“Hmm?!”
Whoooooosh─!
But the moment I stabbed the great sword into the guy’s body, I got hit squarely in the side by its tremendous, high-speed paw and flew dozens of meters away.
“Kugh—! My reaction is too slow!”
Even though I sensed the incoming attack through the waves of sensation, my agility stat didn’t seem high enough for my body to react in time.
Had I had Ran’s [Acceleration], the situation might have been different, but Ran was perched on Yeon-hee’s shoulder. Protecting Yeon-hee comes first when there’s a strong enemy.
[High-speed Flight]
As I was flying away from the attack, I used the skill in the opposite direction to slow down and land, soon dashing back at the creature.
– 30% of damage is reduced by Summoner Lee Yeon-hee’s mysterious mucus.
Thanks to the bone armor, chain mail obtained from the hidden dungeon, and the mucus Yeon-hee wrapped around me, a significant portion of the damage was mitigated, so no body parts were harmed.
Health: 238/242
“So it can pierce through this? Wow…”
Even though I only lost 4 health points, I couldn’t help but be astonished.
The general attack from a field monster had such overwhelming destructive power. It was a moment that brutally reminded me of the grade difference.
“Everyone, form up and charge!”
Although we were thrown off balance by the first collision, no summoned creatures died thanks to the shields. Yeon-hee began to push the creature back again.
However, even surrounded, the Tarantula showed no signs of being intimidated.
– Tuuueek—! Tuuueek—!
The Tarantula continuously bombarded the approaching summoned creatures with acid globules.
Chiiing─
Its rate of fire was good, it was fast, and it was even deadly enough to melt an Orc Intermediate Warrior in one shot.
“Whoo— as long as I don’t get hit, I’m good. As long as.”
Swhoosh─
“Ugh!”
A net of green was coming down, easily covering 4-5 summoned creatures.
The Tarantula’s web, containing acid, was incredibly sticky, so I couldn’t afford to get hit.
I barely managed to dodge, but other summoned creatures often found themselves stuck to the ground or melting away.
“This is a real tightrope walk.”
Still, Yeon-hee calmly freed the summoned creatures caught in the webs, allowing us to maintain the standoff.
Piyung─!
Yeon-hee also shot arrows here and there, and now her arrows began to carry intent.
Tatatatating-!
But personally, I wished she wouldn’t use the bow.
In reality, it wouldn’t affect the monster at all, and it would just attract unnecessary aggro.
– Kiiirrrrr….!
Fortunately, it seemed that the creature’s attention was solely focused on me.
Whoosh—
“Scared of fire, huh?”
It seemed my periodic Fireballs and [Special Strong Acid] were quite bothersome.
The creature’s attacks consisted of acid globules and wide-ranging webs, along with tail attacks, so throwing summoned creatures at it and stacking marks wasn’t really that difficult.
But the rate at which summoned creatures were dying was steep, and Yeon-hee’s re-summoning speed couldn’t keep up.
Eventually, I took on the role of drawing aggro, and it became a picture of the summoned creatures following the Tarantula chasing me.
To a third party, it would look like we were playing a game of train.
“Uwaaaa! Help! I don’t want to melt and die!”
For me, running away felt like a death sentence.
The fused [Special Strong Acid] was powerful enough to melt the creature’s thick and tough tail, but its sticky ability didn’t seem to match that of the Tarantula’s web.
It might be because my level was still low, but it was disappointing.
Still, I turned back and fired the fused acid, slowly whittling down the creature’s health, and after about five minutes, I stacked five Flame Marks on it until it noticeably wore down.
“Yeon-hee—”
I ran over to Yeon-hee and lifted her up into the air.
[Flame Explosion]
Kwaaaaah─!
I detonated the five stacked flames.
Yeon-hee wouldn’t be harmed by my skill, but I was worried that the Tarantula’s bodily fluids might splash on her, so I quickly created some distance.
– ……?!
We fought while leading the monster away from the gym, so we couldn’t see any hunters around.
However, the explosion had enough destructive power to make all the hunters near the gym turn their heads at once.
– Kieeeerick…
“Whoa, what a resilient guy. It survived that…”
But the Tarantula didn’t die instantly.
Even though more than half of its body had evaporated, it still had enough life left to crawl. It was a creepy creature, almost like a cockroach.
“Wow— amazing! To survive that! Truly a B-rank elite.”
“Clap, Clap, Clap…”
I set Yeon-hee down on the ground and approached the creature to swiftly behead it.
Swish─!
– Failed to steal the trait!
“Tsk…”
But the low chance of stealing a trait shattered my hopes.
It said that I could definitively steal traits every 5 levels with class advancement, but since it automatically activated at the level-up interval, I couldn’t use it in such a good situation, which was frustrating.
“Please let me definitively obtain traits this time during class advancement.”
I wished for such small hopes in my heart.
– Acquired Rune of Vitality (High-Rank)!
“Oh, it’s been a while since I got a health rune.”
=====
Rune of Vitality (High-Rank)
– Health +39
=====
“Wow… Nice.”
Getting a high-rank rune from a B-grade monster isn’t particularly good.
But now that using [Phantom Dash] frequently made the absolute amount of health even more important, it was a rune I needed dearly.
I immediately swapped it for the lowest stat rune I had from the Rune of Giants (Intermediate).
My strength would drop a bit, but my max health shot up to 281.
– Experience points have greatly increased.
– Level Up!
– Please select three stats to increase!
“Whoa— to level up in one shot. As expected.”
I was very glad to see the blue particles wavering around my body like mirages.
And it seemed Yeon-hee also leveled up, experiencing similar effects.
I technically dealt the finishing blow, but in terms of contribution, Yeon-hee might be higher.
The beads of sweat forming on her forehead indicated that she had used a significant amount of stamina while constantly summoning and un-summoning.
“Whoo— that was exhausting. B-rank elite monster… amazing, right?”
Nodding vigorously—
We barely managed to take down one with all our might.
I knew there was a drastic gap, but facing the reality in person made it hard to accept.
On the flip side, it was incredible that we, as a D-rank, managed to take down something that even B-rank hunters struggled with.
While I packed the Tarantula’s mana stone and its corpse, which would serve as materials for [Essence Devour], Yeon-hee urgently urged me.
“Hurry, let’s go!”
Since we had suffered, she seemed to think the situation at the gym would be tough as well.
We ran while briefly discussing how to resolve the situation.
Yeon-hee carefully suggested her decision, which showed her determination, and I nodded in agreement.
Our predictions turned out to be correct.
“Uh… What should we do…”
The situation at the school we returned to was headed toward the worst-case scenario. The area near the gym was faring better than I had expected, but the evacuation facility was a problem.
– Kiiiiiik—!
The Tarantula was tearing apart the gym’s ceiling, which was rotting away from the acid.
Cha Jin-hyuk was staggering while bleeding from his face, desperately crying out to the hunters for help.
But it was useless to say such things to hunters who never intended to fight in the first place.
“Seong-woong!! Eun-bi!! Ji-yeon!! Please, help me!!”
Still, Cha Jin-hyuk reached out his hand once more toward his companions.
But his companions continued to stare at him with chillingly cold eyes.
Still, seeing the dead Tarantula’s corpse near the trio indicated that they had managed to take down one that had fallen outside.
However, surrounding the corpse were about twenty hunters, indicating it was likely not just the three of them who had dealt with it.
In fact, even C-ranks could take down a B-rank monster if they utilized their skills wisely.
They probably knew that as well.
But ultimately, it was a matter of trust.
The underlying truth of this chaotic situation was whether those present could count on each other, working together in battle and having someone to watch their backs.
In the end.
“So if it’s not one that fell out, they’re saying they won’t take any risks.”
However, the Tarantula’s intelligence was also quite high, so it was unlikely to make mistakes and go out alone.
Thus, I had no choice but to just watch as the gym was ravaged.
Among the hunters who bravely stepped forward with Cha Jin-hyuk was quite a number of injured people, including one with an arm torn off.
“I guess they did better than expected. No one died, right?”
It seemed courage was founded on skill, as the hunters around Cha Jin-hyuk appeared to possess decent talent.
Two Tarantulas faced off against them.
Crunch—
The creatures that had deliciously bitten off a hunter’s arm began to march towards Cha Jin-hyuk once more.
The four that had come down were still strong, having eliminated two.
“Are the higher-tier hunters still not here?”
If at least B-rank mid-tier experts came, the situation would improve, but judging by how intensely Yeon-hee’s phone vibrated, the situation seemed dire elsewhere as well.
When a dungeon break occurs, the first task is to deal with the monsters that have burst out around the dungeon.
Thus, all those strong enough to be here would have gathered at the dungeon.
“Indeed, this won’t be easy.”
Still, we walked straight towards the creatures.
The plan that Yeon-hee and I had agreed upon would soon be executed.
“Nefie! Fly up!”
“Let’s give it a try!”
This wasn’t really my style.
Helping the future villain, Cha Jin-hyuk, still made me feel uneasy.
The biggest risk of this plan was that I would be distancing myself from Yeon-hee.
But since Yeon-hee made a cold, rational judgment, it would surely serve as her stepping stone for growth.
Even if it meant my death.
“…… That’s just how it is.”
Yeon-hee launched the Neos Harpy at the monstrous creatures that were about to break through the gym ceiling, and in Nefie’s hands were the creatures Ddak-ddak-i and Dotted One, who always silently did their jobs.
Soon, the two summoned creatures let out horrifying sounds across the area, drawing the Tarantula’s attention from the roof.
– Krrr?!
– Kieee!!
“Good thing the provocation worked, to be honest.”
I followed behind “Nefie,” leaping into the sky while in [Stealth], and directed my prepared skills toward the center of the seven Tarantulas, led by the provocation.
Whoosh—
I launched the condensed Fireballs, acid globules, and fifty Skeleton Bombs.
“Eat this!”
Kwadawawaawaang──!
With an earth-shattering boom, every living being’s gaze was drawn to me.
The monsters that had been focused on Nefie received my skills head-on from the side.
As the explosions hit, I quickly snatched up the Dotted One and Ddak-ddak-i that Nefie was holding.
“Pii-?”
(I’ll draw their attention. You protect Yeon-hee.)
“Pi!”
Nefie, having heard my command, flew straight to Yeon-hee.
“Why is it that you’re following my orders all of a sudden?”
Nefie, who usually wouldn’t even glance at me, seemed to be listening better than usual.
– [High-Rank Commander] trait is currently active.
“Oh… So it applies to Yeon-hee’s summoned creatures as well.”
Thinking it would be subtly helpful, I quickly moved away.
– Kihyaaaak!!
The seven Tarantulas caught up in the massive explosion, were furious and mindlessly chased after me.
“Good.”
The plan was proceeding smoothly.
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