Chapter 33: Kill Steal

As the monarch limped towards YuWon, it was clear the earlier assault had taken its toll on it. But that didn't mean it was easy to defeat. Even though the monarch wasn't as fast or powerful as before, it was still a dangerous opponent.

Everyone on the battlefield watched with bated breaths. The other monsters had been defeated, and now only the Goblin Monarch remained. If YuWon could defeat it, the hell they've been living in would end.

The question was, could YuWon defeat the beast on his own?

The monarch swung its golden blade at YuWon, aiming to slice him in half. But YuWon was quick on his feet and ducked under, and rolled away as the sword whizzed past his head.

But the Goblin Monarch didn't give up. It lunged forward and threw a punch at him. Knowing the creature was weak, YuWon countered its punch with his own.

Their fists collided with explosive force, unleashing a shockwave. The ground beneath them cracked, and debris flew everywhere. The spectators gasped and covered their faces as dust and small rocks rained down on them.

How does this bastard still have this much strength?

The exchange made YuWon's hand ache, and he was surprised. Initially, he had thought it would be an easy fight, but that didn't seem to be the case. The monarch still had enough strength to wreck them.

The monarch seemed to realize the same and smirked. The next moment, the two began exchanging blows rapidly. To most of the low-level awakeners, their movements were hard to follow. All they could see were flashes of movement and dust now and then.

Only the skilled fighters in the crowd could keep up with the pace, and surprisingly, cheered YuWon on.

"Come on, YuWon!" someone shouted from the crowd.

"You've got this!"

"Fuck that ugly bastard!"

The monarch started strong. But soon, fatigue and frustration began clouding its mind. But the monarch wasn't the only one getting frustrated.

The usual weapons weren't effective in YuWon's hands, and he had no time to grab those scattered on the ground. He needed to think of something to end the monarch before things could worsen.

Meanwhile, the monarch roared and swung the blade again. YuWon dove past the monarch and then he noticed something. The sword he hit the monarch with was still stuck in its back.

Hoon noticed the anger on YuWon's face, and his smile widened.

"What? Don't look at me like that," he laughed. "It looked like you were taking too long, so I decided to help."

YuWon gritted his teeth. But then he calmed down. Instead of getting angry, he smiled. However, it wasn't a smile of joy, but a calm, indifferent smile, like none of it mattered.

After all, Hoon had given him a legitimate reason to kill him. As for the monarch, it would be a hassle, but he could respawn and do it over again.

Unfortunately for YuWon, that wasn't the case.

[Tutorial complete!]

[Auto-saving the Awakener's progress.]

[A new checkpoint has been created.]

[All previous checkpoints have been erased.]

As he read the notifications, a flicker of rage crossed YuWon's face. An auto-save was the last thing he expected. But now that it had happened, there was nothing he could do about it.

"YuWon?" Gina asked, sensing the change in his expression.

YuWon's jaw tightened, and his fists clenched. It wasn't Hoon's boasting that bothered him. But the fact he got played like a fiddle.

Before YuWon could act on the rising anger within him, the sky darkened. Everyone looked up, scared that they would get involved in another fight. Then a bright light pierced the dark clouds and from above, someone descended slowly.

The woman was stunning and looked like an angel with white wings spread wide behind her. Aside from the thin gold crown resting on her forehead, she wore a white robe which was embroidered with silver patterns.

The robe was long, almost touching the ground, but it didn't hinder her movement as her porcelain feet hovered above the ground.

"Greetings, Awakeners," she smiled, floating above the ground.