The Otherworldly Magic Swordsman Who Disciplines the Hunter World Chapter 29

The blade was soon stained with blood. Every time a Thick Shadow tried to whip its body around him, Julian moved his sword as fast as possible.

Since he was maintaining the shield, he could not use any other magic. Here, he had to rely solely on his sword.

Other than being a bit grotesque, the Thick Shadows did not have very high defense. One would certainly suffocate if strangled or bound, but as long as he was careful of that, he could actually slice through them quite easily.

And above all, to find the mother body amidst this massive heap, he had no choice but to search from up close.

As the sensation of being constricted grew, he swung his sword in a wide arc. Julian, having crushed the Thick Shadows wrapping around his ankles with the hilt of his sword, brushed off his hands and took a step back. The severed and fragmented tentacles flopped about like live fish.

“Let’s see… where could it be.”

Gong Siyoung quietly waited for Julian’s signal as instructed. Thanks to Julian successfully drawing the aggro, the flustered Hunters soon regained their composure.

Myeong Haejin quickly sent those incapable of fighting out through the Gate. Meanwhile, Woo Yujin and Gu Jayoung took charge of bringing back the fallen Hunters.

They had to maintain the barrier because of the lightning, but in a situation without a status window, they couldn’t know its durability. They had to withdraw before the barrier deactivated unexpectedly and caused further casualties.

‘And he said he was going to participate passively.’

Neither Myeong Haejin, who had taken on the role of leader, nor Woo Yujin and Gu Jayoung, who were diligently carrying the fallen, were anywhere near the word “passive.”

Of course, the one furthest from it was definitely Julian. Since the monsters happened to swarm him, it ended up looking like he was leading the attack.

“I have to find it quickly.”

Until the mother body is killed, the Thick Shadows never stop. They will endlessly regenerate and resurrect to devour their target.

On the other hand, there was an end for Julian. His mana and stamina would eventually be depleted. He was the one who stood to lose by dragging out the time. Julian let out a sigh as he firmly stepped on a monster crawling up from the ground.

Without a moment to catch his breath, he headed straight for the main body of a Thick Shadow. He drew his sword horizontally and twisted his wrist. The sword embedded in the monster’s body twisted with a crunching sound. Green blood splattered like a fountain.

Green blood clumped on Julian’s cheek, but the second attack followed immediately before he could even wipe it off.

“Heave-ho!”

He pushed his body into a wide gap between the Thick Shadows. The wriggling tentacles made a squelching sound. Julian’s blue eyes scanned every trace of the monster thoroughly.

He sliced away the things approaching him with his sword, and occasionally, monsters that were luckily struck by lightning were burnt crisp like an electric roast.

Before he knew it, his face was heavily stained with blood. Julian wiped his cheek with his sleeve.

He hadn’t run out of stamina yet. However, he couldn’t just keep rummaging around like this. If he didn’t see it after searching for a few more minutes, he would just have to make a run for it.

Because of the Thick Shadows surrounding him, he couldn’t properly see the situation outside. If the Hunters had retreated sufficiently, he should stop fighting and just bolt.

Having found a point of compromise, Julian swung his sword vigorously. Perhaps because it had been cleaned so well, or perhaps because of the monster blood he was tasting for the first time in a while, the tip of the blade felt exceptionally nimble and sharp.

“Just a little more and… oh.”

As he sliced off a tentacle attacking his head, the entity behind it was revealed. At a glance, it didn’t seem much different, but it was certainly distinct. The tips of its tentacles were a pale sky blue.

“Found you.”

A strange light shone in Julian’s eyes. Now that he had found the mother body, there was no reason to wait any longer.

He swung his sword toward the upper part of the encircling Thick Shadows. His sword, imbued with mana, literally blasted the monsters away.

It felt as if he could hear the silent screams of the Thick Shadows. Julian shouted toward the circular hole in the ceiling.

“Over here!!”

He leaped upward before he could be caught by the tentacles. Julian, having cut away the following tentacles with his sword, reached out his hand. Gong Siyoung, who had flown over immediately upon receiving the signal, grabbed his hand tightly.

“Don’t miss.”

Gong Siyoung raised an eyebrow at the voice tinged with laughter. It was ambiguous whether he meant not to let go of the joined hands or not to miss the monster. Either way, he had no intention of letting go.

He calmly activated his skill into the wide-open hole.

There was no guidance from the status window, but the surroundings began to freeze along with a familiar sensation. With the spot where Julian had jumped as the center, everything in all directions froze solid.

Julian whistled.

“If the range was this wide, you should have told me. I wasted my energy for nothing.”

With a radius like this, even if not all of them, he could have handled them easily by freezing them just a few times. Julian, feeling awkward, muttered sheepishly.

“You’re more capable than I thought.”

Gong Siyoung stared at him in silence. It felt as if his gaze was saying, “What on earth did you think of me?”

At the cold stare, Julian quickly looked away, pretending to know nothing.

“Then shall we head out now?”

He flicked the blood off his sword and tucked it into his waist. From afar, Myeong Haejin waved his hand.

While Julian waved back, Gong Siyoung froze the surroundings once more to make sure they were dead.

When Julian pointed his finger saying that one was the mother body, he concentrated his attacks on that area as if disinfecting it. Looking at the monster turning deep blue as it froze, he spoke up softly.

“…Are you hurt anywhere?”

“Who? Me?”

“Then who else is here besides you.”

“Ah. Right. Yeah, I’m fine. Not hurt.”

He took off his blood-soaked hat and ran a hand through his hair. At least it was a relief he had this. There was blood here and there in his hair, but it wasn’t to the extent of being drenched like last time.

“Do you always fight that way?”

“What is ‘that way’?”

The Thick Shadows, having lost their mother body, began to tremble violently. After a seizure-like fit, they stopped moving in an instant.

It’s dead. Julian whistled briefly.

“I mean, do you always charge in recklessly like that?”

“Recklessly… it was a fairly strategic method in its own way.”

The mother body of a Thick Shadow was not easily visible to the eye. To find it, one had no choice but to dig directly into the center.

Since they had the characteristic of coming back to life no matter how much you attacked the body, it would only result in exhausting one’s stamina.

Even at Julian’s logical excuse, Gong Siyoung did not smooth out his crumpled expression.

Letting out a deep sigh, he grabbed Julian’s hood and pulled it down over his head. His vision was obscured, and he could barely see the tip of Gong Siyoung’s chin.

After hesitating for a long while as if contemplating, he whispered belatedly.

“…Since we can fight together, don’t do dangerous things alone.”

Leaving him there, Gong Siyoung turned away abruptly. Julian followed him quickly before the shield could move too far away. Julian burst into a chuckle.

∞ ∞ ∞

Fortunately, there were no fatalities among those who entered the dungeon that day. Gong Sijin let out a comment that was either an admiration or a sarcasm, saying he didn’t know how everyone could be so lucky to survive even after being struck directly by lightning.

Of course, the quick response also played a part in the lack of fatalities. While Julian handled the monsters with Gong Siyoung, Myeong Haejin made a quick judgment.

As long as the status window was not visible, it was difficult to proceed normally any further. At Myeong Haejin’s instruction, Woo Yujin gathered the injured, and Gu Jayoung immediately went into emergency treatment. Thanks to their good teamwork, they were able to avoid the worst-case scenario.

Due to the Yeollak Guild’s good performance, the withdrawal proceeded without leaving anyone behind. As soon as they exited the Gate, a normal system notification appeared. Only then could everyone breathe a sigh of relief.

The first raid, which resulted in only injuries without any gains, thus ended in failure.

“Weak moderners.”

Water dripped from the tips of Julian’s hair as he showered as soon as he arrived at the guild. Water droplets fell without fail onto the gray hoodie he had borrowed, leaving marks. He shook his hair half-heartedly.

“What does it matter if the status window isn’t visible? Combat is originally something done with instinct and luck.”

Stamina distribution is something you do according to your skill. As for how much mana is left, you usually learn it by instinct as you go. How can anyone even fight without knowing at least that much? Everyone is so weak.

“It is not such a simple problem.”

Gong Siyoung, who had been quiet until then, suddenly spoke up. The car jolted, and his body swayed slightly. Gong Siyoung turned the steering wheel.

The car that had just left the guild merged into the road. The surroundings had turned dark before they knew it. People were moving busily under the lights that were studded like stars. It was a peace that made the fight against monsters in the dungeon just a moment ago feel like a dream.

Myeong Haejin was called away by Gong Siyoung for a situation briefing. Gu Jayoung, who had overexerted herself saving people, was resting in the care room, and Woo Yujin was resting with her under the pretext of assisting her.

It was unknown how this matter would unfold in the future, but for now, it was time to wait for Gong Sijin’s judgment. Until then, there was nothing in particular to do.

Gong Siyoung, who had declined the offer to rest at the guild, headed to the car with Julian. When asked where they were going, he replied that they were going to eat. At the mention of food, Julian showed a very cooperative attitude.

Sitting quietly in the passenger seat, he had his usual vacant face. Gong Siyoung observed Julian with stolen glances, pretending not to.

Moisture still remained in his white hair. His gaze lingered particularly long on the straight bridge of his nose and his lips.

Just looking at such a neat and handsome exterior, it was hard to believe he was the same person who was killing monsters in the dungeon just a moment ago.

Even if he tried not to think about it, the image of Julian fighting inside the dungeon would not be forgotten. He gripped the steering wheel tightly.