The Acid Tentacler's Menace
I watched the Acid Tentacler approaching when Nayoon suddenly tried to head outside. Startled, I grabbed her. “Where do you think you’re going with that thing right in front of us…?!”
“That’s exactly why I’m going. If we’re going to fight it, we need to know what we’re up against first!”
Nayoon showed no sign of changing her mind. The more I listened, though, the more I realized she was right. We needed at least some information on the enemy before we could decide whether to run or stand our ground. The monster’s sheer presence had made me forget something so basic. The only ones who could handle this role were the two of us here. We had to do it.
“……I’m coming with you!”
“Thanks!”
So Nayoon and I stepped outside together. The creature looked even larger from the front. We hid behind a car on the road and observed the situation. As it drew closer, Nayoon and I met each other’s eyes. That was the signal to move. We were about to go when the Acid Tentacler suddenly stopped. With no warning at all, we had no choice but to halt as well. Nayoon held me back. We watched again.
Monsters burst out from a side alley. They hadn’t stopped because of us.
『Awooo—— Awooo——!』
『Grrrrrr——!』
These were monsters we had fought before. [Blink Wolf Lv.8] Five Blink Wolves, including an alpha, charged straight at the Acid Tentacler. A territorial dispute between monsters? That was the only explanation that made sense. But after what happened next, I wasn’t so sure we could even call it a dispute.
The Blink Wolves attacked with the desperate resolve of creatures ready to burn their own bodies, yet the Acid Tentacler simply stood there, unmoving. At first glance it looked like prey frozen in fear before a superior predator, but that couldn’t be right. The Blink Wolves leapt onto the Acid Tentacler’s back, digging in with sharp claws and sinking their jaws into its flesh. Their fangs couldn’t even pierce the creature’s shell. They didn’t leave so much as a scratch.
Only then did the Acid Tentacler stir. Tentacles shot out from its mouth and snatched the wolves clinging to its back. Even the alpha couldn’t escape. The captured wolves thrashed and bit at the tentacles, trying to break free, but it was useless. Each tentacle was stronger than the Blink Wolves themselves. The tentacles retracted, dragging the wolves into the Acid Tentacler’s mouth.
What was happening in there?
『Kiiiiiing——!』
A massive spray of blood erupted. The fight… the predation… ended just like that.
I could handle Blink Wolves easily now. But could I overwhelm them the way this thing had? I was still staring blankly when Nayoon grabbed my shoulder and shook me, speaking quietly.
“Let’s go!”
“……R-right.”
Was this the difference experience made? Nayoon looked shaken too, but she shook it off quickly and focused on our original goal. She drew her greatsword. Seeing that, I snapped out of it and tightened my grip on my spear. We waited again, then sprinted the moment the monster moved.
“Now!”
“Got it!”
This time the Acid Tentacler reacted faster. It whipped out tentacles to block our path.
“I’ll handle the tentacles!”
“Please do!”
Dozens of tentacles came at me. I knocked one away with my spear as it shot toward my face. “Tough…?!” It felt like extremely elastic rubber. Even my sharp blade only left a shallow scratch instead of cutting through. At least I could react to their speed. I managed to keep the tentacles occupied somehow.
While I held them off, Nayoon slipped to the side and reached the Acid Tentacler in an instant. She leapt up and brought her greatsword down with all her strength.
Clang——!
A loud impact rang out across the area.
“What……?!”
Even Nayoon’s attack couldn’t pierce the creature’s shell. More tentacles emerged, this time heading straight for her. She tried to retreat quickly, but the tentacles were faster. The speed seemed a little too much for her to handle.
“Nngh…….”
“Nayoon——!”
I ignored the tentacles in front of me and ran toward her. They might be difficult for Nayoon, but I could block them easily enough. I reached her in seconds and stopped the tentacles coming at her.
“You okay…?”
“I’m fine…… It’s harder than I imagined……”
Nayoon’s hands trembled as she spoke. It wasn’t fear; she was still feeling the shock of her failed strike through her arms.
“We can’t beat this thing with just the two of us. Let’s retreat for now!”
“Agreed.”
It was stronger than we’d expected. Still, we had learned what we needed to know. Nayoon pulled back first while I blocked the tentacles and slowly retreated. The tentacles had limited reach and the monster itself was slow, so escaping wasn’t too difficult.
“Let’s go, Dohyun!”
“Yeah!”
That was when we let our guard down. The Acid Tentacler had another weapon we hadn’t accounted for.
『Kiiiiiiii——!』
It let out a chilling cry and spewed green liquid from its mouth. The spray reached us even though we were twenty meters away. The green fluid was a powerful acid. It melted cars and asphalt alike. We dodged as best we could, but a few drops still splashed onto my right arm.
“Kgh——!!”
“Dohyun—?!”
“…I’m fine, just go!”
Maybe it was thanks to the new [Pain Resistance] I’d gained, but even though my flesh was burning, the pain was somehow bearable. More important than enduring this pain was avoiding getting drenched in the liquid entirely. Since the Acid Tentacler couldn’t reach us quickly, it kept spraying acid while we turned and ran without looking back.
***
We kept running until we reached a place the monster couldn’t possibly follow. Only then did Nayoon and I stop. We hadn’t run that far, yet we were both out of breath. That just showed how tense we’d been……. We stood there for a moment, catching our breath.
“Haa… So it was hiding a weapon like that……!”
The Acid Tentacler’s greatest weapon wasn’t its incredible defense or its countless tentacles. It was the acid that melted everything it touched. I couldn’t think of any way to counter it. How was a person supposed to deal with something that dissolved steel and asphalt……? One small mistake and your entire body would melt away…….
“Are you all right……?”
“Huh?”
Nayoon was looking worriedly at the wound on my right arm.
“Ah, this… I’m fine. I can get it treated later. More importantly, we need to figure out what to do next……!”
Compared to what lay ahead, the wound on my arm was nothing. Deciding our next move was the urgent priority.
“Honestly, I can’t think of a solution……. Evacuating that many people at once won’t be easy either……”
Nayoon was right. With over a hundred people moving together, there was no telling what might happen.
“That’s one problem, but we also can’t build a sustainable base for a hundred people in a short time.”
Exactly……. Even if we somehow managed to evacuate everyone, it would all be pointless if we couldn’t find food and shelter. We were already barely scraping by…… No matter which option we chose, sacrifices seemed inevitable.
“Still, fighting it head-on might be the way to minimize casualties……. At least then we wouldn’t have to worry about starving to death.”
“I agree that’s probably the best approach…… But even if we go all out, can we actually defeat that monster……?”
Like Nayoon, I felt an overwhelming wall when facing the creature. I didn’t believe adding a few more fighters would change anything. If we had missiles or something, maybe…… But where would we even get those right now? Or magic? Could Seorin’s magic work……?
“We can’t beat it in a direct fight. If we could at least fight it somewhere that gives us an advantage……”
“Right, we’d never win fighting it head-on……. Wait a second……”
Hearing Nayoon’s words sparked something in my mind. Something only I could do!
“Dohyun, do you have an idea?”
“You said it yourself—we need to fight somewhere that favors us!”
“Yeah, I did, but there’s no place like that around here……”
The road from here to the Mart was wide open. But if there wasn’t one, we could just make one. With my ability!
“I’ll create one!”
“Create one……?”
I quickly explained the plan I’d come up with. Nayoon’s worried expression softened a little as she listened.
“If we can do that, we’ll at least have the advantage of terrain!”
“Exactly!”
“……”
Nayoon stared silently at my face. The sudden intensity made me uncomfortable, so I asked, “Why are you looking at me like that……?”
“……Thank you. I don’t even want to imagine how much worse the damage would have been without you.”
“I told you, this isn’t someone else’s problem. Let’s head back!”
“……Yeah, let’s go!”
We ran back and reported the situation to the people at the Mart.
***
The moment we arrived, Nayoon immediately started giving orders. First, she gathered everyone willing to fight. Unlike regular hunts, this was a battle where people would have to risk their lives, so I honestly expected low participation. But whatever Nayoon had done to motivate them…… A lot of people simply followed her commands without question. At this point, was this really still a civilian group……? If I had agreed to join her back then, would I have become like this too……?
Of course, there were still people who refused to fight directly, and some who simply couldn’t. Even those people spoke up, though.
“If there’s anything else I can do to help, I’ll assist the commander.”
“Please let us help too!”
“I’ll help as well!”
“Everyone…… thank you!”
Nayoon bowed her head to them. There were plenty of ways to help besides fighting. Seeing them step forward like this made me feel grateful, even though protecting their own home should have been the obvious thing to do. One problem, though: all of these people were original residents of the Mart. Very few of the newcomers had volunteered.
The new arrivals…… the people we had sent here after they asked for help during our hunts, or the ones we had rescued from the Mart itself…… almost none of them stepped up. They just watched us with the attitude that this was obviously our responsibility. I didn’t like it.
“What’s with those people……?”
“It can’t be helped……”
While Nayoon addressed the group, I voiced my frustration. Jaehun spoke as if he had already given up.
“What do you mean it can’t be helped? This is their home too! Even if they don’t fight, they shouldn’t be looking at us like that!”
“……Just bear with it. It’s what the boss wants.”
“What……?”
Nayoon was a soldier to the core. She still saw them as citizens she had to protect. It was frustrating……. In this world, what did “soldier” or “civilian” even mean anymore? If we wanted to survive, we had to help each other! Even if they couldn’t fight, they should at least help in other ways! It was maddening. Those people…… and Nayoon too…….
“……”
Whether anyone liked it or not, Nayoon was in charge here. For now, staying quiet was probably the right call……. We’d deal with this after we handled the immediate crisis.