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Chapter 40: I Shouldn't Have Done That (4)
Chapter 40: I Shouldn't Have Done That (4)
Chapter 40: I Shouldn't Have Done That (4)
Right after the mock hunt began, Ulan and Dilia headed into the forest ten minutes earlier than the other students. It was Stella's consideration to secure a stronghold for the monsters.
How much time had passed?
Ulan, who had been walking for a while, stopped in his tracks. "Well, this should do," he pronounced, his gaze sweeping across the surroundings.
During this keen survey of their environs, Ulan meticulously severed the lingering ivy that adorned the trees, preserving their length. Seeing this, Dilia asked with a curious expression, "What are you going to do with it?"
"It is a binding," Ulan answered calmly.
"Huh? Binding what?"
"Of you and me."
Huh? What does that mean? Puzzlement gripped Dilia as she struggled to grasp his meaning. In due course, understanding illuminated her, prompting her to exclaim in astonishment, "Ah!"
Her eyes widened; the source of her bewilderment was Ulan's unexpected act of hoisting her into the air. With a swift inversion of perspective, the world outside her peripheral vision rotated, and an altered landscape greeted her gaze.
A moment later, comprehension dawned upon her, revealing her present situation.
"...............!?"
She was not on the ground.
Instead, it was the resilient expanse of Ulan's muscular back that upheld her.
'What's going on? Why am I being carried here?'
Why am I up here?
Puzzled, Dilia squirmed; to get down from Ulan's back. However, strangely, except for her arms, she couldn't move her body.
And not long after that, Dilia realized the reason for it.
Whirring!
The tough ivy quickly coiled around her body; it was Ulan's doing. He had securely bound both himself and Dilia with the ivy. As if he didn't want her to be separated.
"Ooh, Ulan?! What, what, what are you doing.."
"The others will be here soon," Unlike her, who was in a panic, Ulan replied in a calm tone.
"So it's safe to stay up here."
Dilia ceased wriggling. She had understood the situation in an instant. Since she couldn't use magic at the moment, the safest place for her was by Ulan's side.
But there was a problem.
"You're, too close."
"It's easier to protect you when we're close."
"Well, but..."
Even so, this is way too close! Behind her reddened face, a silent scream echoed.
Meanwhile, Ulan continued to wrap the ivy around her without hesitation. Before long, an unbreakable binding knot was formed.
As the situation escalated like this, Dilia could only resign herself to it.
So, she leaned her body against Ulan's back and suddenly realized something new.
Huh? This is much more comfortable than I thought.
She had expected it to be uncomfortable, but surprisingly, it wasn't bad. Perhaps it was thanks to Ulan's wide back.
Squeeze!
Dilia pressed her finger into the muscles of his back; the back was much firmer than she had thought.
She wondered how much training it would take to gain muscles like these.
Do all men have backs like this?
While she was lost in thought, suddenly, her ears twitched and
Flutter!
her pointed ears trembled; soon, her eyes narrowed, "......someone, coming."
"How far?"
"Not far, close. Right now, though they've stopped."
Probably the students who had been chasing them; carefully observing the flow of mana, she quickly grasped the students' actions.
"It seems like they're setting a trap."
There was a disturbance in the magic of the earth and forest.
Perhaps they were using the materials to create a trap to capture Ulan.
"How are we going to handle this?"
"We'll lure them."
"Lure?"
"I don't intend to intentionally step into the tr
A decision that made sense in its own way.
Curiously, Dilia asked, "But, how, lure them in?"
"Cover their ears, for starters."
"Ears?"
Just as she made a puzzled expression, Ulan suddenly took a deep breath. Right after noticing his rapidly expanding chest muscles
"...............!?"
Dilia's eyes widened; she had an ominous premonition.
"Could it be?! Like the opening ceremony...?!"
In the instant she recalled what happened at the auditorium, Ulan smiled slightly, as if she had found the right answer.
Seeing his smile, Dilia shut her eyes tight and quickly covered her ears.
It was the right decision; the moment she covered her ears, a powerful roar exploded, shaking the surrounding area.
"I am! I'm here!"
BOOM!
A powerful cry that shook the entire area; the impact was so strong that it even made the branches shake.
"Come! Hunt me!"
After another roar
Dilias brow furrowed. She had covered her ears, yes, but a stifling sensation persisted within them.
I should have used magic instead.
In this situation, wouldn't it have been acceptable to employ a spell that protected her hearing? Swallowing her belated regret, she promptly initiated a conversation, "But do you think they'll come?"
"They will come without fail."
The mock hunt had a time limit; after 30 minutes, the monster wins. In other words, for the hunters to secure a win, whether they liked it or not, they had to make their way to where Ulan was. Even if it meant leaving behind certain traps they had carefully set.
"There you are."
Just then, she heard footsteps.
Six sets of footsteps. As the students came into view, Ulan retrieved his sticker.
It was time to begin the hunt.
Meanwhile, at that very moment
Stella swiftly dashed through the forest, moving with a feline-like grace. She heightened her sensory perception, attempting to detect the presence of the students.
"Hmm, everyone seems to be doing well."
The students, in some way anticipating Ulan's location, had set traps around the area. Their intention was likely to lead Ulan to the vicinity of these traps and then attack him all at once.
"Good intentions, but"
.it was still quite amateurish. It was clear that their strategy had not been thoroughly thought out. The success of the traps was not the issue; rather, the entire strategy was lacking.
"This should be enough to catch anything below a 3-star monster."
their opponent was Ulan after all, the real expert who had hunted down a 5-star monster; someone like him would never fall for such a ruse.
"Hee hee, I wonder how it will turn out."
The monster's role had limitations, particularly in terms of violence. Furthermore, the fact that he had to protect a specific individual meant that he would have to fully reveal any hidden ability under these circumstances.
Stella's eyes glowed with excitement.
Found him.
Right then, she felt Ulan's presence; erasing her own presence as much as possible, she moved towards where she sensed him.
A while later...
Huh?
Stella blinked in bewilderment. It was due to the scene that unfolded before her eyes.
What are they doing?
Dilia was bound on Ulan's back. The issue wasn't just that she was carried; they were tightly bound to each other with ivy.
It definitely looked uncomfortable at first glance. Stella couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the sight.
And at that moment...
Ughh.
Ulan suddenly took a deep breath.
Following that, a resounding roar swept through the area.
"I am! Here!"
"............?!"
A shockwave ripped through the forest.
The branches swayed wildly, and Stella frowned. She was momentarily deafened by the loud voice.
'Phew, at least we're outdoors.'
Additionally, there was a considerable distance between her and the sound, which was fortunate. If she were closer, her eardrums might not have survived the impact.
Huh? Wait a moment. Close?
D-Dilia? Is she okay?!
She was the closest to Ulan, afterall. Stella immediately looked at her.
Thankfully, she didn't seem to have fainted. It was probably because she had covered her ears before the roar began.
'In that case...'
This roar had been prearranged. In other words, it was part of their strategy. It was a somewhat unexpected move, but it wasn't bad.
'Monsters like that one exist too.'
The kind that dig traps and use sounds similar to human screams to lure people in; though Ulan hadn't dug any trap, he had effectively nullified the traps prepared by the students simply by revealing his location.
The situation grew even more interesting; the corners of Stella's mouth twitched upward.
Tada! Tada! Tada!
Suddenly, she sensed a crowd of people; six students running toward Ulan from all directions, stickers in hand, shouting to each other.
"Ignore the barbarian!"
"Only target Dilia Arpen!"
It was a simple plan, but a good one; it just so happened that Dilia was tied up too.
If they could blockade Ulan for a while, they could put a sticker on her.
'It's a so-called death squad.'
A death squad of six. The name even sounded fitting.
However, just as they left about a dozen paces behind
Rumble! Rumble!
the ground unexpectedly trembled; as if an earthquake had struck. The sudden unexpected incident left the squad looking bewildered.
"What, what's happening?"
"For now, retreat!"
The shaking was quite intense; so much so that they couldn't maintain their balance.
Was that the reason? The squad decided to retreat. But Ulan was faster than their retreat.
Thwack!
With a loud sound, similar to a slap, bright red stickers attached to the squad members' faces.
Every single one of them.
"What the hell happened..," the squad's stunned muttering marked the end.
In an instant, the six-member squad was subdued. Each one wore a crestfallen expression. Not only had they failed to attach stickers, but they hadn't even managed to graze Ulan's clothes.
Meanwhile, around the same time
Stella wore a baffled expression.
Because she had been observing the battle from a distance, she had seen everything that unfolded.
He gauged the distance between them and.
The moment they were within striking distance, Ulan's foot slammed into the ground. The earth erupted as if in an explosion, causing vibrations similar to an earthquake to spread throughout the surrounding area.
As the squad's formation crumbled
only then did Ulan take action. The result was as clear as what Stella saw before her.
I knew he was strong, but I didn't expect him to be this powerful.
The stomping of his feet created vibrations; he was not a mythical giant.
Just as she was about to gasp in disbelief.
Pah-bah-bah-bah!
Along with a crowd of people, many students showed up.
However, the location was unusual; rather than the bushes or the ground, they were all perched on trees.
They must have thought there was a trap on the ground.
The squad had two objectives.
One was to place the sticker on Dilia Arpen's body, and the other was to check for any potential traps.
In other words, they had fulfilled one of their goals.
"Team 1, capture the barbarian!"
"The rest, target Dilia Arpen!"
After communicating with each other
the students all charged towards Ulan and Dilia.
Their numbers exceeded twenty. With this many people charging together, Ulan would be left with no choice.
Stella's eyes twinkled.
Okay, time to show us what you're really made of!
It was time for him to show his true abilities!
She was about to exclaim that in her mind
Rustle! Whizz!
when, suddenly, the ivy binding Ulan was torn apart.
Was it really that easy to break?
As she pondered that thought, Ulan unexpectedly grabbed Dilia by the nape of her neck.
"U-Ulan?"
Was he acting out of the blue?
Dilia's voice trembled with uncertainty, "Now, what are you......"
However, she couldn't finish her sentence.
Gripping her body with both hands, Ulan abruptly flung her into the air with all his might.
"..............!?"
The action was completely unexpected.
For a moment, everyone's thoughts froze; a huge gap appeared in that split second and like lightning, Ulan plunged into that gap.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
In the blink of an eye, stickers attached to their targets
Ulan achieved his goal in an instant and effortlessly caught Dilia as she fell. Of course, Dilia was half-conscious at that point.
Truly, it all happened in the blink of an eye.
The students who had sat down on the ground blinked in confusion. They couldn't grasp what had just occurred, as if they couldn't accept it.
Oh, it's over.
Stella smiled weakly.
It had finally dawned on her; the students lost their fighting spirit. Apart from that, every student had a sticker on their face.
But she wasn't disappointed. In fact, her expression was filled with excitement.
Indeed, much stronger than I thought!
Strength and agility that transcended common sense; if one were to measure strength according to the criteria of the Military Studies Department, Ulan might be considered at least a high-level knight.
The fact that she would train such a talent as a Hunter filled Stella with a considerable amount of excitement.
Now, then... I should announce that the test is over.
She must inform the students that the mock hunt is over.
However, a problem arose.
"Huh?"
In the brief moment she looked away, Ulan had vanished.
"Huh? Where did he go?"
Wasn't he here just a moment ago?
While she was looking around
Chill!
she felt a shiver run down her body.
".........!"
A chilling sensation flowed through her spine.
Her hunter's instinct immediately sent out a warning it was a feeling she hadn't experienced since hunting the 7-star monster alone in the Eastern Forest.
The fear of death.
Stella hastily stepped back. However, her opponent's attack was faster than her retreat.
No! It's too late
Wide-eyed, she suddenly felt a sharp pain in her forehead
Thwack!
as if she had been hit with a hammer, "Ouch!"
A moment later, Stella realized that something was stuck to her forehead.
"This, this is..."
A bright red sticker; she stared at it, dumbfounded.
"It's over with this," a familiar voice suddenly reached her ears. Ulan had unexpectedly approached within arm's reach.
In other words, Stella's instincts had warned her about Ulan. This realization caused Stella to blink in bewilderment.
"B-butwhy... why me..."
"You told me before the hunt started to attach the stickers on everyone except myself."
So, he had just done that.
Right after receiving his confident reply...
Stella burst into laughter unconsciously, "Pffttt! Ahahaha!"
It was unbelievable; a freshman who concealed his presence better than a professor who had spent over a decade on the battlefield.
Stella corrected her judgment from earlier.
Ulan is not a high-level knight
That's because Stella was an advanced-level knight herself, but Ulan was much stronger than her. So, if she really had to put it in terms...
Hes in the realm of an expert.
The state of being just beyond the threshold of an advanced-level knight, just before reaching the realm of a Master. Perhaps Ulan had reached that point, Stella guessed.
I'll have to report this to the higher-ups.
Initially, Ulan had been reported to possess the strength of an intermediate-level to high-level knight.
A little later, as Stella snapped out of her thoughts, she looked around at the gathered students and spoke, "The results of this mock hunt are indisputable. Does everyone agree?"
Not surprisingly, there were no objections.
Stella smirked, "You win. Ulan."
And just like that, the mock hunt that had begun so suddenly came to a close with Ulan's resounding victory.
After Stella's class had ended, Ulan turned around to attend the last remaining class for the day. Of course, he had to deal with Dilia's intense anger before that.
"You can't, throw, me!" Dilia fumed with a red face.
She had every reason to be; at the time they were attacked by the students, Ulan had tossed her into thin air without a single word.
Yet, he did have an explanation, "I didn't have time to tell you."
It would have been problematic if he got Dilia hurt while explaining the strategy. So, he had planned to resolve the situation first and then provide an explanation.
Indeed, things were resolved without any major issues.
When he explained the reasoning behind it, Dilia nodded in recognition, "the situation, I understand."
It was a relief that she understood. However, her anger still seemed unresolved; the fact that she avoided eye contact was proof of that.
"But, a lot, because I was surprised..."
With a twitching finger, a sudden, unexpected comment came out, "Dinner, if you eat with me, I'll forgive you."
"Dinner? Tonight's dinner?"
"Yes. Tonight."
A small face that moved up and down; and yet, it kept glancing over in this direction.
He expected her to be more angry, but he didn't think a meal would do the trick. Ulan replied with a surprised look in his eyes, "Fine, let's eat together."
"R-really?"
"Yeah. Should we meet by 6 o'clock?"
"Uh-huh."
Dilia's complexion brightened; like her anger had eased.
"There's something I want to talk about, come, okay?"
"What? If you have something to say, you could just say it now..."
"No, later, Ill tell you."
After shaking her head back and forth, Dilia quickly disappeared from view.
Ulan wasn't sure what had happened or what she wanted to say, but anyway, it seemed like her anger had subsided, so that was a relief.
However, not everything was good.
"Im late."
While he was conversing with Dilia, it was just past the time of the next lecture. Sensing his tardiness, Ulan immediately broke into a run
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
a full-speed dash that kicked up clouds of dust.
His destination was where the last class of the day was about to begin. The Armory in the Military Studies Department.
(End of Chapter. . . . . . . .)
Translator's Notes:-
Here is the Bonus Chapter for completing 100 ratings on NU. I always keep my promise!!!
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