Chapter 50
Chapter 50
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 50
Chapter Title: Rookie Training
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I requested from the Awakening Bureau headquarters to handle the clearance of an entire city. Thanks to all my contributions so far, they approved this somewhat excessive demand without much hassle. As my abilities grew and my merits piled up, I could make requests like this, and it made things convenient in many ways.
We headed to the destination in a large vehicle designed for hunting. It basically looked like a bus, but the front had two thick steel plates shaped like a wedge to push through obstacles, allowing it to bulldoze through most things. The ten tires were made of special materials that wouldn't puncture. On top of that, it was loaded with various features useful for hunting and equipment that could turn it into a base camp, making the weight enormous. Fuel efficiency was terrible, but with plenty of mana stones, it was fine.
The mana stone engine in this vehicle was different from the one used in submarines. It only utilized a portion of the mana stone's total energy, so efficiency was poor. However, compared to other fuels, it was extremely lightweight and produced high output, so it was widely used in large vehicles and luxury cars.
"The road's completely overgrown with brush."
Sanghun glanced left and right as he drove.
North Korea had already been reduced to ruins, filled with wild animals and monsters. The roads were a mess, and half the buildings had collapsed.
"People got pushed out by the monsters and all fled."
Over the past ten years, the Korean government and the Awakening Bureau had been gradually restoring it bit by bit, and now about half of Hwanghae Province had been reclaimed. For this subjugation, the goal was to restore everything from the current borderline up to Pyongyang. That covered ten percent of North Korean territory. Considering we'd only managed ten percent of the total area so far, it was a pretty bold plan.
"Sanghun, slow down. Goblin at ten o'clock."
With my sharp eyesight, I spotted the goblin pack first and tapped Sanghun's shoulder.
"I'll handle it."
Nayeong stepped onto the circular platform in the center of the vehicle, and the roof opened as she rose up.
She pointed her wand at the goblin horde charging like a pack of wild dogs and cast Corruption.
Nayeong's eyes glowed, and the energy spreading from her wand enveloped the goblins.
The leaping goblins clawed at their faces and bodies in agony.
Sanghun and I were used to it, but the Oh brothers riding with us froze at the overwhelming sight.
Only after the hundred or so goblins all collapsed to the ground did she lower her wand and toss out a marker requesting recovery of the mana stones and byproducts.
"Let's go."
Nayeong came back down and hooked her arm through mine. The Oh brothers, who had been chattering away until just moments ago, went completely silent.
We arrived at the assigned city and parked the vehicle in an open area.
"This area has been cleared exclusively for us with the Awakening Bureau's permission. I specifically requested an easy spot for you guys, so no need to worry. Alright, now equip your gear. Execute."
I handed the Oh brothers beginner hunter equipment manufactured by Regen.
Except for the youngest, No Changhui, everyone got a one-handed sword and shield. For No Changhui, I gave a rifle that could be loaded with mana-infused special rounds.
"Huh? Bro, your suit changed."
Sanghun noticed my new suit and commented.
"Yeah. It got completely wrecked fighting Helen."
The damage was too severe to repair. I'd thought it would last a long time, but it hadn't even made it half a year.
"This one's made from ordinary fairy wings. Just for covering up."
"You should wear armor like this too, bro."
Sanghun thumped his own armor.
"It doesn't mean much to me."
It was something I needed to think about. In my previous life, I'd never fought an S-Rank Hunter directly, so I'd thought reinforcing my body was enough. But they were far more powerful than I'd anticipated.
Thanks to my A-Rank Sturdy Body, I survived Helen's attacks, but I couldn't fully block those brute-force strikes. Aura of Vitality provided defense when layered around me, but with my current skill proficiency and total vitality, it was too wasteful.
"Attention."
I drew the eyes of the Oh brothers, who were busy checking out the gear.
"This area has a giant ant nest. They're weaker than goblins and not humanoid, so you won't feel much resistance to killing them. But there are huge numbers, so don't underestimate them. Watch out for their sharp legs and jaws, and their acidic spit. Let's move out."
Giant ants were about a meter long, and a normal person could take them down easily if they stayed alert. But with their insane numbers, getting careless could mean getting stripped to the bone. They were perfect opponents for rookie Oh brothers.
"Huh? We're heading straight there?"
President Yu asked.
"Yep, right away. No point hanging around here. Stick with me, and you won't die. Nayeong and Sanghun, hunt separately."
"See you later, oppa."
"Bro, go easy on them. Easy."
Nayeong infused mana into her cloak for levitation magic and floated off like she was flying. Sanghun hopped on the motorcycle stored under the vehicle and took off.
Finally, I led the Oh brothers on foot to find the giant ants. I'd brought motorcycles and a four-seater ATV, but that wouldn't train them, so we marched.
"Huff... huff..."
Weighed down by gear and backpacks, the bulkier President Yu and No Jinu were gasping for breath.
"Tsk tsk... No stamina like that."
No intention of letting them rest, though.
"Move it, or I'll kick your asses."
I followed behind, laying down the threat.
I actually kicked them a few times, and even drenched in sweat, they marched on well.
"Not watching ahead? Monsters are out."
The ones staring at the ground snapped their heads up in unison.
Ten giant ants were descending from the hill.
"Go, attack."
The four warriors thrust out their shields and stepped forward.
President Yu blocked an ant's leg with his shield and cleaved its head with his sword. It wasn't that tough, shattering in one hit and splattering him with pale green fluid.
Seeing that, the other three dispatched their ants without much trouble.
"Bird on the side! Don't focus on one—watch the whole area!"
"Yes!"
"Changhui! Why aren't you shooting? Waiting for your bros to die?"
"Ah... no, sir!"
No Changhui fired at the ants, but he squeezed his eyes shut right before pulling the trigger. He didn't watch through, so he couldn't use skills, and the mana-infused rounds either missed or veered off vital spots. He had the most potential, but this cowardice made it pointless.
Somehow, we took out all ten ants.
Number two, Nam Sihwan, and all-rounder Jeong Minu got scraped on their ant legs.
"Alright, use the potions from your bags to heal."
"We can use these?"
President Yu, who knew how expensive potions were, asked.
"Of course. You think I'd make you fight injured? Hurry and regroup. More ants could come anytime."
As the Oh brothers scrambled to sort themselves out, more ants appeared.
"From now on, you four up front—drop the swords, shields only."
"Huh? Why?"
Minu asked.
"Training. Changhui, if you don't shoot, your bros keep eating ant hits."
"Huh? I can't! Bros, give me one chance!"
Changhui grabbed my pant leg.
"Shoot, or your bros all die?"
I shook my leg to dislodge him.
"Changhui! Don't worry about us!"
President Yu shouted. The four blocked ants with shields in heroic fashion—or so they thought; to me, it looked like kids playing.
But they were desperate in their own way. Pushing ants back with shields and stomping down, they got scratched and bloodied by the sharp legs all over.
Changhui alternated glances between me and his brothers surrounded by ants.
"Ugh... uwaa!"
Bang!
He fired. To avoid hitting his nearby bros, he had to swing the rounds wide, which meant watching all the way through.
The mana round curved smoothly past President Yu's left, nailing an ant's head.
"Oh!"
It penetrated the ant's head and struck Sihwan's thigh.
"Argh!"
"Bro! Urk!"
Seeing blood, No Changhui puked, and the four surrounded by ants panicked.
"Long way to go."
I sighed, but investing now would make them useful later, so I endured.
I gathered Aura of Vitality on my finger and fired, taking out the ants.
Shooting vitality from my finger was a technique I'd picked up from Paul after learning aura manipulation. Right now, it was ping-pong ball sized, barely enough for low-grade monsters. I needed practice compressing it more for power and range. While training the Oh brothers, I'd train myself too—killing two birds with one stone.
"Regroup. They sent a signal before dying, so more are coming."
Giant ants release strong pheromone signals before death, and the colony dispatches armies in response. Staying put after a hunt is dangerous, but we held position to keep hunting.
I sat on a rock, watching the Oh brothers use potions to regroup.
The next ant wave had twenty, an increase.
"You four up front can use your skills now. Feel how they emerge from your body. And focus."
President Yu cast Gigantification. The armor, designed with it in mind, stretched elastically. But the plates stayed the same size, reducing protected area ratio. At three meters tall, his enhanced strength smashed ants down.
Problem was, gigantification didn't suit small ants—it just gave them more to target. Sure enough, he was getting scratched and bitten everywhere.
Nam Sihwan screamed to flinch the ants, but with no ears, they took no damage. Instead, he disrupted his fighting bros' focus.
Jinu summoned dogs, but they were smaller than the ants and got chomped in one hit.
Minu shaped his hand into a hammer and attacked ants. He performed best of the four.
Hours passed as the frustrating Oh brothers struggled. I sniped crises with finger aura shots.
Finally, Changhui started pulling his weight.
He'd puked multiple times seeing dying ants spew fluids and his bros' blood. His face was pale green, barely helping, but seeing them suffer made him grit his teeth and grab his rifle.
Mental hurdles vary by person, so I'd planned to give up if he couldn't overcome it—but luckily, he did.
With Changhui in role, the ants were no match. Block them from reaching him briefly, and he'd pick them off from afar.
"President Yu and Changhui, hunt separately now. Run if too many, but don't come back till five hundred down."
Changhui could solo, but he'd need protection when mana ran low. That meant Yu had to step up too. Five hundred was a stretch, but I aimed high.
"Hunter Lee Jiseok, take care of the young ones."
President Yu bowed and left with Changhui.
"You three, get ready. More coming here."
They'd been bloody at five; at three, it got worse.
I'd help just before death or if impossible, clean up ants myself, let them regroup, and repeat.
I'd picked easy ants on purpose, but this struggle meant farther to go than thought.