Chapter 89
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 89
Chapter Title: School Trip (4)
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Monster Park was a well-made leisure facility for superhumans, often compared to Meiden's 'Great Labyrinth' series.
Created through the power of the S-Rank superhuman 'Beast Master,' it also bore the nickname of the safest hunting ground in the world.
"We'll need to verify your identities."
"Okay."
Naturally, visitors came from all over the world, so there were plenty of guides fluent in various languages.
"Kang Seoyul and Ha Siyeon, first-year students of the Korean Superhuman Academy. Identity confirmed. I will guide you inside."
This woman clearly wasn't Korean, but her Korean was remarkably fluent.
Maybe it was because Korea's profile was so high in this world, but there was a strange number of people who spoke Korean.
We followed the guide inside. The first thing that caught our eye was the brilliant interior of Monster Park.
Here and there, we also spotted adorable, chibi-fied versions of the monsters.
"Geumho. Let's get a drawing of you like that later."
I heard there was an artist here who did caricatures.
I would have to be sure to ask.
"Nyaaa."
Geumho, too, seemed to quite like the caricatures all around, letting out a happy cry.
"By the way, I had no idea that two people so famous even in Australia were dating."
the guide leading us remarked casually.
"A meeting of fire and ice. It's quite romantic."
Since we'd used a couple's ticket, it was only natural for her to assume we were dating.
It seemed she knew who we were, though.
"Haha."
For now, I responded with an awkward laugh that was neither a confirmation nor a denial.
Deny it, and we might get kicked out. Confirm it, and it could become an official news story.
"Seoyul"
Ha Siyeon grabbed my sleeve and tugged. I glanced at her. Her expression was strange. She'd been like this since we got on the bus. Was something wrong?
"So, uh, why is it a couples-only ticket?"
"Why?"
Come to think of it, did I not explain?
"I guess I didn't mention it. These were the only tickets left."
"Oh, oh! So that's what it was."
Ha Siyeon stammered, looking inexplicably flustered.
Her face was inexplicably red, too.
...Don't tell me.
I smiled mischievously.
"What? Did you think I was asking you out or something?"
"N-No? Of course not."
Her face turned even redder.
It was one hundred percent.
She must have thought I was making a move on her.
Let's see.
The romantically inept Ha Siyeon wouldn't just think something like this for no reason.
It was obvious her roommates had put some weird ideas in her head.
She probably heard things like, 'I think Seoyul likes you,' or 'Have fun on your date tomorrow~' and let her thoughts run wild.
It was plain as day.
Watching Ha Siyeon, her lips twitching and her face flushed, I laughed wickedly to myself.
"I had no idea. To think you had feelings for me, Siyeon."
"Nooooo. I said I don't!"
Her reactions were just priceless.
"But I'm sorry. A girl who collects barbells by brand is a little scary for me"
"I don't collect barbells! What are you talking about?!"
"And going to the training room for a date is a bit"
"Why would we go to the training room for a date?! No, before that, I don't like you, Seoyul!"
Siyeon shrieked, her face even redder.
I replied with an exaggeratedly shocked expression.
"I see. So you hated me all along, Siyeon."
"That's not what I meant...! Aaargh!"
Ah. This is fun.
Teasing Siyeon really was the best.
* * *
"Before you begin, I'll give you a brief overview of Monster Park."
Australia became a monster sanctuary after the Kraken attack in the past.
The Australian government wondered how to make efficient use of these monsters, and the result was this very 'Monster Park.'
"You can earn points when you defeat monsters."
They cleared the monsters' land to minimize the danger and built a barrier to create a single facility.
None of this would have been possible without the power of Australia's S-Rank superhuman, 'Beast Master.'
"The points you earn can be exchanged for prizes after you finish."
Monster Park had three main advantages.
First.
You could gain experience by hunting a wide variety of monsters.
You could encounter Australia's diverse monsters all in one place.
Second.
Despite that, it was safe.
It was a hunting ground where perfect safety was guaranteed under the Beast Master's control.
Third.
In addition to experience, you could also earn points to get prizes.
Most people came to Monster Park for these prizes.
"You can only earn points when you defeat monsters with the equipment we provide."
The guide smiled sweetly as she looked at Geumho in my arms.
It meant that while bringing a guardian beast was fine, you couldn't earn points if it killed a monster, so we had to be careful.
"That is all. Please have a wonderful time."
The guide gave a slight bow.
"Thank you. Let's go."
"Okay. Thank you~"
We headed into Monster Park.
"Whoa."
"Wow. It's a Mantis Kangaroo."
As we entered, the first thing we saw was a Mantis Kangaroo, a monster that could be called Australia's identity.
It looked just like a normal kangaroo, but it got its name because its hands were like the bladed forelegs of a praying mantis.
"There's a Venom Crocodile over there, too."
A Venom Crocodile was floating in a lake to one side.
It was an extremely dangerous creature that carried a fatal poison, causing instant death upon being bitten, but the Venom Crocodiles here in Monster Park had a paralyzing toxin instead of a fatal one.
Apparently, the Beast Master had modified them before putting them in.
"It's so strange that those two can live in the same space. They're famous natural enemies."
Ha Siyeon was running around excitedly like a child at an amusement park for the first time.
"They're not even charging at us, even though they see us."
"The Beast Master really is amazing, huh?"
"Yeah, yeah!"
I double-checked the equipment I'd been given.
A bow and a dagger for me.
A sword for Siyeon.
We could earn points by defeating monsters with this specially-rigged equipment.
"Since we're here, should we aim for first place?"
The top prizes here were pretty incredible. There were even a few things that I, with my high standards from seeing Ancient Relics, found tempting.
"Come on. A lot of pro superhumans come here."
Siyeon whispered in my ear.
"Unless you break your seal or something, first place would be tough, don't you think?"
"You never know."
I set Geumho down on the ground.
"Who knows? Maybe we'll even meet a Golden Named."
Monster Park was home to golden monsters that awarded a massive amount of points.
They were commonly called Golden Monsters, and at the very top was the Golden Named.
A legendary creature, of which only one was said to exist on the vast grounds of Monster Park.
It had never once been discovered since Monster Park's inception.
The Beast Master had officially stated only that it was beast-shaped and very nimble.
"Wouldn't a Golden Named be super strong?"
"Who knows."
The original novel never even mentioned Monster Park, so I had no idea either.
"Oh, right. Siyeon."
"Yeees?"
The entrance zone would be easy enough, so it wouldn't be a bad idea to use Communion now.
"Let's hold hands. For about an hour."
"...Huh?"
* * *
"The entrance really is a walk in the park."
We were walking through Monster Park, holding hands. It was easy enough to take down any monsters we saw, even while linked like this.
I glanced at Ha Siyeon, who was humming and bouncing along beside me.
A little while ago, I had given Ha Siyeon a nicely packaged explanation about Communion.
I dressed it up as a special contract of the Celestial Clan, explaining that her magic power would increase by one rank if she stayed near me.
I added that the condition for forming this contract was to hold hands for one hour.
The moment I finished speaking, my hand was in hers.
The way her eyes sparkled at the mention of a one-rank increase in magic power was still vivid in my mind.
She'd been in high spirits ever since.
"You happy?"
"Yeah! So happy!"
I'm glad she's happy.
"Ah! Isn't that a Named over there?"
"Huh?"
I turned my head in the direction Ha Siyeon was pointing.
There stood a single, giant spider. Its glossy, metallic skin caught the eye.
"I think you're right. An Iron Spider."
Iron Spider.
Its skin was iron, and the webs it shot from its mouth were also iron.
And not just any iron, but magic-infused steel smelted with mana inside the Iron Spider's body, making it extremely durable.
"...To run into that thing."
It was one of the higher-ranking Named monsters.
"What should we do? I don't think we can take it on in our current state."
Ha Siyeon's eyes had already sharpened. It seemed she was treating this as a real battle and raising her tension.
"...It's a shame to give up on the points, though."
I checked the time with my free left hand. About 54 minutes had passed since we started holding hands.
"The condition will be met in six minutes. Let's act after that."
"Ah, okay. We can wait six minutes."
"Geumho. Make yourself small, just in case."
"Nyaa."
We crouched down in a bush, monitoring the Iron Spider while we formulated a plan.
"The Iron Spider is weak to the fire attribute, right?"
"Yeah. I heard its mana conductors are weak to heat."
"Then Geumho and I will draw its attention, and you can attack, Seoyul. With the bow? Or the dagger?"
"I think I'll have to decide based on the situation, but probably the bow?"
Time flew by as we exchanged opinions.
And exactly six minutes later.
*Flash-!*
A strange light shimmered around both my and Ha Siyeon's bodies. A sort of pinkish aura is how I'd describe it.
It was a bizarre flash.
"Did it work?"
"Yeah. Probably?"
Looking over, Siyeon seemed to be checking her status window.
Her eyes widened into circles. A smile spread across her lips, broadcasting her joy.
"A-Rank magic power! This is insane!"
She cheered, absolutely thrilled.
Of course, she was happy. She had just reached B-Rank magic power not long ago, and now she'd jumped to A-Rank in no time at all.
I get it, but
"Hey. The Iron Spider is glaring at you like it wants to kill you."
"Ah."
Thanks to her, the Iron Spider had spotted us. In that instant, it sprang into action.
*Shashashak.*
It flew through the air with a speed unbefitting a spider.
No, it must have been moving along the steel threads it had already laid out in the air.
"Stick to the plan! You too, Geumho!"
"R-Right! And sorry!"
Ha Siyeon was the first to draw her sword and fly toward the Iron Spider.
"Grrrr"
Geumho, who had instantly returned to his original size, followed after her.
I let out a small sigh as I took the bow from my back.
I was going to check my increased magic power, too.
Well, since Siyeon's went up, mine must have as well.
I nocked an arrow to the string.
*Clang! Kang!*
The Iron Spider was reeling from the combined assault of Ha Siyeon and Geumho. Ha Siyeon's ice magic had become noticeably more powerful.
"There's definitely a difference between B-Rank and A-Rank."
At this rate, they could win even without my support. No, Ha Siyeon could win by herself.
Even if this Iron Spider was a modified, weakened version by the Beast Master, I hadn't expected her to overwhelm it like this.
As expected, magic power was crucial for the Sanctuary of Ice.
The mobility of her Ice Wings seemed to have improved, too.
If she used Ice Empress, she could probably crush even a real Iron Spider on her own.
Well, anyway, the plan was for me to deliver the finishing blow.
*Fwoooosh-*
I focused my mana into the arrow.
A fire-attribute aura flickered to life.
Simultaneously, I made it spin.
The bow version of the Spiral Spear I had demonstrated at the archery range in the past. Spiral Arrow.
I hadn't yet solved the drawback of its long cast time, but when someone was buying time so well for me upfront, that drawback ceased to be a drawback.
*Fwoooooosh-!*
The rotating flames radiated an even more intense heat.
Wait, isn't this a bit too powerful?
I had only charged it for about three seconds, but the hand holding the bowstring was already trembling.
The mana contained in the arrow pulsed as if about to explode.
"Huk!"
By the five-second mark.
I felt I had reached the limit of my charge.
Any longer and it would be impossible to control.
"Siyeon! Geumho!"
At my shout, they both moved at once.
*Thwam!*
Just as Geumho slammed into the Iron Spider with all his might.
*C-crack-*
Ha Siyeon sealed its movements with her ice magic.
"Seoyul!"
Having completed their tasks, the two of them quickly moved out of the way.
Perfect.
"Hoo."
I focused my senses on the bow.
This would be enough, but.
For some reason, I felt greedy.
Just how much could I do with this enhanced magic power?
That kind of greed.
Arrow of Wind.
I imbued the arrow with wind.
The synergy of the fire and wind attributes made the flames rage even more fiercely.
A violent storm of fire that felt like it would fly from my grasp if I lost focus for even a second.
It was all condensed into the small form of an arrow.
"...Wow."
Taking Ha Siyeon's gasp of awe as my signal.
*Piiiiing-!*
I released the string.
"Ugh!"
With a ferocious sound, my body was thrown backward.
I blinked slightly as I felt a shocking backlash of power, similar to what I'd felt when I used [Blessing of the World Tree] in the past.
A momentary blink.
A massive hole had been blown clean through the Iron Spider's body.
*Thud-*
I collapsed to the ground, my jaw hanging open in amazement.
"...That's insane."
The collaboration between the fire-attribute aura and the Arrow of Wind was far more incredible than I had imagined.
"Seoyul! What was that just now?"
Ha Siyeon asked, her eyes wide with shock.
"I've been calling it Spiral Arrow, but"
"Spiral? Ah, so you made the aura rotate"
Ha Siyeon nodded repeatedly with an impressed expression.
"Indeed, if you add the principles of rotation"
Then she started muttering to herself with a serious look.
Somehow, I had a feeling I'd be seeing something like a 'Spiral Ice Sword' in the future.
More importantly, the increase in my magic power seemed too large.
I closed my eyes and checked my mana.
I traced it back through my mana veins, feeling the core of magic in my heart.
"Hmm?"
No matter how I looked at it, this wasn't the amount of mana from a one-rank increase.
In that moment, lightning struck my mind.
Could it be?
I checked my left side, angling myself so Ha Siyeon couldn't see.
Just as I thought.
The Incubus Clan's tattoo, which had been there this morning, was gone.
It seemed the effect of completely assimilating the Incubus Clan's trait was an increase in magic power.
< School Trip (4) > End