"You said it was a cub?"
"That's right."
"You don't usually call a tiger that's about three meters long a cub, right?"
"That's not a tiger; it's a Tranga."
Seo Woojin closed his mouth at Irene's indifferent response.
'Can I fight that thing?'
Irene had warned him not to be arrogant, but Seo Woojin was somewhat confident. He had heard the description of the Tranga cub, but as a Level 2, he believed he could somehow handle it.
However, that was a mistake.
'Just a brush with its claws, and I'll be torn to shreds.'
He seemed to understand why Snow Wolf was treated as 'such.'
Even the Siberian tiger seemed less scary than that.
"Older brother…?"
Seo Woojin called out just in case, but, of course, the Tranga cub only roared in response.
"What did you just do?"
Irene asked, looking at him with a gaze that seemed to say she witnessed something unbearable, but Seo Woojin deliberately ignored her.
Fairy tales were just that – fairy tales.
"Shield soldiers, forward!"
There were three Tranga cubs in total.
One knight would face two of them, and Seo Woojin decided to take care of the remaining one.
"Aren't there any reinforcements?"
"They have to hunt the mother Tranga."
Seo Woojin raised an eyebrow at Irene's answer.
Why were they teasing the knights like this?
Monsters like Snow Wolf might not be as strong, and they might be numerous, so it made sense for soldiers to step up. However, there was only one Tranga.
But for some reason, the knights were left to deal with the Tranga cub, while soldiers took care of the mother?
'So, they're just going to suffer like this.'
Perhaps the countless casualties every year were due to this inefficient extermination method.
"I can sense what you're thinking, but subjugating the North is not that simple"
Irene seemed to read his thoughts again this time.
Seo Woojin briefly wondered if she had mastered telepathy.
"It's not as complicated as you think when I consider it…"
"Leave it at that. Focus on your immediate opponent for now."
Seo Woojin was about to ask more, but Irene coldly cut him off.
"I told you before; you're not someone who can afford to think while facing such an opponent."
She wasn't wrong.
Even though Irene was by his side, she wouldn't intervene unless it was a genuinely dangerous situation.
She said terrible things about how even if his arms and legs were torn off, he could be put back together with magic.
So, at the moment, he should worry more about what lay ahead than the current situation of the soldiers.
"Hoo-"
Seo Woojin took a deep breath and drew the black sword he had at his waist.
"Please take care of this."
In a life-or-death battle, if a sword wavered, concentration would be shattered.
Knowing this, Irene accepted the black sword without saying a word.
"Don't forget. The weakness of the Tranga is its forehead."
He had heard the story over and over since yesterday.
With Seo Woojin's skill, it was difficult to leave a mark on the Tranga's skin, even if it was a cub.
So, there was only one place to target.
'Just the forehead.'
If he attacked there, even a Seo Woojin who couldn't infuse magic into his sword could kill the Tranga.
Of course, one must stab accurately without a margin of error of even 1mm…
Seo Woojin drew his sword.
Swwrk-
The sharp noise sent shivers down Seo Woojin's spine.
'The other side… it's already over.'
The two baby Trangas that the knight had entrusted were already beheaded.
In the brief moment of conversation with Irene, the hunt had ended.
'It's really strong.'
Unconsciously, Seo Woojin shook his head at the fleeting thought that made him lift his head.
"Focus, focus."
The remaining baby Tranga, even as its siblings were dying, remained cautious of Seo Woojin and Irene.
With sharp claws raised and fur bristling, it was an unmistakable white tiger.
If it weren't for the razor-like double fangs, it might have seemed a bit cute…
But now it was just a monster itself.
Tranga glanced at Irene, then slyly eyed Seo Woojin.
Kwoong-!
Then it leaped off the ground.
"Oh no!"
He lost sight of the cub.
Thinking that it wouldn't move while guarding against Irene was a wrong judgment.
"Crafty!"
Seo Woojin quickly turned his body to the left.
Perhaps due to leveling up, his body movements felt lighter than before.
But that alone was not enough.
Because of its incredibly fast movements, the forearm-length claws were about to reach his nose.
'It's too late to dodge!'
If that's the case, there's only one way left.
"Huaap!"
He swung the sword towards the baby Tranga's foot.
Although his stance was unstable, a powerful blow collided with the claw.
Jjaeong-!
"Kruhk…."
He almost lost his sword.
If he hadn't leveled up, he definitely would have.
Fortunately, the increased strength securely fixed the sword, allowing Seo Woojin to block the creature's attack.
It seemed the baby Tranga was surprised, not expecting that its claws would be blocked, evident in its bewildered eyes.
'Now!'
In the momentary pause when the creature stopped moving for a moment, Seo Woojin, without missing the opportunity, thrust the sword towards its forehead.
Tereoeng-
"Oh, that's a shame."
A deep sigh was heard.
Naturally, it wasn't Irene's voice.
"Are you here?"
"Yeah. Is everything going well?"
This was a knight who had just effortlessly split a young Tranga with his sword.
"Not bad."
"…Sure about that?"
As the knight looked suspicious, Irene nodded her head.
"It's only been two days."
"Well, what do you expect, throwing a rookie at a Tranga that has been around for just two days wielding a sword?"
No one here believed Seo Woojin would win.
Irene, who understood Seo Woojin's skill the best, thought the same.
However, sending him into battle alone was to provide him with as much real combat experience as possible.
"It would be nice if he wins, but it's going to be tough, right?"
"It's impossible."
Even veteran soldiers couldn't handle a young Tranga alone. It would take at least five squads to deal with them comfortably.
Could Seo Woojin fight and win against such a Tranga alone?
It wasn't just difficult; it was impossible.
Thanks to that, Irene had her hand on her sword, ready to rush out at any moment.
"I already know about the hero, but I would still believe him if I told him he was a different person from yesterday."
Certainly, there was a clear difference in his movements compared to when he first faced Snow Wolf yesterday.
It wasn't simply because he had leveled up.
"He pushed himself a little hard yesterday. The lord said I just had to make sure he didn't die… … ."
"You've had a proper experience in real combat?"
"Yes."
The knight nodded at Irene's words.
The difference between those who had fought for their lives and those who hadn't was greater than one might think.
And the Blue Shield knights knew that fact better than anyone.
Irene and the knight continued their conversation, keeping their eyes on Seo Woojin's movements without looking away for even 0.1 seconds.
On the other hand, Seo Woojin had no opportunity to listen to their conversation.
If he let his attention waver even for a moment, it felt like he would die right there.
As the monster's vitality poured out, Seo Woojin didn't think Irene would come to his rescue.
'I'm really going to die this time! I'm really going to die!'
In his mind, he imagined a large foot crushing a watermelon.
But contrary to his thoughts, his body moved instinctively, not waiting for his mind's agreement.
"Argh!"
The tip of the claw caught his shoulder and blood poured out.
Though his head turned white with pain, he also realized that this was the opportunity he had been waiting for.
"Die, you bastard!"
With sharp curses, he swung the sword towards the forehead.
Squelch-
Unlike before when it sounded like hitting an iron plate, there was a somewhat soft sensation.
'Here!'
Seo Woojin exerted more strength, trying to pierce through that spot.
Kraaah!
However, Tranga's movements were slightly faster.
Sensing the danger, he leaped backward to avoid it.
'Darn. Can I really catch this guy?'
He acknowledged that it would be difficult.
But it wasn't that difficult; it wasn't even a fight in the first place.
The stamina that had increased with leveling up had already hit rock bottom, and the mental strength he had been desperately holding onto had reached its limit.
"Heuk-heuk-!"
With breaths heavily labored up to his chin, he couldn't even move properly.
'What should I do? How can I break that guy's head…'
Seo Woojin pondered.
Unlike before, when he only tried to avoid the situation, now he felt a determination to somehow make it through.
But time was not on his side.
As if refusing to give Seo Woojin a chance to continue his thoughts, the young Tranga attacked again.
"Aren't you tired!"
Facing an opponent whose speed and strength were no different from when the first battle started, Seo Woojin trembled.
Nevertheless, he tried to block the sword again…
'Damn.'
His arm wouldn't move.
It wasn't because of the injury.
He had suffered a significant wound to his shoulder, but it wasn't enough to hinder movement.
The problem was that strength wouldn't enter his arm.
His stamina had completely run out.
"This is bad."
The four large claws that swung horizontally seemed like they could tear him apart at any moment.
Then,
"Well, that's enough."
With the voice of a feeble uncle, a silvery beam of light passed by Seo Woojin's side.
Sshh-
"…Sword?"
The identity of the silver light streak was none other than the trace of the sword.
And it passed by like cutting through tofu, splitting the baby Tranga in half.
Swoosh – thud.
The figure that had charged at Seo Woojin, now split in half just as it had approached, revealing its insides spreading apart on either side.
"Irene?"
For a moment, Seo Woojin recalled Irene, whom he had momentarily forgotten.
However, he soon realized that it wasn't her.
It was too much of an uncle-like voice to be Irene's.
He turned his head to confirm the owner of the sword.
"Oh."
It was the knight who slaughtered a baby Tranga before Seo Woojin started the battle.
He nonchalantly wiped the blood off the sword and looked at Seo Woojin.
"Are you really a D-ranker?"