Small but Significant Help
"Ugh...!" Cha Jin-hyeok glared at them for a moment before bolting toward the school in a panic. If he calmed down and thought about it, he might understand their position. But watching his own party members respond so coldly had clearly disgusted him. Especially since one of the women had even sneered.
The trio watched Cha Jin-hyeok leave, then huddled together whispering before slowly heading in the same direction. Hunters active in the area who received the alert but failed to respond appropriately to a disaster could face penalties from the Hunter Management Bureau or the Association later. They simply wanted to stay close to the incident site. And if an opportunity arose, they could snatch up whatever scraps fell their way. Still, if that was their plan, I wondered why they hadn't just stuck with Cha Jin-hyeok in the first place.
They don't want to be together, yet they keep the party going... You three really live exhausting lives.
"Ilwol, let's go. Huh? We should help too. I don't know if we'll be useful, but..."
"Clack clack clack."
I hadn't planned on helping out of pure goodwill like Yeonhee. But if we could take down even one with our own strength, it would help with experience gain. With some luck, we might even level up. However, once we arrived at the gymnasium attached to the high school, I realized the situation was far more serious than expected.
"Haa... This looks dangerous. They're all gathered in one place."
Yeonhee clicked her tongue and shook her head as she watched eleven Tarantaras leaping directly off the gymnasium roof.
They're coordinating...? These things usually play solo.
BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM CRASH CRASH BOOM—!
Every time the creatures struck in unison, a tremendous roar shook the entire area. Inside the gymnasium, people screamed in terror, clutching their heads. But the real problem was that they weren't just jumping.
They're focusing their acid balls on a single spot.
They were circling while leaping, concentrating their acid attacks on the center of the gymnasium ceiling.
...This is bad.
Creatures with this level of intelligence shouldn't exist. It had been the same with the Dire Wolves in the Wolf's Den. It was becoming clear that monsters were being upgraded across the board—not just in combat power.
Thirty minutes... They might not even last that long.
The watching hunters were also sensing the crisis. The thick smoke billowing from the gymnasium ceiling only heightened the tension. Over six hundred people were trapped inside. One wrong move and a massive loss of life could occur. That was why Cha Jin-hyeok, still trying to persuade the hunters on the opposite side, looked extremely anxious.
The highest-ranked dungeon in this region was B-grade, and with no base guild present, there was no reason for A-grade hunters to be stationed here. The fifty or so hunters currently surrounding the gymnasium were mostly C-grade and B-grade. Even the B-grade hunters weren't much different in level from Cha Jin-hyeok. Recalling how he and the trio had subdued one Tarantara earlier, it didn't seem like they could reliably handle multiple ones. No, it was clearly dangerous.
Even with our help, it won't be enough.
Just as I reached that conclusion, Cha Jin-hyeok and a few brave hunters began moving toward the gymnasium.
Oh...
- Kieee?
When the hunters revealed themselves, several Tarantaras on the roof reacted and immediately leaped down beneath the gymnasium.
- Everyone watching! If we all come out and fight together, we can definitely handle this! If we give them time, they'll kill the people inside! So please—!
Even as he moved toward the gymnasium, Cha Jin-hyeok shouted at the top of his lungs, urging the hunters to act. But aside from the initial ten or so who had stepped forward, no one else joined. They were simply waiting to see how things played out before deciding. Some long-range hunters had prepared their skills, but more than half looked ready to flee at the first sign of trouble.
...They're going to die at this rate......
Had Cha Jin-hyeok experienced something like this in his previous life? I couldn't know for sure, but it probably hadn't been exactly the same. Still, assuming the broad strokes of the future remained unchanged, Cha Jin-hyeok would survive this battle. The children inside, however, were another matter. The thick outer wall on the roof was already deeply pitted, and the acid pooled within was steadily eating through it. Even if every hunter in the area joined the fight, time was running out to eliminate the creatures before the roof was breached.
We need to draw them away so they can't keep spitting acid.
The acid they spat was extremely potent. Even the lingering fumes in the air could cause severe damage to ordinary people. Yeonhee knew this too, and her body was already trembling as she grabbed my collar, urging me to descend.
Upper-tier B-grade...
It was a difficult decision, but there was a way to turn the situation around. Yeonhee's resolve was firm, and while it felt a bit excessive, we could activate the earrings from the hidden dungeon if things went wrong. For now, we'd try to handle one with just our own forces.
Can we actually defeat it through conventional means?
We eventually landed on the ground, and Yeonhee immediately began summoning her beasts. She could now call forth all her summons in under two minutes.
- ......?!
Cha Jin-hyeok and the hunters reacted with surprise when they spotted us heading toward the gymnasium alongside our summons. The Tarantara that had dropped beneath the gymnasium fixed us with a sharp gaze.
- Huh? Isn't that the summoner Lee Yeonhee? What's she doing here?
- Isn't she only D-grade? Is she trying to get herself killed?
Quite a few hunters recognized Yeonhee due to her growing fame, and they all voiced their concern.
It's not like we want to fight either.
I could understand the hunters observing the situation carefully, but it was infuriating to hear them talk while doing nothing. Still, with over forty summons leading the way, a flicker of hope appeared on the faces of Cha Jin-hyeok's group. However—
- Kiyaaaaak—!
Fast!
[Special Strong Acid]
BOOM—!
One of the Tarantaras charged straight at us and effortlessly shattered our summons' formation. The hunters around Cha Jin-hyeok wore expressions that seemed to say "as expected," and one by one began activating their skills. Still, a few gave us thumbs-ups—probably because we'd at least drawn one away.
I grabbed Yeonhee and dodged quickly, but I couldn't help but sigh as I watched our newly reinforced summons get flung around like toys.
The gap in strength is too wide.
Even while dodging, I unleashed my newly acquired skill and managed to land a hit on the creature's tail.
Hiss—
- Kieek?!
As expected, it works.
Creatures with venom were often immune to their own poison, but my Special Strong Acid—a new skill fused with a slime's ability—seemed effective against it as well. As the tail bubbled and boiled, the creature mercilessly severed it and slid away to create distance.
- Kirrr...
It's being cautious? Its behavior has definitely changed.
This wasn't the creature I remembered. Still, one of them was now fully focused on us, giving Cha Jin-hyeok's party some breathing room.
They're holding up pretty well against three of them, though.
Three Tarantaras had attached themselves to Cha Jin-hyeok's side, and with fewer than ten hunters, they were barely managing to hold on. It was only possible because Cha Jin-hyeok's gravity skill was significantly restricting their movements. His role was closer to support than offense.
At this rate, he's reaching his limit.
Even so, it seemed enough to sway some of the hesitant hunters watching from the sidelines—about thirty percent of them began providing support.
Good. That's a relief, at least. Let's focus on our side for now.
The Tarantara that had charged through our summons' formation was now rippling. Arcane Deflection wouldn't work on it. Since it was literally spitting balls of acid, a skill that altered magical trajectories wouldn't help. I entrusted Yeonhee to Lizard No.1 and Deonni No.1, then charged at the creature first. Activating every movement-related skill I had, I pushed my limits and rammed into it with my shoulder covered in spikes.
CRASH—!
The creature had been leaning back to spit an acid ball, but my body slam sent it sliding far backward. Clang clang—!
Daggers really won't work!
I'd tried to slash it with my dagger since we were close, but its carapace was thicker than my blade. Even with Penetration and Flame Slash activating, no mark appeared.
To leave a mark, I'll have to stab from below.
The creature knew its own weakness and covered its underside whenever I approached. I needed a weapon that could thrust in and withdraw quickly.
Shing—
I drew the greatsword I'd just purchased. Vmmmm—
The mana-infused blade vibrated as if responding to me.
This is your first battle. Show me what you can do.
I conveyed my intent to the sword as if it had a will of its own. Yeonhee must have noticed my situation wasn't favorable. She was using a Taunt combo to distract the creature so it couldn't focus on me. In the air, the Spectre Chehwa and Neos Harpy Nepy circled its head, harassing it like mosquitoes.
Thud—!
Of course, a single kick from the acid-laden Tarantara burst them both, but they'd bought us that brief moment.
Thrust—!
- ?!
I managed to drive the greatsword into its lower abdomen. New equipment really was better. The feeling of piercing through was on another level.
- Trait Penetration has activated.
The message confirming that Penetration was assisting every time I landed an attack that bypassed defense appeared without fail. The value gained from Penetration was still only 7%. It was a tiny amount, but as long as I could deal damage to a creature whose defense normally made it impossible, that was all that mattered.
Splat—!
Blood sprayed from its body, followed by a single Flame Mark blooming above the monster's head. Our coordinated attack had succeeded—for now.