The Automatic Rooting Range Is Too Wide - Chapter 113

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Auto Looting Range Too Wide Episode 113

 

Episode 113: Trap (2)

 

* * *

 

It wasn’t only Choi Cheol-min’s group that had been sizing up their opponent.

 

‘First, I need to extract information about the Hidden Stage from these guys.’

 

Though he wanted to immediately use his Cloak of Silver Screen, Mincheol knew absolutely nothing about this place.

 

If he made a mistake, he might waste all his time just searching for the Hidden Stage.

 

So he needed to at least find out the location of the temple.

 

‘I also need to assess each individual’s combat ability.’

 

His instincts told him they were far inferior to him.

 

However, these were veterans who had survived up to the 20th Floor.

 

Moreover, they seemed to have been working together in the Mercenary Layer for a long time, so he couldn’t let his guard down.

 

‘They might have a hidden trump card.’

 

Hadn’t he learned this while climbing the Tower?

 

That you never know what dangers might strike in this place.

 

That’s why Mincheol never let his guard down.

 

“Kkwak, hide far away.”

 

“Kkwak.”

 

So as soon as he entered the Hidden Stage, he released Kkwaekkwi, who had been kept in his bag.

 

This was to receive buffs in case of emergency.

 

Then he pretended to be unable to fight while observing Choi Cheol-min’s group.

 

‘They work well together. They’re handling all those Dire Wolves with ease.’

 

‘However, their individual skills aren’t particularly outstanding.’

 

‘At this level, I can handle them even if they have a hidden trump card.’

 

It was when he finished assessing Choi Cheol-min’s group.

 

Mincheol arrived at the deepest part of the forest.

 

The moment he saw the statue there, he couldn’t help but be shocked.

 

‘…A statue that devours living beings?’

 

He could tell what it was without having to check.

 

It was a terribly ominous and eerie object.

 

It made him think he should get away from this place as quickly as possible.

 

“What we need isn’t a gathering-type Awakened. It’s a sacrifice to feed to that statue.”

 

The problem was that Choi Cheol-min had revealed his true nature.

 

And that true nature was far more disgusting than Mincheol had imagined.

 

“…You told me at first that you’d investigated this Hidden Stage multiple times. Don’t tell me you lured different people each time to offer as sacrifices?”

 

“You’re asking the obvious. See those skulls in the pit over there? If you look carefully, you’ll find human ones too.”

 

Mincheol glanced at the pit.

 

As Choi Cheol-min said, when he looked closely, he could see human skulls.

 

There weren’t just one or two either. They were piled up everywhere.

 

“…Killing people. What kind of horrible act is this.”

 

What was even more disgusting was Choi Cheol-min’s attitude.

 

“Oh my, this friend is saying dangerous things? We’ve never killed anyone. We just threw them down there and left them alone.”

 

“Stop spouting bullshit.”

 

“If they wanted to live, they could have crawled out of the pit, right? But they couldn’t? So we didn’t kill them.”

 

Not only did he brazenly reveal his actions, but he was also mocking the dead.

 

Mincheol felt his heart grow cold.

 

“Do you want to live? Then there’s one way.”

 

“Just hand over the item you used to collect those gathering materials.”

 

“If you give us that item, we’ll spare your life.”

 

Of course, no such item existed.

 

Mincheol had been able to collect the materials thanks to Auto Looting.

 

‘Even if such an item really existed, they wouldn’t let me go peacefully.’

 

Having seen the statue, there was no chance they would spare Mincheol’s life.

 

In other words, combat was unavoidable.

 

“This won’t work. Go drag that bastard over here.”

 

“Yes, Older Brother!”

 

Choi Cheol-min’s subordinate approached with large steps.

 

Mincheol recalled information about him in his head.

 

‘He used a spear. He’s young and has the best reflexes in the group. But he lacks finesse.’

 

Mincheol’s mind was already filled with detailed information about his enemies.

 

He hadn’t tried to memorize it. It had naturally been engraved in his mind.

 

“Come here, you bastard.”

 

The moment Choi Cheol-min’s subordinate reached out his hand, Mincheol drew his dagger.

 

His whole body was full of openings. He intended to sever his neck and kill him like this.

 

‘Wait, if he dies here, doesn’t that mean he dies forever?’

 

The PVP Layer and Event Layer had rules clearly stating that you’d revive even if you died.

 

But the Mercenary Layer was different. It was a place where you truly died if killed.

 

No matter how much they had tried to kill him, he was reluctant to commit murder.

 

‘But if I attack half-heartedly, I’ll be in danger.’

 

In a split second.

 

Mincheol finished his calculations. He would completely subdue them without killing.

 

So first he stabbed the wrist. Then immediately closed in and struck the trapezius muscle.

 

‘Next, both lungs and the sides, and stab the abdomen once too.’

 

It seemed like random stabbing, but he was actually applying knowledge gained from Memory Stones.

 

By selectively severing important points of muscles, he was physically preventing movement.

 

‘Phew, it’s all done.’

 

The work was finished only after he had slashed both legs as well.

 

Finally, Mincheol held his blade to the Maknae’s nape and said.

 

“If even one person moves, I’ll kill this guy.”

 

He could visibly see the enemies freeze up.

 

Mincheol glanced down at the opponent he had slashed up.

 

“Huk, heo-eok, huk.”

 

Aside from breathing a bit roughly, he was fine.

 

He was an Awakened who had made it to the Mercenary Layer after all. He wouldn’t be weak enough to die from this much.

 

‘Phew, fortunately he’s alive.’

 

Mincheol felt satisfied.

 

* * *

 

“You, you crazy bastard…”

 

Choi Cheol-min trembled as he stared at the Rabbit Mask.

 

To slash a person’s body dozens of times while keeping them alive.

 

It was crueler handiwork than anything he’d seen even in the Hope Society.

 

“You, what’s your identity! There’s no way someone like you is a gathering-type Awakened!”

 

“I’m the one asking questions. What happens when you offer a sacrifice to that statue?”

 

“You don’t need to know!”

 

Rabbit Mask lifted Maknae’s head up.

 

“Keuaaak-.”

 

As his scalp was pulled as if it would be torn off, Maknae let out a pained groan.

 

Seeing this, Choi Cheol-min urgently shouted.

 

“You can obtain elixirs that increase ability stats!”

 

“What are the specific effects?”

 

“It varies by sacrifice! The higher the sacrifice’s ability stats, the greater the increase!”

 

“You know quite a lot of details. That means you’ve sacrificed many people.”

 

As if unable to contain his anger, Toh Seonsaeng lifted Maknae’s hair even higher.

 

“Keueuuuk.”

 

Maknae’s groaning grew louder.

 

“Stop! You’d better stop here!”

 

“Are you in a position to threaten me right now?”

 

Toh Seonsaeng slightly pushed the dagger in.

 

Maknae’s skin split and blood flowed down.

 

Choi Cheol-min, not knowing what to do, shouted at Toh Seonsaeng.

 

“Do you know who we are? We’re Hope Society!”

 

“…Hope Society?”

 

“Look, see.”

 

Choi Cheol-min took out a mask from his inventory and put it on.

 

At this sight, Toh Seonsaeng suddenly became quiet.

 

‘Right, there’s no way he could maintain composure after hearing the name Hope Society.’

 

Choi Cheol-min smiled triumphantly.

 

Hope Society’s notoriety worked well anywhere, anytime.

 

He had desperately joined Hope Society for this very reason.

 

“Release that guy immediately and back off! If you do, our Hope Society won’t hold you accountable either.”

 

Originally, for a low-ranking member like Choi Cheol-min to invoke Hope Society’s name was a grave crime punishable by immediate execution.

 

But now wasn’t the time to worry about such things.

 

‘Anyway, if I just kill that bastard, there won’t be any witnesses.’

 

Contrary to his inner thoughts, Choi Cheol-min spoke with the most gentle expression possible.

 

“You wouldn’t want to become Hope Society’s enemy either, right? So hurry up and that guy…”

 

Then, Toh Seonsaeng lightly touched the mask.

 

The mask’s form changed.

 

A black mask that seemed to imitate a human face.

 

It was an ornate mask that looked like something from a masquerade ball.

 

And it was a look that had become too famous among low-tier Awakened recently.

 

“…Butcher?”

 

Choi Cheol-min muttered in a voice of disbelief.

 

* * *

 

‘As expected, he recognizes me.’

 

Mincheol didn’t miss Choi Cheol-min’s reaction.

 

He hadn’t revealed his identity without thinking.

 

It was to find out how much Hope Society knew about him.

 

“I seem to be quite famous in Hope Society.”

 

“Ha, more than just famous. An executive is going crazy trying to catch and kill you!”

 

Mincheol felt a slight pang.

 

‘What did I even do to deserve that?’

 

At most, he had disrupted Hope Society’s events and beaten up a promising member.

 

‘…No wait, that’s enough reason to hold a grudge.’

 

Even so, he thought it was excessive for an executive to act that way.

 

‘But this means I can’t go to Seol-aeng, doesn’t it?’

 

Mincheol had already postponed Seol-aeng’s scouting offer because of Hope Society.

 

But now that he knew Hope Society was grinding their teeth at him, he couldn’t accept Seol-aeng’s offer even more.

 

‘Ah, this suddenly pisses me off.’

 

Just when he thought life might get easier. He ended up dealing with this shitty situation again.

 

Mincheol felt the anger he had buried for a while slowly rising.

 

“Butcher! Hurry up and release him!”

 

Choi Cheol-min urged Mincheol.

 

Mincheol spoke in an irritated tone.

 

“Why should I?”

 

“What did you say?”

 

“You said an executive is targeting me, right? Then even if I release this guy, you won’t let me live, will you?”

 

“What are you talking about… No! We’ll let you go! I promise!”

 

“No, you don’t need to promise.”

 

Mincheol threw the hostage to the side.

 

The hostage groaned as his wounds were aggravated.

 

“…What are you scheming.”

 

Perhaps because he released the hostage too easily.

 

Choi Cheol-min asked with wary eyes.

 

“Cut the half-hearted lies. You know it too anyway. We both know too much about each other.”

 

Mincheol didn’t want to reveal that Toh Seonsaeng and Butcher were the same person.

 

Choi Cheol-min’s group didn’t want to reveal that they obtained items by sacrificing people and that they belonged to Hope Society.

 

But they had already learned too much about each other.

 

“So there’s only one way to resolve this conflict.”

 

Mincheol drew his twin swords from his inventory.

 

Seeing this, Choi Cheol-min’s complexion turned pale.

 

“Fuck, kill him!”

 

As soon as Choi Cheol-min’s order fell, his subordinates rushed forward.

 

【Activating skill ‘Black Horn Bullet Form’.】

 

【Consuming ‘140’ mana.】

 

In the blink of an eye, Mincheol shot forward and kicked one of the subordinates in the chest.

 

“Keuk!”

 

The enemy’s chest caved in concavely and was sent flying backward.

 

Mincheol twisted his waist while floating in the air.

 

Pak-

 

He kicked the neck of an enemy standing dazed. The sound of neck bones breaking erupted.

 

“Kaak!”

 

Simultaneously, the enemy’s head was smashed into the ground.

 

Two men fell in the blink of an eye.

 

The remaining enemies finally came to their senses.

 

“I’ll kill you!”

 

An enemy thrust a spear aiming for Mincheol’s head.

 

Mincheol lightly dodged the attack and swung his twin swords toward the side.

 

The one-handed sword flying horizontally tore through the chain mail and sliced through the torso.

 

“Keulleok!”

 

The enemy spat blood from his mouth and collapsed.

 

“Aaahhh!”

 

An enemy raised his longsword high from behind.

 

Mincheol pulled out the one-handed sword stuck in his side and turned around.

 

At the same time, his swung twin swords severed the enemy’s wrist.

 

“Aaaahhh!”

 

The enemy looked down at his severed wrist and screamed.

 

Mincheol was about to finish him off but stopped. Having his wrist cut off had already completely destroyed his will to fight.

 

‘Where is Choi Cheol-min?’

 

Mincheol looked around. And he spotted Choi Cheol-min fleeing far in the distance.

 

“Hah.”

 

Mincheol let out a hollow laugh as if dumbfounded.

 

He had pretended to care so much about his companions.

 

In reality, he was using his companions as bait to escape.

 

Mincheol sheathed his twin swords and pulled out a hand axe, throwing it with all his might.

 

The fiercely flying hand axe severed Choi Cheol-min’s knee.

 

“Gah!”

 

Choi Cheol-min collapsed helplessly to the ground.

 

He soon looked at his severed knee and screamed.

 

“Ah, aaahhh! My leg! My leeeeg!”

 

At that moment, a shadow covered Choi Cheol-min’s face.

 

Choi Cheol-min looked up at Mincheol with a terror-stricken face.

 

“P-please spare me.”

 

But Mincheol’s gaze was cold.

 

Choi Cheol-min pleaded desperately.

 

“I-I’ll do anything! I’ll give you all the items I’ve collected! I’ll become a dog if you tell me to! J-just spare my life!”

 

“So you treasure your own life that much while killing other people.”

 

At Mincheol’s words, Choi Cheol-min’s face hardened.

 

He realized that no matter what he did, it would be hard to survive.

 

“…D-do you think you can kill me?”

 

Had he gone mad from the fear of death?

 

Choi Cheol-min’s attitude changed.

 

“Th-this isn’t an Event Stage. If you d-die here, you really die. D-do you have the guts to kill a person?”

 

Mincheol hesitated.

 

Choi Cheol-min was right.

 

In the recent battle, Mincheol hadn’t completely killed his enemies. He had only inflicted fatal wounds to prevent them from moving.

 

Naturally, it was because of his aversion to murder.

 

Having combat experience until now, he had swung his weapons without hesitation, but he couldn’t bring himself to commit murder.

 

“Ha, haha! I was right! There’s no way you have the guts to kill a person! You coward!”

 

Thinking the situation had reversed, Choi Cheol-min laughed loudly in mockery.

 

“I’ll admit it. I can’t kill you guys.”

 

“Then get lost right now! If you run away now, I won’t chase after you!”

 

“That doesn’t mean I can just let you go nicely.”

 

Mincheol grabbed Choi Cheol-min by the back of the neck and lifted him up.

 

Surprised by the unexpected action, Choi Cheol-min shouted.

 

“Wh-what are you trying to do?”

 

Mincheol silently approached the pit.

 

Only then did Choi Cheol-min catch on to Mincheol’s intention.

 

“No way… it can’t be, right?”

 

Mincheol threw Choi Cheol-min into the pit.

 

“Gah!”

 

Unfortunately, he hit the ground face-first.

 

“Ah, aaahhh!”

 

“Aaaahhh!”

 

Soon after, the remaining companions also fell into the pit one by one.

 

“B-Butcher!”

 

Choi Cheol-min urgently called out to Mincheol.

 

Mincheol threw the last enemy into the pit, then looked down at Choi Cheol-min.

 

“Wh-what is this!”

 

“What is this? I’m just cleaning up.”

 

Choi Cheol-min’s face turned pale.

 

“Y-you said you couldn’t kill us! Wh-what is this! You murderer!”

 

“How is this murder?”

 

Mincheol spoke as if he genuinely didn’t understand.

 

“If you want to live, just come out of there.”

 

“Wh-what?”

 

“I just abandoned you guys. It’s just that you’ll die because you don’t have the ability to survive.”

 

As if at a loss for words, Choi Cheol-min just kept opening and closing his mouth.

 

Then, a strange sound reached his ears.

 

Hiss-

 

It sounded like a snake slithering.

 

Having seen it several times while offering sacrifices, he could tell.

 

What the identity of this sound was.

 

“Ah, ahhh…”

 

Tentacles extending from the statue were wrapping around Choi Cheol-min’s body.

 

“B-Boss! Save me!”

 

“Get away! Get away from me!”

 

It wasn’t just Choi Cheol-min. The other companions were in the same situation.

 

“B-Butcher! Help me! Please save me!”

 

Choi Cheol-min urgently called out to Mincheol.

 

But Mincheol didn’t respond to his call.

 

“Butcher! Butcherrr!”

 

The tentacles dragged Choi Cheol-min away.

 

Soon, terrible screams erupted.

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