Chapter 102

Other Fight

A long time had passed after the end of the training.

Late at night, which was officially a break time, Hibiki spent her free time in the usual manner.

That meant that she was still focused on training.

Using [Multiple Cognition] that was almost always active from the moment she woke up until she went to bed, she assembled and disassembled Mana in various patterns in her body.

It was a training method that repeated the process until right before magic was invoked.

“Meow!”

At her feet, sitting on a chair and concentrating, an animal resembling a tuxedo cat approached her and rubbed its soft fur against her legs. It then gently wrapped her ankle with its long tail.

“Are you done eating?”

At the same time she drew the Mana signature of 3 kinds of spells, Hibiki extended her hand below and caressed the head of Iponia.

“Cat, do you want me to play with you?”

Iponia jumped onto the desk as if it felt her reaction was rather passive. It laid down with its stomach exposed and stared at Hibiki’s face. It was a blatant demonstration.

Despite Seo Jin-Wook’s effort to raise it ever since it was a baby, the first person it completely lowered its guard to was Hibiki.

Instead of Seo Jin-Wook, who often left the house, Hibiki took full care of it lately.

It was also her job to feed the card to it and manage the crystals it spat out.

“I don’t think you’re ever tired of it.”

As the Mana pattern for the S-Rank [Fire Buster] spell was shaped and dissipated when it was about to be invoked, Hibiki shook the green foxtail-shaped toy with one hand.

Iponia stretched its front paws into the air as if to scratch it. It soon began to concentrate on playing.

‘He said we had to raise it since there was a job waiting for it and that he didn’t bring it here just to keep it as a pet.’

That time, while practicing the pattern of electric spells, she recalled what Seo Jin-Wook said.

‘Can it be that he’ll feed a card of a great rank that it cannot digest yet… To get its crystal?’

While Hibiki was curious in that manner…

“…!”

She sensed something which caused her expression to stiffen.

Other than training to form several spells in unison and playing with a dungeon creature named Cat even though it wasn’t a cat– at that time, Hibiki was also doing another job.

That was because Seo Jin-Wook had also handed over control installed around the house.

With her senses connected to them, she monitored her surroundings as if she were watching the security cameras, and there were signs of abnormality.

“They’re here!”

Nate knocked on the door as if he had been waiting when she urgently contacted him through her terminal.

When she opened the door, he had already changed into a combat uniform and was smiling with a calm face.

“You ready?”

He noded.

“Meooow.”

Iponia cried as if to protest when she suddenly stopped playing with it.

Hibiki floated it in the air with her psychokinesis.

Seeing that, Nate stretched a shadow without saying a word.

Iponia must have felt ominous since it tried to run away with its four feet struggling in the air.

“Meoooooow!”

“I’m sorry, Cat. Stay inside for a while.”

Hibiki, who tucked Iponia into Nate’s shadow, turned her head again and made eye contact with him.

She was also waiting for that moment, having changed into the combat uniform.

“Did you get the scroll?”

“Of course!”

He took out the SSS-Rank [Wide-Rage Teleport] scroll given by Seo Jin-Wook and showed it to her. It was an item that had never been distributed to the Earthlings of that era.

With only a little Mana injected, it ripped away and teleported the two to their designated location.

For the Matap Guild, there was no way to de-spell SSS-Class magic, so it was like a lifeline in case of emergency.

‘Can we do it properly?’

The two knew who they were going to face that day.

However, that was their first time to fight against the Awakened.

Seo Jin-Wook gave them advice while informing them of the plan.

‘You can just use the scroll and run away in any case, but I think they’re at a level that’s low enough for you two to deal with.’

It didn’t make sense, the fact that two S-Class hunters could handle four SS-Class hunters.

However, Seo Jin-Wook pointed out that Nate and Hibiki weren’t any ordinary S-Class Awakened and that their equipped items were also of a different level.

‘I’ll finish my part as soon as I can and catch up, so don’t worry too much.’

Recalling Seo Jin-Wook’s reassuring words, Hibiki once again strengthened her will.

‘I can’t let him down.’

The two quickly moved out of their home.

It was a scheduled escape that began in due course so that the opponent could chase them with tracking magic.

*

Sometime after the two of them left, a series of intruders hid inside the house.

Arthur Clifford planned to kidnap even a close aide who might know his secrets if Seo Jin-Wook didn’t talk or resistance was unbreakable.

It was natural that Nate and Hibiki were chosen as targets.

They were skilled people who blocked the A-Class break together, and they were close enough to live in the house altogether.

“Tsk, they’ve already noticed and ran.”

Looking at the empty room, the Matap’s hunter clicked his tongue.

The men in charge of the house were two swordsmen and two wizards.

The target they were aiming for had already disappeared.

“Is it possible to track them?”

“Wait for a moment.”

A wizard recited a spell.

[Trail Seeker!]

He looked around with blue light lingering in his eyes.

“That’s a relief. It hasn’t been long since they left. They’re traceable.”

The wizard moved, staring at the traces of movement that were only visible to his eyes.

“This way.”

*

The two quickly got out of their home on the back of a zombie with a Haste spell.

They sprinted with the wind on the ridge where the darkness took place.

It was also due to Seo Jin-Wook’s instructions, who considered that civilians would be caught in the firefight if they started the battle in the residential area, but Nate would’ve done that even if he didn’t ask him to.

‘If we break Jin-Wook’s house one more time, we might be kicked out of his house for real this time!’

It was a serious concern for him.

“… I think we’re far enough from the city now. They followed right behind us!”

Hibiki, who was calculating the distance from the opponent with observation-type magic, gave a signal.

The Orcs, which were running while carrying them behind, stopped.

As they waited for a moment, the pursuers appeared.

“Haha! You must’ve given up now. That’s a wise choice.”

The Awakened of the Matap Guild quickly formed a siege.

At the same time, two swordsmen pulled out their swords and blocked the front.

Weing!

The two wizards that rose into the air with the [Levitation] spell flew slightly apart and blocked their escape routes.

They left an adequate distance that also served as a vantage point. Even if Nate and Hibiki escaped, they could track them right away, and they could bombard them with various spells as well.

‘The frontline on the ground are the close-ranged fighters, and the rear is composed of wizards in the air.’

Hibiki simulated a plan in her head.

In the meantime, the swordsman urged their surrender in a calm voice.

“Seo Jin-Wook is not in Seoul right now.”

“…”

“Do you understand? It means no one would be able to help. You two can’t beat us.”

He giggled and revealed his teeth.

“For the sake of both of us, don’t be troublesome and waste energy. Just follow me. If you don’t bother us, we’ll take you both with your arms and legs still attached.”

“…”

Nate and Hibiki simply stared quietly at them and didn’t reply.

The swordsman assumed that the attitude was because they were tensed up from nervousness and fear.

‘It’s rumored that those two received an S-Rank because they were lucky. In the end, they are still rookies. It’s been less than a year since they Awakened, after all. If I scare them moderately, it will be enough to convince them.’

But that prediction was wrong.

Swoosh!

As if to cover the two, numerous monster-type zombies were summoned.

“Rarrgh…!”

“Grrrrr…!”

The disgusting smell pierced the noses of the Awakened mixed in the night breeze.

The swordsman frowned because of displeasure and irritation.

The Rune Stone began to glow as the wizards in the air quietly prepared for captivity spells.

“You’re bothering me.”

He ground his teeth and threatened them.

“They say what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. You both wouldn’t die of shock even if I cut one of your arms off. Consider the hope of being dragged away in one piece as gone!”

Nate and Hibiki stood their ground as they waited for the right time while their enemies approached.

They didn’t need to wait long either.

Weing!

At that moment, the swords held by the two swordsmen were coated with sword energy.

– Threats to the security target found!

Telepathy rang in his head.

Simultaneously, the expression of the being that only Nate could see on that spot quickly changed.

It was a being shaped like a woman, composed of blue Mana.

The Spirit, who had only observed the situation expressionlessly despite the very urgent situations, now glared at the Matap swordsmen with a hostile look.

Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

Light flashed above the heads of the two.

As the flash disappeared, what was summoned was a magnificent metal structure floating in the air.

“Huh?”

What came to mind of the Matap guild members after seeing it was the large-calibered multi-round cannon.

It was an item that they saw for the first time, but it was not difficult to imagine how it would work.

Instead of panicking, they shifted to defense formation immediately.

[Conditional Barrier (Rank: S)]

[Aerial Shield (Rank: A)]

The two wizards each performed their own defensive magic.

A golden cloud cover enveloped one person’s body.

In front of the other, the atmosphere swirled, and a cohesive shield was formed.

Whooooooo!

The two swordsmen on the ground also prepared for an attack by concentrating Mana throughout their bodies.

That was because hundreds of caliber openings aimed at them were likely to shoot fire and pour bullets at any moment.

But then…

“… ?!”

– Warning! Warning! No further access is allowed. It will respond with immediate firing in case of non-response…

They clicked their tongue inside.

‘What a fool!’

Instead of attacking right away after summoning an item like that, he’s only threatening them.

‘That’s why they’re called rookies!’

Thanks to that, they were already perfectly in defense positions themselves.

It would be bearable even if it poured out attacks like that since it’s a shield formed by the Mana output of an SS-Rank hunter.

‘We must take him down first!’

Tat!

He kicked the ground, swallowing a laugh of ridicule inside.

When the sword’s trajectory was heading beyond the undead to Nate–

“… ?!”

Hibiki activated a spell targeting the air.

The target was not the swordsman who rushed immediately.

It was the wizards in the air, hidden behind defensive magic.

[De-spell!]

Right after that, the two wizards became baffled by the sudden change of scenery.

“… Huh?”

It didn’t take long for them to notice that they were falling.

Beyond the overturned vision, they wondered.

‘How?’

They couldn’t understand.

[De-spell] wasn’t a ranged attack. Once triggered, there was only one spell that could be voided.

What they noticed while they were crashing, amid the scenery that was flowing like water, was the fact that the two wizards were falling at the same time, and the shield that protected them also disappeared.

That was two floating magic and two protective magic spells.

Four kinds of spells were nulled instantly.

That phenomenon was impossible unless someone recited and activated four de-spell spells at the same time.

At that moment, a strange concept passed through the minds of wizards.

‘Multiple… recitation?’

They tried to recite the spell as a reflex, but their attempt was stopped as soon as telepathy penetrated their heads sharply.

– Fire!

As they were placed in a state where they were helplessly exposed to a beast, the two magicians fell.

Right about the moment when the swordsmen that wrapped their entire bodies with Mana Barrier rushed in–

Shhhh!

The zombies surrounding Nate and Hibiki disappeared instantly.

At the same time, when nothing but the air occupied the space, light exploded.

Pa-pa-pat!

Boo-boo-boo-boom!

The large-calibered multi-round cannon was aimed in both directions and started to fire.

The number of light bullets it shot in a second reached thousands of rounds.

The energy shells that struck their naked bodies literally ripped through and stirred up the wizards. The two crash-landers quickly disappeared amid a blizzard of light that poured in a straight line.

Boo-boo-boo-boom!

The swordsmen who were fully armed with the Mana armor, unaffected by the [De-spell], were better off.

However, it never meant that it was easy for them.

“Keeeup!”

The magic bullets that crashed on the thick shield shook his bones and crushed his muscles.

The trajectory of the attack towards Nate stopped. They simply couldn’t move any further in the face of the bullet barrier.

They, who experienced the might of an item beyond common sense with their bodies, were horrified that their souls would escape their bodies.

‘What… kind of ridiculous thing is that?! From where did they find that kind of weapon?!’

The freedom to hold such thoughts in their heads soon disappeared as well.

“K-Aaargh!”

In the middle of the storm of unforgiving bullets, each bullet struck them down with heavy shock.

The shooting continued until the item used up the fully charged Mana.

And finally…

“…”

Light bullets stopped firing.

At that moment, the telepathy rang in Nate’s head.

– Warning! Warning! The Mana charged in this security system has been exhausted.

– Confirming the survival of the threat target. Emergency! Emergency!

– Asking for aid from other nearby beings through the collective intelligence network… No connection. Access denied!

– Continuous protection by this security system is not available at this time. The protected subject must immediately escape to a safe place and request protection from the Imperial Government!

The face of the Spirit, which was mostly expressionless and hostile, had become pale.

Its expression was as if the fire had fallen on its foot.

It was always like that when the charged Mana was depleted.

Nate calmly replied because he didn’t experience it only once or twice.

“… It’s okay. I’ll take care of the rest.”

– It’s dangerous! Retreat!

The Spirit formed by blue light gradually turned blurry. It disappeared as if it was sucked into Nate’s neck. It required sufficient time to recharge once activated.

The Spirit continued to send anxious telepathy to Nate even as it disappeared.

– … Danger!

– I must… protect… you…!

Paht!

After the Spirit completely disappeared into the neck tattoo, Nate looked at the tragedy that unfolded in front of him.

Hibiki, who was reeling from Mana exhaustion, managed to get herself together by chugging a potion down.

“… Indeed, it’s incredible.”

The direction of the wizard, in which bullets were poured into the sky, was rather decent. The two, who received the attack with their bare bodies, were evaporated to blood fog before their bodies fell to the ground, leaving no trace.

A devastated landscape unfolded along the poured bullets’ trajectory in the direction that aimed for the targets on the ground.

Nate, who partially created a barren hill, noded, saying that it was a good thing he was as far away from home as possible.

“… Keee-!”

The two swordsmen, who were all battered up, were staring at them amid the smoke.

It was clear that they had spent a considerable amount of Mana to stop the bullet storm.

“You bastards!”

Instead of continuing to stare at them, Nate looked up.

At the same time–

Swoosh!

A strong wind, incomparable to that which took place while summoning the Orc zombies a while ago, blew.

“···?!”

The two swordsmen moved their eyes after Nate’s gaze while filled with overwhelming anxiety.

In the direction they stared, there it was.

Deeper darkness covered the night sky in a pointed form.

It was a humongous floating body.

Krrrrrrrrr!

In the strange sense of twisted law of perspective, two survivors recalled their memories.

The reason why four SS-Class members had to be mobilized to catch two S-Class members in the first place was because of the contingency they wanted to be prepared for.

“… Dragon!”

Seo Jin-Wook was not the one who could control the dragon.

The two people belatedly realized that it was not a living dragon but an undead dragon.

But as mentioned, they were too late.

Crrrrrrrrr!

Its yellow eyes looked down on them.

The giant creature’s mouth opened, reflecting a red flame blazing inside its sharp teeth on the swordsmen’s retina.

Kwhaaaaaa!

A river of flame connected the sky and the ground.

That was the last scene that the two swordsmen saw before they died.

*

“Oh, really? That’s great. I don’t have to go that far, then. Well done.”

I felt relieved as I ended the call with Hibiki.

The two seemed to have dealt with the invaders without any problems.

‘Yes, considering their abilities and items, the odds were good.’

It was an expected result.

I turned my eyes to the body of an S-Class hunter rolling on the floor.

‘Both of them are only called S-Rank, but they’re different from this guy.’

He was sprawled next to the bluely lit Gate, a hole visible on his chest.

Boosh!

After burning him completely without a trace, I headed to the next destination.

‘They must anxiously be waiting for the results right now, aren’t they?’

That day’s second destination was the Destructional Blade guild.