Chapter

ch21-ch40 · 023-ch23

Chapter 23: At Akayama Town

Akayama Town — immediately after the World Clock's gate opening.

Before the massive flood of enemies pouring from the door, a young Hunter stood by in Sector 20.

"...It's okay. I can do this."

Sakuma Yuuki told himself, glaring at the monsters in the distance.

He'd Awakened during the World Clock event before last — about three months ago. Scouted by a major guild, he was a promising D-Rank making his debut today.

In his hand, a brand-new short sword. His issued armor gleamed, and his stance was somehow proud.

"Just do what I trained to do... yeah, that's right. The battle's being broadcast live... if I get picked up, I can show off to my class..."

Muttering to himself, he waited for the moment.

His training scores were always at the top.

His magic aptitude was high too; he fought well against C-Rank opponents in mock battles, was told by seniors and peers that he had "a bright future," and his heart raced at the high contract fee plus performance-based pay.

"Besides, the enemies this time are goblin-types... perfect fodder for a rookie, right?"

Goblins — a staple of fantasy worlds.

Low intelligence, simple fighting style, often used as training dummies — in other words, an enemy that's been studied to death.

Some were already dropping from the clock, while others riding wyverns could be spotted.

Fighting had already begun far ahead.

"Honestly, I almost wish I hadn't been assigned to Sector 1. I wanted my debut to be in the hot zone... well, I guess this is just a warm-up."

Sector 1 refers to the area directly under the clock.

The zones are divided into 30 sectors, and the closer to Sector 1, the higher the danger — and the more fame you gain by distinguishing yourself near Sector 1.

This is my first battle. The first step toward growth.

I'm nervous. But I can do this.

"...I'm a Hunter. A chosen warrior."

That's when a sound echoed from afar.

The sound of wind being sliced. Roars. Dust clouds.

What appeared was a goblin riding a beast.

Official name: Goblin Rider

Among goblin types, it's relatively clever, possessing the dexterity to command and ride beasts. Its main weapons are spears and poison arrows.

Subjugation difficulty: D-Rank.

The goblin on its back held a spear, laughing like a maniac.

The beast was more than twice the size of a human.

"—!"

In an instant, Sakuma's throat went dry.

His brain was screaming—

This isn't what I expected.

The simulations were just images.

There was no sound. No smell.

The beast's roar rang out as if to burst his eardrums, followed by the goblin's laughter. The stench of blood and mud mixed together in a foul odor.

"H-Hi...!"

Their eyes met. The goblin grinned.

It charged straight at him.

"...Aaah... ah...!"

Tears welled in his eyes. His teeth chattered.

In training, he was expected and praised.

But the opponents he'd faced weren't real.

His legs trembled.

His heart pounded like crazy, a sensation like all the blood in his body reversing flooded him.

His right hand convulsed. His fingers went white-knuckled around the short sword, the blade shaking violently.

"I-If I... aim for the front leg..."

His mouth automatically recited the training manual. But his body wouldn't follow.

In front of him, the beast lunged off the ground.

"GYAAAAAAH!!!"

He swung the short sword reflexively, but completely missed the angle.

CRAAAACK!!!

The claw only grazed his shoulder.

Even so, his body was sent flying, the sky spinning.

He slammed his back against the ground, rolling in the dust.

He couldn't hear anything. He thought his eardrums had burst.

"Gh... ngh...!"

His shoulder burned with pain.

His body wouldn't move. His weapon was out of reach.

Before him stood a goblin, spear at the ready.

"...What the hell... I'm D-Rank... I should be able to beat you!!"

The goblin looked down at Sakuma, who was crying out.

It was laughing. Its eyes gleamed with delight.

That spear came straight for his chest.

No hesitation. No mercy.

Death—

THUD!!

A dull impact echoed into the goblin's side, and the spear was knocked away.

A iron shield slammed into the side of its head.

The goblin spun half a turn and rolled on the ground.

"Ah..."

When Sakuma looked up, standing there was a man of medium height with a stocky build.

Simple iron armor, a round shield, and a short spear.

He was also a D-Rank Hunter — Sakuma's guild superior.

"Get it together. Here, can you stand?"

"Ah, yes..."

As he stood, nursing his shoulder, the sounds of the battlefield grew closer. Fighting was already happening everywhere around them. There were even what used to be humans nearby.

"Urgh...!?"

Sakuma threw up everything in his stomach. The ribeye steak he'd splurged on for his first battle came right back up.

"Once you've calmed down, regroup. We need your strength. So, can you do it?"

Sakuma slapped his own cheek hard. His face still covered in vomit, but somehow his expression was better than before the battle started.

"I'm fine! Please, let me fight!"

"Alright, let's go! If you can't take down a Goblin Rider on your own, you can't call yourself a D-Rank Hunter!"

The two of them headed back into the fray.

A long, long defensive battle had begun.

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Sector 12 — Several minutes after the World Clock gate opened.

Goblin Riders mounted on beasts had made it all the way here, far from the clock.

The group charged straight ahead, lunging at the Hunters like carnivores that had spotted prey.

"Alright, visibility is good. Terrain, wind direction — perfect."

A young man smiled as he fitted his goggles.

Even facing the massive horde before him, he didn't flinch.

Kuroiwa Atsushi, B-Rank Awakener.

He possessed a wind-acceleration skill and was a Hunter specializing in mobile combat.

On his back were curved twin swords.

Light combat gear, with magical tools on his legs to assist flight.

"Let's go, Wind Blade Twin Fangs."

The magic circles carved into his soles glowed, and his body kicked off the ground at once.

BOOM!!

Acceleration more like a bullet being fired than a leap.

Kuroiwa tore through the wind, charging straight at the Goblin Riders.

『Kuroiwa Hunter makes his move!』

The announcer's voice echoed.

As is the case with most of the world, World Clocks have become sports. Above the defensive walls of Akayama Town, protected by translucent reinforced glass, the fervent spectators looked down.

Despite the fact that an irregular World Clock had appeared in Aoba Town just recently, most citizens still felt no sense of crisis. The spectators had paid good money to visit dangerous Akayama Town, cheering for their favorite Hunters.: Kuroiwa's here—!; Kuroiwa Atsushi, ranked 20th in B-Class huh; He's my absolute fave!! Child of the wind!!; Tear 'em to shreds—!

The footage was being broadcast live by drones, with real-time comments streaming.

"Too green!"

His blade pierced deep into the beast's front leg just as it was about to land.

The front leg crumpled. The goblin was thrown from the unbalanced beast's back.

"One down, dismount!"

He leaped behind it mid-spin and drove both blades into the fallen goblin's back.

The goblin spat blood and writhed — in that instant, he stomped its shoulder with one foot, spinning his body—

SHRK.

He slashed its throat clean across.: Holy shit! That was way too clean!; This dude's seriously hot tbh; lol specialized in killing trash mobs; ↑ jealous much; Kuroiwa-sama please marry me

"Next!"

Kuroiwa's eyes were already on the next target.

He stomped the beast's back and slashed diagonally downward.

He beheaded the thrown goblin mid-air, kicked its head, and knocked another rider off its mount. Then with a reverse stroke, he beheaded another goblin.

It was a dance-like, brilliant battle.

Cheers rose from the surrounding units watching him.

"Amazing... so B-Rank is really that strong!"

"Look, Kuroiwa-san is here! Let's keep up!"

Kuroiwa snorted.

"Well, gotta give 'em a show every now and then."

His attention was on the audience.

If his performance got picked up by the cameras even once, fans would praise him on social media and throw money at him. The more stylish the combat, the easier it was to attract sponsors, or so it was said.

"(Better to make short work of the easy ones...♪)"

But — at that moment.

A tremendous rumbling changed the air.

Crushing goblin corpses underfoot, a massive figure appeared.

Green skin. A mass of muscle, baring its teeth in a grin. Over four meters tall.

"Ogre...!"

The atmosphere shifted instantly.

The surrounding squad members all backed away at once, weapons raised, frozen in place.

"Shit, why's something like this showing up...!"

Unlike goblins, the recommended subjugation rank for an Ogre was A-Rank or higher.

Attack range, power, durability — all on a completely different level.

"Someone call for backup from a nearby A-Rank...!"

Kuroiwa wrapped himself in wind and accelerated.

At bullet-like speed, he slipped past the Ogre's side — at that moment.

The Ogre moved its arm with terrifying speed and caught his leg.

The wind scattered.

"Wha—!?"

A fist flew toward him.

Twisting his body, he barely avoided it, but even the shockwave grazing his body made his ribs scream.

He was slammed into the ground.

The impact struck from his back. His vision swam.

The Ogre raised its fist.: Hey isn't Kuroiwa in trouble?; Can't you at least take down an Ogre though; No way no way no way no way don't die!!; Kunimori would've one-shot it

The fist came down with the force of several tons.

Not an impact a human could withstand.

CLANG! A dull metallic sound echoed.

Kuroiwa noticed there was no impact on his body and cautiously opened his eyes. There stood—

"Get lost, small fry. I'm finishing this."

A man who looked like a yakuza, catching the massive fist without flinching at all, spat to the side.

『Oba Hunter! Cyborg Oba!!』

The announcer's voice thundered almost deafeningly.

The broadcast showed the man, one hand in his pocket, grabbing the Ogre's arm and lifting it up.: As expected of Oba-senpai; A-Rank Hunter is here!!; Get lost trash Kuroiwa lol; Big bro looking as cool as ever; Cyborg Oba-senpai is so badass; Kuroiwa is done lol

Frighteningly, the comments that had been praising Kuroiwa moments before were now all criticizing him.

Hunting is a popularity business, and popularity points to actual strength. If footage of you losing gets broadcast, you lose fans in an instant. Forgetting that they risk their lives, the public freely expects and is disappointed.

"Looks like I win in the strength comparison!"

The Ogre's fist was already battered, while Oba Hunter's body was unharmed. His steel-like body was truly that of a cyborg.

He clenched his fist and drove it into the Ogre's stomach.: Anyone else who can throw down with an Ogre barehanded? lol; Of course not, Oba's special; Barehanded fighting is so badass, big bro; As expected of A-Rank rank 12, almost S; Isn't he already S-Rank level? lol; lol Kuroiwa's still rolling around over there, so in the way

The comments were flooded with praise for Oba Hunter who was trading blows with the Ogre. And not a single comment worried about Kuroiwa.

『Now then, let's switch to the other broadcast. After all, Japan has two World Clocks! And this time, the Hunters protecting Aoba Town are just four — can that possibly work!?』

With the announcer's declaration, the screen switched.

It showed the Aoba Town World Clock — opening just minutes after Akayama Town's.

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