The Automatic Rooting Range Is Too Wide - Chapter 177

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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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Auto Looting Range Too Wide Episode 177
Chapter

Episode 177: Corrected Guardian (3)
The ones most shocked by Mincheol’s performance were his teammates.
‘He elevated such an inefficient combat technique as throwing to this level of mastery?’
‘The Demons can’t even withstand a single hit? Just how high is his Strength stat?’
‘Wow, he’s splitting the Demons’ heads with perfect accuracy every single time. From that distance too!’
Park Du-nam wasn’t particularly surprised since he’d witnessed Mincheol’s abilities twice before, but the other three were experiencing it for the first time, so their shock was even greater.
Thwack— Crack— Thwack—
From the moment the eruption began until now, Mincheol had been throwing his hand axe without pause, yet he showed no signs of fatigue whatsoever.
If anything, his speed only accelerated as though he was just getting warmed up.
Park Ye-jun couldn’t even keep pace with his rhythm, stumbling to catch up.
At this point, a single hope began to bloom in the hearts of all three.
‘Could it be….’
‘Is it possible that we….’
‘Could actually take first place?’
The Mega Hidden Stage offered rewards proportional to its massive scale.
If they could claim first place, the magnitude of profit they could gain was beyond imagination.
‘If it’s the Butcher, it’s possible!’
‘We just need to stay sharp!’
‘Faster! We need to recover weapons faster!’
All three burned with unspoken determination.
Of course, the world rarely cooperates so smoothly.
* * *
“Wow, the rumors weren’t exaggerated at all.”
Seol-aeng’s rising star.
Lee Tae-ryong watched the Butcher slaughtering Demons from a distance and clicked his tongue in admiration.
The sight of the Butcher hurling hand axes without cessation resembled not a human but a machine gun.
The results were equally devastating. The Demons couldn’t approach beyond a certain distance.
Those who dared draw near lost their lives to his hand axes.
It was unbelievable strength for an unaffiliated Awakened.
Yet Lee Tae-ryong’s admiration ended there.
“Still, he can’t compare to Baek-ryul hyung.”
Lee Tae-ryong shifted his gaze to his teammates.
His teammates wielded their weapons and swiftly annihilated the Demons.
While not quite at Lee Tae-ryong’s level, they too were exceptional Awakened worthy of being called rising stars.
“Everyone warmed up enough?”
“Is that what you call warming up?”
“Our bodies are already completely loose!”
“I’m itching to get started. Let’s begin already!”
Lee Tae-ryong activated his skill.
Apple-sized orbs of light materialized in the air.
“I suppose I need to show them something impressive too, like the Butcher.”
Lee Tae-ryong hurled the light orbs toward the Demons.
The moment the orbs made contact with the Demons, a chain reaction of explosions erupted.
Boom-boom-boom-
The swarm of Demons that had been charging forward was sent flying in all directions.
“Whoa!”
“Where did this monster come from?”
“It’s Lee Tae-ryong! The Destroyer, Lee Tae-ryong!”
Awakened from other Guilds recognized him and cried out in recognition.
Lee Tae-ryong smirked and spoke to his teammates.
“What are you waiting for? Sweep them all away!”
Seol-aeng’s promising talents began to display their true capabilities in earnest.
The Demons that had been surging forward were rapidly pushed back.
* * *
“Hmph, both of them are formidable indeed!”
Ko A-sung folded his arms as he observed the Butcher and Lee Tae-ryong.
They were truly exceptional warriors, living up to their reputations.
But this was hardly enough to diminish Ko A-sung’s confidence.
“We stand here bearing the name of Goseong! We cannot afford to fall behind!”
“Understood!”
“Let us demonstrate our own strength!”
His teammates echoed his sentiment enthusiastically.
They were all clad in plate armor reminiscent of medieval Knights.
Ko A-sung was no exception, though his armor was far more ornate than his teammates’, befitting the Ko clan.
Ko A-sung lowered the visor of his helmet.
His teammates did the same.
“Charge forward, all of you!”
Five Knights rushed toward the Demons.
As they wielded their polearms, the Demons were ground to pieces.
It was nothing short of a tempest.
As the three teams came into their own, the despair felt by the other teams only deepened.
“This isn’t even a monster battle anymore….”
“The difficulty should be similar, so what accounts for this gap…?”
“Damn it, get your heads in the game! We need at least fourth place!”
But these were also carefully selected talents from their respective Guilds.
They quickly regained their composure and charged toward the Demons.
* * *
About thirty minutes had passed.
No more Demons emerged from the Gate of Apocalypse.
“Could the Quest already be over?”
“Idiot, didn’t I tell you it progresses in multiple phases? We’ve only finished the first one.”
The Awakened began resting as they waited for the next massive outbreak to commence.
Mincheol’s team was no exception.
Gulp, gulp—
Mincheol handed the empty water bottle to Park Du-nam and spoke.
“Thank you.”
“There’s no need for such words! Weren’t you the one working the hardest!”
Park Du-nam answered with a cheerful tone.
It was as Mincheol wiped his moistened lips.
He realized that the expressions of the other three were uniformly dark.
“Is something bothering all of you?”
The three shook their heads at Mincheol’s question.
Mincheol’s bewilderment only deepened.
‘The Butcher was even more of a monster than the rumors suggested. But we won’t take first place.’
‘Seol-aeng and Goseong have strong teammates too. But our team doesn’t, and….’
‘They must definitely resent us, right?’
The reason the three were gloomy was the remorse of holding Mincheol back.
However, contrary to his teammates’ thoughts, Mincheol didn’t view the situation negatively at all.
‘The synergy exceeded my expectations.’
Park Ye-jun’s telekinesis wasn’t quite on par with Auto Looting, but it was remarkably excellent.
Lee Su-jin’s recovery skill was also noteworthy. The recovery amount was quite substantial.
‘Mana potions aren’t a cure-all. There’s a limit to how much you can consume in a day.’
Recovery potions paradoxically placed strain on the body.
But Lee Su-jin’s recovery skill imposed no burden whatsoever.
In other words, mana could be recovered to any extent desired.
‘This is really good.’
From the second massive outbreak onward, I could go all out.
“Hey, Du-nam.”
“Yes, Older Brother!”
“Do you think Lee Tae-ryong from Seol-aeng and Ko A-sung from Goseong have hidden strength?”
“It would be better to ask those three people directly.”
“Is that so?”
Mincheol turned to look at his teammates.
“…I saw Lee Tae-ryong fighting before a recent event tournament. His opponent was a promising prospect from Righteous Equality. It was a chaotic battle, but the skill he displayed then and now don’t show much difference.”
Kim Gyeong-ho spoke after searching his memory for a moment.
“I know about Ko A-sung. I met him while climbing. He was hunting a boss monster alone. He was stronger back then. But it was similar.”
If that were the case, it seemed reasonable to assume that the strength they displayed now was all they had.
“Park Ye-jun, can you retrieve the thrown weapons faster than before?”
“Y-yes, I think I can! I’m getting the hang of it!”
“Lee Su-jin, how many more times can you use your recovery skill?”
“I’m still fresh. I can use it over ten more times.”
Excellent. The situation was very favorable.
Mincheol spoke to Park Du-nam and Kim Gyeong-ho.
“You two handle all the demons approaching from here on. That way, these two can focus entirely on supporting me.”
“But you’ve never let a single demon slip past you before. You want us to handle the approaching ones?”
Park Du-nam spoke with evident confusion.
Mincheol rolled his shoulders as he replied.
“From now on, I’m planning to focus on taking down the ones clustered together.”
Bewilderment crossed all four of their faces.
* * *
“The second massive surge begins! All warriors, prepare yourselves!”
With the Knight’s cry, demons began pouring forth from the Gate of Apocalypse.
“There seem to be even more than before…”
“Damn it, it’s not just the numbers—they’re wearing armor too!”
The demons in this second surge were far greater in both quantity and quality than the first.
“Armor? Now that’s something I haven’t faced in a while!”
“Tae-ryong! Let’s start with a big hit!”
“Warriors of Goseong! Take up your weapons!”
The Awakened of Seol-aeng and Goseong showed no signs of alarm.
No matter how strong the demons became, they remained outmatched against these warriors.
Just as the demon horde had closed half the distance.
A crimson side sword flew toward the mass of demons.
【Skill ‘Flame Burst’ activates.】
A massive explosion erupted in the heart of the demon swarm.
Scarlet flames consumed the demons, reducing them to ash in an instant.
“What? What kind of skill is that?”
“Wait, the Butcher threw that?”
“The Butcher has a skill like that?”
Additional weapons flew in. Various skills activated in succession.
【Skill ‘Lightning Strike’ activates.】
【Skill ‘Force Shield’ activates.】
【Skill ‘Wind Severance’ activates.】
【Skill ‘Weight Adjustment’ activates.】
Blue lightning crackled, piercing through the demons.
A force field expanded, repelling the demons backward.
Blades of wind cut through the demons like grass.
A colossal axe crushed the demons entirely.
The swarm of Demons vanished in the blink of an eye.
From above, it looked as though a slice of pizza had been cleanly removed.
“….”
“….”
The Awakened ones around me fell into shock once more.
No Awakened could deploy such a diverse array of skills simultaneously.
It was impossible, yet several experienced Awakened ones pierced through Mincheol’s secret.
“Weapon skills!”
“He must have triggered the skills by throwing weapons!”
That said, it wasn’t something to dismiss lightly.
Weapons with embedded activation skills were extraordinarily rare.
Moreover, the weapon skills the Butcher wielded possessed formidable power.
“How on earth did he obtain such weapons?”
“Does he have deep pockets, or is he just incredibly lucky?”
“He’s really unaffiliated? I can’t believe it?”
Lee Tae-ryong and Ko A-sung both witnessed the entire spectacle of Mincheol triggering weapon skills to slaughter the Demons.
‘It’s remarkable, though. Even Older Brother Baek-ryul doesn’t possess this many weapons.’
‘Even with Goseong’s financial resources, it’s no trivial matter. Yet an unaffiliated one manages it?’
But their astonishment was fleeting.
‘Weapon skills have long cooldown periods.’
‘There’s no way weapons keep appearing like this. I can widen the score gap during the cooldown.’
It was at that moment the two of them reached this conclusion.
Demons from the surroundings began filling the vacant space.
The missing slice of pizza was being replenished.
【’Demon Bullet Marksman’ activates.】
【Consumes 700 mana.】
【5 demon bullets are charged.】
Mincheol activated the skill and drew a white spear from his Inventory.
The form was simple, yet it radiated an uncanny force.
Even Lee Tae-ryong, who had been subtly restraining himself, and Ko A-sung found their gazes stolen for a moment.
【’Kaela Marbenia’ activates.】
【Consumes 210 mana.】
【Please designate an item from your Inventory.】
‘Silver Wing’ numbered three in total.
Mincheol designated the remaining two from his Inventory.
Then he kicked off the Ground and soared high into the air.
The Demons appeared as small as beans below me.
Mincheol hurled the spears toward them.
【’Falling Star Collapse’ activates.】
【Consumes 420 mana.】
【An additional skill is activated by Kaela Marbenia!】
【Mana ‘1,260’ is consumed an additional 2 times!】
【Magic bullets ‘3’ are consumed!】
Three spears pierced toward the Demons.
Boom-crack!
A massive explosion engulfed the Ground.
The Demons that had swarmed were instantly annihilated.
“….”
“….”
All the Awakened were left speechless.
This time, even Lee Tae-ryong and Ko A-sung were no exception.
“Lee Su-jin!”
“Yes!”
Lee Su-jin immediately activated her mana recovery skill.
The depleted mana began filling rapidly.
It was when Mincheol was about to activate his second Falling Star Collapse.
Uuuuung—
The Gate of Apocalypse began shaking violently.
【The ‘Gate of Apocalypse’ detects an external threat!】
【The eruption accelerates! Prepare for the appearance of a Boss Monster!】
The Gate of Apocalypse expanded like a Fortress Gate.
From within it, a massive lump of flesh slowly revealed itself.
“What is that?”
“A whale?”
As someone cried out, it bore a form resembling a whale.
The difference was that it was composed of decaying flesh.
And it was floating in the sky rather than the sea.
[Wooooaaah!]
Along with its cry, the Boss Monster fired a mana cannon.
The Awakened threw themselves to evade the mana cannon.
Boom-crack—
The Ground was instantly devastated. The Awakened clicked their tongues at the fearsome power.
“Damn it, how are we supposed to block that!”
“It’s an aerial mob and it even has an area attack!”
“Five people can’t take this down! We need to form an Alliance!”
The Awakened quickly devised a strategy for the Boss Monster.
Now was a time for cooperation, not competition.
“Ko A-sung, sir!”
Seol-aeng and Goseong were the same.
Lee Tae-ryong shouted toward Ko A-sung in the distance.
“You know what I mean? For now, let’s join forces!”
“It’s frustrating, but we have no choice! What will you do, Butcher?”
“I’ll go speak with them!”
As Seol-aeng and Goseong clasped hands, Mincheol stood silent, gauging the whale’s height.
“….”
I assessed the creature’s towering form without uttering a word.
“Park Du-nam, Kim Gyeong-ho!”
“Yes, sir!”
“What is it!”
The two men answered while fending off the approaching Demons.
“Follow me!”
With those words, I charged toward the whale.
“At least explain what—”
“Understood, sir!”
Unlike the bewildered Kim Gyeong-ho, Park Du-nam followed without hesitation.
The three of us cut through the swarm of Demons, closing the distance to the whale.
When we reached directly beneath it, I made my move.
“Park Du-nam! Hold back the Demons! Kim Gyeong-ho! I need your hands! I have to jump up there!”
“Yes, sir!”
“Damn, what’s happening?”
Kim Gyeong-ho interlaced his fingers without understanding.
Park Du-nam swung his chain, preventing the Demons from advancing.
“Throw me up!”
I sprinted toward Kim Gyeong-ho and stepped on his clasped hands, activating my skill.
【’Black Horn Bullet Form’ activates.】
【Consumes 140 mana.】
I recalled the sensation from my battle with Hisolikan.
This time, I leaped twice as high as usual.
‘Concentrate the mana in the calves, just like always….’
My body rocketed upward.
The whale, hovering high above, suddenly drew near.
I swung my hand toward the whale.
【’Ratman’s Survival Secret’ activates.】
【Consumes 70 mana.】
A massive nail shot forward and pierced the whale’s body.
Immediately after, I twisted my torso and struck upward against the nail embedded in the whale’s abdomen.
Clang—
With a crisp metallic ring, the nail burrowed deeper into the whale’s body.
The next instant, the whale’s body swelled from within.
Boom—
With a deafening roar, the whale exploded.
Black blood cascaded down like rain, drenching everything below.
“….”
“….”
The Awakened stood speechless, their minds reeling.
Even though Demon forces still remained.
In that moment, everyone understood.
The ranking for first place in the Hidden Stage had been decided.
And with Baek-ryul and Go Dan-hae ascending to the middle floors, a new strongest contender for the lower floors—left vacant by their departure—had emerged.

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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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