TL: Hayath
Chapter 20
EPISODE 3: An Unavoidable Battle (3)
‘Just as I thought.’
The situation unfolded in an instant.
An arrow lodged in Yoo Sangjun’s back, who was running slightly ahead of me.
Following the cold sensation surging from the back of my head, I quickly ducked.
Then.
Shiiing—
Thud!
The same kind of object that had pierced Yoo Sangjun’s body flew over my head and embedded itself in the snow.
And the person who shot the arrow was, of course.
“What? You dodged that?”
It was Kang Dushik, the C-rank hunter from Ashin Guild.
“I dodged because I could.”
You can always sense when an attack is not a mistake but a deliberate strike with intent to kill.
If the speed is something you can dodge, there’s no reason not to.
“Ugh! Cough, cough!”
Yoo Sangjun, who had been hit by the first arrow, was on the ground, spitting blood. However, Kang Dushik didn’t even glance at his fallen teammate.
“Hmm. Pretty quick.”
Kang Dushik smirked as he pulled back his bowstring again.
Paaang—! Shiiing—!!
An arrow flew through the air like a bullet.
The speed was so fast that it created a piercing sound.
However.
Clang—!!
I quickly moved and blocked it with my volcanic shield.
The reason for blocking instead of dodging was simple.
He wasn’t aiming for me but for Yoo Sangjun.
Perhaps he didn’t expect me to block it?
Kang Dushik’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Oh, not bad. I thought you were around D-rank, but you seem a bit higher.”
“What’s with the sudden attack? It doesn’t seem like an internal conflict…. Since you tried to kill me, I can’t just let you go.”
[The trait of the Lord, Calm, is activated.]
[Your agitation disappears, and you maintain composure.]
This is my first time in a life-or-death battle with another hunter.
Given that the Calm trait activated, it seems I was actually quite agitated, beyond just not feeling basic fear as usual.
Thanks to that, my mind was still calm, and I could confront him coolly.
To respond appropriately to the opponent, you need to understand the situation at the very least.
“Heh, haven’t you watched too many movies or read too many novels? There’s no reason for me to tell you. Even if I did, you wouldn’t understand.”
Of course, Kang Dushik sneered at my words, but luckily there was someone who could give me a clue.
“Hey, Yoo Sangjun. Are you alright?”
“Ugh… No, I’m not alright.”
“Then just answer this. Is there any reason why Kang Dushik or the guild would do something like this?”
Yoo Sangjun, coughing up blood, muttered weakly.
“Luminus….”
“Luminus?”
“There’s a rumor that Luminus infiltrated the guild….”
Luminus.
A notorious shadowy organization of unofficial hunters committing all sorts of evil deeds like murder, looting, and terrorism using their awakened powers.
It’s infamous worldwide, to the point that its members are to be arrested on sight regardless of nationality.
Even if there were rumors of them infiltrating another guild, one wouldn’t want to suspect their own guild members.
So, they might have wanted to believe the Ice Fortress incident was just an accident.
But considering the attacks on Yoo Sangjun and other events, the rumors seemed likely to be true.
I kept my shield up and spoke while keeping a close eye on Kang Dushik.
“Can you stand? It seems hard to fight while protecting you.”
“Sorry, but I think I’m done for. The arrow seems to be poisoned. My strength is continuously draining, and my vision is getting blurrier.”
Yoo Sangjun tried to stand but struggled to stay upright, falling to his side.
Seeing this, Kang Dushik, standing at a distance, smirked.
“Did you two develop some camaraderie in this short time? Seeing you whispering together is amusing.”
“More likely than getting along with someone who shoots arrows in the back. By the way, are you really with Luminus?”
“Who knows? I don’t.”
Paaang—!!
Another arrow flew through the air.
It was slightly faster than before.
But it was still manageable to block with my shield.
Kang Dushik kept changing positions and firing from different angles, but I blocked every shot.
The volcanic shield crafted by the little blacksmith was incredibly sturdy.
[Skill: Lv 1. Lava Deployment – Expands the shield’s defensive range with lava at the edges. Consumes 1 mana for 60 seconds of use.]
When using the skill, the edges of the black triangular shield extended with a 30cm wide orange lava shield.
With this significantly expanded shield area, I could easily block arrows from any direction.
Even—
“Damn it! Why do you keep blocking them?!”
Pzzzt—! Thunk—!!
Even arrows imbued with lightning, likely a skill of his, were blocked by the volcanic shield.
At this point, I was confident.
‘I can handle a C-rank hunter.’
Even though it was my first fight with another hunter, if his skill-infused attacks were this manageable, I had a chance to win.
Honestly, I felt confident enough to charge at him and win.
But this was no time to get complacent.
‘If that’s the case, is Lee Gyu-jin also in on this?’
Although the exact circumstances were unclear, if both Lee Gyu-jin and Kang Dushik were at the Ice Fortress when the previous casualties occurred, they likely conspired together.
This meant the three civil servant hunters could also be in a similar situation.
Yoo Sangjun, barely holding on, finally lost consciousness and slumped down.
‘I need to end this quickly.’
Clang—! Clang, clang—!!
I blocked the arrows and made a quick decision.
To use Taeseng GilgeoI’s power.
However, I couldn’t fully summon him.
My primary goal was to incapacitate, not kill, Kang Dushik.
I needed to capture him alive to find out why he did this, but I also couldn’t reveal Taeseng GilgeoI’s form.
So, I decided.
‘Summon Taeseng GilgeoI, pull him in, then cancel the summoning.’
I used a technique called instant summoning, abbreviated as InstSum, which involves summoning Taeseng GilgeoI briefly to use a single skill before canceling the summoning.
I had already tested it when fighting the gargoyle, so the skill worked without issue.
Pzzzt—!!
“What, what is this…!!”
A chain made of magic flew out, pulling Kang Dushik in, who seemed clueless about what was happening.
And if you don’t know, you get hit.
‘That’s not the only skill.’
I immediately used InstSum again, instructing Taeseng GilgeoI to use [Shield Bash].
Since using his sword could kill the opponent in one blow, I opted for the less lethal [Shield Bash] to knock him out.
The [Shield Bash] skill also had a stun effect.
The operation was successful.
Thunk—!!
“Ugh!!”
Thud—!!
In an instant, there was a dull thud, and Kang Dushik spewed blood from his mouth and passed out.
Though it was a bit unfortunate that he lost a few teeth in the process.
“Taeseng GilgeoI, come out.”
“You called, my lord.”
There was no one conscious to see Taeseng GilgeoI now.
After summoning Taeseng GilgeoI, I took out the emergency ropes and bandages from my inventory to tie up Kang Dushik and blindfold him.
Simultaneously, I issued quick orders.
“Defeat the mid-boss over there, pull the lever, and move these two to the boss room entrance. Inform me once you’re done.”
“By your command, my lord.”
Telepathy.
A recently discovered function that allows communication with summoned characters through thoughts even when distant.
I expected it to be useful in various ways when I discovered it, but I never imagined using it like this.
After finishing binding Kang Dushik, I got up and ran towards the opposite fork.
I didn’t need to worry about Taeseng GilgeoI.
In the short time I returned to the fork.
[Character: Taeseng GilgeoI has defeated Snow Cavalry Knight (C).]
He had defeated the mid-boss monster guarding the lever.
He must have taken it down in one blow.
‘He’s incredibly strong, but the mana consumption is significant.’
Mana consumption increased with distance from the summoned character, causing my mana to deplete at an alarming rate.
In the past, this consumption rate would have been unbearable, but things were different now.
I pulled out the lower-tier mana potions from my bag and chugged them like soft drinks.
With the money I earned from both Shin Daehoon’s request and solo dungeon runs, I could afford to buy plenty of lower-tier potions, which were twice as expensive as the cheapest ones.
‘I spent a significant portion of my earnings on this.’
Although I had already consumed several bottles due to the high mana consumption, it was not a waste considering Taeseng GilgeoI’s power.
Despite running, my concern for the three civil servant hunters grew.
Even though they were three D-rank hunters, it would be difficult for them to defeat a B-rank hunter.
‘Just stay alive.’
As I ran towards the opposite fork, I hoped they were still alive.
And perhaps my wish was granted.
“Huh? Isn’t that the mercenary?”
“Seems like it. Why is he already, no, why is he coming this way?”
Fortunately, the three civil servant hunters were alive.
They had just finished dealing with the minions and were about to face the mid-boss monster, resting together with Lee Gyu-jin.
I closed the distance as quickly as possible. Explaining the situation here might prompt an immediate attack.
Seeing me approach, Lee Gyu-jin seemed to realize the situation without hesitation.
“Ugh!”
“Hunter Lee Gyu-jin…? Ugh!”
As I got closer, Lee Gyu-jin stood up and swung his dagger without hesitation.
The three civil servant hunters tried to distance themselves quickly, but they couldn’t avoid some injuries.
“Ugh, my body…!”
“Poison! This is poison!”
The problem was that the dagger, like Kang Dushik’s arrow, was coated with poison.
“Mercenary! What’s going on?”
“There’s no time to explain. Kang Dushik and Lee Gyu-jin’s original goal was to attack us. They probably did the same to other hunters.”
I quickly shared the situation and faced Lee Gyu-jin with my shield up.
Then.
“What? Did Kang Dushik get taken down? This is a real letdown.”
Lee Gyu-jin, smirking in disbelief, glared at me.
“Hey, who the hell are you?”
“Me?”
Well, how should I answer?
Lord of Hire? The sole skill Awakener?
Many titles came to mind, but none seemed fitting to say.
Then, I saw the three civil servant hunters behind me.
Standing with my sword and shield in front of them, I answered.
“Mercenary.”
