First Steps #042: The Second Monster Fight of My Life
[1] First Footsteps #042: The Second Battle Against Monsters in My Life. I should have been tense, but no negative emotions surfaced. Instead, the immediate need to deal with them and how to take them down came to mind first. My head was turning calmly yet swiftly. The three years of effort had not been in vain.
I tossed my bag aside and strode forward. The wolves stopped shaking the hunters around like toys. Unlike the armored hunters, they tilted their heads at the sight of me in casual clothes. It felt like they were asking, "You think that'll work?"
"Of course it will."
I hadn't worn heavy armor for a reason. I had cast a protective barrier instead. After all my training, I had discovered that mobility-based combat was the style best suited to me. Of course, with lower defense, I had to manage the barrier carefully. This raid would be the perfect chance to test it.
I focused on the nearest wolf. It glanced my way and began creeping closer. "Grr—!" The wolf bared its blood-stained teeth and charged. The distance was short, and it was fast. Its jaws opened greedily, closing in on my face. It was about to bite my entire head off. In the distant past, that was exactly what would have happened to me.
Tap— Tap-tap— "Grr? Grr?" The wolf landed on the ground without having bitten anything. It looked bewildered, as if wondering where the satisfying sensation of tearing into flesh had gone. How? It should have bitten down. Had I slipped to the side already? But it wasn't human, nor was it a clever animal. Whatever confusion it felt was quickly forgotten as it lunged again. The result was the same as before.
The wolf failed to land a single hit. Naturally, it tilted its head in confusion and even took a hesitant step back.
"Awooo—!" "Calling your friends? Fine by me."
There was no beauty in that howl. At the rough sound, every wolf turned to stare at me, baring teeth still dripping with half-chewed flesh and blood. As if to say I would end up the same way. Honestly, facing not one but many of them made me feel a bit uneasy. Still, by drawing all their attention, I had at least spared the hunters from a worse fate. The worst-case scenario had been avoided. At the very least, no one would die or get seriously injured and complicate things.
"Mari, I'll keep these guys busy. You treat the hunters with elixirs." "Got it, Kang Sian~"
Cheon Mari circled around from behind and approached the fallen hunters. She began pulling elixirs from her bag and pouring them out. Some of the wolves turned to interfere with her. I picked up a rock from the ground and threw it their way, as if to say, "Don't take your eyes off me."
"Where do you think you're looking? Your opponent is right here."
That was the signal. The wolves approached slowly as a group, as though their pride and nerves had been scratched. "Fifteen in total……" There were certainly a lot of them. If they all rushed me at once, I would be overwhelmed. With my current physical abilities, that much was certain. But I had a way to overcome my lacking physical stats. Or rather, a tool.
Just as the wolves closed in past the safe distance, I took a deep breath and heightened my senses, just as I had practiced countless times.
[Superpower 'Time Acceleration' usage detected.]
A hologram appeared on my wrist. It was the information window, one of the Hunter Watch's less practical features. I hadn't expected it to have any effect. But the sudden light seemed to startle the wolves, making them hesitate. They didn't know what I was about to do. In a world where everything felt slowed down, I could glimpse their animalistic judgments. This was my chance. I couldn't let it slip away.
I dashed forward in an instant. In a world that felt unbearably slow, it was as if I alone was moving at normal speed. It felt alien. At the same time, it felt familiar. The intense training had granted me composure and familiarity. That was why channeling mana into my sword posed no problem at all.
In a moment that lasted barely a breath, blue particles began swirling at the tip of the white blade. 'They're only E-rank monsters! Use as little mana as possible!' I had to minimize mana waste. Without potions, conserving resources until the boss was inevitable.
"Grr, grr, grr—!" Just as I finished infusing mana to enhance the sword's power, the wolves charged, dripping blood in a nauseating display. They were too late. I swung my sword immediately. A flash of white light surged forward. The face of the first wolf to reach me was struck hard. "Yip!" It let out a dog-like yelp and slammed into the wall. Thanks to its protective barrier, it was still alive despite the heavy blow. Clicking my tongue at the insufficient power, I drew up a bit more mana. More mana accumulated in the sword and was directed at the next wolf.
Moving quickly, I twisted my body slightly and swung the sword from above. Slash—! The wolf's neck was severed in one clean stroke. Blood sprayed as its head separated from its body. It was a dramatic, almost moving sight. The boy who had once struggled to defeat even a single skeleton had come this far.
"Next!" "Grr!!!" Before I could even finish speaking, one appeared at my side. A red flash shot toward me. I twisted on my toes and dodged the attack by a hair's breadth. The wolf floated in midair, advancing in a ridiculous manner. Ridiculous meant opportunity. But swinging my sword in this position would be too late. The motion required for a vertical slash was too large with the sword already lowered. There was only one weapon available now. My left fist, which had naturally pulled back and was perfectly positioned for a strike.
The command hadn't even reached my head yet. The moment my stance was set, my fist shot forward instinctively. I quickly channeled mana into it. Since a fist was weaker than a sword, it would need more mana. "Pierce!" With the self-suggestion to release the mana, a blow struck its abdomen. With a crunch, bones and organs shattered, signaling certain death. The back, opposite the point of impact, couldn't withstand the mana-infused attack and burst open. Flesh tore apart, becoming ragged, as blood and bone fragments erupted. That was the end. The wolf coughed up something close to a scream and was flung far away.
It was basic martial arts. I retrieved the mana from my hand and continued the fight. The monsters charging without fear deserved only ferocious attacks. Necks, torsos, legs—severed one after another, the wolves fell. Some weren't completely cut through and writhed in agony. It was a glimpse of my still-lacking skill.
"Yip! Yip! Yip-yip!" One wolf wailed pitifully, its entrails spilling out, begging to be killed. I didn't feel particularly sorry for it. When I thought about how many people had died to these monsters disguised as animals, sympathy was a luxury. Besides, I couldn't afford to look away while putting the wailing creature out of its misery. There were still many wolves left, and I had to handle them all. Otherwise, the Nartica hunters would be attacked again.
I spun in a wide arc and cleaved one wolf in half. Blood poured out, entrails scattered, and hostility was directed at me. It was disgusting, almost cursed. I had to end this somehow. That thought, combined with the adrenaline, added hatred to the mix. I slaughtered the wolves faster, harder, and more decisively. Eventually, all the red eyes went out, leaving only one lonely red button. The wolf looked around and let out a cry mixed with fear. It was an expression of warning, survival instinct, and killing intent. As I approached again, it couldn't hold back and charged. Its claws reached for me. My sword swung twice. Without even a single scream, the wolf was cut into three pieces and tumbled to the ground. It was over. My first step, achieved without Cheon Mari's help.
I shook the blood off the white blade and sheathed it. Applause sounded from behind. "See? I told you. You've got talent."
Cheon Mari, having finished feeding elixirs to the injured, kicked a rolling wolf head and pointed at me. "Everyone saw that, right? A middle schooler on his first gate hunt did this much. And you lot, with all those people, still got pushed back?"
The bloodied and wounded Nartica hunters had no choice but to lower their heads at being rescued and treated by a mere middle schooler. Even if that weren't the case, with the owner's granddaughter scolding them, how could anyone keep their heads up? The only ones who could stand tall here were family or those equivalent to it.
"I heard you gathered only the best from F-rank and E-rank. Just how do you usually train to end up like this?" """W-We’re sorry!""" "Team Leader An A-young! What do you think went wrong here?" "Well……" "Don't tell me my question was too difficult!" "No! It was because our training volume was insufficient! We’ll make sure this doesn't happen again!" "Good. That's how it should be! Shoulders get stronger the more you use them, and people get tougher the more they roll around. That's the way of the world!"
It was the ramblings of a crazy old-timer. But since the hunters hadn't exactly performed well, it wasn't something they could strongly deny. Whether the Nartica hunters truly agreed was another matter. They glanced around nervously before shouting in unison. """Yes, that's right, Miss!""" "So there's no retreat! We're taking down the boss before we leave!" """W-What?!""" "We'll depart in twenty minutes. Make sure you're ready by then!"
The Nartica hunters fell into panic at the thought of a forced march on top of everything. They clearly wanted to object, but their opponent was someone of high status, so they couldn't. In the end, their morale visibly plummeted in real time. Cheon Mari approached me with a bright smile, seemingly unaware of what her words had caused. "I made them work overtime, so at least you'll get to see the boss fight! No need to worry too much!"
I wasn't worried about myself. It was her employees I was concerned about. "Half of them are injured, and we're still hunting the boss? We'll probably end up getting wrecked and having to carry everything ourselves." "Well, can't be helped." "Can't be helped? Do you even have a plan for the boss?" "A mutt's just a mutt. Besides, it's an E-rank dungeon boss, right? If it gets too wild, I'll just pin it down, beat it up, slap some doenjang on it, and eat it." "……"
The regressor's confidence left me speechless. I stopped thinking.