A sleek and well-crafted ship glided smoothly over the mana hole. It was flying without wings, literally shaped like a boat. It seems impossible with the technology in this area. Did they use a skill? If a group of auxiliary guards with flight skills gather, they might create such a spectacle.
"But it would require at least dozens of people."
It's heavy and big. Oh, maybe they applied a skill to reduce the weight. If they use multiple auxiliary skills in combination, they can fly a massive object with only a few guards.
- Keyet!
Monsters that narrowly avoided the bombardment rushed towards the ship. However, a quick defense skill appeared at the attack point, blocking the monsters, and a small door on the side of the ship opened, revealing a barrel that shot out and aimed at the bouncing monster. With a loud gunshot, the monster was shattered in mid-air before its body even touched the ground.
"This is the Medsang Battleship. We recommend an evacuation near the Akaste's mana hole."
A broadcast came out. If it's the first flagship, does that mean there are more like that? All the doors of the ship opened, and they moved towards the mana hole in unison. Yoohyun, Moon Hyuna, Sigma, and other guards who were fighting near the mana hole retreated.
"...It's quite different from what I expected."
Moon Hyuna shrugged at my words.
"Yeah, I didn't expect something like that to appear."
As we moved away from the mana hole, the bombardment started pouring down again, terrifyingly. The mana-infused magic bullets spread endlessly, and monsters below S-rank literally melted away.
Even the S-rank monsters, especially the strong ones, only suffered injuries and managed to escape. Thick ropes were shot from the ship towards the S-rank monsters that were more than 100 meters away from the mana hole. The thickness of the ropes was almost like a utility pole.
Right after the rope, which looked like a special item, wrapped around the giant S-rank bear, the monster collapsed forward. It wasn't dead. The small door on the side of the ship opened, and S-rank guards appeared. They jumped down onto the unconscious S-rank monster. It didn't take long for the monster, who had lost the strength to resist, to be dismantled.
"This is no joke."
There's no need to worry about it. While I was absentmindedly watching, the sun rose. The dawn gradually spread, and the number of monsters emerging from the mana hole began to decrease. Eventually, the day became completely bright, and the roaring stopped.
Silently, the front of the ship turned towards us. It seems that it was indeed floating skill and not a machine. Even though it descended to about 10 meters above us, there was no sound.
"Thank you for your help!"
I shouted like that for now. I shouldn't call him Noah anymore. The ship remained silent, as if it didn't hear my shout. Then, a part of the front of the ship opened with a creak. Several guards in uniforms appeared, but unfortunately, there was no familiar face among them.
Then, the rope that had bound the S-rank monster was launched. Towards us.
"Hyung!"
Yoohyun grabbed me, and golden chains blocked the rope, but as soon as the rope tangled with the chains, the light disappeared from the chains. The discolored chains of the Seeker fell weakly to the ground. Could that rope be an item that absorbs mana?
"Yoohyun, it's dangerous!"
Before the scream could even finish, the thick ropes unraveled. Ropes slightly thicker than a wrist wriggled like snakes and circled around us. The first one to be affected was none other than Yoo Hyun.
"Ugh..."
"Yoohyun!"
I quickly caught my younger brother's collapsing body. He didn't lose consciousness, but there was no strength in the hand that held onto my arm. Moon Hyuna and Sigma were also unable to move hastily. Although both of them had mana protection barriers unlike Yoohyn, it would still be dangerous if they directly touched the ropes.
"I thought I had a good relationship with hunter Noah"
Moon Hyuna glanced briefly towards the battleship and spoke.
"I understand why they would stand against me and the young prince. But, Sollemnis wasn't exactly on good terms with the Medsang either, right?"
"It's not like we're being attacked unilaterally."
"Then it must be because of the Sung Hyunjae and the young master."
No, why would our Yoohyun... I couldn't bring myself to say it. But still, I didn't expect it to turn out like this.
"Hyung..."
"Just a moment, let me quickly buy mana potions-"
"No, it's okay. I won't touch you, hyung."
Yoo Hyun struggled to stand up despite his difficulty. I really need to fix his engraving as soon as possible.
"Please put all weapons in your inventory. If you show any threatening behavior, we will open fire."
A broadcast came from the ship. Although everyone's expressions frowned at the request to disarm, they followed obediently for now. After a while, the guards of the Medsang descended.
"We will warn you once again. If you are deemed suspicious, we will respond immediately, so please act with caution."
"They're quite picky. Are they even the special envoys? Both their city's leader and I are in the same position."
Moon Hyuna grumbled. Well, Sigma was discarded, and Akaste is in a position to receive help, but she, Lambda, is different. Whether Moon Hyuna expressed her dissatisfaction or not, the guards of the Medsang silently stepped aside. Between them, several human figures appeared. It was teleportation.
Under the gradually deepening dawn light, his golden hair lightly swayed. It was a more intense golden color than his original hair. His eyes were the same. A mix of gray and a dark, a deep purple.
Apart from the hair and eye color, her appearance was much closer to the original Noah compared to Yoohyun and Moon Hyuna. The change was minimal, just slightly more mature. His body, which had grown a bit taller, was wrapped in a pure white uniform.
"Hello, everyone."
Noah, smiled lightly as he spoke. The person standing next to him was also an SS-rank guard. Are there really two SS-rank Awakened in one city?
"Um, Mu-nim. Can you please remove these ropes first? We have no intention of attacking."
Instead of Noah, the SS-rank guard next to him stepped forward with a stern expression.
"How can we believe that? Moreover, one of them is an unidentified SS-rank Awakened."
As he said that, he gave a cold glare to Sigma. He looked at Noah, hoping for him help, but he only smiled and didn't step forward.
Hey, Noah...
"Who is Han Yoo-jin-ssi?"
"...me."
I raised my hand slightly in response to the question from the SS-rank guard.
"I'll create an opening for you to slip through. Others can't.
"What are you saying? I can't leave my brother behind."
My expression involuntarily frowned. Only I should come out? Is it because I'm from the Medsang? They came here to help me in the first place, but they want to abandon the others? Are they crazy? The expression of the SS-rank guard also became hostile in response to my words.
"It's disrespectful to have such an attitude, Mu even intentionally came all the way here."
"If you can't solve the problem with the mana hole, do you think you can escape just because you're from the Medsang? If you don't want to protect yourself and survive alone in this world, you should cooperate"
I could feel the pressure from the SS-rank guard. He's persecuting a weak C-rank who is lower in rank. Although my fear resistance is S-rank, I haven't faced many SS-rank opponents, but bring it on. I won't be intimidated.
"Han Yoojin-ssi."
While I was having a staring contest with the SS-rank guard from the Medsang, Noah finally spoke up.
"Please come out first."
"But..."
"We can't let the SS-rank Awakened enter the city without any defenses. Moreover, there are more of them than us, aren't there? We will provide appropriate safety measures and allow you to rest inside the city."
The word "rest" sounded tempting to my ears. But All three of us needed to rest. Even though it's daytime, the monsters will continue to appear, even if their numbers have decreased. It would be nice if we could leave the defense to the Medd and rest.
"...Understood."
Although Noah's attitude was a bit disappointing, he was right. We can't just let the SS-rank Awakened from other cities enter without any precautions. Maybe we should seal their inventories.
"Hyuna, please take care of my younger brother."
I entrusted Yoohyun to Moon Hyuna and stepped forward. As I approached the mana absorption line, I felt a faint flow of mana. Maybe it's because I don't have an engraving, or maybe it's because my body is different from this neighborhood. It didn't have much effect on me.
The ropes moved smoothly, creating an opening. Once I stepped out, the passage closed completely.
"It's a relief to see you safe."
Noah spoke with a gentle voice.
"No, you too Mu-nim."
"Just call me Noah. It's my real name after all."
Noah said that it's his real name. It put my mind at ease, he clearly recognizes himself Noah, not Mu from the Medsang. I was worried that the situation prioritize Mu over Noah.
"Thank you once again for coming to help."
"You're welcome. It's only natural to help Han Yoojin-ssi.."
"Subdue them."
I didn't fully understand his last words. It was a cold and firm voice coming from Noah's mouth. "Subdue them."
"Wait, Noah!"
As I turned around in surprise, I saw Yoohyun completely unconscious. Moon Hyuna was struggling to support him with his staff. Sigma was in a similar state.
"What are you doing!"
"It's okay, Yoojin-ssi."
Noah held me back as I tried to run away. Even though he was a support class, he was an SS-rank, so I couldn't escape his grip.
"Don't worry, we won't hurt anyone."
"We don't have to go this far!"
I suddenly felt a tight grip around my whole body. And then, the scenery around me changed. We were indoors. In the center of a spacious room, there was a round hole, and a blue light was seeping out of it.
It was the light of the mana hole.
"This is a mana hole from the Medsang."
Noah said.
"It connects spaces, allowing direct access to the mana from the mana hole no matter where you are."
In other words, if Mu from the Medsang was with us, the Medsang guards would never run out of mana. I remembered the mana cannons that rained down like rain towards the monsters. They were able to do that because the mana was constantly replenished.
"Not only that, but Medsang guards within a certain distance can also receive mana from me through imprints. Even if it's not right next to the mana hole, they can use skills unlimited."
So there was no need to worry, according to Noah. I brushed off his words and approached the large window that was right in front of me. Damn, it was the opposite side. As I crossed the room and stuck to the window again, I could see the outside scenery.
Moon Hyuna and Sigma had collapsed as if they had lost consciousness. The ropes were being gathered, and the Medsang guards were approaching the three who had fallen. They were only going to restrain them, but my neck felt stiff. Someone was holding onto Yoohyun. It felt unpleasant. I unconsciously gritted my teeth.
"...There's no need to treat Yoohyun like that, right?"
"Are you angry?"
"I can't say I'm feeling good."
I turned my head. Noah was smiling awkwardly. He was a familiar face, even more so than the other two, but he felt even more unfamiliar. When I saw Yoohyun and Moon Hyuna, I immediately thought that they were people I knew.
"Noah, it seems like you've changed a bit."
"People always change. But I'm still the same. I just learned some new facts."
"You learned some new facts?"
"Yes. I learned how much a support class Awakened can do."
Noah turned his body around. The white hem of his uniform lightly swayed. As he walked forward, he confidently extended one hand.
"In Medsang teams are mainly formed with support class Awakened. Of course, combat class Awakened is also necessary. But by combining various support skills appropriately, combat class Awakened can demonstrate abilities beyond their rank. Up to one rank higher."
Noah said confidently.
"You saw it for yourself earlier. Easily subduing SS-rank monsters and guards."
"...But that's because it's difficult to replenish mana here. However It can't be applied when we go back."
"Yes. That's true. But the ease of replenishing mana can also be an advantage. Without me, they won't be able to use their skills to their full potential."
"At the same time, there are restrictions on the number of people entering and exiting the dungeon. It's impossible to bring a variety of support class hunters without any limitations."
Of course, it was true that a combination of support class hunters was helpful. But due to the constraints of the dungeon space, it was difficult for support class hunters to be the center of the hunter team. There was also the practical issue of dividing the profits among more people as the number of combat class hunters decreased.
"I know that too, Yoojin-ssi. I've seen a lot and experienced it firsthand. I also have healing skills, so I was relatively less affected."
Noah said with a smile. I felt a little embarrassed by his words. Although he often showed a shy and delicate side, Noah was also a former guild leader. He was well aware of the reality of the hunter world.
"Oh, it's better for you to rest for now. You must be tired. I've been holding onto you for too long. Don't worry about the others."
"Yes."
I guess it'll be fine. After all, Noah is right. Noah called someone and instructed them to guide me to a room.
"If you need anything, you can press this button to make a request."
The person who guided me to the room left, and I was left alone.
"...Support class, huh."
For support class hunters like Noah to receive recognition, a specialized Awakening Center was necessary. The typical Awakening Centers before the regression were mostly designed for Awakening as combat or defense classes.
...But what about Yoohyun? Is he okay? Maybe I should ask if he can stay by my side since he'll behave.
- Hyung!
At that moment, suddenly, Irin popped out from under my clothes. It startled me. Why are you here with me?
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