NOVEL NEXT Chapter 13
Chapter 13. Giant Monster (4)
“Uagh!”
The exhausted man was struck by the beak of the giant monster.
Clang!
He dropped his weapon to the floor and stepped back, but behind him stood the giant chicken blocking the way.
He was completely stuck in between.
“Caw-caw!”
The giant monster approached the helpless heroes.
Yoo Ji-han spoke to Kim Si-hu.
“Let’s join the fight. You help that party.”
“Got it!”
With the decision made, there was no need to hesitate.
Kim Si-hu quickly focused his mana at the tip of his staff.
[Wind Bomb]
Hoooom—
It took three seconds for the mana the size of a grain of sand to grow to the size of a golf ball, then to a watermelon.
The wind bomb generated in just three seconds dangled from his staff.
It resembled what he had shown when teaching Yoo Ji-han magic, but the process and use were completely different spells.
Kim Si-hu threw it between the party and the giant monsters facing each other.
Pwooom!
The wind bomb exploded right in front of the giant monster.
Whoooosh—!!
The compressed winds released around it, sending debris into the sky.
Even the small-sized giant monster was no exception.
“Caw-caw!”
“Gack, gack…!”
The giant monster at the front was sent flying away.
The others struggled to keep their thin toes gripping the ground as tightly as possible.
For the heavily armored humans, their hair and clothes were whipping around fiercely, but for the giant monster, the force was enough to lift it off the ground.
“Cuckoo….”
The giant chicken that was watching them narrowed its eyes.
It was becoming displeased.
Yoo Ji-han rushed forward before the chicken could make a move.
“What’s with the heavy attitude?”
The monster chicken turned its head towards Yoo Ji-han.
It raised its neck feathers and thrust its head forward.
It bobbed its head back and forth as if it was about to attack with its beak if he got any closer.
Yoo Ji-han watched its every movement without blinking.
His heart raced faster than usual.
Flap!
It suddenly flapped its wings violently and leaped into the air.
It was impossible to fly freely, but just like an ordinary chicken, it could momentarily float in the air.
“Caw-caw!!”
The leaping monster chicken let out a loud screech and thrust its massive chicken foot forward.
That foot was big enough to snatch a human’s head clean off!
It aimed for Yoo Ji-han’s head.
Clang!
“Ugh!”
Yoo Ji-han blocked the chicken’s claws with his sword.
But the giant chicken clutched his sword with its foot and kept flapping its wings.
As if it were trying to snatch the sword away.
Flap! Flap!
The chicken pulled back on his sword while hovering in the air.
Yoo Ji-han’s muscles bulged as he pulled back on the sword in the opposite direction.
“Caw, caw-caw!”
“Let go, you bastard!”
The two were locked in a tense battle of strength.
The wind from the flapping wings whipped Yoo Ji-han’s hair and stirred up dust from the ground.
“Cockoo…?!”
The giant chicken was visibly surprised to see that Yoo Ji-han wasn’t being pushed back at all.
“Let go!”
At that moment, Kim Si-hu, who had sent the other giant monsters flying away, shouted.
At the same time, translucent arrows flew toward Yoo Ji-han!
Timing it perfectly, he released his grip on the sword and rolled on the ground.
Swish, swish!
Following Kim Si-hu’s delicate gestures with the staff, the Wind Arrows snatched the sword from the air and pursued the retreating monster chicken.
It was almost like a guided missile.
Thwack!
Eventually, the arrows lodged themselves in the giant chicken’s massive body and wings.
The arrow that aimed for its head got stuck in its beak.
‘Gotcha!’
Fortunately, the feathers covering the enemy’s body weren’t thick enough to repel Kim Si-hu’s magic attack.
Perhaps due to the greater impact than expected, the creature staggered in the air and came crashing down to the ground.
“Caw, caw-caw….”
The energy that formed the arrows dissipated around, and blood poured out from the empty arrow hole in the giant chicken’s beak.
While Yoo Ji-han had succeeded in disarming it, it had suffered even greater harm.
“Here!”
Thwack!
Yoo Ji-han caught the sword sheath thrown by Kim Si-hu and immediately drew his sword.
It was a weapon used by another party.
He smiled widely and waved the new sword at the chicken, which was staring at him.
“That’s yours now!”
“Caw-caw!!”
The giant chicken, having snatched the sword away, noticed Yoo Ji-han mocking it and became furious.
As Kim Si-hu’s arrows flew in from the side, the monster leaped into the air to dodge them.
It didn’t stop flapping its wings as it continued to fly upward.
“I knew it.”
[Haste]
The Sylph in Yoo Ji-han’s pocket emitted a faint glow.
The air of the wind gently enveloped his entire body.
Flap! Flap! Flap!
The chicken soared even higher than before, folding its wings as it dove down.
What extended toward him was not its claws but its yellow beak.
“Oh no…!”
Kim Si-hu swung his staff upward in a hurry.
[Fire Wall]
Fwoosh!
A blazing curtain of fire erupted from the ground between Yoo Ji-han and the giant chicken.
However, the giant chicken didn’t care about its feathers getting scorched; it powerfully broke through the barrier.
‘Should I dodge? ……No.’
If he failed to respond here, someone behind him would get hurt.
Yoo Ji-han quickly concentrated all his attention on the rapidly closing distance with the giant monster.
That beak had the destructive power to easily pierce through leather armor.
There was no guarantee that all of his strength could adequately block such a strike.
‘What can I do now? What’s the best option?’
In that instant, Yoo Ji-han continuously used sampling while watching the approaching giant chicken.
How likely was it to block that attack directly from the front?
Which part should he block with the sword for the most effective defense?
“…!”
The conclusion he reached was not simple defense but a counterattack.
<—Probability of evading the attack if lying flat on the ground>
<79%>
“Eek!”
As he stared at the giant chicken about to collide with him, he flattened himself forward just before the impact!
Swoosh—!
The yellow beak barely missed the top of his head by 2-3 centimeters.
Successful evasion!
Immediately, he raised his sword upward from beneath the chicken.
Slash!
The sword he swung sliced through the chicken’s legs.
The creature, having missed its attack and passed right by him, slammed into the ground and skidded to a stop.
“Caw-caw, oof…!”
The giant chicken, flailing on the ground, could no longer lift itself up even if it tried to flap its wings.
It had lost its legs and completely lost its balance.
A Wind Arrow, released by Kim Si-hu still hovering above, aimed down at the monster.
“Phew….”
Yoo Ji-han wiped the cold sweat from his forehead with his knuckles as he walked toward it.
“I wonder if it’ll taste good if I fry this one.”
“Caw-caw! Caw, caw-caw!!”
Thump! Thump!
The Wind Arrow lodged itself in the head of the screeching giant chicken.
Yet, despite not dying and still flailing, Yoo Ji-han delivered several swift strikes against its head with his sword.
*
Yoo Ji-han dropped his sword, now stained with the chicken’s blood and feathers, onto the ground.
No matter who the weapon belonged to, they’d probably forgive him for this level of mess.
Kim Si-hu walked over to him.
“Hyung, I’m sorry.”
“What are you apologizing for?”
“I should have done a better job stopping it from getting in…”
Kim Si-hu trailed off.
He seemed a bit gloomier for not being able to halt the giant chicken’s charge in the end.
“It’s fine, buddy.”
Smack!
Yoo Ji-han lightly slapped Kim Si-hu’s back with his palm.
It was a gesture to tell him not to worry too much.
‘This much is commendable.’
He thought Kim Si-hu’s attempt to stop the enemy in that brief moment was quite impressive.
For a hero who had just jumped into the real battle, such judgment at that moment was no small feat.
It was surprising that he used magic of a different property so swiftly, which wasn’t even of the wind attribute.
‘And I….’
Could it be that he could now be called the main dealer of some party?
While he was thinking this, other heroes approached him.
“Thank you so much for your help!”
“Let’s all get out of here for now.”
The party of “Sweet Fun” supported their injured members as they exited the barrier.
The corpse of the giant chicken was too big to fit in a bundle, so they could only drag it along the ground.
“Whoa?”
“What’s that?!”
The parties waiting outside were jolted to see the giant chicken being dragged in.
Some people drew their weapons, mistaking it for a living creature due to its head being turned backward.
“Injured person! Injured person! Bring a stretcher!”
“Hey, party over there! Wait a moment!”
The officials from the Hero Department, having rushed in, placed the injured person on a stretcher.
Yoo Ji-han and Kim Si-hu relayed the situation they had witnessed with their eyes.
“A mutation…?!”
“This is the first occurrence in the area of the giant monster.”
They all wore serious expressions at the news of the new mutation appearing.
“Is there an overseas case?”
“I haven’t heard anything. This might very well be the first in the world.”
“We would like to examine this creature’s corpse for a while, so we ask for your cooperation!”
Yoo Ji-han kept his mouth shut and pondered for a moment before speaking.
“After the examination, we will retain ownership, right?”
“We would have to discuss ownership with other parties, but that should be the case.”
“We will do our best to conduct the examination without causing further damage. So please cooperate…!”
“Understood.”
With the cooperation of “Sweet Fun,” the giant chicken was loaded onto a huge truck provided by the Hero Department.
It’s typical to entrust the investigation of newly discovered mutations that are not widely recognized to research institutes or the Hero Department.
Since “Sweet Fun” could not afford to use its research facility or an external institute, they decided to hand it over to the Hero Department.
“Whoa! What’s that?!”
Jang Sa-im of “Mongdang,” who had been waiting outside to collect the hunted giant monster, spotted the giant chicken being loaded onto a truck, his jaw nearly dropping in disbelief.
Yoo Ji-han approached the stunned man and said,
“Sa-im, that’s a mutation we hunted today. Can we sell it?”
“Are you really going to sell that?!”
“Well, we are in dire need of money in our small guild.”
While mutations pose a significant threat, they also carry the potential of revealing new materials yet to be discovered.
Therefore, the option to sell it elsewhere could be somewhat unfortunate.
However, Yoo Ji-han and Kim Si-hu hoped to sell it.
‘There’s no space in the office.’
They wouldn’t have room in their small office for such a large monster.
Even if they moved their office, keeping the monster would be quite difficult.
And during the battle, they didn’t feel any special power usage from that monster chicken.
Even if it were a mutation, it could sell for a high price without any notable features.
Thus, they concluded that selling it off right now was a much more beneficial decision.
“Well, if we sell a mutation, I think it will have to go to auction…”
Jang Sa-im rolled his eyes wide.
It’s rare to have experienced dealing with mutations, even for someone who had worked in the monster disposal industry for years, let alone someone only just starting out.
“Is it really difficult?”
“If you leave it to me, I’ll give it a shot!”
“Sounds good. I’ll contact you once the examination is over.”
“Okay! Thank you!”
Jang Sa-im clenched his fist.
*
The next day.
Yoo Ji-han and Kim Si-hu gathered in their office, taking a break while checking on the guild instead of entering the MA.
Kim Si-hu clicked away at the mouse while sitting at the desk, with Yoo Ji-han standing behind him.
Kim Si-hu looked at the monitor and said,
“The giant chicken we entrusted to Mongdang sold better than expected.”
“Right. Gaint monsters are still popular.”
On the monitor appeared the sales report for the giant chicken sent from Mongdang.
The giant monsters that “Sweet Fun” had asked Mongdang to take care of had all sold out by the following day, on the first and second days of entering the MA.
According to the email written by Jang Sa-im, it seemed that they were more popular because they had been hunted more cleanly than those put out by other parties.
“We’ve already made over a thousand!”
“Enough to pay my salary and have some left over.”
“Maybe we’ve sold enough giant monster meat for a day’s worth at the Monster Restaurant in Seoul?”
In just a few days, they had made over a thousand won just from selling more than a hundred giant monsters.
Even after deducting fees and various taxes, the amount they earned in just a few days through the Rank 5 MA was still considerable.
Thanks to this, Yoo Ji-han’s monthly salary set at the minimum wage had already exceeded its worth.
“From the income going forward, let’s leave about half for the guild, and we can split the rest between you and me.”
Yoo Ji-han’s monthly salary was the minimum wage.
But as previously agreed, they decided to split the remaining money from the guild’s earnings.
“Then only give me 25% of my shares.”
“Eh? That doesn’t make sense!”
Kim Si-hu shook his head.
“50%! We’ll split it half-and-half. Half-and-half.”
“Another half again?”
“This doesn’t count as the guild’s share, so it’s okay, right?”
“Is it really okay?”
“Yes. It’s only natural! And besides, we will earn more in the future anyway.”
The guild representative, Kim Si-hu, was not too greedy when it came to money.
If needed, they could just earn more!
If giving Yoo Ji-han a bit of money could earn his trust, it would be worth much more as a guild master.
What was truly important in life couldn’t be easily bought with money.
“How’s the weapon?”
“……It’s in pretty bad shape.”
Yoo Ji-han brought the sword he had leaned against the wall to the desk.
The blade was quite worn, but more importantly, it had hairline fractures that were not easily visible.
It seemed it had been quite damaged when attacked by the giant chicken yesterday.
<—Probability of breaking this sword when attacking the giant monster>
<40%>
The probability that the sword would break, confirmed through sampling, was a staggering 40%.
In such a case, wielding it a few times would likely ruin it.
He had been doing his best to maintain it, but the sword’s lifespan had come to an end.
“Shall I just buy you a weapon with the money we earned this time?”
“Hmm….”
Weapons used in battles against monsters are different from regular weapons, starting from the materials, and some may even have expensive special processing done.
Because of this, prices are generally quite high, with the cheapest equipment in popular workshops often starting in the hundreds of thousands.
The money they had just earned was far from enough.
As Yoo Ji-han contemplated several methods, he thought.
‘It’s been a while since I’ve been there.’