< Chapter 74: Action (3) >
The elite monster hunt was progressing smoother than expected.
“It’s a breeze. At this rate, won’t we be ranked first?”
“Exactly. There seems to be less competition than we thought.”
Even though it’s an area where elite monsters often appear, not many other teams were seen. It seems most teams opted for the safer route, targeting regular monsters rather than elite ones.
“We’ve got three now. If we were to equate it to regular monsters caught…”
“Roughly equal to 30?”
“Sounds about right.”
Whether it’s good luck or bad, we’ve only encountered elite monsters since they arrived.
“At this rate, we might even bump into a real Honey Bear, right?”
Everyone was elated. Excluding Ha Si-yeon, this was the first time for the rest of them catching an elite monster, so the experience gain would be tremendous. Naturally, they’d be thrilled. …I, on the other hand, don’t have something like experience points.
“Si-yeon, how’s your mana?”
“Me?”
Leading the way, Ha Si-yeon, who was on the lookout for enemies, turned to look at me.
“I’ve got about 80% left.”
“You’re still in good shape.”
“Yep.”
Given it’s live training and she has good equipment, plus she only used her mana when absolutely necessary, it’s unsurprising she still has so much. But I asked just in case.
“So, if by any chance something dangerous happens, I can count on you?”
“…Dangerous?”
“Yeah.”
I drew my dagger. At the same time, the ground trembled. It was a very faint vibration, but not a single team member was unaware of what it indicated.
“…Are you kidding?”
“Is it really a Honey Bear?”
Honey Bear – A unique monster that refines external mana and stores it as a liquid in its ‘honeycomb’.
Its trait is that it doesn’t move or act until its honeycomb is filled with mana. Instead, it hides beneath the ground.
And this slight vibration? It’s caused by the Honey Bear emerging from the ground. I took my stance, facing the epicenter of the vibration and shouted.
“Everyone, get ready for battle!”
I really didn’t expect it, but it appeared right on cue.
“I’m sure you all know, but be cautious. This one isn’t comparable to the three we caught earlier.”
“Right.”
We quickly took our positions. Soon, the ground began to stir at the epicenter of the vibration.
Kwa-aaang!
With dust swirling around, a gigantic bear revealed itself. Aside from its yellow skin, it looked no different from an ordinary bear.
“Go, Si-yeon! Lightning Strike!”
The first strike is critical.
“Si-yeon, Si-yeon… Hey! I told you not to do this outside!”
At the same time, Ha Si-yeon coated her sword with ice and charged at the still dazed Honey Bear. I followed closely behind her, albeit a bit slower.
Chiiing!
The clash between the Honey Bear’s claws and Ha Si-yeon’s sword resonated loudly.
Using the force of the impact, Ha Si-yeon propelled herself backward.
“Wow, look at its strength.”
Ha Si-yeon shook her right hand, the one holding the sword. It seemed to be tingling.
“Typically, monsters in the form of bears are known to be strong.”
Next, it was my turn and the cadet, who was playing the tank role, to charge.
“Hup!”
Thud!
True to his role as a tank, the cadet blocked the Honey Bear’s front paw with his shield, creating an opening for me to enter.
“Nice!”
I moved closer to the embrace of the Honey Bear. At that moment, a white light shimmered around me.
“Warrior’s Song!”
It was a buff skill from the female student acting as the supporter.
Feeling a newfound lightness in my body, I read the path of the wind laid out before me.
Two very distinct trajectories that I’d never seen before.
One aiming for my side and the other aimed to strike down the cadet with the shield.
If I dodged, it was clear the tanking friend would be crushed.
There was no choice.
A red glow flickered in the [Extreme of Weapons], and a strong red aura shimmered on my dagger.
As the Honey Bear raised its front paw,
Whizzz!
I activated ‘Predator’s Killing Intent’. The Honey Bear’s body momentarily stiffened, creating a significant opening.
I didn’t miss this golden opportunity.
My dagger aimed for the Honey Bear’s eye and charged.
Swoosh!
However, my dagger only managed to pierce the Honey Bear’s right front paw. The Honey Bear, which had quickly recovered from the stiffness caused by the Predator’s Killing Intent, brought its hand to the trajectory of the dagger to protect its eye.
Normally it would have bounced off, but ‘Horn of the Sleeping Dragon’ is an A-rank weapon.
With a much superior cutting ability than the training dagger, it managed to pierce through the creature’s skin.
With this, the Honey Bear found its left front paw tied up with the tanking friend, and its right front paw stuck to my dagger.
At that moment, Ha Si-yeon charged.
Like an eagle eyeing its prey, she swooped in swiftly and aimed for the Honey Bear’s right front paw.
Whoosh!
Blood sprayed out like a fountain, and the Honey Bear’s paw flew into the sky.
“Nice!”
Thanks to the ‘Predator’s Killing Intent’ which had weakened its endurance, it was a perfect cut.
“Roar!”
With its roar, arrows flew in. They were from the archer teammate who had been waiting for the right moment from behind.
Swoosh!
The arrow precisely hit the writhing Honey Bear’s right eye due to the pain.
With this, its right arm and eye became useless.
The right side was now a complete blind spot. Targeting just that side would surely bring it down.
“Hey! I can’t hold on much longer!”
The tanking friend who was handling the Honey Bear’s left front paw shouted urgently.
“Ha Si-yeon, cover him! I’ll handle the attack!”
“Okay!”
With the help of Ha Si-yeon and the other teammates, he managed to safely distance himself. In the meantime, I retrieved the ‘Horn of the Sleeping Dragon’ and positioned myself on the Honey Bear’s right side.
“Whew…”
Simultaneously, I formed a spiral aura on my dagger and began to rotate it. Thanks to the evolution of my mana vein, an even faster and more powerful aura emerged.
I swiftly lunged.
“Huh?”
It was a peculiar sensation.
Fast.
My body was much faster than I had anticipated.
It felt as if it wasn’t my body.
…No, now’s not the time for such thoughts. Focus!
Whizz!
I plunged my dagger, shimmering with its spiral aura, towards the Honey Bear’s neck.
With its right eye and right front paw gone, the right was a complete blind spot.
Moreover, it was already engaged in close combat with other teammates from the left.
It was an attack it couldn’t possibly avoid.
“!”
However, the Honey Bear reacted.
Was it due to the wild instinct inherent to wild beasts?
Or did it instinctively feel how dangerous my attack was?
“Seo-yul!”
Ignoring all the attacks from the other teammates, it lunged its claws at me.
It was a perfect counter.
If things went as they were, I would surely be skewered by those sharp claws.
“Damn!”
At that moment, the Wind Path opened.
The only way to dodge the gleaming crimson trajectory through the sticky flesh appeared before my eyes. At the same time, my eyes widened in disbelief.
…Is this even possible?
It was a desperate evasion route that seemed impossible to achieve with my physical abilities.
But there was no time to think.
With no other options, I had no choice but to trust the Wind Path!
I immediately took action.
I twisted my body in mid-air.
I changed the trajectory of the dagger.
I shifted my weight to align with the direction of the rotating aura around the dagger, precisely into an angle where the Honey Bear’s attack would flow downwards.
Using that force, I propelled myself away.
This movement, executed in a split second,
Whiz! Zing!
Successfully dodged the Honey Bear’s claws completely.
And the fact that my cunning move failed…
“Ice Wall Strike!”
…meant that a huge gap had opened up.
Zing!
An even colder aura shimmered around Si-yeon’s sword, moving like a ray of light.
Swoosh!
Along with a sound of something being sliced,
Crackle…
The sound of blood freezing was heard.
Thud!
As I landed on the ground using a falling technique, I immediately looked up.
Honey Bear’s head was flying in the air.
Thump!
Soon, the lifeless body of the Honey Bear collapsed heavily onto the ground.
After a moment of silence.
We realized we had won.
“Wow. That… That was close.”
The tanker friend, who had been fighting at the forefront, collapsed exhaustedly.
“Seo-yul!”
Ha Si-yeon, having withdrawn all her mana, ran towards me.
Worry filled her face.
“Are you okay?”
“Huh? Yeah.”
I was dazed.
Just now… how did I dodge that?
“Song of Vitality!”
The second teammate, a supporter, rushed over and cast a healing buff on me.
“Thanks.”
“Whoa. What was that move just now, Seo-yul?”
Following that, all the team members approached me.
“How could you move like that at that timing?”
“Your reaction speed and adaptability seemed superhuman.”
Everyone seemed to be admiring the evasive maneuver I had just executed.
“Wait, Seo-yul, do you have some kind of instant acceleration skill?”
“…Instant acceleration?”
The archer team member, who had been focusing on providing backup from afar, spoke.
“Yeah. Your speed during that final dash was extraordinary, and so was that last dodge.”
I did feel lighter during the dash.
…Wait a minute. They’re saying I became faster?
“Huh? Seo-yul, you’re bleeding on your thigh.”
“Huh?”
Ha Si-yeon pointed at my right thigh.
Sure enough, the protective gear on my thigh had been completely shredded by Honey Bear’s claws earlier.
“No, this…”
The inside was clearly exposed. Particularly, the place where the ‘Beast Tribe Tattoo’ was imprinted was completely visible!
“…Huh?”
At first, I was taken aback. It was the shock from having revealed the tattoo to my team members.
“It doesn’t look too deep, thankfully.”
“Yeonsul, cast the Song of Healing on him too.”
“Okay.”
But that initial shock soon turned into elation.
“But Seo-yul, your thigh is super clean. It’s very pale.”
“Si-yeon, that’s sexual harassment.”
“It’s fine! Seo-yul always pokes fun at my body too, so it’s mutual fault!”
“…What exactly is the relationship between you two?”
There was no such tattoo on my thigh.
There was only one thing this could mean.
‘The Predator’s Killing Intent’ had ‘fully assimilated’ into me, starting from the moment I used it.
And for a member of the Beast Tribe, full assimilation means an enhancement in physical abilities.
In other words,
My current physical capabilities had risen to a D rank.
“Yes, it seems fine.”
The supporter, after checking my injury, wrapped a bandage around my thigh and stood up. I got up as well.
“Anyway, good job everyone. What shall we do with Honey Bear’s honey?”
“Hmm. Shouldn’t we just divide it equally?”
Ha Si-yeon cautiously suggested.
“Those who need money can sell theirs. Those who don’t can eat it.”
“That seems like the cleanest way.”
I agreed as well. For the record, I’ll be eating mine. Honey Bear’s honey is a rare elixir that increases magical capacity. Although consuming too much has its side effects, about 80ml should be safe.
“…Well, I didn’t really do much, is it okay?”
One of the team members cautiously spoke.
“Come on. If a supporter properly backs up, then they’ve done their part. It’s the same for the others.”
“It’s kind of you to say so…”
Everyone showcased excellent actions in their respective roles.
“So, we all agree? We’ll distribute Honey Bear’s honey accurately…”
Just then, something happened.
“KUOOOOO―!”
From a distance, a beast’s horrifying scream resonated.
Chills ran down my spine, and my legs shook uncontrollably from the intense ferocity of the roar.
“What, what was that?”
“That roar just now…”
“It sounded really close, right?”
It seemed the other team members felt the same way. However, the surprise and anxiety I felt was incomparable to the others.
“…Could it be.”
In this field, the only creature I knew capable of such a fierce roar was just one.
“Tyrant Drake?”
“What?”
No, that couldn’t be possible.
The territory of the drake was far from here.
It wouldn’t make sense for the drake to cross its boundaries and come this far.
But the anxiety soon became a reality.
“KYAAAA!”
“Run!”
From afar, along with screams, the sound of trees being trampled could be heard.
And then shortly after.
Crack. Thud!
Right in front of us, a giant tree snapped like a twig.
“Crazy.”
“KOOOOOO!”
The Tyrant Drake appeared before us. Between its sharp teeth, the fresh, warm blood of its previous prey dripped.
It had already devoured a few.
And it seemed we were its next prey.
“…Damn it.”
I sprinted towards the carrier I had left nearby.
But I didn’t even have time to open the carrier.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The beast started charging towards me.
“Seo-yul!”
Ha Si-yeon rushed at the beast, but it was in vain.
“Kya!”
At this rate, I was certainly going to die. No, not just me.
Our entire team would be annihilated.
“Darn it.”
That’s when I began to feel the magic rapidly draining from my body.
“Ugh!”
Suddenly, dizziness overwhelmed me, and my vision turned white.
Ding-
After what felt like 1 second, maybe 2 seconds, enough time had passed for me to have become the drake’s meal. Slowly, I opened my eyes.
“Purr…”
I saw gold.
A familiar, brilliant golden fur.
“…Goldie?”
Goldie, the golden tiger, was standing confidently in front of me, confronting the Tyrant Drake.
It was the full-sized Goldie I hadn’t seen for almost a month.
How the hell is he here? And more importantly…
“You… why did you grow so big?”
Goldie, who was originally the size of an elephant, had now doubled in size.
