NOVEL NEXT Chapter 38
Chapter 38. The Leader’s Conditions (2)
The hunt for the Giant Dandelion Monster continued until the golf cart driven by Yoo Ji-han was completely filled with its corpses.
‘At this rate, won’t the MA close down in a day or two?’
Thanks to the nonstop hunting, by the time they exited the golf course, the number of monsters at Hole 14 had noticeably decreased.
Yoo Ji-han thought they might need to change their hunting zone quickly.
After a successful day, the next day arrived.
“Ugh…”
Upon arriving at the golf course at the same time as yesterday, Yoo Ji-han frowned while watching the TV mounted on the wall.
Considering how many parties must have hunted the monsters…
The golf course, viewed from above by a drone, still looked entirely yellow.
“It seems like their numbers have increased.”
“Yeah, it does.”
In the drone’s footage, the area presumed to be Hole 14 was entirely overrun with Giant Dandelion Monsters.
Somehow, it appeared there were more than yesterday.
It hadn’t looked like that when they left.
‘Did they rise from the ground, or were they hiding in the river…?’
No wonder the golf course was unable to operate.
Yoo Ji-han felt sympathy for the golf course, which had been closed for months due to the monsters.
“Today, it’s also Hole 14.”
By coincidence, the assigned area today was again Hole 14.
Though they were once again far from the entrance, he didn’t feel any dissatisfaction.
Having become accustomed to the terrain, it felt more comfortable.
“Sweet Fun?”
“Huh? Shin Woo-jeong!”
At that moment, Shin Woo-jeong from the Woojeong Guild appeared right behind him.
“Nice to see you again!”
“Did you come to hunt the Giant Dandelion Monsters?”
“Yeah. I heard this place is hot right now.”
“I’m not sure if it’s that hot… but there are a ton of them.”
Shin Woo-jeong’s party was visiting the golf course for the first time that day.
“Which area did you get assigned to?”
“Hole 14.”
“We’re at Hole 15.”
“That’s right next door!”
“If you get bored, feel free to come over. I doubt anyone will complain if a two-person party shifts to another area.”
“I’ll drop by if I get some free time.”
They exchanged jokes while laughing.
As before, the members of Shin Woo-jeong’s party stood quietly, but since this was their second meeting after the exchange meeting, there was noticeably less awkwardness.
“Ah, ah.”
“……?”
“Before you enter, I have an announcement for everyone.”
“An announcement?”
A male voice came through the store’s speaker system.
At the mention of an announcement, everyone in the store stopped their conversations and turned their attention to the Hero Department staff holding the microphone.
“As those who have visited here in the past few weeks may know, the number of Giant Dandelion Monsters is increasing alarmingly overnight. The Hero Department has analyzed the cause and determined that mutations are occurring in areas not covered by the drones’ cameras.”
“Mutations, you say?”
“Yes.”
“But we’ve never seen them.”
“That’s why I said during the night.”
This golf course MA limits party activity until 7 PM.
Once the sun sets at night, it becomes difficult to manage heroes, and since night is when most accidents occur, entry is completely restricted for safety.
‘Mutations have come out…’
Like ordinary dandelions that shed flowers and produce seeds, there are instances where the Giant Dandelion Monsters also produce seeds.
These seeds spread through the wind, and new monsters sprout from seeds that fall to the ground.
‘Attacking mutations would be tough.’
Among the mutations of the Giant Dandelion, there are individuals that can launch hard seeds far away to attack humans.
The seeds of attacking mutations and their white bell-like fibers are all sharp like needles, flying long distances and becoming a significant threat to heroes.
Though Yoo Ji-han had never faced them directly, they seemed to be a very tricky opponent based on the footage.
<— The probability of encountering a mutation today>
“…….”
It was just like those moments when sampling didn’t provide an answer.
Still, the chance of encountering an attacking mutation was very low, so it should be okay.
“If a mutation appears, please evacuate to a safe place and contact the Hero Department immediately.”
*
“See you next time!”
Riding in different golf carts, Sweet Fun and Woojeong Guild parted left and right between Hole 14 and Hole 15.
Yoo Ji-han parked his golf cart in a similar position to yesterday.
Rustle!
As soon as he got out of the driver’s seat, he sliced a Giant Dandelion Monster that charged at him.
No time to catch a breath; they were attacking right away.
Yoo Ji-han expected an even busier hunt than yesterday.
“Ew, gross.”
Kim Si-hu stared at a Giant Dandelion Monster near a tree.
It was rubbing its serrated petals against a fallen pigeon on the ground.
Sizzle—
The life of the pigeon, which had its wings shredded, had already extinguished.
Yet, the Giant Dandelion Monster didn’t stop rubbing its petals against it.
With each pass of the sharp petals over what was once a pigeon, its shape gradually became unrecognizable.
It wasn’t even a carnivore, so why was it mashing it up like that?
The sources of such brutality among these monsters had yet to be properly revealed.
‘Never let your guard down.’
Watching the once bright yellow petals of the Giant Dandelion turn a bloody red, Yoo Ji-han felt an inexplicable unease.
If a human’s arm or leg touched those petals, they would surely turn to mush.
Rustle!
He deliberately ran to the tree and swung his sword at the stem of the Giant Dandelion Monster that was mashing the pigeon.
“Sicicious…”
The two proceeded with the hunt like yesterday.
They placed the hunted specimens—flowers and stems—into separate bundles for organization and loaded them into the golf cart.
Yesterday, they had piled the bundles haphazardly, almost tipping the cart while driving.
This time, they organized them neatly, considering the center of gravity.
‘It’s already full.’
Just as Yoo Ji-han was tying the bundle that was packed to the brim.
“Hyung, hyung!”
“Why?”
“Look at that person over there.”
“……?”
At Kim Si-hu’s call, who was on guard, Yoo Ji-han looked in the direction he was pointing.
In the open golf course, at the boundary between holes, someone was squatting in a densely wooded area resembling a small forest.
It appeared to be a man in short pants and a short-sleeved t-shirt.
“Why is that guy dressed like that?”
Yoo Ji-han questioned his own eyes.
The man standing near the tree wasn’t wearing typical hero equipment.
He was in casual clothes that could be seen outside, completely unarmed.
‘Something feels off…’
A very strange aura emanated from him.
But his attire seemed too modern for someone who might have come from another world.
Could it be that a non-hero had gotten this far?
It wasn’t entirely impossible.
Among non-heroes, there are often those who can sense magic.
He might have wandered in, drawn by the barrier.
“Let’s go check it out.”
No matter the reason, it was clear that someone unarmed shouldn’t be in the MA.
Yoo Ji-han and Kim Si-hu approached the tree where the man stood.
If he had taken a wrong turn, they would help him find his way out.
“……!”
However, as soon as he sensed their approach, the man jumped up and turned away to flee without showing his face.
“……What was that?”
“What the heck?”
The two, who had been walking towards the tree, tilted their heads in confusion.
What an inexplicable action.
Had he been watching the heroes hunt?
‘That guy’s strange.’
The man who hurried away disappeared from sight.
Yoo Ji-han lost interest in him.
He seemed unwilling to accept help, so there was no need to chase after him.
“Sicicious…”
“Eh?”
At that moment, a Giant Dandelion Monster popped out from behind the tree where the man had just been.
Yoo Ji-han’s eyes widened.
If it was close enough to be hidden behind the tree trunk, it must have almost been right next to the fleeing man.
What on earth was he doing sitting there?
“Sicici, sicicious—!”
However, the revealed Giant Dandelion Monster was slightly different from the others.
Its flower bud was not opened; instead, it was still folded.
Yoo Ji-han and Kim Si-hu continued to watch the odd creature as it made strange sounds.
Swoosh—
The still-closed flower bud began to slowly unfurl, eventually blooming wide open.
It was truly the moment of blossoming.
“Wow…”
Kim Si-hu, seemingly impressed, opened his mouth.
This was the first time he saw a flower of that size blossoming up close.
“Sicicious…”
The Giant Dandelion Monster stood silently, as if celebrating its own blooming.
Yoo Ji-han muttered quietly as he watched it.
“That’s odd.”
“Yeah?”
“Come to think of it, the speed at which it blooms is too fast.”
Giant Dandelion flowers don’t blossom and wither that quickly.
Even for monsters, it typically took at least an hour for a folded flower bud to properly open.
But just now, it had opened in mere seconds.
Swoosh—
The now-open yellow leaves began to fold back again.
It was reminiscent of a palm opening and then clenching into a fist.
At that, Yoo Ji-han and Kim Si-hu’s expressions stiffened.
Thinking of a regular dandelion, there was only one thing that could happen next.
“Kill that thing!”
[Fire Arrow]
Simultaneously with Yoo Ji-han’s shout, Kim Si-hu conjured multiple fire arrows.
As soon as the arrows appeared in midair, they surged toward the Giant Dandelion Monster.
Flare!
The attacked Giant Dandelion burned rapidly.
The firepower was more than enough to take down a single monster.
‘All of a sudden, it’s trying to mutate…!’
The two sighed in relief.
They had nearly let a Giant Dandelion transform into a mutation.
“Ah?”
However, Yoo Ji-han noticed another Giant Dandelion’s flower at a distance slowly folding up.
Ding!
[Haste]
Crack!
Having deliberately summoned a sylph for a buff, he dashed like lightning towards the Giant Dandelion and slashed its petals with his sword.
He butchered it to the point where it would lose all commercial value.
‘Have they all gone mad together…?’
The problem didn’t end there.
Many other Giant Dandelions at Hole 14 were simultaneously wilting.
Other parties hunting at a distance appeared to notice something off as well.
“Come this way!”
“We’re on our way!”
Judging that they couldn’t prevent the emergence of mutations, Yoo Ji-han called Kim Si-hu towards the golf cart.
Clank!
He knocked the cart over sideways, hiding himself and Kim Si-hu beneath it.
As he tried to contact the Hero Department, he stopped before he could even dial the number.
Because several mutations had appeared, dropping their folded flowers and revealing white, cotton-like seeds.
‘Are they breeding? Or…?’
Peeking his head out from behind the vehicle, Yoo Ji-han waited to determine what type of mutations had appeared.
It was too late to react now.
If they were simply spreading seeds to breed, that would be less of a problem.
“Ah, crap.”
But unfortunately, all of them were attacking mutations.
Thudthudthud!
Thudthudthud—!!
Seeds that flew in like bullets struck the golf cart violently.
Yoo Ji-han and Kim Si-hu, with their backs to the vehicle, felt a shock as if countless people were hammering down on the car.