Book 3: Chapter 102
Chapter 102
Upon hearing George's voice coming from the direction far away Mina instinctively reacted and blocked the diagonal line between Tenji and George.
Seeing this, Chaewon also stands in the diagonal way between Tenji and the Black Cocoon.
[As expected of Mina and Chaewon. They have quick judgment... Although it's a bit uncomfortable to be protected by girls.]
Tenji was impressed by their quick assessment of the situation and their fast action.
"Tch, how embarrassing to be protected by a girl."
"Girls can be so mean. In this day and age, to discriminate against men and women... It's very narrow-minded."
"What!? Who do you think you are, being a girl and all..."
George's temples bulged at Chaewon's provocation.
She understood George's personality as a student very well. She must have judged that even a simple provocation would work on him, given his confidence, arrogance, and domineering thoughts.
George distorted his face in anger, and his fingers moved back and forth in a demonstrative manner as he flashed a black smile, as if to say, "Get ready."
"Can you hold off on fighting for a moment? Can't you see the black cocoon over there?"
"Huh? I can destroy that black cocoon easily. - Grid Spiral!"
George turned his gaze toward them and tried to swing his fist toward the black cocoon about 20 meters away.
[Whoa! If he destroys the hatching device, how much will it cost to compensate for it?]
The words "compensation amount" came to Tenji's mind in a flash.
If they had to compensate for this, they couldn't even imagine how much it would cost. It would be an astronomical amount.
It was a momentary crisis that made him feel dizzy.
"Huh?"
George suddenly fell to the ground as if kissing it.
No, to be precise, he fell as if his legs had been swept out from under him.
He was surprised by the sudden turning of vision, and his eyes went blank.
On top of that...
"Finally, you showed an opening, George."
Pyne jumped onto George's back and firmly held down one of his arms. Whenever George struggled to break free, Pyne would apply pressure and try to twist his arm out of its place as a means of restraint.
Since both of them were pure combatants with a first-grade calling, their strength was almost equal.
"Damn it... how long have you been following me?"
"How long have I been following you? I think it's been about 30 minutes..."
"I see...that's a great hide indeed. Pyne, if you don't mind, can you let go of my arm? If I capture the Swordsman, I can earn more points."
George gave up trying to break free and calmly spoke to Pyne. However, Pyne just had an impudent grin on her face and didn't shake her head at all.
[Ah... Pyne is probably angry.]
Tenji knew that the expression on Pyne's face was her angry face. He didn't know what had touched the nerve with Pyne, but George had clearly stepped on her tail.
"Please, Pyne..."
"I won't let you touch Tenji with even a finger... and if I beat you now, there's a high chance I'll become number one. That's why I can't agree to your proposal."
Pyne cruelly responded to George's proposal by suddenly stabbing her thin sword into his right and left thighs, causing him to cry out in agony.
George's eyelids flew open from the pain.
"Aaaghhh!!!"
A cry of agony echoed through the forest.
Still, Pyne didn't stop her attack and thrust her sword into George's left thigh as well.
"I'm sorry, it hurts, doesn't it? I know that pain too. But the examiner will heal you right away, so please bear with it for now."
She whispered this in George's ear while thrusting her sword into his muscular thigh.
Pyne accurately cut crucial tendons in George's legs, rendering him unable to move. Despite George's pleas, Pyne continued her brutal assault.
"Aaaghhh!! Stop it! Pyne! Gr... Grid..."
George's desperate plea was silenced by Pyne's next move.
The next time the sword was thrust, it pierced George's tendon in his right arm.
"Aaaghhh!!"
"Aaaghhh!!"
In this place, only George's screams echoed monotonously. Tenji and the other two could only watch from the sidelines. After all, it was George who had initiated the attack, so they didn't really care about what happened to him. The world's top healing explorer would soon arrive and treat him as if nothing had happened.
Pyne also knew this, which was why she didn't hurt George in any way that could cause lasting damage.
And so, George was turned into a wooden puppet and Pyne stood up.
In front of her gaze was her best friend, Tenji.
"Are you disappointed?" Her words were a question that she had asked from the depths of her heart.
However, Tenji did not deny it.
"I'm not disappointed. George was trying to incapacitate me, and it was my dear friend Pyne who stopped him. Thank you."
"I'm glad," Pyne said, flashing a dazzling smile like the sun.
It was at that moment that the movements of the black cocoon reached its climax, emitting a dazzling light that mixed blue and green.
The light was so bright that they had to cover their eyes. The color of the light was a rough mixture of blue and green paint, indicating what rank of instant monster would be born.
"We did it! Mina wins!"
Mina had bet on the hatching of a half-third grade monster, and the blue and green colors indicated that it was the case.
"Well, can't be helped."
Chaewon's resigned voice could be heard.
Finally, the dazzling light subsided, and everyone here could see the instant monster born from the black cocoon.
Four of its eight eyes were blue, and the other four were green, a half-third grade monster.
It was not as big as a cow, and its eight legs crawled on the ground. Its slightly white fur covered its entire body, and it had sharp teeth to prey on its victims.
Its appearance was...
"A spider-type monster... It's physically disgusting."
"Ugh... I don't want to fight it either."
It was a spider-type monster.
However, none of the students here could immediately put the monster's name or characteristics into words, lamenting their lack of knowledge.
"What kind is this from?"
"I've never heard of this kind in Senegal."
"I haven't heard of this kind in Korea or China either."
"Yeah, it's a kind I haven't seen in Japan either."
"Maybe it's a new species?."
"That's possible! Well, it's only a half-third grade. So, Chaewon and Mina should be able to handle it. Good luck!"
Tenji gave the two a thumbs up and smiled gently.
As a girl, it was a slightly complicated feeling to be entrusted to the boys, but she could tell from that smile that she was trusted.
"Okay, Mina goes first..."
Mina lifted her battle axe confidently and stepped forward.
In that moment, she quickly sensed an unexpected change and had to take a big step back.
The other three also noticed the change soon after and hastily took a step back to make some distance.
The reason the four students broke out in a cold sweat and ran away was...
"Groooooooooooar!"
Breaking out of the spider-like monster's shell, a jet-black monster with three heads appeared.