The Mantis’s Intervention

From the second floor of the commercial building, Choi Junhyuk observed the battle, checking the Trudecker’s information through his M7 device.

Trudecker

HP: 100%

Force: 100%

Shield: 98.9%

Choi Junhyuk knew the Trudecker’s HP was 30,000, and its shield capacity stood at a staggering 150,000.

While 30,000 HP was already high compared to most monsters, the 150,000 shield capacity was truly overwhelming.

Furthermore, though not displayed on the M7, its defense was also remarkably high, making it a formidable opponent in every aspect.

‘A shield capacity of 150,000… I remember struggling endlessly to break through that shield myself in the past. Tsk, I can almost hear Cheolmin’s frustrated grumbling from here. Breaking all of that will take ages.’

As Choi Junhyuk intently watched the Trudecker hunt unfold, Moon Hyesu’s voice drifted over from beside him.

“Haa, it’s convenient not having to use heals much, but… if things go south, today’s hunt might end right here. Ugh, how annoying. Why does our party always get stuck with these situations?”

Typically, a hunting expedition required at least two monster kills to be profitable. However, the Trudecker’s exceptionally high defense often meant a single kill concluded the hunt.

For the Hunters, this was naturally a source of immense frustration.

“Does this happen often?”

The Trudecker and Mantis were monsters with extremely low spawn rates, rarely encountered even once a year.

Yet, Moon Hyesu’s words suggested they had faced it several times, prompting Choi Junhyuk’s puzzled inquiry.

In response to his question, Moon Hyesu shook her head.

“No. The Trudecker itself isn’t a frequently appearing monster. We’re talking maybe once or twice a year if you’re really unlucky. That’s precisely why it’s so infuriating. Our party has encountered that elusive Trudecker three times already in just five months. It’s like we’re cursed or something…”

Choi Junhyuk’s party had hunted the Trudecker, a monster rarely seen even once a year, three times within the last five months.

While this was largely due to other parties offloading it onto them, considering they were the most veteran group, the crucial point was its appearance three times in such a short period.

For Moon Hyesu, the entire situation was utterly exasperating.

“I see.”

Choi Junhyuk offered a terse reply, then resumed his focused observation of Yoo Sangjin’s tanking. Moon Hyesu let out a soft chuckle.

“Heh, your eagerness to learn is impressive.”

Without tearing his gaze from Yoo Sangjin, Choi Junhyuk responded to her comment.

“Once I get my Awakener registration card, I’ll be thrown straight into real combat. And since a tanker has to endure monster attacks head-on, I need to learn as much as possible to avoid mistakes in the field.”

He spoke those words, but in truth, Choi Junhyuk was concentrating intently, unsure when a Mantis might suddenly intervene.

He needed to be ready to rush out at any moment.

****

Approximately three and a half hours had passed since the Trudecker hunt began.

Despite its high defense, the Trudecker wasn’t particularly powerful, so the hunt itself was proceeding smoothly.

The Trudecker’s shield had already been depleted by more than 50%, and with the aggro firmly established, the damage dealers unleashed increasingly potent attacks, weaving their skills together.

However, an unforeseen variable emerged from an unexpected quarter.

[Huh? B-Brother! It seems we have a problem!]

Jang Daejin, the mapper, reported a problem in a bewildered voice.

A problem? When the hunt was progressing so well and maintaining a good pace? It made no sense.

“A problem? What are you talking about! What kind of problem!”

[Four party members’ life signs have vanished from the map! And… a Mantis is heading this way!]

Life signs vanished? That meant they were dead.

And the failed prey of that hunt was now heading straight for them.

At the mention of a Mantis approaching, Yoo Sangjin flinched in alarm.

“W-What did you say! A Mantis is coming this way?”

[Strictly speaking, someone from that party is luring it this way!]

Four life signs had disappeared. Considering a typical party consisted of eight to ten members, at least four people were still alive.

Yet, the Mantis was ignoring the remaining prey and deliberately moving towards them? That defied logic.

Only one explanation remained: someone targeted by the Mantis was luring it in their direction.

“What are you even saying! This is insane! How much time do we have!”

[Two minutes at most! Or it might arrive even sooner!]

They needed at least two more hours to take down the Trudecker.

But if a Mantis joined the fray? It was almost certainly a total annihilation.

“Damn it! Cheolmin and Wonjin, get out of here and wait! The Trudecker is blocking the narrow path, so the Mantis might attack the surrounding buildings! Yejin and Yongwook, get out of there and move to the base point to link up with Donghyuk! Jicheol, prepare your Binding Trap!”

He wanted to retreat, but with less than a minute remaining, retreat was deemed impossible.

All that was left was to hold out for as long as possible.

[The life signs of that party member luring the Mantis have vanished! It seems they’ve been taken down!]

No matter how fast a person ran, they couldn’t outpace a swift monster like the Mantis. When someone had mentioned luring it, it was already expected that they would fall before reaching this location.

The problem lay in the Mantis’s reaction afterward.

“What’s the Mantis doing!”

[Kuh! Its direction is still this way! It seems the sound of us fighting the Trudecker caught its attention!]

They had hoped it would turn in another direction after hunting its prey, but unfortunately, that wish was not granted.

“Damn it! Everyone, run!”

Yoo Sangjin, realizing the direness of the situation, frantically urged them to flee, but it was already too late.

Kkiiiiriririri!

The Mantis arrived sooner than expected, tearing into the surrounding buildings as if in a frenzy.

Crash! Boom!

As buildings crumbled under the Mantis’s assault, Cheolmin and Wonjin, who had been hiding in a nearby structure, scrambled out.

Rumble!

“H-Huh!”

“Oh my god!”

Waiting for them was none other than the Mantis.

Kkiiiiriririri!

Having spotted new prey, the Mantis lunged at Cheolmin and Wonjin, using its sharp, saw-like forelegs.

Whoosh!

“Hrrgh!”

“Damn it!”

Crash! Boom!

They barely managed to dodge by leaping aside, but the situation was desperate.

Before them stood the Trudecker, behind them the Mantis, and their only escape routes through the buildings on either side were now blocked by rubble.

The term ‘surrounded on all sides’ perfectly described their predicament.

But at that very moment,

“Kang Jicheol! Use Binding Trap on the Trudecker!”

Kuo-o-o-o-o!

Thud! Thump!

Yoo Sangjin, who had been tanking the Trudecker, saw Cheolmin and Wonjin under attack by the Mantis and immediately flung himself forward.

He swiftly moved to the side, squeezing through a narrow gap between the Trudecker’s right leg and the debris of the collapsed building.

Simultaneously, Jicheol, who had been hiding on the first floor of the commercial building, dashed out. He quickly summoned a Binding Trap and, like a curling stone, slid it across the ground with a powerful push.

Whoosh!

The Binding Trap glided along the ground, stopping precisely at the Trudecker’s legs.

As the Trudecker was just twisting its body to grab Yoo Sangjin, who had cleverly slipped past it, its foot landed on the Binding Trap.

Fwoosh!

Upon activation, iron chains suddenly erupted from the ground, coiling around both of the Trudecker’s legs.

Clang! Clang!

Kuo-o-o! Kwaa-a-a-a!

Ensnared by the sudden chains, the Trudecker thrashed wildly in a furious frenzy.

Yet, despite its struggles, the chains held fast, refusing to release its bound legs.

“Duration is five minutes!”

The Binding Trap’s effect lasted for five minutes.

If they couldn’t find a solution within that time, Yoo Sangjin, Cheolmin, and Wonjin were as good as dead.

****

Meanwhile, Moon Hyesu, who had been standing by the second-floor window of the commercial building, healing Yoo Sangjin, was utterly bewildered by the sudden turn of events.

“W-What is this…”

In all her years as a hunter, she had never experienced a situation like this.

She had only heard rumors of parties being wiped out by two monsters, but she had never once imagined she would be the protagonist of such a tale.

Perhaps because of this, Moon Hyesu was in utter panic.

“W-What should I do? What can I do?”

All Moon Hyesu could do was bite her nails and mutter to herself.

Conversely, Choi Junhyuk, who had already anticipated such a situation, immediately sprang into action.

Thwack!

He bolted down to the first floor as if there wasn’t a moment to lose.

Moon Hyesu, who had been indecisive, cried out in surprise at Choi Junhyuk’s sudden movement.

“Huh? H-Hey! Where are you going!”

But Choi Junhyuk disregarded her cries, hurrying down to the first floor.

Stepping out of the building, Choi Junhyuk immediately charged towards the Trudecker.

At Choi Junhyuk’s abrupt action, Jicheol, who had been hiding, shouted with a look of dismay.

“Huh? G-Gah! Mr. Junhyuk! What are you doing!”

Although he knew Choi Junhyuk had awakened as a tanker, he was still a rookie who hadn’t even received his Awakener registration card.

Moreover, for a complete novice who hadn’t even engaged in virtual combat, let alone real battle, to recklessly charge at the Trudecker was naturally shocking.

Of course, Choi Junhyuk casually ignored Jicheol’s shouts as well.

Kuo-o-o-o-o!

The Trudecker let out a mighty roar, struggling to break free from its binds.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

But the chains tightly wrapped around its two legs remained unyielding.

Choi Junhyuk, having burrowed close to the Trudecker, immediately swung his shield, activating Shield Attack.

‘Shield Attack!’

Thud!

Shield Attack, boasting a total aggro rate of 157% thanks to the bracelet’s option of a 50% skill efficiency increase, struck the Trudecker. However, a single blow was insufficient to draw its aggro.

“As expected, it’s tough with just one hit. Overwhelm!”

Swaa-a-a-a!

Unable to draw aggro with Shield Attack alone, Choi Junhyuk immediately followed up with Overwhelm.

Yet, the Trudecker still paid him no mind.

Kuo-o-o! Kwaa-a-a!

It merely roared, desperately trying to break free from its restraints.

‘Hmm, I thought Shield Attack and Overwhelm, combined with the power of the bracelet, would be enough to draw aggro. This is unexpected. Well, I suppose Yoo Sangjin’s aggro level must be incredibly high.’

For a regular Shield Attack and Overwhelm, it would be natural for two aggro skills to not instantly surpass the aggro rate of Yoo Sangjin, who had been tanking for hours. However, with the bracelet’s option, Choi Junhyuk had held a slight expectation.

But still, it wasn’t enough to draw the aggro.

‘Even so, I must be almost at the very edge.’

Although he hadn’t managed to steal aggro, Choi Junhyuk judged that he had nearly caught up to Yoo Sangjin’s aggro level.

[Be careful! Binding Trap has one minute left!]

At that moment, Jicheol’s voice came through his earpiece.

Only one minute of the duration remained.

If he failed to draw aggro before then, the Trudecker, once freed from its binds, would immediately charge at Yoo Sangjin.

And if Yoo Sangjin fell, Cheolmin, isolated between the monsters, would also be as good as dead.

‘Tch! Only one minute… Trying to draw aggro with basic attacks carries too much risk. Is there no other choice… Overcoming this immediate crisis comes first! Skill Registration! Destructive Body! Critical Attack! Power Strike!’

He had intended to avoid using them if possible, but with the situation becoming dire, he had no choice but to register the damage dealer skills he had copied from Cheolmin into his skill deck.

Since he had already used all his aggro skills, the only way to draw aggro was to inflict high damage.

Choi Junhyuk, having swiftly equipped the damage dealer skills, immediately launched a basic attack at the Trudecker.

‘Focus on basic attacks for now!’

Thwack! Thump-thwack! Thwack!

He had registered active skills just in case, but he planned to avoid using them if possible.

There was a chance someone might recognize the skills he used as damage dealer skills.

Of course, if he couldn’t draw aggro before the binds broke, he would use the skills, even at great risk.

‘I feel like I’m almost there…’

Judging by the unfolding situation, it seemed he could draw enough aggro without resorting to skills, so Choi Junhyuk intensified his attacks.

Thwack! Thump-thump-thwack! Thwack-thwack!

Following two aggro skills whose aggro rate was significantly boosted by the bracelet’s ability, and then a barrage of basic attacks that boasted damage output comparable to a damage dealer thanks to the equipped damage dealer passives, the Trudecker finally turned its fierce gaze toward Choi Junhyuk.

‘Got it!’

He had finally drawn its aggro.