Chapter 35 - Chapter 33: Episode 32 - The Wedding Day (2)
A man and a woman sprinted through the fog, their breathing ragged and desperate.
Yu-rin gripped Seon-ah's hand, pulling him toward the edge of the mist.
If they could just cross that threshold, they'd be safe.
Clinging to that hope, she pushed forward to break through.
That hope was shattered in an instant.
Thud!
They slammed into the edge of the fog, their momentum brought to a jarring halt.
It made no sense, defying all logic and physics.
It was as if they'd hit an invisible, impenetrable wall.
Yu-rin understood the reality of the situation instantly.
The Gate had already fully manifested.
There was no way out.
A voice came from behind her, Seon-ah's mind seemingly clearing a little.
"Yu-rin-ah... what's happening? What is this fog?"
He had no idea what was going on, his confusion evident in his voice.
"...A Gate has formed. We should have cleared the area before it locked down, but it's too late."
She gave him a quick, grim explanation.
She never imagined their wedding day would end like this.
This was supposed to be the happiest day of their lives, the start of a lifetime of joy together.
But she couldn't run from the truth.
Expedition teams usually consisted of four to eight hunters for small-scale Gates.
This had to be a C-rank Gate or lower.
You never knew for sure, though.
They were both C-rank Awakened, and she had received some combat training.
Even if the standard team size was four, could they overcome the numbers, kill the monsters, and close the Gate themselves?
It was a reckless gamble, but with the Gate's radius so small, they were trapped.
If they waited for outside help, it would surely be too late.
When it came to life and death, no Gate was truly "small."
It took days just to organize a proper expedition.
Since there was nowhere to run, they had to fight.
Otherwise, she would die, and Seon-ah would be dragged off by these monsters to be used as a breeder...
The two figures ahead were closing in.
The Succubus led her subordinates, eyeing the pair with cold interest.
The one on the right was a man.
He had a pretty face, though with a slightly decadent air about him.
She didn't care about the woman; she was just going to kill her anyway.
Excited by the prospect of such a prize, she barked orders at her squad.
There were sixteen Orcs in total, but four would be more than enough to slaughter two unarmed humans.
"You four. Kill that bitch and bring me the man. He's a resource."
The Orcs moved instantly, treating the man like nothing more than a piece of livestock.
The four lead Orcs drew their weapons and charged.
Yu-rin and Seon-ah realized the winged figure must be their leader.
The fog made it hard to see, but they could make out a human-like silhouette with wings.
They didn't know what kind of monster it was, but the sheer amount of mana leaking from it made their skin crawl.
As the Orcs drew close enough to be clearly seen,
Seon-ah was taken aback.
They looked far more human than the monsters he'd imagined.
If you ignored the green skin, the two-meter height, and the massive muscles, they were actually quite attractive—though not on Yu-rin's level.
If the vanguard looked like this, the rest were likely similar.
Seon-ah knew they had to fight together to survive.
He felt a strange hesitation about killing creatures that looked so human and possessed such intelligence.
But knowing their lives were on the line, he steeled himself.
Two Orcs swung their weapons at Yu-rin in unison.
It was a coordinated attack, clearly trained, designed to be impossible to dodge.
Yu-rin pushed her Acceleration Ability to the limit, slipping between the blades and driving her fist into the head of the Orc on her right.
Crunch!
Her fist buried itself deep into the monster's skull.
It wasn't a metaphor; it physically sank in.
The monster dropped dead instantly.
With a heavy thud, the two-meter giant collapsed backward.
The three remaining Orcs froze, their expressions shifting to fear.
They had clearly stopped taking this fight lightly.
Because they had human-like faces, their emotions were easy to read.
They were terrified.
The prey they thought was easy had just slaughtered their comrade in a heartbeat.
A flicker of hope ignited in the two humans.
Yu-rin snatched the weapon from the fallen Orc, gripping it in her left hand.
Perhaps due to the adrenaline, she didn't seem to feel the pain.
Her fist, which had smashed the Orc's head, was hideously swollen.
She'd broken her own hand in the process.
Seon-ah quickly cast his Healing Ability on her hand from behind.
The swelling vanished as if it had never been there.
"Thanks, Seon-ah."
She said it lightly, then shifted the weapon to her healed right hand, gripping it tight.
Seon-ah just nodded, not wanting to break her focus.
He'd thought they were defenseless, but seeing them kill with bare hands made the situation seem much more manageable.
Now that she had a weapon, victory felt within reach.
Feeling confident, she let out a growl, taunting the monsters.
"Come on! I'll send the first bastard who steps forward straight to hell!"
The monsters seemed overwhelmed by her speed, as if she were moving in a world where time had stopped.
Acceleration was a top-tier ability, one that offered both supreme offense and defense.
With fewer than fifteen S-rankers in the world, having two related to combat ability was a massive advantage.
The monsters behind the vanguard began to advance.
They clearly realized something was wrong when their easy prey took down a vanguard, causing the remaining three to hesitate.
They had to finish off the Orcs before the rest joined the fray.
Yu-rin moved first, swinging her sword at the Orc that had attacked from the left.
It was a technique from the Hwaryong Guild, though her proficiency was still low.
Still, it was a psychological feint—pretending to slash before thrusting.
Even a beginner could land a fatal blow with it if the opponent didn't know the trick.
Combined with her Acceleration, the Orc couldn't keep up, and she drove the blade through its glabella.
Riding the momentum, she didn't stop; the other two Orcs were caught off guard, and she slashed one's throat and stabbed the other's heart.
Seeing their comrades fall, the rest of the monsters rushed over in a panic.
The leader was a woman with black wings, golden hair, smooth brown skin, and curved horns.
"You trashy human bastards! How dare you!"
It was the same voice that had given the order earlier.
That monster was definitely the leader.
Yu-rin's pupils trembled as she looked at her.
"Succubus..."
Yu-rin muttered, her expression one of pure disbelief.
Orcs were C-rank, but a Succubus was on an entirely different level.
It was an A-rank monster, a cruel creature that used magic and kept men as breeders.
If the Succubus joined the fight, they were finished.
She gripped her sword and charged straight at the Succubus.
She had to catch the leader off guard while she was still flustered.
Yu-rin swung for the Succubus's neck.
The Succubus tried to block with her fingernails.
Yu-rin used the same feint as before—pretending to slash, then thrusting.
The drawback was that it was a one-trick pony.
Once the enemy saw it, it would never work again.
It was a secret Hwaryong technique, meant only for dire emergencies.
She had to end it right here.
The blade shifted, darting between the Succubus's fingers.
But the Succubus's reflexes were too fast; she tilted her head, and the sword only grazed her neck, leaving a shallow scratch.
The look in the Succubus's eyes changed.
She had been careless, but now she was on high alert.
Scared, she stepped back and ordered her subordinates to swarm them.
"All of you, attack together and kill them!"
Knowing there was no expert against a gang-up, the monsters moved to surround them.
Seon-ah picked up a discarded sword, knowing Yu-rin couldn't protect him against so many.
The Orcs rushed in.
Eight went for Yu-rin, and four went for Seon-ah.
Seon-ah was only slightly stronger than an average woman; he wasn't built for this.
He had no combat training and no superhuman strength.
He only had his Healing Ability, which wouldn't help him win a fight.
Still, he had to hold these four back so they wouldn't overwhelm Yu-rin.
It was essential, given the numbers.
Yu-rin began to move again.
Every swing of her sword severed an arm, a leg, or a head.
By the time she'd taken down four, she was flagging.
"Huu... huu... huuk..."
She was exhausted, likely from the strain of using her Acceleration Ability.
She stood there, breathing hard, sword held high to keep the remaining Orcs at bay.
But the Orcs were rushing Seon-ah.
Driven by the fear of death, he raised his sword to block.
The impact felt like his arms were being ripped from their sockets, and the sword flew from his grip.
Seon-ah panicked, and even the Orc looked surprised by how easily he'd been disarmed.
Yu-rin was too busy fighting to even look his way.
Just as he thought, Am I going to die again? the Orc struck him in the stomach with the hilt of its blade.
The pain knocked the wind out of him, and he collapsed to the ground.