Final Battle 02 - Grumble? Yelp, Whimper...!
Having been tormented by Yeonwoo, the wolf let out a bewildered yelp. The other two, however, didn't care—they piled on the one stacked with pheromones and tore into it viciously.
Kraaaang!
Caught off guard by the inexplicable attack from its kin, the wolf leaped back. But the fangs of its packmate wouldn't let go, so it launched a desperate counterattack in its pheromone-weakened state. Thanks to that, the three of them tumbled together in a tangled heap.
"Good boys."
Yeonwoo approached the wolves on tiptoe, racking her brain for the most damaging option available.
More options got added.
After synthesizing the legendary weapon Long Live the Queen, she'd gained the regular options Advanced Destructive Power and Supporter. The advanced type offered about a 35% efficiency boost. The Supporter option was unfortunately useless to her right now.
If I get more weapons, it'll come in handy someday.
The most efficient attack was destructive power. But since it applied to blunt striking weapons like clubs, she couldn't use it with Gather Slash. Still, she could just beat them more instead of gathering power to swing.
I need to find a hammer I can wield with both hands.
It was better to hit as hard as possible. Using both hands would help her adapt to the weight and rotational force too. Unfortunately, her only blunt weapon was the mace.
Using the mace might as well be replaced by gathering power with the greatsword and slamming it down...
...No, wait.
There was something. A streetlamp. With a flick of her wrist, a long streetlamp materialized.
It didn't sparkle or light up, so no glow.
It's way longer than I thought.
This was her first time with something this massive. Her shrunken body made the unwieldy length even harder to handle. She'd learned her new height while at the hospital: 163.2 cm. The streetlamp easily exceeded 2 meters. Normally, it surpassed the acceptable limit for a weapon. Even compared to the greatsword, it was overwhelmingly longer.
I could hit even harder with this.
Yeonwoo gripped the end like a baseball bat and swung with all her might, as if stepping up to the plate.
Fwooooosh—!
The long length traced a massive arc.
Thwack!
A simple, clean sound. But the tremendous impact reverberated through her hands.
Yelp...?
Grrr...?
Only two cries. One hadn't even had time to make a sound before it perished.
"Oh. It works."
In contrast, Yeonwoo—the one who'd swung the streetlamp—grinned brightly.
Adapted strength list: Advanced Destructive Power, Basic Destructive Power, Basic Weight, and rotational force added from the massive swing radius. Simple math put it at about double the performance. And since it was a huge weapon swung with both hands, the power doubled again.
"With this body, one-shots seem to be the way to go."
Yeonwoo pulled back the streetlamp for another mighty swing.
Grrrrr!
The one gleefully tearing into its kin sensed the instinctive danger and charged at Yeonwoo. But the streetlamp was already in motion.
Thwack!
Keeeen...
The charging wolf collided mid-pole with the streetlamp. That was why it didn't drop in one hit.
Even so, a weapon like this is a bit much.
Even with her past Weapon Expert stigma, it was limited to weapons she'd used, carrying only those sensations. She couldn't wield a streetlamp proficiently right away.
Kheung! Kyang!
But basic application was plenty. Yeonwoo waited for an opening and thrust the streetlamp into the last wolf's maw.
Squelch—
Ke, kheung, ku...
The handle end pierced the final wolf's jaws, skewering its throat and churning internals.
"Hm. That's about it."
The short fight taught her plenty. She'd felt in her bones how options could trigger based on weapon form and actions. The pheromones worked the same way. Now, what about the final one: Superiority of Species Annihilation?
"Let's think."
Just like in the Ant Nest, she closed her eyes and exhaled calmly. Then she imagined. Image training.
The being ahead was a wolf. She held a whip, gazing down at it with a strangely flushed expression. Suppressing a sneer, her twisted gaze looked down as she cracked the whip playfully. Snapsnap.Ughhh.Snap!
"N-no, not that!"
Image training invalid. Canceled. Yeonwoo hurriedly scanned around, face flushing as she shook her head frantically. What if someone saw, even in imagination?
"...Yeah. Catching just three won't cut it."
It was superiority, but a slightly harsh kind of superiority had taken root. To normalize it, she'd need to slaughter more wolves. Or catch a higher specimen to adapt instantly.
"Last option still hidden."
She couldn't uncover the final ability of Queen’s Pheromones: ??? But there were hints. As a former Weapon Expert, she'd obsessively collected weapon info. To unlock hidden options, some synergistic power was needed. Usually, the stigma was key, so the same weapon could yield different powers. Synergy, in other words.
Conclusion: more weapons.
Her stigma wasn't a direct power itself. She had no choice but to gather as many options and special options as possible.
"Good enough for now."
Crunch!
Yeonwoo stabbed the streetlamp into the ground and leaned against it. Swinging such a massive thing by the tip was exhausting. Still, a satisfied smile bloomed.
The Battle on the Eve of the Wild Sanctuary Gate wasn't a place for a fresh Tier II hunter to solo farm. Just looking around confirmed it.
"Oh. Party over there."
Far off, inside a collapsed wall on the third level of the sanctuary, a group of hunters was visible. Two men and one woman.
Especially the woman stood out.
"She's huge."
A tall woman towering a full head above Yeonwoo. And wielding a massive two-handed axe, no less.
The two male hunters tied up wolves while the tall woman swiftly chopped them down.
Kwaang. Boom.
Her movements were so light and powerful, the impact felt vivid in Yeonwoo's ears despite the distance.
The party dispatched five wolves in seconds.
"Yeah. Efficient party."
Watching them, Yeonwoo nodded instinctively. Clean skills, clear role division. They even debriefed after the hunt, huddling with animated gestures.
Whatever they were saying, the motions were quick and aggressive. Then the woman stuck her hand straight out at the two men.
"...What the hell. Taunting them?"
Yeonwoo's eyes narrowed. Fist extended? No—a single finger proudly protruded.
The other two hunters flipped out. They even reached aggressively toward her.
But as if waiting, the woman smashed her fist into them.
Thud. Thud-thud.
Again, light and powerful motions. She floored the two men in an instant.
"Whoa."
Admiration leaked out in several senses.
Not satisfied, the woman leaned down toward the fallen hunters.
"...Did she just spit on them?"
An absurdly unreal scene. But one thing was clear.
"Better steer clear of that area."
One hard-earned lesson from a veteran hunter who'd rolled in the dirt like a dog: avoid crazy people.
Yeonwoo began seriously hunting wolves.
Knowing what Queen’s Pheromones did, she held off using it before facing packs. Some options had daily limits.
She was wary of the "pheromone accumulation based on capacity" part.
Instead, she made gains elsewhere. Her floating status window showed it.
▷ Grade: Rare
▷ Option: Mid-level Penetration
Gate: Acquired from wolves in Battle on the Eve of the Wild Sanctuary Gate
The third ability of her All Weapons stigma. The power to track weapons' traces.
"Reliable info, huh."
A weapon obtainable here in the Battle on the Eve. She knew its performance—and had even used it before. That's why she could pinpoint the exact acquisition condition.
She tried recalling others just in case, but no more windows appeared. Tracking seemed capped at two currently. Probably Tier II limits.
"It'll grow as I level up."
With a clear goal, Yeonwoo swept through the gate swiftly.
Hunting went smoothly. After a few wolf packs, her routine locked in.
First: Spot the pack. Sneak close, draw greatsword, gather power, hurl with full force.
The fiercely spinning greatsword sent one wolf to the afterlife with a crunch!
Yeonwoo extended her will; the greatsword scraped back along the ground. Her Tier II physical trait: Recall Weapon.
Switch to streetlamp. Full swing at the distant wolf—thwack! Another to the afterlife.
The last one didn't matter. No matter the weapon or distance, a lone wolf couldn't beat Yeonwoo.
Even testing with knuckles was a landslide win.
"Stacking up nicely."
Her inner power—experience—was building steadily. One more push and she'd hit the next stage.
"Huh."
Amid wolf corpses, an unusually large claw caught her eye. Hurrying over, a dagger resembling it was embedded in a body.
The tracked Wolf's Fifth Claw.
"Everything's going my way today?"
Yeonwoo grinned ear-to-ear, squatting by the corpse.
"..."
But something felt off. Hadn't something similar happened in the Ant Nest?
An ominous chill crept in. Yeonwoo slowly looked up.
Someone was approaching from ahead.
"...Wait."
A familiar silhouette. Towering height even from afar. Massive two-handed axe slung over the shoulder.
The crazy woman from before was striding right toward her.