Chapter 16
Chapter 16
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: Pretty Words
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"Support has arrived!"
"Holy shit, those horns are huge, you horned freak!"
"Buy us some time, please!"
Song Si-woo and the others scattered in different directions.
Choi Kang-in didn't move a muscle, just gripping the sword in its scabbard as he lowered his stance and shouted.
"What the hell is this... Lady Iroha? How on earth did you get here? Where are the other hunters?"
"This is everyone."
"Are you insane? You came into a place like this with just four A-rankers?!"
"Is that important right now? Ah, hold still for a sec."
I grabbed Lee Jae-hoon's left hand, blood pouring from his arm as he scolded me, and quickly overpainted his wound to seal it.
Luckily, it wasn't too deep, so it finished fast. I headed straight for Cheon I-ryeong next.
This one would take more time...
"Stop staring and push that thing back somehow. I need to treat her right now."
"...This is driving me crazy."
Lee Jae-hoon, who had always been so polite, muttered a little curse uncharacteristically and turned back to the battlefield.
"How... did you... make it all the way here... Iroha...?"
Cheon I-ryeong struggled to open her eyes, caked in dried blood, worrying about me with her faint breaths.
Me aside, she was the stubborn one.
Especially since she was basically half-bathing in the River Jordan right now.
I hurriedly overpainted her most dangerous wounds. The relief washed over her just as her regenerating vitality couldn't keep up with the accumulated fatigue, and she passed out again.
"Get out of the way! Mountain Cleaver!"
That's when a thunderous roar erupted from Choi Kang-in, who'd been standing still for so long.
The hunters in front of him scattered left and right. As heat waves shimmered from his body, he twisted the scabbard and drew his sword like lightning.
A brilliant blue sword aura connected the drawn blade and the scabbard.
The massive crescent-shaped sword aura shot straight ahead, cleaving the earth in two as it slammed directly into the monster's horn.
"Mroooong! Mroooooong!"
With an enraged roar.
Kwajik, kung! Tudduduk—
It was just the tip, but a sizable chunk of the massive horn, along with the spiderweb-like smaller horns woven around it, was severed and fell away.
A gap opened in the impenetrable barrier that had shielded its upper body.
"Oh, nice one! Hit it again!"
"No can do! I need 30 more minutes to gather mana—!"
Choi Kang-in grimaced at Song Si-woo's words.
...No wonder that guy's the One-Second Sword Saint.
An A-rank hunter landing a meaningful hit on an S-rank monster in one shot was impressive... but a 30-minute cooldown after one strike was a bit much.
'He climbed past floor 20 with that thing.'
Remote hunters poured attacks through the gap in its ironclad defense, but the situation didn't improve.
For starters, mediocre A-rank attacks didn't land properly, and anything substantial got blocked by its horn.
If Cheon I-ryeong fully recovered, maybe—but with everyone's stamina and mana depleted, even waking her up wouldn't help.
"Lady Iroha! Get the guild master out of here first!"
"That's not happening."
The monster, which had been swinging wildly at any nearby hunter, switched tactics after taking a hit to its horn. It now targeted them one by one, relentlessly thrusting its arms.
A hunter was crushed without even a scream.
The hunters, who'd scattered to avoid grouping up, were now hunted from the most isolated ones first. Trying to flee now would just make us prime targets.
"Tch, hold out for 30 more minutes! Hunter Choi Kang-in, can you aim for its main body next time?!"
"Just tie its legs down for a bit, and I can!"
"Good! It's tiring too, so let's push a little harder!"
Lee Jae-hoon rallied the hunters and charged forward.
He kicked the monster's swinging arm away from a hunter forming ice spikes, deflecting its path.
In the renewed bloodbath, I propped up Cheon I-ryeong against my body, struggling to lift just my upper torso to support her.
I lifted her right arm slightly—and gripped my brush, casting Flame at the monster.
The fireball streaked through the air with a roar, grazing the horn just barely before—boom!—expanding into a horizontal ring of fire that spread out. The beast shook its head in panic as the sudden flames engulfed its face.
"Guild master...?"
Lee Jae-hoon whipped around in shock.
I matched his gaze.
"I told you not to push yourself too hard!"
Cheon I-ryeong dangled like a puppet doll synced to my movements, perfectly mimicking the pose of someone being restrained.
'...I might have a talent for acting.'
Her face was still smeared with crusted blood, so from afar, it looked like she was leaning on me in exhaustion.
As Lee Jae-hoon alternated glances between the monster and us in confusion, I urgently shouted for him to watch the front and fired off another Flame.
And then—a throbbing headache that rang in my skull.
A signal that my mana was empty.
'Ah, shoulda led with Crimson Flame Jewel.'
I'd chosen Flame because it was similar to Cheon I-ryeong's fire magic and less conspicuous, but Crimson Flame Jewel was different.
Flames trapped in water.
The clash of opposing forces made it one of the most alien powers among hunters' abilities.
But such worries were moot—two casts of an A-rank skill like Flame had drained my mana dry.
Especially after treating Cheon I-ryeong on top of it.
#
Huh?
My mind cleared instantly, and I felt my mana reserves fill to the brim inside me.
What the—? My body suddenly recovered, bursting with energy. What was this?
The confusion was brief. I cast Crimson Flame Jewel.
A round, crimson orb formed in my palm.
It felt different from the one the moon bunny used, but the moment I gripped it, I instinctively knew how it worked.
Talk about a grenade spell.
And at that moment, a change swept the battlefield.
"Huh? I think I can fire off another sword aura!"
"Whoa? I'll provide some support fire here too!"
"Hah, suddenly overflowing with power! Fuck yeah, let's go!"
The hunters suddenly perked up.
Lee Jae-hoon tilted his head, then roared as he seized the monster's horn and pinned it to the ground.
"Ranged DPS, target the chest! Melee, go for its right ankle! All at once!"
Choi Kang-in's sword aura struck the horn again, widening the gap.
Ice spikes, blue flames, rocks, arrows, spears—they all crossed the sky in unison.
Some were blocked by the horn, but the flames, arrows, and spears that slipped through embedded in wounds, detonating in chain explosions.
At the same time, close-range hunters dove past the horn to strike behind its knee and ankle. The combined assault buckled one of the steadfast monster's knees with a kung.
Matching their rhythm, I gripped the Crimson Flame Jewel and drew a Flame with my left hand. I hurled the completed Flame, then immediately launched the Jewel at its wounded chest.
The monster twisted its horn to intercept the incoming Flame, but it burst like fireworks, the ring of fire sweeping over it.
The Crimson Flame Jewel, hidden in the flames, burrowed into the chest wound.
And—whoosh!
Like a bomb exploding underwater, the Crimson Flame Jewel bloated and burst. The swirling orb of flames held for a moment before fading, a gust of wind brushing through the space left behind.
The S-rank monster's chest—a perfect circular void.
True to the Jewel's shape upon detonation, it had vanished as cleanly as if melted away.
"Mruaaagh... urk...!"
With its chest core pierced, the monster futilely clutched at the hole with its massive hand before toppling backward.
Kuuung— An earth-shaking boom matching its size kicked up a dust storm.
The rewards announced the boss's complete death.
"Wooooah!"
"Uwaaaah! We're alive! Alive!"
"Fuck, you S-rank monster piece of shit! You ain't shit!"
"Sob... I wanna call home..."
The hunters who'd brushed death erupted in tearful cheers. As everyone jumped for joy, Lee Jae-hoon rushed over without delay to support Cheon I-ryeong.
"Guild master?!"
"She's passed out. Her body's not fully recovered yet, but she pushed herself too hard."
"...Thank you. We all survived thanks to you coming, Lady Iroha. Truly, thank you."
Lee Jae-hoon expressed his gratitude with an indescribable expression.
I'd brazenly lied right to his face to cover my tracks, so I brushed off the embarrassment with a laugh.
My dual Tower Gallery troll identity—no, my unique awakening ability—stayed hidden by crediting everything to Cheon I-ryeong. A white lie, right?
Plus, being spotlighted as the Saintess was tiring enough; more exposure here would've been a nightmare. Use your imagination for the rest.
Anyway, I'd gotten my rewards too.
"Over here! He's still alive!"
"Evacuate the wounded first! Non-emergencies can be handled outside the gate!"
Lee Jae-hoon approached, carrying Cheon I-ryeong on his back as he organized the aftermath. Song Si-woo preempted him by lifting me slightly with wind.
"Mana haze is dangerous, so we're heading out first~"
"W-Wait—!"
Lee Jae-hoon's shout trailed off in the wind.
Song Si-woo sped toward the gate exit, hands in his pockets, flashing a playful grin.
"Man, they weren't kidding about the Saintess. Wide-area buffs too? That was badass."
"Pardon?"
Wide-area buff? What?
He must've meant everyone suddenly recovering their energy earlier, but I had no clue.
"That wasn't me."
"Ah, keeping it under wraps publicly. Got it."
"No, seriously, I don't know."
"Shh, don't worry. I'm tighter-lipped than I look?"
You look anything but.
We arrived at the gate exit with the gossip-prone Song Si-woo and stepped out. Government hunters led by Jin Tae-san faced off tensely against A-rankers from Abyss and Naraka Guilds.
"You entered the gate? Lady Iroha! Are you alright? We'll provide support immediately."
"You came. Sorry, though—the gate's cleared. Just help with the wounded, please."
"Cleared...? Understood for now."
The startled Jin Tae-san quickly composed himself and sent his hunters into the gate.
A-rankers stepped forward in protest.
"What? You cleared an S-rank in two days? That's bullshit—even America couldn't!"
"Wait, that hair... the Saintess? So she was with Heavenly Flame after all?"
"Hold on, Lady Iroha is officially with the Association. We planned an official announcement later, but now we'll prep a press conference today."
As Jin Tae-san corrected the affiliation, Kim Ho-jun from Abyss sneered and approached me.
"Not Heavenly Flame, but government...? Ha, ridiculous. Or maybe it's good? Hey, healer lady. Whatever those powerless losers say, join Abyss. Double, triple whatever they offer."
What the hell was this guy babbling?
I was already pissed at their behavior, and he just poured fuel on the fire.
Meanwhile, the wounded were being carried out of the gate.
The chaotic scene grew noisier by the second. I headed to check on the injured first—
"Hey, answer me. Ignoring someone talking? Even for a so-called Saintess."
A rice-horned bastard chasing nothing but profit.
"...You're not human."
"What? Speak up."
My quiet curse got swallowed by the din.
I flashed him a sweet smile and delivered my words clearly, softly, but pointedly.