57 Chapter 57

Translated by: ShawnSuh

Edited by: SootyOwl

Although Ho Sung remained unharmed from the explosion, the building wasn't able to withstand the blast. Using his skill, Ho Sung hopped from one concrete block to another, away from the building, and fell to the ground from a height of roughly two hundred meters. Though he was falling from a good height, he was still in awe of the Warlord's Sword and its ability. He landed on a car, crushing it beyond repair. However, Ho Sung remained unharmed.

Hunters, by default, were incomparably more resilient than ordinary people, and being well over level 200, Ho Sung was able to walk away without a scratch. However, what was even more important and astounding were his legendary weapon and its special properties. In order to get a closer look at the weapon's properties, Ho Sung checked the item information.

[The Warlord's Sword]

[Property: Protection from magic explosion damage]

'I was so intimidated by the guy that I'd completely forgotten about the weapon's protective property! So, it works against the enchanted stones too, huh?' Ho Sung thought, swallowing and looking up.

'If this sword protects me from enchanted stone explosions, maybe I stand a chance against Ace…! That means I'll be able to keep him distracted until Min Sung Kang arrives!' Ho Sung thought, clenching the handle of his sword tightly while something fiery welled up from within him. Although Ho Sung was only a level-213 hunter, the special property of his weapon gave him an advantage against opponents like Ace.

'I can do this. The weapon will get seriously damaged after a while, and it might cost me an arm and a leg to repair it, but it must be done.'

Then, after messaging Min Sung that he was chasing after Ace, Ho Sung rushed off to his car at full speed, his adrenaline pumping like the pistons within the engine of a supercar.

---

Small, unpleasant raindrops fell from the sky. Standing in the middle of the road, where there was no car to be found, Ace looked up at the dark sky and enjoyed the rain. As ecstatic and satisfying as it was to see the world falling apart at his fingertips, he couldn't help but feel like something was missing. Blatant destruction wasn't the thing he was after. Rather, it was utter chaos that Ace craved. The kind of chaos from which the world could never recover.

At that moment, a large car drifted and stopped with a loud screech in front of Ace, who looked at it with his head tilted. When Ho Sung got out of the driver's seat, Ace's eyes widened.

"Hey there, Bomberman. Where do you think you're going?" Ho Sung said, spitting on the ground, taking his sword out and sneering condescendingly.

At that point, Ace looked ferociously at Ho Sung and said, "How did a worthless hunter like you survive my bomb?"

"Life can be unpredictable sometimes. Didn't you know, you sadistic, bomb-loving piece of shit?"

Ace's gaze moved to the blood-red sword in Ho Sung's hand.

"That's a nice sword," he said, smiling ominously.

"Don't even think about it, you pervert."

"How long do you think you'll last?" Ace asked, chuckling evilly.

Scoffing, Ho Sung replied, "There's only one way to find out."

However, unlike his confident attitude, his limbs were shaking uncontrollably, and unfortunately, it wasn't long before Ace caught on to Ho Sung's mental state.

'Very cute,' Ace thought as he pulled two bombs out of his inventory simultaneously. Although the sword provided protection against magic explosions, there was still a limit to how much damage it could withstand before needing repair.

With a blank look on his face, Ace tossed the bombs toward Ho Sung. The dirt around them soared to the sky with the explosion. Running through the thick cloud of dust, Ho Sung charged toward Ace.

"Die!" Ho Sung shouted, aiming his sword at Ace's forehead. However, looking at the sword glowing with faint aura, Ace chuckled. Then, dodging the blade, Ace punched Ho Sung's side, sending Ho Sung flying, slamming him against the wall. Walking toward Ho Sung, who was on the ground, Ace chuckled ominously and said, "You didn't think of me as some moron who likes to play with bombs, did you? Ape?"

Leaning against his sword, Ho Sung got back on his feet weakly. At which point, Ace, snickering, tossed another bomb at him. The explosion left a gaping hole in a building just behind the hunter as his sword dispersed the blast. Although Ho Sung was standing, his legs were shaking precariously as if they were about to give out, not out of fear, but from the damage he had received. Looking in his direction, Ace smiled slowly and said, "You won't accomplish anything swinging your sword around like that these days. This world is… unreasonable and imperfect."

However, Ho Sung, despite being in pain, responded with a smile, and Ace gave him a puzzled look.

"I don't think you know what you're talking about."

"..."

"There's someone you'll come to know soon enough, whether you kill me or not."

"And who might that be?"

"The most unreasonable existence of this world."

"That's a lofty title, don't you think? Especially considering how tiny this country is." Ace said, scratching his Cupid's bow with his index.

"Oh, not at all. In fact, I wouldn't wanna mess with this person if I were you. Though, it's unfortunate that you already have."

"I don't know who this person is, but there's no one in this tiny little country that can beat me," Ace said with a sly smile, adding, "Do you know why? Because the ones who can, are all on my side."

"... What?" Ho Sung let out, staring at Ace wide eyed.

"I think we've talked enough. Now, let me teach you about pain management," Ace said, smiling evilly and sticking his tongue out like a snake. He had the look of a monster. With a look of fear washing over his face, Ho Sung backed away only to be backed against a wall. At that point, realizing that he had no other choice, Ho Sung charged at Ace, who dodged his attack swiftly and with ease like a dancing butterfly. Ho Sung swung his sword frantically. However, he couldn't land a single strike. Then, Ace threw a kick that landed on Ho Sung's side.

The heavy impact sent Ho Sung flying and rolling across the ground. Covered in dust, Ho Sung grasped his side, shaking uncontrollably, vomiting blood. Meanwhile, Ace walked toward Ho Sung with a confident smile.

"Oh, this is just the beginning, my friend. Heeheehee."

With that, Ace kicked up at Ho Sung's chin, launching him into the air. When Ho Sung came down, Ace kicked him on the side, and Ho Sung glided across the ground. Looking at Ho Sung, who wasn't moving, Ace shrugged as if he was getting tired of beating the hunter up. Walking over to him, Ace flipped Ho Sung with his foot so that the hunter was looking up at the sky. Although still breathing, Ho Sung was completely incapable of fighting back.

"I'm gonna walk you through this process, so I need you to listen very carefully, all right? I will now break each and every bone in your body from head to toe," Ace said as he pulled out what looked like a hammer and a healing potion.

"This potion here is very, very hard to find, and for a reason. Let's just say that you'll feel just about everything I'm doing to you instead of dying from shock."

Then, looking down blankly at Ho Sung, he flicked his tongue and murmured, "Where to start? The fingers? The toes? Ah, choices, choices."

After some contemplation, he nodded and turned his gaze toward Ho Sung's feet. Just as the hammer was about to come down on them, what sounded like a roar of an engine blared through the rest of the noise. At which point, Ace straightened his back and looked back slowly. There was a blonde charging toward him on a motorcycle. Ji Yoo Kim, the miscellaneous type and leader of the Central Institute, pointed a Desert Eagle at Ace and fired. With the intimidating-looking muzzle flash that came out of the barrel, a bullet traveled across the air at an unperceivable speed and grazed past the terrorist's cheek.

"Is that all you got? A pistol?" Ace said. At the same moment, upon hitting the wall behind him, the round created a large, gaping hole.

"A black mithril round," Ace murmured, staring at the impressive power of the bullet. Then...

"Look alive, asshole!"

Charging toward the terrorist, Ji Yoo leapt from her bike midair and pointed the gun at Ace. As soon as the gun went off, Ace threw a bomb in Ji Yoo's direction. The bullet and the bomb collided in the air, causing a massive explosion. Undeterred, Ji Yoo charged at Ace through the flames and threw a punch at him. Clenching his teeth, Ace blocked the blow by crossing his arms in an X shape. Followed by what sounded like leather busting, Ace slid backward from the impact. With smoke rising from his shoes and while feeling a throbbing pain in his arms, Ace snickered and said, "Not bad, lady. Not bad at all."

As the smile on the terrorist's face turned into an evil, ghastly grin, Ji Yoo, with a cold look on her face, pulled out a rapier from her inventory.

"The only answer I have for your question is death, Paul Ace," Ji Yoo said.

"Wait a minute! It's you, isn't it? You're the leader of the Central Institute!" Ace said, taking his jacket off. Rolling up his sleeves, he flicked his tongue like a snake.