Episode 102
”Help me!” Kano cried out and ran to Yoo-seong.
It was a pathetic action, but no one could blame him. It was not common for ordinary people to have monsters right before their eyes.
“You are a hunter! You have a duty to help us, even if we are on different sides…”
Yoo-seong’s expression was blank.
It wasn’t because he was enjoying his sense of superiority at the moment. It was because Kano was talking in Japanese.
In his fear, he had forgotten all about the language barrier.
Yoo-seong glanced at the Umibozu, which was slowly recovering, before turning to Nakai.
“I have completed the operation on our side. It won’t be a problem to help with the operation taking place here.”
Nakai was stunned.
Yoo-seong had already closed the underwater crack. On top of that, he had just popped out of the very crack the Japanese team was trying to close.
“I fully understand your position…” Yoo-seong trailed off.
Nakai groaned.
The young hunter in front of him was saying that he could save them from this situation.
However, Nakai would be in trouble if he allowed Yoo-seong to take on the Umibozu with his own strength.
How funny things turned out to be.
They wanted to showcase their abilities to the Korean team, but now, without Yoo-seong’s help, they could all perish at sea.
The broadcast cameras were still filming.
Fortunately, it was not a live broadcast.
“Nakai! Say something!” Kano urged him.
Meanwhile, Yoo-seong’s action cam was also filming the situation.
“If you give me an answer, I will move accordingly,” he added. After all, he had already shown that he could deal with that beast on his own.
The other hunters on the ship shook their heads and shut their mouths.
“Nakai! What are you doing?!” Kano’s face was covered with tears.
The only sound on the still ship was his pathetic sobs. Meanwhile, the Umibozu was slowly recovering.
Nakai began to speak. “Our current available capabilities are not enough to hunt that monster…”
His proud and confident expression was nowhere to be found.
“Help-”
Yoo-seong did not wait for him to finish.
He didn’t mean to be rude, but the Umibozu had started to move again.
Taang-!
Yoo-seong’s body shot out toward the sky, like a cannonball. Once again, he was coated with an Aura of flame.
The wrist blade on his left arm shone as he flew toward the Umibozu’s ‘head.’
However, the Umibozu did not allow itself to be hit twice.
“My God…” Kano could only groan.
The Umibozu’s head contracted just before Yoo-seong’s wrist blade came into contact with it.
The microbes were not smart creatures, but they could sense the heat coming toward them and adjusted their shape at a rapid pace. Regardless of the unexpected situation, though, Yoo-seong simply turned his body in the air and attacked again.
Shuwak-!
Once again, however, before Yoo-seong’s blade could reach it, the Umibozu’s surface split to avoid it. It had a tremendous reaction rate.
More than being able to dodge quickly, it even had time to send its tentacles to counterattack.
The destructive power at the end of its tentacles was capable of crushing a human body.
Everyone held their breaths as Yoo-seong narrowly avoided the Umibozu’s tentacles.
What followed was truly a strange sight.
Wheeik-!
Hoop-!
The Umibozu continuously stretched out countless tentacles toward Yoo-seong, who seemed like he was dancing in the air to avoid them.
Yoo-seong was giving as much as he took. As he dodged, he also continuously swung his sword.
This was an epic duel in the sky, where heavy attacks with tremendous power came and went.
Koji Ishida, watching it from below, groaned.
A tentacle had already hit him on one arm, so he wasn’t in the best condition.
‘But I can’t just watch this,’ he thought. ‘Even just one attack…’
Even if he couldn’t do damage with his Tech, if he could at least change the monster’s shape for a moment, it might give a decisive advantage to Yoo-seong.
Ishida began gathering Aura on his sword. Suddenly, he felt a strong grasp on his arm.
“Don’t do it.”
It was Nakai.
“CEO!” Ishida was surprised. “I can’t just watch this like a coward…”
“What are you talking about?” Nakai had a faint smile on his lips. “Stay calm and watch them closely. His movement against the Umibozu…”
Ishida followed his mentor’s words with a confused expression on his face. Then his expert eyes realized what Nakai was describing.
Yoo-seong’s movement…
How Yoo-seong avoided the tentacles by making footholds in the air was truly amazing.
His Tech allowed him to make versatile movements that seemed impossible. Compared to that, however, his swordsmanship seemed monotonous and predictable.
It appeared as if Yoo-seong was only repeating simple straight lines and curves.
As if he was peeling fruit…
Then, it struck Ishida.
Yoo-seong’s purpose wasn’t to cut the Umibozu.
It was to shrink its space down, making a narrower target.
Yoo-seong was making the Umibozu adjust its form as effortlessly as cutting fruit.
In fact, Yoo-seong was only using Aura for his thin footholds. The rest of his movements were performed using only his physical strength.
After all, it was simply a matter of attacking the Umibozu continuously to make it change its shape.
His wrist blade contained only enough heat to make the monster react.
In the same way that Nakai’s Water Dragon had gathered the Umibozu for the missile barrage, Auto-Hunt was preparing its prey.
Suddenly…
Kwook-!
Yoo-seong allowed himself to be hit in the abdomen.
Even if it was painful, the Queen’s Hug was durable enough to protect him from internal damage. Nevertheless, the strong hit sent Yoo-seong flying upward.
As if gaining confidence at its successful attack, the Umibozu sent more tentacles upward.
Now, the Umibozu’s shape was like a pudding, and with countless tentacles reaching towards Yoo-seong high above them, it was beginning to look like a cone.
Bang-!
Yoo-seong was now kicking the air to fly further.
Bang-!
Finally, it seemed as if the tip of the cone could no longer be stretched.
Yoo-seong spun and plunged headfirst toward the tentacles reaching out for him.
He did not need to put Aura on his legs. Gravity naturally led him down.
Meanwhile, Yoo-seong’s left hand was moving as he fell.
Plum Blossom Sword.
It contained the fire of a dragon.
Yoo-seong dived with his sword stretched out. The Umibozu, appearing like a cone with its tip to the sky, stretched up to meet him.
Kwaaaaduk-!
The sound of their impact drowned out every other sound in the area. The crowd below them could only watch.
The top of the black cone was now glowing red as if it had caught fire.
Then red cracks began splitting toward the bottom of the cone.
The entire Umibozu was heating up. Soon, the upper part of the Umibozu scattered into the air without a trace.
Slowly, the glowing red fire was creeping downward, and everything in its path dissolved.
Finally,
Gwoosh-!
The entire Umibozu was gone.
Yoo-seong fell through it and into the sea, creating a huge splash.
The seawater boiled for a while. Then Yoo-seong floated up without The Queen’s Hug.
***
“I can’t believe it… I can’t…” Nakai finally managed to say.
Yoo-seong was not moving.
He was floating, letting himself be carried by the waves.
Nakai began to activate a simple Tech to control the water and bring Yoo-seong onto the deck. However, a voice prevented him from doing so.
“Stop.”
It wasn’t just Nakai that was surprised.
The owner of the voice couldn’t have been on the ship.
But there he was, standing behind him.
“I do not have any other intention…” Nakai said.
The man opened his mouth with a little contempt in his voice.
“Seeing what you’re doing with your hands is enough.”
Nakai was silent.
“I don’t know what you’re trying to do,” the man continued. “But this operation is Oh Yoo-seong’s achievement. Don’t try anything that can take away his credit.”
“What did you say?!” Ishida stood up in anger.
However, Nakai only nodded quietly. He wasn’t in a position to say anything.
“I’m sorry if I offended you,” the man said.
“No.” Nakai shook his head.
“Alright, then…”
The man jumped off the deck of the ship.
To everyone’s surprise…
The man began walking above sea level.
…
“Pooh!”
Yoo-seong spewed seawater from his nose and mouth like a whale.
It had been a long time.
He felt exhausted.
It wasn’t that he couldn’t move his body; he just wanted to rest in that comfortable, floating state.
He closed his eyes and relaxed. However…
The sound of boots splashing in rainwater disturbed him.
Yoo-seong opened his eyes and turned.
“I came because I was wondering if I could be helpful…”
The man had an awkward smile.
“Long time, no see, Oh Yoo-seong.”
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