Chapter 15
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Translator: Wjin
Chapter: 15
Chapter Title: Tanjueo's Fury
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How should she fight most efficiently? Sejin racked her brain while staring at the lake shrouded in heavy mist.
"Eh? Huh?"
Suddenly, the ground rippled beneath her feet.
Sejin's hands flailed through the air.
"What the—?"
She barely managed to steady herself and stared at the phenomenon unfolding before her.
Did it stop?
But the lake, which had been perfectly still, began to churn wildly once more without any warning.
A fierce current erupted from the center, swelling rapidly into waves as massive as houses.
They surged toward her with furious intent, as if ready to swallow her whole.
"No way..."
Sejin hurriedly leaped back, putting plenty of distance between herself and the danger zone.
Then, with an enormous roar from the middle of the lake, something burst upward.
Rooooar—
The earth-shaking bellow made Sejin squeeze her eyes shut and huddle instinctively. Just hearing it was enough to ignite primal terror, sending chills racing across her skin.
"W-What... is that thing?"
[It's a Tanjueo.]
As Breaking Army Star explained, a massive spray erupted from the lake's center.
Sejin's jaw dropped at the sight of the demonic beast asserting its dominance as the gate's master.
Splash splash splash—
The spray was tremendous, water cascading down like a waterfall.
Sploosh.
Before she could react, Sejin was drenched from head to toe, looking like a drowned rat. She squeezed her eyes shut.
Her hat, with zero waterproofing, was soaked through, and her clothes were no better.
In an instant, she was sopping wet, blinking in shock.
"Whoa... that's insane?"
How had that colossal body leaped so high?
Sejin raised her eyebrows, having caught a glimpse of the Tanjueo soaring above the surface for a split second.
"The world is vast, and demons come in all varieties."
[Sigh.]
Breaking Army Star let out a deep sigh at Sejin's spirits, which had dipped for a moment only to rebound fully.
[Tanjueo never lets go of its prey once it bites. It drags them to a deep cave in the lake, spits them out, and tears them apart to eat. Be careful.]
Ugh...
Sejin's face twisted at the brutal description.
It was creepy enough already, but such savage habits too?
The Tanjueo, clad in pitch-black scales like heavy armor, looked nothing like the fish at a seafood market.
Its scales gleamed like hardened steel, and its gaping maw was packed with razor-sharp teeth.
Its body was so enormous that Sejin half-thought a 100-ton truck had erupted from the water.
'If we made sashimi out of that... how many people could eat?'
Lost in an idle thought as she stared blankly, the lake began to bubble again.
Gripping her hand tightly summoned a ripple of blue light. Soon, instead of the Seven Stars Artifact, she held a bow.
The bow's frame blended blue and gold, its string shimmering in brilliant golden light.
"Here it comes."
Sejin spread her legs wide in preparation and gritted her teeth.
The spirit beasts she had were Bulgasal, which excelled on land, and Queen Hornet, specialized for flight.
She'd have to lure it out here if she wanted any chance of winning.
Rumble—
The ground shook as if an earthquake had struck. At the same moment, a tsunami surged across the lake without warning.
Sejin swallowed a gasp rising in her throat as she watched the massive Tanjueo leap high.
It was so gigantic that just looking at it sapped her will. It could probably swallow a dozen grown men without batting an eye.
Sweat beaded on her palms.
This was her first time facing such a behemoth demon. Had Breaking Army Star gotten it wrong?
This... was C-rank?
Drenched by the water the Tanjueo flung as it sank back into the depths, Sejin glared with wide eyes.
A sharply honed fin broke the surface.
Was that a fin?
Given its size, the fin alone was as big as a small yacht's sail.
So this was what it felt like to be overwhelmed by sheer scale.
Gulp.
She wet her dry mouth with saliva and kept a sharp eye on its path.
"It's heading my way, right?"
[You absolutely cannot let it bite you.]
Gripping the bow tighter at Breaking Army Star's warning, Sejin tensed.
The Tanjueo's fin, gliding through the vast lake, drew steadily closer.
Standing tall, Sejin raised the bow. As she focused her energy into it, a translucent blue arrow materialized on the empty string.
Where was its weak spot? Eyes? Fin? Belly? A fierce blue glow ignited in Sejin's eyes.
Right before her, the Tanjueo revealed itself—not leaping as before, but whipping its body around to slam its tail down on the shore instead of the lake.
Boom.
The ground quaked.
She'd expected it to surge upward. Caught off guard by the unexpected move, Sejin stumbled and missed her shot.
Focus.
She snapped her eyes wide, determined not to miss this time.
"Where are you?"
It had dived deep; she couldn't see it. Cautiously, Sejin stepped forward.
She figured the Tanjueo was testing her too.
As she advanced step by step and neared the water's edge, the Tanjueo shot up like a spring-loaded shrimp, mouth agape.
'Hah, knew it.'
Sejin spun away in a flash, distancing herself from the lake.
Not stopping there, she dropped low to brace against the vibrations.
To make shooting easier, she extended one foot forward and bent the knee behind. In her diagonal crouch, Sejin smirked.
Releasing the drawn string sent the arrow streaking with a trail of light straight at the Tanjueo's head.
Boom—
It hit true; the Tanjueo spewed bubbles and sank into the lake.
"How's that? My skills aren't half bad."
[Sigh. Didn't I say no hubris?]
Ignoring him completely, Sejin brushed under her nose with a finger.
True to the descendants of great archers, she plucked the string like a gayageum and waited for the sinking Tanjueo to resurface.
Bubble bubble.
Suddenly, from the bubbling center, a thick white mist began to billow out.
So the Tanjueo was the source of the mist.
Sejin stopped playfully plucking the string amid the thickening fog and straightened up.
Whoosh—
The Tanjueo erupted high from the lake's center, jaws wide.
"Tch."
She hadn't expected one shot to finish it, but it seemed utterly unscathed.
Too close to the lake, Sejin tried to retreat, but the Tanjueo was faster.
[Sejin!]
Even as Breaking Army Star yelled for her to dodge, her body froze.
The instant its massive maw loomed to engulf her—
Fwoosh—
Flames erupted out of nowhere. Startled, the Tanjueo flailed back and plunged into the lake with a splash.
At the same moment, spray poured toward Sejin.
Contrary to her expectation of getting soaked again, flames blazed behind her once more.
A protective wall of fire enveloped her, instantly vaporizing the falling droplets.
Hiss.
Staring blankly at the evaporating mist, she soon turned her head.
Someone else... was here besides her.
Tensing at this unprecedented situation, Sejin braced herself.
Amid the thicker fog, the sound of footsteps grew clearer—steady crunches on soft grass. Sejin perked up her ears.
'A creature?'
Gates contained all sorts of creatures.
Even if Tanjueo was the final boss, lesser ones could lurk about.
Last time, she'd lucked out with only Queen Hornet, capturing it easily before it hatched.
She'd thought this would be similar. No wonder it felt too easy.
'What is it?'
She focused all her senses on the sound. It seemed like just one opponent.
Small mercy.
[It's coming.]
Wetting her dry mouth with tension, Sejin straightened. Lake behind, unknown ahead.
She glanced around, calculating escape routes. She might have to abandon the clear and exit the gate.
"What now..."
[Let's abandon this Ghost Gate.]
Sejin nodded at Breaking Army Star's urging to leave.
Tanjueo's water attribute was tricky for her. Another creature joining in could make clearing impossible.
Before it got closer, Sejin crouched to back away.
"Where do you think you're going?"
That voice... sounded familiar.
A man's low timbre, speaking as if he knew her well. Sejin's guard shot up.
'It speaks, so it's human... Maybe a Hunter from the Agency sent to catch me?'
Water dripped from her cheek to her chin. Clutching a crumpled talisman, tense Sejin bit her lip.
'Summon Bulgasal? No, Queen Hornet might be better for escape.'
Glare piercing the fog, Sejin gnawed her lip.
"Eh... Huh?"
Her jaw dropped again at the fog's owner. A dumbstruck exclamation followed.
"W-Why are you here...?"
"Came to pick up our prospective guild member."
Contrary to the damp, gloomy air, Do Jaegyu—who had appeared out of nowhere—smiled broadly, corners of his mouth lifted high in genuine delight.