Chapter 46
Chapter 46
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 46
Chapter Title: Herd Hunting
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Humans possess several superior abilities.
Endurance, energy storage capacity, throwing prowess, and so on.
Besides these standout traits, there's one more exceptional skill: the ability to detect the scent of 'wet earth'.
When people hear words like rain smell, earthy aroma, or petrichor, most picture that exact scent.
"Eunhyeon Stream is nearby."
"Got it."
We're preparing to hunt the Bigma herd at the back gate of Myeongsin Women's University.
Every now and then, the smell of wet earth wafts through the air.
It's been clear skies for days now.
Yet this scent persists because Eunhyeon Stream isn't far off.
"I'll go check it out."
"Huh? Right now?"
Just as humans excel at picking up certain scents...
Bigmas have their own specialty.
The smell of their kin's blood.
Jang Ho-seop confirmed it with his Fundamental Skill.
"They said Bigmas have a nose for their own blood, right?"
"Yeah... so?"
"Just testing if we can lure them in."
He points to the pile of Bigma corpses we've gathered on one side.
The safety field is masking the scent for now.
Once we extract the Spirit Stones, maybe we can use those bodies to draw the Bigmas.
"Hold on, bro... Uh, yeah."
Jang Ho-seop pauses, lost in thought for a moment.
Then he speaks up again.
"So, you're saying we lure the Bigma herd and take them out in one go? Near Eunhyeon Stream?"
"Yeah."
"But if you skip the details like that..."
I have no idea what he's on about.
Gi Eun-chae said something similar earlier.
"They swarm like ghosts whenever one of their own dies."
"Yeah. I figured you'd go for hit-and-run tactics."
We can safely thin their numbers using Spirit Stones.
But it could take forever.
"How long would it even take to wipe them all out? And their breeding rate seems insane."
That's why I'm planning a herd hunt.
To keep them from rampaging like this again.
It'll require prior scouting first.
Is there a suitable spot near Eunhyeon Stream?
Can we lure the herd there?
Any interfering factors?
"Say we do lure them—what next? And why there of all places...?"
"What do you mean? We fight."
"No, there are at least 200 of them. Who knows how many more now... Just fight?"
I glanced at Yu-na in response to Jang Ho-seop's question.
Yu-na tilts her head at my look.
'She's always copying Noona.'
She didn't used to act like that.
Yu-na's face flushes as she averts her eyes and bows her head.
"What about you, junior?"
"There's plenty of water there."
"Sure, but even with your new technique for exploiting that... it's still too many."
Yu-na's new technique is a refined version of her water arrow.
It reduces power and range, lets go of precise control over each arrow.
In exchange, it fires a greater number in a conical spread.
Effective against Bigmas and even swarming goblins.
But that's not what I'm thinking.
"What if Yu-na skips mana compression and just sprays water in multiple streams into the air?"
Jang Ho-seop's face lights up with realization.
"Oh! Right... that could work if we're lucky."
"Has potential, right?"
"Yeah."
Jang Ho-seop nods.
'Whiskers. They drag them on the ground to sense vibrations.'
That's what he said after using his Fundamental Skill earlier.
Thanks to that, we learned Bigmas hunt by smell and vibration.
"Gi Eun-chae said she never saw Bigmas on rainy days either... Damn, bro."
Gi Eun-chae mentioned it.
The Bigma herds vanished somewhere on rainy days.
Not by coincidence.
Hearing her words and Jang Ho-seop's skill results sparked this plan.
"And their eyesight seems poor."
"Ugh, those creepy eyes?"
"Yeah. Noticed during the fight earlier—their pupils barely moved."
I share my observations on Bigma traits with the group.
Poor vision, can't walk backward.
Fast in straight charges, but slow to turn.
"How about this?"
Everyone chimes in with ideas.
Strategy meeting wraps up shortly after.
"Let's dismantle that net first. I'll go fetch Gi Eun-chae."
Under Jang Ho-seop's lead, people get moving.
I set down my gear, keeping only my weapons.
Then I call Yu-na.
"Yu-na, come with me."
"Huh? Oh, sure!"
Yu-na and I slip out of the safety field alone.
It's quiet.
"We'll scout a good spot and test spraying the water."
"Okay!"
Unlike group travel, I stick close to Yu-na.
Just the two of us—better for sudden threats.
'Excitement, worry?'
I sense her emotions.
Worried about running into the Bigma herd?
Or just pre-battle nerves?
"Even if we hit the herd, we can dodge just fine as a pair."
Yu-na shares my trait.
Doesn't fear fighting itself.
But she's more anxious than usual now.
I offer reassurance against over-tensioning.
"Okay."
"You seem worried."
"Oh, that."
Yu-na blushes again.
Embarrassment rises.
Then she mumbles softly.
"I'm sweating... worried it'll smell."
Not fear of the Bigmas after all.
Good.
"You only smell nice. Don't sweat it."
I stick to learned courtesy.
The Bigma herd's range is pretty wide.
No traces of other monsters near Eunhyeon Stream.
We found a suitable spot; prepping the hunt took over two hours.
"Ready to start?"
"Yep."
"Can you head back alone?"
"Yes! I can find my way!"
Only Jang Ho-seop remains by my side.
The others are luring people and Gi Eun-chae's group to the spot I scouted.
"Alright. Extract the Spirit Stones."
"On it!"
Jang Ho-seop closes the Spirit Stone case.
Hoists it like a metal briefcase.
"See you soon."
"Bro, be careful."
Parting with him, I shoulder two large sacks.
Recycling bags from the dorms.
Taat!
I break into a run.
The heavy, soggy weight presses on my back.
The stench keeps wafting up.
'Rooftop...'
Exiting Myeongsin's back gate, I spot a suitable three-story house.
Leap to the roof, drop the sacks.
Thud.
"Haa..."
My back's already soaked.
Bigma blood.
These two stuffed recycling bags are crammed full of Bigma corpses.
'Wonder how long it'll take.'
I scan the surroundings from the rooftop, waiting idly.
The wait isn't long.
'Here they come.'
Target Detection picks up a faint presence, though not yet visible.
A Bigma.
I leap down, find it hiding in building rubble.
As I reach in, it lunges to bite.
Kwajik!
Smash its head with my other hand.
'Four... six. Fast.'
Soon, Bigmas start swarming.
Back to the roof, grab the sacks.
'Need to buy a little time.'
Instead of heading straight to Eunhyeon Stream, I loop the neighborhood.
Jogging slowly.
Too fast, and they can't keep up.
About five minutes in.
'Ugh.'
Target Detection flares—presences multiplying exponentially.
Head throbs.
'Like shutting off senses...'
Just as you can close your eyes or plug your ears.
Focus your mind, and you can dial down Target Detection.
With practice, maybe shut it off entirely.
'Hoping the Big Mommas show too.'
Glancing around while running.
With Detection reduced, relying on eyesight.
By the time the pursuing Bigma herd's tail is out of sight.
'Found it.'
Spot an especially huge Bigma.
A female surrounded by countless males.
The Big Momma.
'Now to Eunhyeon Stream.'
They're small, look fast, but aren't really.
Luring means pace control.
Problem: I've dialed down Target Detection.
'Crap.'
Another Bigma herd approaching from my path.
Veer sharply.
'Encircling?'
They're not just chasing blindly.
Some communication—they keep popping up ahead or from sides.
Forces me off the pre-scouted route.
Clunk!
I weave through buildings, vault collapsed debris, shake the encirclement.
"Huff... huff..."
Breath growing ragged.
How many Bigmas total?
Way past 200.
Far more than expected.
'Ah.'
Another herd ahead.
Mixed with a Big Momma slightly smaller than the one chasing me.
Accelerate, then cut left.
Into a narrow alley.
It's short.
'Shit.'
High wall blocks the end.
Dead end.
"Hraaaah!"
Hesitation brief.
Suddenly recall the orc bursting through a wall at Yongsan Station.
Ramp up speed, slam the wall bodily.
Bang—!
Success.
Wall crumbles; I roll on the ground.
"Kuh..."
Open road ahead.
Scan surroundings in an instant, sprint the straight path.
'Almost there.'
So close.
Running water sounds.
From above, I'd be approaching perpendicular to Eunhyeon Stream.
Soon, people in a semicircle along the riverbank come into view.
The water bends sharply into a wide depression.
Like the base of a gourd—that's my chosen battlefield.
Just charge down the grassy slope.
Crackle.
But suddenly, a new Bigma herd appears at the slope's start.
'Damn it.'
No turning back.
Grit teeth, charge.
Taat!
I hurl myself into the Bigma cluster.
Jang Ho-seop rendezvoused safely with the group.
"Preps?"
"All set! Final checks."
Yi Hyun's chosen turf is mid-Eunhyeon Stream.
Where the water curves broadly, grassy clearing wide open.
A public park space.
Hauled desks from Myeongsin to make platforms.
Nets, wire mesh dismantled; everyone grips long poles.
"He's due any minute..."
Twenty minutes since Jang Ho-seop arrived at the clearing.
He scans the low slope anxiously.
Chik-chik.
Time passes.
Suddenly, Bigmas appear atop the low slope.
Swarming from both sides.
"Wh-what?"
"What do we do?"
"Why are the Bigmas...?"
Panic ripples through the crowd.
All eyes on Jang Ho-seop.
'Bro.'
He bites his lip, pondering.
Oddly, the Bigmas aren't descending.
"Everyone, get ready! Start on my signal."
Anxiety spreads among the people.
Especially the Myeongsin students dragged here reluctantly—they fear Bigmas deeply.
They've lost friends and family to them.
"He'll come. That man will definitely come. Don't fear. Have faith."
Kim Soo-jung activates her skill.
Her voice echoes as it spreads.
Whoosh-thud thud.
"Huh?"
Suddenly, massive burlap sacks soar into the air.
Yi Hyun's recycling bags.
To break through the Bigmas, he kept them on his back and used them now.
Mid-stride, he spins acrobatically, hurling the sacks.
Yet keeps balance.
"Wh-whoa?"
Jang Ho-seop gapes, pointing as Yi Hyun approaches.
Because Yi Hyun starts an impossible run-up.
Shoots forward like on wires.
"He's here! That man's arrived. Everyone, prepare!"
The two sacks become stepping stones.
Thud thud thud thud thud!
People stamp the ground with their poles.
Impacts spread as vibrations.
Taat—
Yi Hyun lands on the first sack.
Like a long jumper, legs wide to the next.
Shwaaaa!
Simultaneously, purple blood sprays around him.
A few daring Bigmas leaping at him shred mid-air.
"Chiiik!"
The Bigma herd panics at the new vibrations.
Two Big Mommas screech sharply in unison.
Yi Hyun stomps hard for his final leap.
"He flew?"
Yi Hyun soars into the air.
Steps where no human could reach.
Onlookers squint up at him hovering high.
Midday sun haloing behind him.
"My God."
Awe, admiration, reverence, confusion.
Varied emotions surge in those witnessing Yi Hyun's leap.
And finally.
Shwaaaaa!
With one bound, Yi Hyun clears the slope, landing in his chosen battlefield clearing.
Rolls to absorb the impact.
Not a crash—a landing.
"Whoa... super hero landing."
Jang Ho-seop mutters dazedly.
Yi Hyun rises slowly from his crouch.
Glances around at the people, then turns.
Yi Hyun says nothing.
Simply steps toward the oncoming green wave of Bigmas.
"L-let's go!!!"
Jang Ho-seop bellows, shoving his cart forward behind Yi Hyun.
Now, in this moment.
The crowd's varied emotions converge as one.
Faith.
Faith that the man drenched head to toe in green blood will save them all.
Yi Hyun stands at the forefront once more.
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