NOVEL WEB Chapter 7 - Going Back (3)
Chapter 7: Going Back (3)
TL: SHW
The buffaloes won’t immediately eat humans. After all, they’re afraid of the Minotaur.
But that doesn’t mean they’ll let humans wandering in front of them go. It just means they won’t eat them right away; there’s no harm in stockpiling food, even for monsters.
“How about going to the rooftop?”
Park Seo-hyun lifted her head and suggested.
Myeong-dong is an old street. The gaps between buildings aren’t wide. If you’re a Hunter, you can easily jump across, but….
“How do you plan to take forty people across? It’ll take more time.”
I shook my head.
“What if we run into a boss on the way? The whole building could collapse.”
If I remember correctly, we have just about an hour before the boss is caught.
It’s roughly 1 km from here to Seoul City Hall. Normally, it wouldn’t take more than 10 minutes on a straight road.
“Then… um…”
I looked sympathetically at Park Seo-hyun, who was struggling to come up with an idea. Compared to the Park Seo-hyun I knew, she seemed like a completely different person. She was so unfamiliar that it was hard to even look at her face.
No, come to think of it, this is probably the first time I’ve seen Park Seo-hyun’s bare face…. She wasn’t born gloomy, after all.
“I’ve got it!”
At that moment, the precious grandson of the wealthy family raised his hand high.
“It’s the expression our teacher often makes!”
Lee Seung-yeon pointed at my face.
“It’s like you already have the answer, but you find it amusing that we’re talking nonsense!”
Sharp observation….
All eyes were on me. I was planning to speak up soon anyway. Since this task required some preparation, we couldn’t afford to waste any more time.
“Do you remember what I said about those creatures earlier?”
“…….”
To think Hunters could be so inattentive. Even if they lack experience, this is disappointing. How did Director raise them like this?
None of the five answered.
“Well….”
Instead, the grumbling man from before raised his hand cautiously.
“Didn’t you say they have a keen sense of smell?”
“Yes. They’re more sensitive to mana, but….”
I tapped my nose.
“Their sense of smell itself is keen. There’s no way they’d miss fresh raw meat passing right in front of them. That’s also why they keep gathering around this area.”
That’s why most people here died at the time.
The fact that so many monsters have gathered around here is partly because I proved I was a Hunter by using Yoo Ji-eun’s sword. I didn’t completely control my strength…. It’s impossible not to get noticed when you’re this sensitive.
And to be honest, I also lured them on purpose. It’s good to be a life-saving benefactor, but if everything goes too smoothly, people won’t appreciate it. A bit of tension is a good stimulant for life.
Whether it’s one cow or ten, what does it matter? I’m going to save everyone anyway. Paying attention to procedures was for government officials. Now there’s no Ability Management Agency… so what.
“So if we go out unprepared, we’ll attract all the ones wandering around nearby.”
“Ah, this is frustrating! Then what do you suggest we do, Hunter?”
The middle-aged man said, pounding his chest.
“You mentioned going to City Hall because you have some idea, right?!”
He’s pretty impatient.
I looked at the kids. Oh Hyun-wook uses his fists, and Park Seo-hyun uses magic.
The rest….
“What’s your specialty?”
Oh Hyun-wook and Park Seo-hyun answered as I expected.
“I’m also a mage.”
Choi Jin-woo. A mage. But probably not as good as Park Seo-hyun.
“Um, I’m a healer.”
Yoo Hye-eun. A rare healer. Unfortunately, she’s not useful right now.
“I’m a swordsman!”
Lee Seung-yeon…. It doesn’t matter. His role is already decided.
I marked the route on the map. It’s the road to City Hall.
“We’re going this way.”
“Hunter….”
“Listen to the rest of the explanation.”
I suppressed the complaints trying to erupt.
“They have a keen sense of smell, but they can’t see well. Their other senses aren’t remarkable either. Since they’re starving, they’ll instinctively follow fresh meat passing by. But….”
Where did I see this theory before? Was it on an overseas Hunter community?
This theory required an experienced Hunter, so it was heavily criticized. Well, it’s hardly even a theory.
“But?”
“Anyway, their main food source is mana. If we release a lot of mana, they’ll head towards it.”
The Hunter who wrote that post probably never imagined their theory would be used in the Myeong-dong Dungeon incident.
“So I’ll be the bait.”
“What?”
“From the front of the building, you know the Currency Museum? I’ll release mana while circling around this point… then I’ll head towards Namsan.”
I marked the path I would take on the map.
“Hunters will be holding the line near City Hall… even if there are a few monsters left, once you reach here… what’s this building?”
“It’s a hotel. The Goryeo Hotel.”
A guild staff member quickly responded.
“If you can make it to this area, the Hunters will come to meet you. So you all go ahead.”
The kids straightened their shoulders as they were mentioned.
“Mages. How’s your shield casting speed?”
“Three seconds.”
“Four point two seconds….”
Three seconds and 4.2 seconds. Park Seo-hyun’s time wouldn’t be outclassed even twenty years later, and Choi Jin-woo’s was excellent for his age.
“Oh Hyun-wook leads. Mages deploy shields from both sides. Even if there are remaining monsters, block with the shield first, and you finish them off. Aim between their eyes. Even if you don’t kill them in one hit, they won’t be able to move.”
Oh Hyun-wook nodded with a determined expression.
“Healer, swordsman. You take the rear. Confirm and finish off the ones we’ve knocked down at the front. Ignore them if they don’t seem like they’ll get up. I’ll be following behind anyway.”
I made eye contact with each of them. I wasn’t sure if they fully understood.
I clicked my tongue internally and spoke to the civilians.
“You follow behind. Run as if your life depends on it.”
“But… won’t the monsters turn back if they see us all moving at once?”
“They will.”
I affirmed.
“Then…?”
“That’s why the preparation we’re about to do is important.”
I looked at the two mages.
“You two. Do you know how to draw runes?”
* * *
Runes are useless at this point in time.
The perception of runes changed 6 years later, when a kind-hearted French Archmage reveals the mana concealment rune.
“You only need to draw them on your foreheads. Since you’re not Hunters, you don’t have mana….”
I asked the civilians.
“If anyone here has ever Awakened, speak up quickly.”
“…….”
No one responded.
“Tsk. Mages. You drew that part wrong.”
“Ugh….”
“Does this really conceal mana?”
Park Seo-hyun and Choi Jin-woo were groaning as they drew the runes, clearly doubtful of my words.
Considering the status of runes at this time, it couldn’t be helped. I pretended not to notice their skepticism. I wasn’t planning to explain properly, nor could I.
“Since it’s drawn on your foreheads, if it’s mana connected to you. Casting will be concealed, but the magic you cast won’t be.”
I had considered drawing the runes myself, but explaining the mana pen was bothersome. While I could explain runes as being known by some mages, the mana pen’s existence would immediately be apparent if disassembled. It would be very difficult to explain.
Besides… it’s easier to clean up if the kids make mistakes rather than if I do, isn’t it?
I shrugged as I watched Park Seo-hyun draw a rune on Lee Seung-yeon’s forehead. This might give him a bit of trauma, but Hunters grow strong through tough experiences.
Finally, Choi Jin-woo drew a rune on my forehead as well.
“You know how to activate the runes, right?”
I touched Lee Seung-yeon’s forehead with my fingers. It’s easy to ruin a rune.
“Touch the rune with a hand filled with mana. Activate it as soon as I go out.”
“Yes!”
“I’ll circle around and pass by here again. Start moving once I pass. I’ll join you after I lure them away.”
There were still about twenty minutes left before the boss appeared. Though we struggled with drawing the runes, there was enough time.
“Let’s go.”
I grabbed Yoo Ji-eun’s sword, opened the window, and jumped out.
At most, it was a three-story height. I landed softly without a sound.
“Grr.”
“I should wear a red cape or something to set the mood.”
I shrugged my shoulders and started moving.
* * *
“That man… who is he?”
“You’re curious about that now?”
Oh Hyun-wook looked incredulously at Park Seo-hyun, who was biting her lip.
“N-no….”
Park Seo-hyun lowered her hand from her forehead. Despite her worries about the rune’s effectiveness, she couldn’t sense any mana from her friends.
But that didn’t ease her mind. Lowering her voice, Park Seo-hyun spoke in a worried tone.
“Hyun-wook. What if that guy doesn’t come back?”
Oh Hyun-wook, who was also lightly stretching after activating his rune, hesitated. It was something he had secretly been worried about.
“Honestly, I’ve never heard of a rune that can hide mana.”
“Why didn’t you say that earlier?”
“Didn’t you see him?! The principal said not to approach a Hunter holding a weapon!”
Well… that’s true. It’s hard to argue with someone casually carrying a sword without a sheath.
“He knew about the dungeon boss. He might be one of the Hunters who came to raid the boss.”
Choi Jin-woo, who had been listening quietly, interjected. His words brightened Park Seo-hyun’s face.
“Oh! Right. That makes sense. He knew about it in detail.”
“He might have gotten separated while driving the boss towards Namsan.”
“If he passed out there, doesn’t that mean he’s not a great Hunter?”
“He said it’s a Minotaur. Minotaurs are S-class. It could be even stronger as a dungeon boss.”
Lee Seung-yeon and Yoo Hye-eun joined the conversation.
“Anyway, we have no choice but to trust him for now. Whether he comes back or not, it’s true that he lured the monsters away from the building.”
“…That’s true.”
“His words made sense. It’s probably true that we can reach City Hall. He has no reason to deceive us.”
Oh Hyun-wook, hiding his anxiety, tried to reassure his friends.
“Everyone, stay focused. Got it?”
“Ahem. Excuse me, students.”
The civilians, who were also preparing to go down to the road, hesitantly approached the kids.
Oh Hyun-wook took a deep breath. The teacher said that Hunters must always maintain their composure.
“Yes. Are you all ready?”
“Oh, um… yes. We’ll try our best to run, ahem. So, take care of us. And don’t push yourselves too hard, students.”
“If we want to survive, we have to try hard.”
“He’s coming!”
“Everyone, get ready! There’s no specific signal, so follow us as soon as we start moving!”
Oh Hyun-wook, along with Park Seo-hyun and Choi Jin-woo, headed towards the building’s front entrance. From afar, the hunter recognized the three and waved his hand.
“…I forgot to ask his name.”
“Ask him when we get to City Hall.”
Oh Hyun-wook bit his lip anxiously.
There were at least a hundred monsters. If that many had separated from the main group, how many were there originally? Were there any other survivors in Myeong-dong besides them?
The man at the front increased his speed with a composed expression. He reached the intersection where the people were in an instant, then spun around, dragging the tip of his sword along the ground.
Blue flames danced on the asphalt. The heat was palpable, but the asphalt didn’t melt. It was impossible to understand how he did it.
The flames created a barrier between the people and the horde of monsters. The man swung his sword again. The flames followed the direction of his gesture, heading towards Namsan. The flames ascended along the road.
The man activated his rune and pointed towards City Hall. Oh Hyun-wook bent his body and ran forward. Park Seo-hyun and Choi Jin-woo followed him, and behind them, forty civilians ran as well. Despite the ruined road making it difficult to run, they gritted their teeth and sprinted.
At the back were Yoo Hye-eun and Lee Seung-yeon. The man checked if the monsters were following the flames.
“…Huh?”
“Seung-yeon?”
Lee Seung-yeon hesitated.
“Grrr.”
One of the monsters, which had been following the flames, snorted as it noticed Lee Seung-yeon.
For a moment, Lee Seung-yeon froze. The monster’s intimidating presence overwhelmed him. Yoo Hye-eun called out to her friend in panic.
However, the monster, maintaining its momentum, charged at the small student,
Swish.
“Run!”
“Ah, mister?”
The man stabbed the monster in the neck. The monster was engulfed in blue flames.
The man vigorously rubbed his forehead. The rune was erased.
“I said run!”
“Mister!”
The man grabbed the nape of Lee Seung-yeon’s neck and threw him. Reflexively, Lee Seung-yeon landed safely and looked up at the man.
The sword was blazing intensely. The man was intentionally pouring out his mana.
Just before being overwhelmed by the horde of monsters, the man looked directly at Lee Seung-yeon and said,
“Run.”