Terrestrial Savior Archetype - T.S.A Chapter 6 (part 2): Choice and Focus (Part 4)

Although no sound had been ringing in his head since earlier, Jeong-woo knew that the evaluator was observing him.

‘Did it say its name was “Da467”?’

Anyway, he felt a strange presence from the moment that thing was assigned as the evaluating official.

Invisible to the eyes, but it was clear that someone was watching from close proximity.

‘Are they going to observe everything I do from now on and score me?’

How well do they really know about humans…

Jeong-woo was subtly displeased, but there was a more urgent matter at hand.

Aww!

The right arm of the “Cleaner” shot diagonally toward him.

Jeong-woo channeled the essence boiling within him into his own arms. Then he raised his arms and blocked the attack.

Thwack!

The forearm of the two-meter-long otherworldly creature bounced off the human arm that was thin in comparison.

This was the power granted by the essence distributed by “Earth.”

It defied the laws of physics, but Jeong-woo didn’t have the luxury to deduce its principles.

He only knew two things about it.

When the chilled essence heated up, he could transfer it to specific parts of his body.

By doing this, it was possible to defend against enemy attacks using the concentrated essence.

It wasn’t something the evaluator had informed him of. It was a fact he had personally acquired through his initial contact with the monster.

The scene of Jeong-woo deflecting the attack using the essence was witnessed by Team Leader Jo from the opposite side.

If he had relied only on the “human guard” of raising both arms, he wouldn’t have been able to defend against the Cleaner’s attack, whose height exceeded three meters.

“Hoo…!”

Jeong-woo took advantage of the opportunity when the Cleaner was pushed back and quickly hid himself among the parked cars.

It was because there was no guarantee that the Cleaner would attack from the same direction next time.

‘Blocking alone won’t lead to victory. Someday, I might raise my guard in the wrong place and get my body sliced off… I have to attack.’

While moving with his upper body lowered, Jeong-woo looked at the pen he held in his hand, his only weapon.

Tch, tch.

From the overturned adjacent car, the distinct footsteps of the Cleaner could be heard.

Perhaps the next attack would come from that direction.

‘Attacks are ultimately performed with essence, right? Isn’t it similar to defense? When the essence is activated. If I concentrate it all at once…’

Jeong-woo’s gaze focused on the sharp tip of the pen.

He recalled the martial arts masters he had seen in martial arts novels.

The nobles who reinforced their weapons and bodies in forms like sword qi and body strengthening.

Of course, they were fictional beings, but the “essence” he was currently handling was real.

Moreover, the method of using this essence was not much different from internal energy.

When channeling essence into a certain part of the body for defense, the energy didn’t fortify the body.

Instead, it formed an intangible barrier to protect the vulnerable body.

It was akin to a self-defense technique.

‘If I can create a defensive barrier with essence, I should be able to create a blade as well.’

Didn’t the evaluator say that?

You already possess a sufficient amount of essence to defeat the Cleaner.

The problem was how to insert a blade into the Cleaner’s body.

The Cleaner’s arms were over two meters long and moved so quickly that it sent shivers down one’s spine.

While he might be able to defend against it, launching a surprise attack would be difficult…

In the midst of this, footsteps behind him suddenly reached Jeong-woo’s ears.

Tch, tch.

“…!”

Jeong-woo saw a shadow creeping up between the two vehicles where he was hiding.

In his contemplation of how to attack, he had forgotten that the Cleaner was approaching.

“Oh no, right behind me…?”

Now that it had come to this, there was only one option.

“A direct breakthrough!”

Jeong-woo, who was squatting on the ground, swiftly turned around and jumped away.

Pak!

The Cleaner stood with its elongated arms resting on the bonnets of the two adjacent cars, looking down at him.

Then, its beak-like mouth opened slightly like a blooming flower.

Hissing…

“Ugh!”

Jeong-woo knew exactly what that meant.

It meant that it was trying to unfold its beak into a funnel shape, just like when it swallowed Jae-hyung.

As he recalled the scene of Jae-hyung disappearing in an instant, his jaw trembled.

However, Jeong-woo’s legs firmly pushed off the ground.

He was four meters away from getting close to the Cleaner.

An ominous feeling crept in.

Jeong-woo noticed that the Cleaner’s beak had become more aggressive than before, so he channeled all the essence into the pen.

Swooosh…

He didn’t have a chance to confirm whether a blade had actually formed at the tip of the pen. All he knew was that his right arm was getting too hot, as if it were going to burn.

Pat!

Gradually, the distance between him and the Cleaner decreased to less than two meters.

Thud.

He saw the end of the beak of the Cleaner turning outward.

It looked like the moment just before it unfolded rapidly.

“Too late…!”

Having witnessed Jae-hyung being swallowed, Jeong-woo could easily anticipate his own fate.

Before the beak fully expanded, a black funnel would engulf him first.

He imagined Jae-hyung being sucked in and vanished in an instant, but now it was his turn.

Just as he was about to imagine himself being sucked in, a loud and noisy intrusion shattered his expectations.

Paaaaang!

A car horn blared loudly.

“Huh?”

Before Jeong-woo could comprehend the situation, a navy-blue SUV suddenly rammed into the back of the Cleaner, pushing its lower back.

Bang!

And then, for the first time, the Cleaner let out a scream.

“Kieeeek!”

Its long and skinny waist didn’t slip through the gap between the vehicle in front of it and the SUV behind it.

Distracted by the unexpected surprise, the Cleaner flailed its arms wildly.

Thud, thong!

As a result, the two tightly gripping cars began to tremble and give way.

In this situation, if Jeong-woo had been an “ordinary person,” he might have hesitated and given the enemy an opportunity to counterattack…

“You’re finished!”

Jeong-woo hoped to be the protagonist and thus acted like one. He thrust his arm with the pen between the menacing arms of the Cleaner.

Swoosh!

A silvery trail traced through the air where nothing existed.

Since Jeong-woo intended to push the pen all the way in, he exerted his strength to the fullest in his arm.

He didn’t know how strong the outer shell of this monster was.

But when the tip of the pen touched its jet-black skin, Jeong-woo realized how much power 25 essences could unleash.

Crack!

A sharp, yet not overly loud sound of impact.

However, what followed was an explosion of tremendous density.

Boom!

“Crazy…!”

Jeong-woo made a dumbfounded expression at last.

Even Sun-woong, who was driving the SUV, was in the same state of disbelief.

‘Seriously… This isn’t an ordinary weapon in this world.’

Next, the vision of the two people was filled with blue.

The essences absorbed by the Cleaner were being emitted.

---

Hello, web novels fans and supporters!

I am seeking your support on Patreon. With your help, I can dedicate more time and resources to ensuring that this novel is translated accurately and with the highest quality possible.

 Translating a novel takes time, effort, and resources. Your support will not only contribute to the translation process, but it will also show that the web novels community is a supportive and passionate one that is dedicated to promoting the web novels culture we all love. Thank you for your support and for being a part of this amazing community.
(You can now get early access to more chapters on my Patreon. Visit it now and enjoy. Have a nice Day)