Chapter 10
Chapter 10
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 10
Chapter Title: The Tranga Cub
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#10
"A cub, you say?"
"That's right."
"You don't usually call a tiger about three meters long a cub, do you?"
"That's because it's not a tiger. It's a Tranga."
Eileen's nonchalant reply left Woojin speechless.
*Can I even fight that thing?*
Eileen had warned him not to get cocky, but honestly, Woojin had felt a bit confident.
He'd heard the description of a Tranga cub, but even so, he figured that as a level 2, he could somehow manage.
But that was a huge miscalculation.
*Just brushing against those claws would shred me to pieces.*
Now he understood why she'd dismissed the Snowl so casually.
Even a Siberian tiger seemed less terrifying by comparison.
"Hyung-nim...?"
Woojin called out just in case, but as expected, the Tranga cub only let out a roar.
"What was that just now?"
Eileen shot him a look like she'd witnessed something embarrassing, but Woojin deliberately ignored it.
Fairy tales really were just fairy tales, after all.
"Shield soldiers, forward!"
There were three Tranga cubs in total.
One knight would handle two of them, and Woojin would take the remaining one.
"No support from the regular soldiers?"
"They're hunting the mother Tranga."
Woojin shook his head at Eileen's response.
He couldn't fathom why they were wasting the knights like this.
A Snowl wasn't that strong and came in numbers, so soldiers made sense, but there was only one Tranga.
Yet they deployed knights for the cubs and soldiers for the mother?
*No wonder they take so many casualties.*
The countless deaths every year might stem from this inefficient subjugation method.
"I can guess what you're thinking, but subjugating the northern beasts isn't that simple."
Eileen had read his mind again.
For a moment, Woojin wondered if she had telepathy.
"I don't think it's that complicat—"
"Stop right there. Focus on the enemy in front of you for now."
Woojin tried to argue, but Eileen cut him off coldly.
"I've already explained that this isn't some pushover you can fight while daydreaming."
She wasn't wrong.
Even with Eileen nearby, she wouldn't step in unless it was truly life-threatening.
More precisely, as long as he wouldn't die, she'd just watch.
All while spouting horrific nonsense about reattaching severed limbs with magic.
So, as she said, he needed to worry about the immediate threat, not the soldiers' situation.
"Hoo—"
Woojin took a deep breath and unfastened the black sword at his waist.
"Hold this for me."
In a fight where his life was on the line, a dangling sword would only break his focus.
Understanding that, Eileen silently took the black sword.
"Don't forget. The Tranga's weak point is the brow."
She'd drilled it into his head since yesterday.
With Woojin's skill, he couldn't even scratch a Tranga's hide.
Even if it was just a cub.
So there was only one spot to aim for.
*The brow.*
If he struck there, even Woojin—who couldn't infuse mana into his sword—could kill a Tranga.
Of course, he'd have to hit it dead-on, without a single millimeter of error...
Woojin drew his sword.
Sring—
The familiar sharp sound sent a chill through his chest.
*The others are already done.*
The two cubs the knight had taken were already decapitated.
He'd finished the hunt in the brief time Woojin spent talking with Eileen.
*He's seriously strong.*
Woojin shook his head to dispel the stray thought creeping in.
"Focus, focus."
The remaining cub eyed Woojin and Eileen warily, even as its siblings died.
With its claws sharpened and fur bristling, it looked just like a white tiger.
If not for the saw-like double fangs, it might have even seemed a little cute...
But right now, it was a monster, pure and simple.
The Tranga glanced at Eileen, then flicked its eyes toward Woojin.
Boom—!
Then it kicked off the ground and leaped.
"Damn it!"
He'd lost the initiative.
He'd thought it wouldn't move while wary of Eileen, but that judgment was wrong.
*They said it was smart!*
Woojin quickly twisted his body to the left.
Thanks to leveling up, his movements definitely felt lighter than before.
But it wasn't enough.
The beast moved so fast that its forearm-sized claws were already right in front of him.
*Too late to dodge!*
That left only one option.
"Hrah!"
He swung his sword at the cub's paw.
His stance was unstable, but the full-force strike collided with the claw.
Clang—!
"Urk..."
He nearly dropped the sword.
If he hadn't leveled up, he definitely would have.
But fortunately, his increased strength held the sword firm, allowing Woojin to block the attack.
The cub's eyes flashed with surprise—it clearly hadn't expected its claw to be stopped.
*Now!*
In the brief moment it halted, Woojin thrust his sword straight at its brow.
Thud—
"Aw, so close."
A thick sigh echoed.
Naturally, it wasn't Eileen's voice.
"You're here?"
"Yeah. Doing okay?"
It was the knight who'd just bisected a Tranga cub with one swing.
"Not bad."
"...You sure?"
The knight eyed her suspiciously, but Eileen nodded.
"It's only been two days, after all."
"True. What were we expecting from a guy who's only held a sword for two days?"
No one here thought Woojin could win.
Not even Eileen, who knew his abilities best.
Still, they'd thrown him into solo combat to give him as much real battle experience as possible.
"It'd be great if he won, but it'll be tough, right?"
"Impossible."
Even veteran soldiers couldn't handle a Tranga cub alone.
It took five squads to take one down comfortably.
For Woojin to beat one solo?
It wasn't just tough—it was impossible.
That's why Eileen stood ready, hand on her sword hilt, prepared to jump in at any moment.
"I've heard about heroes before, but I could believe he's a different person from yesterday."
His movements were markedly different from when he'd first faced the Snowl yesterday.
And it wasn't just because of the level up.
"I pushed him pretty hard yesterday. The lord said just keep him from dying..."
"So he got some proper combat experience?"
"Yes."
The difference between those who've fought for their lives and those who haven't is huge.
And the Blue Shield knights knew that better than anyone.
Eileen and the knight kept talking without taking their eyes off Woojin for even 0.1 seconds.
Meanwhile, Woojin had no chance to listen.
Any distraction, even brief, felt like it could get him killed.
With the monster's killing intent pouring down, thoughts of Eileen saving him didn't even cross his mind.
*I'm really gonna die! This time for real!*
Imagining his head bursting like a watermelon under the massive paw crashing down, Woojin's body moved on instinct, against his thoughts.
"Urk!"
The claw tip grazed his shoulder, blood spraying.
Pain whitened his mind, but he realized this was his chance.
"Die, you little shit!"
With a sharp curse, he thrust at the brow.
Squelch—
Unlike the iron-plate feel before, something soft gave way.
*Here!*
Woojin pressed harder to pierce through.
Raaargh—!
But the Tranga was a fraction faster.
Sensing danger, it leaped back.
*Damn. Can I even catch this thing?*
He'd braced for it to be hard.
But this wasn't hard—it was a fight he couldn't even engage in properly.
His level-up stamina was already depleted, and his mental focus was at its limit.
"Hah— hah—!"
His ragged breathing kept him from moving properly.
*What do I do? How do I smash that bastard's skull...*
Woojin racked his brain.
Unlike before, when he'd only tried to evade, now he felt the will to somehow make it work.
But time wasn't on his side.
As if refusing to give him thinking room, the cub attacked again.
"Don't you ever get tired?!"
Its speed and power unchanged from the start made Woojin's teeth grind.
He raised his sword to block once more...
*Fuck.*
His arm wouldn't move.
Not because of the injury.
The shoulder wound was bad, but not enough to hinder movement.
His arm just had no strength left.
Stamina completely drained.
"I'm screwed."
The four massive claws swinging horizontally looked ready to dice him.
At that moment,
"That's enough."
With the thick uncle voice came a silver streak flashing past Woojin.
Slash—
*...A sword?*
The silver light was a sword arc.
It sliced the charging cub like tofu, cleaving it in two.
Crack— thud.
Split from sternum to crotch, its guts spilled as the halves fell apart.
"Eileen?"
For a split second, Woojin thought of her.
But he quickly realized it wasn't.
The voice was far too much like an uncle's for Eileen.
He turned to see the sword's owner.
"Ah."
It was the knight who'd butchered a Tranga cub before Woojin's fight began.
Casually flicking blood from his blade, he looked at Woojin.
"You're really D-grade?"