Chapter 25: Tutorial (25)

“…You’re here.”

After finishing our workout, Yoo Ha-na and I met Lee Han-seong at the village entrance. Usually, the Regressor preferred to act alone, but today was different.

“Wow, it’s been a while since the three of us worked together.”

“Now that you mention it, it has.”

“I think it’s the first time since we hunted the Orc.”

I’d been working with Yoo Ha-na for a long time. From the truly pathetic, loser Yoo Ha-na to the Avenger she is now.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say I practically raised her. These days, she’s so clingy it’s a problem…

But Lee Han-seong was the opposite. Like a true Regressor, he had a strong lone wolf streak. He often acted alone unless absolutely necessary.

Of course, he probably spends most of that time searching for hidden pieces, but if he acts alone too much, it could affect our teamwork.

So, today’s hunt is a light outing to build some camaraderie, which has been a little awkward lately.

“So, where are we going today?”

“Ah, I prepared that yesterday. I checked the job board at the vocational training center, and it said there’s a Lizardmen settlement in the Southern Swamp.”

“Lizardmen?”

“Yeah, Lizardmen.”

Lizardmen, literally reptile-humans. They’re not superstars like Orcs or Goblins that frequently appear in web novels and other creative works, but they’re a steady-selling race that pops up occasionally.

They’re lizards, yet they arrogantly carry the title of ‘men,’ even though their only commonality with humans is bipedalism.

“You chose a difficult monster.”

Regressor Lee Han-seong commented on my decision. A difficult monster? Aren’t Lizardmen weak monsters, somewhere around pseudo-humanoid level?

“Why do you think so?”

“There are two reasons. The environment, and their physical structure. First, Lizardmen usually live in swamps. And the ground in swamps is unstable.”

“I see.”

I already knew that. It’s natural for reptiles to live in swamps. You can see salamanders in rural streams. It’s only natural since they’re reptiles.

“What’s the other reason?”

“Their physical structure. They’re different from typical mammals. Their bodies are covered in scales instead of skin and fur. And those scales are quite hard. Ordinary physical attacks won’t be very effective.”

“Then, w-what do we do? It’ll be a big problem if our swords can’t penetrate them!”

Yoo Ha-na became frightened by Lee Han-seong’s words. It was the loser version of Yoo Ha-na I hadn’t seen in a while.

Since her main role is assassin, monsters resistant to physical attacks would naturally be troublesome for her.

“It’s okay, it’s okay. I didn’t choose this job without thinking just because it involves Lizardmen. Many of a Lizardman’s scales grow in the opposite direction, and those parts are known to be very weak. They usually have reverse scales around their neck, sides, armpits, heart, and tailbone.”

Rarely, in creative works, Lizardmen are also called Dragonians, or Dragon-kin.

Dragon-kin, a race that faintly possesses the characteristics of dragons, thus, they also possess the fatal weakness of dragons.

Reverse scales, commonly known as inverse scales, are the only soft scales among the many scales a dragon has.

But these pseudo-humanoids, who aren’t even close to being a dragon’s toenail clipping, have a lot of these inverse scales.

And they’re quite conveniently placed, like the perforated lines on a beverage package. In other words, you could say their bodies are optimized for dismemberment.

“Then, we just need to aim for those parts.”

“You said it. But be careful fighting in the swamp. Your feet will sink, so you’ll use up more stamina than usual.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

While we were talking, we arrived at our destination, the Southern Swamp.

Around the tall, erected palisade, totems made of human skulls stood tall. As if showing off that they hadn’t been made long ago, the totems were stained with blood here and there.

“Ugh… That’s creepy.”

Yoo Ha-na was the first to express her discomfort at the gruesome sight.

Well, it’s understandable. It was so grotesque that anyone with a weak stomach would have lost their breakfast.

“What should we do?”

“First, we need to scout. Ha-na, climb that tree over there and check out the inside.”

“Leave it to me.”

We must always remember: numbers, troop types, and commander. Knowing just these three things reduces the difficulty of battle.

We learned the importance of this thoroughly in our previous battle against the bandits. So, Yoo Ha-na also understood the importance of gathering information and climbed the tree without hesitation.

“There are about twenty-three of them. One shaman, five javelin throwers, four shield bearers, and the rest are armed with curved swords.”

“The commander?”

“The shaman seems to be the commander.”

“Good. Any weak points in the encampment?”

“Unfortunately, no. Looks like a frontal assault is our only option.”

“Is that so? I see…”

Based on Yoo Ha-na’s information, a rough picture was forming. Twenty-three enemies. On the other hand, only three of us. And there are no weak points to exploit in their encampment.

So, our strategy must be a frontal assault, quick and decisive. It’s difficult to accomplish even one of those, and now we have two conditions, but it wasn’t impossible to attempt.

“Then, let’s move according to this plan.”

“Understood.”

“Yes!”

After formulating a simple plan, we immediately put it into action. The wooden gate of the encampment was firmly closed within the tall palisade. I approached it and unhesitatingly banged on the door.

“Open the door, you uncle f*ckers!”

Sometimes I think about how insane most English curse words are.

Uncle fcker, a prime example, is no exception. “Uncle fcker,” what kind of lunatic came up with that?

I guarantee you, South Park, where they exchange such insults as greetings, must be h*ll on earth. Compared to that city, this Lizardmen settlement is cute.

“Kieeeeek!”

“Creeeak!”

See? They’re already so p*ssed that they threw open the door.

That’s how curses work. Even if you don’t understand the language, they still make you feel bad. It’s amazing how they transcend language, race, and now even species.

“Let’s go, Ha-na!”

“Everyone, cover your ears!”

Our plan was relatively simple. Bang on the door to get them to open it, then Yoo Ha-na immediately jumps into the middle of the enemy ranks and activates her skill.

Whistle Blowing. Her whistle is no longer just a simple whistle. The moment you hear it, it amplifies stress, paralyzing the senses; it’s an area-of-effect crowd control skill.

PWEEEEEEE!

It’s well known that lizards generally have a poor sense of hearing. However, species with developed vocal organs are said to have a developed sense of hearing.

Lizardmen fall into the latter category. They reacted to my insults and vocally threatened us.

Therefore, they have a developed sense of hearing, and if their hearing is intact, they’re Yoo Ha-na’s prey.

“Now!”

“Take down three each!”

The Lizardmen were disoriented by the sudden sonic attack. And we moved according to our pre-arranged plan.

Yoo Ha-na threw her knives at the javelin throwers, who could attack from a distance, and then charged in. Lee Han-seong engaged the regular Lizardmen.

And I, ignoring everyone around me, charged straight towards their leader, the shaman.

“Ki, Kiiiik!”

“Kieeeeeeeek!”

“Shaaaaaaa!”

The shaman, recovering from the paralysis, seemed to understand my intentions and yelled, summoning the shield bearers.

Five shield bearers, holding their shields forward, surrounded and encircled me. A good strategy. But against the wrong opponent.

“Wait right there with your necks washed.”

Yugeom (Flowing Sword), which I learned from Master Moo-yeon a few days ago, controls the opponent’s stance and position using their center of gravity and psychological warfare. Therefore, their current situation is a poor judgment call.

Yugeom, Sandeulbaram (Gentle Breeze).

I strike down at the opponent and engage in a power struggle. However, a Lizardman’s strength is superior to a human’s.

So, the power struggle is a feint. Ignoring the Lizardman’s attempt to counter my strike head-on, I naturally diverted his strength.

“Kie?”

If your center of gravity shifts to one side, your stance will naturally collapse. And that applied to the Lizardman shield bearer blocking my path.

Taking advantage of his collapsed stance, I sidestepped and smoothly switched positions with him. His unguarded back was completely exposed, but instead of finishing him off, I focused on the one behind him.

“Kiiiii! Kiii!”

Now the shaman was practically having a seizure. I couldn’t understand the language, but he was probably yelling something like, “Block him, you incompetent fools!”

Well, there’s no point in caring about the dying words of someone about to die. A perfect one-on-one situation. A shaman without protection is just a swordsman’s meal.

“Yeah! Baby!”

I swung my sword along the neatly arranged reverse scales around his neck. His head flew into the air.

The head flew at just the right height, and I kicked it like a soccer ball. Thud!

The Lizardmen in the settlement stared blankly at the head flying through the air.

Yeah, party time, uncle f*ckers.

After Go Hyun-joon killed their shaman, the tide of battle turned sharply.

The Lizardmen, who had been ferocious just a moment ago, were now completely terrified. Thanks to that, the fight became much easier.

“Whew, it’s all over now.”

As the fight was nearing its end, Yoo Ha-na approached, retrieving the knives she had thrown. Having awakened as an Avenger, she now seemed quite accustomed to combat.

“It’s thanks to your hard work, Ha-na.”

“Oh, it’s nothing. Han-seong was amazing too. Especially those magic spells were very helpful!”

I recently revealed my true class.

Magic Swordsman. As the name suggests, it’s a class that can use both magic and swordsmanship simultaneously, but since I had introduced myself as a Warrior, I had only been using Crota as a sword.

But recently, I revealed my true class to the two of them. Of course, I didn’t tell them everything. I just said that after learning magic, my class evolved into a Magic Swordsman.

“Good work, everyone.”

At that moment, a man covered in blood approached us. Go Hyun-joon, a skilled individual I hadn’t seen in the first round.

He had become even stronger since we hunted the Orc together. Apart from being unnecessarily close to Yoo Ha-na, he was an ideal companion.

“Now that we’re done, let’s just collect the spoils and go back.”

“Yes!”

Yoo Ha-na responded energetically to Go Hyun-joon’s words. Her attitude towards him was completely different from her business-like demeanor with me.

“Kieeeee!”

Just as I was staring blankly at Yoo Ha-na, a sudden cry rang out. A dying Lizardman, burning its remaining life force, lunged at Go Hyun-joon.

“Oppa! Watch out!”

Go Hyun-joon reacted to Yoo Ha-na’s warning, but it was too late. The Lizardman swung its heavy tail.

Thwack! He curled up to minimize the impact but was sent flying.

“Oppaaaaaaa!”

“…Ugh! I’m okay! Just finish it quickly!”

A red aura momentarily surrounded Yoo Ha-na. ‘Revenge,’ one of the Avenger’s skills.

It’s a skill that strengthens other skills once based on the intensity of resentment, and right now, she was harboring the highest level of resentment.

“Diiiiiie!”

Five of the six knives she threw with terrifying force accurately struck the reverse scales.

And the remaining one lodged itself directly into the skull, covered in normal scales.

The Lizardman died instantly. Well, it was excessive firepower for a monster that was already dying.

“Oppa! Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. My joints ache a bit, but since it was a glancing blow, it doesn’t hurt too much.”

“Still… Let’s visit a priest later. Okay?”

“Okay, okay.”

After the situation was resolved, Yoo Ha-na immediately ran to Go Hyun-joon. Her face full of worry, she burrowed into his arms.

Ah, here we go again. Of course, it wasn’t as suffocating as before. But the bitter taste in my mouth couldn’t be helped.

Yoo Ha-na, if I were in the same situation, would you have been that angry?

Even after swallowing, the bitterness lingered in my mouth.