All Novel Full Chapter 177: Hunting (1)
Chapter 177: Hunting (1)
I secured the Tiger Bind Rifle, enhanced with the Midas Touch, against my back, slid a revolver into its holster, and loaded each chamber and cylinder with the carefully crafted bullets.
Click—!
I carried two rifle rounds and three revolver bullets inscribed with mana, along with a single mana grenade crafted using the latest techniques—highly concentrated and highly compressed. In the chaos of battle, there would be no time for reloading; therefore, that was all I needed.
I glanced at the clock; dawn had still to break, the hour still shy of four. Outside, a howling blizzard raged, the windowpane cloaked in darkness. A frown crept across my brow, drawn by an unnatural shadow from the curtain, and with a flick of Telekinesis, I swept the fabric aside.
Swish—!
I stood still and gazed beyond the window frame.
“Ha,” I muttered, a faint laugh slipping out of me as it was almost ridiculous to find out what was there.
“Snore… Snore.”
There, leaning against the window and buried almost entirely in snow, was a child, sound asleep. I moved slowly toward her.
The child’s small face, resembling a snowman, caught my eye—hair frozen with frost, her eyes, nose, and lips sealed by the cold. I looked into her features, an unknown from some distant part of the Archipelago, her name slipping away into the past.
“… They do look similar,” I murmured.
I could tell that the child’s creation was likely one of her Easter eggs that she had probably left behind. Adding an NPC in one’s own image—whether as an original character or simply for self-satisfaction—was a common practice in this field. Of course, if taken too far, it could quickly invite criticism.
Just then, the child stirred, and frozen eyelids slowly opened. My reflection flickered in her half-lidded eyes, and she pressed her lips tightly together, her chin trembling with the effort to hold back the cold under my stare.
“… My gun,” she whimpered, her voice filled with a tearful complaint.
I pulled the curtains shut.
Tap, tap, tap— Tap, tap, tap—
From outside, I heard the child pounding on the window once more.
Tap, tap, tap— Tap, tap, tap—
“Give me my gun back~! You’re so mean~!”
***
“… Woah.”
Outside the wall of Rekordak, in the Forest of Demonic Forest, Ria held a small piece of paper against the glow of mana. Undeniable marks of authenticity glimmered across its surface, and even the endless string of numbers didn’t appear to be fabricated or forged.
How many chocolates and macarons can I get with this? Ria thought.
With her heart soaring, Ria spun around in circles, her joy almost spilling over as if she were dancing at a festival.
Yukline Family Check
10,000,000∃
“Hehehe…”
Though the Tiger Bind Rifle had been stolen—no, forced to be sold—it was far from a loss. If anything, it was a relief that it had ended up with Deculein.
No matter how much of a treasure it was, its value always dropped when there was no demand, and for such a niche item as the Tiger Bind Rifle to result in such a high price was an outcome that should never have been possible.
“Hehehe…”
Ria sealed the check with mana and tucked it into her pocket before sprinting after Deculein, who was already far ahead, his long strides carrying the Tiger Bind Rifle slung across his back. Also, this Daeho hunt reward was essential—one Ria couldn’t afford to miss as a player. Clearing it was a necessity, not an option. For this reason, she had purposely sought out Deculein.
Ria trailed behind Deculein, stealing glances at him.
Deculein had an appearance that made it seem impossible to ever please him—cold as winter frost, sharp as a blade, the kind of man whose single word could cut as deeply as any weapon. Though he bore a striking resemblance to Kim Woo-Jin for Ria, he was a completely different person—no, a named character.
Or perhaps, deep down, she simply wanted an excuse to get a closer look at his face.
“Shh
.”In that instant, Deculein held out his arm, and Ria, startled, stopped in her tracks.
Grrrrrrrrrr—!
A deep roar from Daeho rumbled through the air, and in an instant, Wood Steel leapt into motion and surged toward the sound.
“I’m sorry, but is it okay not to tell anyone at the headquarters…?” Ria asked hesitantly.
Deculein had sent his blade to track Daeho alone, informing no one and calling for no support. Ria couldn’t shake her concern; although he had definitely grown stronger compared to the game’s original scenario, he wasn’t the kind of man to throw himself recklessly into a tiger’s den.
Suddenly, Deculein turned to look at Ria, his piercing eyes sharp enough to cut her down like a blade.
“… Okay,” Ria muttered, quickly nodding and keeping her lips sealed.
Deculein finally opened his mouth and said, “The sniping range exceeds ten kilometers.”
“… Eh?”
“Certain aspects of Telekinesis are specialized for shooting; they stabilize trajectories and amplify force.”
At the moment of firing, Telekinesis would be applied to the bullet, creating a synergy between the explosion of the powder and the force of the telekinesis. This combined power would propel the bullet well beyond the speed of sound, ensuring it struck the tiger before it could dodge.
“Once its position is locked, an unavoidable preemptive shot will follow,” Deculein concluded.
Ria nodded in agreement, thinking that if it had been possible to kill Daeho with a single shot, it would have been a reasonable approach.
“… Can Daeho really be killed by a single bullet?” Ria asked.
“Five shots will be fired in succession.”
“I see…” Ria muttered, now understanding his intention.
“Furthermore, it is inconceivable that Daeho could exceed me in intelligence,” Deculein stated.
“… Eh? Intelligence?”
Thud, thud—
Deculein climbed the mountain in silence, dressed in a clean suit and polished shoes that seemed mismatched with the surroundings, his eyes scanning for the ideal position for the perfect sniper’s vantage.
Just then…
“Professor~”
A voice called out from the top of the towering demonic energy tree. Ria and Deculein looked up, and, as expected, Ganesha was there.
“It’s so good to see you again~ I wonder how long it’s been?” Ganesha said, looking at Deculein while fluttering her hair.
“Where is the half-human, half-demon?” Deculein inquired.
“I’ve hidden him away. Now isn’t the time to be distracted by Carlos, right?” Ganesha said, leaping down to the ground.
Ria quietly moved to her side and stood next to Ganesha.
“We will assist you with the Daeho hunt,” Ganesha offered.
“No need,” Deculein said.
“… Even if I went at it with all my strength, I couldn’t guarantee victory against him myself. I’m pretty sure you won’t be able to handle it alone, Professor~”
Deculein said nothing, his eyes locked on Ganesha as he stared directly into her eyes.
“If you provide cover, Professor, and I handle the combat, wouldn’t that be perfect~?” Ganesha asked.
Deculein remained silent.
Whoosh—
A cold tension hung between the two, so heavy that Ria swallowed hard, the weight of it pressing down on her.
Suddenly, Deculein turned toward Ria, and, meeting his eyes, she responded with a smile.
“Is this fool joining us as well?” Deculein asked.
“Fool? Fooool?!”
Ganesha gently patted Ria’s small head as she stood there, mouth open in shock, and said, “Of course. Ria is such an exceptionally gifted child~ It won’t be long before she’s stronger than me~”
***
… Meanwhile, as Yulie finished her morning exercise, she received the shocking news that Deculein’s assistant professor, Allen, had been attacked by Daeho.
“Is that really true?!” Yulie demanded.
“Yes! It’s true!” Reylie exclaimed urgently, her face a mix of shock and panic. “They said Assistant Professor Allen was dragged off by a tiger! They even found a blood-stained piece of his robe!”
Without wasting a moment, Yulie grabbed her sword, tied her hair back, and strapped on her leather armor. The moment she stepped out toward the wall, she spotted Sirio and Ihelm. The two were talking to the scouts, their expressions uneasy. Yulie’s eyes immediately fixed on the object in Ihelm’s hand: a torn, blood-soaked robe.
Without wasting any time, as soon as Yulie heard the news, she tied her hair back, fastened her leather armor, and grabbed her sword.
The moment she stepped toward the wall, Yulie caught sight of Sirio and Ihelm. They were speaking with a scout, their faces shadowed with unease. But Yulie’s eyes were drawn to Ihelm’s hand, where he held a torn robe, dark with fresh blood and shredded.
“… These seem to be his belongings,” Ihelm said, running a hand through his hair.
“Ihelm, Sirio, what happened?” Yulie asked as she hurried toward them.
“Oh, you’re here,” Ihelm said, clicking his tongue and shaking his head. “It seems that Deculein’s assistant has been attacked by the tiger.”
Ihelm carefully stored the robe in a pouch sealed with mana. If the rumors of the attack by Daeho were true, survival seemed doubtful for Allen. Therefore, Ihelm chose to preserve the belongings as a tribute Deculein could claim upon his return.
“Where did Professor Deculein go?” Yulie asked.
Ihelm pressed his lips together, his expression marked by hesitation.
Sirio scratched the back of his neck and replied, “He must have been really angry. They say he stormed off at dawn without saying a word.”
“I never would have expected this from him, considering his nature. It seems he left without much preparation— even the horse he arrived on is still here,” Ihelm added.
“Open the gate!” Yulie said, wasting no time as she turned to the guard.
“… Sorry? Oh—”
“Quickly!”
The guard, caught off guard, nodded and opened the gate in the wall.
Creeeeak—
As the gate creaked open with the gear turning, Sirio turned to Ihelm and said, “Hey, Helmet, take care of the assistant professor’s friends. You’ll be nothing but an easy target as a mage, anyway…”
“Don’t call me Helmet. I’ll take care of them, don’t worry,” Ihelm replied, wrinkling his nose.
“Alright, we’ll be back,” Sirio said with a chuckle.
Sirio tied back his long hair tightly, fastening the laces of his armor and boots. Meanwhile, Yulie grew increasingly anxious, her feet impatiently tapping the ground, moving from one foot to the other as she waited for the gate to open.
“Hey, what’s going on?!”
“Did Professor Deculein really leave without saying anything?!”
From the main building behind them, other knights began to appear one by one. The moment a gap opened in the gate, Yulie and Sirio shot forward like bullets, and naturally, the rest of the knights gathered around Ihelm.
“Mage Ihelm, may I ask what has happened?”
“Why did Professor Deculein leave in such anger? For what reason?”
“… Why are knights always so quick to chase after rumors?” Ihelm muttered, a frown creasing his brow as he tucked the fragment of Allen’s robe into his pocket. “You’ll only get in the way if you go out there, so stay here and keep to yourselves.”
“What did you just say?”
“Hey, Ihelm, do you not remember the old days at the Imperial Palace?”
The imperial knights bared their teeth, ready to confront him, but Ihelm dismissed them with little more than a glance and exhaled a deep sigh, his thoughts wandering to Deculein’s assistant, whom he had seen just the night before.
He was always the one with that bright smile, Ihelm thought.
“… Sigh.”
Ihelm thought of Deculein, who must have rushed out the moment he found traces of his assistant, and imagined the storm of emotions that must have consumed him.
“I always thought he was nothing but rational, with no regard for emotions.”
That Deculein, known for his stoicism, had lost his composure, consumed by a fury so great it blinded him to reason. Then again, it was no surprise—he had worked alongside his assistant for years.
“… You’re human too, after all,” Ihelm murmured, his eyes distant as they lingered on the wall, understanding all too well the sorrow of losing a protégé—a wound he had borne himself.
“Tch.”
Ihelm turned and walked away, the fragment of a robe carefully secured inside his own, the belongings of someone now lost—or rather, soon to be found, perhaps as a corpse.
“Hey! Is it true or not—did Professor Deculein really go out alone?!”
As he entered the main building, more knights asked for an explanation, but he chose not to respond, as maintaining silence to protect someone’s personal matters was a fundamental courtesy for a mage—one he saw no need to break.
“Hey, Helmet! Ihelm! You little bastard, you!”
***
In the thick darkness of the unexplored region, Deculein stood on a rocky outcrop in the open field, his tailored coat rippling in the wind. With Wood Steel under his control, he methodically pinpointed the location of Daeho.
… Grumble.
Deculein kept a safe distance, knowing that Daeho would take only a second or two to close the gap from ten kilometers away. The bullet, however, would reach its target in far less time.
Click—
The sound of a lunchbox lid being opened interrupted his thoughts. Ganesha and Leo were with the Daeho Tracking Unit, while Ria had been assigned to Deculein’s Protection Unit. There was still some time before the situation would escalate.
“Professor, would you like to eat some?” Ria asked.
Deculein turned to her in silence, his eyes narrowing as they settled on her. Ria flinched, a shiver running down her spine. It wasn’t just the icy chill in his stare—it was the way he bore a striking resemblance to Kim Woo-Jin.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t do anything if I’m hungry—that’s just how I am…”
It was the Balanced Diet attribute she had, as when hungry, physical stats such as strength and endurance would decrease, though mana would remain unchanged.
On a full stomach, however, these stats could increase by up to one and a half times. Eating three meals a day on time would completely eliminate any penalties. It was one of the first things she learned upon obtaining the Attribute Catalog.
“Nom nom nom.”
As Ria finished half of her lunch within five spoonfuls…
Clink—!
At the sound of the hammer being pulled back, Ria, who had been focused on her meal, quickly stood and turned toward Deculein. In silence, she watched as the rifle’s muzzle pointed toward a distant, invisible point beyond the dim horizon, shrouded in thunderclouds.
Tick—
As Deculein rested his finger on the trigger, a gentle breeze stirred, rustling the leaves of the forest. In the quiet tension that followed, Ria swallowed hard.
“Send words to Ganesha that we will take the first move,” Deculein ordered.
“Can you see Daeho?”
“I see him. It’s crouching in the bushes, watching Ganesha.”
“Yes, Professor. I will send her the message,” Ria said, pulling out a crystal orb.
The moment she did, Ganesha responded immediately.
— I heard you. We’re watching him too. Looks like he’s watching us as well~
“Got it! Professor, you heard her, right?”
Deculein gave a slight nod, his eyes locked on distant Daeho. A moment later, his finger pressed steadily against the trigger.
Just as he prepared to initiate the attack with a sudden sniper shot, Deculein’s eyes widened, and the air grew thick with tension and murderous intent, as a burst of artificial wind erupted from the ground.
Without hesitation, Deculein pulled the trigger.
Bang—! Bang—!
The sudden, unprepared shot rang out, sending twin shockwaves that shook the heavens and earth, and the air tore apart with a deafening roar—abrupt and brutally intense.
“Ahh!”
At the same moment, as if chasing the bullet’s path, the massive form of Daeho launched into the air. From the distant ground below, it stormed upward with a sudden burst, closing the ten-kilometer gap in a flash.
In the blink of an eye, Deculein discarded his rifle, drew his revolver, and gripped the handle tightly before firing three rounds in rapid fire.
Bang—!
The rifle’s bullet struck the tiger’s shoulder, while the revolver’s rounds grazed its eyes and brow. However, driven by mana at lightning speed, the tiger had already closed the gap, its massive form now looming just inches away.
“No—”
Daeho pounced with its massive jaws wide open as Ria leapt to her feet and dashed toward Deculein. Without hesitation, she pushed him aside and placed herself directly in the beast’s path. But just as the attack seemed certain, a faint smile appeared on Deculein’s lips.
For a moment, Ria froze, her body locked in place as she stared at him in stunned silence.
As if the world had slowed to a crawl, Deculein looked right into the tiger’s eyes and said, “Did you really think I wouldn’t know?”
Groar—!
Sensing danger, Daeho’s face twisted, and the beast, which had been barreling toward Deculein, abruptly changed direction toward Ria. For Ria, who was rushing toward Deculein, the attack was inevitable. But this time, Deculein moved first.
“Hmm.”
Even in such a critical moment, Deculein remained composed. With a quiet exertion, he drove his arm into the tiger’s gaping maw, stepping in to shield Ria.
Crack—!
Daeho’s jaws sank deep into Deculein’s arm, a sickening crunch echoing from within its maw, followed by a metallic clang that sounded like the pull of a pin in its mouth.
Up to here, it was perhaps no more than a second…
Ria watched Deculein, who stood in front of her to protect her. However, that wasn’t entirely accurate—he wasn’t just there to protect her.
But…
“I’ve placed a grenade in your mouth. Brace yourself.”
Deculein had planned this from the start.