Chapter 76: The Tenth Trial （7）
Werewolf Lord.
When faced with the disastrous A-rank monster, Ju Seok-h*n recalled the painful ‘memory of that day’.
It was an isolation incident back then too.
Having solved numerous incidents led by Kim Myeong-min, the Ranger unit was brimming with confidence. They were confident they could handle even a B-rank isolation, and they seemed to be resolving the issue as they found the rescue targets. The problem arose when they confirmed that there was one rescue target who had deviated from their location and hadn’t waited for the Ranger unit, and Kim Myeong-min decided to move to rescue him.
Beyond the darkness.
There was disaster.
Due to the sudden appearance of the A-rank monster Cyclops, Ju Seok-h*n was slammed into a cliff wall, and the Ranger unit was instantly thrown into disarray. He didn’t remember it well. As he was tossed around by the powerful impact, he couldn’t protect his colleagues, and due to the deaths in that incident, Kim Myeong-min was disciplined and moved to a non-critical position.
As the Cyclops raised its club, blood trailed thickly behind.
Pieces of flesh, presumably from a once-living body.
Goosebumps rose on his skin.
Ju Seok-h*n, tormented by his inability to protect them, took a temporary leave of absence and entered seclusion training.
He couldn’t repeat the events of that day.
So, he fought like a man possessed.
Even if he died, he couldn’t watch his colleagues die or get hurt against the Werewolf Lord.
His forearm was ripped off.
Because of his reckless attempts to hold back the Lord, Ju Seok-h*n’s entire body was drenched in blood in a matter of minutes. It was a truly cruel reality. Despite his desperate efforts not to repeat the past, there seemed to be no significant difference between then and now. The insurmountable wall of A-rank. Against those monsters, even the seemingly high rank of B-rank meant nothing.
He crossed the line of death.
He risked his life and grabbed the Lord.
And when he saw his body being torn apart by the Lord’s attacks, Ju Seok-h*n resigned himself to reality.
‘I couldn’t endure it this time either.’
He fell back.
In his blurry vision, he fell into the pit of despair.
Kooong━!
✦✦✦✦✦✦
He opened his eyes.
‘………Am I dead?’
The last memory.
Recalling the intense pain, Ju Seok-h*n thought that the blurry scene might be the afterlife.
That is, if he hadn’t heard his colleague’s voice at that moment.
“Hey, Ju Seok-h*n. Are you okay?”
“You’re……….”
It was the Priest.
His colleague, a C-rank Priest, looked after Ju Seok-h*n with an urgent expression.
“I’m sorry, but we don’t have time for you to be collapsed like this. Your body? Can you move?”
“………What’s going on?”
“What’s going on?! After you collapsed, we retreated to the location where we rescued the targets. The Werewolves followed us immediately, a battle broke out, and now even Gi-d*ng is down, so the newbie is handling this crazy situation alone. We need you. Please, tell me you’re in a condition to move!”
“What?”
His expression cracked.
A newbie?
He couldn’t easily comprehend the story that a mere D-rank newbie was handling this situation.
He turned his head.
Only then did he see the situation.
At the forefront.
There was Kang San.
Covered in blood and dirt, Kang San was desperately holding back the surging Werewolves. It was truly an extraordinary display of movement. A D-rank should die even from a glancing b*ow from the Lord, or rather, the difference in power was so great that they shouldn’t even be able to react to the attacks. But Kang San, who knows what kind of guy he is, was deflecting the Lord’s attacks by a hair’s breadth, as if walking a tightrope.
Behind him.
Kim Myeong-min was slaughtering the enemies like a madman.
It was clear at a glance that the situation would have collapsed long ago if the two hadn’t risked their lives to hold the front line.
‘What is this.’
At that moment.
His eyes met Yoon Ji-tae’s.
His eyes were also filled with complex emotions.
Suddenly, he remembered what Yoon Ji-tae had said.
“………We’ve seen too many cases where good people, good people die. Besides, the fact that the position he has to take on is a Tanker means that the possibility of him getting hurt before he has time to grow is very high.”
A Tanker who needs time to grow.
He couldn’t say it was wrong, but looking at the current situation, he couldn’t say it was right either.
Kang San needed to grow in the future, but he was already competitive enough to be put into action immediately.
Ju Seok-h*n said.
“………It seems you were wrong this time. That person is someone we desperately need. Ugh.”
He got up.
His whole body screamed.
His torn and tattered body meant he wasn’t in good condition, but he didn’t have time to sit around like this.
Being alive.
It was a blessing.
That was enough.
“So, let’s not let him die like this. Like that time.”
“………Yeah.”
Ju Seok-h*n gulped down a potion.
Then he threw the empty bottle roughly and started walking towards the chaotic battlefield.
✦✦✦✦✦✦
Ju Seok-h*n’s joining.
It was a breath of fresh air.
Kang San retreated, and Ju Seok-h*n stepped up as the main Tanker again.
“Guardian Shield.”
Kwaang!
Kwakwakwakwak.
The Werewolves rushed in.
He blocked the mouths thrusting at him from all directions with his shield and stabbed his sword into the momentarily exposed gaps.
He had to endure.
Just a D-rank.
Hadn’t the newbie handled it too?
But things didn’t go as planned.
Although it seemed like a relief with Ju Seok-h*n’s joining, he quickly started to falter after taking the Lord’s attacks.
Kyaak━!
It was fast.
If he turned his body to avoid the movement digging in from the left, it would momentarily blur and then dig into the space on the right, swinging its claws. It was a speed his eyes couldn’t follow. If Kim Myeong-min hadn’t quickly covered him and attacked the Lord, his side could have been ripped open. That’s why he couldn’t understand it even more. How could a D-rank handle a speed that even a B-rank Tanker with over 300 stats couldn’t?
Whatever it was.
Now wasn’t the time to discuss common sense.
Ju Seok-h*n struggled to block the attacks, and Yoon Ji-tae also squeezed out his magic power, unleashing his full strength.
“Wind Field.”
Wheeeeing.
He opened his eyes wide.
As a fierce wind blew, Yoon Ji-tae’s whole body was engulfed in flames.
“Memorize, Fire Field.”
Hwarleok.
Hwarurururururururuk.
It was truly a spectacle.
The fierce wind tore the Werewolves’ bodies apart, and the raging flames dug into their wounds, burning them black in an instant. This time, even the Lord couldn’t recover from the shock. The B-rank members, Kim Myeong-min, Ju Seok-h*n, and Yoon Ji-tae. Thanks to their desperate efforts, the Ranger unit managed to hold on precariously.
Everyone thought.
They could endure.
If they held on like this, eventually, reinforcements would arrive.
But 1 minute, 2 minutes, 3 minutes.
As time passed, the odds of defeat grew stronger.
Ju Seok-h*n’s joining was only a temporary measure, and if one person could turn the tide, they wouldn’t have been driven into a corner in the first place. The wall of reality was becoming increasingly apparent. Fatigue accumulated from the continuous battle, and the aggro-drawing skills couldn’t be used continuously due to cooldowns. Perhaps everyone knew it. Just like Kang Gi-d*ng, who collapsed after 10 minutes and still hadn’t regained consciousness.
The outcome was already decided.
A situation where either someone would die, or everyone would be annihilated wouldn’t be surprising.
That was the reality.
Tung━!
Kwadang.
Kang San rolled on the ground.
Even though it was an attack from a regular Werewolf, not the Lord, he couldn’t withstand it and was thrown back.
“Haak, haak.”
He was out of breath.
Cold sweat dripped from his forehead.
At least when he was dealing with a large number of enemies, his defense was enhanced by ‘Guardian’s Will’, but as he reduced the numbers, Kang San felt it was becoming more difficult for him. His vision spun. Inhaling and exhaling as if his heart would explode, Kang San focused on the enemy in front of him. He knew all too well that in his current situation, like walking on a tightrope, if he stopped because he was tired, he would die.
Tatadak.
Kyaak━!
The Werewolf lunged.
Tang!
He blocked the attack.
But there wasn’t just one or two enemies.
As the intricately intertwined threads aimed for his vital points, Kang San tried to deflect them and counterattack.
His primal instincts boiled.
His attack power was sufficient.
But.
‘………!’
The opponent’s speed was faster than he thought.
Or rather, Kang San was slow.
He clearly thought he had reacted with his mind, but as his stamina was depleted, it didn’t unfold as he intended.
Kwadeuk!
“Keaak.”
His shoulder was bitten.
Kang San’s face contorted in agony.
✦✦✦✦✦✦
Meanwhile.
The 1st Company entered the operation area.
Outside, perhaps due to the full moon’s effect, communication wasn’t connecting, but within the Other World, they managed to connect after several attempts.
“What’s the situation there?”
『It’s a very dangerous situation. An A-rank Werewolf Lord has appeared, and the number of Werewolves visible is in the dozens, unlike the report. It’s dangerous to the point where it wouldn’t be strange if we collapsed at any moment. We need immediate support. We can’t guarantee we can hold on for more than 10 minutes from now.』
It was Gu Yeon-su.
Although it was cutting out intermittently, it was clear that they needed immediate rescue.
“For now, keep reporting the situation……… What?”
『Jijijijik』
The communication was cut off.
When the 1st Company Commander looked at the signalman, the signalman said with a troubled expression.
“It seems the full moon is interfering with the communication. I’ll try again.”
“D*mn it.”
The situation wasn’t good.
If the danger was simply a large number of enemies, they could take their troops and provide support.
But an A-rank monster had appeared.
With the current strength of the 1st Company, it was clear they would face certain death against the Werewolf Lord.
“Try to connect the communication as much as possible. We’ll establish a base here and wait for the main force to arrive.”
“Yes.”
It was a sensible judgment.
Everyone moved in unison.
The series of events.
Listening to the signalman’s report, Kim Chun-sik felt his heart pounding.
‘Kang San-nim is in danger.’
His mouth went dry.
His mind was filled with dangerous thoughts.
According to the information he checked before coming here, Kim Myeong-min’s Ranger unit didn’t include any A-rank Hunters. Could they really hold out against the Lord? Even if reinforcements arrived in time, would it be possible for Kang San, a mere D-rank Tanker, to survive until then? Logically, it was impossible. If Kang San was the type to avoid danger, it might be different, but he was excessively devoted, especially for a position with a low survival rate.
He clenched his teeth.
This couldn’t go on.
If he was going to be satisfied with just praying for Kang San’s survival, Kim Chun-sik wouldn’t have volunteered in the first place.
He immediately approached the 1st Company Commander.
“I have something to say.”
“What is it?”
The Company Commander looked at him with a puzzled expression.
Kim Chun-sik’s dispatch itself was beyond his comprehension, so he couldn’t predict what the soldier in front of him would say.
Kim Chun-sik said.
“If the Ranger unit is currently under attack by the Werewolf Lord, it’s true that we can’t help them with just the advance party. But we need to prepare in advance for when the main force arrives. Isn’t the full moon up now? How about sending a scout to at least secure the Ranger unit’s location?”
“That’s dangerous. The soldier assigned as a scout could be put at risk.”
He knew.
The forest shrouded in darkness.
The soldier who entered there would inevitably be in danger.
That’s why Kim Chun-sik believed that role was even more necessary.
A difference of 1 minute, 1 second.
That would decide Kang San’s life or death.
Kim Chun-sik said with a determined expression.
“I’ll go. I’ll take on the role of the scout and identify the Ranger unit’s location.”
