episode_0220

Sabak-

Yuri hid her body in the tall grass, catching her breath. A large group of magical beasts was gathered about 10 meters away.

Red Parrots. As their name suggests, they are parrots with red feathers. However, these are no ordinary parrots. Each one is as big as Yuri’s thigh. Their hooked beaks are larger than Yuri’s face, and when they spread their wings, they could completely envelop her.

More than ten of these monstrous birds were gathered. The Delta squad members behind Yuri gulped nervously. Red Parrots, despite their brutally grotesque appearance, are quite cunning. If they realize their opponent can’t fly, they’ll evade attacks by flitting about, tearing at flesh with their beaks and claws.

Of course, Nari is watching from outside the dungeon. She’s also the one who provided the information about the magical beasts. They had studied magical beasts commonly found in mock dungeons beforehand, learning their habits and strategies.

“Got it? They’re sensitive to sound. They build nests in tall trees and consider them their territory. If they hear unfamiliar sounds in their territory, they’ll immediately attack.”

Yuri stood at the center of the formation. The other squad members formed a circle around her. Yuri would draw their attention first, then they would unleash magical bullets from all sides.

‘Sensitive to sound…’

Yuri raised her hand to signal them. It meant to begin chanting and prepare to fire their magic.

Then, taking a deep breath and tensing her stomach, she shouted.

“Aaaaaaaaaaaah—!!”

It was a powerful roar unimaginable for such a frail girl. Even she seemed surprised by the sound, covering her small mouth with her hand and widening her eyes.

“Kaaak- Aaaaaaaaaah—!!” “Aaaaaah-! Aaaaaah-!”

It worked. The startled Red Parrots spread their wings and looked around wildly. As they are sensitive to sound, a loud noise makes them jump and become cautious. Mimicking Yuri’s brief cry was an added bonus.

They spotted her. At first, she was a potential threat. Such an sudden, loud outburst is certainly frightening.

However, they also noticed her feet were on the ground. She couldn’t fly. The moment they realized this, they considered Yuri prey.

“Kaaaaak—!!”

Paat- Peolleok—!

Letting out a cry like a crow, the Red Parrots swooped down. Their wings were so large that each flap created a strong gust of wind. The surrounding bushes were flattened by the wind, exposing Yuri to their view.

Ssiik-

However, Yuri wasn’t scared at all. She drew a wand inlaid with a pure white magic stone from her waist. A gift from Nari, she always carried it carefully. The magic stone at the tip resembled a white flower bud, so she named it ‘Dandelion.’

Yuri raised Dandelion and drew upon her mana. A deep blue light gathered on the pure white magic stone.

[Aqua Protection]-!

Water mana flowed around her, forming a sphere. It was a magical barrier that maintained its shape as long as the mana persisted.

Kwak-!

A Red Parrot’s beak struck the barrier. However, not even a scratch appeared. Instead, the barrier firmly grasped the tip of the beak, refusing to let go.

Paang- Paaat—!

Seizing the opportunity, the squad members fired their magical bullets. Blasts of fire, blades of wind, rocky spikes. Magical bullets of various attributes struck the monstrous bird’s wings, inflicting effective damage.

“Kkak- Kkaak—”

This time, they let out crow-like screams repeatedly. The squad members continued their barrage of magical bullets. The Red Parrots, with holes riddled in their wings, lost their lift and tumbled to the ground. Most died from the impact of hitting the ground head-first, and the remaining few were cleanly killed by the squad’s magical attacks.

They had dealt with almost all the magical beasts. But as they caught their breath, a roar came from the trees.

“Kaaaaaaaak—!!”

Paat—!

By the time the squad members noticed, it was too late. A final Red Parrot, larger than any they had seen before, was swooping down. It was easily twice the size. With its wings spread, it would be taller than Yuri. It was probably the mother hiding nearby.

Fear was evident in everyone’s eyes, but Yuri released her barrier. She exposed herself to the beast, her wand held tightly in one hand.

Chut- Chujjit-

Mana gathered in the magic stone again, firing a stream of blue water. The intense stream quickly became a blade.

However, this was different from when she hunted the previous attackers. Unlike then, when she wielded two daggers, this time she used the wand itself as a medium to create a single sword. It was too long to be a dagger, and too short to be a longsword.

About the size of a sashimi knife.

Kagak-

Yuri lowered her stance, pressing her feet into the ground. With her empty hand, she aimed at the monstrous bird’s mother, carefully choosing where to strike.

Because the beast was flying towards Yuri at a high speed, this only took a short moment. But that fraction of a second was enough.

As the beast got close, Yuri swiftly swung her sword.

Maid Ryu Mu Yeong Sword, Form 4, Three-Sliced Cut.

Two blue sword energies exploded simultaneously, severing the large Red Parrot’s torso.

The sharp and precise blade cleanly cut the beast into three sections: the left wing and left ribs; the torso containing the head and spine; and the right ribs and right wing. It was so clean that plucking the feathers would make it ready to be cooked.

Cheolpuduk-!

Only after Yuri dispelled the magic and scattered the blade did the beast’s pieces fall to the ground. Although its insides spilled out, it thrashed about for a moment. Before long, only three pieces of meat remained.

Covered in the magical beast’s blood, Yuri spun around to look at the squad members. She smiled brightly.

“Good work.”

But the squad members couldn’t smile.

…

…

…

“Kaaaaaaaak—!!”

At the same time, Andrew’s Beta squad.

A strange cry echoed from afar, making everyone tremble. Judging from the direction, it was Yuri’s Delta squad. Even though the sound alone indicated considerable danger, no calls for assistance were heard.

“…They fell behind.”

Andrew smiled wryly.

To be honest, he considered Yuri to be inferior. Compared to himself, diligently working as the fan club president, she didn’t seem to put much effort into being beside Nari.

Or rather, that’s how it ‘felt.’ It appeared as if she only relied on her position as Nari’s younger sister to be by her side. A maid, an ornament, a pet – that was the kind of image he had of her.

But now he knew that was wrong. He had only seen the surface. Yuri hadn’t readily shown her strength. Until now, there was no need. But now that the need was there, and she showed her true skill; she was a monster.

He was looking up at Yuri, someone he had previously considered to be at the bottom. She boldly sought the realm Nari occupied, a realm beyond reach for all but the very greatest. That realm was just out of reach of others, but Yuri was at ceiling.

He wasn’t particularly sorry for having looked down on her. He didn’t feel the need to apologize. It wasn’t something he had ever expressed; it was just a thought he kept to himself.

In fact, Andrew was a little happy. Initially looking up at an unreachable ideal, now he had a tangible intermediate goal. Perhaps he could achieve it too someday, he thought. A brand-new goal had been created.

He glanced behind him. The Beta squad members were composed of devoted fan club members. Hardened men.

In a normal situation, their eyes would have been filled with madness. But now, their eyes were completely weary. Their false madness, a superficial frenzy, had wilted in the face of genuine threat.

Seeing them like that made Andrew feel drained as well.

Then it happened.

“What is this? Out for a stroll? Why are you all resting?”

Unable to bear watching the Beta squad members slump over, Nari had personally come to reprimand them. The men suddenly felt renewed. It wasn’t exactly vigor, but rather like waking ghouls.

“Ah- No, it’s not like that…” “M, m, magical beasts weren’t appearing, so we were looking…” “Ye, uh, looking around…”

Nari’s sigh was communicated telepathically. They scratched the back of their heads, looking awkward. Anyone could see that their hesitant posture was not reassuring. They knew that too.

For the East route, or the central Beta squad for 1-A’s progression, their lack of reliability was a huge problem.

It even occurred to him that they might be in the center because they were the weakest. That way, they could be supported immediately from either side if something happened.

Andrew felt even more deflated.

“…Alright. You’ve worked hard.” “No, it’s our fault. We don’t deserve to hear that word… I don’t think we do.”

Physical exhaustion and communication were separate matters. He put a hand to his ear and replied faithfully.

“Really? I don’t think so.” “….” “You’re the core of the pary. We have high expectations. This is when men need to show their strength, don’t you agree?”

High expectations. Those words made the Beta squad members flinch in unison. It was a spark. A tiny stimulus, but with a little wind and kindling, it could turn into a raging fire.

And that wind and kindling were all around them.

“Work hard. Don’t overexert yourselves.”

Nari’s voice, reinforced by a strengthening buff through her [Sacred Words], gave them immense strength.

Sabak- Sabak-

Just in time, a grizzly bear pack appeared before them. They were easily over 3 meters long. Literally ceiling height. Nearly ten of these giant bears were approaching the Beta squad.

But they weren’t scared. Andrew and his fan club members’ fists clenched tightly.

“Hey… Look over there. Some bears are looking at us.” “My, my. Judging by their expressions, they must have been starving for days.” “Therefore—!!”

Their previously drained and listless eyes were wild now.

“The loss of faith is tantamount to death—!!” “The loss of faith is tantamount to death—!!” “The loss of faith is tantamount to death—!!”

At Andrew’s cry, they all shouted in unison. Their fear was gone, as if they had lost something and were reborn. Something more important.

“We are—” “Narias’—” “Loyal Swords—”

The magic stones in their magical gauntlets glowed, mana erupting with ferocious intensity as in an explosion. The ground caved in where they stood. The grizzly bears froze, and it was Beta squad who stepped forward.

“Life, light, salt—” “May the magnificent will, greater than all we have, annihilate the enemies before us—” “Amen—!!”