Chapter 17
Chapter 17
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 17
Chapter Title: How the Rank 1 Hero Protects the World 17
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Pushing aside my disbelief... well, regardless, it was true that we didn't have much time left.
Everyone began guarding the front lines in the groups that Lee Woo-yeon had arbitrarily assigned.
Huh? Come to think of it, why didn't I get a group?
As I stood there alone, looking around blankly, Lee Woo-yeon turned to me with a grin.
"Ah, you're on the same team as me."
"...Why am I with you?"
"You weren't listening to me, were you? Figures."
Lee Woo-yeon flashed his empty right hand in front of me, then shrugged. It seemed like he was still holding a grudge over the missed handshake.
"I saw it from the sky earlier. You were throwing your sword to take down monsters, so why'd you position yourself for close combat?"
I hadn't expected him to spot that from up in the air. I clicked my tongue inwardly. Well, at Rank 2, he probably had a wide field of view.
And he'd noticed something so minor. Was he good with memory? Or just suspicious by nature? Maybe both?
Either way, it wasn't to my advantage. I decided to play dumb.
"...Must've misheard."
"Anyway, your accuracy caught my eye. Figured you had some ranged attack skills, so I thought we'd pair up."
Lee Woo-yeon said that with a smile my way.
"Since we're teamed up, we could at least shake on it, right?"
It sounded reasonable enough... but it also felt like an excuse he'd cooked up.
His smile toward me might've looked like he had a crush at a glance, but his eyes were cold.
Eyes that seemed to constantly appraise whatever was in front of him, impossible to read.
"Flying monsters could show up in the second wave. Your spot's the rooftop. Your job is covering me from there."
I narrowed my eyes and scanned Lee Woo-yeon up and down. His intentions still seemed suspicious.
"You don't look like you need covering."
I'd just watched his show earlier. As much as I hated to admit it, that level of combat prowess was rare even in Tartarus.
Plus, considering Earth had only had dungeons and the System for five years while Tartarus was at twenty—that made Lee Woo-yeon's skill all the more impressive.
For comparison, the strongest magic swordsman I knew was Lucas. Lee Woo-yeon held his own against that Lucas.
Compared to my original stats... he'd need some favorable matchups and luck, but I couldn't afford to get complacent either.
So yeah, he had the skill to be recognized as Korea's top Hunter by all accounts.
And yet, he said casually,
"Complacency has no place in battle."
Then, lowering his voice so no one else could hear, he added,
"Especially since the first wave was anything but normal."
I flinched at that.
Suspicious as Lee Woo-yeon still was, I'd been thinking the same thing.
Sudden dungeon breaks were just that—sudden—with no clear info like in fixed dungeons, so you couldn't gauge the rank ahead of time. But usually, the first wave's monster numbers and ranks gave a hint of what was to come.
Of course, the first wave had gone smoothly thanks to Lee Woo-yeon. That said, there were ominous signs regardless.
I nodded at his words.
"The ranks were low, D to E-grade..."
"But three to five hundred poured out in that short time."
"And the second wave usually jumps two ranks. Double the numbers."
So the second would be B to C-grade, at least six hundred, up to a thousand.
A dizzying number.
Monsters at B or C-grade had some intelligence, enough that civilians wouldn't even be able to flee during the wave activation timer.
That meant Hunters had to provoke them, draw aggro, and hold the line.
But from watching the Hunters fight before Lee Woo-yeon showed up... they didn't seem very experienced.
They'd formed a defensive line well enough, but cooperation after that? Nonexistent.
Sure, Lee Woo-yeon had given basic orders, but once the wave hit and lives were on the line, how many would hold their posts? I was skeptical.
"...We can still manage."
Pessimism wouldn't change anything. No one could enter the area covered by this barrier during wave activation.
We had to handle it here somehow.
"Your role's gonna be a big one."
In my view, with Lee Woo-yeon as main DPS and the other Hunters supporting, assuming thirty minutes for the second wave—we could scrape by. There was hope.
Lee Woo-yeon shrugged at my words.
"Yeah, it'll be tougher than the first, but I can handle it. Up to the second, anyway."
"...What are you getting at?"
"If things keep going like this, the third wave's impossible."
- Standby time until the 2nd Monster Wave: 00:02:56
The timer floating in the air had just over three minutes left.
I glanced around. Fortunately, everyone was far enough from me and Lee Woo-yeon that no one seemed to have overheard.
Confirming that, I whispered to him,
"If you say that, morale's gonna tank."
"I'm just stating facts."
Gone was the inspiring leader from before; his voice was ice cold now.
"I checked the Hunters gathered earlier. Barely any rank in the top hundred by System rankings."
A chill ran down my spine unbidden.
"Do you seriously know every Hunter in Korea?"
"Of course not. But the ones who raid high-level dungeons are the usual suspects, so faces get familiar. If I don't recognize someone, it means they haven't raided high-rankers. No experience is fatal in real combat."
"So? We give up and die?"
"Come on."
Lee Woo-yeon grinned and offered his hand again.
"You seemed like the most experienced Hunter here from how you fought, so I'm consulting you openly."
...Was that it?
I turned away from his smiling face and looked up at the sky.
Lee Woo-yeon wiggled his still-empty hand.
"You ignoring this or what?"
"What I can do is handle aerial monsters approaching while you mop up the ground trash."
"...Fine. We'll hold the second wave like that."
"And pull your hand back. I'm not shaking it."
Even then, he kept his hand out, grinning like mad. Looked like his pride was on the line now.
"Time's almost up. Gotta get to the roof to cover me, right? Don't hold back—I'll princess-carry you if you want."
"No thanks!"
The next instant, I kicked off the ground using Nymph's Wind.
Wind enveloped me, and before gravity could pull me down, I planted my next foot against the building wall.
Walls like this were child's play compared to Optatio's shell.
Lee Woo-yeon didn't just stand there either. Massive wings unfurled from his back again.
He flew up, staring incredulously at me scaling the wall.
"Rare to find someone who hates me this much. Are you secretly the admin of my anti-fan cafe...?"
"Not. Even. Interested. Huff!"
It was about thirty stories up, but using protrusions here and there, I scaled it in seconds.
Reaching the rooftop, the System message—now closer—flashed red.
- Standby time until the 2nd Monster Wave: 00:00:26
Well, my job's long-range sniping, huh.
In that case, daggers wouldn't cut it. My current strength was sorely lacking; hitting flying monsters with them would be tough.
But right now, Lee Woo-yeon thought I specialized in ranged attacks.
I had to play the part, limiting my options.
I pulled a bow from my inventory. Drawing the string revealed a recurve bow.
The fox kit flapping its wings beside me widened its eyes, then grinned delightedly.
"Ooh, so your class is Archer?"
"Something like that."
Not even close, but close enough.
It wasn't a total lie, though.
Classes get stat bonuses with matching weapons. My Hero class didn't give special bonuses to my main sword.
Instead, it added a slight bonus to all weapons I used. Bows included.
Problem was, swords were my main, and since getting the Apex Light Sword—which handled ranged too—I hadn't touched a bow in nearly three years.
Eh, worst case, I hit Lee Woo-yeon. No biggie. I relaxed.
Seeing my bow, Lee Woo-yeon asked curiously,
"Recurve bow, huh? Arrows?"
"Too many questions, Lee Woo-yeon-ssi."
"Doesn't look like it has much range."
His gaze swept over my arms.
Annoying, but he was right. Archers needed arm strength for range, or they were useless.
He seemed about to probe more, but with the timer under ten seconds, he finally took off.
Wings spread, Lee Woo-yeon soared above the building.
I test-pulled the empty string—twang.
Long time no see. As if welcoming me, red mana swirled around the string with a flick.
- Warning! The 2nd Monster Wave begins. Monster rank restrictions apply (Random appearance from A-rank to F-rank).
- 2nd Monster Wave activation time: 00:30:00
- You cannot leave the area during Monster Wave activation.
I bit my lip the moment I saw the message.
"This is insane..."
I wasn't the only one. Groans echoed from below. Civilians sheltering in buildings, Hunters alike.
Screams rang out everywhere, despair spreading like wildfire.
"What, what?! A-rank?!"
"It's only the second wave!"
"There aren't even that many Hunters... what do we do?!"
No wonder everyone despaired.
Dungeons had no strict rules, but they followed patterns.
We'd already been in a bad spot, expecting B to C-grades, and now A-ranks in the second wave?
Even Lee Woo-yeon grimaced in the distance.
Yeah, he wouldn't die in the second, but this made surviving the third dicey.
As fearful eyes converged, light poured from the air.
The first thing to emerge from the light: massive horns.
Two enormous ones like a rhino's. Thick gray forehead like elephant hide, ferocious lion's jaw, sturdy legs forcing through the gap.
- System Alert: You can query the monster's rank and type.
Pointless as I knew it was, curiosity got me for this new monster.
I checked the System window.
- A-Rank Monster: Bull Born of Terror
...Ripped straight from mythology? Been running into bulls a lot lately.
"Don't panic! Hold your positions!"
"B-But...!"
"Running won't save you anyway!"
Sure enough, the Hunters panicked at the sight.
True to its name, even partially revealed, fear painted their faces.
Lee Woo-yeon circled overhead, wings out, trying to remind them of his presence, but the Hunters on the defensive line he'd set hesitated, retreating.
At this rate, we'd all die.
I looked down at the people in the distance. All cowering before the omen of death emerging in radiant light.
Sometimes, I think it.
Maybe the System appeared to wipe out humanity out of hatred, and resistance is futile—we're marching to extinction.
Is there meaning in clinging to life like this? Survival just means more pain.
...I shook off the thought, biting my tongue hard.
Crunch. The pain from bitten flesh sharpened my wavering mind.
"Same old crap."
Even if true, it was too early to give up.
I didn't survive this long just to see this.
Trash like this can't define my life's meaning.
As the bull fully emerged from the crumbling light, I drew the string.
- The Nameless Bow responds to your will.
No fancy name, no stat-boosting options like Nymph's Wind. My weak arms trembled, drawing fingers blistered and sore.
But the reason I used this bow was simple.
- Hero class correction applied.
- Your soul imbues the Nameless Bow with purpose.
- Your mana substitutes for arrows.
Heroes have missions, but their weapons don't need to be special.
Just the will to fulfill them.
Mana flowed from my body to my thumb—where an arrow should nock—forming one.
I drew the string till my mouth twisted.
The fully drawn string loosed a red mana arrow slicing through the air.
Wind whistled. Before it hit, I yelled,
"Die, you bastard!"
The arrow struck true between the bull's eyes.
The sole power left in my soul, untouchable by any—pierced the bull's skull.
The massive beast collapsed before fully crossing the portal of light.
Monsters following screeched in panic.
From below, voices mixed cheers and shock, still processing.
I quietly drew again. The second Monster Wave had just begun.