Supplementary Income
Rumble, rumble…
A faint vibration resonated through the ground. Though the sound of footsteps was a chaotic mix, a careful ear could discern a steady rhythm. I closed my eyes gently and placed my palms on the lush green earth. Instantly, I sensed the presence at the edge of my awareness rapidly closing in towards the center of my detection field.
“The ground is shaking strongly. It’s a four-legged creature. Highly agitated.”
A flood of information from my magical detection poured into my mind. As the presence drew closer, I finally lifted my hands from the ground and stood up.
“User Go Yeon-ju, are you familiar with the four-legged monsters that appear in the Plains of Lament?”
“What? I can’t remember every single one. But I thought they hardly appeared anymore, except for the Wailing Maiden… Why do you ask?”
“I’ve detected a monster approaching from the northeast. It seems to be a Rhinoceros, and there are about eight of them.”
“A Rhinoceros? Why would they be in the Plains of Lament… They usually inhabit the area beyond the plains…”
As I conversed with Go Yeon-ju, the surroundings fell silent in an instant. But the quiet was fleeting. An Hyun was the first to spring to his feet, and soon all the clan members were up and alert.
Lee Yoo-jung quickly moved to An Sol’s side, drawing her scythe and katana.
“Oppa, what kind of monster is a Rhinoceros?”
“Huh? Didn’t you encounter them when you were in Monica?”
“No.”
“Well… think of it as a kind of rhinoceros.”
I tried to give the most accurate analogy, but Lee Yoo-jung still looked puzzled. Instead of explaining further, I raised my hand and pointed diagonally.
“Enhance your vision and look in the direction I’m pointing. Seeing it once is better than hearing about it a hundred times. But everyone, prepare for battle.”
At my command, the clan members swiftly began to form a defensive formation.
During expeditions, the basic tactic for mercenaries in battle is to adopt a phalanx. I walked towards An Hyun, who was gripping his black spear at the front. But instead of stopping beside him, I moved past him to the center. An Hyun turned his head in surprise as I took my position.
Without a word, I stood to the right of An Sol and Baek Han-gyeol. From behind, Go Yeon-ju’s sharp voice rang out.
“Hey, wasn’t I supposed to be the keeper?”
“The left flank is exposed. Go Yeon-ju, cover that area.”
“Hmm~. What about the front?”
“An Hyun is the main tank.”
As soon as I said that, the clan members, especially the younger ones, seemed to understand why I had stepped back from the front line.
After a brief pause, I spoke in a calm voice.
“The Rhinoceros is within 250 meters. Approaching from 53 degrees northeast. The direction isn’t perfectly aligned, but if they come close, they’ll definitely charge at us.”
Rumble, rumble. Rumble, rumble.
At 250 meters, enhancing one’s vision would make them visible. As soon as I finished speaking, the vibrations that had been shaking the ground grew stronger. Seconds passed, and I could hear the sound of swallowing among the clan members.
In the direction I pointed, a thick cloud of dust was rising. As the distance closed, the dust grew larger, and soon, the massive forms of the Rhinoceroses burst through the cloud.
Rumble, rumble! Rumble, rumble!
“Roar!”
“Roar!”
As they neared, the Rhinoceroses let out fierce roars and veered slightly, charging towards us.
Each was about three meters long, weighing around 1.5 tons. Their tough, keratin-covered skin was striking, and the yellow horn protruding from their snout swung menacingly. The creatures, with shoulders as high as An Sol, pounded the earth with their four legs as they charged at us.
“Something’s off.”
Enhancing my vision to observe them closely, I noticed several oddities.
Their eyes were an unnaturally bright red. While it’s common for a monster’s eyes to change color when agitated, this was beyond the norm. Moreover, they were sweating profusely, as if they’d been running non-stop day and night.
As I pondered, their roars snapped me out of my thoughts. Strange occurrences had been piling up since dawn. My mind was filled with questions, but I needed to focus on the immediate threat to gain the time to think later.
Just in case, I drew the Ilwol Shingeom from my waist, though I didn’t unsheathe it. Watching Kim Han-byeol fidget with her gem, I called out sharply.
“Kim Han-byeol, what are you doing?”
“Huh?”
“Are you planning to take that charge head-on? The battle has already begun.”
“Oh, yes! ───. ───. ───.”
“Let’s see what you’ve got…”
Kim Han-byeol immediately began chanting. My stern command not only spurred her into action but also prompted the others to ready themselves. I tapped the scabbard with my fingernail and spoke again.
“Remember when we first took down the Black Scorpion in the Black Forest?”
Thud, thud, thud, thud! Thud, thud, thud, thud!
“For the record, in a group fight, the Black Scorpion might be tougher, but individually, it’s stronger than a Rhinoceros.”
”───. ───. ───. Radiant. Hugging dawn.”
As I finished speaking, Kim Han-byeol’s chant continued. Her left hand rose into the air, and the gem resting on it floated up.
Flash!
The thumb-sized gem, now airborne, emitted a radiant light. As the light grew bright enough to dispel the dawn’s dimness, Kim Han-byeol pulled her right arm back as if drawing a bowstring. With a fierce shout, she unleashed her magic.
“Driving hit!”
Whoosh!
It was a wave of bluish light. As she spread her hand, the gem shattered, and waves of light surged forward, engulfing the Rhinoceroses. The light enveloped their bodies and then exploded with a brilliant flash.
“Roar!”
The light was so intense that An Hyun, at the front, had to avert his gaze. Kim Han-byeol’s spell wasn’t a meticulously crafted chain explosion like Ha Yeon’s, but the sheer power of the gem magic left the clan members momentarily awestruck.
The three Rhinoceroses at the front, charging with great momentum, were all knocked to the ground. Their once-tough keratin was shredded, and they bled from multiple wounds. One of them tried to rise, dragging itself along the ground, but its legs gave way, and it collapsed again.
The remaining five had also halted their charge. Judging by their scattered positions, they had been forcibly thrown back by the explosion’s impact. However, as they began to stand, it seemed they had taken less damage than those at the front.
“Roar! Roar!”
The standing Rhinoceroses resumed their charge. Despite the explosion, they showed no signs of hesitation or disorientation, as if driven by a mad warrior’s determination to kill us at any cost.
I deliberately remained silent. With their charge disrupted and three incapacitated, Kim Han-byeol had done her part. Now it was the turn of the melee fighters. For future expeditions, I planned to minimize in-battle orders, using this fight to gauge their growth.
As the five remaining Rhinoceroses closed in on the phalanx, An Sol’s sweet voice rang out, casting a spell she had prepared in advance.
“Protect!”
Extending her staff, a round, transparent barrier formed in front of An Hyun. Three Rhinoceroses crashed their horns into it, but the shield held firm. An Hyun seized the moment to thrust his spear at the nearest one.
“Spear Strike!”
“Oh, Spear Strike?”
With a sharp sound, the black spear split into several shafts, each piercing the Rhinoceroses’ bodies relentlessly. It seemed to be one of the Qi Spearmaster’s abilities, though not yet fully mastered.
A mournful cry echoed, but three beasts were closing in on Ahn Hyun. The two rhinoceros-like creatures on the flanks charged in from either side, aiming for the center.
“Stay still.”
Go Yeon-ju was about to spring into action, but I gently pressed her abdomen with the Ilwol Divine Sword. She looked at me with a puzzled expression, then glanced at the creature lunging from the right. Without taking my eyes off Yoo-jung, I shifted my body slightly and extended my right foot.
I felt the sharp horn graze my abdomen. The moment I sensed something heavy catch on my outstretched foot, I immediately redirected the force upward with all my might.
Thud! Whoosh.
I heard something soar through the air, and a dark shadow arced high above. Still not breaking my gaze, I slowly gripped the hilt of the Ilwol Divine Sword.
For once, Yoo-jung wore an unusually focused expression. The scurep and katana she held in both hands glowed with a pure, bluish magic, showcasing their sharpness.
The distance between Yoo-jung and the rhinoceros-like creature closed to striking range. As she watched the beast charging at her, she suddenly spun her body. Planting her foot forward, she drove the daggers in her hands forcefully into its side. But she wasn’t done. As she leaped slightly off the ground, two dark shadows emerged from below, grabbing her feet.
“This is something I practiced with her. So don’t be mad if I mess up,” Go Yeon-ju grumbled, pouting slightly and pointing at the shadows.
“Roooooar!”
Yoo-jung’s body arched into a half-circle, as if performing a handstand, climbing up the creature’s back and then descending on the other side. Despite its agonized thrashing, she clung to her daggers, dragging them down with fierce determination.
It took only five seconds for the beast to collapse. Though Go Yeon-ju played a significant role, it felt like watching a well-rehearsed acrobatic performance. Yoo-jung landed in a crouch like a monkey, then immediately launched herself toward Ahn Hyun’s flank.
I nodded a couple of times, then drew the Ilwol Divine Sword, extending it to the right. The shadow that had been evading us was drawing closer. Of course, I didn’t forget to keep the blade upright.
”───. ───. ───. Shackles!”
The initial barrier was starting to crack. However, with timely support from An Sol and Kim Han-byeol, Ahn Hyun was now energetically wielding his spear against two of the creatures, having already taken one down.
Crack!
As the gruesome sound and the sensation of slicing through flesh faded from my right arm, I glanced down. There lay a rhinoceros-like creature, neatly split in half on the ground.
Looking forward again, I saw a yellow bolt of lightning zigzagging, striking the creature’s eye dead-on. Seizing the moment as it twisted its neck, Ahn Hyun thrust his spear into its throat without hesitation. With a powerful twist and pull, the creature crumpled to the ground.
“Ohohoho! Ahahaha!”
And there, beside it, was Yoo-jung, gleefully slicing into the last creature caught in the shackles.
---------------------------= Author’s Note ---------------------------=
Hello, this is Ro Yoo-jin.
And with that, we’ve wrapped up the “Side Income” section. The next section is titled “Plateau of Delusions.” Some of you might be wondering why this section is called “Side Income,” but please be patient. I’ll explain in due time. :) Initially, I wanted to call it “Signs of Side Income,” but it didn’t quite fit. (Those of you who are quick on the uptake might have already figured it out…) Oh, and exams start tomorrow. I’ll be working hard all week!
P.S. Dear readers, it’s troublesome if you keep teasing me. If this continues, I have my own plans. Yes, I might just become a little rebellious. You could call me “Rebellious Yoo-jin.” ( —)