< Chapter 89: School Trip (4) >
At a place created by the ability of the S-rank superhuman ‘Beast Master’, it is also known as the world’s safest hunting ground.
“Identity verification will be conducted.”
“Yes.”
Visitors naturally come from all over the world, so the place is teeming with guides who are fluent in various languages.
“First-year students Kang Seo-yul and Ha Si-yeon from the Korean Superhuman Academy. Identity verification complete. I will guide you inside.”
This lady is clearly not Korean, but she is very proficient in Korean. Perhaps due to Korea’s significant recognition in this world, there are many people who oddly speak Korean.
We followed the guide inside. The glamorous interior of Monster Park was the first thing that caught our eye. Quaint characters that looked like SD versions of the monsters were also noticeable.
“Goldie-ya, let’s ask them to draw you like that later.”
I heard there’s an artist here who does caricatures. We must ask for one later.
“Nyaaa.”
Goldie also seemed to like the caricatures all around, meowing in delight.
“By the way, I didn’t know the two of you, famous even in Australia, were dating.”
The guide casually mentioned.
“The meeting of fire and ice. Quite romantic.”
Since we used a couple’s ticket, it was natural for her to assume we were dating. But it seems she knows who we are.
“…Ha-ha.”
I responded with an awkward laugh, neither denying nor confirming. If I denied it, we might be kicked out, and if I confirmed it, there might be an official news article.
“Seo-yul-ah….”
Ha Si-yeon tugged at my sleeve. I glanced at her, her expression somewhat strange. She’s been like that since we got on the bus, is something wrong?
“What’s the reason for the couple’s ticket?”
“Reason?”
Come to think of it, I hadn’t explained.
“I didn’t tell you, did I? It was the only ticket left.”
“Ah, ahh! So that’s what it was.”
Ha Si-yeon stammered, her face inexplicably red.
…Could it be?
I teased her with a smile.
“Why? Did you think I was courting you?”
“No, not at all! There’s no way.”
Her face grew redder.
This is a hundred percent. She must’ve thought I was courting her.
Let’s see.
Ha Si-yeon, the wannabe lover, wouldn’t think like that without reason. Probably heard something like ‘Seo-yul seems to like you?’ ‘Have a fun date tomorrow~’ and got the wrong idea.
I could tell without even watching.
I smirked inwardly at Si-yeon, who was biting her lip, her face flushed.
“I didn’t know. You might have feelings for me, Si-yeon.”
“It’s not! Not at all!”
Her response was perfect.
“But sorry, I’m a little scared of girls who collect Babel by brand….”
“I don’t collect Babel! What are you talking about!”
“Also going to the training room for a date….”
“Why go to the training room for a date! No, before that, I don’t like you, Seo-yul!”
Si-yeon shouted with a redder face. I exaggeratedly replied with a shocked expression.
“I see. You hated me, Si-yeon.”
“That’s not what I meant···! Aaaaaah!”
Ah, this is fun.
Teasing Si-yeon is always so enjoyable.
* * *
“Before you depart, I will give you a brief introduction to Monster Park.”
Australia has become a sanctuary for monsters since the Kraken attack.
The Australian government pondered how to utilize these monsters efficiently, and the result was the creation of “Monster Park.”
“You can earn points by hunting monsters within Monster Park.”
They carved out the land of monsters and minimized the danger, building walls to create a facility.
All of this would have been impossible without the power of Australia’s S-rank superhuman ‘Beast Master.’
“You can exchange the points you earn for prizes after finishing.”
There are three main advantages to Monster Park.
First.
You can gain experience by hunting various types of monsters.
You can encounter diverse Australian monsters in one place.
Second.
It is still safe.
It’s a hunting ground with perfect safety under the control of the Beast Master.
Third.
In addition to experience, you can earn points and get prizes.
Most people visit Monster Park to earn these prizes.
“You can only earn points if you use the equipment we provide to deal with the monsters.”
The guide looked at my gold talisman and grinned.
“It’s fine to carry a guardian beast, but if it kills the monster, you won’t get any points, so be careful.”
“That’s all. I hope you have a good time.”
The guide bowed slightly.
“Thank you. Let’s go.”
“Yeah. Thank you~”
We headed into Monster Park.
“Oh!”
“Wow. It’s a Mantis Kangaroo.”
As we entered, we first saw the Mantis Kangaroo, a monster that can be considered Australia’s identity.
It’s named so because it looks like an ordinary kangaroo but has mantis-like hands.
“There’s also a Venom Crocodile over there.”
In a lake to the side, a Venom Crocodile floated.
A very dangerous creature that causes instant death with its lethal venom, but the Venom Crocodiles in Monster Park have paralysis poison instead.
The Beast Master has modified it, apparently.
“It’s amazing that they can live together in the same space. They’re famous natural enemies.”
Ha Si-yeon was as excited as a child visiting an amusement park for the first time.
“It doesn’t even attack us after seeing us.”
“The Beast Master really is incredible, huh?”
“Yeah, yeah!”
I checked the equipment provided once more.
I had a bow and dagger.
Siyeon had a sword.
With these specially designed weapons, we could earn points for handling monsters.
“Shall we aim for first place since we’re here?”
There are some top-notch prizes here. Even with my high standards for ancient relics, there are a few tempting items.
“Nah. Many professional superhumans come here.”
Siyeon whispered in my ear.
“Unless you unseal your power, Seo-yul, first place might be tough, don’t you think?”
“Well, we don’t know.”
I set Goldie down.
“Do you know? Even meeting a Golden Named.”
In Monster Park, there are Golden Monsters that give massive points.
Also known as Golden Monsters, the top one is Golden Named.
There’s only one in the vast Monster Park territory, a legendary creature.
It has never been discovered since the park’s inception.
It’s officially a beast-like, very agile creature according to the Beast Master.
“Wouldn’t Golden Named be incredibly strong?”
“Who knows.”
I don’t know either, as Monster Park wasn’t mentioned in the original work.
“Ah, right. Siyeon.”
“What?”
Since the starting zone would be easy, I figured it wouldn’t hurt to use our connection now.
“Let’s hold hands. Just for about an hour.”
“…Huh?”
* * *
“Sure enough, the beginning is easy.”
We were walking hand in hand through Monster Park. Even holding hands, we could easily catch the monsters in sight.
I looked at Ha Si-yeon, who was walking excitedly beside me, humming happily.
A little while ago, I explained the concept of affinity to Ha Si-yeon, wrapping it up nicely.
I had cleverly framed it as a special contract of the Celestial race, explaining that being near me would increase her magic rank by one.
I also added that holding hands for an hour was a necessary condition to make the contract.
As soon as I finished speaking, my hand was caught by Ha Si-yeon.
I can still clearly remember her eyes sparkling at the mention of a one-rank increase in magic.
Ever since then, she’s been in such high spirits.
“Like it?”
“Yes! Very much!”
I’m glad she likes it.
“Oh. Isn’t that a named one over there?”
“Huh?”
I turned my head in the direction Ha Si-yeon was pointing.
There was a giant spider, its unique iron-like, shiny skin catching my eye.
“I think so? Iron Spider.”
Iron Spider.
Its skin is iron, and even the web it spews is made of iron.
But it’s not just any iron. It’s magic steel, refined within the Iron Spider’s body, making it incredibly tough.
“…We’ve encountered it.”
It’s one of the higher-ranking named monsters.
“What should we do? I don’t think we can catch it in this state.”
Ha Si-yeon’s eyes had suddenly sharpened. She seemed to be thinking of it as real combat, raising her alertness.
“…It’s a shame to give up considering the points.”
I checked the time with my free left hand. Roughly 54 minutes had passed since we started holding hands.
“We’ll achieve the condition in 6 minutes. Let’s act after that.”
“Ah, yeah. I can wait for 6 minutes.”
“Goldie, make yourself smaller just in case.”
“Nyaa.”
We crouched in a bush and observed the Iron Spider, planning our strategy.
“The Iron Spider’s weakness is fire, right?”
“Yeah. They say the magical conductor is weak to heat.”
“Then Goldie and I will distract it, and Seo-yul, you attack it. Bow or dagger?”
“It depends on the situation, but probably a bow?”
As we exchanged opinions, time flew by.
And exactly 6 minutes later…
Flash-!
A strange glow emanated from Ha Si-yeon and me. Something pinkish… a weird sparkle.
“Is it done?”
“Yeah. Probably?”
Ha Si-yeon appeared to be checking her status window.
Her eyes widened, and the corners of her mouth turned up in joy.
“Magic A-rank! Amazing!”
She cheered, genuinely excited.
Of course, she was excited. She had just reached B-rank not long ago, and now she was already at A-rank.
I understood, but…
“Hey. The Iron Spider looks like it’s going to kill you.”
“Ah.”
Thanks to that, we were caught by the Iron Spider. In that moment, the Iron Spider initiated its action.
Shashaak.
With a not-so-spider-like speed, it flew through the air.
No, it was moving by riding on steel spider webs laid in the air.
“Move according to the plan! Goldie, you too!”
“Ah, got it! And sorry!”
Ha Si-yeon was the first to draw her sword and charge at the Iron Spider.
“Krrrr…”
Goldie quickly followed Ha Si-yeon, returning to its original size.
I took the bow from my back and sighed softly.
…I wanted to check my increased magic too.
Well, since Ha Si-yeon’s increased, mine must have too.
I nocked an arrow.
Ching! Kang!
The Iron Spider was flustered by Ha Si-yeon and Goldie’s coordination. Ha Si-yeon’s ice magic had also clearly become stronger.
“B-rank and A-rank are really different.”
They don’t even need my support to win this. No, Ha Si-yeon alone could win this.
Though it’s a modified and weakened Iron Spider due to the Beast Master, I never expected her to overwhelm it to this extent.
Indeed, the Sanctuary of Ice depends on magical power.
It seems that the mobility of the Ice Wing has increased.
If she used the Ice Empress, I think she can really crush the Iron Spider on her own.
Well, anyway, I was chosen to finish this operation.
Whirr…
I concentrated magical power on the arrow.
A strong force of fire flickered.
At the same time, I rotated it.
A bow version of the Spiral Spear, which I demonstrated in the archery practice field in the past. Spiral Arrow.
I haven’t solved the drawback of the long casting time, but if you buy time like that in front, the drawback doesn’t matter.
Whirr…!
The fire spun, emitting even more intense heat.
…No, isn’t this too powerful?
I’ve only charged it for about 3 seconds, and my hand holding the bowstring is already trembling.
The power held by the arrow seems about to explode.
“Ugh!”
At the 5-second mark, I felt the limit of charging.
If I delay any further, it will be uncontrollable.
“Si-yeon! Goldie!”
At my shout, both of them acted simultaneously.
Bang!
As Goldie struck the Iron Spider with full force,
Squash-
Ha Si-yeon sealed its movement with ice magic.
“Seo-yul!”
The two who had finished their actions quickly moved away.
Perfect.
“Phew.”
I focused on the bow.
This would be enough, but for some reason, I got greedy.
How far can I go with this increased power?
Such greed.
A Wind Blade ( ? )
I added wind to the arrow.
Fire and wind synergized, making the firestorm more fierce.
I was about to let go of the wild storm, a fierce fire confined to a small form of an arrow.
“…Wow.”
At Ha Si-yeon’s admiration as a signal,
Whizz-!
I released the bowstring.
“Eek!”
I was thrown backward with a ferocious sound, momentarily blinking my eyes as I felt a tremendous reverse flow of power, like when I used [World Tree’s Blessing].
In the blink of an eye.
A giant hole was drilled into the body of the Iron Spider.
Thud-
I slumped to the ground, gaping in amazement.
“…Insane.”
The collaboration of fire attribute and the Wind Blade was more extraordinary than I had ever imagined.
“Seo-yul! What was that?”
Ha Si-yeon asked with astonished eyes.
“I named it Spiral Arrow, but…”
“Spiral? Ah, you rotated the power…”
Ha Si-yeon nodded her head repeatedly with admiration.
“Surely, by adding the mystery of rotation…”
Then she mumbled something with a serious expression.
I feel like I’ll see something like a ‘Spiral Ice Sword’ later.
But more than that, the increase in magical power seems too big.
I closed my eyes and checked my magic.
I felt the magic in my heart by tracing the magical vessels backward.
“Hmm?”
This is clearly not the amount of a 1-rank increase in magical power?
At that moment, it struck me like lightning.
Could it be?
I checked my left side, hidden from Ha Si-yeon’s view.
…As I expected.
The tattoo of the Mongma/Succubus race, which was there this morning, had disappeared.
It seems that the full integration of Succubus traits has resulted in an increase in magical power.
<Chapter 89: School Trip (4)> End
