Chapter 133: Monster Wave (2)

At the sight of the Creals invading the yard like insects, my mind went blank for a moment.

These crab-type monsters, at most the size of a king crab, were by no means dangerous or difficult to fight.

It was just that as soon as I realized the fact this phenomenon implied, I felt an indescribable, complex emotion.

Allowing the invasion of C-class monsters meant that all the barriers protecting this island had already been destroyed, and if that were the case, the problem wasn’t just a few hundred Creals crawling around the yard.

It meant that B-class, A-class, or, as Maid Eunbyul said, S-class or higher monsters were approaching this location.

As proof, although they hadn’t reached the yard yet, mid-sized monsters estimated to be B-class were also approaching this place from afar.

I should have urgently requested help from other high-ranking Hunters who could handle this situation.

Or give up, like other areas eroded by monster waves.

Whichever choice was made, escaping by helicopter, as Eunbyul said, was the top priority right now.

The problem was that monsters were already swarming even around that means of transport.

Just as I was wondering where to even start clearing things up, several daggers flew forward from behind.

With a kwajik! sound, five or six Creals, their bodies pierced by the daggers, immediately perished, and the weapons that pierced them returned swiftly to the rear, as if pulled by magnets.

“First,” Maid Eunbyul said, holding the daggers that had just pierced the monsters, “I’ll clear the path towards the helicopter.”

I wondered where those weapons even came from, and what kind of awakening ability allowed her to wield them like that, but there didn’t seem to be time to ask leisurely about it.

“We should do that. Do you, Sungchul-ssi, also have a weapon?”

“I am prepared.”

Do Sihee, who took out her bow from her travel bag and strung it, asked me, and I answered while showing her the greatsword I took out from my subspace pocket.

“Avoid unnecessary combat as much as possible. Escaping is the top priority for now.”

“I know.”

With a ping sound, two specialized arrows fired from Do Sihee’s bow split the front.

Her arrows neatly cut across the path from the villa entrance to the helipad where the helicopter was parked, clearing the monsters encroaching on the path and other troublesome structures in one go.

‘Gegegegegek.’

‘Kkyaek, kkyagek’

Of course, it was only a temporary phenomenon, and the path was quickly being covered by Creals again, so we had to advance quickly.

Although we hadn’t specifically discussed it beforehand, I, Do Sihee, and Eunbyul naturally fell into formation.

Me, wielding the greatsword, cutting down the Creals charging into the opened path, forming the vanguard.

Eunbyul, in the middle, dealing with those coming from outside my greatsword’s range or from behind, forming the mid-rank.

And Do Sihee in the rear, intercepting the mid-sized monsters approaching from a distance, one by one, with her specialized arrows.

Wajijijik, kwajik, puuk.

The weapons of the three people fought the monsters in their own ways, moving forward, and soon we were able to reach the helipad where the helicopter was parked.

Of course, the helipad wouldn’t have been free from monster intrusion, so naturally, we couldn’t just take off as things were.

“I will handle the monsters clinging to the helicopter. Master and Kim Sungchul-nim, please buy us some time to prevent other monsters from approaching.”

“Yes.”

“Got it, Eunbyul.”

Lifting her long maid uniform skirt slightly, Eunbyul, who took out several more daggers from inside, intercepted the dozen or so Creals crawling around the helicopter and repeated the hunt of retrieving her weapons.

That skirt certainly held many secrets.

Of course, I didn’t have the leisure to admire her fighting the monsters, so I too swung my sword, knocking down the monsters climbing onto the helipad with wide-ranging slashes.

The problem was that these damn monsters weren’t just coming up the stairs, so no matter how much I blocked the ones pouring in from one or two directions, it was insufficient to stop the monsters pushing towards the helicopter from other directions.

Do Sihee’s archery skills were not a great awakening ability for dealing with numerous enemies at once, and besides, right now she seemed busy enough just reducing the number of B-class monsters approaching quite closely.

If things continued like this, we probably wouldn’t escape, let alone survive; the three of us buried by monsters would meet a grim end.

“Sihee-ssi, I’ll be right back!”

“Sungchul-ssi?! Where are you going?!”

Since each one was just a mob that could be wiped out in one go, it would be far more efficient to gather these monsters in one place and then attack.

After moving to the wide yard below the helipad, I shouted loudly so my voice echoed in all directions.

“Uwaaaaaaah!”

Drawn in by my awakening skill ‘Provoke’, the attention of the surrounding Creals focused entirely on me, and hundreds of Creals around me, save for a few, charged towards me at once.

Using Bayonet Tempest, it was the optimal situation to wipe them all out at once.

Ujijijik, kwajijijik.

The sound of my greatsword cutting through the surrounding wind and the shells of the crustacean monsters rang out several times, and around me, the corpses of Creals lay piled up like a crater.

As soon as I raised my head to check the situation at the helicopter, I heard the voices of Do Sihee and Eunbyul calling me from the helipad.

“Preparation for takeoff is complete. Please board quickly, Kim Sungchul-nim.”

“Sungchul-ssi! Hurry!”

Seeing the slowly rotating rotor blades, fortunately, Eunbyul seemed to have finished clearing the surrounding monsters, as she sat in the cockpit starting the engine.

As soon as I climbed the helipad stairs again and entered the helicopter, the door closed, and immediately, the helicopter piloted by Eunbyul took off into the sky, leaving the monsters below.

“Are you both alright?”

“Haa, y-yes…”

“I’m alright too, Eunbyul-ssi.”

“First, we will head to the nearest Center-level International Warp Gate Terminal. New Guinea Island has a stronger level of divine barrier operating than this island, and we expect to be able to quickly request support from high-ranking Hunters there.”

“Yeah, that sounds good… Kyaaaaaaak?!”

With a kung sound, the helicopter we were in seemed to have collided with something, and the cabin began to shake violently.

“It is presumed we collided with a flying object. Please fasten your seatbelts.”

“A, a flying object? Did we hit something like a bird, Eunbyul?”

“No, it is presumed to be an attack from below.”

“If this is a monster wave originating from the sea, it must be a marine monster. Are there any monsters among them that can attack from the air… Kyaaaaaaaak?!”

“Uwaaaaak!”

With a kung sound, the aircraft shook violently once more, and Do Sihee and I, clinging tightly to the helicopter’s body, desperately stayed in our seats.

Even amidst this chaos, Eunbyul’s calm piloting from the helicopter’s cockpit was truly astonishing concentration.

“…Ink projectiles.”

As soon as Eunbyul, who seemed to have spotted something, said that, goosebumps instantly prickled my and Do Sihee’s skin.

“A marine monster capable of launching ink projectiles to this height… If it’s a marine monster…”

“N-no way, is it a Kraken…?”

At the name of the S-class monster that came from Do Sihee’s lips, Eunbyul quietly nodded her head in the cockpit.

Through the helicopter window, half-obscured by black liquid, a monster resembling a giant squid revealed itself.

“C-can we escape quickly, Eunbyul?”

“Our altitude has dropped significantly due to that last attack. We need more time to take off again.”

The problem was whether the Kraken, having locked onto its target, would let us escape safely during that time.

It seemed to have properly targeted us, as the Kraken’s ink cannon flew towards the helicopter, visible outside the window.

With a kung sound, one of the three ink projectiles’ black liquid once again slammed into the helicopter’s side.

“Kkeut.”

“Kyaaaaaaak!”

Even Eunbyul, who had been expressionless the whole time, bit her lower lip as if troubled and showed a flustered expression, and I too could realize that this was no longer a normal, serious situation.

The helicopter piloted by Eunbyul had been unable to leave the island with the villa for several minutes, repeatedly rising and falling.

If this continued, our altitude would slowly decrease, causing us to crash back to the ground, or perhaps due to the impact of the ink projectiles, we might break apart in mid-air.

Frustrated, I mentally asked Esila for advice on how to resolve this situation.

‘Can’t you do something, Esila?’

“The probability of escaping this island without eliminating the S-class monster Kraken is estimated to be approximately 2%.”

2% was hardly a “generous” situation, enough to spout words like “that’s generous,” and I knew that much.

‘Then, what about a way to defeat the Kraken itself?’

“The Kraken’s weakness is its single ‘eye’ hidden between its tentacles. However, A-class Hunter Do Sihee’s specialized arrows cannot inflict significant damage on the Kraken’s eye.”

‘Then, what about my sword?’

“Your swordsmanship itself possesses the skill to cut the Kraken’s tentacles and pierce its eye, but the sword you are currently using is not expected to withstand the Kraken’s tough hide.”

Since Eunbyul had to pilot the helicopter, she obviously couldn’t be used at full strength. Besides, I wasn’t sure if she even possessed the skills to take down that Kraken.

The thought that neither option was a satisfactory solution flashed through my mind, and a weapon I had forgotten about crossed my mind.

‘Then, what about the Mithril Greatsword?’

“It can inflict effective damage.”

‘How many remaining awakening points do I have right now?’

“Including the points acquired this morning, you have a total of 1160 points.”

‘Just barely not enough…’

Just as the thought of having to force myself to have sex inside this helicopter crossed my mind, Esila continued.

“…And, there are two first-time achievement rewards you have not yet claimed.”