Chapter 542: Hehe. With team work.
TL: Hanguk
<Hamk>
Kkyuk.
[Then, I will impart a skill.]
Bochi climbed onto Sejun's head and,
Chuk.
placed his paw on Sejun's head, beginning the skill transfer.
The one-time-only skill transfer permitted by the Great Will.
Bochi intended to choose the strongest skill as desired by the Great Will and transfer it.
However…
[Hamk's Hero Bochi, attempts to impart the skill: Invincible Bochi Swordsmanship.]
[This skill contains racial traits and can only be learned by hamsters.]
[Skill transfer failed.]
Kkyuk?
The transfer failed because of an incompatible race.
[Hamk's Hero Bochi, attempts to impart the skill: Unity of God and Sword.]
[This swordsmanship contains too high enlightenment.]
[Target cannot comprehend it.]
[Skill transfer failed.]
Kkyuk?!
The transfer failed because the enlightenment level was too high.
[Hamk's Hero Bochi, attempts to impart the skill: Advanced Aura Swordsmanship.]
[Target has no aura.]
[Skill transfer failed.]
…
The transfer failed due to the absence of Aura.
Kkyuk…
[What should I impart…]
There was no strong skill that could be transferred.
This was only natural. Sejun was a Sunfish, and the skills of a Grand Swordmaster weren't easy to impart.
Yet Bochi's pride as a Grand Swordmaster wouldn't allow him to transfer low-level swordsmanship skill.
And so…
Kkyuk!
[Sejun-nim, from now on, we'll spar!]
He decided to build Sejun's foundation so he could receive his skills.
“Sparring?”
Kkyuk. Kkyuk. Kkyuk.
[Yes, I will transfer the skill through sparring. Draw your sword.]
Bochi phrased it as skill transfer through sparring, knowing that if he called it basic training, Sejun might refuse.
Though there was a slight lie mixed in, it wasn’t entirely false. After all, skill transfer would only be possible after building up ability through sparring.
"Huh? Is this how skills are transferred?"
Sejun, disappointed as he had expected to gain the skill effortlessly, sighed.
“Alright.”
Swiiing.
Nonetheless, he drew his sword. He couldn’t waste the reward he had been given.
And
That was pretty sick.
Even to Sejun, who knew little about swordsmanship, Bochi’s sword techniques, which had been used against ogres, looked undeniably cool.
Chuk.
For the sparring session, Bochi also picked up a fallen leaf from the ground.
“With that? You’re going to fight with that?”
Kkyuk. Kkyuk.
[Yes. Whatever I hold becomes a sword.]
An extremely arrogant statement.
However, Bochi, the Grand Swordmaster, had more than earned the right to make such a claim.
Kkyuk.
[Come at me.]
“Okay. Here I come!”
Having seen Bochi’s combat with an ogre, Sejun approached cautiously and swung his sword with all his might.
And…
Clang!
…?
Bochi effortlessly blocked Sejun’s sword. Using a leaf, strengthened with Aura to be harder than steel.
Kkyuk!
[Continue!]
“Got it!”
Clang! Clang!
Under Bochi’s guidance, Sejun continued to swing his sword.
Kkyuk?!
[If you swing so widely, how will you defend yourself?!]
Kkyuk!
[The sword should be swung fast like a typhoon, but your legs should be heavy as a mountain!]
With Bochi’s precise and pointed corrections,
[Your proficiency of Intermediate Swordsmanship Lv. 7 has been filled, and the level has increased.]
[Strength has increased by 3.]
[Stamina has increased by 2.]
Sejun’s swordsmanship skill level and stats rose rapidly.
Master Bo!
From then on, Sejun regarded Bochi as his master and, while heading to the capital of the Thunham Empire, continued training under him.
Three days into traveling while receiving training from Master Bo,
“What?! Master Bo was originally a slave?!”
Sejun heard the shocking tale of Bochi’s past.
Kkyuk. Kkyuk. Kkyuk… Kkyuk!
[Yes. It was already 300 years ago. Back then… straighten your back!]
As Sejun, carrying a massive boulder, trudged along, Bochi corrected his posture.
Even while traveling, Sejun continued to receive training from Bochi.
Thanks to this, his total stats increased by about 500, and his swordsmanship skill advanced to mastering Intermediate Swordsmanship and reaching Level 3 in Advanced Swordsmanship.
Additionally, thanks to Bochi, he learned that once Advanced Swordsmanship was mastered, the next step would be Magic Swordsmanship.
The stage where one could imbue magic into their sword.
To progress in Magic Swordsmanship from Beginner to Advanced, one must master it entirely again to qualify for Beginner Aura Swordsmanship.
In other words, the Advanced Aura Swordsmanship that Bochi tried to transfer was at a level that required prolonged and intense dedication to attain.
“But Master Bo, did you just say it was 300 years ago?”
Kkyuk. Kkyuk.
[Yes. My life as a slave was so difficult that I ran away. Afterward, I met a old man in Mount Bara, the place where I met Sejun-nim, and learned swordsmanship from him. I’ve been training in the sword ever since, and before I realized it, 300 years had passed.]
What? Master Bo, you're really old.
Sejun was shocked at Bochi’s age, which didn’t match his cute appearance.
However, Sejun didn’t start treating him differently just because he was older, doing so would threaten Sejun’s position in the group.
In terms of age hierarchy within the Sejun Family, Sejun was one of the youngest, after Cuengi and Paespaes.
Even Theo had lived for over a hundred years, and the Blackie Family were beings who had lived for at least 10,000 years.
Kkyuk!
[Focus! Your stride just faltered!]
“Yes!”
And so, under Bochi’s guidance, Sejun continued heading toward the capital of the Thunham Empire with his companions.
Along the way, other hamster employees heading to the Thunham Empire joined them, causing Sejun's group to grow larger.
***
99th Floor of the Black Tower.
“Ace, come eat!”
“Eeek!”
Mom, you said you weren’t cooking anymore!
At Elizabeth’s call for him to eat, Ace quickly waddled away in an attempt to escape.
But,
“Hehehe. Oh, my dear Ace, here you are! Come, let’s eat. You need to eat well to grow quickly.”
There was no way for Ace, who wasn’t even a week old, to escape from Elizabeth.
“...Did Mom cook this?”
“No. I told you, Mom don’t cook anymore. Your sister did."
“Really?! I want to eat right away!”
Unlike his mom, Ace had high hopes for his sister’s cooking.
He even had some justification for it: since Sejun and Aileen were dating, and lovers tend to resemble each other, he assumed Aileen’s cooking skills must be similar to Sejun’s.
When Ace took Elizabeth’s hand and headed to the kitchen, they found two black dragon statues sitting side by side in front of a plate piled high with dumplings.
-Kuhaha. My grandson is here.
-Come, have a seat.
These were the black dragon statues controlled by Kaiser and Anton.
Anton, too, had sent a black dragon statue resembling himself to the 99th floor of the tower to see his wife and child.
-Now, let’s eat…
As they were about to eat, Kaiser spoke in a somewhat lethargic voice.
“Yes!”
Only Ace answered energetically and picked up one of the dumplings that Aileen had made after taking cooking lessons from Sejun’s mother, Kim Mi-ran.
Aileen was still diligently taking cooking lessons from Kim Mi-ran these days.
And then,
“Huh?!”
Ace was stunned after taking a bite of Aileen’s cooking.
Why does it taste like Mom's cooking when sister made it?
"This is tras..."
As tears welled up in Ace’s eyes, ready to burst into a wail over the terrible taste,
-Ahem!
Kaiser cleared his throat and
Pop.
Quickly put a honey jelly in Ace's mouth.
“Puhihihi. Sweet.”
Ace smiled at the sweetness of the honey jelly.
-Anton, let’s eat.
-Yes.
In the meantime, Kaiser and Anton hurriedly devoured the rest of the food to spare everyone further suffering.
Once the food was gone,
[The Tower’s Administrator asks if her cooking was delicious.]
It was Aileen, asking for feedback on her cooking.
Since Sejun wasn’t around, she had called her family together to taste-test her food.
-Khahaha. When did my granddaughter’s cooking skills improve so much? It was delicious. Wasn’t it, Anton?
Unable to tell his granddaughter her cooking was awful, Kaiser praised the food and quickly sought Anton’s agreement.
-Yes. It was… delicious.
Anton struggled to get the words out but managed to say it was tasty.
[The Tower’s Administrator says she knew you’d like it and made plenty more.]
[The Tower’s Administrator tells you not to eat it all yourselves this time but to save some for Mom and Ace.]
Bang!
A massive plate piled high with dumplings appeared again in front of them.
Sejun, hurry and come back!
Son-in-law, please return soon!
Son-in-law Park, come back quickly!
Brother-in-law! Please come quickly! I'll listen well to brother-in-law from now on!
Aileen's family members who had to eat Aileen's cooking instead of Sejun desperately waited for Sejun's return.
***
Outskirts of Destruction.
“Jǫrmungandr-nim, two of the ogres we sent to <Hamk> have been defeated.”
“Hmm… Was there someone in that world capable of dealing with ogres?”
If they continued to lose ogres like this, Destruction would surely grow furious.
Hearing Kraken’s report, Jǫrmungandr fell into deep thought.
Unlike other calamities, ogres and planet-destroying turtles were beings that could not be created using the power of Destruction.
Once lost, they were gone forever.
Thus, any reduction in the number of ogres or planet-destroying turtles inevitably led to reprimands.
Of the ten ogres granted by Destruction, five had already been lost in <Recia>. Losing any more ogres would be dangerous.
“Kraken, I need you to go again.”
“Understood. Fortunately, this place has a high level, so it’s not burdensome.”
“Then I’m counting on you. Once Hydra and Leviathan finish molting, I’ll allow you some rest.”
"Yes. Then I'll be going."
Kraken began preparing to descend upon <Hamk>.
***
<Hamk>
Kyuui!
[In just three more days, we’ll reach the capital of the Thunham Empire.]
Lui, the second prince of the Gorgon Kingdom who had joined the group yesterday, spoke to Sejun.
Until now, Sejun had been relying on directions from others to head toward the capital of the Thunham Empire, but thanks to Lui’s guidance, he no longer had to wander aimlessly.
At that moment,
Kkyuk!
[Your pace has slowed!]
Bochi’s voice rang out.
“Yes!”
Sejun was still carrying a massive boulder as part of his training under Bochi’s guidance while traveling.
After traveling one more day like that
Crack, crack.
Suddenly, cracks began to form in the sky.
[Powerful energy of Destruction has been detected.]
A message appeared before Sejun.
Even without the message, it was impossible not to notice the immense power emanating from the cracked space and the red mist that dyed the sky.
Boom.
"Everyone, take these."
Sensing that something was seriously wrong, Sejun set the boulder down and quickly handed out bean sets to his companions, preparing for battle.
"Master Bo, please take this too."
Sejun gave a bean set to Bochi as well.
“And the rest of you, take cover!”
Kyuui!
He evacuated the hamsters to safety.
Clink.
At that moment, the space shattered like glass, and through the cracks emerged two massive legs covered with countless suction cups.
Wriggle. Wriggle.
The two legs, forcing their way through the broken space, began to widen the gap further.
Crack.
The space gradually widened.
And then,
“An octopus?!”
A giant octopus head appeared beyond the torn space.
Kking!
[It’s Kraken!]
Blackie’s cry echoed.
Mumu!
Welcome, Kraken!
Mubalchil, who had been hiding in Blackie’s fur, poked his head out and looked at Kraken with eyes full of hope.
He longed for another terrible name to take his place.
At that moment,
[Kraken, the sea-devouring monster and 6th seat of the Apostle of Destruction has descended upon <Hamk>.]
[A quest has been issued.]
[Quest: Expel Kraken, the sea-devouring monster and 6th seat of the Apostle of Destruction, from <Hamk>.]
Reward: Postponement of Hamk's destruction
Failure: Hamk's destruction
A quest appeared before Sejun.
“No way. I’m going to capture it.”
Defeating the creature and exorcising it to prevent further wrongdoing seemed like the better choice.
"Everyone, let's catch it!"
Of course, Sejun wouldn’t be doing it himself.
Hehe. With team work.
“Puhuhut. Great Hybrid Chairman Park, lend me your power this time, meow!”
Theo stepped forward, envious of how Cuengi had shone while defeating Melpheus, the Demon of Ruin and former Apostles of Destruction.
“Alright! Everyone, stick to Vice Chairman Theo!”
When Sejun and the group touched Theo’s body,
[The 11 divided powers combine into one, activating <Power: Strength to Support Thirteen Handfuls of Sky> for 13 seconds.]
[Strength increases by 1300%.]
The power activated.
On top of that,
Fwoosh.
Theo burned money to further enhance his abilities.
With his enhanced power,
“Here I go, meow!”
Using the skill Light Speed Meow-Step that came with the 'Golden Boots of the One Who Believes in Miracles', Theo dashed toward Kraken at the speed of light.
But,
Swish.
“Meow?!”
Theo was effortlessly caught by one of Kraken’s legs.
There was something everyone had overlooked.
The reason Cuengi had been able to knock out Melpheus was because of the power of the Beast of Apocalypse.
Their current strength was still insufficient to overpower an Apostle of Destruction.
“Meow! I can’t get out, meow! I’m being sucked in, meow!”
The numerous suction cups on Kraken’s legs created a strong vacuum, preventing Theo from escaping.
I need to ask Chairman Park for help, meow!
Just as Theo was about to enter his fanatic mode,
Crack, crack.
Once again the sky cracked and
Shatter.
Space shattered.
And then,
“Kyoo-Kyoo-Kyoo-Kyoo-Kyoo-Let go of my Theo-nim right now!!!!!”
He’s my cat!
The great destructive wizard Iona descended upon <Hamk>.
“Black holes and white holes, combine into nothingness! Annihilation!”
She unleashed a new spell she had learned and perfected during her closed-door training.
*****
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