9 Chapter 9 - First Hunt

{9} - Evans Smith: First Hunt

"We should split up." Evans said, watching as the unnatural blue glow got closer. "The faster we can kill all the monsters, the earlier we can close the gate."

Jin Woo nodded, slinging out his knives as he ran. "What about the boss monster?"

He frowned. "Be cautious, but don't engage. We'll fight it together." The roads in front of them began to widen. It wouldn't be long before they saw the Dungeon Break. "We have no idea how strong it is."

Jin Woo nodded.

Just as they ran out into the main streets, a blast of wind washed over them. Threatened to send them flying back. It didn't. They both dug their feet into the road and pushed forward.

And then they saw it. A massive horde of wolves, their skin a bright carmine, their jaws and fangs made from steel. Mist blew out with every breath, and drools sloshed onto the streets as people screamed.

Far behind them was a giant anaconda the size of a building, its scales a dark blue and its eyes glowing orange. It coiled around what looked to be the entrance to an underground train station, protecting the unmistakable blue glow that shined from beneath.

Evans took a deep breath. He glanced at all the civilians in the area. And at the Hunters that were holding the wolves back. "The boss isn't moving." He said. "More wolves will appear as long as that thing lives, but we'll focus on saving people first." He gave Jin Woo a grin. "Ready?"

Jin Woo grinned back. 

They leapt forward. 

Jin Woo ran to the Hunters. He seemed to have seen something. Evans, meanwhile, leapt straight into the largest pack of wolves. There was a girl there, her legs bleeding as she crawled away from the wolves. They growled and howled, faces twisted with a facsimile of a smile.

He landed between the girl and the wolves. The road snapped from his fall. The wolves stopped. The injured girl froze.

Evans clenched his fist. Scrounged up Strength and Agility he had never dared to use before. 

And then he punched.

He hit a wolf straight in its jaw. The steel snapped, and his hand smashed straight through its brain. The rest of its body went flying, turned into a projectile as it killed a few more wolves as it crashed back.

The wolves turned to their fallen kind, then back to him. He grinned and gestured for them to come closer.

They did. Loudly.

They were no match. They came at him in droves, but he pushed them back with ease. A single punch could shatter their skulls. A kick to their guts could split them in half. A wolf would die with every move he made.

This was the result of his Lectures. He'd never used all his strength in his [Combat Lectures], and neither had Izumi or Jin Woo. They'd become too strong, and they risked tearing the classroom down if they weren't careful. It was why he wanted the Gymnasium so badly.

He became louder. His attacks more gruesome. And with it more attention was driven to him and away from the injured civilians. He fought and fought—a deadly whirlwind of fists and blood as he held back the Dungeon Break.

A civilian began recording him. Then another. Then another.

He ignored them and continued fighting.

In just minutes, a horde of hundreds were torn down to only a couple dozen, all huddling around the unmoving snake. Some growled at the nearby group of Hunters, but most shivered in fear as they glared at him.

"You really are amazing, Hyung." He heard.

He huffed. "You're just as impressive, Jin Woo." He said as he glanced at the corpses he left behind. Behind Jin Woo was the group of Hunters that'd helped fight the Dungeon Break. The Hunters stared at them with awe. 

"Um," One of the Hunters spoke up. "Are you injured, sir…?"

"Evans. Evans Smith." He said. "And don't worry, I'm not hurt anywhere."

After he spoke, he took a moment to assess the Hunters. They were…fine. Some were fairly strong, but all of them were weaker than him. He wasn't surprised—he'd know immediately if an S-Rank Hunter appeared. 

Although, the Hunter that spoke to him was strangely familiar. A young woman with bright orange hair. She shook slightly, eyes darting towards the giant snake. She seemed like she was one bad day away from having a panic attack. 

There was an odd feeling permeating from her. He could've sworn he'd seen her somewhere.

"She's Lee-Joohee." Jin Woo said. His smile awkward. "We used to go into Dungeons together before…"

Evans blinked. Lee-Joohee…wasn't she the B-Rank Healer that used to help Jin Woo before the Double Dungeon? No wonder she felt so familiar.

She was a character from Solo Leveling. A minor one, but a named character still. Was that why she felt so strange to him? 

He put the thought aside. "Are you still up for a fight?"

Jin Woo smiled. "Of course, Hyung." He turned to the giant anaconda. It hadn't moved, but its eyes glared at them. "Are we finally going after the Boss?"

He winked. "We sure are."

"W-Wait!" Joohee shouted. Her shaking became worse. "Y-You're going to fight it? N-Now?" He and Jin Woo nodded. Joohee took a shuddering breath. "S-Shouldn't we wait for someone else? W-We can't take it out on our own!"

For a moment, Evans felt terrible for her. The Double Dungeon had scarred her deeply. It'd scarred Jin Woo too. It was only because of Evans and his System that the young man could pick himself back up. 

The strange feeling grew stronger. He ignored it. "And let more monsters leak out?" He asked back as he shook his head. "We can't let this continue. More people will get hurt." He glanced at Jin Woo's knives. Their edges were chipped and dull. "Ah, but can we borrow a pair of knives?" He pointed at Jin Woo. "His are almost broken."

A moment passed, and Jin Woo was swallowed by a flurry of eager Hunters, each presenting their own weapons to him. Some were clearly not knives, but they seemed to have ignored him. Jin Woo stared at them all, confused. Evans let him have a taste of popularity.

Jin Woo needed to get used to it. After all, he'd promised to become the best Hunter, hadn't he?

Some time later, Jin Woo broke away from the masses. He looked more tired than Evans had ever seen him. "You threw me to the wolves, Hyung." He said.

Evans smiled. "Well, you got a nice pair of daggers from it at least." He glanced at the jagged daggers Jin Woo now held, its blade gleaming in silver. 

Jin Woo huffed.

They turned to the giant anaconda. It glared at them. With anger. With fear.

They ran. The wolves shrunk back at their approach, but the anaconda hissed at them. Some of the wolves howled back, almost in protest.

It didn't matter. They moved too late, and they fell. His fists pummeled their heads to mush, and Jin Woo's knives cleaved through their heads. What few remaining wolves were dead in seconds.

The anaconda glared at the fluctuating blue portal it was coiled around. It seemed to be waiting for something—likely for more wolves to pour out into the real world.

None come out. It turned to them instead, hissed, and the ground trembled as it bared its fangs. Dollops of poison fell from its jaws. They hit the ground, and the roads hissed as the poison tore through the asphalt.

The giant anaconda slung forward. He and Jin Woo leapt forward.

Jin Woo went for its head. He zipped back and forth as he evaded bolts of poison. Sparks flew as his knives smashed into the anaconda's scales. His first few strikes did little, but his knives struck the same spot between its eyes, and cracks began to spread as scales broke away.

The anaconda could feel its scale fall away, and it hissed as it blew out clouds of poisonous mist. Jin Woo leapt away, his eyes steady on the anaconda as he slid across the road.

Jin Woo caught a blur behind the greenish mist. He grinned.

The anaconda opened its jaw, ready for another blast of poisonous mist when it felt something smash into its body. It tried to turn, but another strike smashed into it. Then another. Then another.

That was Evans. He rode on the back of the anaconda, fists clenched as he sent punch after punch into the anaconda. He'd leapt onto the thing's back during Jin Woo's little distraction, and his fists blurred as he drilled deeper into the thing's scales.

Then, eventually, the scales snapped. Shards flew into the air, and the anaconda hissed in pain as his fists met flesh for the first time.

He didn't relent. His attacks only became more ferocious. The anaconda's flesh, normally as hard as stone, is nothing against the cutting power of his -Kung Fu-. His punches tore through its flesh, and it sent splodges of blood down to the streets. The giant anaconda could hardly move from the pain.

Jin Woo must've seen him, because Evans saw him suddenly lunge into the sky, daggers gleaming in the moonlight. The anaconda opened its mouth, and shut it close as he sent another flurry of fists into its flesh. It gave Jin Woo the chance to land on its head.

Then Jin Woo went insane. He brought his daggers down at speeds that almost matched his own despite Jin Woo's lower Agility. The edge would strike at the same spot, digging deeper and deeper into the scales as the anaconda howled and struggled.

Cnce the scales fell away to reveal its flesh, Jin Woo jumped, and with all his strength he plunged a dagger into it. The dagger only stabbed a few inches in—hardly enough to put it down, but it was no less painful. The anaconda howled again, frothing poison falling from its fangs.

Jin Woo grabbed onto the opened wound, and he brought his foot up into the air. Jin Woo grinned, and he roared as he slammed his heel down onto the dagger. Blood shot into the air as the dagger dug a few inches more.

But then, in an incredible show of flexibility, he twisted in the air and kicked again. And again. And again. 

Over and over he spun, bringing his foot into the air before slamming it down onto the dagger. His speed increased. His kicks came faster. His impacts grew in strength. 

Evans could've sworn he saw Jin Woo's eyes glow blue through it all.

And after what felt like hours, Jin Woo stopped. The anaconda had gone still, its baleful eyes not empty as blood dripped from its opened jaws. The dagger was now lodged deep into its skull. Its brain had been sliced right through.

Then the anaconda began to tilt. He quickly leapt off. Jin Woo jumped high into the air, and he landed on his right just before the dead anaconda fell onto the street. It didn't get up.

[The Special Event has been Cleared!]

[The -Random Skill Card (Uncommon)- has been stored in the Inventory]

Evans frowned. The System had made no mention of the [Potential New Student]. Strange. Had something changed?

He'd check it over later. For now,

"Well, we're done here." He said. "Why don't we head out now?"

Jin Woo nodded. "Let's hope the reservation I made still works." He hummed. "We're a little late."

He grinned. "Are we still going through it? Samgyeopsal isn't cheap, you know?"

Jin Woo huffed as he pulled out a thick wad of Korean Won from his own Inventory. "I've gone through a few Dungeons. I'm not hurting for money at the moment."

Evans winked. "I'll eat as much as I want then." Jin Woo laughed, and then grimaced as he saw the approaching Hunters he'd helped out earlier. Evans smiled. "Not going to greet the ones you saved?"

Jin Woo's response was to drop his remaining dagger and turn away. Evans laughed before he turned away as well.