Chapter 74
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 74
Chapter Title: Action (3)
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Hunting elite monsters was going more smoothly than expected.
This is a cakewalk. Are we gonna take first place at this rate?
Yeah. There aren't as many competitors as I thought.
Despite being in an area where elite monsters frequently appeared, we didn't see many other teams.
It seemed everyone else had decided to play it safe and hunt regular monsters instead of elites.
So that's three of them. If we count them as regular monsters...
That's probably worth about thirty regulars, right?
About that.
I didn't know whether to call it good luck or bad, but we've only run into elite monsters since we got here.
At this rate, are we gonna run into a real Honey Bear?
Everyone was excited.
For everyone except Ha Siyeon, these were their first elite monsters, so the experience boost would be massive.
It was only natural for them to be happy.
...Not that I get any experience.
Siyeon, what's your mana level?
Me?
Ha Siyeon, who had been walking at the front and keeping watch, turned to look at me.
I've got about 80% left.
Plenty to spare.
Yeah.
This was practical training, so she was benefiting from her gear, and she'd only used mana when absolutely necessary. It was unlikely she'd run low.
But I asked just in case.
Then I can count on you if something dangerous happens, right?
...Something dangerous?
Yeah.
I drew my dagger.
At the same time, the ground trembled.
It was a very faint tremor, but not a single team member was unaware of what it signified.
...You've got to be kidding me.
A real Honey Bear?
The Honey Bear.
A special monster that refines external mana and stores it as a thick liquid in its gallbladder.
Its defining trait is that it remains hidden underground, inactive, until its gallbladder is full of mana.
And this faint vibration was the phenomenon that occurred as it surfaced.
I took my stance, facing the epicenter of the vibration, and shouted.
Everyone, battle stations!
I really didn't expect this, but here it is.
You all know this, but be careful. This thing is on a whole other level compared to the last three.
Okay.
We quickly took our positions.
Soon, the ground at the epicenter began to heave.
ROOOOAR!
With a great roar, a massive bear burst forth, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Aside from its yellow fur, it looked no different from an ordinary bear.
Go, Siyeon-mon! Quick Attack!
First strike wins.
Siyeon-siyeon... Hey! I told you not to do that in public!
At the same time, Ha Siyeon coated her sword in ice and charged the still-dazed Honey Bear.
I followed close behind her, just a step slower.
CLANG!
A sharp clang rang out as the Honey Bear's claws met Ha Siyeon's sword.
Ha Siyeon used the impact to launch herself backward.
Whoa. Look at that strength.
Ha Siyeon shook out her right hand, which had been gripping the sword.
It seemed to be tingling.
Bear-type monsters are always strong.
Next, the cadet acting as our tank and I charged in.
Hup!
CRASH!
As expected of the cadet dedicated to the tank position, he blocked one of the Honey Bear's forepaws with his shield, creating an opening for me.
Nice!
I moved in closer to the Honey Bear's chest. In that instant, a white light shimmered over my body.
Song of the Warrior!
It was a buff skill from the female student acting as our support.
Feeling my body grow lighter, I read the paths of the wind unfolding before me.
Two thick trajectories, thicker than any I'd ever seen.
One was aimed at my side, the other arcing down toward the shield-wielding cadet.
If I dodged, the tank would surely be turned into minced meat.
No choice.
A red light flickered within [Mastery of the Weapon], and a red aura rippled across my dagger.
Just as the Honey Bear raised its forepaw.
*Fwoosh!*
I activated 'Predator's Intent'.
The Honey Bear's body momentarily stiffened, creating a huge opening.
I didn't miss that golden opportunity.
My dagger shot toward the Honey Bear's eye.
*Stab!*
But my dagger only managed to pierce its right forepaw.
The Honey Bear had instantly shaken off the paralysis from Predator's Intent.
It had moved its paw into the dagger's path to protect its eye.
Normally, it would have been deflected, but the 'Horn of the Latent Dragon' was an A-rank weapon.
Its cutting power, far superior to a training dagger, succeeded in piercing the beast's hide.
With this, the Honey Bear's left forepaw was tied up with the tank, and its right was pinned by my dagger.
At that moment, Ha Siyeon rushed in.
As swift as a hawk zeroing in on its prey.
In a flash, she closed in and aimed for the Honey Bear's right forepaw.
*SQUELCH!*
Blood sprayed like a fountain as the Honey Bear's forepaw flew into the air.
Nice!
It was a perfect sever, only possible because its durability had been lowered by Predator's Intent.
Kruooooooh!
Along with the beast's roar, an arrow came flying.
It was from our archer, who had been waiting for an opening from the rear.
*Thwack*
It struck true, landing squarely in the right eye of the Honey Bear, which was writhing in pain.
With that, both its right arm and eye were useless.
Its right side was now a complete blind spot.
If we just targeted that side, we should be able to finish it off safely.
Hey! I can't hold on much longer!
The tank holding back the Honey Bear's left forepaw shouted urgently.
Siyeon, you cover him! I'll attack!
Okay!
With help from Ha Siyeon and the others, the tank successfully created some distance. In that time, I retrieved the Horn of the Latent Dragon and positioned myself on the Honey Bear's right.
Hoo...
At the same time, I formed a spiral-shaped aura on my dagger and made it spin.
Thanks to the evolution of my mana veins, a faster, more powerful aura was born.
I quickly launched myself forward.
Huh?
It was a strange sensation.
Fast.
My body is much faster than I thought.
It feels like it's not my own body.
...No. This isn't the time to think about that.
Focus!
*Whoosh!*
I thrust the dagger, shimmering with its spiral aura, toward the Honey Bear's neck.
With no right eye and no right forepaw, its right side was a perfect blind spot.
On top of that, it was engaged with the other team members on its left.
It was an attack it absolutely couldn't dodge.
!
But the Honey Bear reacted.
Was it due to a wild animal's instinct?
Or did it instinctively sense how dangerous my attack was?
Seoyul!
The beast ignored all the other team members' attacks and thrust its claws at me.
It was a perfect counter.
At this rate, my body would surely be skewered by those sharp claws.
Kuh!
In that moment, a path of wind opened.
The only way to avoid the dark red trajectory, glinting with viscous killing intent, appeared before my eyes.
At the same time, my eyes widened.
...Is this even possible?
It was an unreasonable escape route, one that seemed impossible to follow with my current physical abilities.
But there was no time to think.
With no other option, I had to trust the path of the wind!
I immediately put the plan into action.
I twisted my body in mid-air.
I changed the dagger's trajectory.
I shifted my center of gravity to match the direction of the aura spinning around the dagger.
Precisely at an angle that would allow the Honey Bear's attack to flow downward.
And I used the direction of that force to fling my body away.
This movement, executed in an instant,
*Screeech! Clang!*
perfectly deflected the Honey Bear's claws.
And the failure of its trump card,
Ice Wall Flash!
meant a huge opening had been created.
*Shing!*
An even colder chill rippled from Siyeon's sword as it moved like a flash of light.
*Slice!*
With the sound of something being sliced,
*Crack*
I heard the sound of blood freezing.
*Thud*
I landed on the ground, breaking my fall, and immediately looked up.
The Honey Bear's head was flying through the air.
*CRASH*
Soon, the Honey Bear's lifeless body collapsed to the ground with a thud.
After a moment of silence,
we realized we had won.
Whoa. Damn. I almost died.
The tank who had been fighting on the front line was the first to collapse to the ground.
Seoyul!
Ha Siyeon, having retracted all her mana, ran over to me.
Her face was filled with worry.
Are you okay?
Huh? Oh, yeah.
I was dumbfounded.
Just now... how did I dodge that?
Song of Vitality!
The support, the second to arrive, cast a healing buff on me.
Thanks.
Whoa. Seoyul, what was that move just now?
How is a move like that possible at that timing?
Your reaction speed and coping skills are inhuman.
Everyone seemed to be in awe of my earlier evasion.
No, more importantly, Seoyul, do you have some kind of instant acceleration skill?
...Instant acceleration?
The archer, who had been focused on backup from a distance, spoke up.
Yeah. Your speed from that final dash was on another level. Your final dodge, too.
I did feel like my body had gotten lighter when I dashed.
...Wait a minute. My speed increased?
Huh? Seoyul. Your thigh is bleeding.
Huh?
Ha Siyeon pointed to my right thigh.
Sure enough, the protective gear on my thigh had been completely shredded by the Honey Bear's claws.
No, this is...
Thanks to that, the skin underneath was clearly visible. Of all places, it was right where the 'Beastkin Tattoo' was carved!
...Huh?
At first, I was flustered.
The panic came from the thought that my team members had seen the tattoo.
Luckily, it's not deep.
Yeonseul. You should cast Song of Healing, too.
Okay.
But that panic soon turned to joy.
But wow, Seoyul, your skin there is so smooth. And really pale.
Siyeon, that's sexual harassment.
It's fine! Seoyul pokes me all the time, so we're both at fault!
...What exactly is your relationship?
There was no such thing as a tattoo on my thigh.
This could only mean one thing.
'Predator's Intent' had become 'fully assimilated' after that last use.
And for Beastkin, full assimilation meant an increase in physical abilities.
In other words.
My current physical ability stat has risen to D-rank.
Yeah. It looks like there's no problem.
The support who had been tending to my wound wrapped a bandage around my thigh and stood up.
I stood up as well.
Anyway, great work, everyone. What should we do with the Honey Bear's honey?
Hmm. Wouldn't it be best to just split it evenly?
Ha Siyeon suggested cautiously.
People who need money can sell it. Those who don't can consume it.
That's the cleanest way.
I agreed.
For the record, I'm going to consume it.
Honey Bear's honey is a supreme elixir that increases one's mana capacity.
They say eating too much has side effects, but there's no need to worry with just 80ml.
...Uh, I didn't really do much. Is that okay?
One of the team members spoke up timidly.
Come on. If the support provides proper backup, that's more than enough. Same for everyone else.
I appreciate you saying that, but...
Everyone performed brilliantly in their respective roles.
Then I'll take that as everyone agreeing. We'll divide the Honey Bear's honey precisely...
It was then.
KUUUUUOOOOOOH!
A monstrous roar echoed from the distance.
It was a roar filled with such ferocious spirit that goosebumps erupted all over my body and my legs began to tremble involuntarily.
W-What was that?
That roar just now...
It sounded really close, didn't it?
The other team members seemed to feel the same. But the panic and anxiety I felt was on a different level from theirs.
...No way.
As far as I know, there's only one being in this field capable of letting out a roar with that much presence.
The Tyrant Drake?
What?
No, that can't be right.
The Drake's territory is a long way from here.
There's no way it would leave its territory and come all the way out here.
But my anxiety soon became reality.
Kyaaaaah!
Run!
Screams echoed from the distance, along with the sound of trees being crushed underfoot.
And a moment later.
*Crack. CRUNCH!*
The giant tree in front of us snapped like a twig, and at the same time,
Holy shit.
KROOOOOOOOOH!
The Tyrant Drake revealed itself before us. Still-warm blood trickled from between its sharp teeth.
It had already chewed several people to death.
And it seemed we were its next prey.
...Son of a bitch.
I sprinted toward the carrier I had left nearby.
But there was no time to even open it.
*Thump! Thump! Thump!*
The beast had started charging toward me.
Seoyul!
Ha Siyeon rushed at the beast, but it was no use.
Kyah!
At this rate, I would surely die. No, not just me.
Team 2 would be wiped out.
Dammit.
It was then that the mana in my body began to drain rapidly.
Ugh!
For a moment, my head spun, and my vision went white with dizziness.
*Ting*
A second passed. No, maybe two.
In any case, more than enough time had passed for me to become the Drake's meal.
I slowly opened my eyes.
Grrrr...
I saw a golden light.
Familiar, brilliant golden fur.
...Geumho?
Geumho stood majestically before me, facing off against the Drake.
It was the first time I'd seen Geumho at his original size in nearly a month.
How in the world did he get here? No, more importantly,
You... why are you so big?
Geumho, who had already been the size of an elephant, had doubled in size.