Chapter 46 – The First S-Rank Supporter (3)

“Kim Tae-yang!”

At Hyunbin’s shout, Kim Tae-yang snapped back to his senses. The monsters that had slipped past Hyunbin were charging toward him.

“Fuck!”

Kim Tae-yang swung his kukri, striking the neck of a monster that broke through.

‘What is that?’

Kim Tae-yang followed behind Hyunbin. He was covering his back, calmly following in his wake.

‘What the hell is this?’

Watching Hyunbin tear through the enemies ahead, Kim Tae-yang felt a chill run down his spine.

The strength he had seen from him before was nothing more than a joke in comparison.

Hoo, hoo.

Kim Tae-yang felt his breath grow ragged.

Before he knew it, Kim In-ho was by his side. The two of them fought desperately against the monsters, holding the line Hyunbin had created.

One by one, the other hunters came to their senses, startled by the sudden surge in monster numbers. But seeing the three hunters fighting to protect them at the front, they tightened their grip on their weapons and joined the battle.

It was a battle impossible even for a 4-star.

A 5-star, having completed its rank-up, was impossible without an S-rank. Knowing this, people fought on instead of fleeing. Even they couldn’t understand why.

Pshik, shuk!

Kwaaaang!

Finally, the soldiers joined in, their gun barrels heating up.

About a hundred monsters lay scattered like torn rags, and at last, Hyunbin stood before the dragon.

“Hello. Shall we introduce ourselves?”

Bathed in monster blood, Hyunbin raised the corners of his mouth, gazing lovingly at the walking pile of experience points.

* * *

As if for its introduction, the earth dragon shyly shot out its tentacles.

Quite an assertive personality.

I charged straight at it.

It stomped its foreleg at me.

Kwaang!

A shockwave and a cloud of dust washed over me. I readjusted my grip on Sword #1 and slashed at its foot.

Kkeueeo.

For something so huge, it’s quite the crybaby.

Crying just because it lost a few toes?

It’s learning a painful lesson for thinking I’m the same as before.

Right now, my strength alone is 141, surpassing the limit of 99.

It’s a superhuman figure.

Its tail flew at me like a giant whip, resembling a tidal wave.

Can I cut it?

-Savior Hero is activated.

-The more people you must protect, the higher your attack power increases.

-Current applied value: Attack Power +210%.

I can cut it.

I poured a massive amount of mana into my sword. My fingertips, gripping the hilt, filled with power. It felt like I could achieve anything I wanted.

A feeling that I could slice through a boulder if it were in front of me.

And this feeling doesn’t lie.

Pshik!

The earth dragon’s blood shot into the air before splashing onto the ground, releasing smoke.

Its tail was severed.

But I lost my weapon as well. As a price for cutting the dragon’s tough body, the longsword shattered.

“Sword #1, congratulations on your discharge.”

Now, I’m bare-handed.

It glared at me, now weaponless, with eyes full of hatred.

Its severed part was enveloped in light and regenerated in an instant.

The dragon had a “what are you going to do now” look on its face. No, to think I could read an expression on a reptile’s face. Is it because it’s intelligent?

It began to dance, trying to stomp me to death.

Kwaang, kwang!

The only things being crushed by its massive limbs were the already broken remains of buildings.

Utility poles shattered, scattering power lines across the ground, and shop signs were crushed beyond recognition.

I retreated, dodging its attacks. I felt scratches and tears on my body, but they healed in an instant.

Did I gain a regeneration ability? No, it’s probably Katrinne’s power.

Just the mana she sent me earlier must have taken a toll on her.

-Dispatching to the designated coordinates!

Just in the nick of time. I was getting tired of just dodging.

Along with Olivier’s voice, something rectangular fell from the sky.

A drone? Did they deliver it by drone?

The box tore apart, and the unidentified weapon inside flew precisely toward my head.

The moment I raised my hand and caught it, a brilliant light erupted from the sheath as a long blade emerged.

At first, I thought it was an awl.

But the emerging point quickly expanded into a surface, transforming into a large weapon with a wide breadth.

-A monomolecular sword currently in development. Also known as the Dragon Slayer.

It had a massive blade, but thanks to its thinness, it wasn’t as heavy as it looked.

-Hero’s Authority: Weapon Master is activated.

A Hero masters any weapon the moment they hold it, even if seeing it for the first time.

The beast is now opening its mouth wide, about to spew flames. If I can’t stop it, my teammates and countless other hunters will be burned to death.

Shuk!

The sensation of cutting through paper lingered in my hand.

Kraaaaaa!

I could hear the earth dragon’s roar.

I saw its snout, sliced by the monomolecular sword, split into four pieces and spurt blood.

This thing is amazing. I just cut it without much effort at all.

But it had its drawbacks.

This greatsword—no, it’s almost embarrassing to call it a greatsword—is incredibly thin.

It feels like paper. How many people could wield a weapon like this? If a regular hunter used it, it seems so fragile it would probably be a one-time-use weapon.

In other words, it has a limited number of uses.

‘But it’s enough.’

I charged at the earth dragon again.

It recognized that, unlike before, I was now extremely dangerous.

It roared loudly and shot out its tentacles.

Slice.

The earth dragon roared once more. Its tentacles flopped on the ground like live fish, spewing blood. Stomping over them, I rushed into its embrace.

It immediately raised a foreleg, attempting to crush me.

Will the durability hold? No problem yet.

I swung the monomolecular sword.

Shuk.

With a sharp, chilling sound, the earth dragon’s foreleg was severed. Losing its balance, the beast crashed to the ground with a thud.

Cheers erupted from behind me. It’s not over yet. This thing is as tenacious as it is large.

It was a battle of extremes: either my sword’s durability would run out, or its regeneration would.

Now, I have to go for the neck.

I put my strength into the sword, intending to use up all the monomolecular sword’s durability.

The earth dragon could fly. But since I kept tearing its body apart, it couldn’t do as it pleased.

Soon, it opened its mouth wide. The surrounding temperature suddenly rose.

The dragon’s breath was aimed at me—no, to be precise, at the people behind me.

I tried to strike its neck before it could unleash its breath, but its wing blocked my path like a shield.

Intelligent. Cunning.

By blocking a single attack, it set up its own gambit.

Kwaaaa!

A wedge of flames shot out, flying toward the defenseless, scattered hunters.

Kim Tae-yang’s pupils dilated. Seo Hyun-ji’s body froze.

And Katrinne, standing there with a calm expression, not even trying to dodge.

An unreal flood of fire swallowed everything.

I made a mistake.

It’s a dragon. A cunning, intelligent, destruction-loving demon.

Did it remember how I’d been fighting desperately to save people all this time?

Can I cut flames with a sword?

No, my sword skills haven’t recovered yet.

Should I block it with my body?

No, I might block the attack, but I wouldn’t be able to get up again.

Should I put people in my inventory right now?

No, it’s impossible without physical contact.

The moment the flames poured out, burning the air, I found the best solution.

The image of Katrinne’s body melting in the flames came to mind.

Even in this fleeting moment.

Like this.

Someone whispers in my ear.

A woman’s white hand traces a line in the air. And the ground flashes with light. A small baby is held in her arms.

No, I copied her with my own small, maple-leaf hands.

She, filled with warmth, whispers affectionately.

Just like that.

“Open Inventory.”

I don’t know when this memory is from.

No, I don’t even know if it’s my memory to begin with.

But I knew for certain.

“Expand Domain.”

I raised my hand and drew a line in the air.

The system recognized the pattern and expanded the skill.

The entire area around me changed.

Hexagonal blocks of light inscribed on the floor began to spread out in all directions.

Before I knew it, time slowed down and then stopped completely.

With only my consciousness accelerated, I stored everything within the domain.

Even though the inventory, which had grown with my level-ups, was now vastly expanded, I could feel its weight.

It felt as if a heavy load had been placed on my back.

I became aware of the myriad thoughts that had entered the inventory. Just as I felt myself falling into a tangled mess of confusion, like a knotted skein of thread, and everything around me began to grow dark…

Fwoosh!

The earth dragon’s flames incinerated the spot where the people had been.

A series of explosions repeatedly shook the earth.

The earth dragon belatedly realized that all the targets it had tried to swallow were gone.

I gripped the monomolecular sword.

The earth dragon frantically flapped its wings. Its body slowly rose, kicking up a storm of dust.

-Savior Hero is activated.

-The more people you must protect, the higher your attack power increases.

-Current applied value: Attack Power +1,800%.

With so many people stored in my inventory, the buff naturally skyrocketed.

The earth dragon shot out its tentacles to stop my approach.

I dodged.

The spot where a tentacle grazed my cheek burned as if seared by fire.

Another step.

It knew it couldn’t stop me now.

It swiped its claws at me.

Too late.

I had already broken through its guard.

Shuk!

At the same moment the monomolecular sword’s durability shattered, a line of blood was drawn across the earth dragon’s neck.

Soon, the line widened, and blood gushed out. The earth dragon gasped for breath as it slowly collapsed onto the ground.

-You have leveled up.

-You have leveled up.

-You have leveled up.

-Synchronization Rate has increased.

-You have leveled up.

…………………………….

Shedding the wings it had gained from its rank-up, the calamity met its end here.

* * *

-Hero?

A warrior with dark skin and sleek muscles laughs mockingly.

-Are there still old folks who believe in that kind of legend?

After first being summoned to this other world, I trained without knowing the first thing about what was going on.

-I’ve got to earn my pay, right? By making sure this young master doesn’t die.

She was extremely rough.

She pushed me, who had only ever studied, and pushed me again.

Even when my leg was broken, she made me run. Even when my hand was broken, she made me swing a sword.

They said the Demon King had to be defeated for me to go home.

I didn’t know why I had to swing a sword.

Because they revered me as the Hero?

Because if I didn’t do it properly, I’d be subjected to violence disguised as training?

It was pathetic, but honestly, I didn’t really know.

Why I had to endure such harsh training. But I kept at it.

Because there was nowhere to run.

-Not bad.

Even the warrior, who always had nothing but harsh words, bared her teeth in a smile.

-Listen up. Your sword only needs to be able to protect yourself. Just because you’re the Hero, you, who were dragged here against your will, don’t need to protect everyone.

After being summoned as the Hero, I was sent to my first war.

I had gone through hellish training until then. I knew I could die if I made a mistake, but strangely, I wasn’t scared.

And on the first day of the war, the warrior died.

The person who believed in me died.

The person who followed me died.

Several wars. Several battles.

I formed countless bonds, and countless bonds were severed.

I realized something fundamental.

I have to become stronger.

For the first time, a vague objective became a desired goal.

And I became strong.

I defeated the Demon King and brought peace to the continent.

And I came up with a new goal.

Just being strong isn’t enough.

I must become a symbol. And I must have a faction that supports me.

If I want to protect what is mine.

* * *

I opened my eyes.

It was noisy all around.

“Hunter Lee Hyunbin has just opened his eyes!”

“To all our viewers watching! The hero who stood before a calamity and protected everyone is right here!”

What the.

I was being carried on a stretcher. I’m pretty sure I just sliced the earth dragon’s neck?

Outside the ambulance, I could see the massive corpse of the earth dragon.

Rows of reporters. Officials holding them back.

I could hear the cheers of countless people chanting my name.

“Waaaaah!”

It was unfamiliar.

I took a short nap and woke up.

To find I had become the most famous person in Korea.