Ice Age: Super Dragon Extinction
What are the odds of witnessing a battle between Grandpa and an armored super dragon straight out of the Ice Age? I seriously feel like I've achieved a life milestone today.
― Pff, pffft! Even Absolmi seemed flustered by the sight, just perched on my head flapping its wings.
Honestly, I was still scared, but Grandpa's sudden charge-in calmed me down a bit. He fought just like those mad raid movie clips from some hunter's D-tube channel. Dodging horns with jumps, slamming punches into the body. Every clash shattered the road and blew out all the nearby glass windows.
Who's gonna pay for all that cleanup? No wonder insurance premiums have been skyrocketing lately…
― Pffft!
"Huh? Help out too…? That?"
My legs were finally regaining some strength, so I'd just shakily stood up when Absolmi pecked toward the monster-and-Grandpa brawl and took off flying. No way there was room to jump in…
How strong was Grandpa, going toe-to-toe with a monster from a 3rd-grade gate? I'd known plenty of hunters, but seeing it live, everything moved too fast to even identify him. Just a blur.
― Pffft!
"You gotta get real combat experience to grow stronger…? Yeah, sure, but…"
Hunters were supposed to level up fighting monsters—that was the iron rule. Skills upgraded, mana got denser. But starting with a powerhouse like that armored super Triceratops? Way too harsh. And I was a nine-year-old girl, to boot!
"Smartest move right now is to run. Right… ah."
One thing I'd forgotten: not just Triceratops came out of that gate. Right as I turned to bolt, three Velociraptors had me surrounded. They bared their fangs with guttural grrrs, drool dripping from those vicious teeth onto the ground. Terrifying.
"Eek! N-no…!"
I glanced desperately at Grandpa, but he was locked in with the Triceratops—no time to check on me. Had he… forgotten about little old me? Where were the other hunters? They were supposed to scramble nearby ones for instant gates!
"U-uwu…."
― Grrr!
― Grk!
― Pff, pffft!
Terror made my legs buckle naturally. Knees together, shivering, as Absolmi bravely hopped forward, flapping furiously. The raptors got even more pissed at that, inching toward me and Absolmi step by step. The grrrs from all sides were driving me insane. One bite and I'd be crunched—my bones probably no tougher than a chicken drumette. Straight-up raptor chow, RIP.
"H-hiiieeeek!"
Dreadful visions flashed through my mind, and the Velociraptors lunged. Reflexively, I threw up both hands and pulled mana from deep inside.
"D-don't come any closer-!!!!"
I squeezed my eyes shut.
Stronger than expected…!
S-rank hunter, Vanguard #6 to boot. Kang Yong-su had supreme confidence in his abilities. After all, he'd tackled a 6th-grade gate incident. He figured a 3rd-grade gate boss would be a quick win.
But the armor was tougher and the hide thicker than anticipated. Gate bosses each had unique traits, and this one seemed built around HP and defense. The dinosaur look screamed power, too. Yong-su's age was catching up, and charging in weaponless dragged the fight out.
There was definitely a kid nearby—big trouble…!
They said you get less wise with age. Blaming his misjudgment, Yong-su sweated to end the boss fast. Plan was: one-shot it, clean up, comfort the kid. But the prolonged skirmish bred impatience.
Glancing toward the kid mid-fight—he despaired. Little dinosaurs swarming her, lunging.
"No-!!!!"
That instant—
Whoooosh-!!
A massive mana vortex swirled around the girl, and the world turned white. Icy winds blanketed the city, snow piling thick. The raptors charging her were frozen solid, toppling aside.
"Wha-!"
Yong-su crossed his arms, maxing mana to block the chill. But his water-affinity mana couldn't fully counter ice—bad matchup. Bewildered, he landed and turned.
The Triceratops wasn't fully frozen like the raptors but trembled from decent damage.
F-first things first!
Decision made, Yong-su leaped to the girl. Despite the distance, his raw power bridged it in one bound.
"Y-you okay?! Hurt anywhere?!"
"U-uwu…."
The girl shivered, clutching a white bird, tears streaming. Cutest kid he'd seen since his daughter. Yong-su stomped the frozen raptors—crunch—they shattered with minimal effort. Quick cleanup.
He placed a hand on her shoulder, crouching to eye level.
"Glad you're safe. That your doing?"
"S-somethin' like that, yo…."
She quivered; the bird in her arms flapped proudly, like boasting for its master. Yong-su glanced at the Triceratops—shaking, wary-eyed.
…Heh.
The girl's mana was monstrously potent, meaningful damage even to a Vanguard like him. But not enough for big impact on the distant boss. Yet that intense wariness meant…
Matchup. The matchup.
…Dinosaurs, ice—aha!
Gate monsters hailed from other dimensions, invading as theirs collapsed. This black-armored Triceratops's world? Ice Age extinction! Hence the ice mana leaving boss and minions rattled.
"Little friend… think you can do it one more time?"
"O-one more…?"
"Yeah. This old man's got your back on attacks. Blast all your mana at that big dino."
"Mmm… I'll try, yo…."
The sniffling girl nodded with resolve. Yong-su nodded back, stood, glared at the dino. Sensing the shift, it reared on hind legs, ready to charge. Ground quaked; raptor debris rustled.
Here it comes-!
The dino exploded forward. Yong-su wrapped his fists in water spray, charging head-on.
Boom-!
Horn met fist; shockwave erupted. Dead-even clash, neither yielding.
Behind them—
"Hiyaaah!"
The girl flung her arms wide, unleashing mana wildly. Simple emission of ice, snow, chill. Elemental skills varied wildly by technique—mastery and flair set the peak. But she just raw-poured her power, proclaiming her existence.
― Kroooaaargh-!!
That alone flash-froze the 3rd-grade gate boss white. Its roar faded under the gale.
Not dead, though—armor and hide too tough for instant heart-stop. But it bought Yong-su time for his finisher.
"Great job, little friend!"
White Shark, Kang Yong-su. Seoul's 21st-century Chungmugong. His signature, ultimate technique.
Eh?! Grandpa Kang Yong-su?!
Too famous—even I clocked him instantly amid the chaos.
Azure waves cloaked his fist, flashing sky-blue brilliance. He slammed it into the Triceratops's gut—
Krunch-!
A massive shark erupted from the ground, chomping the dino.
"W-wow…!"
"All good now."
Situation cleared. Super dragon extinct.
Grandpa felled the dino, and in under five minutes, Association staff and emergency-recruited hunters swarmed in. Three A-ranks, five B-ranks. They'd gathered numbers for safe 3rd-grade cleanup, hence the delay. And probably dragged feet knowing Grandpa was on-site.
Of course, he jabbed: Comfy leaving variables to chance?
Right on. A nine-year-old nearly died.
Anyway, massive mana drain plus terror-shivers left me wiped. Half-listening, I tried slipping home…
"This kid took out all the regular monsters and dealt major damage to the boss."
"Eh."
Grandpa pointed right at me. Not wrong—I was surprisingly OP. But…
"Little friend, mind coming to the Association with me?"
We're screwed. Undocumented nine-year-old here.