Iseul rushed down the cave towards his enemies, approaching swiftly and quietly.
He was finally starting to see the results of his S-Rank status—stamina be damned.
Baek Iseul grimaced. There was a whole parade of them, all similar-looking tall werewolves. He took a deep breath before exhaling.
His back arched as he thrusted his arm forward, a gust of wind rustling in its wake. He felt air invade his short-sleeved shirt, and his pants rustled below him.
The enemies easily got pushed back before quickly standing up again. What rank were these guys, anyway? Even though he's using an S-Ranked skill, they're still alive. As usual, the system answered his question.
[A-Rank Monsters: Werewolves]
So, that explains it. These monsters are high-level. Since these monsters aren't the boss, that would mean that this is likely an S-Rank gate.
[This is an S-Rank gate.]
Iseul hummed in acknowledgment. So, he was correct. That would mean the boss is an S-Rank monster. A flood of nervousness washed over him.
How was he supposed to solo this? A party required at least 3 members, and for an S-Rank gate, that was pushing it. They'd usually bring 8 people minimum, consisting of at least one S-Rank.
Just because he was an S-Rank didn't mean he could do this on his own. Besides, he's never even fought before. He doesn't know half of what he's doing.
He licked his lip, then bit it. He pushed the monsters back for a bit, and now he had to make a plan.
That's when he came up with an idea. Instead of wasting all of his energy, or—mana—as they call it on these small fry, he could take them out with one definite hit for each.
Observing the crowd, there looked to be around 20? 25?
It was manageable if the system was able to do what he was going to ask. "...Can I see all their weak points?"
His eyes glowed violently as he tried to adjust to the onslaught of obstacles in his vision. Then—
"Can Fan Dance also form into something like a blade?"
[Yes. "Fan Dance" can form into any shape as long as the user is graceful enough.]
Bingo.
Without a second thought, Iseul rushed forward, twisted his body, and imagined the wind from the fan forming a solid blade. His body and fan flowed in tandem, using a choreography he thought up on the spot.
The red indicators pointed to their necks, so he could cut them. And, cut he did. He cared little for the monsters' blood flowing around him, becoming completely absorbed in the dance and the moment.
Once he killed them all, he let out a sigh of relief.
His once white t-shirt was now stained with blotches of blood, some darker than the rest.
Iseul was satisfied with this strategy. Instead of using too much mana, he simplified and concentrated it. He patted himself on the back mentally, recalling when the main character of "The First Omega S-Rank Hunter" had done something similar.
He's honestly surprised his body kept up with his brain and reacted fairly quickly. "Perks of being an S-Rank," he mused.
Baek Iseul wasn't feeling as cold anymore due to the small sweat he broke out into during the fight. He should hurry up and kill the boss, so he and Nari could go.
He looked back at the entrance of the cave. Iseul had gone too far into it now, as the black enveloped him, and the only way for him to see was with his fan, which only emitted a faint glow.
He firmed his resolve and brushed back his hair. The only way out was forward. Only once he somehow killed that boss, he and Nari would be able to go.
And with that, he walked further into the cave.
He encountered no enemies, surprisingly. He guesses he really did kill them all in one blow. That makes his life a lot easier.
His heart thudded in his chest as he was welcomed by large, intricate doors. "The boss chamber," he muttered.
Although he was anxious earlier, it felt like something more akin to excitement. Which was weird, considering he'd just been in a life-or-death situation a moment back. His heart pounded in anticipation of what was to come.
He remembered back when he was in school in this world, he watched a hunter video in class. The hunter in question said his job was fun, and now he could somewhat see why, though some mixed feelings still lingered.
Iseul stood in front of the large, intricate doors and opened them, only to be greeted by a blast of cold wind. He winced and shielded his eyes, then opened them, taking in his surroundings.
The wall was the same shade as the cave walls outside. Albeit there was a slight difference. It was much more intricate and delicately carved. Some snow lay on the ground. The floor was covered in ice, almost like a skating rink. Although when he stepped onto it, he didn't slip. "Interesting..." he said while looking at his feet. His sneakers didn't move an inch.
His warm gaze flickered upwards at the center of the room. It was the boss. It stood tall—taller than the rest in all its blue, icy, werewolf glory.
But it was also kind of... attractive?
Why did it have a six-pack?
Don't get him wrong, he's not a furry or anything, but sometimes he reads animal—especially werewolf-based—bl stories. They're a guilty pleasure of his. And this wolf right here was appealing to his eyes.
Its yellow eyes seemed to stare right at him, eliciting a thrum of excitement from him. Its mane was a beautiful mixture of whites, blues, and silvers.
Unfortunately, it had to go. As Iseul ran forward, the doors closed behind him with a big thud. He wasn't complaining because that just meant he could use his skills without the worry of hurting Nari.
The wolf raised its fist.
Iseul decided to try something new: Sayak Fan.
He waved his fan at the wolf, blowing it back and poisoning it effectively. It cowered under his fan.
The system gave him the three weak spots of the boss. Its hind legs and neck. Getting the neck would be too difficult as is, so he decided to weaken it even further by attacking its hind legs first.
Iseul used Fan Dance to carefully inch forward and slashed, avoiding the creature's attacks. The creature howled in immense pain. Iseul's lip quirked. Then he did the same to the other.
At this point, he was starting to feel drained. He used too much mana. He needed to end this as soon as possible.
Fan Dance and Hurricane alone won't be enough, so what if he combined them using his remaining mana?
[Combining both skills is possible.]
And so, he dodged another one of the monster's attacks and danced. He formed a weapon from imagination and used Hurricane.
The entire area flowed with sharp-cutting wind like a dome. He sliced the air delicately with his fan, and the werewolf fell to the ground with a thud.
Shit... he was feeling dizzy.
A reward materialized in his palm, and the system replied to all his guesswork.
[Mana Usage reduction Earrings: S-Rank
Info: The Werewolf King's mate's most prized possession.
Extra Info: This is a soul-bound item.]
His fan and earrings faded from thin air, and he grasped his head and dropped to his knees.
Right... Nari.
Baek Iseul shakily stood up and walked towards the now open large doors and limped out.
His whole body ached as the adrenaline wore off. It seems like he got some bad injuries, and he didn't even notice.
After about 10 minutes of hobbling to the entrance, he made it and spotted Baek Nari, who was still crouched in the same position behind the rock.
"Nari-ya. You can come out now. Oppa defeated them... he defeated..." His vision failed him. "The monsters..." he managed to get out before he fell forward onto the hard floor, passing out entirely.
"Oppa!" Nari screamed and ran to him.