06. A Teacher's Grace is as Vast as the Sky (2)
[The safe zone has been deactivated.]
[The World Tower’s blessing slows monster movements for 5 minutes.]
[Monster wave begins in 5 minutes!]
“Ah, this is really maddening.”
“Trainee Jo Sung-hyun, didn’t I say we don’t have time for this?”
Jo Sung-hyun, who had been kicking the innocent wall, drew his sword at Seo Young-woon’s words.
Three waves had passed.
Two safe zones remained. In a short time, the group had become ragged.
With the safe zone duration getting progressively shorter, we were gasping for breath. Even this basement was no longer safe.
As I broke down the door with arrows, we saw a horde of monsters blocking the narrow staircase. While Seo Young-woon, at the front, drew attention with his taunt skill, Cha Taeyang and Jo Sung-hyun cleared the way.
Finding it awkward to shoot arrows around my companions, I swung my bow to keep the undead at bay.
We had barely reached the first floor when a message appeared saying only 3 minutes remained until the monster wave.
“Where are the remaining safe zones?”
“There’s one each on the second and third floors, but I don’t remember their exact locations.”
“Let’s split up.”
“Let’s start with the second floor. The third floor is our last resort.”
Why is this cursed mansion so vast?
We split into three teams and began searching every corner of the ㄷ-shaped mansion with its three connected buildings. Even Cha Taeyang’s goblin pitched in, rolling across the floor in search of a safe zone.
“Not here… Damn it, not here either.”
My fingertips trembled as I opened doors. Come on, show yourself already! We couldn’t make any progress, busy dealing with the persistent monsters.
“It’s here. I found it!”
Jo Sung-hyun, searching the east wing of the mansion, shouted.
Cha Taeyang, who had been searching the central area with me, swiftly hoisted me onto her shoulders and ran. It seems she was impressed by how Seo Young-woon had carried me earlier.
The undead horde from the central area followed us as we moved towards the east wing, but thanks to their slowed movement, Cha Taeyang easily outpaced them.
Jo Sung-hyun waved his hand in front of a room with its door wide open.
‘This gives us 5 minutes of peace.’
Just as we were about to enter the room, the goblin came rolling in, jingling frantically.
“Mr. Kim, it’s terrible! The big Mr. Kim can’t come because the middle path is blocked!”
“You mean Hunter Seo Young-woon?”
[Monster wave begins in 1 minute 30 seconds!]
The undead horde we had evaded was blocking the corridor. We hadn’t considered Seo Young-woon coming over from the west building. I could almost hear the ticking of a clock’s second hand in my head. For a moment, my thoughts froze.
Cha Taeyang, grasping the situation, tugged at my immobile arm.
“Let’s go quickly!”
“Yes, let’s move. Trainee Jo Sung-hyun, come on too! Hurry!”
Though slowed, their other stats remained unchanged. It would be difficult for Seo Young-woon, a defensive hunter, to break through alone in time.
I ran towards the central building with the other two.
◆◇◆◇◆
Seo Young-woon, trapped in the midst of the monster horde, was struggling valiantly. Even an A-rank tank seemed overwhelmed by the sheer numbers, visibly strained.
“Why did you come? I can handle this, return to the safe zone!”
“Is this really the time to worry about your pride?”
“Mr. Kim! I brought the other Mr. Kims.”
Even as he knocked back the undead attacking from behind with his shield, Seo Young-woon glared at the goblin.
“Haaah!”
Cha Taeyang leapt off Jo Sung-hyun’s shoulder as he swung his sword, landing amidst the undead horde and fearlessly making her way towards Seo Young-woon.
Was it just my imagination? Somehow, Cha Taeyang’s flames seemed to burn brighter than when facing the plant-type monsters.
[Monster wave begins in 30 seconds!]
With Seo Young-woon and Cha Taeyang joining forces, the monsters were cut down even more rapidly. I too fired arrows ceaselessly to cover my companions.
Just as Jo Sung-hyun barely managed to join the other two, the air changed.
“We were so close…!”
The flow of mana enveloping the monsters grew turbulent.
[The monster wave has begun!]
Behind the three running towards me, the undead horde swarmed like a cloud of bees. This isn’t the Pied Piper, what’s going on?
“Wait a second. That…”
Suddenly, something caught my eye. With that, we might just have a chance.
I activated “Marksman’s Eye,” which I had deactivated to conserve mana. Though invisible to me, my irises must have turned a pale gold.
My target was the old chandelier swinging from the ceiling.
The weakest joint of the chandelier glowed red.
There was no time to use Bow Assistant to increase accuracy. Fortunately, the fastener wasn’t too small. This should be doable even without the system’s help.
“After all the arrows I’ve shot!”
I immediately drew the bowstring, aiming at the fastener.
[Due to trait evolution, ‘Explorer’s Eye (A)’ activates instead of ‘Marksman’s Eye (C)’.]
[Gain exceptional insight to grasp the target’s essence.]
Ignoring the system window, I immediately activated Attribute Bestowal.
“Apply 3rd slot ‘Replication’.”
[Skill ‘Attribute Bestowal (C)’ activates.
– 3rd slot: Replication (2 uses remaining)]
[Your item is imbued with special power!]
A card visible only to me appeared and vanished, and three arrows made of mana struck the chandelier’s fastener.
The chandelier shook violently but didn’t fall as intended.
“One more time!”
I fired another arrow with the ‘Replication’ attribute in quick succession.
One shot, two shots, and with the final arrow, the fastener shattered.
Boom!
The massive chandelier crashed down onto the undead horde.
“Nice assist!”
“Mr. Kim, that was awesome!”
With a thunderous noise, the crystal pieces shattered as they hit the floor. My companions, momentarily stunned, quickly grabbed me and ran towards the east wing.
While the monsters were in disarray, we barely managed to enter the safe zone.
[You have entered the safe zone!]
[Safe zone duration: 00:04:11]
“Are you out of your mind?”
“Wouldn’t it be better to rest a bit instead of wasting energy?”
“Didn’t I tell you to go back? Why on earth…”
“If we hadn’t taken the risk, Hunter Seo Young-woon could have been seriously injured.”
“Instead of worrying about me, a C-rank hunter should act like one and run away quickly. Why did you step up like that?”
Seo Young-woon closed his eyes, hand on his forehead. Jo Sung-hyun seemed to share the sentiment, giving me an ambiguous look.
Didn’t it end well? That’s what matters. Why nitpick?
Shaking his head, Seo Young-woon spoke.
“Anyway, thank you for the help.”
“Wow! Mister, you know how to say such things?”
Seo Young-woon furrowed his brow at the guileless comment.
As Seo Young-woon grumbled, “What exactly did you think of me?” Cha Taeyang just grinned and shrugged.
“Hunter Yun Gaho, please tell us about the last safe zone.”
“Ah, yes.”
Jo Sung-hyun, who had been addressing me dismissively before, properly called me Hunter Yun Gaho for the first time. Trying to hide my surprise, I began explaining about the third floor.
“The safe zone on the third floor is our last resort.”
“What does that mean?”
“I heard there are traps set up all over the third floor. Hwolbin had quite a hard time with them during their conquest.”
Hearing this, Jo Sung-hyun groaned. If Hwolbin, composed of highly mobile hunters, said that, these must be truly tricky traps.
Even if we get another 5 minutes at most, can we safely find the safe zone? Why are the reinforcements taking so long?
Amidst the uncomfortable silence, Cha Taeyang whispered softly.
“If only I could use that, those things would be a piece of cake.”
“Absolutely, absolutely not! Have you forgotten everything the witch Mr. Kim said?”
“Forbidden until my mana levels increase! I remember.”
Cha Taeyang, imitating someone, wilted like spinach in hot water.
Intrigued by this unusual exchange, Jo Sung-hyun shook Cha Taeyang’s shoulder.
“Do you have some kind of secret weapon?”
“I told you I can’t use it!”
“You ill-mannered Mr. Kim! Don’t bully Taeyang!”
“Hunter Cha Taeyang, do you have a method? Please explain at least.”
At my persuasion, Cha Taeyang, who had clamped her mouth shut like a clam under Jo Sung-hyun’s urging, finally spoke.
“I have an area-of-effect skill that sends back things belonging to the afterlife.”
“Hey, why are you only mentioning this skill now if you had it?”
“Don’t yell so ignorantly! You think Taeyang’s not using it on purpose? It’s something she can’t use!”
“Like Sori said, I can’t use it now. It’s locked because my mana level is too low, and if I force it, I’ll be out of it for days. They said it’s a skill far from my talent.”
It’s a skill perfectly suited for this situation.
Unable to use it due to insufficient stats. Could it be a trait’s additional skill?
Judging by her fighting style, Cha Taeyang’s stats are likely focused on strength and agility. The skill she’s talking about must be mana-based.
I’ve heard of such additional skills occasionally, but to think Cha Taeyang would be such a case. Usually, in these situations, people compensate for lacking stats with equipment or gradually improve through training.
“How much mana are you short?”
“Twelve.”
Hearing the number Cha Taeyang mentioned made it even more regrettable. It’s an amount that could be covered with just one good mana-based equipment.
Though I felt disappointed, I soon abandoned the notion. We couldn’t risk Cha Taeyang fainting. It would immediately tie up one person to move her, and put too much burden on Jo Sung-hyun.
“…That’s it!”
Suddenly, I remembered the skill I had just acquired. Enchant.
‘Couldn’t I use that skill to boost Cha Taeyang’s mana stat?’
But I quickly shook my head.
If I tried and ended up destroying Cha Taeyang’s equipment, it would be disastrous. We couldn’t afford to diminish our main combat strength. This wasn’t the time for reckless actions.
[The safe zone has been deactivated.]
[The World Tower’s blessing slows monster movements for 5 minutes.]
[Monster wave begins in 5 minutes!]
“We don’t have time to talk.”
The warm light enveloping the room faded. Fortunately, we were given the same 5 minutes as before. It seemed the time wouldn’t decrease further than this.
Due to the chandelier I had dropped blocking the stairs to the third floor, we climbed up to the third floor through the window.
As we left the room, I realized something was odd. I stopped abruptly.
“Hunter Yun Gaho?”
Tiles scattered across the corridor glowed red.
It wasn’t just the floor. The vase by the window, the tapestry at the end of the corridor, even some door handles.
“What’s this now?”