A Misjudgment (1)
Grrrrrrr….
The boss monster glared upward at us, an ominous aura coursing through its body like blood through veins. I'd braced myself for something like this ever since taking the two of them out for our outing, but facing it head-on like this, its sheer presence was on a different level entirely.
A completely different kind of intimidation than the Three-Eyed Eel or the Black-Haired Spider.
Those monsters had weaknesses a rifle could exploit, and they weren't fast enough that it took ages for them to close the distance to me. But the Blood Howler was a half-step above them, which meant there was obviously no way I could take it down alone. No doubt Han Sora's arrows would be the ones to shine this time.
I do feel a little bad, like I keep dumping the protagonist's job on her.
Well, Han Sora wouldn't exactly complain about playing the hero's part. Who in their right mind would turn down a position that earned them the admiration and respect of so many people?
And besides, there was no other option right now. Even as I aimed my pistol at its eyes and fired—
BANG!!
Grrogh?!
SWAT!!
—it just batted the shot aside with a casual flick of its hand.
"Seonho, you can't use your gun!"
"Y-yes?!"
"Guns don't work on a Blood Howler! Even if we're outside a dungeon!"
It was Choi Marie, deliberately bellowing at the top of her lungs to emphasize what I mustn't do. Part of it was her getting worked up watching me make a mistake, but she was probably also trying to draw the Blood Howler's attention onto herself.
…Not that it mattered. It was already too late.
Grroghhh!!
"Oh no, look out!"
THUD!
Letting out a furious howl, the Blood Howler charged straight at me. And at the sight of its reaction, Choi Marie scrambled forward to raise her shield in front of me.
CRRAAANG!!
Kyaaaang!!
The Blood Howler let out a whining, dog-like yelp as Choi Marie's shield bash sent it skidding backward.
And then she immediately glanced back, checking whether I was safe.
"Seonho, are you okay?!"
"Sorry, Marie. That was my mistake…."
"Now's not the time to worry about that. Get your head in the fight."
Grrrrrrr….
"…Not that it matters much in your case—you're really just trying to keep yourself alive out there."
With that unconsciously worried remark about my 'Support Department' physique, Choi Marie raised her shield once more.
Just as she said, my plan for the moment was to focus purely on dodging its attacks. If I died here after finally putting together a perfect plan for breaking in Choi Marie, all the effort I'd poured in until now would go to waste.
WrrrrOOOOL!!
CRRAAANG!!
"Ugh… th-this thing is, it's stronger than I thought…."
One exchange of glances with the Blood Howler, one deflected attack, and then a glance back at me. I could see her working out that just holding her own was hard enough, and fighting while also protecting me was beyond that. Not that she'd ever run off and abandon me, of course.
"I'll move in sync with your breathing! Just give me the orders!"
"Haa… can you even keep up with a Support Department's stamina?"
"You see my stamina every single day, don't you?"
"…Right, that's exactly why I said it."
Choi Marie shot me a look that was half doubt, half trust, and flashed a faint smile.
Grroghhhhh!!
Not that I had any other choice anyway—not with that black wolf-like beast growling and lunging at both me and Choi Marie.
SWAT!
"Seonho, one step left!"
"Yes, Senior!"
The moment I shifted a step to the left at Choi Marie's command, the Blood Howler swerved its direction and came charging after me.
But faster than that beast could close in, Choi Marie took two quick steps to plant herself in front of me again and, with a burst of acceleration, smashed the shield in her hand into its flank.
Kyaaaahhh!!
"Nice! You're finally getting your money's worth from my training!"
"Of course I am. Whose junior do you think I am?"
Grroghh….
"Two steps right this time!"
Tap, tap-tap. The sound of footfalls drummed against the ground.
And still the Blood Howler remained fixated on me—the one who'd struck first—drooling and glaring with burning eyes.
Grroghhhh…!!
Its body surged with another burst of acceleration and lunged at me once more.
CRRAAANG!
"Ungh, huaaaaagh…!!"
Choi Marie's shield once again intercepted the beast's assault in front of me, and she began to hold her ground.
Grrrr… WrrrrOOOOL…!!
"Th-this bipedal wolf, why is it so damn strong…!"
It was a monster from the early chapters of the story, sure, but still upper-tier and beyond. Even outside a dungeon, it was a level that Choi Marie, at her current skill, simply couldn't finish off on her own.
Not to mention she didn't even have her signature shield right now. To manifest her awakening ability through something like a garbage can lid, she had to burn a considerable amount of mana just on weapon reinforcement first.
I could see her slowly running out of strength.
"Haa, haaa…."
Just as Choi Marie was grinding her teeth through ragged breaths—
THWIP, THUNK, THWIP!!!
Three arrows streaked in from the Blood Howler's blind side, sinking into its flank and both thighs.
AUUUUUUL…!!
"Senior, the howling—!!"
The instant I hurriedly clamped my hands over Marie's ears in my place, resonance rang through my skull.
The sensation was like having my brain sealed in a glass bottle and shaken violently—I nearly blacked out, but I gritted my way through with sheer willpower and kept her ears covered.
If anyone had to collapse unconscious, better me than Choi Marie. Not that I had any intention of going down either.
"Haa, ugh…. ughhh…."
"Seonho, are you okay?!"
"Haa, y-yes, I'm…. m-mental attacks are, I-I can, at least endure those…."
I forced the nausea welling up from my gut back down my throat. I had no desire to show something that disgusting to the heroines.
Being an upper-tier monster, even shrugging off a single minor attack took every ounce of effort my Support Department body had.
"Seonho, are you okay?! What about Senior?!"
"N-no, Han Sora! Get yourself out of there first!"
"…Huh?"
She'd landed a solid hit on the Blood Howler with a well-prepared three-shot volley, which was great—right up to that point, and no further.
To actually finish that thing off, she'd need to land at least ten more arrows. It had no clear weak point, and with that speed, aiming for a specific body part was simply beyond Han Sora right now.
…And a monster with upper-tier intelligence would generally prioritize whoever could actually hurt it.
SWAAAAT!!
"HAN SORA!!!"
The Blood Howler lunged at Han Sora—and with her physical abilities, she had no way to block its attack.
Which meant there was only one thing to do: drag the aggro back onto me and Choi Marie.
BANG!!
Grrogh…?
BANG, BANG, BANG!!
AUUUUUUL!!
Objectively speaking, arrows were a more dangerous weapon to it than bullets, but as far as I was concerned, I already held the aggro from my 'first strike'.
Most monsters treat whoever attacks them first as the first target to eliminate. That's just the instinct of a wild animal, after all.
Me, weak in damage but capable of pulling aggro. Choi Marie, incapable of drawing it herself but able to protect me. Han Sora, unable to protect herself but able to deal meaningful damage.
To win this fight, the three of us couldn't fall out of rhythm even once.
Great—because of me, the difficulty's gone up compared to the original story.
If I were Seo Woojin, Han Sora would be standing safely behind Choi Marie's shield right now, and the party's stability would be leagues better.
But I'd rather die than hand a favorability event to Seo Woojin. These are heroines I gathered through my own sweat and scheming—why the hell would I let that bastard have his happy ending?
And besides, playing the villainous side character to win over heroines always meant putting your life on the line in the first place. I'd already gambled it twice; what's a third time?
"Marie, over to you!"
"You shameless brat! Just so you know, you're getting an earful after this fight!"
But even as she snapped at me, Choi Marie's face was lit by a distinctly pleased smile.
It had been almost a year since she'd fought as part of a proper party in real team combat. As a shieldbearer, she couldn't draw out even twenty percent of her potential fighting solo without capable party members.
CRRAAANG!!
Grroghhhhh…!!
"Ugh, that's it…!! Come at me all you want…!!"
The hot-blooded ferocity she'd been hiding behind her cool expression was boiling up so visibly that anyone could see it.
…Boiling enough, in fact, that her overflowing battle-lust might just drive her into making a mistake.
A weekend afternoon. A monster wave, erupting out of nowhere.
It was a bewildering battle that no one had planned for or anticipated, but as time wore on, Choi Marie found her emotions rising higher and higher inside her.
THWIP!!
AUUUUUUL…!!
She held her position, shield up, and from somewhere or other, arrows kept flying in.
No misfires, no stray shots—every single arrow struck true, and it was honestly a satisfying thing to watch.
The archer in my old party could never pull this off.
Was this what they meant by the top student of the year being on another level? And this was someone who'd claimed first place in the entire Archery Department, so of course something about her had to be different.
There did seem to be a noticeable gap between her and the second-ranked Lee Seonho. At least against a Blood Howler, the difference in how they handled the situation was obvious.
Granted, she knew that Han Sora being able to fire off continuous volleys like this was the result of Lee Seonho ordering her to hold nothing back with her arrows. But still.
I can definitely understand the marksmanship, and the way she reads a situation so fast….
"Marie, where should I move this time?!"
"…Just half a step to the right."
To be perfectly honest, it grated on her a little.
Lee Seonho's position right now was the most useless, most pointless of the three—nothing more than a spectator's post.
Once a real fight started, combat support often had nothing left to do. Choi Marie knew that as well as anyone.
Still, he was a diligent junior, and she'd wanted to set aside her prejudice against the Combat Support Department and see him in the best possible light….
"……"
…At the end of the day, if he can't help in a fight, he can't help it. She couldn't stop the thought from forming.
She was competitive by nature, and she hated nothing more than someone else dragging her down.
Of course, the very fact that Han Sora could land effective hits on the Blood Howler at all was thanks to Lee Seonho's 'buff'—but Choi Marie had no way of knowing that.
Definitely not my type. A guy who hides in the back and just gets protected.
Despite herself, the affection she'd built up toward him slipped down a notch.
CRRAAANG!!
AUUUUUUL…!!
A single shield bash sent the boss monster staggering back with a pained howl.
At some point, the arrows buried in the Blood Howler's body had crept up toward double digits. One or two more volleys and it would unquestionably go down.
…It was already badly wounded, so she could probably finish it herself with a full-power Shield Bash.
I want to end this and get some rest.
Her mana was nearly spent, and her stamina was close to its limit too.
She knew that if she just held her ground quietly, Han Sora would deliver the finishing blow. Even so, she wanted to be the one to end it while she still could.
…Because she truly, deeply hated the feeling of standing by, trusting someone else, and being robbed of even the things she was capable of doing.
CRUNCH.
She tightened her grip on the handle of the steel garbage can lid in her hand.
…For one final, borderline-gambling attack.