Chapter 68
Chapter 68
Civil Servant Hunter’s S-class Resignation Log – Chapter 68
"As if. You've been waiting for that exact moment."
If my sanity wavers even slightly, that thing will rejoice and devour me bit by bit.
The contract binding us isn't one of mutual cooperationit's a leash.
No one yet knows who will seize whose throat first.
"It's different this time. With Seong Ja-rim there, Jae-hun at least won't die. No one will."
Right. Unlike twelve years ago, there are now two L-rankers present. Yoon Jae-hun won't meet the same gruesome end as my mother did.
"......Still, they shouldn't do anything reckless."
Unable to film the raid out of fear that the support team might die, she had no way of knowing the situation.
She could only hope they all returned safely, without a single casualty.
She prayed that Se-ra wouldn't lose family again.
Song Han-na clasped her hands together and prayed to the god protecting Jae-hunnot her own.
* * *
But the situation wasn't all that hopeful.
About two hours into the fight.
Thanks to Yoo Su-eun, they were clinging to life, but that was it. Aside from Kang Se-jun, everyone was barely mustering the strength to keep their buckling legs from giving out.
Yoo Su-eun herself had taken on the tank role in Eun In-jae's place, spamming her ultimate barriers multiple times.
Her mana was running on fumes after healing Eun In-jae, who'd been electrocuted all over, and distributing heals to the others as needed.
And that wasn't all.
'I can't heal Yoon Jae-hun!'
Yoo Su-eun bit her lip hard.
The condition for Yoon Jae-hun's title 'Lonely Pilgrim' was to fight alone. Receiving heals from a healer counted as fighting together, so she couldn't assist him.
Yoo Su-eun tore at her hair as she gazed at Yoon Jae-hun's back, now a pitiful sight in such a short time.
Eight years of frontline experience, innate combat sense, and the absolute power of his title within his declared holy zone.
Even mobilizing everything he had, all he could do was hold on.
His left arm dangled half-uselessly, his sword arm on the verge of necrosis from skill overuse, and his legs weren't intact either.
If he hadn't sacrificed everything to pin down even one head, everyone except Kang Se-jun would already be rolling on the ground.
"It really hits home now just how incredible Mom was."
Propping his staggering body with his scabbard, Yoon Jae-hun stared straight at the magical beast.
The fire head he was facing wasn't in perfect shape. It was half-severed thanks to Joo Eun's skill, but that wasn't the only reason.
This thing still hadn't healed the wound from Jeon Hyeon-hui twelve years ago.
As her son, having grown up watching her back, he knew without being told.
'With my current condition, I get one shot at attacking.'
Just once.
But he could do it. He had to.
Yoon Jae-hun leaped high into the air. Pure white sword energy gathered and swelled, illuminating the dark night sky dazzlingly. It was the beautiful sword beam he'd finally forged after eight years of honing his blade since awakening.
As he swung his sword, the blade beams split into multiple streams and poured down. But the moment they clashed with the flames spewed by the beast, several of the split beams vanished like illusions.
Yoon Jae-hun's unique skill, Branching Paths.
If there's an open path, there must be a blocked one. The same went for his attacks. Where there was a real strike, there were also feints.
While the illusions confused the beast, the true attack struck its vitals.
The tail and left forelegwounds once severed by Jeon Hyeon-hui in the past.
Even though they'd regrown, they were far weaker than before, and Yoon Jae-hun's sword tore them apart once more.
Kraaaah! The beast let out a long scream as it lost its tail and one leg. Lava-like blood scattered everywhere.
Seizing the opening, Kang Se-jun unleashed his magic without hesitation. With a boom, the damned lightning head that had been spewing bolts finally fell.
But there was no time to celebrate.
"Ah, we're screwed."
Tail, leg, and now a newly formed head.
Having lost three parts in an instant, the beast's blood-red eyes glared at Yoon Jae-hun with feral hunger. A hind leg filled with pain and rage came flying.
"You damned bastard."
He'd poured out every ounce of strength. No energy left to dodge.
Bam!
With a chilling thud, his body soared through the air like a sheet of paper.
"Yoon Jae-hun!"
Yoo Su-eun screamed and caught him, but the situation was dire.
"Of all places, now......! No! He's going into shock!"
The backlash from the title hit, and his body began convulsing.
While everyone else pressed the beast after felling the lightning head, Yoo Su-eun poured out all her remaining mana. But backlash from titles or skills was hard to heal even for a healer.
"Hey, don't pass out! You gonna die all refreshed after revenge?! Revenge is donenow live easy! Snap out of it, you idiot!"
What should she do? How could she save him? How do you fix title backlash?
I don't know. I don't know this stuff!
"Damn it, if only a stronger healer than me were here......!"
An L-rank healer with a higher rank!
"Agh!"
At Han Su-eon's scream, Yoo Su-eun whipped her head up. Exhausted from spamming lightning negation, he had collapsed.
Do Jun-young could barely move, and while Joo Eun and Kang Se-jun were holding their own somewhat, Yoo Su-eun knew.
Even those two couldn't win. Everyone was too worn out.
The healer Yoo Su-eun faced two choices.
Abandon Yoon Jae-hun and use her remaining mana to restore those two's stamina for the fight.
Or cling to the hopeless Yoon Jae-hun.
"Ugh. This is why I hate being a healer."
Healers were the raid's core, but sometimes they were forced into heartless decisions.
Yoo Su-eun despised that.
She'd become a healer precisely because she hated death so much, yet here she was debating someone else's.
She wasn't that ruthless.
"Fuck off. No one's ever died in a raid I've joined as healer."
This time would be no different. As Yoo Su-eun gritted her teeth to try her last resort
"Whoa, you're always nagging me, but you've got this side too?"
A playful voice utterly out of place in this hellish scene. And a terribly familiar tone. Yoo Su-eun's eyes widened.
Redder than Eun In-jae's hair, like blood itself, hair was swaying.
"......Seong Ja-rim?"
"Good work. I'm impressed."
Seong Ja-rim's large hand ruffled her hair. The one who always called her a dumb puppysomehow, it made her choke up.
"Y-you, you, you! Why'd you take so long!"
"Ow, ow, ow! Why're you mad right off the bat? Isn't that too much? I came to help!"
"Then help already! He's dying here!"
"Yeah. What a pickle. Of all people, he got hurt this bad. I'm gonna pulverize that thing beyond recognition."
"What?"
Yoo Su-eun, sniffling from her stuffy nose, noticed Seong Ja-rim looking somewhere.
"Wh-what? That kid......"
The Association civil servant. The F-rank who'd suffered hell because of Han Su-eon. She was suddenly right there in front of her.
When? She hadn't sensed a thing. Because she's so weak? So powerless she went unnoticed?
"Oppa?"
Oppa? Whose?
"He's in shock. The wounds are severe, but this seems more from skill or title backlash than anything. Healing won't fix it. We need to restore his depleted stamina first."
Ja-rim stood up from checking Jae-hun and positioned herself beside Se-ra. She was now holding a massive scythe.
"I'll attack first. Class 1 magical beasts differ from Class 3 monstersyou can steal their stamina without killing them."
"Got it. Thanks."
Ja-rim leaped high and swung her scythe hard. The beast, missing its neck, leg, and tail, couldn't dodge.
"That thing's almost done for."
For a Class 1, she could've drained up to 40% without killing it, but only 20%.
Still, it was a godsend for Yoon Jae-hun and the rest. The partial stamina recovery offset the backlash somewhat.
"Ah!"
Yoo Su-eun immediately converted nearly all her remaining stamina to mana. Now she could resume treating Yoon Jae-hun.
"Guild Master Yoo Su-eun."
At the quiet voice, she flinched and looked up. Yoon Se-rathe fragile civil servantwas staring at her with an expression devoid of any smile.
"Take good care of him."
But why? Why didn't she seem weak at all right now?
"That's my brother."
"Huh? What?! Brother?! Whose?!"
"Keep him alive. I'll deal with that damned bastard."
Yoon Jae-hun was her real brother? Before she could ask what that meant
Yoo Su-eun shrieked at the sight of Yoon Se-ra walking toward the beast.
"Hey! Wait! What're you doing, you fragile little thing?!"
But Yoon Se-ra ignored her completely. She wasn't in the mood to answer questions. It had been so long since she'd felt this furious.
Kang Se-jun had said not even a second to spare, yet she'd rushed straight here without delay.
The moment she stepped onto this land, hoping no one had died
She saw it.
Her brother flying through the air after being struck by that filthy bastard's paw.
Her vision went red. Rage tore through her chest like a drum being ripped apart. It felt like a massive weight that had held her down for so long had finally burst free.
Ah. This was the anger she'd been building since the moment her parents died twelve years ago.