID recognized: Lee Tae-hyun.]
[Ignition engaged.]
Vroom—
The engine roared to life on the first attempt, but the sound caught the creature’s attention, and it unleashed a bone-chilling shriek.
“Grrraaaaaagh!”
The River Ogre, realizing it had been deceived, came charging toward us like a force of nature.
Boom. Boom. With every stride, the ground trembled, and the vehicle shuddered in response.
“Get in. Now.”
I shouted urgently, but we had a problem. The Moon Rover was a modified large SUV with a capacity of six at most. Our current count was five from our team plus five from Lee Seung-ryong’s Party—ten people total.
“There’s no room!”
Lee Seung-ryong’s party members cried out in panic.
“The cargo hold!”
Park Jae-jung threw open the trunk.
“If you want to live, squeeze in anyway!”
“Aaaah!”
“Push! Push your hips in!”
Four of Lee Seung-ryong’s party members crammed into the cargo hold like luggage, their legs bent at awkward angles and faces pressed against the ceiling—but there was no time for complaints. Lee Seung-ryong squeezed into the passenger seat with Eun-ha and Su-jin, while Ji-young wedged herself into the back seat. Park Jae-jung hung from the open rear door, shield raised.
Crash! A boulder hurled by the Ogre flew past and struck the asphalt beside us, shattering it into fragments. Shards of debris peppered the rear window, leaving spiderweb cracks across the glass.
“Ahhh! Mother!”
The Hunters crammed into the cargo hold screamed.
“Hold on tight!”
I slammed the gear into drive and floored the accelerator.
Vrooooom—
The Moon Rover tore through the mud pit, spraying earth in its wake. In the rearview mirror, I could see the Ogre’s massive hand thrashing through empty air. It bounced in place, shrieking with frustration at its escaped prey.
“Did we lose it?”
Han Su-jin turned around, her face drained of color, and asked. Her hand gripped Ji-young’s sleeve tightly.
“We shook that pig off, but something bigger is coming.”
Ji-young spoke while surveying the surroundings with her Eyes of Truth.
A crimson warning flashed across my vision.
[Warning: Gas concentration spiking rapidly.]
“Look at the ground…”
At Ji-young’s words, everyone looked out the windows. The manhole covers on the road began to rattle, and violet gas started pouring out. It consumed the road, rising higher with each passing second.
And wherever the gas touched, the Spike Hounds that had been lying motionless began to tremble and open their eyes.
“Ugh…”
One of the Hunters in the cargo hold quickly covered his mouth.
“Grrr… Woof! Woof!”
As if receiving a signal, the monsters throughout the street rose in unison. They flared their nostrils, inhaling the gas, then fixed their crazed eyes on our vehicle.
“Damn it, the gas is flooding in like a tide.”
Lee Seung-ryong in the passenger seat reached for his sword. There was no space to swing it in the cramped vehicle, but it was an instinctive defensive gesture.
“Guide me through this. Take the widest routes possible. If we get funneled into narrow alleys, we’ll be surrounded and trapped.”
I gripped the steering wheel tightly as I spoke.
“R-Right there! Turn right at that intersection! Once we pass it, the Industrial Area Road near the Hideout opens up!”
“Got it. I’m breaking through!”
Crash!
Thud!
Monsters rammed their bodies against the moving vehicle. One Hound leaped onto the hood and clawed at the windshield.
Screeeech!
“Get off, you rabid mutt!”
Seo Eun-ha rolled down her window and extended her staff.
“Fire Bolt!”
Boom! The creature took the flames full in the face and tumbled off.
“Su-jin! Are you alright?”
Ji-young shouted. Every jolt of the vehicle sent Han Su-jin crashing against the sides in the back seat.
“I-I’m fine! But the people in the cargo hold…”
Han Su-jin worried about those crammed into the cargo hold instead. They groaned with each impact, unable even to cry out.
“Just hold on a little longer. We’re almost there.”
I didn’t look in the rearview mirror. If I did, fear would paralyze me completely. I kept my eyes forward. The violet mist grew denser, and visibility shrank from fifty meters to thirty.
“Director! Ahead! The road is blocked!”
Park Jae-jung screamed.
The road ahead had collapsed due to ground subsidence. It would have been visible when the gas had dissipated, but now shrouded in mist, we only saw it when we were nearly upon it.
If I braked, the creatures chasing us would catch us. Instead, I pressed down harder on the accelerator.
“Hold on tight. We’re going to jump.”
“What?!”
Whoosh—
The Moon Rover launched off the edge of the collapsed road, soaring into the empty air.
It was only a brief moment, yet it felt like we hung suspended for an eternity. And then—
Crash! Bang!
The vehicle landed roughly on the opposite road. The suspension groaned and shrieked in protest, while the Hunters in the cargo hold collided with one another, crying out in alarm.
“We… we made it.”
Lee Seung-ryong exhaled a long breath, seeming to relax.
“Not yet. We still need to reach the Hideout.”
The mist had now risen to the height of the car windows. We felt as though we were swimming through violet fog. Purple toxin began seeping in through the window gaps.
“Cough. Cough.”
Han Su-jin coughed and shouted.
“Masks! Everyone check your masks!”
At last, a familiar landscape emerged. The Abandoned Factory District where we had hidden yesterday. The location of Lee Seung-ryong Party’s hideout. But we couldn’t simply drive to the Hideout entrance and disembark safely. Visibility ahead was poor, and monsters were raging from all directions.
“Seung-ryong, is there another place nearby?”
“There! If we go through that shutter, we can make it. It’s right next to the Hideout.”
What Lee Seung-ryong pointed to was an old Repair Shop. But predictably, the shutter was closed. Of course it was. They would have locked it from inside.
“What do we do? Should we get out and open it?”
Seo Eun-ha asked.
“No. If you get out, you’ll die.”
I didn’t slow down.
“We’re just going to crash through.”
“What?!”
“Jae-jung! Brace for impact from behind!”
Crash!
The Moon Rover’s steel bumper tore through the old shutter like tissue paper, plunging inside. The metal door crumpled and flew away with a thunderous clang, and the vehicle screeched to a halt just before the inner wall of the Repair Shop.
But there was no relief. Through the torn shutter, violet mist surged in like a tsunami, and behind it came a pack of Spike Hounds with blazing red eyes, their jaws wide open as they charged.
“Growl! Bark! Bark!”
“Block them! They’re coming in!”
Lee Seung-ryong burst from the vehicle.
But it was futile. With the physical barrier destroyed, there was no way to hold back both the mist and the monsters simultaneously.
I kicked open the driver’s door and lunged out. My legs trembled, but I had no time to collapse. If I didn’t hold the line, everyone here would be slaughtered.
“Everyone, move back!”
I planted myself in front of the torn shutter. The moment I inhaled, a toxin that felt like it was burning my lungs rushed in.
I drove my short sword into the floor. Extending both hands forward, I squeezed out every last drop of my remaining mana. As I poured everything from within me, my veins swelled as though they might burst.
[Release: Purification Wall]
Whooooom—!
Pure white flames radiated outward from my palm. A fierce wave of light, like a flamethrower, incinerated the violet mist that had been pressing in and drove back the charging hounds.
“Kee-ying! Kae-gaeng!”
Those touched by the light shrieked in agony as their flesh burned, retreating in panic.
“Now! Block the entrance!” I roared.
Park Jae-jung, Lee Seung-ryong, and the other Hunters began forcibly dragging the shattered shutter and moving heavy furniture from the surroundings to construct a barricade.
But I was already reaching my limit. I had already expended considerable power, and my mana was being consumed at a frantic rate. The beam of light emanating from my fingertips grew progressively thinner, and the mist began seeping back through the gaps.
‘No… just a little longer….’
The moment my vision blurred and my knees began to buckle.
A soft touch.
Someone beside me grasped my hand firmly. And a warm, crystalline energy poured into my body like an IV drip, flooding through me in waves.
“…Su-jin?”
It was Han Su-jin. Her pale face was pressed close against my back. The mana amplification ring on her finger glowed brilliantly, radiating intense heat.
“Use it! Take all my mana!”
Her desperate voice. Direct mana transfer from a healer to a dealer. The efficiency was poor, so it was rarely used, but this was no time to quibble over such details.
“Uuaaaah!”
Bolstered by her support, my purification flames, which had been dying, erupted explosively once more.
Whoooosh!
A wall of pure white perfectly sealed the gaps in the torn shutter. The mist could not approach, and the monsters dared not draw near.
“That’s it. We’ve blocked it.”
“Seal all the gaps.”
The Hunters from Lee Seung-ryong’s Party welded metal plates over the entrance, sparks flying as the shattered entrance was sealed once more. Others blocked the entrance with heavy furniture and sealed the smallest cracks with tools.
Outside, the sound of the creatures pounding and clawing at the door continued, but the mist no longer seeped in.
“Haa… haa….”
Only then did I release my strength. As my legs gave way and I began to collapse, Han Su-jin caught me, and we both sank to the floor together.
“Director… we made it… we blocked them.”
Beads of sweat dotted her forehead as well. The ring on her finger, having expended all its mana, had lost its glow and cooled.
“…It’s thanks to you. I wouldn’t have lasted without you, Su-jin.”
I caught my breath in ragged gasps and gave her a thumbs up. Looking around, the Hunters who had been in the cargo hold were sprawled flat on the floor, while Park Jae-jung and Lee Seung-ryong examined the welded door with sighs of relief.
“Man… that was a close one.”
Seo Eun-ha sat perched on the hood of the vehicle, speaking.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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