Chapter 30 - Yoron Village (3)

Min Ha-rin said she had poor night vision, and it seemed she really couldn’t see well in front of her.

She even got a little lost at the curved sections of the cave.

“Can you even fight in the labyrinth in that state?”

“Of course! Even if things are blurry, I can clearly feel the killing intent a monster emits.”

She certainly didn't seem like an ordinary promising talent.

The amount of mana visible through my ‘mana eye’ was considerable for a new Hunter, and her level of imbuing mana into her blade also looked quite decent.

“By the way, about you, judging by your way of speaking, you seem to be a bit older. Should I call you ‘sir’? Or ‘senior’?”

What was wrong with my way of speaking?

It was an unexpected attack from Min Ha-rin.

“How old do I seem?”

“Well. Around mid-40s? But your voice sounds younger than that.”

My age before I was reincarnated was forty-six, so she had guessed it exquisitely, but a sense of unfairness washed over me for some reason.

Without even realizing it, I had gotten used to living as Seo Ji-han.

“You’re wrong. I’m a bit younger than that.”

“How old are you?”

“Never mind. Let’s just walk.”

“But I’m curious. If you’ve come to Yoron Village, you must be a new Hunter too, but for some reason, I feel an atmosphere that makes me want to rely on you?”

“Is that an insult or a compliment?”

“Of course it’s a compliment. To be honest, the two of us just going to catch a Lycanthrope is a huge gamble. But for some reason, I feel reassured?”

“It would be best not to make such gambles from now on.”

It was fortunate it was me; if it had been another new Hunter, a very dangerous situation might have unfolded.

“I’m just saying that, it’s not like I’m only relying on you! Hehe! The Lycanthrope is asleep anyway, so if I get the feeling that it’s not going to work, I plan to run away again.”

“No. I will settle this right away. I never run away.”

The word ‘escape’ had never existed in my dictionary.

Even against a dragon.

“Wow! If that’s not a bluff, you have some serious guts.”

“Let’s just call it confidence.”

“Then are you really not a new Hunter? You’re so confusing. If you are an established Hunter, for what reason did you not clear the Abyss until now and only just come to Yoron Village...”

“2 o’clock!”

Simultaneously with my words, Min Ha-rin’s sword style unfolded.

She too had felt the killing intent emitted by the monster.

Shwaaaak!

Shwaaaaaak!

A bat-type monster was torn to shreds and disintegrated in the air by her sword.

“Sir, no, senior. You’re amazing! You seem to have felt it half a beat faster than me. You really were an established Hunter!”

In fact, the one who was more surprised was not Min Ha-rin, but me.

Her swordsmanship was quite impressive.

One could feel the style and level just by watching for a moment. All her movements were clean and precise, not at a level to be simply called a promising talent.

There was a reason why that old man Han Byeong-cheol had proposed Min Ha-rin as my Bimu opponent.

‘A talent is a talent.’

It seemed like it would be an interesting duel.

Min Ha-rin was a typical type whose software was far superior to her hardware.

Since she was a similar type to me now that my physical condition had become wretched, I felt that the joy of devising a strategy against her would be doubled.

“Next time, I’d like to watch you catch a monster yourself, senior!”

“Stop talking and take the lead. I’m just an assistant.”

“That’s true, but I still wanted to see the skills of an established hunter once.”

It must have meant she wanted to confirm if I was at a level where I could hunt a Lycanthrope.

“If you keep grumbling, I’m out. 10 o’clock!”

Shwaaaaaaak!

It was a swift sword.

Also, for someone who couldn’t see well in front of them, it was an incredibly precise sword style.

The horizontally drawn straight line cut the body of the bat-type monster flying in the sky in half.

This time too, I couldn't even hear the monster's groan.

“How was it? Was it okay?”

“Well, it was watchable.”

“I guess I’m still not at a level to receive praise. I’ll try harder.”

It wasn't that she had no flaws at all.

But there were no parts that were bothersome enough to point out right here.

Considering she was only twenty years old, she was an excellent talent.

Shwaaaak!

Shwaaaaaak!

With her in the lead, we continued to walk through the labyrinth.

I became Min Ha-rin’s eyes, and she became my sword, so we were a pretty well-matched duo.

Although it was a complicated maze path, my senses guided us accurately without getting lost, and before long, we could feel that we were approaching our target.

“I can feel a huge aura from afar. Tense up from now on. That must be the Lycanthrope.”

“Really?”

With each step we took, the wolf’s rough breathing grew louder.

“As expected, the wolf is asleep.”

“Senior! I think I’m starting to feel something now too! But can we handle it?”

“If you’re scared, you can go back from here.”

“Are you joking? This is my quest.”

“Then stop talking and just keep walking.”

“Alright. But by any chance, do you have a plan, senior?”

Of course, I had a plan.

Although it was my first time with a Lycanthrope, I had faced countless monsters of a similar type.

“If we get too close, that thing will open its eyes right away. So we need to wake it up while keeping a moderate distance.”

“And after we wake it up?”

“You will face the wolf from the front and lure it.”

“M-me?”

“Because the quest is yours.”

“...Yes.”

“Stand in place with your sword raised and glare at the wolf. It will be a problem if you move from that spot.”

“Then what about you, senior?"

“I’ll ambush it from the side of the path the wolf will charge down and finish it in one blow.”

“In one blow?”

Min Ha-rin looked at me with an expression that said, ‘Is that possible?’

Of course, it was possible.

“Yes. In a single blow.”

There was a reason the quest asked for the fang.

The Lycanthrope’s weak point must be none other than its fang.

This was not just a baseless guess.

Because the wolf-type monsters of the Kalia Continent also all had their fangs as their weak point.

“But! You must draw the wolf’s attention. Don’t move at all. Can you do it?”

“To be honest, I’m scared. Besides, you’re someone I just met today, senior.”

“But didn’t you say that you wanted to rely on me for some reason?”

“Yes. I certainly did say that.”

“Then trust me.”

“Then please make one thing clear first, senior."

“What is it?”

“Can you really finish it in one blow? My life is on the line, so you have to be sure.”

Min Ha-rin bit her lip.

I could feel her will to firm up her resolve depending on my answer.

“I promise.”

I had confirmed the Lycanthrope's strength through my mana eye.

Unlike humans, for monsters, the amount of mana was an absolute measure of strength.

It was safe to say there were almost no variables.

“Then I’ll trust you.”

I answered with a smile.

“It’s amazing how I’m trusting you right now, senior. I don’t even know your name or affiliation. Oh, right! I’m Min Ha-rin from the Muwon Sword Family.”

“Alright. Miss Min Ha-rin, then the operation begins now.”

“Yes!”

She nodded with a firm expression.

***

The Lycanthrope.

This wolf was stuck in a corner of the labyrinth, fast asleep.

It showed no signs of caution towards intruders.

This must be due to its confidence in its own strength.

It was emitting an aura as if it would immediately open its eyes and tear to pieces anyone who approached.

I took a coin out of my pocket.

The distance to the wolf was about 35 meters.

Considering the curved cave path, I had to execute a sharp curve.

“Alright, now we wake the wolf.”

“How?”

“Like this.”

Tuk.

A 500-won coin was launched from my flicked finger.

As the distance increased, the difficulty of controlling the mana imbued in the coin increased exponentially.

But for now, all I had to do was stimulate the wolf’s nerves and wake it up. It didn't require great destructive power, so there was no particular difficulty.

Hweeing!

According to my will, the coin curved along the bent cave path.

And.

Kraaaaaaaang!!!

The enraged wolf’s roar was heard immediately.

“Get ready!”

“Yes!”

Simultaneously, Min Ha-rin raised her sword with a determined expression.

A huge wolf charged, vibrating the surroundings of the cave.

The distance closed in an instant.

Her legs were trembling slightly.

‘Still, she’s excellent.’

Because she wasn't taking a single step back and was throwing her killing intent towards the wolf.

Judging by her spirit alone, it seemed she could have just fought the wolf.

I raised all my senses.

My nerves on edge, I drew the wolf’s charging trajectory in my head.

The place I had to aim for was near the wolf’s fang.

If I could pierce through its tough hide and plunge my sword near its fang, that wolf would collapse helplessly.

Can you really finish it in one blow?

Min Ha-rin’s words flashed through my mind again.

I was not considering the possibility of failure.

Because right now, she was luring the wolf in an impeccably excellent manner.

Kwaaaak!

The outstretched Reapersword pierced the Lycanthrope’s hide.

One blow, one kill.

Kkueeeeeek!!

As soon as its vital point was pierced, the huge, greyish-brown wolf let out a painful groan and eventually lost its strength and collapsed.

Recovery was absolutely impossible.

“Senior!!”

Min Ha-rin called me without flinching from her spot.

Even after the situation had ended, she was still unable to deviate from my instructions.

“It’s over.”

“Really?”

The Lycanthrope, hanging limp with its mouth open, was already dead.

Even I thought it was amazing.

My technique of aiming for a single point and pouring my mana into it was not something anyone could imitate.

I walked over to the wolf’s corpse and put my fingers inside its mouth.

[You have obtained the Lycanthrope's Fang.]

[You have cleared the quest.]

“Huh? Senior?”

Min Ha-rin’s eyes widened.

She must have thought this quest was hers alone, but it suddenly ended?

It would naturally be a difficult situation to understand.

[You have obtained 1 Mana Stone as a quest reward.]

[The area around Yoron Village has been registered as a teleport location. You can now move directly to the vicinity of Yoron Village upon your next Abyss entry.]

In that moment, the background began to blur.

I was no longer a being that could stay in Yoron Village.

An unknown force was spitting me out into the Abyss.

The same must be happening to Min Ha-rin.

This was the moment the rescue operation ended.

All that was left now was to hurry back to the Haewon Sword Family estate.

There must be quite a few people worrying about me.

One of the uncomfortable things about living Seo Ji-han’s life was that I had to be considerate of others, something I had never done in my entire life.