Chapter 216

The moment I saw the Wyvern circling overhead, only one thought came to mind.

It’s small.

It stretched over twenty meters¹ from head to tail, with a massive body and wings, but it didn’t intimidate me in the slightest.

Maybe it was because of the one I’d encountered three years ago.

Is it because I’ve gotten stronger? No. That thing was much bigger and stronger.

That one had been pitch-black all over. By contrast, the Wyvern circling overhead now had a bright green body.

At the head of the group, Won Myunghoon announced its identity in a powerful voice.

“It’s a Green Wyvern! It’s a relatively weak specimen, so everyone stay calm!”

A man in his early thirties drove a tower shield into the ground and shouted,

“Form up!”

At the command of Star Guild’s second A-Rank Hunter and Team Leader 1, the tanks rushed forward and formed a wall of shields.

“Taekyung, watch yourself!”

Im Kkeokjeong hurriedly called out a warning, then joined the wall of tanks with a spirited yell.

Boom! Boom-boom-boom!

The first row, then the second. Big, beautiful tower shields overlapped in layers, forming a curved defensive barrier.

The mages and healers standing by began chanting their spells.

“Let the wind dwell within you. Haste!”

“Power that shatters stone. Strength!”

“Vitality to the weary flesh. Healing!”

Bright motes of light spread outward like dandelion seeds.

At the same time, a System notification rang out.

Ding.

System

• Your physical abilities have temporarily increased due to the effects of magic.
• Agility has increased by 10!
• Strength has increased by 10!
• Fatigue has been restored!

There was a reason people said mages and healers had iron rice bowls.²

The so-called three-drug combo of buff spells was far more effective than I had expected.

Is it because they’re all B-Rank?

Every Hunter gathered here was talented enough to be welcomed wherever they went.

But the Green Wyvern circling overhead, watching for an opening, was no easy opponent either.

It was an A-Rank monster, after all.

“Kyaaaaaaak!”

With an earsplitting shriek, it opened its enormous jaws.

The next moment, green slime visible even from a distance poured down like torrential rain.

“It’s poison!”

“Scatter!”

Some people ducked behind the tanks’ shield wall, while others threw themselves toward nearby cover.

I was one of the latter. The moment I took shelter behind a boulder the size of a house, green rain blanketed everything within a radius of about thirty meters.³

Thut-thut-thut. Ssssss!

Poison. Acidic poison, at that.

The moment it touched the rock, holes riddled its surface, and an indescribable stench stabbed at my nose.

So even a weak Wyvern is still a Wyvern.

A tiger cub was still a tiger.

The Green Wyvern might have been relatively weak for its kind, but it spewed its poison with frightening speed, and the acid was incredibly potent. Any middling or low-rank Hunters would have melted along with their Equipment.

“Team Leader 1. Casualty report.”

“None.”

Most of the people gathered here were B-Rank Hunters.

Even Im Kkeokjeong, the only real weak link, was a veteran with twenty years of experience.

Team Leader Choi’s top-tier Equipment made up for his lacking physical abilities, so no one had suffered any harm.

“As it should be.”

Won Myunghoon nodded in satisfaction, but the Green Wyvern was thoroughly enraged.

“Kyaaak! Kyaaaaaaak!”

It glared at us through vertically slit pupils, then suddenly folded its wings.

Its massive body, which had been cruising leisurely through the sky, tilted toward the ground and began a steep dive.

Whoooooosh!

The sight of the Wyvern plunging from several hundred meters⁴ up brought a crashing airplane to mind.

We could at least block its acidic poison with our shields, but if that thing hit us, we were done for.

Terrified by a situation he had never faced before, Im Kkeokjeong screamed,

“Honey! Jinwoo! Sowon!”

At this rate, he’d start calling out his father’s cousin next.

Unlike Kkeokjeong, however, the Star Guild members remained calm.

Won Myunghoon even flashed me a broad grin.

“Taekyung, want hyung⁵ to show you something cool?”

“…Now?”

“Yeah.”

Wouldn’t it be better to order everyone to scatter?

There were still several dozen seconds before impact, but how could he be this relaxed?

“Watch carefully. It’ll help you.”

After tossing out those words, Won Myunghoon shifted his spear into a reverse grip.

“Hup.”

Veins bulged across his dense muscles, and an immense amount of mana surged into his spear like a rising tide.

At the same time, a faint line of light appeared along the spearhead.

Ssssss.

It was Spear Energy—a powerful concentration of mana known as Aura in the modern world.

“Kyaaaaaau!”

Perhaps it sensed that power. The Green Wyvern roared and twisted its body, aiming directly for Won Myunghoon and me.

And then—

Thud! Boom!

Won Myunghoon kicked off the ground and charged forward. One step, two, and finally three.

The Green Wyvern, no more than a black speck moments ago, was now only a few meters⁶ above us. Its green eyes, each as large as a basketball, flashed, and its rough-scaled jaws opened wide.

Just as its sharp teeth were about to descend upon its small prey—

“Hah!”

With a powerful shout, light shot from Won Myunghoon’s hand.

Whoooooosh! Crunch!

The Aura-wreathed spear pierced straight through the Green Wyvern’s neck. Red blood and green acidic poison sprayed out like a fountain.

Ssssss!

Its pupils contracted to pinpoints as its flesh burned, and its body, dozens of meters⁷ long, thrashed wildly.

“Kiiiik! Kiiiiiik!”

Boom! Crash-crash!

Rocks and trees shattered and went flying without distinction.

The Green Wyvern’s wings quivered as it writhed in pain.

Only a few seconds later, its rigidly raised tail dropped limply to the ground.

“Kiiiuuu…”

With its dying cry, the light vanished from its savage eyes.

Then, as if to prove its death, a System notification rang out.

Ding.

System

• You have defeated Lv. 97 Green Wyvern!
• No EXP has been awarded because you made no contribution!

Of course. The credit belonged to one person alone.

I dismissed the holographic window and saw Won Myunghoon pulling his spear from the Green Wyvern’s corpse.

“As expected of our Guild Master!”

“A ranker really is on another level. That Aura was incredible!”

“What ranker? That was a long time ago.”

Won Myunghoon grinned at the cheers ringing out from every direction and walked over to me.

“Did you get a good look?”

“Uh, yes.”

“That was your first time seeing Aura in person, right?”

“Um… that’s right.”

“Haha. You must’ve been surprised if you’re stammering that badly.”

A gravelly voice suddenly cut in.

“Who wouldn’t be?”

It was Team Leader 1, Star Guild’s second-in-command and the main tank of today’s raid team.

He looked like a weasel. Tapping me lightly on the arm, he continued with a shameless grin.

“When I first saw it, I wondered how something like that could even exist. People don’t say you need to wield Aura to be a true A-Rank Hunter for nothing.”

Won Myunghoon made a show of frowning.

“Quit buttering me up, punk. You’re embarrassing me.”

“Come on, how am I buttering you up? You really are that good. It’s not like I’m making it up. Don’t you agree, Hunter Jin Taekyung?”

“Uh… yes.”

“See? I’m not the only one who thinks so.”

I licked my dry lips, unsure what to say. Fortunately, Won Myunghoon spoke before the mood could turn awkward.

“You’re all right except for all the sucking up. Enough flattery. Have the guys clean this up and inspect the Equipment again.”

“Understood, Guild Master. Loyalty!”

After giving an exaggerated salute, Team Leader 1 turned away.

“That guy’s always been like that. He’s flighty and careless enough to send the wrong contract…”

Won Myunghoon’s voice trailed off as he watched Team Leader 1 walk away.

“But, Taekyung.”

“Yes?”

“Are you all right? What’s with that expression you’ve had this whole time?”

“…It’s nothing. I was just a little surprised.”

“Was it the Wyvern? Well, this is your first A-Rank Gate, so that’s understandable. You’ll get used to it.”

“…”

I swallowed the words that had risen to my throat. I finally understood how the barber who saw the king’s donkey ears must have felt.⁸

That wasn’t what surprised me.

Trying not to show how confused and frustrated I was, I looked at Won Myunghoon.

He was tall and long-limbed, with a youthful face that made it hard to believe he was nearly forty.

But the real reason I had admired him wasn’t his handsome appearance or his catchy hit songs.

An A-Rank Hunter. A master of the spear. And a ranker.

For as long as I could remember, my idol hadn’t been the celebrity Won Myunghoon, but the Hunter Won Myunghoon.

He was why I had chosen the spear when I became a Hunter. I had read and reread the spear manual he wrote during his ranker days until it fell apart.

But…

Why is he so weak?

The reason I had stood still from beginning to end was simple.

I wanted to witness Won Myunghoon fight with my own eyes.

What I saw went beyond anything I could have imagined—in an entirely different sense.

His movements are slow as hell, everything he does is needlessly flashy, and he can’t even use Aura properly.

Watching him had nearly given me a stroke.

Had Won Myunghoon always been this weak? Or had his skills declined?

My head was full of questions, but if I had to sum up my thoughts in a single line, it would be this:

What the fuck is this?

It was unfair. There was no particular reason for me to feel wronged, but somehow I felt spectacularly cheated!

It was like reserving a full-course meal at a seven-star hotel only to be served braised boneless pollock and beef bibim sauce.⁹

This isn’t what I had in mind. It really isn’t.

Oblivious to my feelings, Won Myunghoon still wore a relaxed, confident smile.

“By the way, where’s the necklace? I don’t see it.”

Was the necklace really the issue right now?

Overcome by an inexplicable sense of emptiness, I answered carelessly.

“…I put it in my pants pocket.”

“Why?”

“Just because. It was getting in the way. Why?”

“No reason. It doesn’t matter as long as you keep it safe.”

Won Myunghoon’s gaze flicked toward my lower body. After confirming the bulge in the pocket of my tight leather pants, he added,

“Whatever you do, don’t lose it. Got it?”

“Yes.”

There was no way I could lose it. No—if I ever did, I’d have no reason to go on living.

My stuff is precious.

It really was a good thing that my body in the Murim and my body in reality were the same.

Thinking of the black anaconda coiled inside my pants lifted my gloomy mood a little.

While the Hunters dismantled the Green Wyvern and cleaned up the area, Won Myunghoon and Team Leader 1 moved to a secluded spot.

“That necklace works well.”

Team Leader 1 grinned.

“It wasn’t easy to get. Even magical scans can’t detect it.”

“Yeah, you did well, but…”

Won Myunghoon suddenly furrowed his brow and continued.

“It’s more effective than I expected. We haven’t even left the jungle yet, and a Wyvern has already appeared.”

“Couldn’t it just be a coincidence? It’s not that rare.”

“It was a coincidence eight years ago, too.”

“…What choice do we have? You can’t predict what’ll happen next inside a Gate.”

“That’s why I hate Gates. With people, you can more or less figure out what the bastard is thinking. But with this fucked-up place, you can’t.”

Won Myunghoon answered in a low voice and looked around.

Everywhere he looked, there was nothing but grass, trees, and strange insects. He wanted to return to the forest of skyscrapers as soon as possible.

“Let’s get started soon. Something bigger and stronger than a Green Wyvern needs to show up.”

“So the surviving witnesses can testify?”

“You’re one smart bastard. I tell you one thing, and you figure out ten.”

A smile formed on Won Myunghoon’s lips.