< Hatchling Class Teacher (4) >
“I had looked forward to it a lot because I had heard that what Hunter Yoo Myeongwoo had made was an S-Rank spear. Of course, it’s not like I don’t have an S-Rank giant spear, but it’s good to have one more as a spare. It’s uneasy if you only have one of your main weapon. It’s not like it won’t ever break just because it’s an S-Rank weapon.”
Moon Hyuna said, lightly jumping over the building wreckage.
The second day of the dungeon attack was also smooth and leisurely. Maybe thanks to the Yoo Myeongwoo effect, they growled at each much less, unlike yesterday. Of course, it wasn’t to the point of laughter and amicability, but they didn’t try to butt heads and fight.
“And if the weapon options are different, it can change your combat style. I am a bit simple. It’s not much of a trouble yet against monsters, but if it’s against a human who can know my information ahead of time, it’s annoying.”
Then she glanced at the direction Sung Hyunjae had gone.
“So can’t hyung-nim secretly nudge Hunter Yoo Myeongwoo a bit? Like ‘how about an S-Rank giant spear as the next weapon’.”
“Unni, I’m more urgent!”
Yerim, who was sitting leaning against my back, suddenly shouted. It was a position where her legs were stretched out toward Peace’s butt, which looked uneasy because she might fall, but the person herself was incredibly relaxed.
“Unni already has all S-Rank equipment, but I only have the spear and a bracelet, okay?”
“That Haeyeon Guild Leader is stingy. Ah, I’m not criticizing your younger brother. It’s good to be frugal.”
“It is not that he is frugal, but that their aptitudes are exact opposites and even their combat styles are different, so there were not enough things that suited Yerim.”
Yoohyun was in the center of close-range combat based on overflowing flame power. Because he characteristically didn’t have any lacking places and had all-round outstanding stats and skills, he was stronger in a one on one situation against a particular strong person, rather than many. On the other hand, Yerim was focused on Mana and Agility. And her skills were specialized in quickly binding many enemies and sweeping them away.
Their aptitudes and types were exact opposites, so there was no choice but for there to be only a few that Yerim could use among the S-Rank equipment that Haeyeon possessed. She wouldn’t be going into an S-Rank dungeon right away, so rather than S-Rank equipment with wrong options, A-Rank equipment that fit her characteristics well was better.
“That is true. Did you know that all the of equipment in Haeyeon, really, if the rank is just a little high, then it’s thickly layered with flame resistance? Did they say that if you were going to go into an S-Rank dungeon with Guild Leader, you needed a C-Rank flame resistance at minimum? If you were going to be close by, then you need B. Or a defense specialization.”
“Yerim, if you’re going to make your team, you should probably be gathering equipment with cold resistance starting now. It’s not other people’s business.”
“Ahhh, that’s true! That’s right, shit!”
The road of suffering was clear for our Yerim. Still, as long as she properly had an S-Rank team, it would be smooth sailing. The level of difficulty for dungeons would go up, but if I could stick her with Moon Hyuna, there wouldn’t be anything to worry about. The keyword hadn’t been applied yet, probably.
[Influence completed targets(7)
(Han Yoohyun-S)(Bak Yerim-S)(Peace-S)(Standby)(Standby)
………………
(Yoo Myeongwoo-A)(Kim Sunghan-A)(Chirpie-□)(Blue-C)]
As expected, Moon Hyuna’s name wasn’t there. Peace had gone up to the S-Rank line, and Yoo Myeongwoo changed into an A-Rank. It seemed like if the skill was SS and the stats were C, you were A in the point of view of the system. When Myeongwoo also became stat B or A, he would probably also go up to S-Rank.
The keyword application for Blue was faster than I would’ve thought. Maybe because the unicorns stayed apart, I thought it would take quite some time for them.
‘Moon Hyuna has gotten quite close, so it would probably work if I say the keyword one or two more times. For Sung Hyunjae… well, if there’s a chance.’
I had sloppily said it once, but he wasn’t an easy person to do the love ballad to. Besides Chirpie, if you said all were S-Rank, that would be six, and if you added Moon Hyuna, then seven. It hadn’t even been two months since I got the My Brat skill, so it was an okay speed.
‘I should apply the keyword to Moon Hyuna before going out of the dungeon.’
It was just then.
[Avoid it! Space interferen]
An urgent message popped up, and a weird feeling came over my whole body. Specifically, I felt like something was being distorted where I was.
A chill went through my spine and,
[Fear over a powerful existence has disappeared!]
The Fear Resistance skill message appeared. Along with my body, which had frozen slightly, loosening, I yelled.
“We have get out of here! Peace, run!”
-Keuheung!
As if answering, Peace shouted and increased his speed. Yerim, who had yelled and fallen off, and Moon Hyuna, as well as Kim Sunghan, immediately followed after us.
“What’s the matter, ahjussi?”
Yerim flew over quickly and asked. Could other people not feel it?
“Yoohyun, and Sung Hyunjae, ugh, tell them, to come over to our side!”
I said, almost biting my tongue several times from the trembling. Yerim answered and disappeared in an instant. And shortly after,
Gugugugeugeung!
I heard a noise like a mountain collapsing behind me. It wasn’t just once, but several times in succession.
“Crazy! What is that?!”
Moon Hyuna shouted, alarmed. Shit, if it was enough to alarm an S-Rank, then it definitely wouldn’t be a normal situation. When I patted Peace’s back, he luckily noticed and stopped. I swallowed a breath and turned around.
In the middle of the half-destroyed city, a mountain had shot up.
No, it was an extra-large monster that was like a small mountain. The raised head was extremely high. Under the thick four feet, the broken buildings looked insignificant like toy blocks.
A giant toad whose whole body was covered in boulders.
[1st Rank Giant Toad Type – Mountain Swallowing Babar[1]
Current Stat Rank SS
Possible Awakening Stat Rank S~SS
Optimized Initial Skills
Small Mountain(SS) Acquired
Endless Digestive Power(SS) Acquired
Melting Venom(S) Acquisition failure
Regeneration(S) Acquired]
It was an SS-Rank 1st Rank monster.
Kureureung koong!
The Babar moved slowly. The speed was slow like it was crawling, but because it was considerably large, each step swept away dozens of buildings. Like an earthquake was happening, the ground trembled.
That appearance like a small mountain was moving, didn’t feel realistic.
Thankfully, the direction was opposite to us, and the distance was far enough. When I came down from Peace’s back, I went toward Kim Sunghan and Moon Hyuna. Both of them had frozen expressions.
“Wow crap, this is my first time seeing something like that. Has Yerim or Hunter Kim Sunghan see it before?”
“This is my first time as well.”
“Me too. It’s really huge!”
“Is it really a monster? How do you catch something like that?”
Moon Hyuna shook her head as if overwhelmed. Still, the Babar was on the easy side of catching among the 1st rank monsters, if you knew the method. That guy hadn’t even gotten the venom, so it was even more handle-able.
For the S-Ranks 5 years later, that is.
“Hyung!”
Yoohyun, who had appeared in no time, said, coming close to my side.
“First, it’s better for hyung to go out.”
“Are there enough gate stones for the number of people?”
“…No. Haeyeon only has three, and I only brought one.”
Including mine, it was two.
“I only have one, too.”
Moon Hyuna said. Sung Hyunjae should be in a similar situation. And using a gate stone and going out was also a problem. Since I didn’t know if a monster from an error would quietly disappear.
If the dungeon burst open with the Babar there, it would be chaos. This dungeon was right next to Y Uni[2]. A horrible situation like the entire area of Y Uni being swept away could happen.
‘I don’t know what the space interference was, but first, there’s no choice but to handle that first.’
It wasn’t that there was no method. Just then, Sung Hyunjae arrived with Yerim.
“Is this phenomenon like the Gold Beak Maiya appearing in the D-Rank dungeon that time?”
At Sung Hyunjae’s words, Yoohyun’s gaze reflexively went towards me. I didn’t know if this time was also related to me. Specifically, this abnormality had appeared where I was, so it probably wasn’t that there was no relation at all.
“That monster is a 1st Rank Giant Toad type, a Mountain Swallowing Babar. The stat rank is SS.”
“1st rank? Stat SS? Why would that kind of fiend come out of an A-Rank dungeon? I’ve never seen it in even an S-Rank dungeon!”
Moon Hyuna frowned and Yoohyun’s and Kim Sunghan’s expression froze stiffly. Yerim seemed like she hadn’t grasped the situation yet.
“Let’s to straight to the gate, hyung.”
“Yes, please go out first.”
What were you going to do if I went out? Even if the remaining people also used gate stones, Yerim and Kim Sunghan, and if the monster counted then that, as well as Peace would be shut in.
“There’s no need to worry right away. Since it won’t be able to notice over here until we attack.”
Most monsters were belligerent, so they would come at you first, but that guy was different. Even if little humans loitered right in front of it, it couldn’t notice very well.
It was obtuse and slow. But it was extremely strong.
The dungeon in China where the Babar had first appeared, couldn’t be attacked and burst open in the end. That giant toad just slowly roamed around, but even with that, there was immense damage.
Thanks to that, it appeared several times in broadcasts, so I clearly remembered the attack method.
Right now and here, there was all the skills that were needed to attack the Babar. Thankfully.
“The Babar’s skin is incredibly strong. Ordinary skills cannot ever break it.”
That was the same even for the 5 years later S-Ranks. 1st rank monster types were things that you couldn’t handle by yourself.
“Even so, the place where the skin is thin is the back of the neck region where it is sunken in. It is directly connected to the head, so it can be called the sole vital point.”
“How do you know what? Does that kind of information come from the magic beast rearing skill?”
Sung Hyunjae asked. I couldn’t say, ‘I saw it in the future’.
“More or less. Please focus on the attack right now. If we cannot catch that guy before we leave, there will be chaos.”
I spoke evasively and turned my gaze to Yerim.
“Yerim, you’re first.”
“Sorry? For what?”
“Even if the back of the neck is the weakest, if you don’t weaken the skin, you can’t break it. The most effective way to weaken the Babar’s skin is to give a rapid difference in temperature.”
And right now, there was fire and ice, both of them here.
“Shadowless Day’s stat buff to Mana, attribute buff to combat skills[3]. Add Pale Rain to Sigh and focus them locally to freeze it. And don’t forget the ice aptitude reinforcement. After that is you, Yoohyun.”
“You mean melt it with maximum high temperature, right?”
“You got it. And Hyuna-ssi. Please break the weakened skin along with Peace! I have heard that Hyuna-ssi is the best at gathering destructive power to one point.”
“That’s my specialty! If it’s a guy that’s that slow, then it’s even easier.”
Moon Hyuna said cheerfully. She smirked and even turned to look at Peace.
“It doesn’t seem like it ends with Moon Hyuna, so is the last one me?”
“Yes, Hyunjae-ssi. Once Hyuna-ssi breaks the skin, the flesh will be exposed. If you hurl down a powerful current, even the brain will be fried, but with your current stats, it will probably not be enough. However, if you add Yerim’s stat attribute buff, and receive attack skill effect doubling, you can definitely end it.”
I had already told the people here that I could share my attack skill effect doubling title. It was because they would be able to notice while Kim Sunghan was catching the boss, and afterwards, if I had to share, the possibility of the other person being an S-Rank was high.
“Does hyung have to be active too?”
Yoohyun immediately frowned. I also didn’t want to be active, but thinking of the difference of 5 years, I was uneasy with a stat attribute 30, 20% increase. The difference in, of course levels and stats and proficiency in skills, but even equipment should be big.
“I have the bracelet. It’s enough with 10 minutes. No, if it passes 10 minutes, then it would be failure. One of the skills that the Babar has is an S-Rank regeneration. Its recuperative power should definitely be high, so since it also has regeneration, if the connection between the attacks are even a little delayed, it should recover in an instant.”
Then, the method wouldn’t work. Another try was possible for the other people, but I was one-time-use. So, I had to use the bracelet at the very last second, the point when I thought we would succeed.
Timing was important in various ways.
‘Terrifying Hatchling Class Teacher, should I use that?’
The skill that had suddenly popped up in the morning. It was probably the one I couldn’t get at 10 levels, that was acquired because the conditions were satisfied.
I didn’t know what the conditions were, but the skill rank was like that, and with the situation, it would probably be related to S-Ranks. Wouldn’t it have been ‘leading more than a certain number of S-Rank Hunters’, or something scary like that?
…If it really was, it didn’t seem to be a skill you should earn.
I opened my status window and checked the skill again.
[Terrifying Hatchling Class Teacher(SS) – A teacher who leads Awakened People however they like! The kids really do not listen and act however they like, right? But do not worry! If you use this skill, the many targets can deeply connect, and form a close cooperation centered on the skill user
Target rank limit – SS]
Even if you just glanced at it, you could tell that the person who was writing the explanation window changed in the middle. The image of Water Droplet or possibly Tree smacking the back of Deer bastard’s head and filling out the explanation window, was vivid in my mind. Though they were people whose faces I didn’t even know.
[※Affects Mental and Mana. The more outstanding the targets’ abilities are, the higher the possibility of the burden on the skill user increasing. In the case of keyword-applied people, the burden is expected to be less. If the target strongly refuses, a blow to the skill user can occur. There can be other effects]
Most of it were guesses, but still, they detailedly explained. They really were kind.
‘Looking at the skill name and explanation, it seems to be a chain of command special skill.’
The part that said that a close cooperation was possible was especially alluring in this situation.
While against the Babar with the outstanding regeneration, the most important thing was none other than a fast and precise connection between each skill. You couldn’t be caught up in an ally’s skill, and had to hit it with the next attack as fast as possible.
The first team that successfully hunted the Babar also didn’t mesh well and had to pass through trial and error several times.
If the Teacher skill displayed the effect exactly as it was in the explanation, it would be incredibly useful.
“Is there anybody who has Mental and Mana prioritized integer increase equipment?”
“I have ratio increase.”
Yerim said. The other people also shook their heads. That’s right, of course they wouldn’t have any. I took out one by one the ones I had at least and put them on. It was a relief that there were a lot of cases where the Mana and Mental stats were paired together.
“Peace, look at this! It’s an S-Rank saddle!”
Moon Hyuna took out a black and white saddle from her inventory. At the person filled with evil intentions striding over, Peace stepped back towards me.
-Geureung
“Endure it just this time.”
“Endure it – do you know how good this is! Speed reinforcement is basic, and it has Strength-Stamina increase as well as defense, and it improves rushing power, and even raises the passenger’s attack power!”
“Hyuna-ssi, do you not have any flame resistance equipment? You are after Yoohyun, so you will need to prepare.”
“I don’t know when I have to go up against him, so of course I have some. I brought them.”
She really had a lot of will to fight.
While people were taking care of their own equipment, I saw Kim Sunghan separated on his own. There wasn’t a part that he could be stuck into, but I couldn’t just leave him alone.
“Is there someone with a long range weapon?”
“Me!”
Moon Hyuna shot her hand up. What she took out of her inventory and tossed over was a longbow.
“Is the range long?”
“Extremely. I even use it for signals.”
I took the bow and went to Kim Sunghan to give it to him,
“Please try shooting once and stand back.”
With this kind of bow, the toad wouldn’t even feel ticklish, but that wasn’t the important part. One of Kim Sunghan’s S-Rank growth conditions was exactly hunting an SS-Rank monster with less than 10 people. Even including Peace, it was seven, so it fit the condition.
“Will it be okay? Just because of me…”
Kim Sunghan had an expression like he was so sorry he could die. Though truthfully, the toad appearing was probably because of me.
“Please do not mind it. These kinds of things can happen. If you really feel indebted, then please assist my brother well from now on. Like how you have until now.”
With growing him into an S-Rank, the contract time had already increased, but people’s hearts were like that. Rather than tying him down by force, asking him with a requesting tone would create a bigger drive.
“Naturally I will do so. Please do not worry.”
Kim Sunghan said, gripping the bow.
Organizing the equipment was done. The Babar had opened its large mouth and was eating the castle. Kwareureu, kwareung, the sound of bricks pouring down was heard loudly even here.
“Even if we go up onto behind its neck, it will not move a bit. You can see it as there being no sensation on the skin.”
Unless it was a considerable shock, it couldn’t feel anything.
“Then we should go up first.”
At Moon Hyuna’s words, Yerim stretched out both her arms at me.
“Here, come over, ahjussi!”
“…Huh?”
“That’s seriously steep, so if you go up riding Peace, unless you tie your body down, you’ll probably fall down? With my flight skill, I’m the best. I will safely and comfortably escort you there~.”
She was right, but it was a little embarrassing to hang onto a young girl smaller than me. I went toward her wondering if I should hang on her back, when,
“Ah, wait!”
Yerim swept me up into her arms. Woah crap, Yerim!
“Please stay still, ahjussi.”
“You don’t have to go this far?!”
“This should the most comfortable and safe. Ahjussi is really light, so please don’t worry and leave yourself to me.”
No, the weight wasn’t the problem…… the back of my neck burned. Ugh, embarrassing.
[1] lit. it’s more like ‘babar that swallowed (a) mountain(s)’ but that’s too long and also sounds weird as a name. Also, again I guessed with the name, it could also be ‘bavar’ or sth else. It’s ‘bah-bah-reu’
[2] as in university. The krn also uses an abbrev, so I followed suit w the tl
[3] not sure abt this, bc he uses a word that has a lot of diff meanings but normally means like ‘electricity’ or ‘biography’ or ‘previous time period’, all of which makes no sense. So I’m assuming it’s a made up word composed of 전(戰/fight) and 기(技/skill) because that seems to make the most sense.