The Only Enhancer - Chapter 48

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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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Episode 48
Episode 48 – Catching a Snake While Walking Backward (2)
2.
The large-scale assault that Jung Ji-hwan had been dreading.
It was their target now because raids were most vulnerable at this moment.
There was no way Jung Ji-hwan hadn’t prepared for something he’d been anticipating.
Jung Ji-hwan’s level was 4.
Capped by his limit, unable to ascend to level 5.
But now he activated his ultimate skill.
“Blessing of Ursula.”
The ultimate skill attached to Ursula’s Conch Shell, a 5-star enhanced item.
The effect was remarkably simple.
All debuff effects on the blessed target convert to area-of-effect.
“Curse of Sloth, Curse of Weakness, Life Drain, Mana Depletion.”
The moment the ultimate activated, a death sentence fell upon all the Chinese villains.
As four different debuffs stacked, the very air shifted.
“Is, is this the Grim Reaper of Korea?”
“Cough!”
“Gasp—”
“It feels like we’ve dropped two levels….”
The twenty dealers following behind Son Bo and Seo Ryang had no choice but to fall to their knees.
The two leading them weren’t faring much better either.
“Damn it.”
“…So you truly are the Reaper.”
Seo Ryang was shocked at how weakened his body had become, while Son Bo, who had experienced this before, merely furrowed his brow.
All the level 4 hunters in the back couldn’t move at all.
By any measure, an unfavorable situation.
But it was fine.
This was precisely why two of Sanryong had come.
What made Jung Ji-hwan remarkable was that he could defeat even level 5 hunters in one-on-one combat.
But conversely speaking.
“Brother, even so, there are two of us and only one of him.”
“Hahaha! Brother! I can handle basic arithmetic too!”
If there were two level 5 hunters, Jung Ji-hwan’s chances of victory became slim.
Min-jun also knew this weakness about Jung Ji-hwan from what he’d heard.
No matter how exceptional Jung Ji-hwan was, it would be difficult for him to face two weakened level 5 hunters alone.
Min-jun looked at Son Bo and Seo Ryang and thought.
Clever, were they?
Hardly.
‘Don’t they realize there are two of us here as well?’
The other party members were all focused on dealing with the blade repair, but Min-jun was here too.
Well, it wasn’t surprising that they weren’t paying attention to him.
No matter how remarkable Min-jun was, he was only Level 3 at best.
In a Level 5 battle, all he could do was provide buffs and maybe healing.
That’s what I concluded.
As expected.
“Body Enhancement.”
Watching Min-jun cast a buff on Jung Ji-hwan, Son Bo smiled coldly and charged forward.
Just as I thought—all he could do was buffs.
My strength had diminished considerably from what it once was, but it was still manageable.
Because Seo Ryang, my younger brother, was charging alongside me with a long crescent blade in hand.
Seo Ryang’s ultimate skill was a wide-area invisibility that was meaningless in actual combat.
But I was different.
An offensive ultimate skill: Dragon’s Ascent.
It created a small tornado that swept away everything—an incredibly powerful ultimate skill.
I would use it the moment Jung Ji-hwan showed an opening.
No matter how formidable Jung Ji-hwan was, there was no way he could withstand it.
“…!”
But why?
Why did I feel so uneasy?
I comforted myself by attributing it to the failed ambush, but Jung Ji-hwan’s expression right after receiving the buff was anything but ordinary.
I cast aside my thoughts.
Such distractions during combat could lead to fatal mistakes.
“Die.”
I spat out the tired line and swung my fan at Jung Ji-hwan.
The 5-star enhanced fan was wielded swiftly, attempting to strike Jung Ji-hwan.
It was an attack that demonstrated very clearly that Level 5 was Level 5, no matter how weakened.
But.
Crack, snap!
He blocked my wrist far too easily and even grabbed hold of it.
“…!!!”
Startled for a moment, I tried to break free, but Jung Ji-hwan didn’t let go. With that characteristic expressionless face, he spoke.
“My curse grows stronger upon contact.”
“…Ugh!”
Feeling all my strength drain away in an instant, I quickly activated a skill to escape from that spot.
Jung Ji-hwan also retreated to block the skill, releasing me, but he had gained a significant advantage.
The evidence was clear—my entire body trembled like an aspen leaf.
I could tell I was suffering from a considerable debuff.
There was no way their side had anyone with a curse-breaking skill, and moreover, items with curse-breaking abilities were rare.
Well, even if they did, it wouldn’t be a problem.
Jung Ji-hwan’s debuff couldn’t be completely removed with Hae-ju’s skill.
“…Damn it.”
“Hyung!!!”
Seo Ryang, who had been following behind, rushed forward again in place of Son Bo, who had retreated.
Seo Ryang leaped into the air and brought down his crescent-moon blade in a powerful strike.
Had Min-jun not granted him a buff, Son Bo’s withdrawal would have meant taking Seo Ryang’s attack head-on.
Jung Ji-hwan watched Seo Ryang and quietly stepped back, allowing the crescent-moon blade to strike the ground instead.
Crack-crack-crack-crack-crack!
The crescent-moon blade tore through the earth with brutal force.
It was a rather crude attack.
But it was certainly threatening.
“…As expected, you’re impressive.”
Jung Ji-hwan briefly marveled at Min-jun’s buff, which amplified physical abilities tremendously, then took the initiative and stepped forward.
With such enhanced physical capabilities, simply taking hits would be foolish.
Min-jun observed the situation and hesitated for a moment.
What could Min-jun do here?
There was quite a lot.
First of all.
“Physical Enhancement.”
Just as he had cast it on Jung Ji-hwan, Min-jun granted the buff to Won Eun-seong, who was rushing toward the Blade Repair.
The reason he didn’t cast Crimson Lotus was simple.
Since he had already used Crimson Lotus—Bloom today, he couldn’t use it again.
Crimson Lotus alone wasn’t a strong enough buff.
It was common knowledge that only one buff skill of the same type could be applied.
Since Physical Enhancement and Crimson Lotus were the same in that they strengthened the body, they didn’t stack, so he cast the more powerful Physical Enhancement instead.
Won Eun-seong, upon receiving the buff, was startled and quickly gripped his spear to dispatch the Blade Repair.
It seemed like there was nothing left to do on that side.
The rest could be handled by their healer.
Min-jun now just needed to support Jung Ji-hwan.
The problem was….
‘What should I support him with?’
If it were a raid, Min-jun would know well enough.
But since this was his first time facing a villain, he didn’t know what to do.
While Min-jun briefly pondered, Jung Ji-hwan evaded Seo Ryang’s attack and rushed forward again, and at that moment, he nodded.
‘Let me just deal damage.’
Ranged damage would serve as both harassment and be quite effective.
Min-jun casually placed his original wand on the Samsara Ring at his waist, then rummaged through his inventory and pulled out the ‘Fierce Lightning Bow+5’ that he had enhanced to 5-star, which he hadn’t been able to use before.
Similarly, he switched out his dagger for the ‘Explosive Pisco Horn+5’, a dagger that paired well with the Lightning Bow, crossing it with his other dagger.
A perfect damage dealer setup.
Now then, shall I help?
3.
Jung Ji-hwan, having evaded Seo Ryang’s assault, naturally set his sights on Son Bo.
It was standard strategy to eliminate Son Bo first, whose body had grown sluggish from the intensified curse.
But Seo Ryang was not one to allow such a thing.
“Where do you think you’re going!”
He struck the ground with brutal force, and despite the recoil, he endured it with stubborn resilience, clinging tenaciously to Jung Ji-hwan.
Jung Ji-hwan observed this with an expressionless gaze, yet the situation was proving considerably troublesome.
‘The reach difference is substantial.’
Utilizing the crescent blade’s extended reach, he swung it fiercely as he advanced.
Strengthening the curse was difficult when he couldn’t close the distance.
The man didn’t seem to be thinking that far ahead, but it was likely instinctive movement.
Son Bo watched this unfold, his body trembling from the intensified curse as he ground his teeth.
Had the curse not been strengthened, he would have torn that reaper to shreds.
‘It’s fine. Don’t grow impatient.’
At this point, whatever this Level 6 aptitude user did, I wouldn’t be surprised.
Surely just Level 3?
No.
That was a misjudgment.
Like Jung Ji-hwan, he had to be at least Level 4.
He’d shown considerable prowess during the raid, yet I never imagined he’d calmly apply buffs in direct combat like this.
But what is this?
‘What is he doing?’
Just as Son Bo was about to use a skill for interference while Seo Ryang swung his crescent blade to create distance from Jung Ji-hwan.
He saw Min-jun suddenly draw a bow.
Though startled by the unexpected action, realizing it was for interference, he found it absurd.
‘It looks like a 4-star enhanced item, but there’s no way he can wound us with something like that.’
The weapons Son Bo and Seo Ryang wore were 5-star enhanced, and among their armor, there was one more 5-star enhanced piece.
Since they’d borrowed 5-star enhanced armor when accepting this commission, unless he possessed a 5-star weapon, he couldn’t inflict real damage.
It would chip away some mana and serve as interference, but that was all.
In short, a waste of mana.
‘Inexperience in direct combat really shows like this.’
Deeming him foolish, he ignored him and turned his body to attack Jung Ji-hwan.
An arrow wrought from lightning suddenly came flying.
Just as Son Bo was about to scoff and ignore it, Seo Ryang suddenly cried out.
“Dodge it!!!”
Son Bo’s reaction was instinctive.
Because it was Seo Ryang, his sworn brother whom he’d coordinated with for so long, Son Bo responded.
But the intensified curse from Jung Ji-hwan made his reaction slightly delayed, and the lightning arrow he’d tried to evade flew toward Son Bo’s shoulder.
Why had he tried to dodge?
It would be blocked by the barrier anyway.
Son Bo expected something different, but the lightning arrow struck precisely at his shoulder blade instead.
Crack—crack—crack—crack—!
A violent bolt of lightning swept across my entire body, and the searing pain of my insides burning prevented me from even opening my mouth.
The mana-forged lightning arrow dissipated, and only then could Son Bo open his mouth.
“Cough!”
Black smoke rose from my parted lips.
A sight that revealed the arrow’s devastating power.
At that sight, Seo Ryang cried out.
“Brother! You almost died just now!!!”
Son Bo’s face flushed crimson as he glared at Min-jun.
Was that a 5-star enhanced item?
No, that couldn’t be right.
It was wrapped in a faint red glow, so it should only be 4-star enhanced—how could it ignore my defensive barrier and strike me?
It made no sense.
But on the battlefield, you cannot afford to understand.
‘That one can bypass 5-star enhanced defenses.’
Acknowledging this fact, I retreated further, seized by an ominous feeling.
This was truly the worst situation.
Just facing off against Jung Ji-hwan left me suffocating.
And those damned arrows—lightning bolts fired as harassment from behind—kept interfering repeatedly.
If I ignored them, I’d be in serious trouble.
Crack—crack—crack!
Then suddenly, an arrow split apart right in front of me, branching into several trajectories. Son Bo instinctively activated a skill to block it somehow, but one slipped through and lodged in my leg.
“Ugh.”
Not as severe as a direct hit, but certainly threatening.
Seo Ryang was in an equally difficult position.
I had thought that with Jung Ji-hwan present, Min-jun wouldn’t be able to harass aggressively, but that wasn’t the case.
Instead, with remarkable combat sense, Min-jun attacked only Seo Ryang without touching Jung Ji-hwan.
‘Is that really a healer?’
Even Son Bo thought so.
It showed just how extraordinary Min-jun’s role truly was.
‘Capture is impossible.’
With such fierce resistance, Son Bo couldn’t think of any way to capture him.
There was also the fact that I had been holding back my attacks to attempt capture.
But now that couldn’t continue.
Son Bo realized that proceeding this way would lead to failure on all fronts.
I gnashed my teeth, watching Won Eun-seong in the distance facing the blade maintenance.
I had been reluctant to use it.
If I don’t use it even in this situation, defeat is certain.
“Seo Ryang!”
As Son Bo shouted, Seo Ryang nodded in understanding, and Son Bo swung his fan with fierce intensity, unleashing his ultimate skill toward Jung Ji-hwan.
“Devour them, Dragon’s Ascent.”
A whirlwind materialized in an instant and hurtled toward Jung Ji-hwan, causing him to furrow his brow—a rare occurrence.
He never imagined Son Bo would use it with Seo Ryang present.
But it didn’t end there.
Son Bo immediately activated the ultimate skill attached to his fan.
Directed at Seo Ryang, no less.
“Wind Art—Wind Displacement.”
Enveloped by wind alongside the skill, Seo Ryang vanished, and Jung Ji-hwan’s eyes widened.
He could have easily evaded that tempest.
But watching Seo Ryang disappear, he felt it instinctively.
“Dodge!”
Jung Ji-hwan roared the warning at Min-jun, and sure enough, Seo Ryang, who had vanished, reappeared before Min-jun, swinging his crescent blade with a flourish as he cried out.
“Earth Cleave!”
The ultimate skill attached to the crescent blade.
Savage, overwhelming force was channeled into the weapon, descending upon Min-jun with the momentum to tear everything asunder.
Even with a 5-star enhanced item, this crescent blade was likewise 5-star enhanced.
The defensive barrier of a 5-star item was useless, just as it was for Min-jun.
And an ultimate skill’s attack meant instant death.
Son Bo watched with a cruel smile, his gaze fixed on Min-jun.
No matter how much aptitude for Level 6 one possessed, this couldn’t be stopped.
There was no time to evade.
He would certainly die.
Unless he possessed a 6-star enhanced item.
But there was no way a 6-star item existed here.
Victory was theirs.
Crash—————BOOM!
The earth erupted and crumbled to dust, a massive cloud of soil billowing outward in a dome formation.
The shockwave swept through the surroundings, and Jung Ji-hwan used it to evade the Dragon’s Ascent, but he clenched his teeth as he stared toward the crater.
Son Bo, observing Jung Ji-hwan’s reaction, felt success and laughed with exhilaration.
“Kahahaha! So arrogant! How satisfying!”
With Son Bo’s cry, Jung Ji-hwan rushed toward him at great speed, and Son Bo welcomed him without concern, spreading both arms wide.
After all, Seo Ryang would emerge from that crater and save him.
No problem.
Yet as Jung Ji-hwan closed the distance, Seo Ryang did not appear.
What? Did he fall to his own ultimate skill?
That couldn’t be.
Son Bo stared with a bewildered expression.
The dust settled, and the crater came into view.
Crackle.
“Cough.”
I blocked Seo Ryang’s crescent blade with my burning crimson gauntlet, then countered with a dark sphere, erasing Seo Ryang’s flank.
Even Seo Ryang couldn’t endure the agony of his flank dissolving, so he collapsed on the spot, and I reached out toward him.
That was all Son Bo could see.
Nothing beyond that.
“….”
“This won’t do.”
Jung Ji-hwan had charged toward him.
Faced with that sight, Son Bo had no choice but to close his eyes and accept failure.
Was he going to be captured like this?
No, if that happened, he dreaded what would occur upon extradition to China.
He might experience something far more terrible than death.
Sanryong would collapse, and the Chinese government would cast them out as well.
A hunting dog that fails its hunt cannot die peacefully, after all.
So with a solemn expression, he pulled out a poison pill, placed it in his mouth, and spoke to Jung Ji-hwan.
“I’ll wait for you in hell.”
Crunch.
With those words, he swallowed the poison.
“Cough, hack!”
He felt the agony of his entire body melting away, but it was fine.
He knew well that this was a merciful death.
“…How troublesome.”
Jung Ji-hwan also looked down at Son Bo with an air of helplessness.
With poison of that potency, even if a healer poured healing magic into him, he couldn’t be saved.
One would need at least a powerful detoxification skill.
But there was no one here with such an ability.
Seo Ryang remained, but Jung Ji-hwan knew there wasn’t much information to extract from him.
His ignorance was far too renowned.
Reluctantly, he would have to interrogate the remaining Level 4 hunters, but even there, the yield would be meager.
‘How meticulous.’
He must have calculated this far and prepared the poison accordingly.
It was unfortunate, but unavoidable.
Though victorious, a shrewd opponent meant little gain in intelligence.
Just as Jung Ji-hwan resigned himself and shook his head.
Min-jun, who had drawn near, carefully retrieved a ring.
“…What is that?”
Even Jung Ji-hwan asked with curiosity, and Min-jun answered through action instead.
“Tamila’s Detoxification.”
Brilliant jade light burst forth from Min-jun’s hand, enveloping Son Bo’s body, and all the poison that had been dissolving him vanished.
A jade-colored light extended from Min-jun’s hand and wrapped around Son Bo’s body, and all the poison that had been melting his body disappeared.
And then.
“Heal.”
The melted body rapidly reformed, and in an instant, it was completely restored.
“…Huh?”
Son Bo let out a dumbfounded sound, while Jung Ji-hwan’s expressionless face cracked and his mouth fell open.
Seeing this, Min-jun asked with slight bewilderment.
“Huh? Was I not supposed to revive them?”
At those words, Jung Ji-hwan shook his head.
Then, in a rare display, he bared his teeth in a smile and spoke.
“No, that was excellent.”
Son Bo watched the scene unfold and thought to himself.
‘…We’re done for.’

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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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