Chapter 99: Home, One Last Time

Chapter 99: Home, One Last Time

It seemed like the two elites were going to push him aside, like he was another helpless civilian. Kai might have been humbled by the incredible powers on display, but he couldn't let that happen. After so long being forced to watch as others fought for the fate of his homeland, he needed to do something.

"Don't send me with the others. Please." He knew they could teleport him with a flick of a finger, so his only hope was convincing them. "I know I can't help you fight here, but I've been training for monster incursions my entire life. Send me somewhere I can do some good."

"Son, do you realize that everything is about to become fractured?" Aeglien of Torleen gestured toward the Frontier. "Usually we can thin out the horde within the walls, then target the strongest so that only some make it to the cities. The invaders completely ruined the usual filtering strategies. Some cities might pass without harm while others will be leveled by monsters that should never have gotten out. No one will be safe, this incursion."

"We should send some people deeper," Handelrey said. "With this many, there are bound to be a few that bypass all the ring cities to hit the softer targets."

"That's assuming we can pull anyone from the Frontier. But that's our problem, son. We don't want to send young hunters who have just been through such a harrowing experience into what could be an equally painful one."

"We are ready." Zae Zin Nim surprised them all by standing up and speaking. Despite her earlier vulnerability, her face was a mask as if she had been unaffected. "Send us somewhere appropriate for our stage and we will deal with what fate sends our way."

"Well, you certainly look determined. Very well. Where would you like to go?"

"Monskon City," Kai said. There was no real question in his mind that it had to end there.

Crystals began forming around him, somewhat similar to those he'd seen the elite mercenary use but far more powerful. This time he wasn't so shocked, so he had a few breaths to look at them more carefully. Each facet seemed to itself contain another crystal, with its own interlocking pattern...

Then the crystals around him shattered into a fine mist and he was standing back outside Monskon City. Kai quickly looked around in case the monsters had already arrived, then realized just how much his sense of time had been skewed. All of his experiences during the battle had been forced into a small period of time, then he had been thrown across the nation by special techniques. He had a moment to catch his breath.

Beside him, Zae Zin Nim looked like she really was prepared to take on the horde. By contrast, the other three were a mess. One was still unconscious, one wept, and Yangil sat shivering and staring at nothing. Kai didn't know how much of the chaos he had perceived, but it had clearly scarred him.

"Alright, let's get you some help." Kai pulled the weeping man to his feet. "You're alive, it's over. Just hold on a little longer..."

Guards emerged from the city to help the civilians, who seemed to recover a little when surrounded by normal people. Yangil sat numbly, and when Kai approached him the other hunter slapped away his offers to help.

"Are you insane?" Yangil looked in his direction, but his gaze seemed to pass directly through him. "You saw them... we're nothing compared to that... insects... specks of dust..."

"No one is asking you to fight the entire world," Kai said gently. "But there are people in Monskon City who need your help. Even small monsters can be as overwhelming for them as those masters were for us."

"It doesn't matter... we might as well already be dead..."

"Kai!" Juray dropped what she was doing and rushed to embrace him. She pulled back and stared into his face, and he almost thought she might kiss him, but then she just squeezed him as hard as she could. "I heard you were here, but I almost didn't believe it."

"I'm sorry I missed you earlier." He finally set her down, though he couldn't stop smiling. "There's not enough time to really talk. The monsters will be here soon."

"So they keep telling me. But if you give me a few resources now, I could try to create something for you."

"Are you sure? I assume the Hunters Guild has you working as hard as you can."

Juray waved off the objection. "My goal is to help protect the city, not obey them. As far as I'm concerned, you're one of the best defenders. And..." Her gaze slid over to Zae Zin Nim. "I don't know who your companion is, but she seems strong as well. If you tell me what you need, I might be able to whip up something."

"That is unlikely," Zae Zin Nim said.

"This is an opportunity." Kai cut her off before she could be too dismissive. "Juray is one of the best apothecaries in the city when it comes to flexible work. She might not use qi, but she could still help. Take a look at her essence."

Kai hadn't actually looked himself yet, but Juray didn't disappoint him.

Name: Juray Phrissan

Total Power: 55

Herbalist Class: 33 (43)

Physique Level: G-3 (8)

Soul Level: 2 (4)

>

She had improved more than most of the hunters in the city, taking great strides in her Herbalist Class. For that matter, she'd made more progress on her Physique than any civilian and even some hunters. But he couldn't help but feel a sense of anxiety, because a rank of G-3 wouldn't protect her if the monsters broke through.

After some pressure, he managed to convince Zae Zin Nim. They both gave Juray some blood, a drop of mana, and in Zae Zin Nim's case even a stored bit of qi. She promised that she would do the best she could given the time and rushed off to her house. Kai wanted to hug her one more time, but she was already gone.

Instead he stared after her. Even if he left afterwards, he absolutely had to protect Monskon City. And that meant advancing while there was still time left.