34 chapter - Natural Healing Pension (4)
The bastard's massive frame easily exceeded 2.5 meters, his entire body packed with dense muscle.
The powerful physique reminded me of the guy with the cat mask I once saw at the auction house — that same overwhelming, athletic build. The monster clutched a spear nearly as long as its own body.
It wasn’t even moving, yet the pressure it exuded was suffocating.
That’s how intense its presence was.
‘There’s no stopping now.’
If I stopped, it was over.
A horde of Orcs desperate to rip me apart was chasing me from behind.
‘I’ll break through.’
No matter how strong it was, if I shoved a bullet down its throat, it wouldn’t stand a chance either.
I charged head-on, spraying bullets as I ran.
Ratatata—!
I wasn’t expecting much.
Unless I got lucky and nailed it in the eye, this wouldn’t accomplish anything.
It was just a diversion to throw off its focus and buy time for my next move.
Clang!
‘…What?’
Ideally, I wanted to kill it here and crush the morale of the other Orcs.
But the moment I saw the bastard casually swipe its spear, deflecting the incoming bullets, my plan crumbled.
‘F**k.’
It was a monster, plain and simple.
I changed direction without hesitation.
Unfortunately, it didn’t look like the bastard had any intention of letting me go.
Boom!
With a powerful stomp, the monster’s body launched forward like a shell.
In the blink of an eye, it closed the distance, its entire body glowing with blue mana.
The bastard swung its spear like lightning.
Clang!
I barely raised my rifle to block the strike, but I was sent flying, rolling pathetically across the ground.
My K2 rifle shattered instantly from that single blow.
“……”
Luckily, my body was more monstrous than expected.
The rifle exploded into shards, and I rolled hard across the dirt, but there wasn’t a scratch on me.
It wasn’t even Yuna’s light healing me — I was literally unharmed.
‘I’m a monster too, huh.’
When using my skill, my physical strength and durability skyrocketed.
Some fragments flying around and rolling across the ground weren’t enough to injure me.
The bastard stared at me with a curious look, clearly surprised I got back up unscathed.
‘If I can’t run…’
Wrapped in blue mana, the monster was faster than I was, even with my skill active.
Running would never get me out of its grasp.
The bastard’s confidence in its speed explained the relaxed attitude.
‘Let’s fight.’
Once I decided, there was no room for hesitation.
I grabbed a sword lying nearby and charged the bastard.
The Orc leader let out an amused, booming laugh and took a ready stance, gripping its spear.
‘Only one chance.’
I sprinted at full speed, eyes locked on the perfect opening, still outside the danger zone—
Fwoosh!
The spear fired toward my heart.
‘What the—?!’
It looked like the spear had extended — that’s how absurd the distance it covered was.
Clang!
I barely reacted, my sword intercepting the spear’s blade.
But all I managed to do was slightly redirect its trajectory — the weapon still barreled through, sending my sword flying.
Thud!
The spear punched deep into my side, bursting out through my back.
It skewered me clean through.
The bastard looked down at me with a twisted grin.
But I met its mocking stare with my own grin.
I stepped forward, pressing my body even further onto the spear.
The shaft dug deeper into my torso, sharp pain radiating everywhere.
Hummm…
But as the spear shredded my insides, Yuna’s light began healing the wound from within.
‘I can hold on!’
Shhh!
A fistful of sand clenched in my palm sprayed into the bastard’s eyes.
“Grrrk!”
The unexpected attack forced the bastard to squeeze its eyes shut.
In that fleeting moment, an opening appeared.
‘Now.’
Grabbing the sword had been to buy this window.
Taking the spear through my body, trusting in Yuna’s power, had been for this one, perfect moment.
Click.
I pulled a pistol from my coat and jammed it straight into the monster’s gaping mouth, squeezing the trigger without hesitation.
The second the muzzle breached its mouth, the bastard must’ve sensed the danger — mana erupted violently from its body.
But it was too late.
Bang—!
The blue mana flooding from its body scattered uselessly into the air.
The life faded from the Orc leader’s eyes, while enormous energy surged into me.
‘Ah—!’
This was the single greatest growth boost I’d ever experienced.
My whole body overflowed with strength and satisfaction… but only for a moment.
Pain in my torso quickly reminded me of reality.
I’d somehow gotten lucky and killed the boss, but regular Orcs and Elite Orcs still swarmed the area.
“Ugh.”
I tried to pull the spear out of my body, but it was pointless.
Thanks to Yuna’s healing, the wound had closed tightly around the shaft — my muscles clamped down hard.
The more I tried to move it, the worse the pain got.
In the distance, a frenzied horde of Orcs charged toward me.
‘F**k.’
Out of the frying pan, into the fire.
It was a familiar situation.
The only difference was that the Goblins had become Orcs.
But it was eerily similar to the moment I died as Park Jihoon.
‘Even in that hopeless situation… I fought to the bitter end.’
It’s not over till it’s over.
‘Yeah… let’s see this through to the end.’
With the spear still embedded in my body, I gritted my teeth and picked up the sword.
Hissss!
Four Orcs charged from all directions.
Hummm…
All four radiated blue mana from their bodies.
Elite Orc warriors — every single one.
Worse, their muscles bulged grotesquely, and their eyes glowed red.
They’d clearly been buffed by an Orc shaman.
In contrast, the light surrounding my body — Yuna’s healing — had completely faded.
From this point on, my wounds wouldn’t heal.
“Graaaah!”
Bang—! Bang—!
The bullets cost hundreds of thousands of won each, with mana stones embedded, but I didn’t have the luxury to care.
One of the Orcs leading the charge dropped dead, blood gushing from its mouth.
It had charged in like an idiot, jaws wide open.
Clang!
A glaive wielded by one of the Elite Orcs knocked my sword away.
My grip was too weak.
I watched, helpless, as my sword flew through the air, the filthy Orc’s face looming closer, ready to drive its glaive into my neck.
It all played out in slow motion.
‘Is this it…?’
As I accepted death, my gaze drifted to the fallen corpse of the Orc leader.
My last hope.
That was my Trait.
‘…Can I possess a monster’s body?’
It was my final, desperate card.
‘I need to collapse onto this bastard’s corpse somehow.’
Once I became a slime, moving would be nearly impossible.
I leaned my body forward, trying to fall onto the corpse, and aimed my pistol at the approaching Orc.
Bang—!
My final act of defiance — the bullet glanced off near the Orc’s eye.
“Graaaah!”
The enraged Orc swung its glaive down.
Shhk!
I thought I was dead.
But the next moment… the thing that was severed wasn’t me.
It was the Orc’s head.
‘…Huh?’
A sword wreathed in blue mana appeared out of nowhere, cleanly severing the head of the Orc attacking me. In the same instant, the remaining three Orcs around me were all decapitated in one smooth, continuous motion.
Hoo…
The owner of the glowing sword was a ridiculously handsome man.
“That was close,” he said casually, flashing me a refreshing smile.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Lee Yechan from the Mountain Guild.”
Barely surviving, I stared blankly at his face for a moment, then blurted out in a panic,
“There’s still Orcs…?!”
Behind us, an unbelievable scene was unfolding.
The forest had been sliced clean through, as if shaved away entirely.
The Orc horde within it had been severed—heads, torsos, limbs—turned into nothing but heaps of flesh.
Overwhelming force, pure and simple.
As I stood there gaping in disbelief, a woman with short, sharp bobbed hair descended from the sky.
“Oh, that’s Park Boram, also from the Mountain Guild,” Yechan said with a sly grin.
“Pretty, isn’t she? She’s my girlfriend.”
While I was still standing there dumbfounded, Yechan muttered to himself,
“Yeah… like this, you’re not moving anywhere. Hold still for a second.”
Hummm…
His sword glowed blue again, and without changing his calm expression, he swung it at me.
Shhk!
Cold sweat poured down my back as I instinctively ducked my head.
The spear shaft embedded in my body was sliced cleanly apart.
“I’ll pull it out now.”
“W-Wait— ngh!”
Yechan didn’t hesitate—he yanked the spear free in one motion.
Blood poured from the gaping hole in my abdomen.
Yechan tore a long strip of cloth from his shirt, wrapped it roughly around my waist, and asked,
“Think you can walk?”
“…Yeah.”
“Then let’s go!”
And just like that, I staggered after them, bleeding all over the place as we made our way back to the pension.
**
“Oppa!”
As we emerged from the forest, I found Lee Yuna.
The moment she spotted me, she ran over and grabbed my hand.
Hummm…
She glanced nervously at my side, frowning deeply.
“What happened to you…?”
“It’s nothing. You’ve been waiting here this whole time?”
“…I was worried.”
Yuna hadn’t gone inside—she’d been waiting in the pension parking lot for me this entire time.
“What about the others?”
I asked lightly, but Yuna’s expression turned grim.
“Yohan Oppa got hurt bad.”
“Yohan?”
“Yeah… he’s being treated in the lodge right now.”
Only now did I take in the state of the parking lot—it was a complete disaster.
Our rental car, the other vehicles—none of them had made it.
They were all riddled with bullet holes, practically ready for the scrapyard.
“How bad is it?”
“…If help had been even a little later, he might not have made it. Luckily, the healer showed up.”
“Healer?”
Lee Yechan, who had been quietly observing beside us, spoke up.
“One of my teammates. Originally, we were going to have him treat Choi Changshik too, but… looks like your team already has a healer?”
Yuna waved her hands quickly.
“Oh, I….”
“Ah, got it. You can only use your ability under certain conditions, right?”
“Y-Yeah, that’s right.”
Yuna cautiously asked,
“How… how did you know?”
“If you could’ve healed him, you would’ve done it the second you saw your teammate hurt. Just like you did now.”
Without changing his relaxed expression, Yechan casually unwrapped my bandage, checking the wound.
“…Pretty impressive healing, though. That’s not D-rank level.”
Yechan tilted his head, resting his chin on his hand with a teasing smirk.
“Must be pretty strict conditions, huh? Like… maybe you can only use it on someone you’re in love with?”
“W-What? No, that’s not it!”
“Just an expression. Just saying.”
Yechan grinned at me and continued,
“Anyway, no need to stress too much. Our healer—whatever else you say about him—his skills are second to none.”
I soon learned what he meant by “whatever else.”
When we opened the door to the lodge where the rest of the party was resting—
Smack!
Im Jin-sol slapped some guy hard across the face.
“You son of a bitch! If you weren’t the one who treated Yohan, I’d kill you right here, you know that?!”
Her furious scream left me dazed for a second.
Going by what she said, that guy must’ve been the healer who saved Seong Yohan.
But… why was he getting slapped?
The guy, still holding his reddening cheek, opened his mouth with dramatic flair.
“Ahh~ Mademoiselle… even your anger is breathtakingly beautiful.”
His oily, over-the-top voice and exaggerated hand gestures made me feel like I was watching some bad stage play.
“Please, grant me but one blissful night in your embrace. Let’s ascend heaven’s staircase together!”
“I said no! F**king disappear already!”
Smack!
The sharp slap ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) echoed across the room.
But the guy didn’t know the meaning of giving up.
He gently stroked his slapped cheek and declared,
“For one night with you… I shall endure even this pain!”
The mood screamed Romeo and Juliet—except the Juliet in his mind, Im Jin-sol, was making a face like a cockroach was crawling all over her.
Next to me, Lee Yechan scratched his head awkwardly and muttered,
“Haha… his skills are great, but… yeah, his personality’s a bit defective. Sorry about this.”
The hopeless romantic, undeterred, wore the face of a tragic male lead as he declared,
“More! Strike me more! I shall withstand it for you, my love!”
Im Jin-sol recoiled in pure disgust and shrieked,
“Ah, seriously! F**king get lost, you perverted bastard!”