Chapter 89: Black Unicorn (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 89: Black Unicorn (3)
Upon reaching C-rank, we finally shed our rookie status.
Shedding that status meant we were now deemed capable of handling proper assignments, which meant we had various requests to fulfill.
It might seem like clearing dungeons is the beginning and end of a Hero’s job, but Heroes are surprisingly busy.
Participating in search and rescue during disasters is a given, but we also have to fight Villains and, most notably, resolve issues caused by Errors.
We’re part police, part soldier, and part firefighter—essentially, we’re convenient laborers to be ordered around.
Well, they treat us well enough for it, so I don’t have any complaints.
Today’s mission: capturing a wild animal.
A wild boar—well, it was originally a farm-raised one—had gone feral and ferocious because an Error had fried its brain.
It wasn't a particularly strong creature, but since ordinary soldiers might suffer casualties trying to catch it, low-rank Heroes were brought along.
"Master, weren't we supposed to be 'super prospects'?"
Kwon Ye-jin expressed her dissatisfaction over the radio.
Usually, the government assigns quotas to each clan, and clans voluntarily take on extra work for money or merit. Those points accumulate and influence rankings.
I didn't find her complaints unreasonable.
Normally, a party being pushed by a clan is given the luxury of growing steadily by focusing solely on dungeons, exempt from these kinds of menial tasks.
However, Ye-jin, social life isn't that simple.
Even a good person is bound to have all sorts of thoughts if they feel they’re being discriminated against. Since Black Unicorn is openly supported by Square Garden, we need to do things that earn us favor before the other clan members start to resent us.
Besides, I have no intention of entering a dungeon until Lee Yu-na has fully integrated into our tactics.
Since staying cooped up in the clan just training is inefficient, I figured we should treat helping out with clan business as a form of working rest.
"It’s only natural for a Hero to help the world, so what is there to complain about? Do you dislike helping people, Ms. Ye-jin?"
When Lee Yu-na countered Kwon Ye-jin’s words over the radio, the two of them started bickering again.
Don't do that on the public channel; it’s embarrassing in front of others.
There were Heroes from other clans here, as well as people from the Tactical Support Team. Since they weren't hurling actual curses at each other, everyone else was just smiling as if it were cute, but my face was burning.
"Focus, everyone."
When I spoke into the radio, the two of them acknowledged me and stopped.
I shrugged at Seong Hee-na, who was smiling awkwardly, and began to climb the mountain path.
Even though I have detection abilities, I can't cover an entire mountain, so in the end, we had no choice but to search it manually. We formed a line and began scouring the area.
"Did you find a new gun?"
Seong Hee-na asked me after checking the other team members' radio transmissions.
"Not yet. I’m carrying the same model I used before, but that mysterious 'Equipment Creator' hasn't shown up."
I still had the business card Lee Ru-da had given me.
I had tried to decipher the magic circle on it a while ago, and it was storing records of my activities.
I had suspected it might be a new type of wiretap, but on second thought, it seemed to be gathering information to create equipment tailored to me.
But... the only things being stored there are probably just sex...
Well, they seem like an impressive person, so I’m sure they’ll protect my personal information.
The gun I’m using now is sufficient anyway, so I’m just putting it out of my mind, figuring they’ll show up eventually if I wait.
"Master, if we catch the boar, can we roast it?"
"Uh... I’m not sure about that."
"All negative Errors are to be culled."
Since I knew nothing about Errors, Yoon A-young answered in my stead.
"That’s a shame. I was looking forward to a whole roasted boar."
Kwon Ye-jin started talking about gathering around a campfire to roast the boar.
Perhaps because it’s a romantic notion everyone has dreamed of at least once, Yoon A-young and Lee Yu-na played along with her.
I told you guys not to gossip on the public channel.
"There’s a boar farm nearby, so let’s stop by there when we’re done."
"Booyah! You heard that? It’s all thanks to me."
"This is Hero Lee Si-young of the Hanwool Clan. We... would also like to join..."
Suddenly, a Hero from another clan contacted us. I thought they’d found the Error, but they were just asking to join the feast.
What a laid-back mission this was.
"The Tactical Support Team should join us too."
When I spoke while looking at Seong Hee-na, the nearby team members pumped their fists in joy.
It really was a harmonious place.
It reminded me of my days in the military in the previous world. Even when the higher-ups were breathing down our necks, the guys out on search duty would crack jokes and stay relaxed.
"Trace confirmed. Current sector is B-17."
As soon as the radio reported finding traces of the Error, the standby personnel following behind us began moving in that direction.
Seong Hee-na immediately brought over a map, confirmed the positions of the personnel currently searching, and marked them.
Even though I was a Hero who had just reached C-rank, the clan’s prestige was so great that I had been put in command of this operation.
It was hard to believe they’d entrust command to an unproven rookie, but if they told me to do it, I had to do it.
"Team 4, C4; Team 3, narrow the search toward A17. The capture team is on their way, so Team 2, slow down and proceed carefully."
With acknowledgments over the radio, the atmosphere of the entire mountain shifted.
Since it was a large-scale operation involving soldiers, Heroes, and the Tactical Support Team, I could feel the presence of everyone around me moving in unison at a single command.
As I continued along the mountain path, I found traces on my end as well.
Did they lead here from the traces Team 2 found?
I traced the path on the map and asked Seong Hee-na.
"Do they lose their boar instincts once they become an Error?"
"No. Unless their intelligence is specifically enhanced, they maintain their wild nature."
At Seong Hee-na’s explanation, I tapped the map thoughtfully and then signaled the soldiers to fall back.
"Looks like we’re the lucky ones."
Alice muttered, looking beyond the thick trees.
Being able to see emotional energy, she kicked my back, saying she could feel a ferocious wildness radiating from ahead.
"Go! Offer me some fresh meat!"
What are you talking about? You’re my portable battery; you’re coming too.
I grabbed her by the scruff of the neck, tucked her into my front pocket, and looked at Seong Hee-na.
"Tactical Support Team, fall back and provide sniper cover."
"Understood."
Seong Hee-na nodded with a sharp gaze and began directing her team members to find cover.
It was only around a D-6 rank monster, and since it didn't have a mana barrier, firearms would work just fine. It was no big deal.
As I stepped forward alone, the bushes rustled, and a massive wild boar revealed itself.
"...Should I even call that a boar? Isn't it a dinosaur?"
"I wonder how many pounds of meat we'll get?"
As I stared up blankly, Alice crossed her arms and pondered.
Wasn't this thing a bit too big?
The boar, which had grown to the size of a small house, glared at me while huffing hot breath.
"The Error has evolved. It seems to have consumed another Error. Engage!"
As Seong Hee-na’s voice crackled over the radio, the urgent voices of the Black Unicorn party members followed.
Damn Errors.
No matter how interesting the setting, isn't this a bit too cliché?
Anything in this world can be subject to an Error.
Not just animals and plants, but machines, time, space—even legendary herbs hidden deep in the mountains that no one has ever seen can be found.
Seeing how much larger it was than the previous traces suggested, it must have just dug up and eaten something like an Error-affected mountain ginseng.
Dammit. If I’d been just a little faster, that could have been mine.
The boar charged, leading with tusks the size of my thighs.
Bang—!
I fired at the ground to raise a stone wall, but the boar smashed through it effortlessly, its momentum not slowing in the slightest.
"Look at how soft that was, getting smashed so easily~"
Alice mocked.
Yeah, it is a bit bruising to my pride that it didn't even serve as a distraction.
But I’m not the type to fight with brute force.
Bullets from the Tactical Support Team struck the boar’s body, but perhaps because it was so massive and its hide so thick, they didn't seem to cause much damage.
I aimed my pistol at the boar’s feet again.
Bang—!
As the bullet struck and dirt sprayed, a narrow pit was gouged out.
The boar, charging gleefully, caught its foot in the pit and tumbled forward.
Rumble—!
The boar, sliding face-first into the dirt, plowed through a massive amount of earth before coming to a stop right in front of me.
I placed my foot on its snout, which was perfectly positioned for stepping on, and met the eyes of the boar, now at my level.
"What are you staring at?"
Click—
Who was that? Who took a picture during an operation?
But I didn't have time to check.
As if it understood my words, the boar’s eyes turned frenzied.
Bang—!
Gunshots rang out simultaneously from the pistols in both my hands, and bullets embedded themselves in the boar’s eyes.
"Squeeeeeeeak!!"
It thrashed its head, and I leaped back as the boar went into a blind rage.
Nearby trees were snapped and sent flying, and the earth was gouged and scattered everywhere.
"Support team, fall back further!"
I pushed the Tactical Support Team further back so they wouldn't be hit by the rampaging boar, and I continued to fire at the creature’s feet.
Just like when I tripped it, pits formed in the ground. The boar slipped and thrashed, but it eventually fell rump-first into the widening hole.
I swapped magazines and fired bullets into the walls of the pit, causing tree roots to burst out and entwine the boar.
The roots snapped as fast as they appeared under the boar’s resistance, but that was fine. I could just cover it with sheer volume.
Bang-bang-bang— Bang, bang-bang—
As I continuously swapped magazines and kept firing, the number of roots wrapping around its body increased one by one. Eventually, the boar was trapped, with only its face poking out of the pit.
Seeing such a massive creature with only its face sticking out made it look almost cute.
The fairy brat, who had been struggling to stay in my front pocket during the fight, climbed onto the boar’s forehead and struck a victory pose.
I’m the one who caught it; why are you the one posing?
I scolded her for playing around during combat, stuffed her back into my pocket, and pressed my muzzle against the boar’s forehead.
"Your hide looks thick. Let’s see how long you can hold out."
As I spoke with murderous intent, the boar thrashed, sensing its impending death.
However, the tightly bound tree roots would not let it go, and it had no choice but to silently endure my bullets.
"Wait a moment!"
Just as I was about to pull the trigger, Seong Hee-na rushed over and stopped me.
"You get more merit points for capturing an Error alive."
Oh, really?
Are they planning to use the Error for something else or research it?
I should probably study up on Errors myself. At the very least, I need to know the relevant laws so I don't lose out later.
Once the situation was resolved, the other Heroes arrived late and were shocked to see the boar I had captured.
"Whoa—it’s huge... A Gunslinger caught this alone...?"
"Not just fought it, but captured it. That’s impressive."
They talked about whether it was C-rank or B-rank, but it wasn't a particularly difficult opponent.
The reason things get difficult from C-rank onward is that monsters start to possess intelligence. They know how they should fight and utilize their strengths to the fullest. This boar, however, wasn't difficult at all.
Who cares if its hide is thick or its charge is strong? It was just a mindless brute.
The situation ended with the government retrieving the boar in a strange machine, and we immediately had a celebratory dinner at the boar farm.
The owner gave us plenty of extra service, thanking us for resolving the incident at his farm.
While I was reporting to the clan and enjoying the meat, Han Ju-hee contacted me, and I stood up from my seat.
"Yes, Ms. Han Ju-hee."
"I’ve made contact with Daimonas."
Han Ju-hee, whom I had recruited because she was from Break Line, had been continuously contacting the Heroes I wanted to bring into Black Unicorn.
And like the reliable person she had proven to be, she had successfully contacted our top-priority candidate.
"So, what’s her reason?"
When I asked why she had been ignoring our calls, Han Ju-hee hesitated for a moment before answering.
"It seems to be PTSD. She’s afraid of dungeons."
"...Is she quitting being a Hero?"
"I’m not sure, but I don't think that’s it. She seemed reluctant to talk to us, so I couldn't find out much."
"I see. Put her through."
"No, she wants to meet and talk in person. She’s already at the clan."
"From Poland?"
"Yes, from Poland."
She certainly has initiative. But couldn't she have called before just showing up?
Feeling a sense of unease at her unpredictable behavior, I hung up and left the dinner.
When I apologized to the others and got up, the other party members followed me.
"You’re going to see the new kid, right, Master? We should go too."
"We’re part of Black Unicorn as well, after all."
"What’s she like?"
Each of them boarded the van with anticipation for the Hero who might become their new teammate.
They asked all sorts of questions about the person who might become their comrade, but I couldn't tell them much about her.
Because right now, she was someone whose value had plummeted to even lower than that of a D-rank rookie.