Chapter 153
Chapter 153: Zoo (2)
Successfully catching a goose on the water, Yoo Ji-han descended to the ground using the transfer device.
Except for his sword stained with blood, not a single droplet of water marred his shoes.
The surrounding heroes, who had been continuing their attack, cast glances at him as he joined Chilla.
‘Whoa, what is that?’
‘His hit-and-run speed is incredible.’
‘So this is what happens when a warrior obtains a spirit.’
‘It’s like a circus show.’
The warrior, who had flown over the water, captured only the target he desired and returned to his position.
The entire sequence of actions took less than 30 seconds.
Just as everyone was astonished at his seemingly leisurely behavior, only Kim Si-hu, who often trained beside Yoo Ji-han, maintained a calm demeanor.
‘He can freely use magic.’
Yoo Ji-han had spent quite some time selecting and familiarizing himself with the shared spells Kim Si-hu had taught him.
The results of his training with the Sylph were now evident right before their eyes.
Based on quick and precise movements, he also possessed the judgment to choose the most appropriate magic at the moment.
Kim Si-hu felt little concern even if Yoo Ji-han acted alone.
‘Ji-han seems to be gaining confidence day by day.’
Back when he was hunting the Giant Monster for the first time, the warrior had been excessively cautious.
Now, he dealt with enemies with movements that were practically acrobatic in real combat.
Kim Si-hu felt immense joy as a colleague witnessing his growth.
“Quack!”
“Quack…!”
The monsters flying around the water cage gradually fell under the heroes’ onslaught.
With the tankers thoroughly protecting the dealers, not a single victim emerged.
As the corpses of the dead birds floated to the surface, filling the waters, a shot from Min Yu-ri’s bow took down the last surviving black swan.
As the situation settled, the heroes entered the water cage.
Ignoring the dead monsters, they scanned behind the rocks or in the water.
“I found them.”
“Ugh….”
There were several corpses in the water, missing limbs.
All of them wore uniforms of a light brown color.
They were the zookeepers or employees working at this zoo.
‘They got eaten by the animals they were managing.’
As everyone felt awkward upon discovering the bloated corpses in the water, Yoo Ji-han, with an emotionless expression, retrieved the bodies and laid them out in a straight line on the ground.
This was to prevent further mutilation of the corpses.
Flutter!
Min Yu-ri brought a large cloth from somewhere and covered the bodies.
At that moment, Park Jae-kyung, who had gone to another enclosure, approached along with several Rank 2 heroes.
“Are these the dead?”
“They seem to be the staff here.”
“Haah….”
With a sigh of regret, she turned to Yoo Ji-han and asked, “Did you find the bear?”
“No. It looks like it has already escaped from the bear enclosure.”
Not a single bear remained in the bear sanctuary where the bears lived.
All they found there were shattered reinforced glass and collapsed stone walls.
With a worried tone, Kim Si-hu spoke, “If it escaped from the zoo, it would be a big problem….”
“Seven parties are already searching around the zoo.”
Bears, regardless of their specific type, are treated as Rank 2 monsters once they transform into monsters.
Due to their massive size, they become at least twice as large, and their strength increases accordingly. Bears transformed into monsters are said to be capable of tearing humans apart.
In a situation where setting up barriers was tricky, the thought of them moving into civilian areas was terrifying.
After looking down at the corpses for a moment, Park Jae-kyung said to Yoo Ji-han, “It seems this is sorted out, so please move with me, Yoo Ji-han’s party.”
“Just us?”
“Yes.”
She intended to take only Yoo Ji-han’s party from among the Rank 3 parties.
Glancing sideways at others, she moved closer to Yoo Ji-han and quietly said, “Ji-han, you should stay close to me.”
“Why’s that….”
“You know why.”
This was a decision to protect someone important who had provided vital information about Yoon Do-ha with his peculiar abilities.
It was also to hope that the Spirit Master would bring even more new information.
“You don’t have to worry that much.”
“Given the circumstances, please follow the command.”
“Understood.”
In the end, Yoo Ji-han’s party, now separated, joined Park Jae-kyung’s procession of Rank 2 heroes.
Their positioning was right in the center.
Thanks to Park Jae-kyung’s intention to protect them without putting them in dangerous battles, they felt somewhat reassured.
‘Just watching might be helpful.’
Talented individuals from a highly regarded guild with ample experience and skills.
For Min Yu-ri and Kim Si-hu, merely observing their battles could be beneficial.
<Welcome to the Wolf’s Forest>
After about a 10-minute walk, they arrived at the territory of the wolves.
Large, flat stones were scattered across the ground, and trees were planted at irregular intervals.
It was an enclosure decorated somewhat like a natural forest, occupying a considerable area in the zoo.
‘It seems they haven’t escaped.’
The barbed wire and fence surrounding the entire forest were intact.
There was a possibility that the wolves had not transformed into monsters.
Following the people who leaped over the barbed wire, Yoo Ji-han’s party entered the forest.
“Ah! There they are!”
Two wolves with yellow fur were near the barbed wire.
The heroes approached the ordinary-looking wolves.
“Yip yip!”
“Yap…!”
The wolves, seemingly terrified, pressed tightly against the barbed wire.
They had been in a state of fear even before the heroes got close.
“Aur—!”
“Aur—!”
Then came a loud howl from behind.
Turning around, Yoo Ji-han spotted the figures of over 30 wolves.
‘Thorn Wolves. It’s been a while.’
Wolves whose bodies were covered in long, sharp quills instead of fur.
The Rank 2 monsters, which had transformed into a solid spiky form, were glaring at the humans.
“Please stand by for a moment.”
“Yes.”
Park Jae-kyung and the heroes accompanying her charged forward, weapons drawn.
Following Park Jae-kyung’s instructions, Yoo Ji-han watched the battle from the back.
[Ice Breath]
Whoosh—!
With a blast of cold air emanating from a magician’s staff, the legs of the Thorn Wolves froze solid.
The immobilized creatures were then pounced upon by the close combat dealers.
[Crescent Slash]
As Park Jae-kyung swung her sword once, her aura scattered around in a crescent shape.
A single attack made from over 2 meters away split three of the Thorn Wolves in half.
[Warrior’s Call]
“Uooor—!”
With eyes turned red, the warrior shouted and swung his massive axe amidst the Thorn Wolves.
Everywhere the axe landed, the wolf’s body was cleaved.
With the support of ranged dealers and magic users utilizing multi-casting, the Thorn Wolves were utterly dismantled.
‘Incredible.’
Min Yu-ri was captivated by the battle unfolding before her eyes.
Among them, she focused particularly on the ranged dealers in the same position as her.
What role did they play in battle, and how did they attack? That was her primary interest.
‘I feel like we could do that too.’
In contrast, Kim Si-hu was comparing himself to those engaged in battle.
As a result, he concluded that the only difference was the quality of the equipped gear and the skills used.
He thought that the overall structure of the battle was not particularly difficult.
[Magma Valley]
However, when the wide-area magic enveloping the wolves was used, he bit his tongue.
He had to acknowledge that there was still a gap between him and a Rank 2 Mage.
Having felt the changes through steady growth, he was simply burning with passion to catch up to them soon.
“Yip! Yip!”
Meanwhile, even as the Thorn Wolves fell, the wolves pressed tightly against the fence remained anxious.
Yet, they didn’t show any signs of fear toward the heroes.
Just then, Yoo Ji-han felt something odd.
“……!”
Yoo Ji-han suddenly spotted an object falling from the sky.
The heroes who also noticed it quickly scattered to the sides.
Thump!
The creature that landed on the ground was a gigantic wolf covered in silver fur.
“……What is this?”
“I don’t know.”
“I’ve never seen one before.”
Its massive form required one to lean back entirely just to see its face.
With red eyes that glinted and silver fur that shimmered as though slicked with oil.
Droplets of transparent saliva dripped from its jagged teeth as it grimaced.
“So there’s an even bigger one!”
Realizing this, Park Jae-kyung hurried toward Yoo Ji-han, but
a wolf identical in appearance appeared to block her way.
‘That one over there is the real deal, not the Thorn Wolves.’
Yoo Ji-han looked at the wolves trembling near the fence.
They were so terrified that they were urinating themselves on the ground.
Bam!
The giant wolf swung its front paw without any warning.
“Ugh!”
The tanker, who was in the path of the strike, blocked the blow with his shield.
However, the impact caused his shoe to embed itself deep into the soil.
“Hold it down!”
[Dragon Arrow]
Boom—!
One archer shot a massive dragon-shaped arrow at the wolf.
The force behind it was formidable enough to qualify as a finishing move.
But the wolf leapt high and evaded the arrow that shot straight at it.
“Oh.”
Caught in mid-air, Yoo Ji-han noticed something on the wolf’s back.
Among the lush tufts of silver fur was a slightly bulging area.
Though hard to see, Yoo Ji-han didn’t miss the oddly unsettling presence.
“Yu-ri! Did you see that thing on its back?”
“I caught a faint glimpse.”
“Think you can hit it with an arrow?”
“It seems a bit difficult….”
“Then just hold on for a moment.”
As other heroes continued battling the wolf, Yoo Ji-han’s party obeyed his directive and remained still.
It was essentially only a matter of time before Rank 2 heroes would hunt a massive wolf.
However, Yoo Ji-han aimed to propose a different solution.
“Now!”
“I will cover you!”
“Chirp!”
The moment the giant wolf jumped into the air to avoid the binding magic.
Yoo Ji-han, buffed all over, soared upward using [Wind Night].
[Wind Lance]
[Wind Lance]
Just like him, Kim Si-hu cast several attack spells at a similar pace.
Rather than targeting the wolf, he focused on knocking away any attacks that could hit Yoo Ji-han.
Zoom—!
Min Yu-ri’s arrow, enhanced by the artifact’s effect, spewed forth sticky webs toward the wolf.
[Shape Change – Circle]
The arrow transformed into a massive circle of spider silk that stuck to the wolf’s eyes.
For a brief moment, as the wolf’s sight became obscured, Yoo Ji-han successfully mounted its back.
But he had no intention of killing the wolf.
“Get up, you bastard.”
“Grrr—!”
He was merely intent on capturing the innocent animal that had been turned into a monster.
