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[Translator - Pot ]
[Proofreader - Kawaii ]
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Chapter 23: Grant Mercy, Let Me Join His Side at Once! (2)
“First time seeing it? Did you just awaken?”
“Yes.”
Yeonwoo nodded calmly, and the woman chuckled, looking over at Hyunsik.
“That device is a detector rented from the Association. Even in tight spaces, you need to know where monsters are. I heard it works by using a core to pick up the waves emitted by monsters, kind of like a rough locator.”
Yeonwoo nodded thoughtfully at her explanation.
Beep beep.
A soft mechanical beep sounded.
Siyoung quickly pointed to one side, and Hyunsik, who was leading, began to advance.
“They say we could get ambushed, so I’ll stay alert as we go in.”
Hyunsik braced himself, sword and shield at the ready, his expression tense.
Since everyone here had become Hunters only recently, it was understandable that they were on edge.
Raaaaargh!!
At that moment, Yeonwoo’s keen ears detected a sound.
“It appeared.”
He murmured quietly.
The three others jumped in surprise, looking around and drawing their weapons.
His reaction was even faster than the detector’s but then again, if a monster is visible, anything in your field of vision is fair game.
At first glance, it looked like a fox, but over three times larger.
It had no fur, with eerily blood-red eyes.
‘That thing is…’
“-an F‑rank monster called a Mutant Fox. It’s far stronger and more durable than a normal fox, incredibly fast, and carries pathogens in its body, only Hunters with high-level immunity can handle it.”
‘I know.’
“-Yeonwoo. Are you just pretending to know? No one’s going to mock you for admitting you don’t know. I’m right here, you know.”
Mulhoe grumbled, tapping the ground with her toe in irritation.
Perhaps she was miffed that her knowledge wasn’t being recognized.
“-These creatures have some resistance to fire attributes. But that doesn’t mean they’re low in water resistance, they’re recorded as trickier than their rank suggests.”
‘‘Right. Judging by basic specs, they shouldn’t even be in F‑rank.’’
When Yeonwoo agreed, she brightened and kept talking excitedly.
“-They say encountering a Mutant Fox on your first hunt is considered bad luck.”
At her words, his gaze shifted.
‘‘Why bad luck?’’
“-Starting off with a Mutant Fox? Compared to mindless zombies or slimes that just have high HP…”
‘‘It’s fine. These guys are classified as low-tier monsters for a reason. There’s always an easy way to take them down.’’
“-There… is?”
‘‘For now. And since there are others watching, we can’t just kill it in one shot. Let’s observe how Hunters usually handle monsters.’’
Mulhoe stammered, clearly unfamiliar with that approach.
“Mutant Fox! Fortunately, it’s just one. Hyunwoo! Sunhee! Prepare your damage. Since none of us have fire damage, if we stick to formation, we should be able to take it down gradually. Siyoung, keep watch in case any others come from behind.”
At that, Hyunsik charged toward the Mutant Fox.
Grrrrr
The creature noticed and lunged with agility, its hostility clear.
‘‘It really is strong and fast. If only mutants weren’t so stupid.’’
Wham!!
Before Yeonwoo could finish his thought, Hyunsik smashed the Mutant Fox in the head with his shield.
Still, the rush’s force wasn’t fully negated, Hyunsik was pushed back slightly.
It carried real power.
And its speed made it harder to react than a normal fox, so Hyunsik was simply drawing its attention and holding the line.
Tanks have innate aggro skills.
They’re not much use against people, but against monsters they’re essential.
Front-line tanks trade some damage for durability and the ability to hold the monster’s focus.
Bang! Bang!
Hyunsik blocked another blow with his shield, grit in his expression as he stabilized himself.
But some strikes slipped through, leaving small cuts across his body.
Hunters can control their pain, but taking hits like that would erode concentration.
“Siyoung!’’
Feeling the effects of the pain, Hyunsik called to the healer.
Siyoung immediately activated her healing ability.
A pale green glow spread, gently closing Hyunsik’s wounds.
With his health slowly restored, he gave a small smile.
Thunk!
He swiftly stabbed his sword into the creature’s nape.
But as a mutant monster, its resilient skin and unique sense of injury meant it barely registered the blow, continuing its ferocious assault.
“Commencing attack!”
Ahn Sunhee had already drawn her bow and nocked an arrow.
Tztzztzt…
Faint wind-formed arrows appeared.
Whizz!!
They fired quickly, random in aim, but imbued with wind magic, they curved sharply and cut into the Mutant Fox.
Attacks like that could come even from lower-tier spirits descended from, the Wind Spirit King Yeonwoo had contracted.
His version packed bomb-level power, channeled through his spirit energy.
“Hyunwoo, assist too!”
At Sunhee’s call, Yeonwoo raised a hand.
‘Magic Missile.’
A small white energy arrow materialized.
Known as a non-elemental, ranged damage dealer from the start, this was no surprise.
In power, he and Sunhee were about equal both F-rank damage dealers.
Bang!! Bang!!
Although Magic Missiles could pierce through trees, they couldn’t penetrate the Mutant Fox’s hide.
Slash!!
Kyaaah!!
However, the rotating arrows left deep wounds.
Ignoring its physical resistance would have done more damage, but even the basic hits chipped at its stamina.
Though tanks are strong, ranged attackers get attack bonuses at the same rank.
The Mutant Fox momentarily tried to shift its aggression toward the damage dealers, but Hyunsik wouldn’t allow it.
He kicked again and stabbed the creature, keeping its attention firmly on himself.
‘‘They may be rookies with little experience, but they’ve clearly been trained.’’
Yeonwoo observed, intrigued by their synergy.
Their tactics weren’t ideal for this fight, but with no knowledge, it was normal for a team to act this way.
If things continued like this, they’d likely bring it down in a few minutes.
The field was small, though it seemed there might be more out there.
‘‘Everyone’s focused. Good. Time to show off a little.’’
It was time to check their main objective for entering the field.
With fluid motion, his hand moved behind his back and began a slow, deliberate movement.
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[Translator - Pot ]
[Proofreader - Kawaii ]
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