Miserable Reincarnation

21 – Hunting Monsters (3)

“Chen! Step on it!”

At Müller’s shout, Chen gritted his teeth and stepped on the accelerator. Jumping out into the place where monsters were rampaging, tearing apart the armored vehicle. He knew that Müller wasn’t in his right mind, but he never expected Lian to jump out as well.

“…Crazy. Did you really jump?”

There was no response. Müller climbed up to the top of the vehicle and pulled the trigger towards the Fokalos charging towards this direction. Chen didn’t expect to receive a response either. It was just a muttered exclamation in his confusion.

Chen gritted his teeth and looked in the direction Lian had jumped. Even if it was Müller, wasn’t Lian still a child?

There were no people in Toulas without a story, but there were only a few people with enough courage to jump into a place where Fokalos were gaping their beaks.

Not even Chen himself, a former mercenary, had the confidence to do so. If Müller had ordered, he would have had to jump off, but he wouldn’t have been able to jump off without any hesitation like Lian.

“…”

Müller shared the same thought.

Unlike Chen, who was busy driving, Müller was directly confronting the destructive power of those creatures.

Thaang…!

Even after being pierced by a sniper rifle, it not only failed to be fatal but roared with a more ferocious scream, rushing forward. It was only because he was inside a vehicle that he survived this much; if it were an open field, enduring for a minute would have been challenging.

The pursuing Focalos were reduced to three. There was a clear decrease in numbers compared to just a moment ago.

In other words, they were closing in on Müller.

“Chen! Northwest!”

“Got it!”

Same moment.

Watching the vehicle rushing towards the sniper point, Müller quickly stood up from his position.

The surroundings were filled with dense sand dust. It didn’t hinder movement too much, but it provided enough cover for the Focalos to hide.

Did they land properly? For a moment, Müller pondered while looking in the direction Lian jumped down. Regardless, Müller drew his curved sword from his waist.

Sensing a presence from the front.

Jjeong! The tentacle that sprang out, piercing through the dust, clashed with the curved sword. A solid sensation in his hand. Müller’s sword struck downward, cutting off the tentacle and spewing out green fluid.

Lian watched the scene, her eyes glowing. Not a single scratch on Müller. Fortunately, it seemed his appearance wasn’t just for show.

In Müller’s hand, the curved sword held a clear blade aura.

In a desperate situation, he chose a melee weapon instead of a firearm. Lian, who had guessed the limitations of firearms in this world to some extent, felt certain.

“It seems that beyond a certain level, the limits of firearms become clear.”

Of course, with heavy sniper rifles or anti-tank weapons, the story would be different… but in such a situation, using those weapons was nearly impossible.

Drdrdr…

A faint vibration was felt beneath her feet. Lian was waiting, hidden underground, only to catch her off guard. It was remarkably intelligent, far from an ordinary monster.

-Poof!

Tentacles shot up from the very spot she had just stepped on. The distance between the tentacles and her was only a few centimeters. If her judgment had been slightly slower, she would have been impaled.

Fast. But not as fast as Harang.

During the four-hour duel, Lian had gathered quite a bit of information.

Some of it was related to monsters.

“You’ve hunted monsters before, right?”

“Is that so?”

“Our leader loves hunting, so I’ve had plenty of experience. I’m not particularly fond of it myself… but if the leader commands, I have to follow.”

“Can you give me some tips on hunting?”

“Tips? Well, I’m not sure if I can call it tips… I’m not an expert, so just listen and filter it out.”

“Okay.”

“First, their lifelines are tough beyond common sense. There are many that can survive even if you blow up their heads for a few minutes. And there are intelligent ones that can outsmart most wizards. If it’s the former, just keep attacking until they stop moving. If it’s the latter… well, they’re probably already caught in a trap, so you’ll have to completely rework your strategy.”

So, what about now?

“Probably closer to the latter.”

Myla, whose nerves were on edge from hunting monsters, seemed perplexed. The number eight seemed overwhelmingly larger than a typical Focalos herd.

Previously, there would have been at most three or four.

Shhh!

At the moment the tentacles tried to retreat into the hole they came from.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

Lian quickly reached out his hand and twisted the tentacles, then pulled them off as if tearing them away.

eeek…!

With a scream, the sand Lian was standing on burst up into the air. Toward the floating Lian, the revealed Pocalos opened its beak.

“For a small one, it’s big.”

It was about two meters tall when measured from shoulder height, and its tentacles would be three times that length.

Teeth that came close to Lian’s nose in an instant.

Lian had no intention of staying in one place. He concentrated his magic at the tip of his foot and exploded it simultaneously, sliding sideways. At the same time, he detected an opening.

“Now.”

Sssss…

At the moment when his lungs swelled to their limit, he punched straight through. Crack! Blood burst out like an explosion from the point of impact.

Giggkk…!

A cry of pain that was incomparable to before. However, even so, the movement of the tentacles did not slow down at all.

On the contrary, it seemed faster than before.

Swaack!

Lian, who narrowly avoided the attack, frowned. Blood was dripping from his cheek.

“Tough.”

As Harang said, it was incredibly resilient compared to the Bloodhound he encountered on the first day he fell into this world.

It was enough to understand why they were called “Mausu.”

If it were an ordinary creature, it would have died long ago, even with wounds like that. What else could be called a Mausu if it wasn’t a creature that rampaged like that?

Giggkk…!

Squirming…!

Moreover, the cries echoing from below the surface.

“hahahahaha…!”

It seemed like Müller had dealt with one, but it was evident that if surrounded by several, there would be no escape.

Whether from this side or that side.

If they couldn’t form an immediate resolution, they would be annihilated before long, with no hope of long-range support.

Lian’s judgment was swift.

Kiiiiing!

The magical power in the air leaped towards Lian, being drawn into him. The tumultuous magical power was overlaid on his right hand in the form of a gauntlet.

Tsu-tsu-tsu-tsu-.

Müller involuntarily turned his head.

Sand, dust, and bodily fluids. Amidst the storm of various elements, only Lian’s magical power emitted its own unique color.

‘What is that…’

A vivid blue. The purity of the magical power was excessively high. Despite encountering various individuals on the battlefield, he had never met anyone with such purity. A wizard? Yes. Not even wizards could reach this level.

He forgot that he was in the midst of battle, staring at Lian with a mesmerized expression.

Lian…

“….”

Was watching.

The ground seemed to ripple as if something was about to burst forth any moment. Dust rising. Awe-stricken gazes…

He was feeling the overwhelming expansion of that sensation throughout his entire body.

‘I’ll shatter it.’

A fleeting moment passed.

Lian’s figure plunged as if colliding with the ground.

A massive shockwave erupted from the point where the fist made contact. Like casting a stone into the water’s surface, the ground formed ripples, tore apart, and split.

Kugugugugu…!

Bodily fluids gushed through the fractured ground. The Focalos were not only buried in the tunnels they had dug, but their bodies were also assaulted by the shockwave.

Destructive power that didn’t even allow for a scream.

No matter how resilient their vitality might be, surviving in a situation where their limbs were shattered into dozens of pieces was impossible.

Amidst the completely scattered dust.

“…Haah, haah.”

Lian gasped for breath as he struggled to rise.

Confidence arose due to his transcendent talent. The blow just delivered transcended the 4th rank.

“…”

Ignoring his trembling right hand, Lian recalled the sensation he had just felt.

“…I saw it.”

Even though it had vanished by now, he felt it distinctly.

How the high-ranking abilities gazed upon the world.

“…”

Simultaneously, he realized.

How Harang had been looking out for him.

Lian adjusted his breathing and turned his head. Muller was staring at him with an astonished expression.

“…Impressive.”

“I’m still inexperienced.”

“It seems so. If it were Haraeng, they would have left the ground untouched and just blown up the Focaros guys. But… for a Haraeng disciple, you’re at a level beyond. Haraeng knows how to pick fighters.”

Another mention of the disciple. However, convincing someone of this level of proficiency in combat would require a suitable pretext.

Muller looked around and licked his lips.

“Extracting corpses seems to be a job too.”

As evidence of hunting Focaros, they had to butcher the nucleus.

Muller spoke into the radio.

“Miler, Chen. Join us. The situation is under control.”

After a moment of silence, Chen’s voice came through.

[…Already?]

*****