I'll try catching an Orc
I'll try catching an Orc
In the end, I went to a different convenience store and bought it again. It would've been a bit awkward to go back to the same convenience store and buy the same thing, right?
I snuck out from among the Gaon Guild hunters. I was worried about the stares asking who I was, and it felt awkward to keep hanging around when I don't even belong to that guild.
"Whew... I'm exhausted."
All I did today was go to the convenience store, have a Gate suddenly burst, and catch a few wolves, so why am I so tired?
Still, I think I did a decent job. Should I check if there's anything about me today?
It's embarrassing to have someone see me doing Magical Girl poses or shouting lines, but it feels good to see posts saying I helped someone.
When I logged into the Hunter Gallery, it was buzzing, probably because it had just happened.
[Title: Gaon is definitely fast]
Other areas take forever to arrive even if hunters nearby are blocking it, but these guys are fucking fast.
[Comments]
ㄴ Baek Kang-hyuk is fucking broken. I saw him flying around last time.
ㄴ Even without that, their response is just fast.
ㄴ Isn't it just because they have a lot of people?
ㄴ If it were just about numbers, Oracle should be the fastest lol
ㄴ Whoa...
Baek Kang-hyuk, he was scary...
The way he looked at me, his massive physique. He did say to understand that that's just his face, but... still, I can't help but be scared.
Still, he was cool. It was pretty cool how he suddenly dropped down like a superhero landing from a movie. It's just that he approached me with a scary expression right after...
Whether it was because the monsters that came out of the Gate weren't very strong, or because Gaon responded quickly, most of the talk was just about Gaon and Baek Kang-hyuk.
[Title: Come to think of it, Baek Kang-hyuk was with some small kid]
(Photo)
Who is this kid? Is she someone Gaon is raising?
[Comments]
ㄴ The kid looks like she's about to cry because she's scared of Baek Kang-hyuk
ㄴ Ah, you're right. Did he just help her?
ㄴ I've never seen her before. Haven't seen her on our side.
When did they take that? I don't know who it is, but taking a picture in that chaos is impressive in a different way.
Wow. My expression really looks like I'm about to cry... I can't even tell them to take the photo down. This is an infringement of portrait rights!
Grrr- rumble
Come to think of it, I went to the convenience store because I was hungry. I was so distracted I forgot I was hungry.
"Let's eat first..."
"Sss... phew... why is this so spicy..."
I definitely bought the ramen I always eat, but for some reason, it was spicier than usual. Is it because I haven't been eating ramen lately?
Ding-!
I checked my phone and saw a text from Seol-ah-unni.
Han Seol-ah: Ahyeon-ahyeon-ahyeon-ahyeon-ah
Choi Ah-hyun: ???
Han Seol-ah: This is you, right.
Han Seol-ah: (Photo of me with Baek Kang-hyuk)
Choi Ah-hyun: Yeah, went to the convenience store today and a Gate burst;
Han Seol-ah: You could've been in big trouble. Are you hurt anywhere?
Choi Ah-hyun: I'm fine. I even caught a few wolves.
Han Seol-ah: ???
Choi Ah-hyun: ???
What kind of reaction is this? Did she think I wouldn't be able to catch wolves like that?
Han Seol-ah: Did Baek Kang-hyuk help you?
Choi Ah-hyun: He did help, but I caught the wolves by myself?
Han Seol-ah: ???
Seol-ah-unni's reaction is weird today. Why is she acting like this?
Han Seol-ah: You mean the purple wolf, right? The one with the purple mane fluttering.
Choi Ah-hyun: Yeah. It ran away after I hit it once.
Han Seol-ah: I see... I get it.
Han Seol-ah: How was Baek Kang-hyuk?
Choi Ah-hyun: Fucking scary...
Han Seol-ah: lol You looked terrified just in the photo.
Choi Ah-hyun: Still, him swinging that greatsword was kind of cool.
Han Seol-ah: You liked that?
Choi Ah-hyun: Greatswords are cool.
Massive weapons are always a romance. Greatswords, hammers, giant mechs, etc...
Han Seol-ah: Want to go to a dungeon tomorrow?
Choi Ah-hyun: Not the Goblin Dungeon again...
Han Seol-ah: A place where Orcs appear.
Orcs after Goblins? It really feels like I'm going up a level at a time. Still, it's better than just going to the Goblin Dungeon all the time...
Choi Ah-hyun: OK, let's go.
Han Seol-ah: Come out when I call around 1 tomorrow.
Choi Ah-hyun: Roger that.
Let me check what kind of place it is.
Searching it up, it seems to be a C-rank dungeon where various Orcs appear, just like Seol-ah-unni said. It's made up of forests and plains, just like the Goblin Dungeon.
Overall, the consensus is that if you can easily clear the Goblin Dungeon, you can clear this one without much difficulty.
Then it won't be that fun.
"Oh..."
"Why are you like that? You're making me uncomfortable."
Was Seol-ah-unni's job Mechanic? Maybe that's why the car trunk was full of machines I'd never seen before.
"C-can these combine too?"
Can the drones combine to turn into a giant mech like a transforming robot or something?
"They can, but... it probably won't be like what you're thinking?"
They were all shiny, and they looked super expensive.
"These? They are expensive... If they break by mistake, just the repair costs alone... sigh."
I could feel from Seol-ah-unni's deep sigh that it was an amount I couldn't even imagine.
Still, seeing such flashy equipment, I really felt that she was an A-rank Hunter.
Honestly, last time she just played around with a drone that didn't have anything attached to it, so I wondered if she was really that good.
Since it's definitely a newbie zone, you can tell from the hunters' equipment that they haven't been awakened for long.
In that sense, Seol-ah-unni's drones were enough to draw everyone's attention.
-Isn't that kid super cute?
-Watch your mouth. Unless you want to get dragged away.
-Looks like a foreigner. Her skin is really good.
...It's because of the drones, right?
Unlike the Goblin Dungeon where there were almost no people, the Orc Dungeon had lots of hunters right from the entrance.
Maybe that's why just finding monsters was a chore. It's not like a game where you can claim a spot and hunt; every Orc I saw was already fighting other hunters.
"We are actually going to be able to catch Orcs today, right...?"
"Yeah. I didn't have much reason to come here either... I didn't know there would be this many people."
Seol-ah-unni seemed flustered, as if she hadn't anticipated this situation either.
"Since it's come to this, it's a bit of a hassle, but let's check the locations with the Scout Drones and go."
A blue window popped up in front of Seol-ah-unni, and she started tapping it busily.
I don't know what she's doing, but it just looks like a scene from a movie, so it looks pretty cool.
"All done. Let's go."
"What did you do?"
"I sent the Scout Drones as high as possible to locate the monsters and hunters. If I scan, I can check who is where."
"Oh..."
It's definitely convenient. Is this what an A-rank Hunter is? When I caught goblins, I spent all day looking for them.
At first, the ones that attacked me first started avoiding me at some point when they realized it wasn't working.
Following behind Seol-ah-unni, I saw Orcs walking around.
"They really look like pigs..."
How should I put it, if goblins were weird just because they had green skin, Orcs literally feel like pigs walking on two legs.
Each and every one of them was huge, and they were each holding different weapons in their hands.
"Want to try catching one?"
"Sure. Let's give it a try."
The Orcs hadn't noticed us yet. It would be easier if at least the first attack was a perfect surprise attack, right?
Quietly waiting for an opening-
"Now!"
I jumped up and slammed the Gohei down toward the head of the nearest Orc.
Thwack-!
A loud sound rang out, and the Orc that got hit in the head slumped down right there.
Kuooh-!
Seeing their comrade fall, the remaining two charged at me all at once.
'They're not even that fast.'
I lightly dodged the weapons the Orcs swung, and struck the other one on the crown of its head and its side.
"You're the only one left now, huh?"
The Orc, left alone in an instant, took a step back and crouched down on all fours.
"What? Are you trying to surrender or something?"
At that moment, the Orc kicked off the ground and charged straight at me.
Bang-!
"Ahyeon! Are you okay?"
"I-I'm okay!"
If I had been a second later in dodging, I would've been in big trouble. I thought they'd be slow because they're pigs, but their instantaneous charging speed is fierce.
"Blossom Kick!"
I immediately punished it with a kick. Where do you think you're going, trying to headbutt me all of a sudden.
"I did think you'd be able to catch them without much trouble, but... I didn't know you wouldn't even need my help."
"This much is easy!"
Getting praised makes me feel good for no reason. I want to catch more.
When Seol-ah-unni manipulated the window floating in the air again, small robots appeared and rummaged through the Orcs' corpses, then handed me something.
"What is this?"
"Mana Stone. It's what comes out when you catch monsters. Since goblins don't give you anything even if you catch them, this must be your first time seeing one."
So this is the Mana Stone I've only heard about in stories. It's pretty fascinating.
"Since it's an Orc, it won't be worth much, but since it's your first one, keep it as a souvenir."
I held the Mana Stone, which had a purple aura, in my hand and stood up.
"Let's catch a few more!"
"Sure. I'll help you too."