Chapter 84: Rephtha’s Chaotic Assistance

Rephtha’s integration was surprisingly smooth, met with little resistance.

The fervent endorsements of experts, who claimed Rephtha would be an immense asset to the Flood Monster Extermination, played a significant role. For the citizens, the matter was largely indifferent.

After all, Rephtha was under the meticulous supervision of the Credit Guild, and common folk wouldn’t directly encounter the magical creatures. In fact, a welcoming atmosphere prevailed, with many anticipating a smoother supply of mana stones.

However, the situation for the hunters, who had to work in tandem with Rephtha, was slightly — just slightly — different.

“Agh! This horse bastard bit my ass!”

“No. That’s not food. Spit it out. Spit.”

“Ah, shit, blood!”

…There were minor issues, but these were, quite literally, minor, so let’s move on.

Regardless, the extermination speed dramatically increased. Rephtha rampaged with exhilaration, like fish returned to water.

While Rephtha’s greatest advantage was serving as a ground-based alternative to drones, they were also formidable combatants in their own right. They devoured every magical creature they encountered during their movement.

Elemental attacks proved ineffective against them, and each Rephtha was comparable to an A-rank hunter. Moving in packs, they faced little resistance even as they approached the deepest parts of the infested area.

Thud!

Occasionally, when an S-rank magical creature emerged, the hunters riding Rephtha would step forward.

“Uwaaah!”

Rolling their entire bodies, they barely managed to fell the colossal magical creature. Immense elemental attacks surged forth, and various blades targeted the creature’s lower body. After a fierce battle, the mountain-sized beast with two curved horns finally collapsed, its prone form sending tremors akin to an earthquake through the ground.

A Rephtha, lounging some distance away, yawned and rose. They then surveyed the scene with an indifferent gaze before nudging a nearby companion with their front hoof. Soon, other Rephtha began to stir, scanning their surroundings before looking down at the hunters.

Their demeanor was arrogant, much like a person of high standing commending a subordinate with a dismissive ‘good work.’

“Hmph.”

“I’m genuinely dumbfounded.”

These incidents, at least, could be laughed off. The real problem lay elsewhere.

“Hey! You horse bastard! You can’t eat mana stones!”

“Why aren’t you stopping them from eating the corpses? They shouldn’t be eating those either.”

“Do you have any common sense?”

“…Why the sudden quarrel?”

The fire-element colleague, unexpectedly targeted, glared sharply. The wind-element team member tilted their head.

“Mana stones are just like rocks mixed in with the meat, and the meat is what they want to eat. If I stop them, they’ll try to eat *my* meat, so how can I stop them?”

The fire-element colleague turned their head toward the scene. Rephtha was tearing, chewing, and savoring the blood-soaked magical creatures they had hunted.

Crunch. Snap!

Crack!

He readily apologized.

“I spoke without thinking.”

“Good, as long as you know.”

Unable to watch any longer, the team leader brandished her blade.

“What are you two pretending to be all chummy for?! Go stop them right now, you bastards!”

Pale with fright at the terrifying, air-splitting sound of her executioner’s blade, the two team members scurried off. Team Leader Yoon Hye-ri, still fuming, pressed a hand to her forehead.

“Those bastards are truly making me age. Making me old.”

With a light sigh, she raised her head, her gaze drifting to a corner of the scene. There, she spotted me, who had paused on my way to restrain Rephtha, now being back-hugged by the boss… no, that bastard boss. My face remained utterly expressionless, as usual, yet my creaking movements betrayed a sense of urgency.

‘If only he had gone in time, this mess wouldn’t have happened,’ she thought. No sooner had the thought crossed her mind than the boss blew a kiss, and screams erupted from ahead.

“Agh! My hand!”

“Ack! My foot’s been stepped on!”

Flames shot up, and gales raged. Rephtha, unaffected by elemental attacks, remained completely unharmed. Only their immediate surroundings descended into chaos.

“Uwaaah! Fire! Fire!”

“Bring the water-element users! Water-element!”

“Ack! The, the flames…!”

The flames, fueled by the gale, spread in every direction. Yoon Hye-ri surveyed her surroundings with lifeless eyes. The individuals frantically scattering, each ablaze, were all high-ranking hunters, supposedly some of Credit’s best.

Meanwhile, in one corner, the pair of muscular cockroaches showed no sign of separating. My creaking resistance had completely ceased. Yoon Hye-ri, witnessing my arms finally embracing Sagyeol after a moment of hesitation, gazed wistfully up at the sky.

‘Haha. f*ck.’

Fire and smoke now covered half of the blue sky.

Rephtha initially refused to carry people, but this only applied up to A-intermediate rank. From high-ranking hunters upwards, they would begrudgingly allow riders, though they might nip, toss them with their manes, or kick them with their hind legs. Nevertheless, they carried them without outright attacking.

“Magical creatures are ultimately born of the demon realm. Rephtha, in particular, possesses strong pride and will not carry anyone they deem weaker than themselves.”

“Oh, really?”

Sagyeol’s eyes gleamed as he glared at Reph. Reph’s mane rippled menacingly, and bright blue sparks flew between the two.

“…Of course, personal preferences play a part too.”

Over the past two weeks, the Rephtha herd had proven their effectiveness unequivocally.

A colossal wheel began to turn. The arduous Flood Monster Extermination finally gained momentum.

I primarily dealt with the Black Mist, prioritizing those that squirmed and moved like snakes. They were low-grade magical creatures resembling larvae, offering such weak resistance that a few swings of my axe often annihilated an entire colony.

Once a certain level of clearance was achieved, holes opened up throughout the labyrinth. Through these gaps, high-ranking hunters from other guilds, previously stalled, began to pour in. It seemed we were not far from reaching the heart of the infested flood zone.

Around this time, a new problem arose.

It wasn’t related to the flood zone’s conquest or the hunters themselves. Rather, it was an entirely personal matter.

“Grrrr.”

“Rufffff.”

“…”

In the past, during our first meeting, I had believed Sagyeol and I were completely incompatible. That was a grave misconception. It was merely that we had a few minor disagreements.

“Kroooaargh!”

Reph suddenly attacked Sagyeol, mouth agape. Sagyeol, who had been watching intently, scoffed and smacked Reph squarely on the snout.

“Is this horse bastard out of its mind?!”

“Grrrrrrr!”

With its snout reddened, Reph rolled its eyes and lunged again.

“You bastard. I swear I’ll slice you up and turn you into frozen horse meat!”

“Krooarrgh!!”

“…”

*This* was true incompatibility.

I stared with hollow eyes at the wrestling match between magical creature and human. There was Reph, constantly baring its teeth in a fit of temper, and Sagyeol, snarling back at Reph. Even the hunters watched the spectacle with bewildered fascination.

I raised a hand to cover my face. If it were just the three of us, I wouldn’t even comment.

‘I truly don’t want to get involved.’

Yet, I couldn’t simply leave them to it.

“Reph. Stop.”

At my call, Reph trotted back, rubbing its face against my chest as if it had never been fierce.

“That bastard?!”

Sagyeol huffed and charged over immediately. He seemed to be deteriorating more and more as time went on… surely it was just my imagination.

I held up a palm towards him. It belatedly occurred to me that I was treating him like a rampaging Rephtha. Sagyeol, despite his disgruntled expression, obediently halted.

Seeing that he didn’t understand what was wrong, he truly seemed like an animal… I’ll stop there. For now, I gently pushed away Reph, who kept butting its head against my chest. The creature snorted indignantly but docilely stepped back.

“Go and lead the others.”

Reph’s displeasure intensified. Before it could refuse, I quickly added:

“It’s a task only you can do.”

Reph paused, then suddenly looked at Sagyeol. *Pffft.* It was a clear snort of derision, as if to say, ‘Did you see the trust they place in me, human?’ Then, it tossed its head back and returned to its herd with a dignified gait.

Crackle.

The air remained unchanged. Instead, frost bloomed on Sagyeol’s skin.

“Sagyeol.”

“…”

“Sagyeol.”

“…What?”

He didn’t even try to hide his anger. His eyes silently questioned why I had prioritized that horse bastard. I told him the truth.

“Because if I send Reph away first, it’ll just be the two of us.”

I had something specific to tell him. But no sooner had I finished speaking than Sagyeol, who had been sulking, melted instantly like frost in a spring breeze, swaying as he approached me.

“My lover is so clever.”

No, that wasn’t it.

A soft, lingering kiss landed on my lips. When I glanced around, I saw startled gazes scattering in every direction.

“I said I didn’t like this in public.”

“It’s fine. No one’s watching.”

Then what were those? Were they mere signboards?

As I stared, dumbfounded, Sagyeol surveyed our surroundings. The hunters, who were already looking elsewhere, awkwardly shuffled about, pretending to be busy.

Why were they untying perfectly tied shoelaces? Why were they digging into perfectly fine ground? What was on the tree that they kept touching?

“Huh? Ugh?!”

“Gasp!”

Then, someone must have accidentally provoked a carnivorous plant, as they were suddenly hoisted into the air, ensnared by its vines. Naturally, chaos erupted. In the frantic moments that followed, the upper half of the captured person disappeared into the plant’s maw.

“Uwaaah!”

“Damn it, cut the stem immediately!”

As I watched the pandemonium with a deadpan gaze, Sagyeol declared proudly:

“See?”

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