EVS Chapter 31

“That one will be tough to handle casually. You’ll have to put in some effort!”

Although it wasn’t his intention to tell him to stab the dandelion knowing this, since he had pointed it out, Sa-yoon felt a sense of responsibility and added a feeble cheer, telling him to hang in there.

-Kraaaah!

The fully awakened 1st-grade Falsirocus roared at the sky. Perhaps because it was 1st-grade, its resonance and spirit were different from the 2nd-grade.

Thud-thud, a few flying creatures that had been soaring in the sky fell at its cry.

‘5/300’

Oh.

Perhaps because the Falsirocus had entered combat mode, the flying creatures that had fallen from its cry were fully counted as their kills. They were judged as having died during battle.

Delighted by this windfall, Sa-yoon lifted one foot onto the tree, rested his chin on it, and spectated Geon-joo’s situation.

He had clearly told him to ask for help if it was difficult. So, he intended to thoroughly observe until he asked for his assistance.

He wouldn’t say it easily.

This was Geon-joo, with his strong pride despite his delicate and fragile appearance. He wouldn’t call his name just because it was a bit challenging, so Sa-yoon made a mischievous expression, imagining Geon-joo struggling until his pretty face was scratched up.

Let him suffer a bit.

It was a golden opportunity to fix his pretty boy’s insolence, as he kept trying to match his and telling his he was crazy whenever he had the chance.

However, Geon-joo didn’t cower even in front of the 1st-grade Falsirocus.

Swish!

The vines that had been coiled around the Falsirocus’s waist like a belt moved as if they were a single whip, lashing out at Geon-joo. Sa-yoon’s eyes widened slightly as Geon-joo dodged them with remarkable agility.

His agility was quite something. It wouldn’t be strange for him to have a higher stat than what was displayed in his status window.

Kwajik! Kwajik!

The vines that failed to hit Geon-joo repeatedly pierced the innocent ground. A single hit from them would have been fatal, but Geon-joo moved well amidst the barrage of lashing vines as if he had no fear.

He showed no dread of the vines striking near his feet by a hair’s breadth. Instead, he penetrated through that bombardment, found an opening, and swung his sword.

The False Medusa’s Venomous Fang inflicted damage on the creature.

1 stack.

Perhaps because they were in the same party in the same gate, Sa-yoon could also see the stacks accumulated on the Falsirocus.

If he could inflict damage like this and accumulate 10 stacks, even if it took a while, he might be able to win.

“…He’s doing well?”

To be honest, he didn’t have high expectations for his first battle against a strong monster. He would have been grateful if he didn’t sit down and cry. Sa-yoon, who had been filled with thoughts of helping him when he called his after struggling through a few intense battles, showed interest at the unexpected sight.

Her pretty boy was doing better than he had imagined. If he had been fighting against other creatures, it would have been a performance that could immediately secure victory.

However, unfortunately, the opponent was unfavorable.

The vine attacks of the 1st-grade Falsirocus were literally just a preemptive strike. The real attack began with the spitting of venom.

As if on cue, the enraged creature tore its mouth wide open. Geon-joo, who had been blatantly penetrating its interior once more, sensed the danger and swiftly dodged.

Kwagagagak!

The dark energy grazed Geon-joo’s hair and passed by. The ground where the venom had been spat was eroded as if it had melted, adding inconvenience to movement.

“He dodged it well.”

If he had been hit by the venom and injured, even Sa-yoon would have had a hard time taking care of him. The best he could do was freeze the affected area with frost energy to prevent excessive bleeding, quickly clear the gate, and then go meet a healer.

If that situation had occurred, he would have had to break a sweat, but fortunately, he was relieved to have less to worry about. Sa-yoon straightened his body that had been sitting askew.

The battle was getting more and more interesting. He was looking forward to how Geon-joo would respond next.

1st-grade and 2nd-grade.

The decisive difference lay right there.

The Falsirocus closely pursued Geon-joo, who had fled to avoid the venom. Although its size was intimidating, its movements were vastly different from the somewhat sluggish 2nd-grade.

Eventually, the creature caught up to Geon-joo completely and pulled its shoulders back while clenching its fists. Geon-joo gritted his teeth.

Kwang!

Hit directly by the creature’s swinging fist, he was sent flying without resistance.

“Wow, that must hurt.”

Sa-yoon, who had completely become a spectator, whistled and exclaimed in admiration. If he flew like that and crashed into something, the added acceleration would make it quite painful.

“Cough!”

As expected, Geon-joo, who had forcefully crashed into a nearby tree, collapsed and slumped down. It was fortunate that his bones weren’t broken.

Is it time for him to ask for help?

From the start, fighting against a 1st-grade Falsirocus was overwhelming for the inexperienced Geon-joo. The current situation where he had been knocked out helplessly proved that fact, so Sa-yoon clicked his tongue and prepared to get up.

Just in case his pretty boy displayed unnecessary stubbornness and died, he took a stance to immediately jump out if the situation became dangerous. Right at that moment, Geon-joo, who had collapsed, staggered to his feet. However, the Falsirocus had already reached in front of Geon-joo.

It was a situation where he would be caught helplessly. The Falsirocus, snorting, immediately reached out its hand.

That’s dangerous.

If he didn’t dodge, he would be caught by that hand, and all his bones would be broken just by its grip strength.

Call me.

Sa-yoon stared intently at Geon-joo, who was wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, and chanted.

0.1 seconds.

He was confident that he could react immediately with just that fleeting moment. So.

Call me.

Trust me.

Ask for help.

As he was sending a gaze as if hypnotizing him, Geon-joo, who had been staring at the hand reaching out to him, slightly stepped back. It was too late to run away. Just as he was lamenting that any move would be a futile attempt, it happened.

Kwaang!

The huge fist plunged into the ground. A cloud of dust rose, obscuring the view. Sa-yoon narrowed his eyes and assessed the situation amidst the dust.

Tap-tap-tap.

There was a sound like footsteps. It resembled the sound of a small animal running swiftly. As he narrowed his eyes further, the dust cleared a bit, and Geon-joo’s figure entered his sight.

“……”

As if he had dodged that fist by a hair’s breadth, Geon-joo was running on top of the Falsirocus’s arm that was embedded in the ground.

He reacted to that?

Sa-yoon was at a loss for words. Even if it was a weak A-grade level, it was still stronger than Geon-joo, who was clearly a B-grade.

Kwang! Kwang!

The Falsirocus, roaring at Geon-joo who was running on its arm as if it were a playground, swung its hand as if catching a fly. Geon-joo dodged all the terrifyingly fast and violent movements. The 1st-grade’s hand repeatedly struck empty air, only hitting its own arm.

It’s absurd.

Sa-yoon, who had been startled by the unbelievable situation, tilted his head upon noticing a white light fluttering around Geon-joo’s body. Sensing something, he examined Geon-joo’s status window.

One skill was glowing red. It meant it was active.

[Survival Instinct (SS+)]

Your sharp instincts will save you from danger!

– Suggests an escape route in a crisis situation twice a day. When the route is accepted, escape is guaranteed regardless of stats. (However, if the grade difference with the opponent is two levels or more, there is a certain probability of failure.)

– If you feel difficulty in survival, your agility increases by 100% for 1 minute. Afterward, you fall into an exhausted state for 10 seconds.

– When activated, your muscles are enhanced.

“…What?”

He was dumbfounded. Even if it was an exclusive skill, Sa-yoon had never seen an awakener with such a skill or a beginner with this level of sense in his 10 years as a hunter.

No matter how sharp a sword was given, it was useless if one couldn’t wield it. Even with a good skill, if it couldn’t be used at the right moment, a situation like this wouldn’t have occurred.

So, to sum it up, it meant that Geon-joo had reacted in that short moment, activated his skill, and attempted a counterattack. whether he succeeded or failed, it was undoubtedly a bold and clever judgment.

Unable to say a word, he was standing there dazed. In the meantime, Geon-joo, who had run up the arm, reached the Falsirocus’s head and gripped the False Medusa’s Venomous Fang in reverse. At that, Sa-yoon frowned deeply.

That foolish bastard!

Geon-joo’s current form was exactly the same as hers when he had faced the 2nd-grade Falsirocus. Just as he had done, he was aiming for the Falsirocus’s weakness, its eyes.

However, Geon-joo didn’t have Hades’ Dagger. He didn’t have an explosion skill either. If he couldn’t kill it with a single blow, clinging to the body of an opponent stronger than him under the pretext of attacking its weakness was tantamount to a suicide attempt.

That cunning Geon-joo wouldn’t be unaware of that. So, his current action meant one of two things.

either he was doing it because he couldn’t see any other options, or he was telling his to come and help if he didn’t want to see him die.

Based on his understanding of his personality so far, it was most likely the latter.

The cheeky bastard.

He had a knack for grabbing and shaking him, betting his life on it. He wanted to stand by and see if things would go his way, but if Geon-joo died, it would be a big problem.

“Damn it.”

Having no other choice, Sa-yoon finally jumped down from the tree.

At that moment.

-Kiaaaak!

Geon-joo, who had finally stabbed the 1st-grade Falsirocus’s eye, staggered from the creature’s violent thrashing. Seeing him swaying precariously like a paper doll, seeming like he would fall at any moment, Sa-yoon clicked his tongue and was about to leap forward when his eyes turned precisely toward him.

In that state, Geon-joo curved the corners of his eyes. Even while rolling, a distinct smile lingered in the corners of his eyes.