NOVEL NEXT Chapter 42
Chapter 42: The Black Leopard
“Stay alert.”
The Black Tiger Guild Leader, Tae-seong, said in a low voice. The Black Tiger Guild members quickly armed themselves and assumed a defensive stance. Si-hyun and his party also gripped their weapons, watching the direction of the sound.
Jin-soo’s annoyed expression regained vitality. It seemed he was eager to take out the emerging monster to vent his frustration.
“Get out of the way! I’m going to tear that bastard apart!”
Jin-soo pulled out his sword and approached the source of the noise.
Hyung-cheol didn’t stop him. He wanted to gauge the strength of the monster coming from the gate.
“Grraaaar.”
An unidentified creature let out a low growl again, clearly threatening its opponent.
“Come out quickly, you bastard.”
Jin-soo shot back without hesitation, showing no signs of fear. He seemed to think that even a monster from a C-rank gate couldn’t be that strong.
“Graaaah!”
From the right side of the jungle, something black lunged out with a roar.
The black creature charged at Jin-soo with a speed beyond imagination, seemingly targeting him as the strongest source of hostility.
“Huh?”
Jin-soo appeared taken aback by the unexpected speed of the enemy. He instinctively sprang back, narrowly avoiding the creature’s sharp claws that slashed the air.
“A black leopard?”
Si-hyun shouted upon seeing the enemy.
It was definitely larger than a typical black leopard, but without a proper name, that was all they could call it for now.
“…That beast.”
Feeling frustrated as it pushed him back, Jin-soo gritted his teeth.
The black leopard crouched low, glaring at Jin-soo, seemingly plotting its next attack.
“You’re dead, you bastard.”
This time, Jin-soo initiated the attack.
A downward slash.
Though simple in motion, the speed made it incredibly powerful.
‘Gotcha.’
Jin-soo smirked confidently. It was clear the blade would reach the leopard before it could dodge.
However…
Clang!
“Huh?”
Jin-soo’s eyes widened in shock. His blade was deflected.
He stood frozen for a moment, struggling to comprehend the situation.
The black leopard wasted no time.
“Graaaah!”
With fierce claws, it swiped at him.
Boom!
The leopard’s claws struck his chest, sending Jin-soo flying backward.
“Cough.”
The blow, despite hitting his armor, was so strong that he found it hard to breathe for a moment. His high-grade rare armor crumpled surprisingly from the leopard’s attack.
Everyone was shocked by this unexpected turn of events. The first to regain composure was the B-rank Hunter, Hyung-cheol.
“I’m joining in.”
Hyung-cheol drew his warhammer. Although a healer, he was a battle priest and possessed formidable combat skills.
“What do we do now?”
Eun-hye asked.
“It’s no use.”
Min-jun replied. No matter how hard he struck, the creature’s leather hide repelled the B-rank Hunter’s blade. It meant that attacks from lower-tier hunters would be useless.
“Min-jun is right. For now.”
Si-hyun agreed. Getting involved in a fight like this would only complicate things.
However, the “for now” hinted at the hope that, no matter how tough the leather, there might be some weakness.
“Damn it, I got careless.”
Jin-soo said as he regained his composure. Anger flared on his face as he summoned his sword energy.
“I’ll go first.”
He turned to Hyung-cheol, who was facing the leopard with his warhammer. Jin-soo knew he had the upper hand in damage, so Hyung-cheol nodded and stepped back.
In that moment, Jin-soo charged straight at the black leopard with all his might. He wouldn’t let his guard down again, channeling his sword energy to strike with utmost speed.
Whoosh!
However, the black leopard dodged the crucial blow with its agile movements, leaving Jin-soo’s sword energy cutting through empty air.
“Wait, that bastard is faster than me?!”
Jin-soo shouted in disbelief.
“…Stay calm.”
Hyung-cheol, surprised but experienced, managed to soothe Jin-soo. He continued, “Let’s coordinate our attacks.”
◈ ◈ ◈
“Are we pushing it?”
Min-jun questioned.
Si-hyun shared the same thought. Even with two B-rank hunters coordinating, they were unable to land effective hits.
The enemy was simply too fast. Their attacks kept missing, and every time it countered, they found themselves in a more perilous situation.
They needed to catch the black leopard’s quick movements. Otherwise, their chances of victory were slim.
“….”
Si-hyun was deep in thought. If the B-rank hunters fell, the remaining ones would be dead. The B-rank hunters were probably more likely to tire out first in this hot, humid jungle, presumably accustomed to the climate.
It was time to act. He could no longer afford to sit back.
But how…?
Si-hyun contemplated rapidly for a brief moment. Suddenly, a thought sparked in his mind, and his expression brightened.
“I have to go out.”
Si-hyun declared.
“Are you insane?”
“Si-hyun oppa, what are you planning to do out there?”
Min-jun and Eun-hye looked at him in shock.
“I’ve thought of a viable strategy.”
“That’s reckless. Just one brush with danger, and you’re done for.”
“I won’t aim for those who pose no threat.”
Si-hyun’s resolve seemed solid. It would be a lie to say he wasn’t nervous in such a situation.
However, the judgment that he had to act to survive spurred him into motion.
“Si-hyun!”
“Si-hyun oppa!”
Min-jun and Eun-hye called out from behind him, but Si-hyun sprinted towards the black leopard.
◈ ◈ ◈
The hunters of the White Dragon Guild were locked in fierce combat with the black leopard. Jin-soo and Hyung-cheol were dripping with sweat, their breaths becoming erratic. The leopard appeared slightly fatigued; it was moving more sluggishly than before.
As Si-hyun watched carefully from a distance, he stopped and raised his voice to ensure he wouldn’t interfere with their battle by getting too close.
“Hyung-cheol Hunter! I have a shouting skill that can startle the enemy momentarily! What if we used that opportunity to launch an attack?”
He pointed toward Hyung-cheol, knowing that he was the most perceptive and communicable of their ranks.
‘A shouting skill?’
Hyung-cheol quickly pondered Si-hyun’s words. While shouting skills weren’t common, they weren’t exceedingly rare either. He’d encountered it during raids before and knew its potency against lower-tier monsters.
However, how effective would it be against such a strong monster?
“I understand! Use it!”
Hyung-cheol answered without looking back; there was no time to waste.
Risking it all was better than holding back without a chance. Even if the probability was slim, something might just work. Plus, since he volunteered himself for the task, any consequences would fall squarely on him.
“I’ll make a fist as a signal and use the shouting skill! Please cover your ears in advance!”
“Understood!”
“Hyung-cheol, you’re really going to trust that lower-tier hunter’s suggestion?”
Even in the tense situation, Jin-soo scoffed, as if displeased. His ego remained intact no matter the circumstances.
But it was the black leopard that responded, not Hyung-cheol.
“Grraaah!”
With a fierce roar, it charged at Jin-soo.
“Damn it!”
Jin-soo swung his sword energy to meet it.
However, the black leopard easily dodged, skirting past and then turning back to lunge at Jin-soo with malicious intent.
That’s when it happened. Si-hyun had arrived nearby, raising his fist high.
“AAAHHHHHH—!!”
He let out a powerful shout, channeling all his energy into the guard’s commanding voice.
“Ugh….”
The deafening roar made Jin-soo feel like his eardrums would burst, causing him to wince in pain.
But simultaneously, the black leopard seemed affected, displaying discomfort as it abruptly halted its charge, grimacing.
‘It worked!’
Si-hyun’s eyes gleamed with excitement. He let out a sigh of relief, feeling fortunate.
It had been uncertain. It had worked on a fish, but whether it would work on such a monster had been a complete mystery.
Then he recalled hearing that feline creatures have far more sensitive hearing than humans. If that were the case, then a shout like his would deal a greater shock than he’d anticipated.
That notion fueled his determination to act. Fortunately, it seemed his intuition had been spot on.
Thud!
Without hesitation, Hyung-cheol dashed past Si-hyun and charged at the black leopard, fully aware of how crucial this moment was.
Hyung-cheol raised his warhammer high and brought it down with immense force towards the leopard’s face.
Smash!
No matter how tough the hide, there was no way the black leopard could withstand the blow of a B-rank battle priest’s warhammer enhanced by the Blessing skill. Furthermore, as a blunt weapon, its weight transferred the shock through the creature.
The leopard swayed, its head spinning.
“You bastard, die!!”
Jin-soo seemed to be back on track as he cursed and swung his sword with all his might. This time, the black leopard had no chance to evade.
Slash!
“RAAAAH!”
The blade, infused with sword energy, cleaved straight through the black leopard’s body. Blood gushed out like a fountain, staining the surroundings crimson.
“Hahaha, take that! You little shit, you were all bark and no bite! Huh? Did you see that? I killed a boss monster! I killed a boss monster!”
Finally feeling his anger dissipate, Jin-soo erupted into laughter. The Black Tiger Guild members’ expressions brightened too. Defeating a boss monster meant they could go home.
However, Hyung-cheol examined the magic stone that fell from the leopard’s corpse and shook his head with a serious expression.
“It’s not a boss.”
“What? That can’t be….”
“See for yourself.”
Hyung-cheol handed over the magic stone. Jin-soo’s face reflected disbelief as he looked at it.
“No… that doesn’t make sense. You’re saying this bastard isn’t a boss monster? No way….”
But he had no choice but to face reality.
Boss monsters always dropped black magic stones. That had been a consistent rule for any gate encountered. The black stones were exclusively dropped by bosses, a law without exception.
Yet what emerged from the black leopard was a white magic stone. It meant it wasn’t a boss monster.
“Seems like… no.”
Feeling an ominous foreboding, Hyung-cheol hesitated to voice his thoughts. The purity of the magic stone estimated at 99% indicated a higher-grade gate. Though he could accurately determine the gate’s grade with precise machinery, no such device was available here.
“Anyway, thank you. We managed to defeat the enemy thanks to you.”
Hyung-cheol expressed his gratitude toward Si-hyun.
“I’m glad I could help. To be honest, I wasn’t very confident.”
“Oh really? You have quite the courage.”
“…It feels like this is just the beginning, so if there are further challenges, I’ll do my best to assist.”
Si-hyun’s expression was also grim. Given that a B-rank hunter struggled against such a monster, he had secretly hoped it would turn out to be a boss.
But it was not.
If monsters like this were common…
It was a thought he wished he could shake off.
“No, this is C-rank. Even if it’s not a boss, I’ve heard there can be particularly strong monsters.”
Jin-soo said, looking at Hyung-cheol.
While there were indeed variant monsters that were larger and tougher than their original kinds, he was hinting at that fact.
“That could be true.”
Hyung-cheol didn’t dismiss it outright. He wanted to believe it, and he hoped for the sake of the main dealer, Jin-soo, that his spirit would not falter.
Hyung-cheol’s response appeared to reassure Jin-soo somewhat. With renewed energy in his voice, Jin-soo declared, “Let’s keep going.”
◈ ◈ ◈
“Impressive. So, you had a skill like that?”
Min-jun said, patting Si-hyun on the shoulder with a look of admiration.
“Oh, I saved it for emergencies.”
Si-hyun replied.
“That makes sense; you really have been holding back on using skills while hunting. No wonder you were waiting for the perfect moment.”
Min-jun chuckled knowingly.
“You were awesome, Si-hyun oppa. Thanks to you, we got through this crisis.”
Eun-hye smiled brightly.
The Black Tiger Guild members also gave thumbs up to Si-hyun. Some even clapped lightly.
Thanks to Si-hyun, they had escaped a dangerous situation. It was heartening to see a low-tier hunter assertively shine among upper-tier hunters, making everyone feel a rush of inspiration.
With only two C-rank members remaining, yet standing alongside fellow low-tier hunters, it became a moment they always dreamed of but rarely witnessed.
“Seeing Si-hyun makes me want to strive harder as well.”
Tae-seong remarked.
“Let’s make sure we return safely.”
Si-hyun muttered to himself as a vow.