[ Chick Class Teacher (4) ]
“I had really high expectations because I heard that the spear Hunter Yu Myungwoo made was S-class. Of course, it’s not like I don’t already have an S-class spear, but having an extra one is always nice. It’s unsettling to rely on just one main weapon. S-class weapons aren’t indestructible, after all.”
Moon Hyunah said, lightly leaping over the rubble of a building.
On the second day of the dungeon raid, everything was going smoothly. Thanks to Myungwoo’s influence, everyone was less tense compared to the previous day. Though it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows, at least they weren’t ready to fight at the drop of a hat.
“If the weapon’s options are different, it can change your fighting style too. I’m kind of a straightforward fighter. It’s fine when it’s just monsters, but when it comes to someone who knows my information ahead of time, it becomes a hassle.”
She glanced in Seong Hyunjae’s direction as she said this.
“So, can’t you subtly nudge Hunter Myungwoo to make me an S-class spear next time?”
“Unnie, I need it more than you!”
Yerim, who was sitting on my back, shouted. She had her legs stretched out toward Peace’s back, looking like she could fall off at any moment, but she seemed perfectly at ease.
“Unnie already has all your S-class gear, but I only have a spear and a bracelet, okay?”
“That Haeyeon Guild Leader is such a cheapskate. Oh, no offense to your brother. It’s good to save money.”
“He’s not being stingy. It’s just that their attributes and fighting styles are completely different, so they don’t have much that fits Yerim.”
Yuhyun focused on close-range combat, utilizing his overwhelming firepower. His balanced stats and skills made him particularly effective in one-on-one combat with powerful opponents rather than large groups. On the other hand, Yerim had a focus on magic and agility. Her skills were specialized in quickly binding and sweeping away large numbers of enemies.
Since their attributes and fighting styles were the opposite, it was natural that Haeyeon wouldn’t have many S-class items suitable for Yerim. For now, rather than giving her random S-class equipment with mismatched options, it was better to stick with A-class gear that suited her better.
“That’s true. You know, everything Haeyeon has with higher gear ranks is covered in fire resistance! They say you need at least C-grade fire resistance to even stand near the guild leader in an S-class dungeon. If you want to be close to him, you need B-grade at the very least. Otherwise, you need defensive gear.”
“Yerim, if you plan on forming your own team, you should start collecting ice resistance gear too. It’s not just other people’s problem.”
“Ahhh, you’re right! Damn it!”
The road ahead seems tough for our Yerim. But once she assembles her S-class team, things should smooth out. The difficulty of the dungeons will increase, but pairing her with Moon Hyunah would make a solid team. The keyword hasn’t been applied yet, though.
[Companions with Completed Influence (7):
(Han Yuhyun-S)(Park Yerim-S)(Peace-S)(Pending)(Pending)
····················
(Yu Myungwoo-A)(Kim Seonghan-A)(Chirp-□)(Blue-C)]
As expected, Moon Hyunah’s name still wasn’t on the list. Peace had risen to S-class, and Myungwoo was now classified as A-class. With SS-tier skills and C-tier stats, it seems the system considers him A-class. Once his stats reach B or A, he’ll probably qualify as S-class.
Blue’s keyword applied faster than expected. It’ll likely take more time for the unicorns since they’re more distant.
‘Moon Hyunah’s pretty close now, so I should only need to talk to her a couple more times. As for Seong Hyunjae… I’ll handle that when the opportunity comes.’
I had thrown out a half-hearted “I love you” before, but Seong Hyunjae is definitely not the type you can just casually throw those words at. If I count everyone except Chirp, that makes six S-classes, and Moon Hyunah would make it seven. Considering it’s been less than two months since I got the “My Kid Is the Best” skill, it’s a decent pace.
‘I should try to apply the keyword to Moon Hyunah before we leave the dungeon.’
At that moment,
[Avoid! Spatial interferenceㅇ]
An urgent message flashed, followed by a strange sensation spreading throughout my body. It felt like something was warping right where I stood.
A chill ran down my spine, and then,
[The fear of a powerful entity has disappeared!]
A fear-resistance skill notification popped up. My body, which had stiffened slightly, loosened, and I shouted,
“We have to get out of here! Peace, run!”
-Grrr!
Peace roared in response, increasing his speed. With a shriek, Yerim leapt off, followed by Moon Hyunah and Kim Seonghan, who quickly moved behind us.
“What’s going on, Mister?”
Yerim flew over, asking urgently. Did the others not sense it?
“Get Yuhyun and Seong Hyunjae over here, quickly!”
My tongue nearly slipped as the tremor shook me, but Yerim answered and disappeared in an instant. Soon after,
Rumble! Rumble!
A sound like a mountain collapsing echoed behind us. And not just once, but multiple times in succession.
“Holy shit! What is that?!”
Moon Hyunah exclaimed in shock. Damn it, if even an S-class hunter is surprised, this must be something out of the ordinary. I patted Peace’s back, and he stopped just in time, catching on to my intent. I swallowed a sigh and turned around.
In the middle of the half-destroyed city, a mountain was rising.
No, it was actually a gigantic monster that resembled a small mountain. Its raised head towered high above us, and the broken buildings beneath its massive feet looked like mere toy blocks.
A giant toad, its entire body covered in rock.
[First-class Giant Toad Species ? Babar, the Mountain Eater
Current Stat Rank: SS
Potential Awakening Rank: S~SS
Optimized Initial Skills:
Small Mountain (SS) Acquired
Endless Digestion (SS) Acquired
Melting Poison (S) Failed to Acquire
Regeneration (S) Acquired]
An SS-class first-tier monster.
Rumble, crash!
Babar began to move slowly. Its pace was like that of a crawling creature, but due to its enormous size, each step it took swept away dozens of buildings. The ground trembled as if an earthquake had struck.
It was as if a small mountain were walking, a sight so surreal that it felt unreal.
Fortunately, it was moving in the opposite direction from us, and we were far enough away. As I dismounted Peace, Kim Seonghan and Moon Hyunah approached, their faces grim.
“Whoa, I’ve never seen anything like that before. Have you, Yerim? Kim Seonghan?”
“It’s a first for me too.”
“Same here. It’s huge!”
“Is that even a monster? How are we supposed to take that thing down?”
Moon Hyunah shook her head in disbelief. But Babar was one of the easier first-tier monsters to defeat, once you knew how. Fortunately, it didn’t manage to get the poison skill, making it even more manageable.
At least, for the S-classes five years from now.
“Hyung!”
Yuhyun had arrived, pressing close to my side.
“You need to get out of here.”
“Do we have enough gate stones?”
“…No. Haeyeon only has three, and I only brought one with me.”
With mine, that makes two.
“I only have one as well.”
Moon Hyunah added. Seong Hyunjae likely had a similar situation. Even if we used the gate stones to leave, it wouldn’t solve the problem. We couldn’t be sure whether the monster would vanish after the dungeon collapsed.
If Babar remained when the dungeon broke, it would be a disaster. This dungeon was located right next to Y University. The entire Y University area could be wiped out in a catastrophe.
‘I don’t know what’s causing the spatial interference, but we’ll have to deal with it ourselves.’
It’s not like we don’t have a way. Just then, Seong Hyunjae arrived with Yerim.
“Is this the same phenomenon as when the Golden Beak Maia appeared in the D-class dungeon?”
Seong Hyunjae asked, and Yuhyun’s eyes reflexively turned toward me. I wasn’t sure if this was related to me again. Given that the anomaly had appeared right where I stood, it wasn’t entirely unrelated, but…
“That monster is the first-class giant toad species, Babar, the Mountain Eater. Its stat rank is SS.”
“First-class? SS rank? What’s a monster like that doing in an A-class dungeon? I’ve never even seen anything like that in an S-class dungeon!”
Moon Hyunah furrowed her brow, and both Yuhyun and Kim Seonghan’s expressions hardened. Yerim, on the other hand, didn’t seem to fully grasp the situation yet.
“Let’s head straight for the gate, hyung.”
“Yes, you should leave first.”
What are they planning to do if I leave? Even if the others use their gate stones, Yerim, Kim Seonghan, and Peace would be trapped in here with no way out.
“There’s no immediate danger. It won’t even notice us unless we attack it.”
Most monsters are aggressive and would charge us on sight, but Babar was different. Humans scurrying around wouldn’t even register as a threat to it.
It was slow and lumbering, but extremely tough.
The dungeon in China where Babar first appeared hadn’t been cleared and eventually broke open. The gigantic toad only roamed around slowly, but even that caused massive damage.
Because of how many times it appeared on broadcast, I clearly remember how to defeat it.
And thankfully, we have all the necessary skills right here.
“Babar’s shell is incredibly tough. It can’t be broken by normal skills.”
That was true even for S-class hunters five years in the future. First-class monsters aren’t something you can take down alone.
“The weakest part is the back of its neck, where the shell dips in. It’s directly connected to its head, so it’s the only real weak point.”
“And how do you know that? Does your Beast Tamer skill give you all this info?”
Seong Hyunjae asked. I can’t exactly say, ‘I saw this in the future.’
“More or less. Right now, let’s focus on the raid. If we don’t kill that thing before we leave, we’re going to be in serious trouble.”
I deflected and turned to Yerim.
“Yerim, you’re up first.”
“Huh? What do I have to do?”
“Even though the neck is the weakest spot, we need to weaken the shell first. The most effective way to weaken Babar’s shell is through rapid changes in temperature.”
And luckily, we have both fire and ice here.
“Use your Shadowless Day for stat buffs and apply your elemental buff to the Cold Sigh. Freeze a concentrated area with Pale Rain and don’t forget the ice enhancement. Then Yuhyun will go next.”
“You want me to melt it at maximum heat?”
“You got it. Then it’s Moon Hyunah’s turn. Break through the weakened shell with Peace. I’ve heard that your ability to focus destructive power in one spot is unmatched.”
“That’s what I do best! With something that slow, it’ll be a breeze.”
Moon Hyunah grinned, even glancing at Peace with excitement.
“I doubt it’ll end with just Moon Hyunah. So, I’ll be the last, huh?”
“Yes, Seong Hyunjae. Once Moon Hyunah breaks the shell, its flesh will be exposed. If you hit it with a powerful electric current, you could fry its brain. But even with your current stats, that might not be enough. However, with Yerim’s stat buffs and my title’s double skill effect, you should be able to finish it off.”
I had already told everyone here that I could share my title, which doubles the effect of attack skills. After seeing Kim Seonghan defeat the boss with it, they would’ve figured it out sooner or later, and if I used it again, it’d likely be against S-class hunters.
“Do you really have to step in?”
Yuhyun frowned suddenly. I don’t want to, either, but considering the five-year gap, I’m not confident that just a 30 or 20% stat increase is enough. After all, there’s a huge difference in level, stats, skill proficiency, and equipment.
“I’ve got the bracelet. Ten minutes is all we need. If we go past that, we’re done for. Babar has an S-class regeneration skill, and it’s probably got high natural healing abilities on top of that. If our attacks aren’t quick and precise, it’ll just heal in no time.”
Then we’ll be out of options. The others could retry, but my skill is one-time use. I need to save the bracelet for the final blow when I’m sure we’ll succeed.
Timing is crucial in this fight.
‘Maybe I should use that new skill, Terrifying Chick Class Teacher.’
It popped up suddenly this morning. I probably didn’t meet the conditions to acquire it when I hit level 10, but I must have fulfilled them now.
I don’t know what the conditions were, but considering the skill rank and situation, it’s likely related to managing S-class hunters. Maybe I needed to command a certain number of them to unlock it. Something absurd like that.
…If that’s the case, this is definitely a skill I wasn’t meant to have.
I opened my status window and checked the skill again.
[*Terrifying Chick Class Teacher (SS) — The teacher who tames unruly awakened individuals! Don’t your kids behave terribly and do whatever they want? Don’t worry! With this skill, you can deeply connect multiple targets, allowing for tight cooperation centered around the skill user.
Target rank limit: SS]
It’s obvious that the person who wrote the middle part changed midway through. I can practically imagine Droplet or Tree knocking Deer on the back of the head and rewriting the description. I don’t even know what they look like, but I can picture it clearly.
[※This skill is influenced by mental power and magic. The more powerful the targets, the heavier the burden on the skill user. For keyword targets, the burden is expected to be lessened. If a target strongly rejects the connection, the skill user may suffer damage. Additional effects may occur.]
Most of it is speculation, but at least it’s detailed. Very considerate.
‘From the description, it seems like a command-type skill.’
The idea of enabling tight cooperation is particularly appealing in this situation.
When fighting Babar, the most important thing is the swift and accurate chaining of skills. We need to follow up on each attack quickly without getting in each other’s way.
The first team to successfully hunt Babar took several attempts because they couldn’t coordinate their skills properly.
If the Terrifying Chick Class Teacher skill works as described, it’ll be extremely useful here.
“Does anyone have any gear that increases mental power or magic regeneration?”
“I have something that boosts it a bit.”
Yerim responded, while the others shook their heads. Well, that’s to be expected. I pulled out whatever items I had and equipped them. Fortunately, mental power and magic stats often come together on gear.
“Peace, look at this! An S-class saddle!”
Moon Hyunah pulled out a saddle from her inventory, a mix of black and white. Her excited expression was full of ulterior motives, and Peace took a step back toward me, sensing her intent.
-Grrrr
“Just bear with it this time.”
“Bear with it? This thing’s amazing! It enhances speed, increases defense, boosts charge power, and even raises the rider’s attack!”
“Do you have fire resistance gear, Hyunah? You’ll need it since you’re going after Yuhyun.”
“Of course, I’ve got it. I don’t know when we’ll be fighting, so I came prepared.”
So, she really had her mind set on a fight from the start.
While everyone prepared their gear, I spotted Kim Seonghan standing alone. He didn’t have a direct role in the upcoming battle, but I couldn’t just leave him out.
“Anyone got a ranged weapon?”
“Me!”
Moon Hyunah raised her hand high and pulled a longbow from her inventory.
“Does it have good range?”
“Ridiculous range. It’s good for signaling too.”
I took the bow and handed it to Kim Seonghan.
“Just hit it once and then step back.”
The bow wouldn’t do much damage to the toad, but that wasn’t the point. One of Kim Seonghan’s growth conditions for becoming S-class was participating in the hunt of an SS-class monster with fewer than ten people. Even counting Peace, we only had seven, so it met the requirements.
“Are you sure about this? I feel like I’m just causing trouble…”
Kim Seonghan looked guilty, but the truth is, it’s probably my fault the toad appeared.
“Don’t worry about it. Weird things happen sometimes. If you really feel bad about it, just keep supporting my brother like you always have.”
I had already extended his contract when I agreed to help him become S-class, but it’s better to phrase it as a request rather than a demand. That way, he’ll be more motivated.
“Of course. You can count on me.”
Kim Seonghan gripped the bow tightly.
With everyone’s gear ready, Babar opened its massive mouth and started devouring the castle. The sound of bricks crumbling echoed loudly, even from here.
“Even if you climb onto its neck, it won’t react. It barely has any sensation in its shell.”
It won’t notice anything unless it’s a significant blow.
“Then we need to get up there first.”
Moon Hyunah said, just as Yerim spread her arms wide toward me.
“Come on, Mister!”
“…What?”
“That thing’s steep. If you ride Peace, you’ll fall off unless you tie yourself down. I’m the best one here with a flying skill. I’ll get you up there safely and comfortably~.”
She had a point, but still, the idea of clinging to a girl smaller and younger than me is a bit embarrassing. Should I hang on to her from behind? I was still debating when—
“Ah, hold on!”
Yerim suddenly lifted me into her arms.
Oh, my god, Yerim!
“Just stay still, Mister.”
“Wait, this is too much!”
“This is the safest and most comfortable way. You’re light, so don’t worry about it and relax.”
It’s not about the weight—my neck is burning with embarrassment. This is so humiliating!
–TL Notes–
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