Earth Strike
'Huh? It stopped?'
At that moment, the faint trembling of my body, caused by the Twin-Headed Ogre's roar, came to a complete halt. The instinctive fear that had been gnawing at me vanished simultaneously. I gave my mana heart a reassuring pat after it thumped heavily once more and settled back into calm.
"Captain's got a healing skill too, huh?"
Gwak Su-hyeon stared at the soldier, whose face had relaxed considerably, and spoke in genuine surprise. And who could blame him? Healing skills were the polar opposite of offensive ones, so it was rare for an attack-type Awakener to possess both.
"Oh? Uh, yeah. It's low-grade, though."
"Well, that happens sometimes."
He nodded readily, accepting my explanation. Low-rank Awakeners sometimes had skills from opposing categories—like Mighty Blow paired with Minor Heal.
I helped the soldier to his feet and addressed him. "That roar from earlier probably sent most of the monsters in the area scurrying into corners. So if you head straight back, you should make it safely to the defensive line at the rear."
"Pardon? Y-you mean I should go alone?"
He looked up at me with wide, puppy-dog eyes, as if I were abandoning him.
Tsk. Anyone would think I was ditching a pet dog.
I smacked my lips lightly and clarified. "No, it's just that sticking around this guy will get you caught in the crossfire—no corpse left to recover."
"Ah, got it."
Finally understanding, he hurriedly gathered his gear. He never let go of his rifle the whole time, which spoke to some seriously rigorous training.
"Thanks for the save, and... uh, anyway. I owe you big time."
Unable to find the right words for what had just happened, he bowed deeply.
"No big deal. I know you guys are always grinding it out on the front lines. Take care of yourself."
"Yes, sir. Thank you."
I clapped him on the shoulder and turned toward where my comrades waited.
"Uh, excuse me..."
"Yeah?"
His hesitant voice from behind made me glance back.
"Could I get your name, sir?"
"Kang Min-ho."
"Corporal Kim Ji-woon here. I'll make sure to find you later and give proper thanks. Sir!"
"You're too kind. Head back safe."
"Yes, sir!"
He saluted once more before heading off in the opposite direction. Receiving a salute from a soldier when I wasn't even military felt weird. Most Awakeners got exemptions anyway, so the whole structured life thing felt awkward to me. The government had made it a concession to keep Awakeners from bolting overseas, but cramming a bunch of strong-willed, free-spirited types into the army would've sparked incidents left and right. Smart move, really.
Right after he left, Professor Kim Yo-han followed my signal and dashed over.
"Already cleared a bunch, huh."
He nodded at the hellhound corpses littering the area.
"That the big one?"
His face soured as he spotted the approaching Twin-Headed Ogre in the distance.
Zing. Zing.
Even from afar, just looking at it made the hairs on my body stand on end.
This thing's at least S-rank.
Recalling an S-rank monster he'd faced in a dungeon before, he brushed his arms lightly.
Per inter-guild agreements with the government, in emergencies, the highest-ranked hunter in the area took command.
⊳ Assuming command of this area.
⊳ Unidentified monster detected. Estimated rank: S.
⊳ Declaring special disaster status.
⊳ All C-rank and below hunters: Evacuate immediately.
⊳ All B-rank and above: Converge here.
⊳ Military units: Evacuate civilians 10km further back and establish new defensive lines accordingly.
He broadcast the message across the hunter-exclusive channel, and B-rank+ hunters from across the city began converging. Meanwhile, C-rank and below scrambled to flee the area for dear life—even tempting unclaimed loot couldn't outweigh survival against an S-rank monster's glancing blow.
"No one wants to go home, right?"
After delivering the key info, he turned to us.
"You kidding?"
"We're good."
"Running away would just be embarrassing enough to die from shame."
He smirked as if he'd expected our answers, then charged ahead.
"Help me draw its attention first, then we'll lure it the opposite way."
I glanced back, noting Seoul—Korea’s capital—lay in its path, and nodded slowly. Professor Kim Yo-han planned to bait it far from the city.
"Keep up."
Whoosh.
He kicked off the ground and vanished from sight in an instant.
That's S-rank speed.
His raw speed didn't match Professor Kim Tae-min's when unleashing thunder, but pure physical prowess without skills? Impressive.
I followed, mana surging from my feet with each step, propelling me forward. My mana flow and output felt worlds better than before. The world blurred past with every kick. Pleased with my lighter body, I grinned faintly.
His speed's no joke.
Gwak Su-hyeon's eyes gleamed as he trailed me. He lagged for a split second, then matched my pace effortlessly.
Professor Kim Yo-han reached the tallest building's rooftop and plunged his hand into empty air. The rare inventory access granted to A-rank+ Awakeners. He pulled out a rifle the length of a person—Ackellte, an antique vibe like it'd come straight from a museum, one of the pinnacle hero-grade weapons.
Known for turning death into bullets, it infused ordinary rounds with legendary power. Courtesy of Professor Kim Yo-han, the Grasp of Mana Bullets.
Time for a light greeting.
He aimed at the Twin-Headed Ogre's right head and pulled the trigger without hesitation.
Bang!
The shot tore through the air, shattering the sound barrier, and slammed into the right head.
Thud.
"Grroooar!"
The right head snapped left like it'd taken an invisible punch, bellowing in pain. The intact left head locked onto Professor Kim Yo-han, ripped a chunk from a nearby building, and hurled it.
Huh? Spotting this from that range?
He dodged the massive debris and leaped away.
Kaboom!
The impacted building crumbled entirely. Monstrous strength.
From his new perch on the opposite building, Professor Kim Yo-han addressed the late arrivals. "Stick as close as you can. Just keep pesky flies off me."
"Got it."
In S-rank duels, B-rankers mainly blocked lesser monster interference. S-rank beasts often brought hordes, overwhelming solo fighters.
There they are.
Sure enough, over a dozen ogres lurked behind the Twin-Headed Ogre's bulk.
"Groooar!"
At its cry, the guarding ogres charged us.
"Now!"
Professor Kim Yo-han repositioned and fired again.
Bang!
Hit in the same spot, it roared furiously and pursued him.
Thud-thud-thud.
A dozen ogres barreling down—what a sight. Tension slicked my palms; I wiped them on my thigh and eyed the lead one.
BOOM!
A massive fireball exploded, nearly vaporizing its head.
"Kraa!"
The scorched beast glared left.
"Over here, punk!"
Another hunter had arrived to bait it. It switched targets and veered off.
Uh?
I felt a bit deflated after bracing myself.
But it didn't end there. As it peeled away, attacks rained on the others from all sides.
"Here too!"
"Eyes on me, asshole!"
"Dibs on that dented-head bastard."
"Hey! I hit that big-headed one first!"
Guild hunters—clearly not government—boisterous and at least B-rank. They scattered, each luring an ogre. Baiting was a skill effect, no doubt. Their seamless coordination screamed guild polish. Seeming chaotic at first glance, but pros like them synced better than low-rankers after hundreds of drills.
Can't get better than this.
I chuckled, missing my old team.
"Grr."
Three ogres left—deliberately for us. They tensed at the sudden hunter swarm.
Three squads arrived late, gathering near their leaders. Jae-wook shot me desperate, teary eyes like a lost family reunion. I ignored him, naturally.
My squad clustered around us too.
"Got lucky, huh?"
Jeong Hyeon-gu—our squad leader who'd bolted first with his buddies—sneered at me. Obvious disdain. Big-corp heir vibe, spoiled rotten. What was a guy like that doing in the academy?
"Eh, just happened."
I shrugged and pointed at the ogres. "Which one you want?"
"What?"
"Which of the three we taking?"
Getting it, he jabbed at the rightmost. "That one!"
"Roger!"
His crony Kwon Young-woo fist-bumped and stepped up—forehead practically stamped "TANK."
He charged confidently. Textbook: tank pulls aggro first.
Pretty cocky.
B-rank facing A-rank monster? Must have an ace.
"Gigantify!"
Sure enough, he tripled in size mid-stride and swung at the ogre.
Nice!
Gigantify into Mighty Blow combo. Everyone expected the ogre to fly.
But.
"Kraa!"
The ogre roared, countering—Kwon Young-woo soared into a wall, half-buried in debris, twitching.
"..."
Silence fell. Pity welled up watching his giant leg spasm.
More like, how's it that strong?
These weren't normal ogres.
BOOM!
The ogre stomped hard, vibrations locking us briefly.
A skill?
Only skills had AoE like this.
Huh? What?
Its mana crept up my legs, binding me—then slipped inside, flowing naturally to my mana heart.
While others struggled free, I blankly stared at myself.
Absorbed it... again?
Realizing it, my body lightened further. They suffered the debuff; I felt refreshed, like post-massage.
"Groooar!"
Another roar. I eyed the next ogre.
Same skill!
It timed its stomp deliberately. I watched the mana: condensed at the waist, exploding through feet in spiderweb patterns.
I mumbled unconsciously. Got it.
And then.
Earth Strike (A)
One A-rank skill to start. Good omen.