Chapter 6: (2): Season 1 Preparation
There was no time to hesitate or ponder. Just a moment ago, Min-soo was playfully swinging from Hyun-seok’s legs with a carefree smile, but now he was already in tears. Even the teachers were frozen in place, unable to move properly, let alone the children.
“This is insane!”
Hyun-seok was not a saintly figure, but rather the type to take action in situations that would benefit him and avoid those that wouldn’t. He would weigh the pros and cons before making a move. However, in this dire situation, he had no choice but to take action. He activated the battlefield without hesitation.
The battlefield was not visible to others. Only the person who activated it could sense its presence, like a notification sound that only they could hear. And only the slayers within the battlefield could feel its effects.
Hyun-seok charged forward in a comically awkward manner. He couldn’t control his strength properly, so he stumbled and landed in a strange position. Even though he tried to run gently, he still managed to cover more than 3 meters in a single step. His jump height was over 2 meters.
As he ran towards the monster, he sensed another battlefield being activated.
“Kang Pyeong-hwa?”
Kang Pyeong-hwa was the woman who had been late earlier. Hyun-seok didn’t know, but it seemed she was also a slayer. However, like Hyun-seok, she was a novice who didn’t know what to do after activating the battlefield. She looked visibly frightened, perhaps because she had never used her slayer powers before.
Fortunately, the monster was only targeting Kang Pyeong-hwa, so at least the children hadn’t been hurt yet. Hyun-seok shouted, “What are you doing? Hurry and evacuate the children!” His voice echoed like a dozen megaphones or large speakers put together. The startled teachers quickly gathered their wits and began evacuating the children into the building.
The monster also reacted to Hyun-seok’s voice. The monster, who had been rushing towards Kang Pyeong-hwa without a second thought, stopped for a moment and snarled at Hyun-seok. Hyun-seok was in a state of extreme tension. He had the skills of a monster, with all his abilities reaching 100, but this was his first real battle. Besides, he had never intended to live as a Slayer. The monster’s saliva dripped as it took on the appearance of rushing forward before suddenly barking loudly.
It’s not coming at me?
Kang Pyeong-hwa collapsed to the ground and burst into tears. In fact, that alone was commendable. If there had been any room to spare, he would have wanted to praise her for it. She had attracted the monster’s attention by opening up the battlefield, but thanks to that, the children were not hurt. Hyun-seok was facing the monster, paying no attention to what Kang Pyeong-hwa was doing.
Honestly, he was scared. Not just a little scared, but very scared. It was a monster, not just a large dog with rabies. This thing wasn’t even a monster with a shield on its body. Its fierce demeanor was even more terrifying than a vicious dog. His legs trembled with fear.
About 30 seconds passed. And Hyun-seok could feel it.
“Is it afraid of me…?”
He had heard somewhere that barking dogs don’t bite. He had also heard that really dangerous dogs don’t bark, and that scared dogs bark loudly. Whether or not this was true, the longer the time passed, the more the monster seemed to be losing its spirit.
“Should I attack it?”
A lot of thoughts crossed his mind in an instant. However, he couldn’t move recklessly. He couldn’t control his strength and had no experience. It had been very difficult just getting here. But the monster seemed to be getting weaker as time passed.
At that moment, three black coupes raced toward the battlefield. Someone got out.
“Hey, you reckless punk!”
Hyun-seok’s legs nearly gave way in relief when he recognized the newcomer. It was Jong-won, a member of the I’UET guild operated by Hanjae Corporation, one of the leading conglomerates in Korea. With a guild that ranked among the top five in the country, dealing with monsters like these should be a breeze.
And indeed it was. The six slayers who stepped out of the car calmly and deliberately began to attack the monsters, equipped with sturdy protective gear. Jong-won had suffered a few blows, but his armor was thick enough to keep him from getting hurt.
After about thirty minutes, the shield surrounding the monster shattered, and it was quickly defeated by the slayers’ coordinated attacks, leaving behind magic stone and monster meat.
“Did you get hurt anywhere?”
Park Sung-hyung, the leader of I’UET, politely inquired of Hyun-seok, his Busan accent strong. His eyes exuded confidence and an imposing presence. Hyun-seok didn’t know he was talking to the leader of I’UET, but he could tell he wasn’t dealing with an ordinary person.
“No…um, thank you.”
“We got lucky. Thank goodness.”
From Park Sung-hyung’s perspective, luck was on their side. Some rookies in the guild get so carried away with the rush of becoming a slayer that they recklessly charge at monsters. But becoming a slayer doesn’t automatically make one a hero. It simply means they can easily break through shields and slightly improve their physical abilities. So from Park Sung-hyung’s point of view, it was fortunate that the monster didn’t attack Hyun-seok. At least that’s how it seemed to him.
“It’s strange, really strange. Why didn’t it attack?”
Monsters that harbor animosity towards humans typically engage in indiscriminate attacks against them.
“Well… there’s no harm in investigating.”
Even if it wasn’t a significant issue, all battles with monsters were recorded as videos. This was to identify their characteristics and behaviors and gather data. The fact that a monster with a grudge against humans didn’t charge at them was undoubtedly worth investigating.
Park Sung-hyung asked, “It hasn’t been long since you awakened as a Slayer, right?”
“Uh, yeah… well, it’s not like I’m going to live my life as a Slayer anyway.”
“I see.”
While being a Slayer may be an object of admiration for children, it is not a highly respected profession. Even if it could earn you a considerable amount of money based on your abilities, it was no different from a life insurance payout. Therefore, many people with good jobs awakened as Slayers but did not necessarily choose it as their profession. Understanding the situation, Park Sung-hyung nodded.
Jong-won said, “Captain, I’m friends with this guy. Can I talk to him for a moment?”
“Sure. You must have been quite surprised, so take care of him.”
Since there wasn’t a set work schedule, Sung-hyung nodded his head, and Jong-won was left behind. Jong-won shouted out loud, “This crazy bastard!”
He struck Hyun-seok on the back of his head. Thump! A sound was heard.
“Sh*t…”
It was Jong-won who cursed.
“My finger must be broken.”
The battlefield was still unfolding. Due to its elasticity, Jong-won’s middle finger was swollen. If Park Sung-hyung had seen it, he would have been incredibly suspicious, but fortunately (?) there was no one around.
Unexpectedly, Hyun-seok made Jong-won’s finger completely crooked, which made him rub the back of his head. He felt a little guilty when he saw Jong-won’s finger, which had swollen in an instant, although he was a well-known slayer. Despite receiving a blow to the back of his head, Hyun-seok asked seriously, without feeling any pain.
“Is this a situation where I should apologize, it’s a bit confusing…”
“I don’t know, you bastard. It seems broken.”
“What kind of reaction force is like this? You bastard.”?” Hyun-seok said calmly.
“Just get healed by a recovery slayer. Isn’t it a trivial matter to make a fuss about?”
Jong-won, a close combat slayer of the guild I’UET, which is within the top five guilds in South Korea, complained.
“You bastard, you messed with my finger and now you’re saying that?”
Meanwhile, other guild members began to collect the items dropped by the monster. Hyun-seok’s gaze fell on one particular item.
“Oh…? That one?”
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