Tits.
In a slightly trembling voice, I pointed at the train wheel that was writhing in agony, spewing smoke as black as blood, and asked,
“Whoa… so this is how they hide?”
“Yeah. That’s why you’ve gotta look carefully. On the surface they look no different from the other wheels, so everyone just walks right past them. Lucky we caught this bastard early. If we’d left it alone, it would’ve infected the whole train.”
“How did you even know it was here, Senior? The place we were just standing and this spot are pretty far apart.”
“Heh heh. You said it yourself. Insight, plus a female warrior’s gut instinct. I just know these things.”
Senior A-rang gave the wheel a solid kick.
The thing started convulsing even harder, pouring out far more black smoke from what looked like the usual axe marks.
“More importantly, you can see it for yourself, right? Being a high-rank hunter isn’t just about having a strong body. Especially for front-liners who get ambushed a lot by these camouflaged pieces of shit that blend into everyday objects—distinguishing them takes instinct and insight. Those are essentials.”
Seeing was believing. Watching Senior demonstrate the importance of eyes and instinct with my own eyes, I nodded vigorously in agreement and asked,
“Don’t tell me… that’s why you brought me here?”
“Bingo. I’ve been thinking about it, and for training eyes, instinct, gut feeling, insight—all of it—nothing beats this place. Just the right amount of danger. Perfect for training. Now you get why this unnie said you had to graduate from Eunma Apartment, right?”
“Yes, Unnie.”
“Heh heh heh. Jumping straight to ‘Unnie,’ huh?”
Sounding amused and clearly pleased at the same time, Senior A-rang let out a giggle that made even the people watching feel good, her massive breasts bouncing along with it.
Right then—
“Oh, looks like it’s all drained out.”
“Is that thing dead?”
The wheel that had been trembling in pain while spewing black smoke suddenly went completely rigid.
For someone who’d only ever dealt with skeleton spiders that shattered the moment you swung at them or bomb-roaches that exploded when you touched them, the sight was completely unfamiliar.
Senior A-rang nodded and explained.
“Yeah. You saw that black smoke just now? That’s like blood to these bastards. So in human terms, it died of blood loss.”
“Hmm… so the only way to kill them is by making them bleed out like this?”
“Nah, not really. You can just smash them to pieces too. Comparing them to people feels a little weird, but even a person dies if you split their body in two or smash them beyond recognition—blood loss or whatever doesn’t matter anymore. Same with these things. Smash ’em and they die.”
“Then why don’t you just do that? Seems like it’d save time.”
Smashing them would be quick and easy, so I couldn’t quite understand why we had to stand around watching until every last bit of smoke drained out.
Senior lightly tapped the wheel that had been writhing unpleasantly moments ago with her axe, the metal ringing dully, and said,
“Because once the black smoke’s gone, they return to their original form. Then the railway people can just repair them and use them again. But if you smash them…”
“Ah. Then the railway bureau takes the loss.”
“That’s actually why mages can’t take this job. Those bastards will wreck an entire train over one single possessed wheel.”
Just like butchers nick a pig’s carotid to bleed it out and get rid of the gamey smell, we were draining only the black smoke from the monster-infected trains to minimize damage to the cars themselves.
“Looking at it this way, we’re basically train butchers, huh?”
“Now you get it. Let’s keep moving. Watch carefully how I do it and learn. I’ll have you practice later.”
“Yes ma’am.”
This was a chance to raise the proficiency of the unique skill I’d received from Senior A-rang.
Wild Breath Lv2
- During combat, recovers 30% of maximum HP every 27 seconds.
- Strength increases in proportion to lost HP as health decreases.
- Instinct and intuition are slightly sharpened.
- Cheon A-rang’s unique skill.
Unlike the other skills I could strengthen with training points, unique skills leveled up through proficiency and training, according to what I’d been told.
Focusing on the “instinct and intuition” part visible in the skill description, I nodded to myself while Senior A-rang wasn’t looking, then hurried after her as she began walking again, lazily spinning her greatsword and axe like juggling pins.
Thud! Thud!!
-Huoooo…
-GGaeeee…
“One here, and another over here. Nice feedback.”
“Whoa, the doors, the wheels—this train’s a complete mess. Everything goes crazy the second you touch it.”
Every time Senior A-rang’s hands flashed, a shriek and a burst of black smoke followed.
I could vaguely sense something, but the targets were so small my hit rate wasn’t even half of hers. Meanwhile Senior A-rang continued the train butchery without a single miss, as if she were showing me exactly what mastering this unique skill looked like. Admiration just poured out of me.
Thud!!
-KIYAAA…
And as if finding my gaze and admiration funny, Senior A-rang stabbed her greatsword into a window in a flash, then shot me a mischievous smiling look and said,
“Look at those eyes, you little shit. What, finally realizing how amazing your senior is?”
“I’ve known you were amazing for a while, but watching you work like this is a first. My jaw won’t close.”
“Listen to that mouth on you. Still… doesn’t sound like a lie. Your eyes are sparkling and everything… Ah! That doesn’t mean you get to fall for me, got it? I can’t stand weaklings like you.”
“Says the person who—”
“There it is again! You’re about to bring up the kiss, aren’t you?!”
“Heh heh heh.”
“Y-you little…!!”
At my sly grin, Senior A-rang yanked the greatsword out of the window in pure irritation.
“That damn… Ah!”
“?”
“C’mere. Hey, tsk! I’m not gonna hit you, just come here.”
And just like that she started spinning an obvious lie with a completely straight face.
Wearing a spiteful smile so wide it looked like it might split her face, and claiming she wouldn’t hit me? Yeah, right.
Still, this was a work site, and here I had no choice but to obey Senior A-rang absolutely. I closed the distance until my crotch was practically glued to her ass.
“What the hell? Who told you to get that close? Back up a little. Time for the practice I mentioned earlier.”
“Practice?”
“Right in front of me there’s one of those bastards pretending to be part of the train. Doesn’t look particularly dangerous, so our junior can find it and take care of it. But if you miss, you’re getting punished, so don’t half-ass it or you’re dead.”
“Eeeh…”
So she was planning to give me a knuckle sandwich if I got it wrong.
I let out a small sigh.
“This is my first day on site. You really expect a newbie to find something like that?”
“You watched me do it! The junior I raised with so much care I even kissed him can do this!”
“Ugh, small-minded…”
Just from her expression I could tell she was certain I’d fail, and she wasn’t even trying to hide that she planned to bash my crown in and turn my nipples into inverted ones, already spinning her fist around for practice.
Shoulders slumped, I stepped forward. Senior flashed an extremely lecherous grin and patted my back with a couple of solid thumps.
“You can do it, I said! Just get it right! Why the long face already?”
“Easy for you to say.”
There were already more than a dozen objects visible in the direction she was pointing, and I was supposed to pick out only the monster-infected one and drive my greatsword into it.
Refusing would definitely get me instant punishment, so I sighed and started turning my head this way and that, examining everything from the wheels down to the tiniest screws.
Then—
“Hmm, but maybe a reward is necessary after all?”
“Huh?”
“Looking at those drooping shoulders of yours, Seung-yong, I suddenly thought maybe the reason you’re not motivated is because missing gets you a knuckle sandwich but getting it right gets you nothing.”
“You already know, so why ask?”
She was so desperate to hit me she looked like she was praying for me to fail as fast as possible, yet she had the nerve to act this innocent.
When I answered bluntly out of sheer exasperation, Senior A-rang found my reaction so entertaining that her laugh grew even more lecherous. Then she deliberately thrust her enormous breasts toward me and said,
“If there’s a punishment, there should be a reward too. If you get it right… hmm, what would be good? Ah! I’ll let you suck on them once!”
“What?”
Did I mishear that?
My eyes went wide as Senior A-rang promised such an outrageous reward without so much as a change in expression. Finding my reaction funny, she giggled and clarified,
“My breasts! I’ll let you suck on them once! What, is that not enough? Thinking about it, the reward does feel a little stingy. Fine, I’m in a good mood! On top of that, I’ll give you a one-hour free-use pass for my tits! Real ‘the boss has gone crazy’ level… W-what’s with that look of pure greed…?!”
“You’re promising for real?”
Clearly she was certain I’d fail and was only dangling the “reward” to mess with me. But I was going to get it right no matter what.
No—I had no choice but to get it right.
Eracila Silvanel (Kim Bok-soon)’s unique skill [Hawkeye] has been activated.
The effects of Hawkeye were enhanced vision and the ability to identify a target’s weak points.
I activated the unique skill at once and scanned the area Senior had indicated with eyes that lived up to the skill’s name—a hawk’s eyes.
A little unfair, but there’s no way I’m passing up a free-use pass for those giant tits.
“H-hey? Y-you! Stop putting force into your eyes!”
“Don’t talk to me!”
“This bastard’s raising his voice at his senior?!”
Sensing something was off, Senior A-rang tried to interfere, a bad feeling clearly rising in her, but my eyes were already blinded by the promise of her breasts. I barked at her and let my gaze roll wherever the slightly sharpened instinct and intuition from A-rang’s unique skill guided me.
Of course, even then it was only a vague sense of “something’s around here,” but for this attempt, roughly pinning down the location was enough.
Found it.
The rest would be handled by Silvanel’s unique skill, which would practically say “This is the one!” while highlighting the hidden monster and its weak point for me.
Target acquired. I brought my greatsword down on the coupling without hesitation.
“Right hereee!!”
“H-hey?! Y-you, stop?!”
KRAAANG—!!
-KKIEEEEEEK…!
With a thunderous crash, the coupling struck by the greatsword instantly spewed black smoke.
Confirming the sight, I immediately spun around, held out my hand to Senior A-rang, and said,
“Tits.”