Chapter 17: S-class Hunter’s Tears

S-class Hunter Han Yu Ri tried to stop me.

Saying it was dangerous, telling me not to do it, begging me to come back.

But I couldn’t listen to her.

I thought I had to attempt an attack at least once.

I wanted to try.

I didn’t want to give up and run away like this.

I flew up towards the enormous Grade 3 monster.

Compared to that monster, I was infinitely small, so I had to jump with all my might.

I flew up with all my might to the front of its face.

My eye level matched that of the enormous monster.

Boom.

I swung my fist with all my might.

An immense impact force was felt from my fist.

The monster’s head turned greatly to the left.

While doing so, the monster lost its center of gravity and its body began to bend backward.

“Kuooooo!!!”

The monster screamed monstrously, as if in pain.

I saw the monster’s face gradually crumbling.

The attack worked!

Fck!

In that instant, as I was watching to see if my attack had worked well, the monster’s fist, which it swung while in pain from being hit by me, instantly flew towards me.

It was a counter-attack that came right after I attacked.

It was so instantaneous that I couldn’t possibly avoid it.

Sparkle.

Sparkle.

Just before getting hit by the monster’s fist, the blue butterfly barely protected me.

Thud.

By a very narrow margin, Han Yu Ri’s protection blessing, the blue butterfly, protected me first.

As soon as the blue butterfly protected me, the fist came immediately.

I was hit squarely by the fist and sent flying.

If she had cast the protection even a little later, I would have almost died.

It was truly dangerous.

I knew that Grade 3 monsters were strong.

But I didn’t know that even after my attack succeeded like that, it could launch a counter-attack so quickly, even while feeling pain.

It was truly monstrous.

Having been hit by the fist, I was sent flying dozens of meters.

I couldn’t control my body from the pain.

I was slammed into the ground just like that.

Ugh…

Cough cough.

Because I was hit squarely by the counter-attack, despite Han Yu Ri’s protection, my whole body started tearing slightly and bleeding.

And I coughed up blood from my mouth again.

Perhaps the bone in the fist I used to attack the monster was also cracked, the pain was immense.

But there wasn’t even time to be in pain.

I endured the pain and quickly looked towards the monster.

The monster hadn’t fallen yet.

But it was clutching its face with its hand, screaming monstrously in pain.

It was a chance.

If I missed this moment, I didn’t know how that guy would recover again.

I had to finish it quickly.

“Movement speed blessing, please!”

Even while bleeding, I stood up with all my might.

And I shouted to Han Yu Ri, who was far away, infusing magic power.

Sparkle.

Sparkle.

A green butterfly wrapped me in magic power.

I ran back towards the monster at maximum speed.

“I’m going one more time. When I jump, attack blessing, please!”

It was a situation where I was asking an S-class Hunter to cast this and that for me.

I felt a little sorry too.

Because Han Yu Ri wasn’t in a position where she had to do what I asked.

She was an S-class Hunter, after all.

“Yes!”

But since the situation was urgent, Han Yu Ri listened to me well.

Perhaps she was worried about me, Han Yu Ri’s voice, conveyed through magic power, was very shaky.

Still, I was relieved that she wasn’t stopping me now.

I used my last strength to fly up again.

With Han Yu Ri’s movement speed buff, my speed was very fast.

As I soared up, Han Yu Ri’s attack blessing came in.

『Patcheon-kwon.』

Here I come!

As I suddenly ran up and jumped so abruptly, the monster seemed momentarily flustered, perhaps not having expected me to act like this.

The monster’s body, almost the height of a 3-story building.

I rapidly soared up right in front of that monster’s face.

An immense amount of magic power swirled and gathered around my airborne body.

Because it was enhanced by Han Yu Ri’s blessing, a vastly different and enormous amount of magic power gathered quickly, incomparable to when I gathered magic power to land one hit on Kim Joon Hyuk.

Ku-gu-gu-goong.

As I gathered magic power, I felt everything around vibrate and shake due to the immensely huge magic power concentrated in me.

『Je Samgyeok.』

I prepared the Patcheon-kwon, 3rd Form, which I used to land one hit on Kim Joon Hyuk.

The technique with the strongest single-strike damage among all the techniques I currently possessed.

The enormous amount of magic power gathered in me began to rotate and converge into my right hand.

My right hand was wrapped in a brilliant blue light.

If this desperate attack of mine goes in with A-class level damage or higher, it’s highly likely this guy will die.

But if it goes in with B-class level damage or lower, I’m highly likely to die.

Here I come!!

『Patcheonseom Seomyeolgyeok!』

Boom!!

I slammed my fist into the monster’s face with all my might.

An immense impact occurred from my fist.

Magic power erupted from the monster’s abdomen, creating a spherical storm and exploding outwards.

The sphere of magic power explosion grew larger and larger, becoming big enough to strike the entire body of the enormous monster.

“Kieeeek!!!!”

The power of the storm was truly immense.

So much so that even I, the caster, was swept up by the storm and sent flying.

My body, which had no strength left to control itself, was pushed powerlessly and flew far away.

Even while flying, I didn’t take my eyes off the monster to check if it had ended well.

I flew while watching that monster until the end.

The monster’s body was crumbling, and black light was leaking out.

It was over.

I did it.

I defeated the Grade 3 monster.

Thud.

I was soon slammed into the ground.

I didn’t know how many times I had been sent flying today alone.

All my magic power was depleted.

There wasn’t enough magic power to cushion the impact when I hit the ground.

I think I injured my spine a bit.

I saw people running towards me.

I lay there, turning my head weakly, looking that way with blurry eyes.

I saw Han Yu Ri running towards me first.

“Are you alright?!”

She came near me where I was lying down.

And perhaps she was very worried about me, she quickly knelt down and brought her face close to mine.

It was too close.

Even in that painful state, for an instant, the thought ‘To see an S-class Hunter this close.’ came to mind.

Seen this close, Han Yu Ri was even more incredibly beautiful.

“I’m alright.”

I was going to say I wasn’t alright because of her face, but I held back, thinking it might be a big problem if I joked with an S-class Hunter.

“Are you, are you alright?”

Following closely behind were the C and D-class Hunters who had been blocked by the Dark Wall earlier and couldn’t escape, they ran up and worried about me.

“Yes. I’m alright.”

“You’re truly amazing!”

“How can you be C-class…”

“You’re not C-class, are you?”

Hunters asked questions in surprised voices from all around.

I understand you’re surprised, but get a grip, people.

Just ask one at a time.

“For now, please go and save the citizens first. The lower-level and lowest-level monsters who scattered in fear because of the Grade 3 monster will be roaming around again.

Please block the rest well.”

I had dealt with the strongest, the Grade 3 monster, but there would still be many small fry monsters remaining.

Only when they were all definitively dealt with could this situation be concluded.

“Yes, understood.”

“We will handle the rest well.”

“Thank you so much for saving our lives.”

“We will definitely give you a separate greeting later.”

Even though they were the same C-class, perhaps because I saved their lives, they all treated me with great respect.

I had never had that happen before, so it was a little awkward for me.

The Hunters, saying they would greet me later, tagged my Hunter Watch to get my information.

No, you people.

You don’t need to greet me later, just go save people quickly.

Soon, the Hunters scattered one by one to save other people in the city.

“Some Hunters, please escort the citizens here.”

“Understood.”

“Thank you so much.”

Citizens who seemed to number over a hundred surrounded me, lying down, and Han Yu Ri, crouching next to me.

And they sent their thanks.

“You’re welcome. The situation is not over yet, so you must go quickly. The Hunters here will protect you. Please go back safely.”

The citizens repeatedly expressed their thanks and bowed.

And they left, receiving protection from the Hunters.

“What do I do…”

Han Yu Ri slightly frowned and choked up.

No, she wasn’t just choking up, she seemed to be genuinely crying?

Because we were face to face at a close distance, I could see it.

Her eyes were red, and there were tear tracks.

Surely, she didn’t cry because of me?

“Did you cry?”

I asked carefully.

“No?”

Perhaps surprised by my question, Han Yu Ri’s thin and pretty eyebrows rose slightly.

Soon realizing it, Han Yu Ri quickly regained her composure and spoke.

Huh?

Anyone can see she’s been crying?

Even if you looked from 10 meters away, you could see she’d been crying.

“But you look like you’ve been crying?”

“No, I haven’t?”

Han Yu Ri began to deny it flatly.

And why is she wiping her cheek with her hand?

Perhaps she’s embarrassed about crying?

“Why did you cry.”

I asked Han Yu Ri gently with a soft smile, making it impossible for her to maintain her guard.

“Because I was worried. You’re C-class, yet you went so recklessly…”

Perhaps my gentle inquiry attack worked, Han Yu Ri hesitated for a moment.

She seemed to be agonizing whether to keep denying she cried or to tell the truth.

Then finally.

Sniffle.

With a sound, she ended up confessing her feelings without hiding them.

“So that’s why you cried?”

She cried because she was worried about me.

I’m grateful.

To think that someone so beautiful and an S-class Hunter cried worrying about me.

My life is a success.

Because it was the beautiful Han Yu Ri who worried about me, I asked warmly, conveying my favor.

“Yes!”

Han Yu Ri replied, slightly indignant.

She seemed to be slightly resentful of me for charging in recklessly.

She was cute.

“You’re C-class, but you kept going… you kept seeming like you were going to die…”

Oh dear.

Han Yu Ri’s tear ducts burst again.

I didn’t mean to make her cry again.

I thought S-class Hunters all had incredibly strong personalities.

Thinking about how she firmly held on, saying we should live together even when I told her to run away alone when I saved her during the crisis earlier, it was true that she was strong.

But unlike the image she had of never crying, she seems to be a crybaby more than I thought.

Han Yu Ri grabbed my arm and started crying while muttering something.

Ah, that’s where I’m injured.

It hurts.