A S-Class Hunter With Great Agility - Chapter 11

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 11: Under the Maple Tree (2)

 

The maple leaves sliced through every inch of Choi Yu-il’s skin as they passed.

His skin, which had been pale, was now completely red. My hands began to tremble as I watched the scene.

 

“Why…”

 

Why?

That was suicidal behavior.

It was almost like he was directly charging in, asking to be killed.

 

“Leader…!”

“Leader, what the hell are you doing!”

 

Kang In-ho and Lee Jung-yeon shouted, their faces turning pale.

 

‘Where’s Baek Kyul?’

 

I quickly turned around. There stood Baek Kyul, covering his mouth with his face gone pale.

Well, even though they were both A-rank, a healer couldn’t possibly stop a dealer.

Really.

Due to Choi Yu-il’s sudden action, the battlefield became chaos.

 

“Ah.”

 

As my concentration scattered, the firepower I had carefully gathered also disappeared.

 

“Hah…”

 

I suppressed all the rising questions and frustration, clenching my fist tightly. Crack.

Then I headed toward where Choi Yu-il had collapsed.

Choi Yu-il.

I’ll check if you’re alive, and if you are, I’ll kill you, and even if you’re dead, I’ll still kill you.

…Though I couldn’t help but hope he wasn’t seriously injured.

 

“Wait, don’t go near him!”

“Stop, get back right now—!”

 

Just as I was about to rush over there quickly.

Kang In-ho and Lee Jung-yeon shouted at me.

 

“What?”

 

Before I could grasp the situation, the two of them flew over at a speed faster than ever before.

And simultaneously tackled me, pushing me down.

 

Crash!

 

“Hey, come on! Get off me. What’s this about?”

 

My body felt heavy. Ugh, what are you doing? I forcefully pushed both of them off me.

Then I sat up with a bewildered expression.

 

“What are you doing? We need to quickly pull him out or something, right?”

“Right now, you can’t. Hunter, you could die too! You absolutely cannot go near the Leader.”

“What do you mean…”

 

I sensed something strange.

 

“…?”

 

I was no longer coughing up blood. For some reason… the sensation of strength draining from my body had also stopped.

 

‘What’s going on?’

 

The planned attack hadn’t succeeded. Fire Virtue True Lord’s flames hadn’t even grazed the maple tree’s edge.

Yet it was strange that the Boss Monster’s skill had been interrupted.

 

“Look carefully.”

 

Kang In-ho pointed toward where Choi Yu-il was. Choi Yu-il was sitting collapsed in front of the maple tree, gasping for breath.

 

Whoooooosh—

 

Green light began seeping out around him. A green circular formation surrounded Choi Yu-il.

Choi Yu-il inside it was still covered in blood, and simply appeared to be casting some kind of skill.

An ominous feeling came over me.

 

“…Spiritual Sight.”

 

Damn it, quickly use Spiritual Sight.

 

“Spiritual Sight—!”

 

Crackle, crackle.

 

Choi Yu-il’s status window filled with useless information and became completely scrambled.

Status windows appeared and disappeared before my eyes repeatedly, like error pop-ups.

I grabbed my dizzy head and concentrated.

 

‘Stats… no, rank, not this either. Four Pillars Reading is still Sudden Leg Calamity. No…’

 

“…This is it.”

 

 

As Spiritual Sight leveled up, skill descriptions that weren’t visible before came into view.

 

 

It still wasn’t perfectly readable. It seemed I wasn’t at the level where I could fully read the contents of the opponent’s skill.

However, just by combining a few words.

 

‘Crazy…’

 

I could tell.

 

‘…Are you insane?’

 

I hesitated and stepped back. It was something I absolutely didn’t want to believe.

 

“He’s right now…”

“It’s the Leader’s skill. As his own life force decreases, it also drains the lives of surrounding opponents.”

“…Earlier, his own arrow was stuck in his stomach.”

“Yes… He usually inflicts wounds on himself to use it. He leaves the attacks to his teammates and becomes bait himself. It’s such a dangerous skill that he never uses it normally. This is the first time I’ve actually seen it too.”

 

Kang In-ho explained with a somber expression.

 

“I had my suspicions, but I never thought he’d be continuously casting it…”

 

The premise was completely wrong.

This area drains life force? That monster’s skill?

None of it was true. It was Choi Yu-il’s skill.

Sacrificing his own life to steal the life force of everything around him.

 

“The Leader’s nature aside, this was what I was most worried about…”

 

I bit my lips hard.

 

【Kiiiiik—!】

 

Then I heard the monster’s scream. Even though it clearly hadn’t received any attacks, it looked quite pained.

 

【Kideuk, kik, kiiiiik…】

 

‘It means Choi Yu-il’s skill is taking effect.’

 

However, even without going to such extremes.

 

‘We could have subdued it…’

 

Why go so far.

I looked at the guy who had become a complete wreck. Kang In-ho, who had been watching me, spoke.

 

“Hunter.”

“Yes?”

“Have you ever been active in a guild?”

“…No.”

 

Of course not. I shook my head.

 

“When hunters first join a guild, most don’t think much about it. They just head to wherever offers better conditions.”

“…”

“But when you entrust your lives to each other on the battlefield and keep fighting against common enemies…”

“…”

“An unbreakable bond inevitably forms.”

 

【Kul, reuk, kik, kikik. Uuek.】

 

As Kang In-ho finished speaking, the monster began vomiting something.

I got goosebumps.

 

“No way…”

 

Thud.

Thuduk.

 

Two forms fell to the ground along the monster’s tongue.

Even though there was some distance, there was no mistaking it.

Anyone could see that they were.

People.

 

“The others…”

 

The two other hunters who had headed to the boss room with Choi Yu-il.

 

‘Are they alive?’

 

…No. They were dead.

The hunters sprawled on the floor showed no movement whatsoever.

I clenched my fists so hard my nails dug into my palms.

 

‘Now I understand.’

 

The reason Choi Yu-il threw his body to block me.

If I had cast my skill as planned, their corpses would have all burned to ashes. …He must have wanted to prevent at least that.

But it seemed that wasn’t the only reason.

 

“I have to… I have to do it…”

 

I could hear Choi Yu-il’s muttering.

 

I have to do it. I have to, I have to save them. I have to kill it. I have to do it. I have to do it. I have to…

 

“Because I couldn’t protect them…”

 

Choi Yu-il takes out the bow he had slung over his shoulder.

His arms trembled. Even lifting the bow, which he would normally shoot with ease, seemed difficult.

However, Choi Yu-il didn’t collapse.

Raising his left arm, he held the bow up before his eyes.

In his right hand, he gripped the arrow that had pierced through his abdomen earlier.

 

“…Ha.”

 

What a truly foolish guy.

But that sight wasn’t entirely unpleasant, and it was so very much like the Choi Yu-il I knew.

I relaxed my twisted expression. Then I stepped forward. Fools are always the most courageous, after all.

 

* * *

 

This was when we were young.

I had grown accustomed to being bullied, and Choi Yu-il was completely the opposite type of person.

Decent looks, tall for his age, gentle but not bad personality.

Above all, the background of being ‘that’ Hunter Choi Yu-kyung’s younger brother.

Sister Yu-kyung, who awakened as an S-rank Hunter during high school, was practically an idol to elementary students.

Thanks to that, Choi Yu-il naturally grew up as a child who was always at the center of groups.

 

‘Unlike me.’

 

An orphan without parents, with a shaman grandfather. Jet-black eyes and a dark atmosphere, small build.

 

 

Choi Yu-il had that same strangely brave side back then too.

It was close to recklessness, just like now.

 

— Whatever, let’s go.

 

But after he said a few words, the kids who had been bullying me would quickly leave, pretending nothing happened.

They must have been scared of the presence standing behind Choi Yu-il.

It wasn’t particularly moving or like he was my savior or anything with such grand emotions.

 

‘Still…’

 

I often thought about those times. It was from when we were young.

 

* * *

 

“Hey. What are you planning to do alone?”

 

I deliberately grinned.

I didn’t mention that my insides were a complete mess from his skill and I was on the verge of death.

Coming near the green aura, I could really feel my health draining as much as Choi Yu-il’s condition.

 

“…Cough.”

 

He’s standing like that in this kind of state. That mental power stat of 30 isn’t a lie, is it?

I made Kang In-ho and Lee Jung-yeon, who were trying to follow me, step back.

It would definitely be hard to endure this with B-rank abilities.

 

“….”

 

Choi Yu-il didn’t look back at me. He only stared at his target while aiming his arrow.

I stepped into the spot next to him.

 

“…rying?”

 

As expected, one’s nature never changes. From the side, I could see transparent tears dripping from Choi Yu-il’s face.

 

‘That’s how great his grief over losing his comrades must be.’

 

Choi Yu-il probably did his absolute best until the end. Without giving up on anyone, gritting his teeth no matter how frightened and scared he was.

 

‘Because that’s the kind of guy he is.’

 

But how could he have endured alone on a battlefield without a healer and mismatched attributes?

There are always things in life that can’t be accomplished through will alone.

 

“Even if you shoot that arrow now, it won’t have much effect.”

“….”

“The attributes don’t match, and your health is completely depleted. You’re on the verge of death.”

 

I spoke calmly, as if it were nothing at all.

I could see Choi Yu-il’s brow furrow. He was probably thinking the same thing in his head.

 

“I’ll help you.”

“You…”

“You want to ask why I’m here, right? How this all happened too. But well, let’s talk after we get out. After we get out alive and well.”

“…Yeah.”

“Those people too, together.”

 

Even though they had already stopped breathing.

Still, I meant we should go out together.

 

“Yeah.”

 

Choi Yu-il nodded.

Then he nocked the arrow on the bowstring. As he drew the string, the bow frame bent.

I stood firmly with both feet planted.

 

Whiiiiiii—

 

I felt the wind blowing. A few crumbled maple leaves flew by, but they were only enough to leave scratches on my cheek.

The wind flowed through Choi Yu-il’s light blonde hair and soon disappeared.

 

“…Green Light Bow.”

 

Along with that murmur…

 

“Direct Hit.”

 

The arrow was shot.

 

“Fire Virtue Flame.”

 

I also took my stance.

 

“Flame.”

 

Flames appeared in the empty air, soon forming the shape of a bow.

It was a Phantom Bow created from Fire Virtue True Lord’s flames.

Orange fire blazed hotly.

 

Whoosh.

 

I drew the bright red Flame String.

I could feel my sleeve getting singed, but I didn’t care.

Then I pulled the bowstring.

And shot.

 

Screeeeeech—!

 

My arrow’s flames wrapped around Choi Yu-il’s green arrow.

That blazing fire charged into the Maple Tree’s mouth.

Yes, burn everything.

Burn it all…

Let’s erase every last one of those damn things.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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