13 — Break Out (5)

Childhood.

This is the story of when I was taken in by a man worthy of being called father.

I must have been about 7 years old?

The man I called father often said.

That whether it’s a human or an animal, the most terrifying moment is when one’s life hangs in the balance.

He used to say that a wounded beast is the true embodiment of fear.

Honestly, I just thought, ‘Well, that’s that.’ and moved on.

It was either kill or be killed.

I never thought I’d be caught in such an ambiguous state.

“…uh, hmm.”

However, it seemed I needed to revise that thought.

The straight sword wound was not only wide but also deep.

It surely must have been more than enough to mess up the insides of the ‘Kappa Rhino.’

‘Wow… look at those eyes?’

Yet, the gaze of the Kappa Rhino was not looking dead in the slightest.

A chilling sweat trickled down my back under its gaze, which seemed determined to kill me no matter what happened.

I wasn’t scared of it, though.

I had seen and experienced this level of killing intent plenty of times before.

The problem was the strength this beast possessed.

I hadn’t clashed with it properly, but I could sense it.

‘…Would I die with just one hit?’

My body’s durability was far too weak to withstand the brutal attacks of the Kappa Rhino.

“Moooooo!”

If things continued this way, I would be crushed by those terrifying horns and transform from ‘Yu Seha’ to ‘Late Yu Seha.’

‘But it was an effective hit.’

I was confident that the Kappa Rhino wouldn’t escape unscathed from its intestines spilling out like sausage.

“Mooooo!”

Of course, surviving somehow would be meaningful.

In an instant.

*Bang, bang, bang! *The sound of metal clashing echoed through the air.

Ma Hana, pulling a dagger from her waist, was noisily banging on the shield like a drum.

It was meant to attract the Kappa Rhino’s attention with an irritating dissonance.

“……”

As expected, the Kappa Rhino glanced at Ma Hana once and then paid her no mind.

Since it wasn’t a proper [Provocation] skill, it had no effect on the rhino.

‘…Tsk.’

As said, Meowi lacked a [Provocation] skill in her lineup.
It wasn’t that she couldn’t learn it at all, but it was impossible for her to learn it naturally.

With defense capabilities better than expected based on her speed.

Despite having useful traits like [Cat’s Intuition] and [Night Vision], this was the main reason she wasn’t chosen for teams.

As a dealer, she inevitably had to draw the enemy’s aggro onto her.

She couldn’t solve it, and that was a major flaw in this party’s safety.

‘We can’t help it.’

I decided to dodge diagonally as much as possible when the Kappa Rhino charged.

My current speed stat was ‘12’.

‘I’ll barely be able to dodge it.’

The moment I tensed my legs.

I belatedly witnessed something round flying towards the Kappa Rhino at high speed.

With a bang, it exploded, creating a cloud of brown smoke.

At the same time, a foul smell wafted through my nose.

“…Moooooo?!?!?“
“…Damn it!”

The smell was so toxic that we both cursed and hastily backed away.

“Mooooo! Mooooo! Mukeueeek!!”

The Kappa Rhino, hit squarely by it, turned around with tears streaming down its face.

The thrower was none other than Ma Hana.

And I immediately recognized what she had thrown.

‘…A Fecal Bomb?!’

[Fecal Bomb].

Also known as ‘Poop Bomb’. It was a tear gas grenade mixed with poisonous plants, doubling as an item that forcibly draws aggro to a target.

Indeed, among the countless Meowis that came out in draws, some did have it, but I never dreamed I’d see it be used like this.

‘Thanks to that, the aggro shifted entirely to Ma Hana.’

However, there was a significant problem with the ‘Fecal Bomb’. The affected monster was limited to a single attack. It gained the [Rage] trait for it.

“Moooooo!!!”

As if the increase in attack power wasn’t overwhelming enough, it seemed like the rhino was not planning to stop there.

It lifted its forelegs up and slammed them down onto the ground as if to shatter it.

In an instant, dense magic gathered around its body like a mass.

[Reckless Charge].

A skill of the Rare grade.

Unlike the instantly activated [Charge], it required a preparation phase to gather strength, but it was a derivative skill of [Charge] that was a step higher in both attack power and speed.

“Miss Hana!!! It’s dangerous!!!”

“Moooooo!”

No sooner had my shout ended did the body of the Kappa Rhino create afterimages and move up.

With a change of direction and acceleration intact, Ma Hana raised her shield with a stern face.

---

‘…Can I block it?’

It’s too much for me to handle.
Impossible.
Thoughts raced through Ma Hana’s mind.

She had thrown the ‘Fecal Bomb’ out of sheer necessity in the sudden crisis.

She herself lacked the capacity and skill to withstand that strike.

‘But I must do it…’

If she falls, everything ends for her on the same day.

Somehow, she had to give Yu Seha a chance to finish things off.

That was the duty of the main tank in a party.

Deceiving the innocent man to come this far—it was the price of her selfishness and foolish actions.

“Focus, Ma Hana. Your judgment was not wrong. And you can certainly stop it. Believe in yourself.”

At the tense moment, Moon Bora muttered softly over her shoulder.

Through her hands, a delicate magic whirled as if drawing a melody out.

Crack!

Precisely in the path of the Kappa Rhino, four [Ice Pillars] erupted at once.

Not in a sharp form meant to penetrate the enemy’s defense or body, but in a thick form focused solely on defense.

Boom!

As expected, it couldn’t stop the charge of the Kappa Rhino.

But it wasn’t ineffective either.

Perhaps because the strength of the ice was stronger than expected or more sturdy.

The power was significantly reduced.

“Now is the time!”
“Waaaah!”

Upon hearing Moon Bora’s cry, Ma Hana dashed forward without a moment’s hesitation.

As she tensed her body, the magic within her surged, covering even her shield.

“[Raise Shield]!”

A basic skill of the Guardian, also known as ‘Great Mountain,’ was a remarkable defense technique.

The temporarily increased defense made Ma Hana’s body start to harden like stone.

Bang!

A massive explosion erupted.

The horn of the Kappa Rhino and Ma Hana’s shield clashed fiercely.

*Crack! *The surface of the shield cracked, but somehow, she managed to block the attack.

Watching this, Moon Bora clenched her fist tightly.

‘Nice!’

Everything is going as planned.

Although the sudden increase in attack power due to the ‘Rage’ trait was an unexpected variable.

Indeed, with her own [Ice Pillar] added, even the current Ma Hana could hold on sufficiently.

Moon Bora didn’t miss the chance.

She waved her hand, creating an [Ice Pillar] at the wound of the Kappa Rhino.

With a fierce crackling sound, a blood-red pillar formed, soaked with its blood.

It began to spread coldness inside, scrambling the organs within it.

“Mooooooo!!!”
“Good! Miss Hana! Now, just step back by moving the shield aside!”

At the shout, Ma Hana calmly exerted strength into her shield.

However.

Ping!

“…Eh, what?”

Suddenly struck by dizziness, Ma Hana’s body stiffened for a moment.

The fatigue and injuries she had accumulated so far were finally taking their toll on her.

Though brief, the relief from successfully blocking the Kappa Rhino’s strike merged into one and burst forth right there.

Wobble!

Eventually, she slightly loosened her grip on the shield she was holding.

“…!!! Miss Hana! Snap out of it!”
“…Ah!”

Moon Bora’s scolding came too late; the moment had already passed.

“Moooo!”

As the opponent let go of their strength in the forced tug-of-war, the Kappa Rhino excitedly lowered its horn.

Thud!

In an instant, it sent the two flying.

“Cough!”

“Gulp…”

Without resistance, Ma Hana rolled on the dirt floor and spat out a mouthful of blood.

The same was true for Moon Bora, who had been perched on her shoulder.

‘Backup’ position.

It might look like a comfortable position, but that was only for those who knew nothing about the role.

A backup receives some of the damage inflicted on the bonded striker.

In other words, every time Ma Hana receives a new injury, Moon Bora also directly receives a part of the damage.

‘…This is… not turning out well.’

This strike was of a different dimension from the previous minor ones.

Moon Bora felt as if part of her intestines were twisting in her stomach in agony, as if she might lose her mind at any moment.

However, she must not fall.

The Kappa Rhino.

Her gaze had shifted back to Yu Seha.

It was just a temporary increase in aggro due to the Fecal Bomb.

In the end, Yu Seha was the one in the most dangerous situation.

‘…He is our only hope.’

No one else here could take down the Kappa Rhino at this moment.

She could not afford to fail here.

---

“…Damn.”

Yu Seha cursed briefly at what was unfolding.

He slowly bent down and placed his hand on the hilt of his sword.

He forcefully gulped in the desire to immediately run to Ma Hana and check on her condition.

The reason he could do this was because the red world unfolded by the [Unprecedented Sense] was telling him that ‘Ma Hana’ was still alive.

‘…Just once.’

Just one more hit using the [Flowing Slash] and it’s done.

He was definitely not in his best condition, either.

It was, quite literally, a silent battle to the death.

The first to recover was the Kappa Rhino.

“Mooooo!!!”

Is it out of strength?
Or did it think I would dodge?

Instead of a [Reckless Charge], it used a simple [Charge] to attack.

Though less powerful compared to before, the swift movement it took made its speed seem more threatening.

Facing the dump truck-like massive mass, I envisioned the optimal timing.

‘…Dodge. And bend at the same time.’

I can do it.

I used to do it as easily as eating with my original body.

Even with this idiotic bravado, it’s definitely possible to do it.

Just as it was about to reach me.

“Moooo?!”

The charging Kappa Rhino suddenly came to a halt.

Looking to the side, I saw Moon Bora extending her hand towards the Rhino, casting a spell with blood trickling down her mouth.

She had forcefully increased her output, fully aware of the internal injuries it could cause her.

‘Moon Bora. Nice!’

I charged toward the Kappa Rhino, which was frozen in panic.

I ducked under the startled creature as it raised its horn to attack.

Quickly, yet firmly, I gripped the handle of my sword and drew a deep breath.

The flow of magic along my arm triggered its characteristic explosive force.

I unleashed the swift art of sword drawing on the creature.

“…[Flowing Slash]!”

Screech!

A streak of light spread in all directions, creating a chilling noise.

Swoosh!

It sliced through its sturdy metallic skin, cut through its thick muscles, severed its hard bones, and finally cleaved the Kappa Rhino’s essence of life itself.

“Mooooo…”

The pained cries of the Kappa Rhino echoed around.

It was a bizarre and chilling sound.

‘This fucking beast. How dare it hurt our small, adorable characters who shouldn’t get hit?’

To me, its shouts couldn’t be anything but a delightful sound.

Kooong!

Its massive body collapsed.

Unable to endure any longer, the Kappa Rhino bent its four legs grotesquely and laid its body on the ground.

“Mooooo… Mooooo…”

Rough breathing.

Its large eyes glanced at me briefly.

They trembled slightly, as if unable to comprehend how it could possibly lose to such a scrawny creature like me.

“What can you do?”

I slowly lifted the sword without sheathing it.

Then I gripped it with both hands.

Whether it was because of the [Swordsmanship], or perhaps due to handling crude weapons before being possessed here, it wrapped around my hand like it was part of my own body.

“If you lose, you must die.”

Without hesitation, I swung the sword down.

It was a simple yet powerful vertical slash that utilized sharp cutting power.

*Chwaak! *Hot blood spurted out, drenching my face.

Finally, I slowly placed my foot on the rolling head of the Kappa Rhino.