It wasn't just the Lycanthrope.
'Where is it?'
I felt it.
'Behind me!'
There was a creature giving off even fiercer bloodlust than the Lycanthrope before my eyes. I heard a piercing scream.
"Kyaaaaaa!"
One of the three women who had fallen over was attacked by the Lycanthrope, her arm torn off by its brute, monstrous strength.
Spurt!
Hot blood gushed from the gaping wound.
Hyukjin didn't pay much attention to that. Rather, he wasn't able to. The moment he let himself get distracted by the Lycanthrope, that still unidentified 'something' would stick a dagger in his back.
'I'll kill it. Now.'
It seemed to think that it was perfectly concealed. In all truth, I couldn't see it with my eyes. But my eye that wasn't an eye, the evolved form of Sixth Sense in my head, Eye of Perception, picked up on its position. Despite being level 25, I had abilities that far exceeded a regular level 25 Player.
[Would you like to exchange the title 'Excellent Player' with 'First Adversary'?]
Excellent Player afforded me great advantages in 'monster hunting', with its damage increase and increased movement speed. Each and every effect was a rare gem. But right now, I needed 'First Adversary'.
[The title 'First Adversary' is taking effect.]
Eye of Perception pinpointed 'its' location, but there was no point in simply figuring out where it was. In the end, I would have to catch its movements myself.
[Using the special skill Flash Step.]
Flash Step, the Sword Empress' iconic movement skill and a high-speed lightness technique that could allow one to reach the designated position instantaneously, without any readying or change in posture. The foot technique that made the former Sword Empress shine so radiantly was reborn because of me.
It felt like the world instantly moved far away, like my body was getting sucked somewhere. Like my body was being shrunk by a vacuum cleaner or some powerful force. However, I didn't panic. My body reacted naturally, as if this feeling were familiar to it.
'Here.'
I used one lightness technique over another. Immediately after using a foot technique that gave me a movement speed that couldn't even be imagined for a level 25 Player, I swapped the titles again in what was called 'switching'.
[The title 'Excellent Player' is taking effect.]
[Additional damage +20%]
[Movement speed +10%]
The moment my body reached its location using Flash Step, I swapped the title effects, a feat that demanded precise combat sense. I managed the switch in a span of time so short it could be counted in 'seconds'. It was so fast that one would never be able to say this was the sense of a level 25 Player.
On top of that—
[Using the skill 'Excellent Strike'.]
I used a title skill, not a regular attack—'Excellent Strike'. I struck out with the Iron Sword. Starting from Flash Step and ending with Excellent Strike, my attack could almost be called instantaneous.
Spuuurt!
My sword struck flesh.
I couldn't see it properly; I couldn't properly activate Eye of Perception. But I did see one name:
Six-Tailed Fox LVL 27
'Six-Tailed Fox?'
It was a 'spirit-type monster' with six tails. Six-Tailed Foxes were skilled in stealth and sneak attacks and were capable of using a smidgen of 'spirit arts'.
'A Six-Tailed Fox is already appearing?'
I already knew about Six-Tailed Foxes, including how to hunt one. The problem was that it wasn't the right time for a Six-Tailed Fox to show up yet—it was too early. Six-Tailed Foxes fell under the 'spirit' classification, and these 'spirit-type' monsters were slightly trickier to face than other monsters of the same level.
'And it already fled.'
Only the Lycanthrope was left.
One woman's arm was ripped off, and a fountain of blood arced through the air. Sunhwa did not close her eyes.
'Oppa would…'
To Sunhwa, Kim Hyukjin wasn't just 'some oppa' she knew. He wasn't someone she liked as someone of the opposite sex, wasn't the target of her love. No, he was closer to 'the target of her awe', a realm far removed from those things.
And in this moment, the only thought in her head was this:
What would oppa do?
"Taunt!"
[Using the skill Taunt.]
'!!!' marks appeared above the Lycanthrope's head. It craned its head towards the sky and howled.
Awoooooooo–!
[Howl has taken physical effect.]
She had experienced this howl before. Back then, Sunhwa was hidden behind a car, unable to do anything. Her body and legs had trembled unstoppably, completely frozen by the abnormal status 'paralyzation'.
'It's different this time!'
Sunhwa opened her eyes wide.
[The status abnormality has not taken effect.]
In the Tutorial Field, in Jongno, the Lycanthrope they met was like fear itself—but not anymore. If the relationship between the Lycanthrope back then and her was like predator and prey—
'Now, I'm going to be the one who'll hunt you!'
—now, their positions were swapped. The System, the levels, and all the growth that came with those things had strengthened and trained Sunhwa.
Gau! Gau! Gau!
Uttering something akin to the barks of a dog, the Lycanthrope rushed forward, showing its sharp claws.
Swiiiiiipe–!
It slashed its sharp claws at Sunhwa's throat with the whistle of air being sliced.
Sunhwa did not fear it. She did not falter a single step. Rather, she moved forward half a step, assuming balance. Putting force right into her toes and tightening her abdomen, she lowered her center of gravity.
[Using the skill Platinum Shield.]
The moment she used her skill, she snatched up the Lycanthrope's wrist.
'Urgh…!'
Her wrists were numb. 'Platinum Shield' did dissipate a great deal of the impact, but the Lycanthrope's full power still exceeded her expectations.
'I blocked it.'
Even so, she had changed greatly from the past. Sunhwa had a good understanding of what her role was, of what she had to do.
'I won't let you go!'
She grabbed it hard, not letting the Lycanthrope wriggle free from her grasp. In her small hand, using her thin wrist, she grabbed the much stronger-looking Lycanthrope's wrist and restrained the beast.
Grrrrrrrr!
The Lycanthrope opened its jaws wide, exposing a red mouth and enormous teeth. It gave off a fierce aura, like it was going to rip Sunhwa to pieces right this instant.
In the meantime, Hyukjin quickly drew near.
"Bark some more, you shitty dog."
Spuuuurt!
He plunged the 'Iron Sword' deep into its wide-open mouth. Hyukjin's 'Iron Sword' went through the monster's mouth and out the back of its head. Blood surged out of the Lycanthrope's snout, showering Hyukjin from head to toe.
Sunhwa punched out.
Bam!
There was a resounding thud. Her small fist had landed precisely in the Lycanthrope's abdomen.
[Lycanthrope has been killed.]
[EXP acquired.]
[30 Coins acquired.]
The predator of the Tutorial Field, the King of the Wolves and the Hidden Piece, the Lycanthrope, was no longer a match for Hyukjin and Sunhwa.
Hyukjin had already wiped away his sweat.
'That was easier than I thought.'
Killing the Lycanthrope was far easier than he had anticipated. If there hadn't been an unexpected Six-Tailed Fox, they would have probably been able to hunt it down without any damage. Unfortunately, one person died to the Lycanthrope, her body missing an arm.
'Rest… in peace.'
The two survivors were trembling nonstop.
"D-D-D-D-Don't come any closer…!"
"M-Monster…!"
The two of them weren't in their right mind. Hyukjin had no intention of blaming them. Their reaction was normal. A 2-meter large wolf monster suddenly showed up before their eyes, and there was an even greater monster that had stabbed that wolf monster to death.
Hyukjin didn't really curse them or resent them. When it came down to it, he and Sunhwa were indeed their saviors, but it was difficult to expect such gratitude from them. Because they really weren't in their right mind right now.
"…"
If things had gone like in the past, they would have died. But they had lived.
'A difficult life in the mire is better than one in the clouds.'
They would likely have to live with a great deal of trauma and fear, but that was still better than dying, wasn't it? Their lives were their own to live.
However, there was still one questionable loose end.
'A Six-Tailed Fox, huh…'
According to the government notice he remembered, they succeeded in killing the culprit behind the incident, the 'Lycanthrope'. They had paraded that feat extensively, garnering praise from the populace.
'Was there no Six-Tailed Fox back then?'
This was just Hyukjin's hunch, but…
'No. It was there at that time, too.'
He had no proof. He just felt that was the case.
'It was there, but… they probably didn't manage to kill it.'
'Spirit-type monsters' were, after all, extremely tricky to kill with modern technology. Moreover, it was a fox-type monster particularly specialized in escape. At the level of a Six-Tailed Fox, there was a very high chance that they had failed to kill it and it escaped.
Immediately after the 'Lycanthrope' incident on Mt. Inwang, there was a grotesque series of events that had become famous all over the world.
'The serial killings in the vicinity of Mt. Inwang.'
He recalled the gruesome incidents.
'The victims' bellies were cut open, and all their guts were gone.'
Both details were characteristic of Six-Tailed Foxes. It was a horrific monster that lusted for the guts of humans. There was no doubt about that, but the government announced that they were the horrible and perverted acts of a serial killer. They even caught the perpetrator.
Hyukjin recalled a 'conspiracy'. The perpetrator had claimed that he was wrongly accused time and time again, before finally committing suicide because he felt so wronged.
Hyukjin was sure of it.
'The government's announcement at that time must have been a lie.'
Because the acts were so gruesome, if there was no criminal to act as a scapegoat, the arrow of blame might have headed to the government or the police.
'I'll kill the Six-Tailed Fox.'
It was injured and had likely been unable to escape far. Hyukjin promptly decided to catch it. A Six-Tailed Fox wasn't in his original plans, but with it, his plans would be pushed closer to 'completion'.
'If I'm lucky… I might be able to get a [Fox Tail].'
At that moment, his Eye of Perception captured something. It was faint, but he heard a scream further down the mountain. Hyukjin moved first, followed by Sunhwa. He didn't explain to her what he was doing, but Sunhwa naturally followed his lead. Despite being only 14 years old, her sense and perceptiveness were first-rate.
Hyukjin didn't push himself to an excessive speed.
'Control my breathing.'
He couldn't wear himself out too much. If his stamina was worn out, he wouldn't be able to hunt the spirit, and he might be the one on the losing side. It wouldn't do to hurry in this situation.
'The one woman who fled earlier.'
The wounded Six-Tailed Fox was likely aiming for that woman. Thinking back, he remembered that the Six-Tailed Fox's escape route was in this direction. It wanted to gorge itself on human guts to recover. The scream coming from some distance down the mountain was likely from that hapless woman.
Hyukjin felt the bloody aura he'd felt earlier. This time as well, it was the same kind of bloodthirst. Because Eye of Perception had captured it once, the feeling was relayed to him in sharper clarity.
'It's an extremely voracious monster.'
Plus, it was wounded, so that voracious appetite would be even more explosive. Whenever it was eating something, it saw nothing else. As such, when hunting Six-Tailed Foxes, the innards of young calves were used to make a trap.
'I see it.'
There it was—the Six-Tailed Fox. Under its six swishing tails and furry body was a person. He heard screams of "S-Save me!"
'Am I too late?'
No, he wasn't too late. Eye of Perception captured something new, something that couldn't quite be called a 'variable'.
'I… knew it.'
Hyukjin had already been expecting this.
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