Chapter 28
The S-ranks weren’t S-ranks for nothing, as they quickly adapted and began to fight.
Cha Si-hyeon’s sword sliced through skeletons’ necks, Lim Yuchan’s fire turned their bones to ash, and Baek Doha’s arrows pierced through skeletal bones.
The skeletons emerging from the cracked ground were shattered without putting up much of a fight. Seeing the bones already piled high on the ground made me feel uneasy.
I had intended to tell the S-ranks that killing monsters would weaken the boss’s influence, but there was no need.
[SYSTEM] The boss’s influence weakens!
[SYSTEM] The boss’s influence weakens!
[SYSTEM] The boss’s influence weakens!
These crazy S-ranks had a ‘kill first, ask questions later’ mentality.
Baek Doha drew his bowstring towards a skeleton.
Thwack! Naturally, the arrow hit the skeleton’s forehead dead center.
As the arrow deeply penetrated the hard skull, the creature fell backwards.
Watching the other monsters rampaging, I glanced at the air.
[SYSTEM] The boss’s influence weakens!
▸Current boss influence is [87%].
I could see the influence decreasing in real-time. Looking to the side, both Lim Yuchan and Cha Si-hyeon were moving like fish in water.
I realized anew that these S-ranks with me were monsters.
It was scary, but as allies, they couldn’t be more reassuring.
[SYSTEM] The boss’s influence weakens!
I couldn’t just stand still either. I immediately picked up Mungchi, who I had been hugging, with one arm and drew my sword.
I swung my sword at a skeleton that was about to pounce on Baek Doha’s back.
With an unpleasant sound, the creature’s bones were scraped by my sword.
Craaack!!
As one bone fragment shattered, the rest scattered like a collapsing tower. After completely bisecting the screaming creature’s bones, it finally stopped moving.
[SYSTEM] The boss’s influence weakens!
Indeed, the influence was decreasing rapidly and helplessly.
Yet, if there was something strange. I looked up at the boss monster.
“Why is she just standing there while watching her influence disappear?”
The sorcerer didn’t resist at all, just standing in the same pose.
As if a puppeteer were controlling a stringed puppet.
As if she didn’t care about losing each of those puppets.
“This is my first time with a humanoid monster, so I’m not sure.”
Baek Doha said as he released an arrow.
Thwack! The arrow flew straight and embedded itself in a skeleton’s head. The seemingly hard skull cracked with a splitting sound from just one arrow.
[SYSTEM] The boss’s influence weakens!
[Boss influence: 62%]
Already down to 62%. I stared at it before turning around.
“Is this your first time?”
“I’ve heard about them, but humanoid monsters don’t appear often. I didn’t know they could talk, it’s quite interesting.”
It seems like more than just ‘quite interesting’. I was about to ask Baek Doha one more thing, but stopped.
[Insignificant ones. This is my domain.]
More precisely, I couldn’t ask. Because the sorcerer spread her arms wide as she shouted.
The fluttering black cloak was enough to make me uneasy.
[Rise!]
A thunderous command. In response, the ground began to shake with a rumbling sound.
I stepped back hesitantly, watching the vibrating ground beneath my feet.
Simultaneously, the scattered bone fragments began to reassemble. What’s going on?
[SYSTEM] Some of the sorcerer’s influence is revived!
[Boss influence: 80%]
[SYSTEM] The sorcerer grants a critical effect to her influence, greatly increasing their attack power.
I blinked for a moment before letting out a dry laugh.
…Right, how could it be this smooth?
💎
As the influences revived, the first thing I did was charge forward.
Kiii-
The skeletons rushing toward Cha Si-hyeon couldn’t reach him in time.
[SYSTEM] The boss’s influence weakens!
[SYSTEM] Until rank up (89/100)
Because I immediately beheaded them.
“You…”
“Front line first.”
I blocked a skeleton jumping at me with my blade.
Sharp fangs bit the sword, but it wasn’t an SSS-rank sword for nothing, and they were quickly deflected.
Unfortunately, many revived creatures gathered near Cha Si-hyeon, so I rushed over…
‘There are too many.’
There were unexpectedly too many.
Wondering if they only gathered here, I looked around, but Lim Yuchan and Baek Doha were also busy eliminating influences.
If there was one difference, it was just this:
“Hey, doesn’t it feel like they’re buying time rather than fighting over there?”
As Cha Si-hyeon said, the monsters on our side were particularly aggressive.
Over there, it felt like… they were cleverly hitting and running as a group to buy time.
Staring at this, I suddenly felt a chill down my spine.
As if they were preventing Lim Yuchan and Baek Doha from helping us…
Suddenly, a hypothesis popped into my head.
“Hey. I’m just asking this in case, but…”
I cautiously opened my mouth towards Cha Si-hyeon.
“So, is she perhaps aiming for—”
“No.”
“What?”
“I said no.”
Hey, I haven’t finished speaking yet. I made a disgruntled face, but Cha Si-hyeon spoke without even glancing this way.
“It’s nothing, so don’t think strange thoughts.”
It was a firm voice. I was momentarily speechless.
‘Ah.’
Cha Si-hyeon knew too. That the sorcerer was aiming for me.
Imagining what would have happened if I hadn’t rushed to Cha Si-hyeon in that moment, I clenched my fist.
‘Should I steal it?’
If I stole the sorcerer’s skill and turned it to my side…
‘No.’
No matter how comfortable I’ve become with these S-ranks, it’s unpredictable what might happen.
Above all, the mana used in the hidden area, [Small Dragon from Hell], was too great. Even if I use ‘Yours is Mine (-),’ it seems difficult to steal anything above D-rank. It’s a reckless challenge.
Instead of dwelling on that thought, I glanced at Lim Yuchan.
[SYSTEM] The boss’s influence weakens!
[SYSTEM] The boss’s influence weakens!
The sight of him sweeping away the revived skeletons with flames was truly reassuring. He didn’t seem to lack mana, befitting an S-rank.
‘We don’t know when they might revive again.’
By the way, the monsters Lim Yuchan killed weren’t revived. He completely burned the corpses, leaving nothing to revive.
In other words, we need to rely on Lim Yuchan’s fire attribute power.
‘If so, it’s a gamble.’
As soon as I realized there was no other way, I tossed Mungchi, whom I had been holding, to Cha Si-hyeon.
He raised a question mark above his head as he caught Mungchi, but I just turned my back without a word.
“Yoo Yi-joo?!”
I started running, kicking off the cracked sandy ground.
As I took off without a word, I heard Cha Si-hyeon’s surprised voice behind me.
All the monsters around and the skeletons attacking Cha Si-hyeon turned their attention to me.
Feeling their gazes, I ran towards Lim Yuchan with all my might.
Behind me, I heard the sound of bones tangling.
If someone could read my thoughts, they might say it’s crazy.
Well, they wouldn’t be wrong. I thought I might be a bit crazy too.
“Hey, you-!”
[Using skill, ‘Trick of Trick (B)’!]
Unless you’re crazy, who would think of jumping into flames with their bare body?
💎
The sorcerer wanted Yoo Yi-joo.
When Cha Si-hyeon realized this fact, Yoo Yi-joo also seemed to have realized it.
“It’s nothing, so stop having strange thoughts.”
That’s why Cha Si-hyeon almost instinctively said those words.
To prevent any unfortunate incident where Yoo Yi-joo might try to block it with her own body.
‘I thought she would have understood…’
Red flames flickered in Cha Si-hyeon’s black eyes.
More precisely, Yoo Yi-joo jumps into Lim Yuchan’s flames.
‘Not blocking, but why—’
Just as he was wondering.
A strange sight filled Cha Si-hyeon’s eyes.
The horde of skeletons followed Yoo Yi-joo into the flames.
Come to think of it, the monsters that had been attacking Cha Si-hyeon until now had turned their attention to her and followed. So, now.
“Lure…”
The word flowed dazedly from Cha Si-hyeon’s mouth.
Did she jump into the fire to lure them?
It would have been better if this had been just Cha Si-hyeon’s assumption, but system messages had started appearing one after another.
[SYSTEM] The boss’s influence weakens!
[SYSTEM] The boss’s influence weakens!
[SYSTEM] The boss’s influence weakens!
[SYSTEM] The boss’s influence weakens!
All the monsters that had followed to catch Yoo Yi-joo were burning to death.
Of course, the sorcerer was controlling them, but she couldn’t move each one individually in detail.
Before the surprised sorcerer could take her next action, Lim Yuchan, who realized the situation a beat late, hurriedly stopped his skill.
In the silence that settled over everything…
“…!”
Yoo Yi-joo emerged completely unburned.
Not only the three S-ranks but even the sorcerer looked at her in surprise, but Yoo Yi-joo just smiled quietly.
“Now we have the advantage.”
▸Current boss influence is [25%].
💎
Thank you for reading! ♡
