"How much experience do you have?"
"About three years."
Not a lot, but not little either.
"Then can you squeeze through between those two vehicles?"
Seriniel, who had now gotten quite close to the two SUVs parked side by side, nodded.
"Plenty of space."
"Alright, then let's go."
Now wasn't the time to doubt.
They were a team, after all.
As soon as Soohyeok finished speaking, Seriniel pulled the accelerator without hesitation.
VROOOOM—!
The ATV shot forward, and a fireball—the same kind that had first ambushed Seriniel—came flying at them once again.
"Just dodge that!"
Soohyeok called out, and Seriniel nodded.
The fireball had considerable power, but took time to conjure.
Also, it seemed to require a lighter or some kind of catalyst to even form.
A flame-user like Oh Shinwoo, but clearly a tier below.
So neither of them found the attack particularly threatening.
Bang—!
Seriniel, with skillful driving, neatly dodged the fast-approaching fireball.
"Nice!"
Soohyeok shouted in excitement.
By then, the two SUVs and the ATV were close enough to clearly see each other's faces.
And as if they'd been waiting for the signal, three people poked their heads out the SUV windows and activated their abilities.
Square-shaped ice shards flew through the air, and vines sprouted from the dry earth.
'Another fireball too, huh.'
Individually, none of them were that powerful, but they were definitely annoying.
Above all, they were close.
'No choice but to cut through them…'
Just as Soohyeok was concentrating his inner energy from his lower danjeon into his lower body, Seriniel called out urgently.
"Hold on tight!"
The ATV engine roared like thunder.
In less than a second, Seriniel yanked the handle sharply to the left, narrowly skirting around the tangled roots of the vines.
"Wagh!"
Soohyeok flinched and reached out as the ice shards came into view—but before he could react, the ATV's full-throttle turbo engine kicked in, which Seriniel had already primed.
A thunderous explosion rang out as the ATV burst forward like a bullet.
The sudden change of direction and acceleration caused one of the SUVs to lose balance and sway.
The ATV narrowly grazed the SUV's rear end as it shot past.
'What kind of elf drives like this…?!'
Soohyeok was in awe of Seriniel's bold and fierce driving.
It was a chaotic situation—but clearly, a golden opportunity.
They had dodged the ice, the vines, and even the fireball had long since crashed into the ground.
The ability users in the SUVs were rattled, and the distance between them and the ATV had closed significantly.
"Let's go."
With that, Soohyeok, who had been balancing precariously on the ATV, leapt into the air.
Thud—!
The thick metal roof of the SUV shook violently as Soohyeok landed, the vehicle swaying wildly.
They were trying to shake him off.
But Soohyeok's hands, powered by inner energy, slammed into the roof and held fast.
As he clung to the SUV roof, another SUV pulled up on the right side.
Through the window, Soohyeok locked eyes with a bald, hard-faced man who stared at him in disbelief.
"You crazy bastard. You've got a death wish or what?"
The window rolled down, and the man sneered as he spoke.
"Who the hell are you calling a dead man, you squid-faced freak? What, you gonna shoot some poison ink at me? Do it. Splat, splat. Huh, that sounds weird. Splat, splat."
Soohyeok wasn't just about fists—he could throw verbal jabs too. Even while clinging to a moving vehicle, he mocked the bald man with a smirk.
The man's eyes flared with rage.
"W-What?! Squid?! Splat?! You son of a—! I don't care what happens to the others, but I'm killing you!"
"Nice words. So you're one of those 'expendable' types, huh? I'll remember that. I'll make sure that little squid of yours never squirts again."
"RAAGHH—!"
As the man screamed in fury, Soohyeok looked down at his hands still embedded in the roof. A faint blue inner energy was glowing.
'No wonder it's sturdy—must be dwarven-made or something.'
Even using energy from his middle danjeon, he hadn't been able to rip the roof off—he could only pierce into it.
And just hanging on wasn't going to get him anywhere.
Soohyeok gritted his teeth and surged his energy throughout his entire body. His hands stayed lodged with sheer strength, and though the SUV was moving fast, his body was well-trained for moments like this.
It was possible.
"Rrghhh—!"
With a groan-like shout, Soohyeok planted his right foot on the roof. The car shook violently side to side, making it hard to get his other foot up—but just then, Seriniel's ATV pulled up beside him.
"Gnome!"
With that shout, Seriniel reached out her hand, giving Soohyeok a temporary foothold for his dangling leg.
The moment was brief—too brief, thanks to the speed of the vehicles—but it was enough.
"Thanks, Seriniel!"
Thud—!
Soohyeok shouted as he finally got his left foot on the SUV roof.
In that instant, he released the reserve energy from his upper danjeon—and it exploded through his entire body.
Veins bulged thick across Soohyeok's entire body—his thighs, waist, wrists, fingers, biceps, triceps—every muscle.
"Raaaaagh—!"
The bald, squid-faced man beside him—who had pulled up again—shouted at the sight.
"Pwahaha! You lunatic! Do you even know what you're doing?! That's specially-forged dwarven steel…"
Creeeak—!
Just like humans or beasts, even steel can cry out.
The bald man already knew that—but this time, he heard it clearly.
The metal cried out. And before his very eyes, the SUV roof began to bend.
"W-What the hell…?! What are you all doing?! Aren't you ready yet?!"
Panic was evident in the squid-faced man's voice, and even the allies who had been prepping their abilities were visibly shaken.
"I'm ready!"
The man with the lighter—the one who had fired the first fireball—shouted back.
"Then shoot! Kill that maniac already!"
Another fireball flared to life with a savage roar.
And at the same moment, the steel gave way—not just with a groan, but a scream.
CRRACK—!
"Aaaaaah—!"
With a raw, guttural roar, Soohyeok sprang upright.
The fireball screamed toward him.
"Get lost!"
With both arms, Soohyeok tore the half-ripped roof completely off the vehicle and hurled it forward.
BOOM—!
The black metal roof collided with the fireball in midair, producing an explosive sound. A gust of force followed—kicking up sand, gravel, and dust that whirled into thick clouds around them.
"Cough, hack—what the hell!"
The bald, squid-faced man gagged on the sand and spat out curses between violent coughs.
His bloodshot eyes turned toward the SUV on the left, which was still speeding alongside.
Inside, he could see Soohyeok, having thrown away the roof slab, now sliding inside the vehicle—and with blinding speed, striking the driver and the five ability users one after another.
What the hell is that?!
It didn't even look like a full-force attack.
With only his index and middle fingers extended, Soohyeok tapped each of their bodies in precise spots—causing them all to instantly freeze, immobilized.
The bald man's eyes widened like lanterns.
It was something he'd never seen before.
Then Soohyeok, having neutralized five awakened individuals in mere seconds, launched himself up and out of the SUV.
Standing atop the vehicle's broken frame, he locked eyes with the bald man for a fleeting moment.
That instant sent a cold shiver stabbing through the bald man's heart.
VRRROOOM—!
He didn't even realize it at first, too stunned—until the ATV carrying Seriniel brushed past, and a wall of earth erupted from the ground in their wake.
BOOM—!
The SUV slammed into it and flew into the air, flipping violently.
Am I really going out this easily? Me? Lee Woojin?
Just then, a spark of fury ignited in the bald man's eyes.
His left arm swelled grotesquely—ripping through his sleeve and bursting out of the car door.
BANG—!
Right before the SUV could flip completely, he thrust that one massive arm into the ground, absorbing the impact.
Lee Woojin let out a guttural, beast-like roar.
Huff, huff.
"Move."
"Ugh! Boss… my chest—my chest! Aaaagh!"
With ragged breathing, the monstrous arm shoved aside the man in the driver's seat, the thick limb crashing through the opposite door.
Then, bracing both arms and flexing rapidly, he forced the airborne SUV back down onto its four wheels.
"Grraaagh!"
With a twisted groan, Lee Woojin dismounted—his blue-tinged, thick arms hanging like slabs of stone.
Each one looked over a meter long, with a shape more like boulders than human limbs.
Less man, more monster—Lee Woojin snorted with fury, blue veins bulging from his forehead.
"You… I will kill you."
Watching from atop the other vehicle, Soohyeok scoffed.
"Just 'cause you're big doesn't mean you're stronger."
"RRAAAAAAGH—!"
With a monstrous howl, Lee Woojin lunged at Soohyeok.
His legs had also swollen—now transformed into blue, rocklike limbs.
By the time he reached Soohyeok, his entire body had mutated into a grotesque musclebound beast, tearing through his clothes.
"Whoa!"
Startled but impressed, Soohyeok let out a whistle and side-stepped with a Taeguk Palseonbo footwork technique.
BOOM!
In an instant, Lee Woojin vanished into the earth—creating a small crater where he had landed.
Focusing his energy into his eyes, Soohyeok saw it: a deep hole in the crater's center.
He had completely burrowed underground.
That strength… it's insane. And that look… it's risky. You might get a lawsuit from a certain green-skinned studio property if you're not careful.
Just as Soohyeok was musing about how Lee Woojin looked suspiciously like a certain famous green monster, Seriniel rolled up next to him on the ATV.
[T/L: Read extra chapters on my ko-fi page "Pokemon1920" : https://ko-fi.com/pokemon1920 ]