Chapter 41
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 41
Chapter Title: CDT (2)
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"Thanks~"
He flashed a cheeky grin and waved at me.
William Mountbatten Jr.
The prince of the British royal family and a cadet at the Hunter Academy.
He possessed the unique ability to shape mana into his weapons.
That golden shield and golden sword.
William controlled them solely through mana flow without lifting a finger.
He was famous for never taking his hands out of his pockets during battle, not even once.
Ah-young asked in surprise.
"...Prince William?"
"It's an honor to meet the daughter of the Yoon Family... even if she's a failure."
"What???"
"Hahaha. Don't get so worked up. Your ugly face gets even uglier when you frown. Miss Yoon Ah-young... A 'good' inferiority complex can actually drive a person to improve. Just like you. So take it in stride."
"...Damn it. What did you say???"
It was rare to see Yoon Ah-young this pissed off.
I gripped my weapon tightly.
That guy had deliberately blocked my attack and killed the kobold.
It was purely for points.
There was zero intention of 'city defense' behind it.
This man didn't even grasp the meaning of the training.
William looked at me and asked.
"And who's this butcher next to you...? Or slave...? Whatever, who are you?"
This bastard had a real talent for insulting people.
I swallowed my anger and answered.
"...Kang Tae-hyun."
"Ah~ So you're Kang Tae-hyun. You look as worthless as the rumors say. Oh, oh. Back in the old days... you wouldn't even have been able to meet my eyes... Times have really changed for the better, haven't they? Right, Tae-hyun?"
"...Yeah. They've improved."
The world had improved a lot.
If there were no laws, I'd have turned you into a human pancake right now.
"...Well then, I'll be off. I hope you 'survive' this training too. Let's both do our best—you for the top spot, and you all just to 'survive' another day... you know."
His words made academy life sound like scraping by day to day.
...Even that arrogant prick would later become the leader of the White Holy Knights.
He was someone with skills you couldn't underestimate.
William turned and left.
He moved by floating slightly in the air using mana flow.
Then, as if remembering something, he turned back.
"Oh, right. Have you all happened to see Miss Ga-yeon?"
Ah, that reminded me.
This guy was obsessively fanboying over Hong Ga-yeon.
I didn't know why, but there was a rumor he'd brought a pure white steed all the way from England to win her favor.
Of course, Hong Ga-yeon hadn't accepted the white horse.
"No. Haven't seen her."
William's face twisted at my response.
"...Tch. Looking at you lot... makes me think even caterpillars can't roll. Well then, excuse me."
Having lost interest, William went on his way.
Inconspicuous but numerous butlers and maids would be attending him from the shadows.
The difference between Irina and William was clear.
Despite her noble lineage, Irina had no hunter-talented personnel around her.
But the William family had a tradition of mana users.
From the butler families serving him to the maid families— all were hunters who could wield mana.
'...In terms of influence, no one surpasses William in this school.'
I was already worried about his tyranny when he became the top second-year.
Above all, I had to prevent him from winning the Officer Academy 'Commander-in-Chief' election, which he could run for starting in second year.
That was something for second year.
"...Ugh, what a guy. So annoying..."
"...Calm down..."
She was fuming, huffing and puffing.
A new side of Yoon Ah-young.
It felt a bit fresh.
After a moment of silence, she whispered to me.
"...Tae-hyun. Am I really that ugly?"
"What?"
If Yoon Ah-young was ugly, then what would count as beautiful?
She seemed oblivious that this guy didn't see any woman but Hong Ga-yeon as a woman.
I let out a deep sigh.
"...You're not ugly. Focus on the training."
"...Yeah. Okay..."
I headed to the next operational zone.
Yoon Ah-young trailed after me with quick little steps.
Gates spawning in cities were quite rare.
Moreover, so many gates appearing simultaneously was definitely the work of monsters level 10 or higher.
Such a flood of gates had only happened twice in history.
The First Gate.
The Second Gate.
In the end, Hunter Headquarters failed to stop either the First or Second Gate.
The consequences of failing to close the gates were devastating.
Most citizens of the affected nations lost their homes, and countless hunters, soldiers, and civilians died.
Even now, their unrecovered bodies remained on the battlefields.
To prevent such tragedies from ever happening again, city defense training was essential.
Hongdae Entrance Station defense line.
"Third Platoon, engage!"
The marksmen loaded with mana bullets aimed at the monsters ahead.
"Fire!"
Rat-tat-tat!!!
The non-commissioned officers' bullets turned the goblin horde into Swiss cheese in one go.
"Second Platoon, engage!"
As the third reloaded, the second stepped up.
"Fire!"
Rat-tat-tat!!!
They unleashed a barrage of mana bullets.
Mana bullets differed from standard automatic rifle rounds.
They required time to reload.
This was to ensure mana fully imbued the bullets.
That's why the M1 anti-kaiju rifle used bolt-action loading.
With every volley from the NCOs, the ground filled with spent casings.
At that moment, rose petals fluttered in.
The marksmen paused their fire at the sudden petals.
"Sergeant! There's one person up front!"
"A cadet?"
"Unclear."
Dust from the gunfire obscured the view ahead.
In that instant, kobolds swarmed in.
"...Damn it! First Platoon, engage!"
At the sergeant's order, the first platoon took aim.
That was when it happened.
Slash! Slash! Slash! Slash!
"...!!!"
In a flash, the kobold pack's necks were severed.
Clean cuts, like expertly butchered meat.
And then Hong Ga-yeon emerged from the dust.
The sergeant shouted.
"Cease fire! Friendly!"
The marksmen raised their barrels to the sky.
Hong Ga-yeon earned 24 points. Current total: 164
Ga-yeon scanned the area, confirming no surviving monsters remained.
Smith was always trailing right behind her.
"Haaaah—! Miss! How are you so fast while fighting?!"
Smith panted heavily, catching his breath.
Ga-yeon's nose twitched.
"...Rotten stench."
"Pardon? Oh, of course. You're drenched in sweat. Wow, but it's so elegant."
"Quiet, Smith. Not that—it's the smell of a powerful monster."
Thud... Thud...
Ga-yeon stared at a puddle rippling on the asphalt.
The water vibrated intensely.
Suddenly, Smith tripped and fell flat, screaming.
"Aaaargh!!! Look over there, Miss!"
"..."
Hong Ga-yeon didn't let her guard down.
Thud... Thud...!
A building-sized monster emerged from between the commercial buildings.
"Urk... Urk... Urk..."
The massive monster clutched a streetlamp in its hand, scanning the surroundings.
Ga-yeon's brows furrowed.
"Cyclops...! Uncle—no, Miss! That's way too much!"
Hong Ga-yeon knew it too.
This was a level 7 Giant Cyclops, deliberately placed by the school as an 'absolutely unclimbable' monster.
Even for her, her current attack power couldn't take it down.
The school probably wanted to see how cadets would defend the city against an 'impossible clear' monster.
"...Cyclops...! First Platoon... Second, Third Platoons—fire!!"
The terrified sergeant ordered a simultaneous volley.
"No."
Despite Ga-yeon's objection, the sergeant gave the command.
Bang-bang-bang! Bang-bang!
Dozens of bullets flew in.
All struck the Cyclops's body.
"..."
"..."
The Cyclops showed no reaction, merely scratching the impact sites like mosquito bites.
"Urk... Urk... Urk...?"
Its massive eye finally locked onto the hunters.
"Urk... Urk... Urk...!! ...RAAAAAAGH!!!!!!!!!"
A deafening roar.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The Giant Cyclops charged straight at the hunters.
"Everyone, run. I'll buy time."
Hong Family Chain Sword Technique.
The second form.
The Hong Family's traditional swordsmanship.
Its origins traced back to the Goryeo era.
In the past, the hero Hong Yong-hwa—one of twenty legendary warriors—reached the pinnacle of swordsmanship with this chain technique alone.
And it was the skill that made Hong Ga-yeon the true number one.
Rumble rumble...!!!
Slash—!
Her outer jacket tore apart under her own aura.
It was hunter-grade bulletproof combat wear.
"Miss...!!!"
"Smith. This won't kill it anyway... Go evacuate civilians elsewhere."
"Miss, but...!"
"No time. Please, Smith."
Hong Ga-yeon advanced.
The sword was insanely heavy.
Even she could barely lift it.
"Urk! Urk! Urk!"
The Cyclops barreled toward Hong Ga-yeon recklessly.
Ga-yeon swung her blade.
"...!!!"
A sword-black slash.
Nothing could withstand this strike.
Shwick... Slash!
'It hit...?'
But it missed the vital.
She'd only severed its right arm.
As Hong Ga-yeon's slash flew in, the Cyclops twisted its body at the last second.
"Haa... Haa..."
Hong Ga-yeon breathed raggedly.
The drawback of this technique: she couldn't move for a while after using it.
"Urk! Uuuurk!!"
The Cyclops charged.
Ga-yeon closed her eyes.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! ...Thud... Thud... Ung... Ung...
But suddenly, the sounds receded.
Hong Ga-yeon turned around.
The Cyclops was heading toward Sinchon.
"...Sinchon...?"
Abandoning prey right in front of it...?
That made no sense, even if it happened.
It meant someone with powerful mana capable of drawing the Cyclops was there.
Sinchon Station.
Tae-hyun and Ah-young's training was going smoothly.
"Tae-hyun!"
"Got it."
Slash!
Ah-young's support and Tae-hyun's finisher.
Their combo improved with time.
They'd each already surpassed 150 points.
Unlike my worries, CDT seemed like a breeze.
"...Haa. Let's rest a bit, Tae-hyun... Two hours straight hunting..."
"Sure. Yeah, I'm getting tired."
They ducked into an alley and leaned against the wall.
...Less than five minutes later, Tae-hyun drew his sword again.
"Shall we go...?"
"Huh??? It's only been five minutes..."
"Like I said before, too long a break stiffens you up. This is enough rest."
Tae-hyun checked the street from the wall.
Ah-young shook her head with a short sigh and stuck behind him.
At that moment, faint vibrations hit.
The streetlamps shook visibly to the naked eye.
"...What the...???"
A massive lifeform charging madly.
Obviously a Cyclops.
The 'absolutely unclimbable' Giant Cyclops.
In his past life, during CDT, most cadets were wiped out by that Cyclops.
Including Kang Tae-hyun.
Don't touch it. Don't even pay attention.
"...That's a Cyclops, right."
"Yeah. Quiet. We wait for it to pass quietly."
Thud! Thud! Thud...!
Then a child caught Tae-hyun's eye.
The kid who'd waved at them earlier.
The child was wriggling out from under a car, grunting.
"Waaah...! Mommy...!"
The Cyclops charged straight at the child.
Seeing it, Tae-hyun swallowed hard.
"Your Highness... Something's approaching."
From a rooftop, William's butler reported.
William, carving a 'heart' into a kobold corpse with his sword, looked over.
He rested his chin on his hand.
"Hmm... Giant Cyclops, huh. Even I couldn't beat that..."
But one of its arms was missing.
'Whoever did that has brute strength for days.'
William let the Cyclops pass.
Then he spotted the child too.
Crawling from under the car, bawling.
"Ho... Judging by the Cyclops's path, that's hotteok alley. What a shame~"
William smirked and did nothing.
No matter how righteous a hunter, no sane one would charge that Cyclops.
They had to remember this was a 'test,' not reality.
"...Yawwn~ Got plenty of points. Time for a nap?"
William stretched.
...At that instant, light shimmered.
Like the sun rising.
William turned.
And witnessed an astonishing sight.
Kang Tae-hyun held a massive fireball.
Tae-hyun hurled it straight at the Cyclops.
"...One-eyed freak! Over here!!!"
Boom! Whoosh—!
His fireball slammed into the Cyclops.
The strongest attack he could muster now.
"Urk...!"
Tae-hyun's body gave out, and he vomited.
He collapsed to the ground.
As Tae-hyun drew the Cyclops's attention, Ah-young swiftly scooped up the child.
"Waaah!!!"
"It's okay. It's okay. Stop crying!"
Ah-young fled into the alley with the child.
Tae-hyun sighed in relief only after confirming she was gone.
'Haa... Even after regression, I'm headed to the dropout lounge.'
Still, he felt good.
Training or simulation—no way he could ignore a kid crying for help.
"Urk? Uuuurk?"
The Cyclops was unfazed.
It merely turned its gaze; the wall of a true level 7 monster was too high.
"One-eyed freak... I won't taste good..."
The Cyclops reached for Kang Tae-hyun.
In that moment, soap bubbles floated in.
"...?"
The bubbles began enveloping the Cyclops.
"Urk... Urk...?"
The Cyclops thrashed to pop the bubble, but it held.
Pop!
In an instant, the Cyclops vanished.
"What...?"
Tae-hyun couldn't help but be shocked.
He'd never heard or seen such magic in his past life.
From the direction the Cyclops disappeared, Hong Ga-yeon and Smith approached.
"...?! Miss Ga-yeon!"
William jolted and rushed to Kang Tae-hyun's spot.
Grinning, he approached Hong Ga-yeon.
"Miss Ga-yeon. Where've you been? Are you hurt...?"
Whoosh—.
William smiled as he spoke, but Hong Ga-yeon brushed right past him.
She went to Kang Tae-hyun, helping him up.
"You okay? Sorry... I should've finished it off properly..."
The helped-up Tae-hyun and the ignored William wore identical expressions.
Utter confusion.
'What's with this girl...?'
'Miss Ga-yeon ignored me...?'
(To be continued)