Chapter 81
—
Si-hyun waved lightly at Hunter Kim as if to reassure him.
At some point, she had a sword in her hand, dangling it casually by her side.
Hunter Kim watched her with a stern expression.
‘…Does she mean it’s fine?’
If she could handle it on her own, that would certainly be convenient.
It would mean that this part-time lecturer would take care of one swarm of ants by herself.
Hunter Kim decided to trust her, thinking, ‘Let’s give it a chance,’ and turned his gaze forward.
Her unwavering demeanour was reassuring, and he began to trust her, even if only slightly.
He refocused on dealing with the nearby ants.
Having successfully conveyed her intent to Hunter Kim, Si-hyun turned her attention to the students behind her.
‘I want to make the most of this opportunity.’
A swarm of ants like this could be handled while yawning.
But merely defeating them wouldn’t mean much.
She wanted to show the students something worthwhile.
Si-hyun quickly decided on her strategy.
And she immediately sprang into action.
Swish—
Si-hyun’s wrist flicked like lightning, slicing through the head of an ant with a single stroke.
She spun her sword smoothly, cutting diagonally to split another ant.
Screeeee!
Before the first ant’s shriek even subsided,
Si-hyun brought her sword down, slicing yet another ant cleanly in two.
In an instant, three ants lay lifeless on the ground.
However, the ants didn’t all rush at Si-hyun.
Squeak—
Screeeee—
Two ants darted sideways toward the students, while the rest charged at Si-hyun.
Slice—
Thud.
Si-hyun swiftly cut down two more ants directly in front of her.
But there were still many more closing in.
At this moment, Si-hyun had to make a choice.
Should she deal with them in a flashy manner?
Should she handle the ants attempting to bypass her with long-range attacks?
Or should she act as a Tanker?
Si-hyun made her decision instantly.
She had already planned her approach before the battle began.
“P-Professor!”
“Professor?!”
The students shouted in alarm.
It was because Si-hyun ignored the ants charging at her directly.
Instead, she prioritized eliminating the ants trying to bypass her.
Swish—
She sliced through one ant.
Crunch.
An ant clung to her thigh.
Slash.
She cut down another ant.
Meanwhile, another ant latched onto her calf.
“…”
Having taken care of the ants targeting the students, Si-hyun turned her attention back to the ones in front of her.
Along the way, she naturally dealt with the ants clinging to her legs.
Throughout the battle, Si-hyun didn’t utter a single sound of strain.
She calmly assessed the situation, demonstrating the ideal behaviour of a C-rank Tanker.
Watching from behind, Jae-woo realized what the professor’s actions were meant to convey.
‘The virtue of a Tanker…!’
Composure.
The ability to calmly analyze the situation and focus on protecting the party.
It was exactly what he had learned during the special lecture a few days ago.
And now, the professor was embodying and demonstrating it firsthand.
‘This is what a true Tanker is!’
The vivid scenes unfolding before his eyes.
Not a single monster was allowed to pass her.
And yet, she didn’t merely block or evade in desperation.
Every movement was efficient, and she distinguished clearly between what she could and couldn’t do.
With each flash of her sharp blade, the number of ants steadily dwindled.
She was the very image of a steadfast warrior guarding the frontlines.
Jae-woo watched her every move, not even blinking, as he committed this moment and her brilliance to memory.
To etch it vividly into his mind.
“Whew…!”
Si-hyun adjusted her stance.
Ultimately, although a dozen or so ants had attacked, not a single one reached the students.
Jae-woo had been prepared to step forward to block them if any had gotten past.
But the swarm of ants couldn’t overcome the enormous barrier that was Professor Si-hyun.
Only now did he finally exhale the breath he had been holding, blinking as he reaffirmed the path he needed to take moving forward.
“P-Professor!”
Areum ran forward, panting heavily.
Meanwhile, as for the Dawn Guild members,
Their battle had ended around the same time.
Hunter Kim let out a soft exclamation.
“Hmm, impressive…”
He had been glancing at the observers’ side intermittently during the fight.
He had been prepared to rush over and assist them at the first sign of trouble.
But it turned out they didn’t need any help at all.
The woman who had stepped up to protect the students had performed her role flawlessly.
Even if the students were only E-rank Hunters, Hunters were still Hunters.
In that case, it would have been easier for her to take care of the ants first and then help the students afterward.
But.
‘That thought didn’t even cross her mind.’
Her actions were decisive.
It was as if prioritizing the party’s protection was the most natural thing in the world.
She was the ideal image of a frontline protector.
‘Now I understand why the section chief and the deputy were so eager to recruit her.’
She was truly a hidden talent.
Through this battle, Hunter Kim was finally convinced of the confidence this part-time lecturer exuded.
She was more than capable of protecting the students.
With his concerns about the observers resolved,
Hunter Kim concluded that he could now focus entirely on his own tasks.
“We don’t have much further to go. Take a short break, and we’ll move forward again!”
“Yes, understood!”
“Hunter Yang Chae-uk, could you please heal me?”
“Yes, I’m coming!”
Yang Chae-uk hurriedly moved around, checking on the conditions of the other rookies.
Swollen wrists, legs bitten by ants, and other injuries were treated with his Support-type Skills.
A Support-type Hunter’s presence alone served as a strong mental support for the party members.
Instead of expensive potions that were hard to come by, he provided stable and consistent support for the team.
It was a completely different level from temporary measures like bandages.
Thanks to this, the Hunters, after taking a brief rest, were able to maintain their momentum and advance deeper into the dungeon.
***
After numerous battles, the group finally reached the area right in front of the Boss Room.
As they took one last break, Yang Chae-uk let out a deep sigh and said,
“Whew, it’s a good thing Hunter Kim is here. How could there be so many bugs…?”
“Hm, not really. If it were just you all, the right choice would have been to retreat immediately after assessing the situation. But you’ve all done very well.”
“R-really? Hahaha.”
As Yang Chae-uk chuckled awkwardly, Hunter Kim nodded and continued.
“The number of monsters here is already comparable to a B-rank Dungeon. Fortunately, there wasn’t a Special Entity.”
“Well, it’s technically a C-rank Dungeon. Let’s do our best to finish it strong!”
“Yes, as long as you keep doing what you’ve been doing, you’ll be fine.”
“Yes, sir!”
Hunter Kim lightly praised and encouraged the rookies.
In truth, they had performed exceptionally well.
If the rookies were of a lower caliber, it would have been difficult even to make it this far.
But.
‘It’s just that she stands out too much.’
Hunter Kim glanced toward Si-hyun.
The rookies were too busy handling their own tasks to notice, but.
Her efforts in single-handedly dealing with the ants that kept pouring out were remarkable.
“All right, let’s get up. Let’s finish this cleanly.”
“Sounds good! Let’s wrap it up quickly!”
“Understood!”
The Hunters from the Dawn Guild began preparing one by one.
Si-hyun and the students also entered alongside them as they stepped into the Boss Room.
What greeted them was—
“Screeeeeeeech—!”
As Si-hyun expected, it was a massive Queen Ant Monster.
The piercing high-pitched scream reverberated through the cave, threatening to tear their eardrums.
“Ugh, that’s disgusting.”
“Horrifying.”
The Hunters observed the boss with stiff expressions.
The enormous body of the Queen Ant, lying prone on the ground, was covered in a shiny black carapace.
From the swollen end of its abdomen, new ants continuously poured out.
The very ants that had tormented them all day long.
‘It’ll be tough, but it’s doable.’
Hunter Kim quickly finished his calculations.
He had expected a boss like this to appear.
With a loud voice, he shouted,
“Let’s go!”
“Yes, sir!”
And so, the battle began.
“Hup!”
For this dungeon, they had decided to focus on clearing it rather than training.
Hunter Kim left the safety of the rear positions to the rookies and pushed through the swarm of ants.
Screech!
Squeak!
As expected of someone well-known, his performance was extraordinary.
The ants were cut down in an instant.
“Screeeeech—!”
If the Queen Ant was defeated, it would all be over.
Naturally, the ants’ attention shifted to Hunter Kim.
An intense one-versus-many battle unfolded.
“Reduce their numbers quickly!”
“Don’t let Hunter Kim get isolated!”
The rookies from the Dawn Guild weren’t just standing idly by.
They diligently eliminated the ants while following Hunter Kim’s lead.
As the fierce battle raged on.
The Magic-type Hunter shouted in a loud voice.
“M-my mana is all gone!”
The Archer, who had also been handling long-range attacks, called out urgently.
“I still have arrows left, but I’m low on mana! I can’t put any force into my attacks!”
It was the result of endless battles to reach this point.
The ants’ sheer numbers had successfully drained the Hunters’ mana.
This added even more pressure onto Hunter Kim’s shoulders.
‘…That’s enough!’
Hunter Kim drove forward aggressively, pressing the swarm of ants.
He steadily closed the distance to the Queen Ant.
And then.
“Screeeeeech!”
The Queen Ant, which had been focused solely on producing ants, suddenly displayed unexpected behaviour.
It raised its massive foreleg.
Thud—!
The ground shook violently as the leg slammed down, creating a thunderous noise.
Hunter Kim quickly leapt back to avoid the attack.
Where he had been standing moments ago, the shattered remains of a worker ant scattered across the ground.
The Queen Ant raised its leg again, and other ants filled the gap it left behind.
The distance widened once more.
‘This won’t be easy….’
Hunter Kim clicked his tongue in frustration.
Si-hyun and the students observed the scene from a safe distance.
As Si-hyun analyzed the flow of the battle, she spoke in a calm voice.
“Did you hear the shouts from the rear earlier?”
“Y-yes… they said they were out of mana.”
“If it were you, what would you do?”
When Si-hyun asked the question, Areum fell into deep thought, her eyes darting back and forth.
Eun-byul hesitated before answering.
“Uh… manage it better from the start…?”
“Right, that’s one way. Then, how about using the little that’s left effectively?”
“Uh…”
Eun-byul also began pondering the question.
Meanwhile, Si-hyun stepped forward.
Squeak—
A few ants that had slipped through were swiftly cut down.
Si-hyun spoke in an even tone.
“You just use it as efficiently as possible. Watch closely.”
She slowly walked forward.
Si-hyun skilfully cut down the approaching ants with her sword.
Meanwhile, Hunter Kim once again reached the vicinity of the Queen Ant.
The Queen Ant raised its foreleg again.
The boss’s attention was entirely focused on Hunter Kim.
At that very moment!
Swish—!
“Screeeeech—!”
A dagger lodged itself in one of the Queen Ant’s eyes, eliciting a loud scream.
The raised foreleg failed to stomp down properly as the Queen Ant writhed in pain.
“Oh, excellent work!”
Hunter Kim seized the opportunity and advanced further.
The desperate Queen Ant lifted its enormous legs again.
One leg guarded the front of its head, while the other prepared for an attack.
As a result, Hunter Kim’s maneuvering space significantly widened.
Si-hyun threw another dagger infused with mana.
The dagger deflected off the massive foreleg.
It didn’t inflict any damage.
But that was enough.
During the additional opening created, Hunter Kim advanced even closer.
Si-hyun quickly returned to the students.
And in no time, Hunter Kim, who had reached the boss’s front, unleashed all his remaining mana and slashed at the boss relentlessly.
“This is the end!”
His sword carved a long gash into the boss’s body.
At that moment, Si-hyun placed a hand on Areum’s shoulder and said,
“Areum, shield us all.”
“Ah, yes!”
Boom—!
The Queen Ant’s body burst open, scattering sticky mucus throughout the cave.
A disgusting stench accompanied the slimy liquid that covered the floor and walls.
Si-hyun and the students remained shielded from the mucus thanks to the barrier.
However, the rest of the Hunters were not as fortunate.
“Ugh! What is this?!”
“Ugh, the smell!”
Not a single one was spared; all were completely drenched in the sticky green slime.
***
The deputy from the Dawn Guild’s administrative department was waiting outside the gate.
He was there to warmly greet the Hunters after they cleared the dungeon.
The first people he noticed were the visitors.
They looked just as clean and healthy as they had when they went in.
“Oh, it looks like you’re done! How was the experience today?”
“…I think it was a valuable experience for the students. Thank you.”
“Haha! That’s great to hear! I look forward to seeing you again next time!”
“…Yes. Take care.”
Si-hyun led the students away.
Soon after, the Hunters from the Dawn Guild emerged from the gate.
However, their appearance was far from ordinary.
Not only the rookies but even Hunter Kim—without exception—were completely drenched in sticky green mucus, dripping onto the ground as they walked.
The deputy was utterly flustered.
He looked at Hunter Kim with eyes demanding an explanation.
—
Read More at – GENZNOVEL.COM!!
PLEASE JOIN OUR DISCORD AND SUBSCRIBE THE ROLE TO RECEIVE LATEST NOTIFICATIONS!!
Click here -> https://discord.gg/S8c2kGVr2g
Comment