NOVPUBI Can’t Stand Extras Flashing Back and Rambling On
I don’t think he’s pulling any special tricks.
With a sigh, I stepped onto the stage set up according to the guidance announcement, and focused my senses. From the faint mechanical noises within the stage to checking for any subtle movements of others, I prepared for every possibility.
I’m sure the Noble members are keeping a close eye from the audience, but who knows what they’ll do. When the defeat becomes humiliating enough, they might lost it and crash the match. It’s more expected in the finals, but I wouldn’t put anything past them…
But now, I can’t afford to stay idle. My opponent looks incredibly weak, which makes me even more concerned.
If only he seemed impressively strong or skilled, I might not be so nervous. I would have judged that he had risen purely through skill rather than feeling like he’s hiding a trick. But Park Kyungchul seems to be a far cry from that breed.
“Baek Taeyang, you’re definitely going to fall here.”
He started with the typical lines of an extra.
“I will absolutely not lose here.”
Even throwing in bait that could easily lead to a flashback to the past.
“Even if you defeat me, you won’t even reach their feet. It’s better for both of us if you fall to me now.”
Hinting at a shadowy figure and predicting future trials and hardships. He really is the textbook example of an extra from the villain’s side.
I really hated guys like this when I read comics before.
When the story was already rigged for the protagonist to win, and the minor character’s past reminiscences and repetitive foreshadowing just padded the story.
The problem was that it didn’t end in one episode; the entire next episode would be filled with flashbacks. I remember whenever I read a comic like that, I always skipped ahead and waited for the next installment to come out.
“So I’m saying this for you, Baek Taeyang. Give up. You’re not much to us, but as a hunter, you’re a really big asset. You better surrender here and wait for later. By then, everything will be divided… If you’re enough to belong to our side, you—”
“Stop blabbering. I hate when an extra talks so much.”
“You’re still rude. You and Kim Minsoo… You’re the same.”
Who would have thought there’d be someone who talks more than Kim Minsoo? If left alone, he seemed ready to keep yammering endlessly.
The tournament proceeds with the top 16, so there are four matches left. Two more rounds until the semifinals.
Park Kyungchul may not be at the bottom, but he’s definitely weak…
Judging by the fatty author’s light novel-style plot, it’s clear that no strong opponents will appear before the semifinals. Given how much he loves clichés, it’s entirely possible.
Is there any need to spend a lot of time on an insignificant character who’s only there to drop hints? The answer is ‘No, there isn’t.’
[Alright! It looks like both sides are ready, so we’ll begin the main match now! Let the match… begin!!!]
Boom!
As soon as the announcement ended, I sprang into action.
What if I go all out from the start…
I had hidden my full power during the selection process and qualifying rounds, but now there’s no need for that. If I finish off my opponent quickly, they won’t have time to see my full strength. Without multiple opponents, ending the fight swiftly helps keep my abilities under wraps.
“Of course, I knew you’d do that, Baek Taeyang! But I’m aware it takes you quite a bit of time to pull out your weapon from that huge case! During that moment, I will—”
“Stop explaining everything, you look stupid.”
Park Kyungchul wasn’t wrong. Swinging around a bed-sized weapon case or pulling out a weapon from it did take time. To prevent that, Kaivan added a ‘deployment’ feature to launch all the weapons inside. But even that required time, meaning the Kaivan series had a disadvantage when it came to preparing an attack.
This created an opening for opponents to exploit. So far, in the chaos of battle, I had enough time to prepare my weapons, but not now.
Park Kyungchul—rushing at me as I charged—must have known about this vulnerability.
He’s aiming to strike before I can draw my weapon.
His strategy was flawless—assuming I was using the Kaivan series.
Boom!
Just before we closed the gap, I dropped the weapon case. My now lighter body accelerated faster than when I first started.
“Ha! Have you given up your weapon for speed? Pathetic! Trying to take me down bare-handed! I’ll make you regret it! Activate Diamond Body!”
So that was his plan. Not using a weapon, but using his whole body as one. His shout confirmed his main skill too.
A physical enhancement, like Harden ability in Pokemon. Except his body shimmered like a diamond.
It was a wonder how he made it through the preliminaries with such a skill.
“And next!!! Rocket Boost!”
He didn’t try to activate his skills sneakily; he just openly declared them. Truly the textbook behavior of a minor villain. Despite this, the distance between us rapidly closed. The flames flickering along Park Kyungchul’s spine suggested that was his Rocket Boost.
“Thanks for the hard work.”
The situation was tense, where a collision with him wouldn’t just end with broken bones. But I was calmer than anyone. 𝓃𝓸𝓋𝓅𝓾𝒷.𝒸ℴ𝓂
[Single Point Focus Activated! Enhancing every part of your body to the extreme!]
The synergy of Alpha Male, which greatly enhances physical abilities, and Single Point Focus, which allows for more fluid movement of strength through concentration, lets one use the human body in unbelievable ways.
Just before reaching Park Kyungchul, I pushed off the ground with my toes and rapidly decreased my speed.
I always maintained my balance, unaffected by inertia. It was as if I alone lived in a different time.
Park Kyungchul’s arm reached out to take me down in one move. I effortlessly twisted my body to the side and moved beside him.
“Haha! Dodging is useless! You can’t put a scratch on me with your bare hands anyway!” Park Kyungchul spoke as if he had expected me to dodge.
Saying that my bare hands couldn’t harm his diamond-like body… He wasn’t wrong.
He’s absolutely right.
[Cleanup Activated! Tidies up a messy space with precision.]
As soon as I activated it, the Club of Greed appeared in my hand—a crude wooden club that looked straight out of the Stone Age. Despite its appearance, it was incredibly tough and destructive.
It works.
Cleanup is a skill that organizes messy spaces but is limited to actions that can be performed with one’s body. I had pondered if I could use the effects and conditions of Cleanup offensively.
The Club of Greed is a powerful weapon but has many restrictions when equipping or retrieving it. The Kaivan series can be stored in the bed-sized case, but the club has to be carried around. Moreover, while the Kaivan series can be thrown and automatically retrieved, the club lacks such a feature. So, despite its strength, it has the disadvantage of being exposed to the opponent from the start.
However, after discovering that I could use Cleanup offensively, that disadvantage vanished. When I placed the Club of Greed in the weapon case, it was deemed an intrusion in an originally tidy space. By activating Cleanup on the weapon case, the club was organized and naturally appeared in my hand.
“This should do it.”
Wham!
I swung the club and struck the back of his head.
Crash!
Having a hardened body and absorbing shock are entirely different matters. No matter how immune one is to strikes, they cannot be free from the impact.
“Let’s wrap this up quickly.” After a single blow, I grabbed Park Kyungchul’s head, which was now embedded in the arena floor.
“Argh! What’s this? Why isn’t it working? What’s happening?!”
“What do you think? Your Diamond Body isn’t working properly.”
Park Kyungchul’s Diamond Body only seemed to make him tougher, nothing more. Relying solely on his hardened body for hand-to-hand combat was a poor choice. Because in my hands was a weapon harder than his main skill.
As soon as I grabbed his hair, he seemed to sense his impending fate and started struggling wildly. He flailed around like a fish out of water, desperately trying to break free.
“Let go! Let me go!”
Park Kyungchul kept repeating the same words and writhed his body. Whenever he tried to move his arms, I hit his elbows with the club, and when he tried to move his legs, I struck his shins. No matter how tough a metal is, it cracks when you hit it, and when you hit the cracks, it shatters.
Indeed, his body was covered in web-like cracks, as if it could break apart at any moment.
“Got anything else to show?”
“Grr… yushb… hsknm…”
“Ah, maybe I hit your mouth too much. You can’t talk, huh.”
No need to prolong this. I slammed his head onto the arena floor.
[The winner is… Hunter Baek Taeyang!]
As soon as the announcement was made, I checked the scoreboard and stepped off the stage.
<<Baek Taeyang wins, 35-second KO>>
Not bad.
One disappointing thing was that Park Kyungchul had no hidden tricks. I expected him to use a stolen skill when cornered, but there was no sign of that. Given his close ties to the Noble and making it to the round of 16, I thought he might have something up his sleeve.
Too weak.
He was strangely weak. I remembered something he said midway through.
He said why it wasn’t working?
What if that comment was about the activation of a stolen skill? That was possible. Maybe he saw my weapon right before our clash and hurriedly tried to retrieve his skill. Or perhaps he judged that adding a few more skills wouldn’t be enough to defeat me.
Is he smarter than he looks?
I couldn’t know for sure, but one thing was certain.
I’ll have to make it to the semifinals to see them show themselves.
The Noble undoubtedly existed at the top.
