TTAS 22

Chapter 22: To Protect What Is Precious, You Must Become Strong. (2)

It was only natural that Gobricks, being monsters, could not understand human speech.

So even when I shouted at them in fury, they didn’t stop swinging their weapons.

Clang!

I pulled out the dagger from inside my jacket and blocked the sword a Gobrick swung at me.

Perhaps surprised that a mere human—nothing more than prey in its eyes—had stopped its attack, the Gobrick’s large eyes widened even further.

Keget?

“What are you looking at?! Get lost!”

Thud!

Kek!

I kicked its abdomen and sent it stumbling backward.

Slash. Splurt!

As I sliced its throat with my dagger while it staggered away with a groan, crimson blood burst out like a fountain.

“My clothes are ruined.”

After glancing down at my shirt soaked in goblin blood, I quickly assessed the surroundings.

“About fifty of them?”

I rapidly counted the Gobricks slaughtering helpless humans.

“I need to hurry.”

The only way to keep the vehicle safe was to kill them all.

Steeling myself, I picked up the Gobrick’s fallen sword.

A longsword is better than a dagger.

It was about the same length as a jungle machete, so it didn’t feel unfamiliar in my hand.

“Thunder Prison.”

The moment I spoke the activation words for the explosive magic <Thunder Prison>, a magic circle appeared before my left hand and glowing runes began to form.

“Release.”

As the spell neared completion through the power of speech, I charged toward the goblins ahead and launched the completed yellow sphere.

Boom! Crackle!

Khhk! Khuooock!

The lightning and heat contained within the spell engulfed the goblins.

As their bodies froze from electrocution, I unleashed <Moon-Slaying>, a strike from the <March Sword> technique.

Slash. Slash.

Their heads flew into the air before they could even resist.

The Gobricks who witnessed their comrades die at the hands of their prey threw aside the humans they had been holding and charged toward me.

“That’s right. Come.”

“Come and become my mana.”

Another magic circle formed in my left hand.

A yellow sphere shot forward, and once again Gobricks were swallowed by lightning and heat.

Then came a series of sword strikes.

Slash. Crunch. Slash.

The heads of four Gobricks soared through the air.

Meanwhile, more Gobricks had already closed the distance.

I don’t have time to cast a 2nd Circle spell.

My hesitation was brief, and my action immediate.

“Shock.”

A 1st Circle spell was completed instantly.

Lightning wrapped around my left hand like a glove.

At that same moment, a Gobrick swung its sword at me.

Grab! Crackle!

The instant I seized its wrist, lightning surged into its body.

Unlike a 2nd Circle spell, it lacked heat and its electrical power was weaker, but it was enough to stop the creature’s movements momentarily.

“If you stop, you die.”

Slash.

Another Gobrick lost its head.

By then, more than ten Gobricks had surrounded me.

Now it truly was a kill-or-be-killed situation.

Using the swordsmanship of <Swift Moon>, I deflected and redirected their swords and spears, severing arms and piercing abdomens whenever openings appeared.

Of course, it was impossible to block every attack.

Shallow wounds gradually accumulated across my body.

Slash.

After decapitating the final goblin that had surrounded me, I finally had a chance to look around the battlefield.

“Help me!”

“Aaaagh!”

“H-Hunter! Where’s the Hunter?!”

“Somebody report this to the Association!”

Chaos.

A living hell had unfolded.

Only around fifty Gobricks had appeared, yet an unbelievable number of people had already been killed.

And the casualties were still increasing.

I couldn’t stop now.

It was time to hunt down the goblins that had gone to the other side.

* * *

It had been a peaceful afternoon.

For the first time in a long while, she was enjoying a break from work and recharging herself.

But, as always, misfortune followed her.

Not only had her precious rest been forcibly interrupted by an absurd situation, but it had transformed into a nightmare.

“Kwaaagh!”

“Help me!”

“S-Stay away! You monsters!”

A leisurely walk after a meal and a cup of tea had suddenly become a road to the underworld.

A sudden Dungeon Break had turned the area around the subway station into hell.

The break that occurred alongside the dungeon’s appearance unleashed dozens of green devils into the world.

The green monsters, each as large as an adult man, wielded terrifying strength and slaughtered people indiscriminately.

What’s the point of being a Hunter if I can’t even save people in a situation like this…?

Although she was a Hunter who had awakened mana, all she could do right now was run from death.

Goblins are C-rank monsters. They’re not something someone like me can handle.

Today felt especially cruel because she had only awakened F-rank mana.

But even escaping death wasn’t easy for an F-rank Hunter.

People fleeing from goblins kept colliding with one another, tripping, and dragging each other down.

This can’t continue.

She wanted to live.

But if things continued this way, everyone would die.

If someone had to turn this situation around, then as a Hunter, that someone should be her.

I’m a Hunter too. Even if I’m looked down on as a Helper, that doesn’t change the fact that I’ve awakened mana.

Once she made up her mind, her heart became calm.

She knew there was a high chance she would die if she stood in the goblins’ path for the sake of the fleeing civilians.

Even so, she stopped running and turned around.

I’ll stop them. Even if it’s only for a moment.

The green monsters rapidly approached.

Though their armor and weapons were crude, they looked even more threatening than expected.

Her legs trembled uncontrollably, but she steadied herself.

The monsters raised their swords and spears.

The wooden club she had picked up after deciding to save people looked pitifully inadequate.

Can I really fight those monsters with this?

She had prepared herself, but as death approached, regret surfaced.

I wanted to live… I wanted to live an amazing life like everyone else.

But it was already too late.

It felt as though death was a cruel punishment for giving in to the temptation of taking a break.

I want to live!

The goblins’ swords and spears came crashing down.

Crackle!

* * *

After crossing the intersection, I approached the Gobricks from behind while they were engrossed in hunting humans.

They had already killed many people and were searching for more prey.

I could see civilians desperately fleeing from them.

You bastards deserve to die…

The citizens crashed into one another, fell, rolled across the ground, and became tangled together.

It didn’t look like their escape would succeed.

“Hoh.”

Among the fleeing civilians, one person suddenly stepped forward and picked up a wooden club from the ground.

Then he tried to stand in the goblins’ way.

Pretty brave for an ordinary person.

His sense of justice was admirable.

Unfortunately, it was unlikely to accomplish anything.

Even though Gobricks were among the lowest-ranked monsters, they were still C-rank creatures.

It was nearly impossible for an ordinary human to stop them.

His death was all but guaranteed.

I can’t just let him die.

I had concealed the fact that I was a mage who wielded lightning mana.

But I wasn’t heartless enough to keep that secret while people died before my eyes.

A completed yellow sphere had already formed and flew toward the goblins’ backs.

Crackle!

Kegek!

Kegek!

Kegeugh!

The power of lightning engulfed them.

Watching their green skin melt under the intense heat, I swung my sword without hesitation.

The sword technique <Moon-Slaying> guided my blade toward their necks.

Slash. Crunch.

The goblins, stiffened by electricity, lost their heads with ridiculous ease.

Thud.

Boom.

Heads hit the ground.

Then the bodies collapsed.

The man holding the wooden club stood there with his eyes tightly shut.

“Hey. Get a hold of yourself.”

Only then did he slowly open his eyes.

“S-Survived!”

I stared briefly at the man as he shouted like someone who had returned from the brink of death.

That face looks familiar. Is he a celebrity?

I only pondered his identity for a moment before rushing toward my next target.

I knew this wasn’t over.

The real one is still out there.

The master of these green monsters hadn’t shown itself.

The boss monster of a C-rank dungeon.

A creature far stronger than these killers was undoubtedly somewhere nearby, creating even more victims.

I put more strength into my legs.

“Citizens, please evacuate underground!”

Just as I cut off the head of a goblin that was about to spear a woman holding a child, a voice infused with mana rang out.

“This is the Jangan Guild! We’ll hold them off, so evacuate underground!”

It appeared to be Hunters from a nearby guild responding to the emergency.

More than ten Hunters quickly moved to help civilians evacuate.

Thank goodness. Support arrived before it was too late.

Many people had already died.

But with the Hunters’ arrival, further casualties could be prevented.

And I no longer had to shoulder the burden of hunting the boss monster alone.

Fighting it without magic would’ve been troublesome.

I charged once more at the surviving goblins.

Running around frantically, I beheaded goblins and drove my sword through their chests.

Before long, there wasn’t a single living goblin left in the intersection.

Even though all fifty or so goblins had been killed, the boss still hadn’t appeared.

As I looked around, the Hunters helping civilians evacuate approached me.

“I’m Park Joon-tae from the Jangan Guild. Are you a Hunter?”

There was no way he genuinely couldn’t tell.

I was standing there covered in blood and holding a longsword.

He was probably asking which organization I belonged to.

“Yes. D-rank Shin Hyun-woo.”

Normally, people would state both their affiliation and name.

Since I belonged to no guild, I mentioned my rank instead.

The moment he realized I wasn’t affiliated with any guild, the look in Park Joon-tae’s eyes changed.

“You’ve worked hard handling this alone. We’ll take over from here.”

I didn’t miss the flash of greed in his eyes.

Do I really look that easy to take advantage of? Why does everyone seem so eager to treat me like a fool?

I could practically feel his intention to swallow up the goblin corpses under the excuse of securing the scene.

Monster corpses were incredibly valuable.

While I understood his greed, that didn’t mean I intended to hand them over.

“The boss monster hasn’t appeared yet. I’ll deal with the boss first and then hand the situation over to the Dungeon Management Administration.”

Park Joon-tae’s face twisted unpleasantly.

“Our guild is operating under a request from the Dungeon Management Administration. Therefore, you should follow our instructions.”

Under normal circumstances, he would be right.

But right now, following his orders would mean losing all the monster corpses I had worked so hard to obtain.

I had no intention of backing down.

“Let’s deal with the boss first.”

Park Joon-tae’s face flushed red with anger.

I ignored it completely.

BOOM!

The moment our conversation ended, the leader we had been searching for finally appeared.

“Was it watching from the top of a building?”

It seemed the creature had been standing atop one of the skyscrapers overlooking the intersection, enjoying the slaughter carried out by its subordinates.

It fell from the sky like a meteor.

With a thunderous impact, pavement blocks shattered into dust and scattered everywhere.

Everyone’s gaze turned toward the boss monster.

It stood well over two meters tall.

Its lean frame was intimidating enough, but the muscles covering its body like armor spoke volumes about its combat power.

“T-That’s impossible.”

“A Goblin Warrior…!”

“Why is a B-rank monster here?!”

“Shouldn’t it have been a Ranger instead?!”

The shocked voices of the Jangan Guild Hunters echoed around me.

Can I defeat a Gobrick Warrior?

Just as they said—a Warrior.

The appearance of a Goblin Warrior instantly froze the battlefield that had only just begun to calm down.

KEGEEEEEEEEEK!

And with the monster’s deafening roar, not only the Hunters of the Jangan Guild but even my own body froze in place.