Chapter 1739: Cat and Mouse
Despite having arrived relatively early in the morning, around 9 AM, the first seven hours of the Test revolved around simply gathering information. This caused a number of people to feel bored out of their minds, but, with Khun taking command, he made sure to keep everyone occupied and on high alert. The only exceptions to this rule were Vahn and Gandr, both disappearing almost immediately after their arrival in the testing grounds.
Despite several people noticing their absence, even Khun largely ignored them after hearing Phae playfully remark, "My Lord is making sure the Administration plays fair. As for Gandr, he has been given a secret mission. Don't worry, when that boy got serious, even clairvoyants wouldn't be able to sense his presence."
Though he had yet to voice his thoughts to anyone else, Khun was starting to get the impression that Gandr had been reared as an Assassin by the Aldrnari Empire. After all, not only was the boy extremely talented at getting close to people, his senses were extremely refined, his battle instincts were off the charts, and, most importantly, he had the ability to, quite literally, conceal his presence and phase through solid objects.
Fortunately, though he would never trust them completely, it didn't seem like the Imperial Trio had any real interest in the Tower and its politics. Rather, Vahn gave off an impression similar to a force of nature, something that simply couldn't be opposed. He was like a tidal wave that only got larger the further it traveled, sweeping over everything that didn't resist and destroying anything that tried to bar his passage...
---
Just as Rak had complained for the eighty-seventh time about being bored, Khun instantly became alert when Shibisu, assigned to monitor and protect the Net Dolphins alongside Endorsi and Anak, reported, "Khun, it seems like they're finally beginning to move."
Exhaling a sigh of relief, Khun, within the relative safety of his Lighthouse, opened up channels to each of the other groups, explaining, "The Herders are on the move. Hatsu, inform me immediately after the Thieves begin their pursuit. Spear-Bearers, make your preparations but don't attack until we locate the Chasers. Even if you have a higher vantage point, fending off hundreds of enemies on your own is suicide."
While the individual Barnacle Goblin was no match even for an average Ranker, they always traveled in large packs. They also had extremely high durability and Shinsu resistance, so, even if it was Anak, Endorsi, and Laure, they would only be able to deal with a few dozen of the relatively intelligent and highly coordinated creatures before being overwhelmed. It didn't matter how much talent they had, as, without time to grow and develop their Shinsu control and abilities, they were only really strong compared to other Regulars of the same Rank.
In response to Khun's orders, Hatsu answered in the affirmative while overlooking a veritable army of Barnacle Goblins and Giant Marsh Worms from atop a cliff. As for Rak, Aleksai, and the leech-like Parakewl, the latter two remained silent as the former shouted, "It's about time! Watch closely, you pathetic turtles! I'll show you how a real Hunter catches his prey...!"
Resisting the urge to face-palm, Khun shifted his attention to the team comprised of Laure, Nare, and Chunhwa, asking, "Any luck on finding the Chasers?"
As the Scout assigned to help map the underground tunnels using her baby Shinheuh's special sonar ability, it was Nare who hastily replied, "There are no signs of them just yet! We've mapped this entire region but I haven't found any traces of them at all!"
Seeing the girl's face a little too close to the Observer, almost as if she was embracing it near her body, a wry smile spread across Khun's face as he said, "Okay. Go ahead and progress to Plan B. I will make sure you are properly compensated once the Test has completed."
Releasing the Observer from her embrace, a mischievous glimmer appeared in Nare's eyes as she performed a rather childish salute and asserted, "Leave it to me! I won't let that Bagworm nap his way through this one~!"
Finding Laure's impending suffering rather amusing, Khun couldn't help but chuckle in response to Nare's statement. Immediately after that, however, his expression returned to his usual seriousness as he connected his Lighthouse to the unusual golden one that hovered above the testing ground, far beyond the range of a traditional F-Rank Light Bearer.
Though nobody knew where she had obtained it, Phae made use of a unique Lighthouse that was covered in mysterious runes that even an A-Rank Pocket like Baam's couldn't interpret. She never explained what these runes did, but, based on the feats others had observed, it's basic capabilities were comparable to those of a B-Rank Lighthouse. It was also 'extremely' durable, so much so that it hadn't accumulated a single scratch, even during combat training.
Seeing Khun appear on her primary display, Phae offered a polite smile as she set aside her tea and asked, "Is there something you required of me, Mr. Khun?"
Responding with a wry smile of his own, Khun explained, "I'm certain you have already taken notice, but I wanted to inform you that things are finally getting underway. Is there anything from your end that I need to know about?"
After briefly considering her words, Phae issued a light hum before answering, "My Master has yet to report anything, but Gandr has noticed some abnormalities near the Net Dolphin habitat. I doubt there will be any serious issues, but you should consider warning Endorsi, Anak, and Shibisu to stay on their toes. It is pretty obvious that the Administration doesn't want Baam to pass this Test so we should expect the Bull to make an appearance at any-"
Before she could even finish her statement, both Khun and Phae fell silent when they heard Shibisu cry out in an extremely stressed tone, "Khun! The Bull has just appeared! I also haven't been able to get into contact with either Endorsi or Anak! I thought they had just gone off to use the bathroom, but they haven't returned even after twenty minutes! Tell them to return as fast as possible! I won't be able to hold back this monster on my own...!"
With a visible bead of sweat rolling down the side of his face, yet another wry smile appeared on Khun's face as he looked toward Phae and said, "Forgive me, Lady Phae, but it seems my attention is required elsewhere. Please contact me if there are any important changes I need to know about."
Chuckling in response to Khun's words, Phae lightly nodded in affirmation, saying, "Don't worry. If either Gandr or my Lord takes action, I will inform you immediately. Good luck, Mr. Khun..."
---
Though they had been led to believe that the Bull was a ruthless Apex Predator that had wiped out numerous teams of Regulars in the past, Shibisu's experience with the slimy black humanoid could only be described as 'comical'. It didn't seem to consider him a threat in the slightest, so, other than a few middling attempts to bite his head off, it had largely been toying with him.
The Bull was a vaguely humanoid Shinheuh that stood roughly five meters in height. It had a lean yet muscular body, three-toed feet, hands with opposable thumbs, a whip-like tail, and a peculiar head with a single large eye and a massive maw adorned with puffy red lips that concealed several rows of teeth. There was also a whisker-like tentacle that dangled from his curiously 'twisted' head, the end of which formed a bulbous protrusion that functioned similarly to an Angler Fish's lure, but, what stood out the most was the fact that the creature had a fleshy red mantle and an inordinately long black spear...
Fortunately for Shibisu, the Bull hadn't attempted to skewer him using its spear. Instead, it would twist its head nearly 90 degrees, staring at him from various angles before attempting to bite him with its head turned sideways. It would also periodically trip him using its tentacle, demonstrating a surprising amount of dexterity with the slimy appendage as it clearly enjoying toying with the man fumbling around in a purple tracksuit.
Having been knocked down by the much larger creature, Shibisu managed to roll to the side just as the Bull attempted to bite his face. Immediately after that, he attempted to kick its neck and body, but, almost as if the former was made of slippery hard leather, his attack had absolutely no effect. It didn't even seem to annoy the Bull, eliciting a curious head roll from the creature before it promptly attempted a second bite.
Since the Bull wasn't proactively trying to keep him pinned down, Shibisu was able to evade using a second roll before quickly bounding to his feet and making a break for a nearby stalagmite. Before he could make it more than a few steps, however, the Bull tripped him using its tentacle, a peculiar 'kurururururu~' escaping its toothy maw as it slowly crawled over to him.
Lamenting both his lack of strength and his misfortune for being the first to encounter the cat-like monstrosity, Shibisu manipulated his Observer to try and hit the eye of the Bull. Other than simply closing its eye, however, it didn't seem particularly concerned by the attempt to blind it. Instead, it continued releasing what Shibisu interpreted as a laugh, its red lips forming an expression similar to a smile as it grabbed him by the ankle.
Feeling his end fast-approaching, Shibisu began to desperately to kick at the Bull's vice-like hand, shouting, "I hope you get indigestion and diarrhea you fishy son of a bitch...!"
As there were very few Shinheuh capable of speech, the Bull just continued to 'laugh' at Shibisu's desperate struggles. Before it could dangle him above its mouth, however, a thin red line pierced through its bicep as a green 'whip' slammed into its body, forcing it to separate from Shibisu as it released an ear-piercing screech.
Immediately after piercing the Bull's bicep, the red line performed an arc like a boomerang before returning to the hands of its owner, none other than Endorsi. As for the origin of the green 'whip', it was obviously Anak's Green April, a weapon seemingly capable of changing its shape and size even in its inert state.
Seeing who had come to his aid, moisture began to build up in Shibisu's eyes as he muttered, "Talk about a sight for sore eyes..." before immediately adopting an angry expression and shouting, "You two sure took your sweet time! Where were you for the last half an hour!?"
As the only people she really got along with were Phae, Anak, Gandr, and Baam, Endorsi crossed her arms in response to Shibisu's outburst, retorting, "That's none of your business. You should be grateful we arrived when we did. Another couple of seconds and you would have been warming the belly of that slimy lizard. Speaking of which, this isn't one of your relatives, is it?"
With Endorsi turning to face her, Anak instantly understood what she was trying to say, a large vein appearing near her temple as she answered, "Screw you, cake-face."
Nearly dropping the compressed needle she had been twirling between her fingers, the upper-half of Endorsi's face became beet red as she shouted, "I don't wear that much makeup! I'm already one of the most beautiful women in the entire Tower! You're the one that could use a facelift you lizard brat...!"
Though she had been paying more attention to it recently, Anak had never been the type to care about her appearance. Thus, in response to Endorsi's outburst, she pretended like she was cleaning wax from her ear as she lazily replied, "Yeah, it's just a coincidence you look like a complete stranger after taking a bath..."
With the blush on her face becoming even more prominent, Endorsi was considering hitting the top of Anak's head when the Bull suddenly released another ear-piercing scream. This put both of them on alert, but, much to their surprise, it didn't even try to stick around and fight. Instead, it smacked Shibisu one last time with its tentacle before running off into the darkness at extreme speeds.
Seeing Shibisu slam into the side of the cave with enough force to produce a few cracks, a slightly concerned look appeared on Anak's face as she instantly leaped over to his side. As for Endorsi, she followed the Bull's retreat with her eyes, saying, "I'm chasing after the Bull. Move the little mouse to a safe area and then follow after me. I shouldn't need help, but its better to be safe than sorry."
Without waiting for a response, Endorsi immediately took off in the direction of the Bull. Her natural speed was a little slower than the surprisingly swift creature, but, with the enhancement of Shinsu, it wouldn't take her very long to catch up. The only danger was that it would hide in one of the many pools of water that connected to the vast underground network of tunnels. She didn't really want to get wet, so, if it came to an underwater battle, she would let Anak go swimming while she used her Reel Inventory to provide support from dry land. After all, she was a Fisherman, not a fish...
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Shadow Assassin Gandr (o,...,o)~!','Shibisu needs to start working on them gains...','Ghost Pepper Cake :D...')
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