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Translator: penny
Chapter: 76
Chapter Title: Harpy
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"You all wait here."
I told the women from the bitch squad to stay put in the cave.
[Current: 620 meters]
Just 80 more meters, and I'd enter the harpies' territory. Countless players had lost their lives to their relentless assaults.
No matter how mythic her abilities were, Im A-rin was strictly a royal ghost type.
'She's still too weak. If we all went up together, six out of eight would die.'
Since I'd already decided to back them, I figured I'd put a little more care into recouping my investment fully.
"Wait in the cave. I'll drop a rope down for you."
"Yes! Be careful!"
With their cheers spurring me on, I scaled the wall. It was noon, the sun high overhead, chasing away the chill and the shadows.
The morning dew that had slicked the rocks had evaporated under the harsh sunlight, making for perfect climbing conditions.
"F-Fall! Fall already! Arrrgh!"
But as always, people were everywhere, struggling against the harpies as they clawed their way up the cliffs toward their goal.
I paused and looked up. Twenty-seven harpies visible nearby.
"Hey, you there!"
"?"
"Don't go alone—team up with us and climb together!"
A group of eleven—men and women mixed—were eyeing the situation above, just like me.
"Our odds of survival skyrocket if we stick together! Whoever's climbing in front gets cover from behind, and vice versa. Their ambushes won't mean shit!"
It made a certain kind of sense, but I shook my head at the paunchy middle-aged guy.
"I'll handle myself."
They were aiming to reach the top, but I had my own business. I sidestepped, plucked some Whispering Silvergrass, and stowed it in my inventory.
Then I resumed climbing, spider-like, along the sheer rock face.
"What a dumb fuck."
"Let him go. He's choosing to solo and die. He'll regret it when it's too late."
One refusal, and they were spewing curses. How could people be so petty?
I shook my head and focused ahead. The high ground was right there.
'Alright, breaking through 700 meters.'
Yet even after entering the harpies' hunting range, no attack came. They went after a guy just 20 meters ahead of me but ignored me entirely.
Instead, they circled me quietly.
That alone told me they were different from the bats I'd faced last night.
'Definitely cautious. Scouting me out?'
In some ways, trickier than bats.
You never knew when they'd strike, so tension naturally built.
My skin prickled. I could feel their piercing gazes. A sensation that hadn't been there before.
'Come to think of it, my total stats passed 400.'
As stats rise, new senses emerge.
This eerie one was among them.
Some call it intuition, others a sixth sense...
A razor-sharp, animalistic instinct.
'Others don't unlock this until past level 20. I'm getting it in my second Trial.'
It was a glimpse of just how far ahead I was.
'Anyway, it slashes my chances of getting ambushed.'
Sure enough, one stare carried thick killing intent, making my pores contract.
Screeeeech!
A sharp whoosh slicing through the air.
"He's done for."
"Tch, his own damn fault."
I glanced back. One harpy was diving at me at top speed.
From a blind spot hard for cliff-climbers to watch—its talons extended, charging fiercely from behind.
'Smart play. Nine out of ten wouldn't notice till those claws hit.'
But that was it.
I waited calmly until it was close, then gripped the wall with one hand and spun around.
「?!」
The harpy's face twisted in shock—it had come to snatch me.
"No hard feelings."
Grab.
「!!」
"You try to take my life? Pay the price."
I seized its throat with one hand and snapped its neck with a twist. A gruesome crack echoed as it thrashed desperately.
Its eyes bulged, body twitching, then it shat itself like a chicken with a broken neck and went limp.
Thud.
I tossed it toward the sea indifferently. It plummeted, splashing into foam where Borakua happily frolicked.
"D-Did you see that?"
"What the hell is that guy?"
People buzzed in shock.
"...."
For a brief moment, the harpies' chatter vanished. Only the waves whispered.
"H-Hey, you! You're no slouch—join us!"
"Yeah! Don't hog that power—share the love!"
The same jerks who'd cursed me earlier shouted. I ignored them and scanned around.
'One show of force, and you'd hope they'd back off. No such luck. They'll keep hounding.'
Trial monsters were persistent.
Craving human flesh, human corpses, human death.
Screeeeech!
As expected, deeming their kin just unlucky, fresh harpies tried the same tactic.
Grab.
「Kyak! Krek!」
But the outcome was unchanged.
Crack.
Another ambush reversed, another meal for Borakua.
Realizing one-on-one wouldn't cut it, they tried ganging up midway. But with near-100 Agility, I snapped necks one by one—no issue.
Crack.
After the seventh, they stopped coming.
"Get lost! Back off!"
Abandoning me, they targeted easier prey. Weaker, lower-risk climbers. Solos.
"Now! While he's distracting them, let's go!"
"Hurry!"
A weird feeling settled in.
Everyone scrambling, fighting, guarding desperately to survive—yet I was serene.
Harpies ignored me. Avoided me.
"You bastards! Let go ri—Huh? Why're they suddenly fleeing...?"
If I passed by mid-hunt, they'd freak, drop their prey, and bail.
A guy bleeding from harpy talons blinked in confusion, saw them glance at me nervously, and thanked me.
"Th-Thank you! You saved me!"
"Uh, sure... No big deal."
I'd done nothing, yet gratitude anyway.
He thought I'd used some power to rescue him, but seriously, harpies bolted at the sight of me.
"I'll repay this debt someday!"
He bowed gratefully and climbed on.
After that, I gathered more Whispering Silvergrass, and each time, fleeing harpies had to hunt anew.
"Aaaah! Let go! Get off me, you shits!"
"Kyaaah! H-Help!"
Unfortunately, the eleven who'd cursed me earlier bore the brunt—right in my path.
"U-Uwaaaaaah!"
Pathetic. Just five harpies—not even a big number—and they crumbled like idiots, despite preaching teamwork.
Worse, their paunchy leader ditched them mid-attack, fleeing upward solo.
"G-Get off me!"
Isolated, he ended up as chow too.
"...Kinda feeling left out."
I muttered while casually harvesting Whispering Silvergrass.
This wasn't what I'd envisioned.
Enduring constant harpy attacks, steadily gathering grass amid the chaos, reaping hard-earned rewards...
Instead, thoroughly shunned by them. Anticlimactic.
'Well, smooth sailing's fine too.'
Unhindered, I circled the cliff, picking Whispering Silvergrass. Found a good cave? Dropped the rope's end precisely into the women's cave.
Scraaaape.
One by one, they clung on; I reeled them up swiftly.
Harpies spotted fresh prey, swooped excitedly—then saw me hauling and scattered far away.
"In-Incredible. How'd you do that?"
Monsters meant to crush humanity's hopes in the Trials? Utterly pathetic.
"A harpy just fled from Min-jun."
The women climbing the rope stared wide-eyed. No real explanation to give.
"Dunno. Maybe it felt like bumping into a high-level PK user in a newbie zone."
"Huh?"
I'd expected them to call friends or get craftier...
Thanks to that, I focused purely on harvesting, getting efficient quick.
'Oh, this works nice.'
No more hand-picking each blade. No need to creep close and pluck delicately. Telekinesis yanked them root-intact effortlessly.
'Gotta use your head.'
Thinking smart sparked more ideas. I gripped a nut—steel lump on a long wire—and channeled telekinesis.
Snap.
The lump stuck firm to the sheer cliff, no ledge needed.
I released my holds cautiously. My body dangled from the wire, secure.
True to its Intelligence scaling, past 100 Intellect, my telekinesis could handle my full weight.
No more fretting over falls or hunting safe holds.
'Do I even need nuts then?'
I tried telekinesis on my boots.
Boots wrapping to mid-calf, military-style. Envelop the whole thing firmly...
'Oh?'
Like lightfoot skill—I stood on one foot against the cliff. Tried shifting telekinesis between feet.
Tap tap tap.
'This rules.'
Climbed with both feet, or sidled horizontally.
"What the—?"
"Insane."
"Unique ability: wall-walking...? Jealous."
Climbers gawked. Hunting harpies forgot their job, staring slack-jawed.
'No wonder. Humans usually plummet off walls; I'm strolling like flat ground.'
With practice, jumping seemed possible.
Minor issue: full weight on one foot crushed my arches and heels against the boots.
'Still, wall-walking's huge. Worth the discomfort.'
As I strolled the walls, harpies steered clear. Maybe they saw me as inhuman—a predator.
'Anyway, nearing the goal.'
Mobility solved, harvesting flew by; the target loomed instead.
[Current: 890 meters]
"...But damn, that's a lot."
Looking up: harpies swarmed. Spring fly levels. Easily two thousand.
'Monstrous density.'
Many challengers tried; none passed while I watched.
'Passing that needs luck. Or elite skills.'
Stealth, fire magic, etc. Blind charge? Suicide.
'Not my problem, though.'
Harpies stirred at my approach, swiftly clearing my path. Felt like a lion on the savanna.
'Heard there's a rest spot pre-final hurdle, room for hundreds.'
Scanned around.
Easy find—folks popping out a cave entrance, checking outside.
"Pardon the intrusion."
I strolled up the wall to the entrance; eyes bulged.
"Who are you? Why ignore you? That's your power?"
"Wall-walking too...?"
I bullshitted.
"Just a minor spat with those winged ladies. Anyway, bringing my group up—mind stepping aside?"
Got their okay, claimed the entrance, slung the rope into the women's cave.
Reeled them up fast. Numbers boosting confidence?
Flutter flutter!
Fleeing harpies now tested the women—nipping at heels.
I yanked the rope up, lunged at close pursuers, snapped necks.
「!!」
One down, they tucked tail and scattered.
"Th-Thank you. Owe you my life, Min-jun."
"No major injuries?"
"No. But weird."
Yeah, weird. They'd avoided me and mine—now attacking.
Not coincidence. They probed every hoist, like fish nibbling bait.
"Different from before. You feel it too, Min-jun?"
Despite showing retaliation's cost, they persisted.
Even yanking women up in a blur from base to top—they struck in that blink.
Diverse tactics, like exploiting gaps.
'Chilling.'
Unease crept in.
"You girls pull the rope this time. Hold tight; when I signal, dash inside."
"Y-Yes!"
Fishy vibes—last up, Im A-rin. Told them to haul; I dropped down the cliff.
Rope jerked; Im A-rin shot out, reeled skyward.
'There they go.'
Predictably, harpies moved.
But scale differed wildly.
Not four or five—over a hundred dove at Im A-rin in unison.
Screeeeech!
Like this strike was their goal all along—reckless charge.
Some targeted her; rest latched the rope, gnawing and tugging opposite.
'Nice try.'
I gripped hard, braked, leaped overhead slashing my sword.
「?!」
Didn't expect me bursting out—they flinched. I carved through mercilessly.
Slash slash—
Diced two dozen into chum instantly. Pushed forward to finish remnants—
「Krek!」
A shrill cry echoed from above.
'Hm?'
Harpies dropped the rope, retreated in perfect sync. I halted, scanning.
Im A-rin passed safely into the cave; I followed slowly, eyeing circling harpies.
'Getting annoying.'
Thought they were dumb flocks. Second Trial, after all.
'One smart one mixed in.'
I met two thousand glaring eyes, advancing to the cave steadily.
Another shrill cry.
Flutter flutter.
Like birds roosting, two thousand harpies perched on ledges in unison. Spectacular—and creepy.
'Tougher than I figured.'
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