“Keheh, keheh.”
Hadong waddled along as he guided us.
Looking at him, his back looked just like a turtle shell. I wondered if I could strip it off and craft some armor. That thought made it quite tempting. Truly, it’s the era of monster hunters! If we can make equipment from demon byproducts, it’d be killing two birds with one stone.
But wait, this is martial arts territory; let’s call it “Demon Watch” instead of “Monster Hunter.”
“Hey! Are we really headed the right way?”
“Kiik! Yes! This way!”
“Guide us properly… unless you want to die painfully.”
“Kiik!”
Terrified, Hadong squeaked as he moved a bit faster.
It’s disgusting how he just teased my two girlfriends earlier and now he’s trembling in fear. And to top it off, he even kidnaps women and does awful things?
Hadong, you bastard, you’re all done for.
“Geunhyeop. Are you angry?”
“These scoundrels kidnapped women and did terrible things. Plus, earlier they were throwing insults at you guys… I can hardly suppress my killing intent just by looking at them.”
“That’s quite the sense of justice. Your enthusiasm is admirable, Geunhyeop. You’ll surely become a vital asset for the righteous side.”
“Of course! Serin, you’re my master! This is a must!”
“Haha, that’s right. Just follow me closely, and I’ll train you well.”
“Of course!”
There’s no way I won’t achieve results under such a great master named Serin!
Then I better not lose my pride.
“Hmm, well. I might have a special body constitution. With a good heart, who knows, I might make a name for myself.”
“You don’t even need to say that twice. Hayoung, if I rise, I’ll treat the Mosan Sect well.”
“Hehe, are you making a fool of me? Does our Mosan Sect seem like easy prey?”
“Not exactly, but just imagine if I could conquer the world.”
“Yeah, yeah. Do your best. I’m counting on you.”
Hayoung waved her hand dismissively, but my determination remains firm.
Anyway.
Even while having this conversation, we didn’t let our guard down. With the attacks earlier and this guy’s potential escape…
“Kiik, kiik.”
He kept glancing at the stream beside him, hinting at wanting to dive in. But each time, I punched him, encouraging him to just concentrate on guiding us.
As we followed the path along the stream, we finally arrived at their den.
“Here it is.”
What is this, some Caribbean Bay?
We saw Hadongs swimming joyfully in the water. And not just that, we also spotted a cave where they seemed to live.
“Is that the cave?”
“Kiik… Yes. The boss is in there…”
“And where are the women?”
“In that cave, ge—huh?!”
A guide who has outlived his usefulness is dealt with immediately.
Serin gracefully swung her sword, and with that, Hadong’s head rolled away. Using and disposing of wicked demon scum like that is just the natural order, so there was no emotional response from me.
“So the boss and the women are in there. Let’s take care of this quickly.”
Hayoung said.
“But Hayoung, can we really storm that cave? If it turns into an underwater cave halfway, we won’t be able to do anything.”
“Underwater cave? I don’t think so. Hadongs don’t live completely submerged. They rest in the cave on land.”
“Really?”
Then we shouldn’t have a problem.
“Alright, let’s move out. Follow me closely.”
“I’ll trust only you, master.”
“Yes. Just trust me.”
The three of us walked cautiously as we approached the cave, trying our best to stay hidden, but in reality, this was Hadongs’ territory.
“Humans!”
“It’s humans!”
“Kiik!”
As we moved, the Hadongs swimming in the stream spotted us. They quickly swam over in groups.
“Humans!”
“A woman!”
“A pretty woman!”
What is it with the obsession over “pretty women”!
But then.
—Szzzt!
Suddenly, the Hadongs started shooting jets of water at us like a water gun. It wasn’t too hard to dodge, but it felt like they were spitting at us, igniting my killing intent.
“AAAH! What are you spitting at us! You’re dead!”
Angry, Hayoung swung her stone staff and shot a fireball.
—WHOOSH!
Miraculously, the Hadongs kicked up a splash of water that neutralized the fireball!
“Kiihih!”
“We’re not afraid of fire!”
“A female’s skill! Kiigii!”
“Show us the hole! We want to see the hole! Let’s pry it open!”
“Kiik! I’ll put my hands in the female hole!”
These bastards are laughing!
But it seems since they are water demons, they get a serious boost in combat underwater. It’s unbelievable they can effortlessly block fireballs that easily took out bandits.
“It’s best to retreat for now. It looks tough to face those creatures in the water.”
“Let’s do that! Hayoung! Stop your magic and retreat!”
“Ugh! Everyone’s dead!”
I lifted up Hayoung who was about to go wild with her stone staff, initiating a retreat. But at that moment, the Hadongs screeched and reached out with their stretchy, rubbery arms.
—Whoosh!
Of course, we weren’t going to fall for that.
—Slash!
Immediately, Serin drew her sword, and the Hadong’s long arm was cut off in one blow. The Hadong that had extended its arm wailed like its parents had just died, splashing around in despair.
“Ahhh!”
“Look at how that one is crying. Serin, what a good cut that was.”
“Nothing to it.”
Anyway, we pulled back a bit.
“How dare these Hadongs block my magic? I’ll incinerate all of them!”
“To do that, we’ll need to lure them onto land.”
What do we do now?
No matter how I look at it, fighting underwater would be a disadvantage for us. Hayoung is a capable sorceress, and Serin is an expert, but they certainly don’t have gills.
Moreover, fire attacks are useless underwater.
“Serin, isn’t there a sharp strategy we can use?”
“Honestly, dealing with demons in the water, even for a master like me, is tough. Naturally, we need to lure them. But it seems they don’t want to come past a certain distance since they’re reluctant to approach us.”
I agree.
“If the cave is their habitat… we could definitely lure them by setting it ablaze, but we can’t afford to do that this time.”
“… Since there’s a woman trapped inside too.”
Given the situation, we can’t set it on fire.
“Right. If we ignite the place, she’ll be in danger. So we must confront them head-on.”
We might have no choice but to head toward the cave.
“Just try to pick a fight with any Hadongs we see along the way. If we pick enough fights, some might come out to land, right? If we kill those, the boss might come out.”
Hayoung casually suggested, but my thoughts differ slightly.
“Won’t they catch on eventually? They’d realize we’re trying to lure them.”
“Well, perhaps?”
“I think so. So let’s approach the cave as Serin suggested and see the boss’s reaction first. If they seem inclined to follow us, we can try luring them. If they stubbornly defend their territory, then we can think of another way.”
Upon explaining this, Hayoung nodded.
“Sure, let’s do that.”
Great.
“That’s a good idea, Geunhyeop. You explain things clearly.”
“Right?”
“Indeed. Your eloquence is impressive.”
“Hehehe, ah, that’s a bit embarrassing.”
Being praised by my master makes me feel shy yet happy.
We moved again just as I had planned.
But the Hadongs were already aware that humans had appeared.
The more we diverted and approached the cave, the more Hadongs gathered in the water.
“There are too many! Can we win this?”
“Don’t worry. They’re nothing but low-level demons. They haven’t mastered any sophisticated group techniques, so if we can lure them onto land, even if we get surrounded, it won’t be a problem.”
“Truly a master…!”
While I thought being surrounded seemed hopeless, Serin appeared unfazed.
“Hehe, it’s surprising that I’m amazed all the time. Well, you are a novice.”
“Hey! A novice?!”
“Just admit it. And besides, if I can lure them onto land, I can sweep them all away with my magic. How about that? I’m amazing, right?”
“That’s pretty impressive, I’ve got no comeback for that.”
“It’s alright. Geunhyeop, you also have talent, so you’ll catch up to me soon.”
“Thanks!”
Since it was my master who said it, I’ll trust it and train hard. At the very least, I have the ability to build my energy through the Yodan. If I develop this well, I can easily advance my skills.
So, when we finally approached the cave—
—SPLASH!
Suddenly, something burst out from the cave and dove toward the stream.
And then.
—WHOOSH!
The ones that had dived raised their upper bodies, revealing their forms.
“Whoa, they’re big!”
Two huge Hadongs!
The other Hadongs were a bit smaller than Hayoung, but the two that just appeared were on a whole different level of size.
One was even taller than me.
“Is that one the boss?!”
And the other one was about my height, probably the vice leader.
Are these fools coming out to greet us because they saw us? We had initially planned to lure the bosses hiding inside the cave, but now they were coming out themselves.
The situation turned out better than expected.
“Kiik! Are those the humans that appeared?!”
The Hadong boss shouted loudly.
“Kiik! That’s right, boss!”
“Look! There are two pretty women!”
The smaller Hadongs babbled like sycophants.
“Kiik…! That’s right! She’s really pretty!”
“Kiikiki! Two new holes! I want to see! I want to see!”
What the hell?
Is that all these demon bastards think about?
“Sigh. They remain utterly disgusting.”
“This is so tiresome; perhaps we should just burn them all.”
As Serin and Hayoung sighed, a killing intent began to emanate from them. I too felt intense anger at the fact that they had just mistreated both of them.
“Let’s just kill all of them. First, let’s try luring them a bit.”
“Understood. But Geunhyeop, how do you plan to lure them?”
“Well, I’ll improvise.”
Just at the moment we were going to lure them suitably—
—SPLASH!
The Hadong boss began to swim towards us.
“Kiik! Just wait right there! I’m coming to get you!”
“Become our new bride!”
As the two leaders took the front, the underlings followed behind.
“What the…”
Are they seriously making it easier for us to lure them?
These idiots are being drawn in by Serin and Hayoung’s beauty!
“What kind of brainless fools are these! Everyone! The lure is done! Let’s pull back!”
“How can they be this dimwitted… Haah, it makes sense they’re demons.”
“Such foolish beings!”
We dashed back, executing a retreat. While doing so, I stayed vigilant, glancing back at the stream; those bastards had completely lost their minds and were coming after us.
—SPLASH SPLASH!
As they stomped forward with their wet feet.
“Kiik! Kill the man and capture the woman!”
“Our new bride! Kiik!”
“Let’s mate, let’s mate! Kiik!”
“Kiikiki! I want to mate!”
These crazy sexual fiends!
We’d now put enough distance from the stream!
“…!”
We exchanged glances and halted simultaneously.
“Geunhyeop! Get ready! I’ll take the biggest boss! You handle—!”
“Sure! I’ll catch that vice leader bastard!”
Serin takes the boss, and I’ll handle the vice leader.
“Okay! Leave the mob behind to me! I’ll deal with all the little nuisances!”
Although we’d strayed far from the initial plan of guiding, these fools had innocently come out to meet us, which was quite fortunate.
Let’s throw a blood-soaked feast for these thankful demons!
—GOO!
I was already using the Cold Mind Technique while rushing forward. As I focused on the battle, my field of vision expanded, giving me a sharp perception of everything before me.
And then.
—WHOOSH!
Multiple fireballs flew toward the Hadong swarm.
—BOOM!
—BOOM BOOM!
Chain explosions erupted, creating a sea of flames. The Hadongs, who had come rushing in together, were engulfed in fire within moments.
“KIEEEEK!”
“KIICK!”
Terrifying screams erupted.
As fire broke out abruptly, the Hadongs, who had been charging in shouting “let’s mate,” panicked and lost their composure.
“Kiikiik! F-fire!”
“Fire!”
The bigger leaders managed to hold their ground, but with the sight of flames, it wouldn’t be long before they panicked and fled into the water. And if they got submerged afterward? We wouldn’t have any way to handle them.
So I took the initiative.
“You crazy frogs!”
I charged forward, heckling them.
“Not frogs, but turtles! You dimwitted bastards dare to mess with us? I’ll kill every last one of you!”
“I-I’m not a frog or a turtle!!”
Did my taunts work?
—WHOOSH!
The boss and vice boss shot their arms at me simultaneously. It was a fast mid-range skill, but honestly, I wasn’t at a level where I could not dodge now.
I’ve never learned footwork, but I know how to optimize movement using the energy within my body. I stepped lightly to the side, twisting my upper body to evade the arms flying at me.
Simultaneously.
“HAAAH!”
Serin bellowed and lunged at the boss. Her sword was already exuding a sharp energy. The boss panicked as he restored his arms, just as I—
“RAAAAAAH!”
I roared and charged at the vice boss.
I’m a proud man; if I can’t take this one down, I might as well be ready to lose my pride!
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