072 – Haildo Releases a Squirrel Beast in a T-Rank Rift! #2
I suited up well.
I was wearing the latest engineered suit made from the skin of an anteater that I had acquired not long ago.
I checked my equipment list again.
“Potion. Rope—.”
Good.
I’ve got everything I need.
It felt like the day before a picnic.
I looked at the entrance of the T-Rank rift right in front of me.
It cut through the sea off Gangneung, distorting the landscape like a massive iceberg.
We boarded a boat and headed toward the rift.
Wooooo—
For a moment, I felt all the organs in my body jar as we entered—
I was struck by the blazing scenery that unfolded before my eyes.
A river of flames was flowing right in front of me.
Was this what it would be like if a place called Hell existed?
The environment of the T-Rank rift was truly extraordinary.
If it weren’t for my newly fitted anteater leather suit, I would have been boiled alive in the heat.
Seo Ye-rim stepped forward as if the scorching environment didn’t bother her at all.
She touched a tar-like substance that was soaking the ground and lightly explained the situation.
“This rift in the East Sea is part of ‘Land of Flames – Muspelheim.’ Fire giants predominantly appear here, and the danger level is each A-Rank, so it’s best not to let your guard down.”
Muspelheim, the land of flames.
When I thought it had a magnificent name, the outlaw Cash pulled out a pistol from her waist and her eyes sparkled.
“The T-Rank rifts in Korea resemble Viking legends! The T-Rank rifts in our American land are filled with mummies wrapped in bandages and monsters with dog heads!”
I had heard that the feeling of rifts opening varied from country to country.
In Korea, rifts typically featured elves and shattered worlds they inhabited.
In contrast, it seemed that deserts filled with mummies predominantly appeared in America.
I wondered why the environmental characteristics of the rifts differed by country.
While pondering this, I retrieved Kkungkkungi from my waist.
“Kkungkkungi. How are you? You okay?”
In this sweltering hell of heat, Kkungkkungi hopped around with excitement.
Seeing that, the outlaw Cash made a sound of admiration.
“So cute!”
Of course, Kkungkkungi was cute.
Just then—
Grrr—!
Kkungkkungi’s fur stood on end.
Soon, a rock that was glowing with molten lava began to move with a dull sound in front of us.
Finally, as it completely rose up, its height was about 4 meters, blazing like a living flame.
This thing was an A-Rank demon known as the Fire Giant—
An imposing and powerful presence.
“Kkungkkungi! Let’s go!”
I drew the beam saber at my waist.
At the same time, I deployed my magical energy.
Shssss—
My magical energy spread from the ground.
Kkungkkungi’s movements sped up in response.
“Go! Kkungkkungi!”
Grrr…!
I had heard that when fighting giants, it was better to concentrate firepower in a short time.
If the firepower deployment was delayed, the giants would call for their companions, complicating the situation.
Boom—
Finally, Kkungkkungi leapt into the air.
It climbed from the giant’s leg to its neck.
“Gale Kkungkkungi Slash!”
Boom—
Kkungkkungi bit its own tail and swung fiercely in attack.
Bang—!
At last, with a powerful impact, the Fire Giant staggered.
Crumble—. Crack crack crack—
The giant dropped chunks of rock from its body like broken cookies.
Grrrr—
It straightened one knee that had buckled and stood firm again.
“I was thinking of decapitating it in one blow.”
The durability of a body made of burning rock seemed high.
It was the expected outcome.
“Kkungkkungi! Come back for now!”
Shsss—
I called Kkungkkungi back for a moment to regroup.
The American S-Rank hunter Cash was surprised to see that.
“Such immense power! The rumors must have been true! To inflict damage on an A-Rank giant!”
Even though I hadn’t taken down the giant, it seemed that delivering enough damage to an A-Rank was considered a high evaluation.
Well—
Thinking of how Kkungkkungi had wounded the troll king Kurish, who had no answer except for bombs at that time—I felt it was indeed an impressive feat.
Zzz—
At that moment, someone peeked out of my bag.
It was an emperor ant with three horns.
Was it asking to be let out?
“Alright! Ahn Ahn! It’s your turn!”
Shsss—
I grasped Ahn Ahn with my hand.
And I quickly rubbed its smooth and firm shell with my hand.
With that, Ahn Ahn’s body shone even brighter with golden light, and when it peaked, I threw it like a pitcher filled with bases in the ninth inning.
“Ant Railgun!”
Pshh—
The magically enhanced Ahn Ahn flew like a laser beam.
It pierced right through the heart of the Lava Giant and swooshed back, flapping its wings to return to my shoulder.
Crack—
The giant crumbled into dust.
Grrrr—
Seeing that, Seo Ye-rim was quite surprised.
“Fighting by leveraging animals is oddly strong, huh? Took down an A-Rank? This is more than I expected! Haildo, when did you get this strong?”
“Huff, huff—.”
Instead of answering, I took a breath.
I had consumed a lot of magical energy.
Though I had drunk a potion made from the well water at home to replenish my internal magical energy, it seemed I lacked some stamina after using my finishing moves twice in a row.
Just then—
Ssss, ssss—
Lava erupted from the ground.
Five giants.
They sprang out simultaneously.
Just after barely defeating an A-Rank monster, now five appeared at once?
Is this what T-Rank rifts were like?
I was left breathless.
“Can we fight?”
Cash asked me.
If I wanted to act cool, I should say “Of course!” but honestly, I felt like taking a rest for more than ten minutes.
It would also be good to let Kkungkkungi and Ahn Ahn rest.
Since both Seo Ye-rim and Cash were veteran S-Ranks, they seemed to grasp my condition well. They advanced toward the giants in front of them and took down all five within five minutes.
“Ye-rim! I took down three!”
“What are you talking about? Didn’t the last one die from my firebomb?”
I felt astonished at the thought of them competing to see who could take down more despite struggling to give it their all against just one.
Truly, the wall of S-Rank felt high and distant.
# # #
In the end, I only managed to take down one A-Rank giant.
The T-Rank rift was thoroughly wrecked by Cash and Seo Ye-rim, while I got to enjoy observing the capabilities of S-Rank Awakened from behind.
“Is this the ‘Fragment of Catastrophe’ that is said to only appear in Korea?”
The core of the East Sea rift was the fiery flame itself.
Among us, the only person who could touch it was Seo Ye-rim, who handled flames.
Shssss—
Once Seo Ye-rim’s hand touched it, the flames diminished, revealing a completely blackened stone.
“This stone is said to possess energy equivalent to a power plant! Unbelievable!”
Cash seemed fascinated by this ‘Fragment of Catastrophe,’ which was a key material in Korea’s 5th industry.
I was also intrigued.
This was my first time seeing it up close.
Seo Ye-rim, who had prepared a storage box, carefully placed the rock, which was as big as a human head, inside it.
“It’s said to be a fragment of the monster Surtr. Although it’s called the ‘Fragment of Catastrophe,’ it generates an enormous amount of eco-friendly energy, so it’s a blessing for us.”
Indeed.
The reason Korea could lead the way in the 5th industry was precisely because rifts like this opened up, allowing us to acquire such valuable materials.
Anyway.
The exploration of the T-Rank rift had come to an end.
I only felt relieved when we finally made it safely out of the rift.
Thump—
An outlaw Cash patted me on the back.
“Mr. Haildo! It was great to see your skills!”
“Kkungkkungi is impressive, right?”
“While K-squirrel is amazing, your briefing and exploration skills are also exceptional! Truly the mark of a veteran hunter! You’re B-Rank, but you wouldn’t have trouble even at B-Rank!”
S-Rank hunter ranked 15th.
Receiving praise from someone high up made me feel good.
A gentle laugh from Cash followed.
“Are you not interested in firearms? If you could support the animals from a distance, you could develop your skills even further! In Kentucky, even seven-year-olds shoot guns!”
Indeed—
Cash was a Southern woman from America, where everyone seemed to carry firearms.
“Anyway, it was nice to meet you!”
Shssss—
Soon, Cash opened her arms and pulled me into a hug.
“Eh?”
I was taken aback.
Hugging a woman?
Is this American style?
It was very open and free.
And as expected from a big country, she felt like she had a big capacity!
“Hey! What’s this sudden hug! Why are you just grabbing me like that!”
Shssss—
Seo Ye-rim pulled Cash away from me.
Cash then looked at us with curiosity.
“In Kentucky, this is just a casual greeting!”
Is that so!
I had often heard from a young age that Americans hug and kiss on the cheeks as a form of greeting, so that made sense.
“Hey. Haildo. We need to report on the T-Rank rift hunting. Since this is the first time, you should watch and learn how I do it. It’s best not to mess up later.”
“Then I will go catch a squirrel!”
Cash headed toward Primal Village, and I followed Seo Ye-rim to report on the rift hunt.
Vroom—
The car that started in Gangneung.
Inside, Seo Ye-rim spoke.
“Did you see that? Cash is completely unpredictable.”
Is that so?
I wasn’t sure.
I’d heard rumors that outlaw Cash was quite rude, but meeting her in person didn’t seem like that at all.
Rather, she didn’t come off as a rough Southern woman but rather quite down-to-earth and relatable.
Moreover, her advice about using firearms was somewhat appealing.
What kind of gun would suit me?
A sleek, tactical automatic pistol?
A charming revolver?
A manly shotgun?
A powerful assault rifle with stopping power?
Or perhaps a professional sniper rifle?
It might be worth pondering seriously at least once.
The more cards you can handle, the better it is.
# # #
“The outlaw is in contact with Senior Haildo? They’re exploring the T-Rank rift together?”
In a dark room, Dr. Yu Ara was hearing a shocking report from S-Rank Awakened Cha Yura.
The contact between Haildo and the Awakened Cash, dispatched from America.
Yu Ara naturally came up with one thought.
“Isn’t there a rumor that America is currently trying to scout promising Awakened from various countries? Since high-ranked Awakened are under close government surveillance, I’ve heard they’re pulling out lower-tier promising ones.”
Perhaps Cash was trying to pull the promising Haildo back to America.
Haildo was a guy with extraordinary potential.
At least Yu Ara thought so, which is why she considered her thoughts to be right.
“Hmm? What did you say?”
Shsss—
Cha Yura, who had been repeatedly licking a candy, noticed Yu Ara’s gaze and began babbling.
“This? It’s ‘Honey Ant Honey Candy’ sold by the Nymphs at the sponsorship event! It’s super tasty! They sell it for 500 won! I’m not really fond of candy, you know? But this is good!”
“I see.”
Cha Yura continuously licked the candy.
Watching her, Yu Ara thought that the S-Rank Awakened in Korea had some odd qualities, making them unreliable.
Indeed, only the hidden ‘S-Rank agents’ like herself could protect Korea and, furthermore, Haildo.
With such thoughts, Yu Ara picked up the phone.
“Hey, it’s me. I think I might need to take a few days off. There’s a place I need to go. Yeah.”
