Chapter 43

Swish.

A razor-sharp dagger dug into a Hobgoblin corpse.

Fluids splattered and a foul stench filled the air, but I didn’t stop. I discarded the heads, neatly cut the hides from their backs and bellies, and stacked them in a pile.

“You’re quite skilled.”

“…Thank you.”

It was Team Leader Choi. The kindness in his voice made me feel guilty. Getting jealous of someone like him—how childish was that?

Especially after dragging up an illusion I’d already decided to forget.

What am I, a teenager?

I finished the job with my face burning red.

A little over ten minutes, so about twenty seconds per corpse? Even Im Kkeokjeong sidled over, drawn by the speed, and his mouth fell open.

“Damn, have you been doing nothing but this?”

“Plenty of people can do this much.”

“Plenty, my ass. You’re a full-blown professional.”

Hmm. That made me a little proud.

I’d played modest a second ago, but Im Kkeokjeong was right. There weren’t many Hunters who could butcher this cleanly at this speed.

“I’m just quick with my hands.”

I’d done factory part-time jobs in school. I’d even stuck eyes on dolls. In a way, I’d started this before I ever worked as a Hunter.

“I kept it up during raids, too.”

“You switched over to this completely?”

“No. I just did both. A side job.”

“A side job?”

Team Leader Choi, who’d been listening quietly, cut in.

“Oh, yes.”

“Exactly what kind?”

“I just split the breaks after combat to do the work.”

“Do you receive additional pay?”

“Of course. It’s work, too.”

“How long have you been doing it?”

“I’ve kept at it. From the beginning until now.”

Im Kkeokjeong was floored.

“You hardcore bastard. I couldn’t do that.”

“You get used to it. It helps build stamina, too.”

“Your life’s on the line, and you’re building stamina? Hahaha. Team Leader Choi, didn’t I tell you? There’s nobody who works as relentlessly as this kid.”

Did you say that?

“Hm.”

Instead of answering, Team Leader Choi studied me for a moment, then turned away.

“The work’s done, so shall we get moving again?”

What was that reaction supposed to mean? While I stood there bewildered, Im Kkeokjeong gave me an unreadable smile.

“Keep working hard.”

No, what?

The raid went smoothly. The E-rank Hunters had been in sync so long they moved as one. Once they cut the monsters’ numbers down, Team Leader Choi took over.

Slash—

Every swing of his sword sent up a fountain of blood.

I took in every second of the fight unfolding right in front of me.

He really can fight.

Of course, I couldn’t help thinking about Murim.

Not the dance-like moves practiced in the city park at dawn, but real martial arts. I’d seen them with my own eyes and even learned them.

…Huh?

No way. Still, maybe?

It was ridiculous. There was no way it would work, but I was going to try once.

It won’t work. It won’t… But it’d be nice if it did.

Just as I was about to take a cautious step—

“Mr. Taekyung. Please handle the cleanup.”

Team Leader Choi’s voice snapped me back to my senses.

I’ve completely lost it. Getting distracted in the middle of a raid.

Get a grip.

Whatever I wanted to do later, the raid came first.

That was courtesy to my teammates—and the conviction that would keep me alive.

“Yes. Coming!”

I ran over like the wind and started taking the corpses apart.

Team Leader Choi and Im Kkeokjeong loitered nearby throughout the break, as if they weren’t tired at all.

They’re seriously getting on my nerves.

Im Kkeokjeong came over again at the next break, without fail.

“Taekyung. How long have you been using a spear?”

“Seven years.”

“Wow. At that point, you’re practically a master. A real master.”

“…?”

The break after that, too.

“Taekyung. You said you were top of your training class, right?”

“Yes. But I was only first among the F-ranks, so it doesn’t mean much.”

“You punk. That’s what makes it impressive. I finished dead last.”

“You’re impressive too, hyung. But I need to get back to work.”

“Oh, right.”

And then the next break. And the one after that. And the one after that.

“Taekyung. Taekyung. Taekyung.”

“Hyung. I think my cochlea’s been torn open.”

“How many years did you say you worked at your previous Guild?”

“Ah.”

I wanted to switch to a mage right then and there, just so I could cast a silence spell on that man’s mouth.

This is driving me crazy.

There was only one way out: finish the work before blood really started pouring from my ears. I clenched my teeth and kept my hands moving.

Slice. Slice. Slice.

“Taekyung.”

Save me.

I sent a distress signal to Team Leader Choi, who was sitting nearby, but he answered by quietly slipping away.

“The work’s done.”

I stood up with the bag on my back, heavier than before. Hobgoblins were the monsters that kept on giving. Poison-resistant hides, a few usable weapons—and they even dropped two E-grade Magic Gems.

The hides are in good condition, and there are two Magic Gems. This should be worth a decent amount.

Team Leader Choi had contributed the most, so he’d probably take about half. But with so few people, the other team members would still turn a profit.

Not me, of course. According to the contract, the 300,000-won base pay was all I would get.

If he’s in a good mood, maybe he’ll throw me a little extra.

Team Leader Choi was a fairly generous employer. He was a C-rank Hunter way out of my league, yet he always spoke politely to me. His personality was a little unusual, but by the standards of this line of work, he was a decent human being.

And a skilled Hunter I can trust.

Thanks to him, we’d made it this far at a steady, rapid pace.

All that remained was the last stretch of the Gate.

The Boss Zone.

If we opened the stone gate in front of us, the Gate’s boss monster and the mana field that would send us outside should be waiting beyond it.

“Man, all that moving around made me hungry.”

“Let’s finish this quick and go out for some gukbap.¹ Taekyung, you’re coming too, right? And you too, Team Leader Choi.”

“I’m fine. I’ll order sushi separately.”

“…”

Talking about food with the Boss Zone right in front of us. And one guy was even planning to order sushi by himself.

Is it really okay to be this relaxed?

Of course, I had no right to say that. Just portering and butchering in between had already earned me a day’s pay.

Until I landed a job at a new Guild, if Team Leader Choi kept calling me, I wouldn’t have anything left to wish for. A sweet gig like this? I could do it a hundred times over.

“Well, shall we head in?”

“Yes.”

At Team Leader Choi’s answer, Im Kkeokjeong slammed his tower shield into the stone gate.

Boom!

The gate blew apart, and powdered stone and dust poured down. I followed the others into the Boss Zone.

And there…

—Keuruk.

It was there.

A shaman?

That was the first word that came to mind when I saw it.

An old Hobgoblin in robes marked with unreadable patterns. A withered staff in one hand, a sharp dagger in the other.

—Karruk. Chwi. Akto.

Despite the loud crash when the stone gate broke, it went on muttering, unfazed. Each time a syllable ended, black energy rose from the corpses scattered around it.

Wait. Corpses?

I’d seen it right. Nearly a hundred Hobgoblins lay dead on the altar. Looking closer, they were the ones we were supposed to fight in the Boss Zone.

What the hell is this?

While all of us froze at a situation none of us had ever seen, Team Leader Choi shouted like a thunderclap.

“Get outside. Now!”

That was when the unknown old Hobgoblin turned its head.

Clink.

Its staff shook lightly.

—Mita. Allo.

The air shuddered.

Magic was taking form.

“Behind the shields!”

The tanks hurriedly raised their tower shields. But that was the wrong call. What it had cast wasn’t an attack spell.

Boom. Boom. Boom!

“Behind us! The passage is being blocked!”

“Run! Hurry!”

Damn it. Too late.

As if the clock had been turned back, the shattered stone gate stood intact again.

And the changes didn’t stop there.

The rubble on the floor stacked itself into double and triple walls, and vines from the cave walls bound them tight.

“Everyone, out of the way!”

It was Im Kkeokjeong. His muscles had swollen like they were about to burst—probably a Strength Enhancement Skill. Tower shield in hand, he charged the stone gate.

“Haaah!”

Bang! Crack!

“…Goddamn it.”

Im Kkeokjeong dropped the tower shield, his face blank with disbelief. An E-rank Hunter had even used a Skill and still hadn’t broken through. All he’d managed to do was wreck his shield.

Enhancement magic?

Whatever it was, one thing was certain.

If it could wield magic like this, that old Hobgoblin had to be a monster at least one or two tiers higher.

And…

Swish!

There was someone among us who could face it.

When did he—?

Team Leader Choi was already charging the thing, as if he’d been sure the passage wouldn’t break.

“The wind takes hold. Haste.”

His body slid forward. More than a hundred meters vanished in an instant. With five paces left, the sword came free from Team Leader Choi’s waist.

Whoosh!

A C-rank Hunter’s full-power attack.

But the old Hobgoblin gave a nasty grin.

—Karruk. Chwi. Akto.

The change happened in an instant.

Whoosh—

The hundred-odd corpses scattered across the altar shriveled, then dispersed like sand. The black energy, fully pulled out of them, gathered into one mass and smashed into Team Leader Choi’s side.

Thud!

“Ghk.”

Team Leader Choi bounced back fast. His face contorted as he said,

“We have to stop it. Right now.”

“…That?”

It was already too late.

Only a few seconds ago, it had been nothing more than energy given form. Now it was rapidly taking shape.

A hulking frame nearly three meters tall. A monster with muscles ready to burst, holding a greatsword of terrifying size.

“What the hell is that…?”

Someone muttered in a dazed voice. Just like me, this had to be the first time they were seeing anything like it.

Only Team Leader Choi knew what they were.

“Hobgoblin Great Warrior. A C-rank Rare Monster.”

The fact that something that size was a Hobgoblin was shocking enough, but it was nothing compared to what came next.

C-rank Rare Monster?

Fuck, why is that thing showing up here?

Rare Monsters were uncommon monsters that appeared in a given Gate only at a low rate. And that Great Warrior was C-rank—something neither I nor the other team members would ever have run into in our lives.

…Of course, not anymore.

“You want us to fight that thing?”

“Those things.”

Team Leader Choi pointed at the old Hobgoblin.

“Hobgoblin Priest. Also a C-rank Rare Monster.”

“Ah, fuck…”

The curse slipped out before I could stop it. Im Kkeokjeong asked with a grim expression,

“What are our chances? Give it to me straight.”

“If we take out the Priest first, there’s hope. In exchange…”

Boom. Boom.

Team Leader Choi’s words cut off.

The Great Warrior was coming toward us.

One step. Then another.

The cave floor shook.

“We need to hold that thing down for a little while.”

Who?

“Us?”

“No. All of you.”

“Kuwooooh!”

The Great Warrior’s roar sent a stalactite falling from the cave ceiling.

Team Leader Choi turned with a resolute look I’d never seen on him before.

“The wind takes hold. Haste.”

Hey, you bastard.