Chapter 67
Chapter 67
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 67
Chapter Title: Minotaurs and the Wyvern
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The Minotaur was a monster with a bull's head and a human body, boasting a massive three-meter frame. It usually wielded a double-bladed axe or a huge sword. True to an A-Rank Gate, there were plenty of them, but they were only C-Rank at best.
"Frontline, advance!"
At Hunter Shim Hee-ho's command, I stepped forward as well. Scales emerged from my back, wrapping around my body. Seeing them coil out and cover me from head to toe, Hunter Shim Hee-ho nodded. His expression said he knew I wouldn't come empty-handed.
The frontline formed a line and charged, while arrows, magic, and mana bullets flew from the rear.
Before the warriors even clashed with the Minotaur pack, a third of them had already fallen to the ranged attacks. The others were so-so, but the dozens of Fire Arrows fired by Yoon Dong-ha, the A-Rank Flame Mage from the Rose Guild, pierced the Minotaurs and reduced them to ash. It was quite impressive. An A-Rank mage's AoE spells shone brighter in these multi-target battles than in one-on-one fights.
"Uwoooo!"
Leading the charge, Hunter Shim Hee-ho equipped arm shields—covering from elbows to fists—on both hands and rushed in. It was time to see the skills of Hunter Jeong Min-gi's cherished little brother.
The shields had pointed ends on both sides, allowing defense and offense in one.
True to an A-Rank Hunter, he effortlessly deflected the axe of a Minotaur that towered a full meter over him with his arm shield. Then he stabbed its neck with the shield's sharp front edge or spun like a top to smash its head with the pointed elbow section. He rampaged like a furious bear, needing no heel support fire.
Hunter Lee Dong-bin fought much better than he had during the Troll Gate Break. Fighting alongside teammates he'd synced with must feel comfortable now. That day, monsters had swarmed from all sides, and his allies were all strangers, so it must've been hard to show his stuff.
I'd seen enough. Time to work. Catching all these wouldn't net much EXP, but lounging in the back and snatching only the A-Rank monster at the end would look bad.
I armored myself from head to toe and grew to Minotaur size. I took down one per hit, single-handedly handling about ten out of the dozens of Minotaurs.
Hunter Lee Dong-bin glanced at me, then recklessly dove into the monster horde and took several hits.
"Hey! Stop charging alone! You gonna take responsibility if I run out of mana because of you?!"
Hunter Jeong Ji-eun fired off heels at Hunter Lee Dong-bin in succession.
"S-s-sorry!"
There were a few minor mishaps, but the raid progressed smoothly.
"Eh... No wonder hyung recommended him. Heh heh heh."
"Hmph. Not totally useless, I guess."
For all her words, she seemed impressed—her gaze toward me softened noticeably.
"Alright! Let's keep pushing."
The other monsters that followed weren't tough for this team composition. The problem was the environment. Minus thirty degrees with winds gusting dozens of meters per second pierced even the winter gear. Exposed skin felt like it was being sliced off in pain, making it hard for even superhuman Hunters to endure. Especially for C-Ranks.
"I-I-I-I'm s-s-so c-c-cold."
Sang-heon was shivering so hard he could barely speak.
"Tsk tsk... You're wearing winter gear, aren't you?"
"C-c-can't y-you g-g-give me y-y-yours, hy-hyung?"
Sang-heon glared at me through frost-rimmed eyes.
"Are you a monster?"
I'd seen a monster say something like that in a book once.
But Sang-heon wasn't the only one suffering from the cold. The B- and C-Rank Hunters were mostly in the same boat. Ye-seul too. Her expressionless face hid it from others, but I knew. She was freezing to death right now. And she'd tried to give me her winter gear anyway. Incredible.
I wasn't sure how to help, but I figured I'd assist with the little things.
"Let's move up a bit."
I led Sang-heon to near Ye-seul, then grew massive and generated heat. With my four-meter frame blocking the wind and a heat source of hundreds of degrees in front, the Hunters' faces brightened noticeably.
Some even treated me like a heater, stretching out their hands and following along. Was this how the Pied Piper felt?
Thanks to that, our marching speed picked up. Hunter Shim Hee-ho smiled warmly at me. Looked like the guild recruitment pitches would intensify after today.
"Team leader, Wyvern approaching from seven o'clock!"
Looking up, I saw a single Wyvern flapping its massive wings as it flew in.
"Oh, nice. Finally here. Dong-ha, if you would."
Hunter Yoon Dong-ha pointed his staff at the Wyvern and focused.
"Fire Pole."
When the Wyvern closed to a hundred meters, Hunter Yoon Dong-ha chanted, and a waterfall of flames poured down from above its head.
It was like a hole had opened in the sky—flames cascaded out, smashing the Wyvern. Unable to withstand the pressure and heat greater than its own bulk, it crashed to the ground.
The fallen beast measured twenty meters from head to tail, looking several times larger up close than from the sky. Compared to the thick, sturdy Drake I'd seen in North Korea, the Wyvern felt slimmer and more agile.
"Second squad, fall back!"
Second squad was the B- and C-Ranks. Even buffed, approaching a Wyvern meant instant death, so Hunter Shim Hee-ho ordered them back and charged it alone.
The Wyvern swiped its foreleg at the oncoming Hunter Shim Hee-ho, who crossed his arms and shoved it upward.
"Uoooo!!"
Taking the blow head-on—he was stronger than I'd thought.
While Hunter Shim Hee-ho tanked, the damage dealers fired attacks, but the Wyvern, sensing it, leaped back massively, took to the air, and flapped its wings hard. It was nimble beyond its size.
The gust from its wings was no mere flap—it blasted everyone with wind. A-Rank monsters had special abilities beyond physical prowess; most Wyverns could manipulate wind or breathe fire.
Hunters took wounds one by one from the blade-like winds.
They could've taken it without me since they planned to come alone, but lingering would rack up casualties. I grew to five meters and slammed a side kick into the airborne beast's flank.
A sound like ripping drumskin echoed as its side caved in. It tumbled back, howling in agony.
"Good work. Take a breather."
"Uh...? Huh...?"
Hunter Shim Hee-ho stared at me blankly.
The Wyvern, now risen, ignored Hunter Shim Hee-ho entirely and fixed on me.
Dodging its charging foreleg, I battered its head repeatedly. Even with aura-infused strikes, it didn't drop in one hit—A-Rank monster indeed. Tough hide, massive body, threatening fangs and claws. Plus wind control.
But it was no match for me, who'd doubled in strength since the Drake.
Perhaps uneasy about me soloing, Hunter Jeong Ji-eun's buff hit me for the first time since entering—strength and agility ticked up slightly.
And if I took a hit, Ye-seul healed alongside her; I felt my health filling. Unnecessary since I wasn't in real danger with health to spare.
"Hunter Lee Ji-seok, fall back! We can't attack!"
With me enlarged and tangled, the damage dealers couldn't easily strike.
"Just shoot."
"Pardon?"
"Go ahead—even if you hit me, I won't get hurt."
"No... Still, how could we..."
Unlike the worried Hunter Shim Hee-ho, Hunter Yoon Dong-ha unhesitatingly conjured a two-meter-wide Fireball and launched it.
I glanced at him chanting and gripped the Wyvern's neck to pin it. The Fireball detonated on direct impact, flames spreading to me too.
"Hey?! Dong-ha?!"
"He said shoot."
Hunter Yoon Dong-ha replied curtly, like it was a hassle.
No issue. I could've blocked a direct hit, let alone splashes. But the Wyvern writhed, engulfed in flames. I tightened my grip on its neck and drained its life force. I could flood it with internal aura like with the Drake, but it'd waste too much. Plus, I needed to keep heater duty, so I'd recharge off this one.
"Heh... Heh heh... Amazing. Everyone, attack! Our hits won't affect Hunter Lee Ji-seok anyway!"
Arrows and spells flew in rapid succession. As I pinned its neck, draining life while eating attacks from all sides, even the mighty Wyvern couldn't last long and collapsed.
"My god... Wyvern hide is famous for resisting even aura blades, yet we took it down this easily."
"Is that guy really A-Rank?"
"If we'd left him, he could've soloed it."
"Thanks to him, this Gate's a cakewalk."
The B- and C-Rank Hunters who'd benefited greatly showed open fondness. Conversely, Hunter Lee Dong-bin—who'd seemed jealous of me at first—now avoided eye contact, head bowed low.
I just stood there, yet he got jealous alone, deflated alone. Busy guy.
"Damn, who knew he was that strong..."
Hunter Jeong Ji-eun grumbled, recalling her initial sniping at me. Everyone else was too far to hear.
"Choi Ye-seul! Aren't you switching this? You gonna make me wait to say it?"
Hunter Jeong Ji-eun pulled a heat-maintaining winter item from inside her gear and tossed it on the ground. The hot-pack-like item was still warm enough to melt snow, so she was clearly nitpicking again.
"It's still warm. We don't have many—if you use too much, it'll be rough later."
As Ye-seul picked it up and spoke, Jeong Ji-eun's face twisted.
"Just give it if it's warm! Why so chatty?!"
She yelled sharply, but the Rose Guild members ignored it like it was routine.
I pulled a winter hot-pack from Sang-heon's bag and handed it to Jeong Ji-eun.
"Use this."
"Oh... You didn't have to..."
Her vicious scowl melted away instantly as she spoke sweetly.
"Hunter Lee Ji-seok, you're really something, huh? Awakened less than a year ago, right?"
All that early snippiness gone, now she was all chummy.
"Yeah. Got lucky."
Chatting to divert her, Ye-seul gave a slight bow of thanks.
The rest of the raid was even easier. It was a team that could clear without me, and I was pulling more than Rose Guild-level weight solo.
"Is it okay to freeload like this?"
A B-Rank warrior slated to support during risky tanks muttered. As a B-Rank tasked with drawing an A-Rank monster's aggro, it was dangerous, but now he just spectated from the rear. Hunter Shim Hee-ho told him to stay back to avoid getting squished by me or the Wyvern.
I quietly looked after Ye-seul too. Sharing my winter items or handing her food first.
I didn't think this repaid her favors. Giving cash or A-Rank items now would seem suspicious. Better to build rapport gradually and help in various ways later.
The Gate raid went smoothly. After hours of progress, we set up a temporary camp for rest. Made from items in our bags, it wasn't huge or fancy, but blocking the wind alone made breathing easier—everyone's faces relaxed.
"Thanks."
I handed Ye-seul hot food. I didn't need many items, so Sang-heon's bag had a thermos for keeping food warm. The other Rose Guild members ate cold rations.
"Oh, nothing for me?"
Jeong Ji-eun sniffed her way over.