#24 We Came to Clear the Gate (3)
Nothing strange about it.
I was the one who'd said monsters blanketed this place from the start. So running into them like this was something I'd already anticipated.
But a big one?!
I hadn't even properly warmed up yet, and now we were jumping straight into combat?
Still, like the saying that even if a tiger comes or an S-rank monster looms before you, keep your wits and you'll survive—as long as I didn't lose focus, I'd find a way.
The problem was the sandstorm made it impossible to tell what kind of monster was charging at us.
Thud. Thud.
Even without Han Seohyun pointing it out anymore, I could tell.
Something huge was coming straight for us.
Bursting through the sandstorm toward us was a massive monster resembling a rhinoceros.
The instant I identified it as it broke through, its enormous body—at least two meters tall—barreled right at us.
In that moment, I yanked Han Seohyun, who was standing beside me, out of the way. Kim Jaeho could dodge on his own, and Ramirez? Honestly, none of my business.
So the only one I needed to look out for was Han Seohyun.
The second I dragged him down to roll across the ground, the monster slammed into the spot where we'd been standing.
A split-second later, and Han Seohyun and I would've been pulverized into meat chunks.
Lately, ever since we'd entered this place, these hair-raising moments kept popping up way too often.
Which meant I couldn't let my guard down for even a second in here.
I shot a glance at Kim Jaeho. He'd already drawn the sword strapped to his back and was glaring at the monster with a ferocious scowl.
Ramirez, having dodged it somehow, had pulled a dagger from his belt. As expected, he had enough skill to protect himself.
Finally, Han Seohyun—shaking like a leaf beside me—spoke up.
"Thanks."
"Get it together. Get hit, and you're dead."
Han Seohyun nodded.
This was real combat.
Death came in an instant.
With a face even more set than before, Han Seohyun summoned his hounds. Then, in the brief moment it took to exhale once, the monster wheeled around and charged us again.
It looked like a rhinoceros, but not quite. Wind swirled around its clawed feet.
That hefty body could move so fast because it wielded the wind.
Just as artifacts infused with attributes cost a fortune, monsters that handled elements were twice as tricky to deal with.
Fortunately, this one couldn't unleash elemental attacks.
It could just propel its ridiculously heavy body at ridiculous speeds.
Of course, with that size, sheer speed alone could crush most foes flat.
"Dodge for now."
I grabbed Han Seohyun by the waist.
"Whoa!"
I'd been drilling him lately, but he was still sluggish enough for the rear guard.
As the monster stomped the ground, I pulled him close and said,
"Dismiss the hounds for now. A graze from that thing... Ugh! Would shatter them instantly."
Han Seohyun's current hounds were useless here. Head-on against that beast? They'd shatter into pieces.
"G-Got it!"
Even as he tumbled across the ground in my grip, Han Seohyun responded steadily.
The monster whooshed past us again, inches from our noses. I spat out sand from rolling and told Han Seohyun,
"We'll call 'em when we need 'em. Focus on dodging for now."
Its pattern was simple: charge up power, then barrel straight ahead. Even with wind boosting its speed, it couldn't brake any better.
The momentum it built put its control out of whack. So until it fully stopped, its body would lurch sideways like someone yanking it.
That was the opening.
Dodge the bullet-train charge, then exploit the brief gap that followed.
"Huff... huff..."
Of course, striking during that gap wasn't easy.
"Hold up a sec."
Han Seohyun, shoved this way and that by me, was a mess in seconds.
His hair tousled, body caked in sand. And me? Same deal, dragging him around to keep him safe.
"Pant... huff..."
He was just a kid, sure, but 175cm tall—barely shorter than me. Hauling him around like this? Stamina had its limits.
So let's end this quick.
Opening detected.
I shared what I'd figured out with Ramirez.
Yeah, I see it... but...
Ramirez hurled his dagger, but it didn't even scratch the hide. The blade bounced off somewhere, leaving him down a dagger.
Haha, this thing's no joke.
No need to test it ourselves like Ramirez.
Every visible part was wrapped in impossibly tough hide. Normal methods wouldn't pierce it. Needed a mana-charged strike strong enough to punch through. Easy for me.
But I didn't bring these two to hog the experience.
"Kim Jaeho, Han Seohyun."
I called them over.
Weak points? Eyes, ears, inside the mouth—soft spots only. For a mountain of a beast, its eyes were button-sized. Nail one precisely through the eye to the brain, and it'd drop in one go.
Only one here who could pull that off.
"Jaeho, when it stops, jump on its head. Jam your sword into a weak spot—deep enough to kill."
With Kim Jaeho's inhuman balance, he could hop on during that 'gap' and target the eye.
"Seohyun, you make the opening for Jaeho. Summon hounds to chew its legs or whatever. Stretch that 'gap' as long as you can."
The monster stomped again, charging us.
"You got this?"
"Yeah."
Han Seohyun nodded just as it barreled in. Straight-line only, so dodging seemed easy—but human stamina was finite.
Even now, after dodging it several times, we were winded to the limit. A few more all-out evasions? That was our cap.
Time to finish it.
Screeech—its tracks gouged long scars in the sand. The instant it halted to turn,
Kim Jaeho exploded off the ground onto its back.
A hound, summoned behind it in a flash, sank teeth into its rear leg. The second its attention snapped there, Kim Jaeho thrust his sword deep into its mouth.
Grrraaawr!
The monster let out one final bellow, shuddered, and dropped dead.
The hunt ended in a blink.
Took longer to plan the strategy.
Kim Jaeho pulled his sword free and shook off the blood. The corpse was pristine—no wounds except the mouth. The hound had gnawed the leg but failed to pierce the hide.
Clap clap clap.
Glancing over at the applause, Ramirez was grinning and clapping.
Whoa, impressive!
"What the hell, clapping?"
Han Seohyun scowled, clearly irked by Ramirez's spaced-out vibe, but the guy kept going.
Perfect teamwork! Clean as hell! And zero mana used...
Yeah.
Even the praise felt off. Less relief at surviving, more like we were being judged.
Yeah, definitely.
He wasn't tense at all.
Right.
Even as we risked our lives, Ramirez stayed utterly chill. Sure, I had my ace up my sleeve too, but facing a real threat without a hint of nerves?
Doesn't seem like much of a deceiver, huh?
No kidding.
At this point, maybe I should keep playing dumb.
But before I could say anything, shadows stirred beyond the sandstorm again.
This time, a pack.
"Damn it."
I drew up my mana. The commotion must've drawn every monster in the area.
Hyenas swarming at the scent of blood.
* * *
It took a while to clear the monster pack that swarmed us. The first wave was jackal-like mutts, dog-sized but endless in number.
And they hunted in relays like pros, wearing us down.
Lucky break: their hides weren't rhino-tough.
Simple slashes or mana blades dispatched them fine.
I conjured wind blades too, slicing through the rush.
Even Ramirez, useless against the rhino, pulled his weight here.
His 'aim correction' talent? Cocky lie or not, his dagger throws were scarily precise.
The issue...
I'm out of daggers!
Did he have to announce it so proudly?!
Between fights, I used wind to retrieve his daggers. Kim Jaeho and Han Seohyun pitched in too.
Later, I even assigned Han Seohyun's skeletons as dedicated dagger-fetchers.
"That guy's weird. Daggers are his main weapon, and he's this sloppy?!"
Even green-as-grass Han Seohyun griped. Ramirez scratched his head, picking up on the cold vibe.
Haha, I usually carry 'em by the bundle, but I left my sheath on the shuttle earlier!
His chipper tone just pissed me off more.
Anyway, first wave blocked.
"Ugh, I'm beat."
We were all wrecks. Ramirez, throwing daggers from range, and Han Seohyun, puppeteering undead afar, looked decent.
Kim Jaeho, swinging nonstop up close? Covered head to toe in monster goo and chunks.
"Sticky."
If not for Ramirez, I'd rinse him with water. Instead, I handed over the adsorbent cloth I'd packed. Essential for wiping filth.
"Where'd you get this?"
"Sold on the way from the black market."
Glad I'd grabbed it just in case. I wiped some splatter off my face too.
Meanwhile, Han Seohyun stood by the massive corpse we'd downed earlier.
"Can you raise it?"
Han Seohyun was a necromancer. Maybe this behemoth could move too.
He placed a hand on the corpse. Soon, the fallen giant stirred.
"Hmm, can't hold it long."
"How long?"
"Day, maybe?"
"Plenty."
I hopped on the rhino's back. Surprisingly comfy ride.
"Wanna tool around on this?"
"Sure."
Saved stamina—not a bad call.
Oh, my god.
I nodded at rigid Ramirez.
What're you waiting for? Hop on.