Unexpected Crisis

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The next day, I boasted to Luna noona about what had happened.

Luna noona worried if I was really okay, but I confidently said I was fine and challenged her to arm wrestling.

It’s only natural to want to test the results of my hard training!

“Come on! Give it your all, Luna noona! If you win, you can use your techniques on me as much as you want today!”

“Wa, wow! R-really!”

“Fufu, I don’t go back on my word! Hurry, hurry!”

Luna-ssi and I found a table in the Adventurer’s Guild and started arm wrestling.

The result!

CRASH!

“Guhek!”

“J-Jin-sangaaa!”

“Did he really beat Agermu?”

“From what I heard, he took advantage of a moment of exhaustion and made a comeback victory.”

“No wonder~ how else could Jin-sang win?”

The words of the adventurers watching stung my heart.

Everyone’s so mean!

I decided to train even harder.

Of course, afterward I let Luna-ssi use her techniques on me outside, while casting Stamina Heal on myself.

And time passed quickly.

A month went by.

As I steadily built up my skills, the rank of monsters I defeated also increased.

“Congratulations, Lee Jin-sang nim. You’ve been promoted to D-rank.”

“Yahoo!”

“C-congratulations, J-Jin-sang!”

I was promoted to D-rank.

Now I’m the same rank as Agermu-ssi whom I fought! And just one rank difference from Luna noona.

“Hehehe, just one more rank and I’ll be the same rank as Luna noona!”

“Y-yes. Th-that’s… right…”

“Luna noona, today’s a party! Let’s ask Miriana noona to buy us something delicious! Since it’s such a great day… ask for golden carrots too!”

“G-golden carrots! Y-yes! Let’s go quickly!”

After enjoying a fun party like this.

With my promotion to D-rank, we faced monsters like giant frog-like creatures,

Or large bovine monsters with excessive fur,

Or sudden extermination missions against groups of orcs, and so on.

Luna-ssi and I were truly on a winning streak, defeating various monsters and building up our achievements.

Heheheh, C-rank isn’t far away.

With that thought in my heart.

“Uryaaaaaa!”

Thrust thrust thrust thrust thrust!

-Guhuuurgh!

I took down an orc by myself with consecutive thrusts aimed at its solar plexus.

“Wahaha! Orcs are no match for me now!”

Well, that’s because I targeted the weak points of its skin!

Targeting weaknesses is the basics of combat!

“A-amazing! J-Jin-sang! Now y-you can e-easily defeat o-orcs!”

“Hehehe, thank you, Luna noona.”

While Luna noona could take down 4 orcs simultaneously when I defeated one.

What’s important now is that I defeated an orc!

I patted my shoulder with my spear and asked Luna noona.

“With this, it won’t be long until I reach C-rank, right?”

“Um… h-hmm. W-well? Going f-from D-rank to C-rank t-takes quite a w-while…”

“Eh? Is that so? I thought those two also became C-rank quickly, so I’d be soon too.”

The “two” I mentioned are Cal and Rien, who left Luna noona and went to another city.

“Well, that… C-Cal and Rien also d-did quests c-consistently after f-forming a party with m-me…”

“Hmm.”

I also do quests with Luna-ssi almost every day except holidays… did they do the same?

“Luna noona! Let’s work harder! No matter what anyone says, we’re the strongest combo! Let’s set new achievements!”

Wouldn’t it be good to join the hero’s party after establishing achievements?

“Y-yes! W-we’re the st-strongest combo! Yes!”

Luna noona and I returned to the city, ate dinner together as usual, and parted ways.

I thought I would continue to be on a winning streak, successfully completing quests and accumulating achievements.

But.

“Emergency! Emergency situation, everyone!”

Life sometimes brings unexpected major events.

After finishing my serving job, when I was about to take on an herb gathering quest with Luna noona.

“Celine-ssi?”

Celine-ssi shouted with a very urgent expression, her voice echoing throughout the Adventurer’s Guild.

“Heading toward Kellion… a Monster Parade is approaching!”

“What?! A Monster Parade!? Here?!”

“What are you talking about! There’s no dungeon around here! What sudden Monster Parade?!”

“Hey! Go and spread the word right now! Tell everyone to gather at the Adventurer’s Guild!”

“G-got it!”

The Adventurer’s Guild suddenly became busy.

I first asked Luna noona to understand the situation.

“Luna noona, what is a Monster Parade… Luna noona?”

Luna noona’s face had turned pale.

“M-Monster P-Parade…”

“Luna noona! What’s wrong! What is a Monster Parade?”

“A M-M-Monster P-Parade is a ph-phenomenon where a l-large number of m-monsters attack. It r-refers to at least 300 m-monsters invading all at o-once…”

“300 monsters!?”

“And if it’s a p-parade, usually D-rank or h-higher monsters… c-come in huge numbers… N-normally it’s a ph-phenomenon that occurs in d-dungeons. W-why…”

Like the adventurer just now, Luna noona also couldn’t understand why a Monster Parade was occurring.

And what resolved our questions was.

“It’s a special entity.”

It was Celine-ssi who had informed us about the Monster Parade.

“An Ogre Champion… reports indicate that an Ogre Champion is leading approximately 2,000 monsters toward Kellion.”

“”Ogre Champion?!””

“You’re joking, right? That’s impossible! It’s an A-rank monster! And one of the dangerous types among A-ranks, why would it…!”

“2,000? Not 300 but 2,000? What are the other places doing?!”

“According to information, the Ogre Champion is a highly intelligent entity… it is presumed that after building up its forces, it has chosen Kellion for its first campaign. A investigation team that was looking into the simultaneous disappearance of livestock from nearby villages discovered this.”

“If it was simultaneous… then it means they’ve been keeping quiet and securing provisions for their campaign? Who do they think they are, an army?!”

“Ha, haha, Kellion is finished.”

Some adventurers were despairing at the overwhelming numbers.

“Currently, requests for reinforcements have been sent to other cities and the capital. And the Monster Parade is expected to hit Kellion… in two days.”

“What? Two days? It takes four days to reach another city with an Adventurer’s Guild? With 2,000 monsters, we’d be lucky to hold out for even one day!”

“Wh-what do we do! I-I don’t want to die here!”

“Wh-what if we run away? Everyone evacuates!”

The adventurers were in panic.

The overwhelming numbers along with the appearance of a monster with an exceptional rank was causing terror among people.

That’s when.

“Shut uuuuup!”

BANG!

Samurus shouted, slamming his fist on a table.

“Are you adventurers with that attitude! Thinking of running away with your tails between your legs! Don’t be scared from the start!”

Everyone’s attention focused on Samurus.

“As adventurers, your first thought should be to fight back! Isn’t that right?!”

“Fufu, Samurus is right.”

Bleks-ssi also chimed in to support Samurus’s words.

“If everyone runs away from here… civilians will suffer great damage. Rather, if we all join forces and fight together, the probability of survival might be higher? Rather than being scared and running away… bravely fighting in a cool manner will increase our chances of survival~♡ Be.sides.”

Bleks-ssi spoke not in his usual tone, but in a majestic voice like that of a great warrior.

“Those who would run away without even fighting monsters should surrender their licenses and quit being adventurers right now!”

The frightened adventurers immediately fell silent.

B-Bleks-ssi, so intimidating…

“J-Jin-sang, w-we…”

Luna noona looked at me with trembling eyes.

Luna noona must be terrified too.

Since she’s been an adventurer longer than me, she must know how dangerous this Ogre Champion is.

How threatening a horde of 2,000 monsters can be.

If I suggested running away here.

Luna noona might immediately pick me up and flee to another city.

But that would just be me and Luna noona.

Adding one more, perhaps Miriana noona.

Most other people probably couldn’t evacuate.

Like Celine-ssi.

Or Samurus’s party and Bleks-ssi, who are thinking of fighting back.

And the other adventurers who, after hearing those two speak, will likely decide to fight – they would all be swept away by the Monster Parade.

Since coming to this world.

I’ve already lived in this city for well over three months.

Through my serving job, I know the faces of all the adventurers in this guild.

Annoying people.

Fun people.

Pitiful people.

Greasy people.

Ordinary people.

To run away leaving these people I already know… and later learn of their deaths would be an awkward and uncomfortable thing.

Above all…

“Luna noona.”

How could I, who wants to join the hero’s party, show cowardice here?

This is actually a great opportunity to establish an achievement.

“Jin-sang…?”

I grinned and shouted as loudly as possible so the entire Adventurer’s Guild could hear.

“Our strongest combo will protect Kellion too!”

Besides.

There’s a top healer with unlimited magical power right here.

The most important person for overcoming this situation – me – can’t run away, right?