The Way of Life for a Terminal S-Class Hunter - C44
$44
He’s more skilled in combat than I expected. At that level, I can understand why he’s dissatisfied with only being assigned support roles.
We moved while dealing with the small fry monsters before they could come to their senses. There was nothing with enough power to stop our legs even for a moment. However, as we went deeper, a strange uneasiness grew. An unpleasant tingling rose from the tips of my fingers.
“I’ll take the frontmost position.”
Currently, I was at the very front, followed by Lee-han, and Halo at the back. Putting Halo at the front was a bit worrying. Though I could see he had considerable power, it was standard for support personnel to be at the very back.
“I want to use foresight as quickly as possible, even if just a second faster.”
Halo was cautious even in a B-rank dungeon, despite knowing the future.
No, maybe it’s because he can read the future.
I put a brake on my own thoughts.
“Is something going to happen?”
Lee-han was skeptical. It was a question I wanted to ask too.
“I’m doing this because something might happen. This is a dungeon, after all.”
It was a fitting answer to a foolish question. However, I couldn’t shake off the feeling that Halo had read my anxiety.
“When we enter full-scale combat, you fall back.”
I eventually stepped back slightly and entrusted the front to Halo. Halo didn’t insist further and moved forward.
“Do as you like.”
The position change was more successful than expected. Not only did Halo handle the suddenly appearing monsters like a ghost, but thanks to his perfect guidance, we saved considerable time. As a result, we arrived at the center faster than planned. A door covered in gold leaf and various jewels was visible in the center.
“It’s here.”
The boss room was more complete than expected. It was almost finished despite not even 30 minutes having passed since its appearance.
“The boss room is quite elaborate for a B-rank dungeon…”
“And the scale is small too.”
Lee-han seemed to feel it too, speaking to me in awkward formal speech. Halo, who was standing at the very front, closed his eyes and caressed the door. His movement was so natural, as if this was the reason he wanted to stand at the front, that there was no time to stop him.
“There’s nothing to worry about.”
After a short while, Halo spoke.
“Though it’s not an ordinary situation.”
The door opened silently.
Guweeeeeeck!
An enormous roar hit us. A Hydra was glaring at us, drooling saliva covered in poison.
[Boss monster, A-rank monster Count Hydra has appeared.]
The problem was that the Hydra had only one neck.
“Indeed, it’s not an ordinary situation.”
Some people mistakenly think it’s easier if a Hydra has only one neck. But Count Hydra was different. Among Hydras, the violent ones had a characteristic of eating other heads to become stronger. In other words, having only one neck meant it had already finished feeding and become as strong as it could, raising its rank to ‘Count’.
“An A-rank Count Hydra in a B-rank dungeon…”
It was strange. A monster appearing above the dungeon’s rank was similar to the last training session. Added to that, the events in the contaminated area muddled my thoughts. Things I had only considered slightly odd began to intertwine, reigniting the anxiety that had been pretending to be calm.
“Don’t be scared. It’s just an ordinary A-rank monster.”
Halo said that even though he knew I wasn’t scared of such a monster. Lee-han had somehow moved in front of me protectively.
“Hyung, I’ll handle this.”
Since my awakening, no one had tried to protect me like this. There was no need for it in the first place.
I was just trying to assess the situation, but did I look that anxious?
Their overprotective behavior actually made my tension dissipate completely. What was right in front of us now wasn’t some incomprehensible giant flow, but just an A-rank monster. Thinking could wait.
“Lee-han.”
The monster seemed ready, snorting and preparing to attack. Patterns of attacks that would pour out if we took even one step forward flashed through my mind. Recalling ways to respond to all those situations, I gently pushed aside Lee-han standing in front.
“I’m your senior by far.”
[Using S-rank skill, Sword of Immortality. S-rank item Excalibur has been summoned through skill linkage.]
The familiar sword felt good in my hand. It wasn’t a weapon or skill I used often, but they were what had brought me to this position.
“Hyung…?”
I must have only shown pathetic sides of myself to Lee-han until now.
[Using B-rank skill, Speed of Wind. A tailwind pushes your back.]
I pushed off the ground, overtaking the two and rushing forward quickly. For the first time in a while, I felt like proving myself. I didn’t want to leave an impression of weakness on the people who cared for me. I also wanted to show that I was a strong hunter in my own right.
Guweek, week!
The Hydra spewed powerful poison towards me.
Five spews, then one pause to adjust.
I read the pattern of the first attack while dodging the poison moving here and there. Lee-han, perhaps thinking just in case, was removing the poison before it touched the ground. He seemed to have quickly decided to take charge of the rear now that I had moved forward.
“The tail will emerge from the ground!”
Halo shouted. It seemed Count Hydra was entering its second attack without repeating the first attack.
[Using A-rank skill, Rain of Fire. The blessing of flames imbues the rain you call forth.]
I stepped on falling fireballs to rise up and meet the Hydra’s eyes. The rain of fire, being my skill, didn’t attack or pass through me. The army I was in was a terrible place, but it made me experiment directly, allowing me to use skills abundantly, and the rain of fire was one such result.
“Be careful!”
When the second attack didn’t work, the Hydra tried to spew poison again. I cut through the poison right in front of me with my sword. Before the fear could fade from the monster’s eyes, I swung my sword widely. The sleeves of my hanbok fluttered.
Whoosh.
With the sound of wind, a long gash appeared on Count Hydra’s body.
[Using A-rank skill, Song of Flames. While the song continues, everything your sword touches will burn.]
The blood flowing from the gash turned into flames, and no matter how much Count Hydra shook its body, they wouldn’t extinguish.
[Due to the effect of the Sword of Immortality, the fire cannot be extinguished.]
Even as its whole body was burning in agony, Count Hydra began its second attack.
Even if it’s about to die, it’s still a dungeon boss monster. Unless you find where the core is, it won’t die no matter how big a wound it receives. Probably entering a defensive stance now, the next attack won’t be as easy as this one.
At that moment, the next scene unfolded in my mind as if visualized. It was a vivid image incomparable to simulation. I moved out of Count Hydra’s second attack range according to that future scene and looked at Halo.
“It’s foresight transmission. There are several limitations, but it’s quite useful.”
Unlike me, Lee-han moved a beat later, so it seemed to be a skill that could only be used on one person. He was absorbing not only Count Hydra’s attacking body parts but also stones flying around here and there using black holes. Perhaps because of that, Count Hydra’s tail was significantly damaged.
Kruuuuung.
Having given up on Lee-han who was moving around and teasing it, Count Hydra turned its body towards me again. However, it was a scene I had already seen in the vision.
[Using A-rank skill, Wind of Fire. The wind surrounds the enemy at your request.]
And Count Hydra, receiving my next attack, twisted its body grotesquely as it moved.
If it had just dodged simply, it would have taken less damage. Which means…
“The core isn’t in the tail, it’s on the crown of the head!”
The two seemed to have grasped that Count Hydra’s movement was strange, quickly understanding without asking for further reasons.
“Lee-han attacks first.”
Lee-han distorted space and instantly climbed onto Count Hydra’s head. The enraged Count Hydra tried to shake its head to throw Lee-han off, but to no avail.
With a “pack” sound, a crack appeared on the Hydra’s forehead. Lee-han’s hand was fine, probably having used a skill related to body enhancement. He also utilized spatial distortion, concentrating considerable force.
“Get ready, Woo-hyun.”
Halo’s weapons, which looked like pebbles, touched Count Hydra’s cracked forehead and shattered spectacularly like the monsters from earlier. Finally, the core was revealed between the agonized Count Hydra’s head.
“I’ll finish it.”
I, who had been preparing in the air for a while, stepped on the surrounding fireballs to gain momentum and swung my sword.
[Using A-rank skill, Song of Flames. While the song continues, everything your sword touches will burn.]
[Using S-rank skill, Sword of Immortality in conjunction. Destroys objects touched by the sword.]
As the two skills resonated, flames burst out of the sword like an explosion. I felt the tip of the sword hit the core.
Crack-
I could have put more magical power into Excalibur to burn the core without a trace, but I didn’t. Count Hydra, its core destroyed, swayed lifelessly and collapsed as if its fierce resistance until just now had been a lie.