Dodging the claws and snapping teeth of the enraged gnolls, I threw punches in return.
I was merely repeating basic motions, but I could feel it.
Not a single movement was wasted.
What happens if I can't dodge?
If an attack misses, will I get mauled right then and there?
Will I bleed out and die?
These were thoughts any normal person would naturally have.
But Grandfel's mind and body completely ignored my worries.
『His pride is immeasurably heavy and unshakable, even if he were to sink and drown under its weight.』
That 'character setting' was drawing out a full hundred percent—no, even more—from stats that were otherwise unremarkable for a Demon Hunter.
At this point, even I found it kind of amazing.
I really was a total edgelord.
I was seriously a lunatic, a guy who prioritized looking cool over staying alive.
Still, even with that setting carrying me, my bare-handed combat was terrible.
After all, I hadn't learned any hand-to-hand combat skills.
Thud!
Even though I threw that punch with all my strength—
"Grr, grrr!"
—it didn't deal any meaningful damage to the gnoll.
…Won't I be at a disadvantage if this becomes a drawn-out fight? It's a waste of durability, but I have no choice.
My mind made a completely rational judgment, but my body refused to change course.
How pathetic.
I was like a swan on a lake.
To an outsider, I probably looked like I was genuinely disciplining these gnolls.
But I was dead serious.
Just as a swan frantically paddles beneath the water to stay afloat, I was dodging and swinging with every single thing I had.
Despite my inner turmoil, carefree words spilled out.
"Is your discipline still lacking?"
Just then—
Jeongyeon's shout resounded.
"Casting done! Dodge!"
Flames erupted from her staff.
Tap─
Unbothered, I walked forward with immaculate grace.
The spell flying through the air was Fire Arrow.
I didn't know much about mages, but I knew that was a low-rank spell.
Above all, the projectile speed was slow.
At that speed, it was bound to miss.
As I deduced that and contemplated my next move…
For some reason, the gnolls didn't move.
"Y-yip!"
Their tails drooped, and their growls fell dead silent.
I looked down at them and spoke with cold grandeur.
"As expected, attempting to civilize mere wild hounds is a fruitless endeavor…"
…There was a limit to how shameless a person could be!
Even as I said it, I found myself utterly ridiculous.
But in the end, wasn't I just spitting in my own face?
Control yourself, Hoyeol. This is all karma for your past.
"Awesome, it hit!"
Jeongyeon pumped her fist.
If I kept looking at her, there was no telling what kind of absurd nonsense my mouth would spew next.
I shifted my gaze back toward the gnolls.
Whoosh!
The gnolls had burned away, leaving only item drops behind.
Crude Arrow
Rank: Normal
Level Restriction: None
Effect: None
Description: A crude arrow.
-
Crude Longsword
Rank: Normal
Level Restriction: 30
Effect: Low chance to inflict 'Rabies' upon attacking
Description: The dull blade reduces attack power.
When forming a party, experience was naturally shared.
Loot priority was determined by combat contribution—though that system only applied to items of Rare rank or higher.
Which meant I could grab these without worrying about anyone else's reaction.
Thirty-two arrows, huh. That should be enough for now. Besides, I can always replenish my supply by hunting more gnoll archers.
I pulled the bow out of my inventory.
It felt comfortable in my hands.
Shooting Mastery (21%): Increases shooting accuracy.
Proficiency was only at twenty-one percent.
Well, back then, I was too busy rushing through quests to bother grinding.
Compared to a dedicated Archer class, it was a pitiful number.
Still, simply having the skill made a world of difference over fighting bare-handed.
Jeongyeon spoke to me.
"Wow, you can use a bow too?"
Of course I can.
In reality, the bow was the closest thing I had to a main weapon.
Before I could answer, the other party members chimed in one after another.
"Huh? Weren't you a martial artist? The way you were throwing punches earlier looked straight out of an action movie! What was it… right, Tai Chi! Deflecting attacks and redirecting their force—it looked just like that!"
That wasn't Tai Chi. That was called fighting for my life.
"Anyway, what a relief. I was getting worried since Jeongyeon was our only ranged damage dealer."
Yeah, I'm only feeling relieved now myself.
I wanted to say it out loud, but… I forced my mouth to stay shut.
I recalled what I had said earlier.
"While I stand among you, there is naught here worthy of your fear."
There's a limit to trying to look cool. Am I really in any position to be acting like that?
I was terrified that I would blurt out another load of bullshit like that.
Fortunately, the subject changed right away.
Lifting his greatsword, Jeonghoon Choi muttered.
"By the way, what's up with him today? Cheolmin!"
He was calling out to Cheolmin Nam, who had somehow already slipped past the ticket gate.
Cheolmin gestured to us.
"What are you guys doing? Aren't you coming?"
Jeongyeon tilted her head.
"Is he usually like that? I don't have much party hunting experience, but… I've rarely seen a tank run ahead on their own…"
Sungwook Han, a warrior equipped with a shield and mace, nodded in agreement.
"Lacking teamwork right from the start like this is problematic."
"Sigh. I'm really sorry. I'll apologize on his behalf. Cheolmin isn't usually that kind of guy, you know? Why is he acting like that today? I'll talk to him properly later."
The atmosphere grew cold.
And understandably so.
Rushing ahead on your own was reckless even back in Arcana.
But this wasn't a game—we were inside a rift where actual lives were on the line.
"Still, Cheolmin picked a good route. Bumping into another party would've just slowed us down."
"…Even so, didn't he go way too far ahead on his own?"
"Yeah. I'll call him. Cheol—?!"
Swish-swish!
Gnolls that had been lying in ambush revealed themselves.
One, two…
Ten in total.
The arrows barely missed us, but we were still at a clear numerical disadvantage.
Even if Cheolmin rejoined the group, they would still outnumber us two to one.
"Cheolmin! Hey, bro!"
Yet he seemed to have zero intention of regrouping.
Jeonghoon's face flushed red and contorted.
"What the fuck! What is wrong with you?! Hey, Cheolmin Nam!!!"
Standing high on the stairs leading down to the platform, Cheolmin just stood there watching us, surrounded by gnolls.
I stared into those eyes.
Pitch-black eyes lacking focus.
Why was that?
Looking at those eyes made me feel strangely glad.
…What is this feeling? He isn't even someone I know.
Wasn't this the time to resent him, not feel glad to see him?
Doubts aside, my body was already moving.
Shhhk—
A textbook posture, completely unperturbed.
Like a master archer, I took aim at the gnolls without a single trace of agitation.
Thwip—
Even as the string snapped forward, my breath held not the slightest tremor.
"Yip!"
Headshot.
A gnoll warrior collapsed in one hit.
Yet, I didn't feel even a flicker of joy.
『 As the next head of the family, the very first thing Grandfel mastered was never to be swayed by joy or sorrow over trivial matters.
The seat of the Claudi family was one where not even the slightest agitation was permitted.』
Feeling joy over bringing down a mere gnoll?
To Grandfel, such a petty reaction was entirely beneath him.
And I felt the exact same way.
Thwip—
Another headshot.
Eight left.
I notched another arrow on the bowstring.
The gnolls were not merely standing by either.
"Grrrr!"
The warriors charged.
Jeonghoon and Sungwook stepped up, each intercepting two of them, but they still couldn't overcome the numerical disadvantage.
"Damn it…! Watch out!"
Two gnoll warriors broke past the front line, rushing straight toward the rear.
Farther back, two gnoll archers drew their bowstrings.
Hesitating in the middle of her spell, Jeongyeon cried out anxiously.
"U-umm, what should I do?"
The charging warriors were targeting Jeongyeon and me, while the archers took aim at our frontline.
No matter what choice she made, someone was bound to get hurt.
She froze, unable to decide.
Yet ironically, I answered indifferently.
"I shall entrust the gnoll archers to you."
At that very instant, an arrow left my fingertips.
A perfect hit.
The gnoll warrior rushing at Jeongyeon collapsed.
Thanks to that, Jeongyeon successfully finished casting.
"Please… hit!"
Whoosh!
Fire Arrow surged toward the gnoll archers.
Fixated entirely on taking down Jeonghoon and Sungwook in the front, the gnolls didn't even see the blazing projectile coming at them.
By the time they felt the heat, it was already too late.
Now, the only one remaining was the gnoll warrior charging at me.
"Grrrr!"
I didn't have the 'Rapid Shot' skill, and there wasn't enough time to load an arrow.
I did have the crude longsword obtained from the gnolls, though.
If I can somehow swing it in time to block, I might be able to buy some time.
However…
"Regrettable."
What I raised was not a sword, but my right leg.
Extended with lofty grace, my leg slammed straight into the gnoll warrior's head.
Whack!
Just like in the first battle, Grandfel's pride simply did not permit the enemy to retaliate—pushing my physical reflexes to their absolute limits.
"Y-yip!"
Aiming straight at the gnoll warrior my heel kick had sent flying—
"I shall not permit a mere beast to sully me with its foul blood."
—I drew the bowstring with an expressionless face.
Thwack!
* * *
Everyone except me let out ragged breaths.
"Phew. I really thought I was going to die."
"I had no idea they were waiting to ambush us."
"…But why didn't you say anything?"
Without anyone needing to lead the way, their gazes turned toward Cheolmin, who was still watching us from atop the stairs.
The angriest one was undoubtedly Jeonghoon.
"Fuck. Bro, do you have some kind of grudge against us?"
He stomped toward Cheolmin, huffing with rage.
His voice grew increasingly loud.
"Fuck! You straight-up led us into a trap! Fine, let's pretend it was an accident. Let's give you the benefit of the doubt and say you didn't see the ambush. But why the fuck were you just up there watching us?! Huh?! Say something! Use that damn mouth of yours!"
As the distance between them closed, it was obvious a fight would break out if left unchecked.
The mage and warrior stepped in from both sides, grabbing Jeonghoon to hold him back.
"I understand how you feel, but please calm down a bit."
"Yeah. Nothing good comes from fighting here."
"No, let go. This is between him and me. Bro! Hey, Cheolmin! Did you think you were hot shit just because I followed you around calling you bro? Fuck, if it weren't for your younger brother, you'd be nothing!"
I stepped back a pace and watched the scene unfold.
"Hahaha! Bwahahaha!"
At that moment, Cheolmin let out a laugh.
Simultaneously…
Bzzzt—
The dimly glowing lights in the subway began to flicker.
"Have you lost your mind? Why the hell are you suddenly laughing?"
"Hahaha! Haaaa… This really is hilarious."
"Is this a fucking joke to you?! Shit, you really don't give a damn, do you?!"
In the flickering light, I stared intently at Cheolmin.
His incomprehensible behavior.
The atmosphere spiraling toward catastrophe.
Those pitch-black eyes, devoid of focus.
A strange sense of familiarity.
And decisively—
The blue text floating right in front of my eyes.
Skill 'Natural Enemy' activated.
Natural Enemy: Combat power increases exponentially when fighting against the demonkind.
Tap─
I looked at Cheolmin.
"As I had surmised… you truly are a demon."
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