episode_0012

“……”

Moon Bora’s mouth fell open slightly at the unexpected outcome.

No, let’s not deceive ourselves.

Perhaps she had thought it might turn out this way.

But when the actual result materialized, Moon Bora couldn’t hide the numb feeling inside her.

“Great!”

The voice of a man, oblivious and happy, echoed in her ears.

Yuseha. In her eyes, he seemed naive and kind, raising his hands in excitement.

Unaware that he was digging his own grave.

‘…No. There’s no way he doesn’t know.’

Despite knowing, she nodded in agreement.

It was simply for the girl beside her.

“…You.”

Moon Bora looked at Mahana with blood almost dripping from her nails.

Sending a look that said, ‘Why make such foolish choices?’

In response to that gaze, Mahana clenched his fists tightly and slowly spoke up.

“…I’m sorry. I truly… understand my selfish desires.”

“…The person who knows that is now-”

“-But! But! We can’t end it like this!”

At Mahana’s desperate cry, both Moon Bora and the clueless Yuseha froze.

“Even if we are criticized, humiliated, and pointed fingers at… we can’t end my dream, the conclusion, like this. Especially not like this!”

Even if she were to give up her dream as a ‘Hunter,’ she detested the dishonorable outcome of being ‘expelled.’

“…Uh, um.”

Moon Bora suddenly became serious, ignoring the bewildered Yuseha who was stumbling like a fool, and took a deep breath.

“Mahana…”

“I will definitely try to stop it! I can do it! So please give me a chance!”

“……”

It’s unreasonable.

At least in Moon Bora’s eyes, it was futile talk.

Dark circles under her eyes, ragged breathing.

Wearing shabby leather armor, not looking presentable, but covered in bruises and scars all over.

Evidence that the fatigue and injuries accumulated so far were taking a toll on her body.

It was time to retreat rationally.

But…

―Unni, I can do it too! So please don’t abandon me!

‘Foolish thoughts…’

Moon Bora pushed aside the old memory that came to mind.

Whatever her judgment may be, with more than two votes in favor, forcing anything would be unacceptable.

“I’ll trust you.”

“…Yes!”

* * *

Swish!

“Ugh!”

With a sharp piercing sound, something sharp pierced deep into Mahana’s thigh.

It was a dull piece of metal that couldn’t even be called a weapon.

“Ouch-!”

However, to the exhausted Mahana, it inflicted significant damage.

The enraged Transparent Tail Monkey attempted to continue its assault.

But…

Swoosh!

It was split in half by Yuseha’s furious strike.

“Mew… Oh, no. Mahana!”

“…I-I’m fine…”

This was already the eighth attack.

Had they realized that the strategy of hiding and attacking because of Yuseha was impossible?

The Transparent Tail Monkeys aimed to thrust one or two attacks no matter what.

And indeed, it was quite effective.

Moon Bora took out the last potion bottle and carefully applied it to Mahana’s wounds.

“It will hurt. Endure it.”

Clang!

Just as she finished speaking, a crashing noise resounded.

“Kuhh!”

Immediately, the effect was good enough to heal the wound, but the pain increased proportionally.

Yet, it only healed physical wounds.

“Pant, pant.”

It didn’t restore Mahana’s stamina.

There was nothing else to be done.

“Hana, from now on, just focus on raising your shield. Only protect yourself.”

She no longer had the strength to move around and protect them both.

“B-But…”

Conveying through her eyes that they couldn’t block the enemy’s attacks anymore, Mahana received Moon Bora’s response with a flick of her finger.

Two [Ice Pillars] suddenly rose in the blink of an eye, shooting towards the approaching monkeys.

“Whoosh!”

One pierced precisely through the creature’s torso.

Clang!

The other acted as a shield, defending the monkey’s staff like a barrier.

“Bo, Boranim…”

“No need for thanks. It’s for everyone,” replied Moon Bora gracefully, though she wasn’t feeling particularly great herself.

‘…Backup seems to be reaching its limit after all…’

Deep within her body, something that had been full was rapidly depleting, hitting rock bottom.

It was different from the energy moving her physical body; it was a power related to ‘abilities’ known as ‘skills,’ reliant on a resource commonly referred to as ‘mana,’ which was now nearing depletion.

‘…Still, thankfully…’

Shoo-!

“Hana! Bora! I’ve taken care of them here!”

Unexpectedly, Yuseha was exceeding expectations, handling his share and more. Before he knew it, the ground around him was littered with over seven monkey carcasses.

‘If this is the case…’

We’ll make it work somehow.

No, we must make it work.

*

30 minutes later.

Covered in monster blood and flesh, the three arrived at the final area of the ‘Goblin Stronghold.’

[Entering Boss Room.]

[An abnormal flow of power envelops the forest.]

Where the ‘boss’ should have appeared as if waiting, surprisingly, there was indeed a boss present.

However, it was…

“…dead?”

A massive gray goblin lay dead with a gaping wound in its abdomen – the Hop Goblin.

“…Seems like it was punctured by a drill.”

Moon Bora, who let slip a comment, gazed at the green liquid, presumably the goblin’s blood, leading somewhere nearby.

Next to it, a dark cave reminiscent of a giant bear’s den had blood flowing like a stream into it.

Drip…

Drip…

Focusing her senses, she heard the typical animal sounds echoing from the cave along with an abnormal surge of magic gathering like a whirlpool.

Surely, whatever was inside, having felled the Hop Goblin, was the real ‘boss.’

Moon Bora considered it unlucky luck.

‘He didn’t escape through an unexplored route.’

If he had, it would have been dizzying enough to close his eyes tightly.

Nevertheless, the situation was far from favorable.

Still, she couldn’t afford to make a sound.

Having come this far, they had to face whatever fate awaited them, whether life or death.

“Get ready, everyone.”

Finishing her words, Moon Bora gathered her hands and slowly aimed into the cave.

“Ice Pillars!”

In an instant, the soaring blue magical energy transformed into sharp ice pillars, entering the cave like dominoes falling.

Moments later, the sound of shattering ice echoed, followed by a massive roar.

“Muoooooh!”

Crash!

What burst out, demolishing the cave wall, was a colossal rhinoceros easily five meters tall.

Oddly, its entire body was covered in a metallic grey material.

Muscles on its four abnormally developed legs.

Sharp horns like lances and traces of the Hop Goblin’s blood clinging to its tips.

Lastly, a radiant light emanating from deep within its body.

Undoubtedly, it was a special boss-type creature.

[Entering Boss Room.]

[Kappa Rhino reveals an imposing figure.]

[A boss spawned due to unusual circumstances.]

[Defeating Kappa Rhino will forcibly end the “Breakout” phenomenon.]

“…Damn it.”

Unintentionally, Moon Bora cursed under her breath.

She had expected a boss from the “Beast Realm” like the Silverback, but of all creatures, it had to be the Kappa Rhino…

‘…With skills like [Charge], and despite being part of the Metal Rhino series, it’s the weakest individual. But appearing in this D-rank dungeon level is just not right.’

One thing was certain – it was a perfect upgrade in every aspect compared to the previously encountered Silverback.

The synergy between the high attack power, acceleration from the charge, and sturdy [Copper Skin] attribute was flawless.

His main weakness was fire.

However, there was no one here who could wield the power of the fire element.

“Muoooo!”

“Here it comes!”

With a roar that split the air, Kappa Rhino charged forward.

The final battle at ‘Goblin Stronghold’ had begun.

*

Thud thud thud thud―!

Like riding the wind, Kappa Rhino charged forward in an instant.

The blue magical aura surrounding him transformed into white, further boosting his speed.

[Kappa Rhino uses .]

The momentarily increased speed was compounded by his hefty weight.

An ominous crashing sound reverberated as massive trees were torn apart upon contact with his sharp horns.

The overwhelming force made it seem impossible for that small Mahana to withstand head-on.

“…Muooo?!”

At that moment, Kappa Rhino’s movement faltered.

It was due to the icy trap that had formed beneath his feet.

“Huff!”

Anticipating this turn of events, Moonbora had strategically placed the trap, throwing off his balance.

“Mahana! Even if your strength has diminished, there’s no chance of surviving a direct hit! I’m casting [Ice Pillar] with all my focus! It’s up to you as the ‘tank’ to decide where to block to minimize damage!”

Understanding Moonbora’s call, Mahana tightly gripped his large shield.

‘…3 seconds, 2 seconds, 1 second… Now!’

Drawing on his experience, Mahana twisted his body ever so slightly just before Rhino’s horn made contact, evading the most damaging point of impact.

Before the Rhino’s next attack, he pushed back with his shield, successfully blocking the charge.

“Muuaaah!!!”

He pushed with all his might.

Crack―!

“Mukkeueut!”

Even that was heavy.

A significant gap in class and stats.

However, in the end, Mahana successfully blocked Rhino’s charge.

This naturally exposed a vulnerability in Rhino’s defense.

“Yooseha!”

In response to Mahana’s call, Yooseha, hidden in the foliage, struck the ground.

“…Huff.”

Yooseha caught her breath.

She focused her strength in both hands.

Drawing upon her experiences with the sword throughout her journey, she refined her techniques once more.

‘…Adjusting strength.’

Adjusting her stance.

She stomped the ground forcefully like lightning, swinging her sword towards Kappa Rhino’s side.

With a sharp sound and a flash of light, her swift swordsmanship unfolded.

[ activated.]

[ activated. Final power of sword skills increased by 100%.]

A chilling sound of cutting echoed out.

Swish―!

The sturdy [Copper Skin] visibly split like a piece of paper.

The piercing blade cut through thick flesh, slicing through internal organs.

“Muuuuu!”

Intense pain caused Rhino to scream, his eyes bloodshot and unfocused.

Commonly described as ‘seeing nothing,’ Rhino spat out rough breaths, turning around.

Drip.

As blood and chunks of entrails flowed down, his eyes remained fixed solely on Yooseha.

Seeing this, Yooseha stepped back swiftly, sweating coldly.

‘…Ah.’

Damn.

This sucks.