Huitzilopochtli Raid (3)
Han Sia and Lee Cheol-uk's raid party—or rather, a party that could just as well be led by Min Jihun now—was slowly but carefully advancing along the forest path toward the exit.
A small beam of sunlight filtering through the dense canopy of the forest illuminated the party members.
Small lights from the scout lamp also danced across Jihun's face. These lights circled gently over his eyes, the bridge of his nose, his lips, his jawline, his earlobes, and his cheeks, tracing every contour with soft, restless grace.
Han Sia's eyes, who had been standing beside him, were chasing those restless lights. She stared blankly, unsure whether she was following the lights or Jihun's face, and suddenly realized that seeing his face this close was truly rare after such a long time.
Like a delicate line drawing sketched with thin pens on white paper, his sharp features, clean skin, and hair that looked effortlessly tousled even as he kept his forehead exposed first caught her eye.
Under his forehead came shallow double eyelids, thin but dense eyelash lines, slightly sunken eyes, and the shadow of his eyebrows arching above them.
Her overall impression of his eyes was whether it should be called boyish or delicate. No, rather, it felt like it should be described as the face of a tragic heroine.
His straight nose, full lips, and everything attached to his face flowed with a blend of masculinity and femininity—boyishness, perhaps. If it weren't for his chiseled jawline and muscular, thick neck that gave him a masculine edge, the expression "a pretty woman who looks good in men's clothes" would have suited his face far better.
Han Sia had been staring at this face intently for the first time in a long while.
She had always, without realizing it, let her gaze linger on Jihun's face for endless moments, but the moment their eyes met, she could never understand why she turned away, or why his face kept flickering in her mind afterward.
'It's not even the kind of face I usually like....'
Her usually dazed eyes sometimes turned deeply melancholic, like a moon veiled behind thin clouds, which was especially not her taste.
Actually, it hadn't started that way, but the mistake she had made that day by overlooking those eyes that stirred her maternal instincts and protective instincts still made her teeth chatter whenever she remembered it.
Yet for some reason, today's gaze felt different.
It carried a resolute determination, as if she would protect everyone here.
'Maybe this is his true self?'
But she soon tore her gaze away and shook her head vigorously.
If this were his true self, she wouldn't be able to forgive it as it was.
'Why was that guy acting like he could protect everything back then...'
To shake off the swirling thoughts in her head and the face flickering before her eyes again, Sia shook her head once more.
"We're here, everyone."
At that moment, Jihun's voice halting the raid party helped clear Sia's mind.
"From here on out, we'll follow the plan. Lee Cheol-uk and I will be the only ones going outside the forest."
Han Sia nodded silently.
"Then, seniors, please lend me a hand."
Jihun extended both hands to Mr. Kim and Mr. Lee.
Among the hunters, was there anyone who didn't know Mr. Kim and Mr. Lee?
At first glance, with their bandit-like appearance, it was natural to mistake them for a tank and dealer duo, but contrary to appearances, they were a kind and incredibly capable healer duo.
As the axiom "Healers Help Healers" suggested, these two uncles had matched their ideal chemistry from the very first meeting, formed a duo, and started always going around together.
Unlike other healers who poured all their stats into healing, this duo built their skill trees complementarily so that their skills didn't overlap—from healing to poison treatment to buffs.
First, Mr. Kim and Mr. Lee each took one of Jihun's hands. Then, as if holding both hands and praying together, they closed their eyes and gently poured encouraging words.
After the warmth transferred from the clasped hands, the process of hair standing on end or feeling drowsy finally ended, and vitality began to envelop the body.
It was an overflowing and warm energy that couldn't be compared to the awakening effect felt by pouring in caffeine.
"Mighty and Haste have been cast, increasing strength and agility stats first. With Iron Will cast as well, that oppressive feeling from the monster guy won't bother us at all."
"I cast Rejuvenation. For about 30 minutes, the current vitality will be maintained. I know your senses are already excellent, but I added a buff to make your senses more sensitive. When you enter actual combat and your heart rate rises, it will feel like the world's time is flowing at half speed."
'My god.'
Jihun was in a state where he couldn't help but feel that the overprotective blessing given to him as a mere D-rank was excessive.
"I will definitely respond to both of your expectations."
'And this guy...'
Jihun looked back at Lee Cheol-uk.
'Since you're an immortal anyway, no need to worry.'
For some reason, today he extended his fist to the comrade from the North who looked trustworthy.
Lee Cheol-uk, who first punched Jihun's fist.
After taking a deep breath, he took a stance as if ready to jump out at any moment.
"See you later, comrade."
"Yeah, be careful."
Lee Cheol-uk, who laughed loudly at the meaning of "be careful," jumped out of the forest, and almost simultaneously, a loud noise from Huitzilopochtli echoed.
Kyah! Kyak-kyak!
As if waiting, right after Lee Cheol-uk came out of the forest, Huitzilopochtli appeared. As expected, the guy didn't rush in but prepared to throw a javelin from the air.
The half-man, half-bird monster, with arms and shoulders pulled back far, gathering strength.
Upon closer look, the spear had a pattern engraved like a snake wrapping around the spear. As Huitzilopochtli pulled his body further back, the snake pattern came alive and coiled like a spring.
'Cheol-uk... I'm sorry.'
Swoosh!
Before the sound of the spear cutting through the wind, it stuck into the ground. The belated whooshing sound echoed, making the forest leaves flutter.
"Kr... Uaaaaaaaak!!!!!!"
"Che-Cheol-uk!!"
Again, Huitzilopochtli threw the spear aiming for the prey's heart. Lee Cheol-uk barely dodged it, but one of his arms was bitten and torn by the snake's mouth, rolling on the floor.
He wanted to jump out immediately, but he couldn't yet. Jihun bit his lip so hard that blood flowed from his mouth.
'Come out to the ground soon, you bird bastard..'
Huitzilopochtli was circling above Lee Cheol-uk as if waiting for the prey's windpipe to be cut.
When the snake poison spread to Lee Cheol-uk's body, his innocent face turned purplish-blue, and only then did it descend beside him.
Approaching Huitzilopochtli to Lee Cheol-uk writhing in pain from the severed arm and the poison spreading throughout his body.
Then, he picked up Lee Cheol-uk's arm rolling on the ground and held it in front of Lee Cheol-uk's face.
"Kyaak! This bastard!!"
The guy lifting the severed arm as if raising a medicine and waving it in front of the owner's eyes.
Jihun's impulse to jump out and give the guy a face slap was rising, but he didn't lose his composure until the end.
"Just a little longer... I have to drag out the time as much as possible. Rather, this is the guy giving us time."
The half-man, half-bird monster seemed to be waiting for the prey's body to be poisoned and the breath to be cut.
However, the progress was slower than expected. No, rather, it was recovering.
The blood gushing from the arm torn below the elbow had stopped cleanly, leaving only a pool of blood, as if it had never happened, and new flesh had already begun to sprout.
The face that had turned blue from the snake poison was slowly returning to normal.
Lee Cheol-uk's Super Regeneration ability and Healing Factor had started doing their job.
The severed arm would grow back before he knew it. Although it might look a bit disgusting.
"By the way, I sent him out as bait, and saying 'be careful' was kind of funny, even to me."
Jihun smiled awkwardly.
And Huitzilopochtli, who tilted his head curiously at this sight.
"Kkkrk Hey, bro, you're almost done? What are you doing, huh?"
Lee Cheol-uk, whose condition had improved, provoked him, and only then did he realize something was wrong and reached out to retrieve the spear.
"Sia! Now!"
"Desert Wind, tear and burn the enemy in front of you, Sandstorm."
Jihun shot out with Han Sia's chant. Huitzilopochtli, the half-man, half-bird monster, recognized Jihun's face and narrowed his eyes.
'Criminal who stole the offering by impersonating a shaman.'
The half-man, half-bird who went to pull out his spear directly to judge the criminal, was hit by a desert sandstorm.
Originally, Han Sia's ultimate wide-area skill, Sandstorm, was a terrifying technique that would shred a few goblins or orcs to pieces and turn them into kebabs with hot wind, regardless of how many there were.
However, as a wide-area skill, the concentrated firepower on a single point was not high.
'Well, I can't deal big damage, it's good for stalling time. But this should be enough within the expected range.'
Jihun rushed head-on toward Huitzilopochtli whose skin was being peeled off a little by the hot sandstorm.
At the moment when Jihun's machete swung aiming for the monster's neck hit the neck. Huitzilopochtli's eyes, which had barely opened in the sandstorm, widened as if about to pop out.
Clang!
However, when it hit the neck covered with a lot of feathers, the machete bounced back with a metallic sound.
"Kkuk!"
Jihun grabbed his wrist, which was unexpectedly shocked.
The half-man, half-bird, who received an unexpected attack, looked momentarily flustered, and then seeing Jihun, burst into a disgusting laugh.
"Kyah! Kyah! Kyah! Kyak-kyak!"
"What a disgusting laugh. Agro got you. Stop laughing now?"
However, Huitzilopochtli started laughing even more strangely, as if he had understood Jihun's words.
"Kyah-kyah-kyah-kyah-kyah! Kyah! Kyah! Kyah-kyah-kyah!"
Jihun discarded the machete and clenched both fists.
"You can't do this, bro. Let's get hit by you first."