The Automatic Rooting Range Is Too Wide - Chapter 208

—————

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

—————

Auto Looting Range Too Wide Episode 208
Fire
Episode 208: Grade 3 Candidate (1)
There was a common saying in the world of Go.
Amateurs cannot recognize the skill of masters.
The same held true in the Awakened industry. Perhaps it was even harsher to say so.
It went beyond simply not seeing the moves.
They didn’t even perceive the attack itself.
Such was the case with the Awakeners from the Gakgwon-hyeop.
They only saw the throwing motion, yet failed to notice the shuriken flying toward them.
They only realized it after being pierced by the shuriken.
Thunk! Splurt!
The moment the shuriken tore through them, a dull impact shook their entire bodies.
Like being struck by a charging bull.
The pain arrived a beat too late.
“Gasp!”
“Argh!”
It felt as though fireworks were exploding inside their heads.
The Awakeners from the Gakgwon-hyeop couldn’t withstand the impact and flew backward.
All of them tumbled across the ground, their consciousness lost.
The fact that they’d been struck by a throwing star barely thicker than a straw seemed unbelievable.
But not everyone had lost consciousness.
“Ugh, ugh… you bastard…”
The man who had aimed a gun at my mother.
The figure who commanded the Awakeners on the 7th Floor somehow managed to retain his senses.
“Get over here right now!”
He even attempted to take my mother hostage.
But his movements were sluggish due to the wound piercing his shoulder.
【’Black Horn Bullet Form’ is activated.】
【Consuming 140 mana.】
I kicked off the ground and flew toward the man.
Closing the distance in an instant, I swept my leg at his torso.
Crash!
The man slammed into the ceiling before crashing to the ground.
He lay face-down on the floor, spilling blood.
Since I’d held back my strength, he wouldn’t die, but a couple of his internal organs were surely ruptured.
‘That feels satisfying.’
I felt a sense of relief wash over me.
I wanted to kill him if I could.
If Cardmos and Sihae Yeomhwa hadn’t stopped me, I surely would have.
But now I had regained my senses.
‘Mother!’
Mincheol hurriedly turned to look at his mother.
His mother was clutching a young boy she’d never seen before tightly against her.
Her eyes were filled with fear.
“Th… thank you so much.”
Still, she didn’t forget to express her gratitude to Mincheol.
“Ahem, are you hurt anywhere?”
Mincheol deliberately lowered his voice to avoid revealing his identity.
His mother nodded repeatedly.
“Jaehyun!”
“Mother!”
Just then, a woman came running over.
The young boy rushed into her arms. She was likely the child’s mother.
“I… I’m truly grateful… so very grateful!”
The woman wept tears like drops of chicken dung, bowing her head repeatedly.
“Just for a moment while I was separated from him… surely not something like this… I’m so relieved he’s safe….”
Perhaps it was the shock. The woman spoke in a jumbled manner. Still, I could understand her.
Likely, while she’d been separated from the child for just a moment, robbers had descended upon them.
“Thank you so much for protecting Jaehyun. I don’t know how I could ever repay this kindness….”
“Oh, it’s nothing. It was only natural, after all.”
The woman also expressed her gratitude to his mother.
His mother waved her hand dismissively, as if it were nothing.
-Well done. Absolutely splendid.
-Clean technique. You’re handling the Black Horn Bullet Form quite skillfully now.
Cardmos and Sihae Yeomhwa, who had appeared without warning, spoke to Mincheol.
-But why did you unnecessarily hold back?
‘What do you mean?’
Mincheol questioned inwardly at the unexpected remark.
-Why did you dodge and leap about like that? At your level, there’d be no need for such caution.
Considering Mincheol’s stats and equipment, he could now withstand bullets.
But Mincheol had deliberately chosen to evade them.
From that perspective, Cardmos’s question was entirely reasonable.
‘It’s frightening.’
-…What?
‘If I can avoid it, I should. Why would I let myself get hit?’
Cardmos shot Mincheol a look of utter disbelief.
It was the gaze of someone watching a madman.
-Watching a lion imitate a rabbit is beginning to wear on me….
-What’s wrong with that? There’s nothing bad about being cautious, is there?
The two exchanged words whose meaning remained obscure.
Just as Mincheol was about to ask for clarification.
“If you move now, it’ll be dangerous!”
“So you’re telling me to stay in this hellhole?”
Then, suddenly, a commotion erupted.
A young man and an older man were engaged in a heated dispute.
“What’s going on?”
Mincheol approached them and asked.
The older man then shouted accusingly.
“Look, I’m saying I want to get out of here, and you keep blocking me!”
“I already explained it! If one person moves, everyone else will follow and leave too!”
“What’s the problem with that! I just want to escape this place quickly!”
“If this many people move all at once, those bastards will definitely notice! It could become even more dangerous!”
“How would you know that! Are you a cop? A soldier? Stop spouting nonsense and get out of my way!”
Left alone, they looked ready to come to blows.
‘It seems best to just stay put.’
Mincheol thought the young man was right.
There were easily dozens of people trapped here.
If they all rushed out at once, the Awakener Rights Association would definitely notice.
‘And this is the 7th Floor? How are they planning to escape the Department Store from here?’
No matter how many passages the Department Store had, there was no way to descend to the 1st Floor while evading the Awakener Rights Association’s surveillance.
“Ahem.”
Mincheol cleared his throat, drawing both men’s attention to himself.
“The group that attacked the Department Store is called the Awakener Rights Association. There’s a criminal named Kim Taek-su leading them.”
Mincheol first explained the situation in detail.
At the mention of Kim Taek-su, the crowd began to murmur.
“Kim Taek-su? Isn’t he that criminal who tried to kidnap a congressman and failed?”
“I heard he’s a mid-tier Awakened, so he’s nearly impossible to stop.”
“Such a dangerous person is here?”
The name Kim Taek-su seemed quite famous even among ordinary people.
It appeared to be because he’d committed all manner of crimes.
“I’ll go down and stop the Awakener Rights Association. Wait here in the meantime.”
It was something I’d resolved to do from the moment I took on the role of Butcher.
I intended to save not just my Mother, but everyone in this Department Store.
The reason was simple.
If I left them like this and someone got hurt or died, I’d feel incredibly unsettled!
“How are we supposed to trust you and wait!”
The older man suddenly bellowed.
Mincheol was dumbfounded. You don’t know me? I’m the Butcher!
“Let me be clear. Don’t even think about trying to stop me! Do you know who I am? One phone call from me and…”
“Hey, hey, you there. Who exactly are you shouting at? Don’t you see this mask? I’m the Butcher.”
“The Butcher? What kind of nonsense is this!”
“You really don’t know, do you? The Butcher is….”
The man who appeared to be his companion began to whisper something urgently.
As the whispered words continued, the older man’s expression hardened like stone.
“I, I’m so sorry!”
He then dropped to his knees on the ground, his voice trembling.
“I, I didn’t recognize such an esteemed person… P, please, I beg you, spare my life… at least let me die with some dignity!”
Mincheol couldn’t help but be bewildered.
The others felt the same way. Everyone stared at the two men with shocked expressions.
“Who exactly is that man wearing the mask?”
“He’s called the Butcher. A psychotic murderer who throws hand axes at people if he’s even slightly displeased.”
“Hand axes? He actually throws those at people?”
“According to rumors, he’s killed dozens of criminals all by himself….”
Terror spread in an instant.
The people around them trembled as they stared at Mincheol.
“….”
Mincheol looked at them with a helpless expression.
‘What did I even do wrong….’
Suddenly, a wave of injustice washed over me.
But right now, controlling the people took priority.
Mincheol held back his tears and decided to accept the misunderstanding.
However, there was a truth that Mincheol didn’t know.
The Butcher’s notoriety had already far exceeded the level of mere misunderstanding.
Even if I had actively tried to clear up the misunderstanding, it was obvious they wouldn’t have listened.
Crackle—
[Hey, what’s going on? I heard gunshots?]
That was when it happened.
A voice came from the walkie-talkie of the unconscious Gakgwon-hyeop Awakened.
[Why aren’t you answering? Don’t tell me something’s wrong?]
Mincheol fell into a moment of contemplation.
Of course, even if all the Gakgwon-hyeop Awakened rushed to the 7th Floor, I could still defeat them all.
But what about the people on the other floors?
I couldn’t protect them as well—I wasn’t in two places at once.
Then, someone picked up the walkie-talkie.
It was the mother of the young boy whom Mother had been sheltering.
[It’s nothing serious. One of the hostages is an Awakened, so we fired a few shots to threaten them.]
Surprisingly, the voice coming from the woman’s mouth was that of a man.
Everyone stared at the woman with shocked expressions.
[Don’t kill too many. The captain said so. The hostages are still useful.]
“Don’t worry. I didn’t kill anyone.”
With those words, the woman hung up the phone.
Then she turned to the gathered people with an embarrassed smile.
“It’s, it’s my unique skill. I can perfectly recreate any voice I’ve heard even once.”
It wasn’t merely mimicking voices.
Her tone and manner of speech had transformed completely.
“If you’re an Awakened, which floor are you climbing?”
“W-well, if I had to say, the 0th Floor. I’ve never actually entered the Tower.”
Not all Awakened climbed the Tower.
There were far more Awakened like the woman before me who lived ordinary lives as civilians.
After all, a unique skill like voice modulation couldn’t be used in combat.
But in a situation like this, it was different.
By modulating her voice, she could confuse the enemies just as she had moments ago.
“That’s a remarkable unique skill.”
“N-no, it’s not that impressive….”
“I need your help. To deceive the enemies, I need that skill.”
From my perspective, the key to this rescue operation was speed and decisiveness.
The department store was vast, and the Gakgwon-hyeop’s numbers were overwhelming.
In such circumstances, it was impossible to keep deceiving the Gakgwon-hyeop indefinitely.
So I had to subdue them before they caught on.
Her unique skill could buy me some time.
“I need your help.”
Worry flickered across the woman’s face.
It was essentially asking her to do something dangerous.
It was unreasonable to expect a woman with children to accept such a proposal.
“…I understand.”
Yet the woman accepted my proposal.
I nodded with satisfaction.
“I, I’ll help too.”
Another man stepped forward and spoke.
“I, I don’t climb the Tower either, but I am an Awakened. I’m sure I can be of help!”
The man’s skin color shifted, blending seamlessly with his surroundings.
It was different from invisibility. It was as if he’d changed the color of his entire body.
“It’s my unique skill called Camouflage Color. I can blend in with my environment.”
This too was quite a useful skill.
Unless one had keen senses like mine, it would be difficult to detect.
“I’ll help as well. My unique skill isn’t particularly impressive, but I’ve cleared past the 15th Floor. I’ll be useful.”
After that, another middle-aged man volunteered.
My group had swelled to four people in an instant.
“Then let me outline the operation roughly.”
Mincheol grabbed the three of them and began his explanation.
Then they descended to the 6th Floor via the central escalator.
* * *
The Butcher’s plan was simple.
‘You two draw their attention from the left and right respectively. I’ll handle them in between.’
‘Park Min-ji, was it? You wait in standby, and when the radio transmission comes through, just buy us some time.’
It was simple—far too simple.
Because of that, Park Min-ji couldn’t help but feel doubt.
‘Draw attention with just two people? What if they become the enemies’ targets? Won’t both of them be in danger?’
‘And if the enemies open fire? People on the floors below will hear it too? If gunshots ring out frequently, they’ll definitely notice something’s wrong.’
It was sloppy—far too sloppy.
No matter how much Park Min-ji thought about it, this operation didn’t seem like it would go well.
‘Damn it, why did I volunteer for this?’
As they descended to the 6th Floor, Park Min-ji inwardly regretted her decision.
She had mustered her courage to repay the debt of protecting her son.
But thinking about it again, it was nothing but recklessness.
‘Should I say I want to back out now? No….’
While Park Min-ji was conflicted, the operation began.
The Awakened with camouflage ability entered the 6th Floor first and took position.
Following behind, the Awakened from the 16th Floor swung both arms and shouted.
“You bastards! Look at me! I’m here!”
The Gakgwon-hyeop Awakened flinched in surprise and aimed their guns.
Immediately after, from the opposite direction, the one with camouflage released his unique skill and shouted.
“H-here too! I’m here too!”
The Gakgwon-hyeop Awakened startled and swung their guns the other way.
【’Kaela Marbenia’ activates.】
【210 mana is consumed.】
【Please designate an item from your Inventory.】
Immediately after, the Awakened hurled shuriken.
Rather, “scattered” was the better word.
Six shuriken flew through the air simultaneously.
Splurch—
Every single Gakgwon-hyeop Awakened was pierced by the shuriken.
Not only did they fail to evade, there wasn’t even a single person who maintained consciousness.
They all collapsed to the ground, bleeding profusely.
‘What the—’
Despite having witnessed it once before, Park Min-ji stood dumbfounded.
Could it really end this easily?
“Taken care of,” the Butcher said flatly.
The Butcher spoke calmly.
To others, it was shocking—but to the Butcher, it seemed utterly natural.
“Listen carefully. This Department Store is currently under occupation by the Awakener Rights Association.”
The Butcher explained the situation to the people on the 6th Floor.
“While I deal with those bastards, remain here and wait.”
Unlike the 7th Floor, no one here was causing a commotion about fleeing.
They had witnessed the Butcher’s power firsthand.
“Then let’s head to the 5th Floor.”
The same sequence repeated on the 5th and 4th Floors.
By this point, Park Min-ji and the other volunteers couldn’t help but think:
‘Weren’t we actually unnecessary?’
This was a misunderstanding on their part.
For me, their assistance was desperately needed.
‘Having them draw attention makes it so much easier to handle things quietly.’
My objective wasn’t simply to suppress the Awakener Rights Association.
It was to neutralize them quietly, without anyone getting hurt.
In such circumstances, human assistance proved remarkably valuable.
‘Almost at the 1st Floor now.’
As I descended to the 2nd Floor, a particular figure crossed my mind.
Kim Taek-su.
The ringleader of the Awakener Rights Association and a criminal designated as dangerous by the State.
The most likely candidate for a Class 3 criminal.
‘Class 3, huh…’
Kang Ung-hyeok, a Class 2 criminal from the Tower, was still a monster I found difficult to approach.
Then what of a Class 3 criminal?
What of Kim Taek-su, that likely candidate?
‘I’m curious.’
My eyes gleamed with interest.

—————

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

—————