Arena

“It’s probably because while we were walking, they were running.”

“You bitch, this is all because of you, you maggot!”

“What, what did I...!”

Park Go-chan is threatening Lee Hye-su again. That behavior in this situation, it seems to have become a habit.

I come between the two of them and speak.

“Now is not the time for this, we have to keep moving. Thankfully, the bastards haven’t found out exactly where we are. That’s why they’re dispersed and are flipping through this whole forest.”

“Hyung, then what do we do?” 𝗳𝐫𝘦e𝘸𝗲𝚋𝓃𝚘v𝘦𝘭.𝑐𝒐m

Joon-ho’s voice is shaking. Why do you keep asking me? I’m going crazy too!

I can barely hold my shaking heart and speak.

“We have to move a bit faster. We have to move carefully so as not to run into them, and when we have no choice, we have to make our way by fighting through them.”

“Wouldn’t it be better to find a scary spot and just hide out in it?”

I shake my head at Park Go-chan’s question.

“Our traces will soon be picked up. From that point on, they will know where we move so before that happens, we have to burst through those that are surrounding us. “

“Our trace will be picked up? Hey, you, with what proof...”

“We grilled a fish earlier!”

“...!”

Park Go-chan instantly shuts up.

Did you think the red apes wouldn’t be able to pick up on the scent of a fire and a grilled fish?

It’s only a matter of time. When it is found, the scattered apes in the area will all head in our direction. Before then, we have to make it to a safe place.

“Sylph, show us the direction where the bastards aren’t.”

-Meow.

Sylph points with her front paw slightly left and ahead.

“Let’s go!”

At my words, the group begins to walk. Being in a tight situation, the groups walking is faster than it was before.

As our movement grew faster, it became obvious that it was growing difficult for her. But she looked like she was gritting her teeth and trying really hard to keep up. I think she is even more aware of everyone’s gaze because she was insulted by Park Go-chan earlier.

Because others may notice, I can’t even ask her if she is okay. Stepping on eggshells even amongst comrades... this doesn’t bode well.

No matter, that is a problem to be solved later. For now, we have to escape the current danger.

During our moving, I had un-summoned and repeatedly summoned Sylph in anticipation of a fight, but it was difficult keeping tracking and adjusting the summoning times. I was nervous whether I was un-summoning or summoning Sylph.

We were changing our direction accordingly and moving however Sylph told us to.

For an hour, we carefully avoided running into a red ape. And during that time, the red apes were narrowing down their field.

‘Well, this is practically their front lawn.’

As their search field got narrower, it became impossible to avoid the situation.

-Meow!

The once again summoned Sylph came back from scouting and told us the red apes’ location.

Ahead 312 meters, 25 red apes.

“It looks like we’ll have to fight.”

Our group summons its weapons and prepares to fight. Gripping a spear in each hand, Lee Hye-su worries me the most.

“Joon-ho. Protect her.”

“Yes, hyung.”

Kang Chun-seong will act alone in the front, Joon-ho and Park Go-chan will protect Lee Hye-su and work together to guard. I will be in the back and shooting. This is what I conceive in my head.

With our nervous tension we head forward.

“Sylph, tell me when they are within 55 meters.”

-Meow

The max distance on my magic rifle is 60 meters. I am thinking that I will strike first and shoot. As we forged ahead, the group begins to walk slower. Then....

-Meow!

Sylph sends me the signal.

I take out a fistful of bullets from the bag. I put one in the chamber, aim ahead, and pull the trigger.

The moment I shoot, Sylph adjusts the gun with her front paw.

Toong!

From afar, I can hear the cry of one of them.

“Ki-eek!”

“Ki-ik!”

In their surprise, the red apes are flustered.

I shift my feet and continue to shoot. There is no need to worry about my stance. If I shoot, Sylph aims for me.

Tong!

“Kek!”

Every time I shoot, I can hear a cry.

2 shots, 3 shots, 4 shots...

When I have shot and killed 5, the red apes get our location and come hurdling at us.

“Ha-!”

From our side, Kang Chun-seong runs forward, straight towards them.

Joon-ho and Park Go-chan do not dare copy it and instead, stay planted where they are and guard.

I continue to shoot and kill another 2.

Toong!

“Kik!”

Toong-puk!

With every recoil from the heavy rifle, another ape’s head or neck explodes, and the sight no longer feels so terrible.

The encounter begins.

Heading for Kang Chun-seong, the red apes come at him from the front and left and right. At that moment.

Puh puh puh puh puk!

Kang Chun-seong’s two fists almost move faster than the eyes can see. The red apes get punched and get flung. Such incredible power! This must be the aura control.

But then in that instant, a bastard falls down from the tree above and lands on Kang Chun-seong.

“Danger...!”

The second I try to warn him, Kang Chun-seong reflexively reacts. Gripping the ground with one hand and doing a handstand, he kicks the ape in the head!

Bbagak!

“Ki ekk!”

The neck gets twisted and the red ape dies instantly in midair.

The moment he tries to regain his stance, more red apes pile on him.

Kang Chun-seong is lying flat on the ground when he grabs an apes legs and knocks it to the ground, using two feet to kick it in its core and fling it. The flung red ape collides with the others and they fall to the ground.

He flicks up his body in a single breath and Kang Chun-seong again showers punches and is a big success. I’m not sure if he is a person, but he is invincible.

The bastards decide Kang Chun-seong is too much to handle.

They avoid Kang Chun-seong and head straight for us.

“They’re, they’re coming!”

Joon-ho gets tense and holds up his shield.

“Fuck, come at me!”

He yells in a strong voice, but Park Go-chan stumbles backwards.

“Hu hu huk....!”

With a spear in each hand flailing aimlessly, Lee Hye-su lets out a cry.

‘Damn!’

As the bastards came just a stone’s throw away my heart felt rushed.

The method of putting a lead bullet in the chamber and manually loading a gun has never felt so inconvenient.

Toong – puk!

One bastard dies as his head explodes.

I load and aim the gun, shoot.

Toong – pak!

“Kek!”

It hit it in the heart and fell backwards, spewing blood.

Park Go-chan and Joon-ho were quickly surrounded by red apes and had to put up a cutthroat fight.

Joon-ho was somewhat holding his ground with his shield but Park Go-chan was clumsily swishing his sword around and looked to be in a predicament. From behind them, Lee Hye-su pretended to stab with her spear, but it was no help at all.

“Sylph! Cut their throats!”

-Meow!

Flying like the wind, Sylph slit three of their throats at once.

“Ki eeek!”

One of them headed in my direction with its pickax.

“Kuk!”

In my alarm, I walk backwards. Because I was being attacked in such close quarters I didn’t have a moment to reload the gun. As a red ape came at me from the front and the back, I quickly call out.

“Sylph!”

-Meow!

Sylph returns to me and cuts with the wind.

Chwak, chwak, chwak – (swish, swish, swish)

The three red apes let out a fall of blood from their necks.

I barely escaped danger, but there isn’t a moment to breathe.

“Gyaak!”

Lee Hye-su has been attacked and fallen over.

“Miss Hye-su!”

In my haste, I run to her and hit the red ape with the butt of my rifle.

Bbuk!

“Ki ek!”

I hit it in the face and the red ape stumbles about.

The bastards continue to come at us from all direction. There is no time at all to load the gun!

“Get out of here, fuck!”

I yell out as I crazily swing the butt of my rifle around.

Puk!

“Aak!”

I thought I had avoided it, but a bastard has threw a rock and hit me in the left shoulder. Thank goodness I wasn’t hit in the head.

‘This won’t do!’

I take Lee Hye-su into my arms, who is still laying on the ground.

“Sylph! Lift us up!”

-Meow!

A sudden surge of wind. Caught up in the strong gust, Lee Hye-su and I are taken up towards the sky.

“Gyaak!”

Out of fright, Lee Hye-su screams.

“On top of the tree!”

Per my instruction, Sylph lands on a large tree right next to us.

“Hold on tight!”

After yelling at Lee Hye-su, I quickly load a lead bullet. Done!

I aim and shoot at the red ape attacking Joon-ho and Park Go-chan.

Toong – puk!

The crown of its head explodes, killing the red ape.

I continue to efficiently load and pull the trigger.

One ape, two apes!

When I have shot three, a couple of them begin to climb up the tree. Indeed, like their monkey appearance, they are extremely good at climbing.

“Miss Hye-su! Block the bastards! Just stab them with the spears!”

“Aaaak!”

In her panic, Lee Hye-su starts screaming and randomly stabbing with her spear.

The apes that were climbing are surprised and halt for a moment, then move over to a different branch and continue to come toward us.

In that time, I finish loading the gun and shoot at one.

Toong – puk!

“Ki ekk!”

The thing falls to the ground spewing blood from its neck.

But another two are attacking us. There is no time to reload.

I pull Lee Hye-su to me again.

“Sylph! Catch us!”

Lee Hye-su and I jump from the tree. When we land, the power of the wind gently sets us on the ground. After safely landing, I put down Lee Hye-su and once again fling around the butt of my rifle.

“Uh ak!”

I hear Joon-ho scream.

I’m surprised and look behind me to see that Joon-ho has lost his spear and is walking backwards. Blood was coming down his forehead. It seems he was hit in the head from a thrown rock.

“Sylph, wind knife!”

That second, Sylph threw her wind knife around everywhere

Chwak chwak chwak chwak –! (swish swish swish swish)

“Kek!”

“Kuh ek!”

“Ki ik!”

In an instant the three apes that had been attack us are on the ground.

With perfect timing, Kang Chun-seong, who had been active alone on the frontline, returns to us to help.

As Kang Chun-seong joined us, the remaining red apes didn’t easily attack us and hesitated.

‘Now’s the chance!’

I load the chamber and pull the trigger.

Toong – puk!

One bastard falls and dies.

The remaining red apes number just 4 beasts.

“Ki eeeek!”

“Ki eek!”

The bastads begin to run away in fright.

I feel reassured and the thought of shooting them in the back of their heads doesn’t even enter my mind.

The exhausted Joon-ho collapses, sitting on the floor, and Park Go-chan tries to catch his breath. Lee Hye-su looked like her soul has left her body and just blankly stares into space.

The only one keeping their cool was Kang Chun-seong whose two fists and body were drenched in blood. It is probably red apes’ blood.

Hold on, how much of Sylph’s power did I use?

“Board Retrieval. Skill Review.”

-Spirit summon (Main skill). Lower level wind spirit is currently summoned.

*Level 1: Summons period 2 hours (Remaining time: 24 minutes)

When the summon time is up, you may re-summon in 10 hours.

‘Just 24 minutes!’

I feel my heart drop to the floor.

Then again, I did use a lot of wind knives and went up and back down a tree using Sylph’s power.

Anyway, if a fight happens in this situation, the odds are unfavorable.

“There isn’t much summoning time left for Sylph. We have to hurry up and go!”

The bastards that escaped will return to their group.

We have to move without a moment to rest. We set off, nearly running.

From within the forest, here and there, scary yelling noises emanated. It was like they were signaling to each other that our location has been found.

At these sounds we ran, panting.

Suddenly I thought, perhaps this here is hell.