Chapter 59
Chapter 59
Hyunseok shook his head.
Would it kill her to at least explain things properly?
She hadn’t even bothered to explain and just charged in like that. There was no way she’d win anyone’s favor acting like this, but he understood. Once she focused on something, she never looked around. Now wasn’t the time to interrupt her.
And then,
“Hong Seyoung!”
Seyoung swiftly drew her rapier. The battlefield had already been deployed by Hyunseok.
Clang!
A sharp metallic sound rang out as steel clashed against claw. Seyoung’s rapier blocked the strike of a creature that fought on two legs and used both hands like weapons.
Grrrr…!
The monster snorted, its hot breath clouding in the air. Visibility was poor.
It’s a monster!
That much was certain. Its movements were fast, its silhouette dark and feral, very similar to the shadow caught on the CCTV footage.
One of the police officers dropped to the ground with a thud.
He clutched at his neck, trembling. “Oh, God…” he muttered shakily. He was lucky he hadn’t wet himself. A thin line of blood trickled from his neck where the claws had nearly pierced through.
If Seyoung hadn’t blocked in time, he’d be a corpse.
What… what the hell is that? It’s not a Slayer… right?
The creature was incredibly fast, darting between bushes and trees as if circling them. The rustle of leaves in the chilly autumn night added to the dread.
“Stay with these people,” Hyunseok ordered.
Seyoung nodded. The monster was the same type as her, fast, opportunistic, and favoring ambush attacks. But that also meant its full strength relied on a single deadly strike. If she could block that one blow, it wouldn’t be much of a threat.
She’d already stopped it once when it was unseen. Now that she knew where it was, it would be even easier.
“Hey! What about me?” Lee Myunghoon shouted, his voice trembling. “Protect me too!”
Hyunseok smirked faintly. If the guy still had the energy to complain, he wasn’t in immediate danger.
“Handle yourself.”
“Damn it! I’m scared!”
Hyunseok focused on the sounds. It was dark, too dark. The creature’s fur, or maybe skin, though it looked more like fur, was pitch black, blending with the night. Spotting it by sight alone was nearly impossible.
“D-Damn it…” one of the officers stammered, trembling.
For someone with no slaying experience, this was pure terror. Most people flinched even at large insects, now imagine facing a towering monster in the dark woods. Even veteran Slayers would tense up in a situation like this. The officers were no different.
Please… please…
They prayed silently for their lives. Their only comfort was that a Platinum-ranked Slayer stood between them and death. Hyunseok’s calm stance suggested he had already locked onto the monster’s direction.
The officers swallowed hard. They hadn’t realized until now how broad his back was. Then it dawned on them—
The monster’s not attacking… it’s circling.
At first, it went for the weakest prey, the police. Which meant it could distinguish strength from weakness. And now, it wasn’t daring to approach.
Rustle… rustle…
It’s because of the Platinum Slayer.
The creature’s hostility toward humans warred with its fear of Hyunseok’s presence. It wanted to attack, but instinct held it back.
And Hyunseok realized this immediately.
I’ll have to bait it in.
Monsters weren’t exactly known for their intelligence. Most relied purely on instinct.
Hyunseok deliberately relaxed his posture, feigning an opening, like a neon sign screaming “Free Critical Hit!”
And at that moment, the black shape lunged at his back.
GROAR!
Up close, the creature was covered in short, coarse black fur. Its legs bulged with muscle, its waist was lean, but its upper body was thick and powerful. Its face was distinctly lupine, like a wolf walking on two legs.
It leapt, jaws gaping wide.
The officers froze, unable to speak. Its fangs gleamed faintly in the darkness, each as sharp as a blade.
Even Lee Myunghoon, a former combat Slayer turned Trapper, could only steady the trembling officers, he didn’t move to fight.
Seyoung, however, understood the situation instantly.
He’s baiting it on purpose.
That thing was fixated solely on Hyunseok. It was likely a wild, feral type with low intelligence. A smarter creature wouldn’t have rushed into an obvious trap.
It raised one arm high, its primary weapons clearly being its claws and fangs.
As it lifted its arm, sharp talons extended from its flesh, over thirty centimeters long.
Seyoung moved in that instant, her rapier flashing forward like lightning.
If I can block that strike for just a second… Hyunseok will land a critical.
Her rapier thrust straight and fast. Truthfully, she didn’t even need to act, Hyunseok’s defenses would likely hold. If the creature hit hard enough, his Rebound Effect might even stun it.
But by clashing first, she could gauge its power.
Hyunseok, knowing this, didn’t stop her.
Steel met claw.
The police gawked, jaws dropping. Her speed was beyond human, like a flash of light. It was their first time seeing an actual Slayer battle outside of video clips.
Clang!
The sharp sound was followed by a harsh scraping vibration running up Seyoung’s arm.
Those claws aren’t just sharp…
They weren’t smooth at all, more like crude, jagged blades.
They’re serrated.
She’d seen corpses torn to shreds before, those must’ve been clawed by this exact weapon.
Hyunseok didn’t waste her effort.
This should be enough force.
He punched. Not a clean, textbook strike, but powerful.
BOOM!
The sound was deafening, like an explosion. Leaves shook loose from the trees.
“Wha—Aah!”
The police flinched as falling leaves brushed their faces, screaming as if ghosts had descended. To them, it sounded like a bomb going off.
They couldn’t tell who was scarier. the monster or the man who punched it.
The blow hit square in the monster’s face. It yelped pitifully, like a dog being struck, and stumbled backward.
Its Shield Gauge shattered, and its HP Bar was nearly gone. Still, it was tougher than a Twin-Head Troll, those died in one casual hit. This one had survived a serious punch, if barely.
But it didn’t matter, one more hit would finish it.
Then a scream ripped through the night.
“Aaaarghhh!”
The voice wasn’t from the monster, it was human. A man’s shrill cry echoed through the forest, raw with pain.
Hyunseok spun around. Two police officers were being dragged into the darkness by unseen figures, their arms shredded and bleeding. And they were pulled in different directions.
He started running.
Damn it! There wasn’t just one!
They had assumed it was a single creature based on the previous killings. But it wasn’t, it was a pack.
The two weakest officers had been snatched away before they realized.
❋ ❋ ❋
Hyunseok ran hard. His speed far outstripped that of a wolf. Seyoung followed, graceful and fast despite her lower physical stats. Even Myunghoon, slower than the two, somehow kept pace.
Hyunseok quickly caught one of the monsters and smashed its skull. He hadn’t held back.
BAM!
The creature died instantly.
[You have slain a Werewolf for the first time.]
[Recognized as an Easy Achievement.]
[Bonus Stat +3 awarded.]
[Due to exceeding Normal Mode stat limits, a 50% penalty is applied.]
The creature’s name: Werewolf.
The system recognized the first slaying achievement and granted him +3 Stats.
[Title acquired: Werewolf Slayer.]
A new Slayer Title. He didn’t have time to check the effects.
“You okay?” he asked one of the officers.
The man’s shoulder was almost torn apart. The werewolf’s grip strength was far greater than expected.
Damn it.
He still had to save the other one, but there was no guarantee he’d reach in time. He was fast, yes, but weaving through trees in this darkness wasn’t simple. It was like expecting a world-champion swimmer to win a sprint race on land.
“Hey, Seyoung, how long can you maintain your battlefield alone?”
“About… six minutes.”
That was decent. Even top-tier Slayers couldn’t sustain a battlefield for long, some, like Jongwon, only lasted seconds.
“Myunghoon, you?”
“Roughly the same.”
If there were only one werewolf left, they could leave Seyoung here to protect the injured officer while Hyunseok and Myunghoon hunted the other. But he couldn’t be sure. These things probably hunted in packs, and the one he’d killed might’ve been a stray.
The wounded officer clutched his arm, begging weakly, “Please… please save him…”
Hyunseok hesitated for a second.
If I go now, Seyoung might end up in danger.
The distance between them and the other werewolf was already considerable. To chase effectively, he’d need Myunghoon’s tracking skill. But that would mean leaving Seyoung alone with a heavily bleeding man.
Hyunseok had already used High-Grade Heal to close the external wounds, but the officer had lost too much blood. Healing restored flesh, not blood volume. If he were a Slayer, his HP would’ve refilled completely, but a normal human wasn’t that lucky.
He made his decision.
It’s better to save one than lose all.
Without a word, he hoisted the injured man onto his back and started running down the mountain. Myunghoon and Seyoung followed silently, both wearing grim expressions.
While they moved, Myunghoon called in the situation to the Korean Union and police. Within minutes, Baengnyeon Mountain was declared a restricted zone. Union dispatched elite Slayers immediately.
By the time Hyunseok reached the mountain’s base, civilians were being evacuated under police supervision, and incoming Slayers were already assembling despite the late hour.
He handed off the unconscious officer for hospital transport, and turned back toward the mountain, running uphill once more.
(End of Chapter 59)
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— Translated by Prime Works —