I Picked Up the Greatest Villain in the Story

30.

“Hyung…”

“Jian hyung!”

“What should we do…”

The female teacher with short hair and round glasses stomped her feet anxiously, not knowing what to do. She couldn’t decide whether it was better to hide or to flee elsewhere.

Even D-rank monsters were life-threatening for ordinary people, let alone A-rank ones. Although they didn’t know what kind of monster would appear, it was better to hide inside the house than to risk encountering one while fleeing on the streets.

“For now, it’s best to go back inside the house.”

Jian gestured for the teacher to go upstairs. One minute had passed in an instant. An ominous energy was felt from behind.

Goosebumps rose from his toes to the top of his head. It was on a completely different level from what he had felt in F-rank dungeons. Something invisible approached closely, choking him.

“Yes, children. Let’s go inside. It’s dangerous outside.”

Miyoung, who had graduated from a famous 4-year university in Seoul and ran her own art academy, tightened her grip on the children’s hands. She had been coming to teach three times a week like a business trip because Hyunwoo paid so well, but she never dreamed this would happen today.

Numerous safety rules for such situations came to her mind. Among them, there was one that everyone agreed on.

Ordinary people should never confront monsters. The best option was to hide in a completely enclosed space and wait for hunters dispatched by the Hunter Management Bureau and various guilds to arrive.

“Okay…”

Hyunsu responded weakly to Miyoung’s urging. He wanted to see his brother, but judging by the atmosphere, it didn’t seem like they would listen if he spoke up.

However, unlike Hyunsu, Sehun shook off Miyoung’s hand and ran to Jian.

“I want to stay with hyung…”

His eyes were desperate as he grabbed Jian’s pant leg and looked up. For a moment, Jian’s resolve weakened, but he steeled himself and removed Sehun’s hand.

Taking a child to face monsters would be insane. He planned to leave Sehun inside the house and then deal with the approaching monsters in front of the building.

This wasn’t some remote area, but the heart of Seoul. Thanks to the popularity of the nearby slime dungeon, it was always fully booked. As a result, his cafe had been bustling with hunters today.

He was only worried because the opened dungeon happened to be A-rank, but he believed nearby hunters would rush over soon.

“Don’t worry. I’m here. I’ll be right in front of the building. If you’re really worried, you can watch from the window, but make sure to keep it closed. So let’s go inside. You’ll listen to me, right?”

He didn’t want to speak forcefully, but there was no time. The chilling sensation continued to prickle at his nape.

“Grrrr…”

“Kyaaak!”

And then, suddenly, a monster as big as a house appeared. Miyoung, who had sent Hyunsu in first and was waiting for Sehun at the door, screamed and collapsed.

Jian quickly turned his back to Sehun. His legs trembled involuntarily as he faced the bright red eyes.

The wolf-like monster was the size of a large jeep and had three eyes. Moreover, each eye was as big as a fist.

The eye in the center of its forehead was entirely bright red with a long, vertically slit black pupil, intimidating just to look at.

The asphalt where its drooling saliva touched sizzled and corroded.

It was on a completely different level from the monsters he had faced before. The Clams were disgusting in their clustered appearance, but they didn’t emit such intense killing intent.

The monster’s gaze scanned his entire body. Saliva pooled rapidly under its tongue. Feeling that something would happen if it swallowed, Jian could only stare with wide eyes.

If he lost to its pressure, it would be over. He summoned the skill window and activated his defense skill. Until now, he had only used it on himself, but this time he set it to cover the entire cafe building, centered on Sehun behind him.

His life force decreased by one-tenth. For at least 10 minutes, even the A-rank monster before him couldn’t break through the barrier. After all, Jian’s barrier skill was the strongest, capable of blocking even S-rank monster attacks.

Only then did he release his tightly clenched fists. A dull pain rose from the skin where his nails had left crescent-shaped marks. Jian opened his lips without taking his eyes off the monster.

“Teacher, please take Sehun inside.”

“Kwaaang―!”

No sooner had he finished speaking than the wolf lunged. Miyoung grabbed Sehun’s arm with trembling hands and led him inside the house.

Sehun tried to resist until the end, but even a child couldn’t overpower an adult woman. The sound of the door closing was heard. Jian instinctively stepped back as the red eyes came right up to his face.

“Heuuu…”

What kind of monster looked this terrifying? He had once seen a picture of a wolf and a Siberian Husky side by side.

Even then, he thought the wolf was surprisingly large, but this monster was on a completely different level from wolves. It was clear that this monster only borrowed the wolf’s form but was an entirely different being.

The pointed ears, triangular face, and protruding snout were similar, but the size of its jagged teeth was intimidating just to look at.

Kwaaang―! Kwang―!

The wolf-like monster, enraged that its attacks weren’t working, tried to pummel Jian’s face with its massive front paws. Each time, a translucent barrier rose to block the attack.

He was newly impressed by the power of his skill. As if to prove it wasn’t just nominally S-rank, the barrier’s ability was beyond imagination.

Until now, he had never used it because it consumed too much life force. The stealth skill and attack skill had been enough to deal with F-rank monsters.

The excited monster drooled as it raised its arms high, trying to bite through the barrier, but it was futile.

However, he couldn’t just relax. The barrier would last for 10 minutes. He had to defeat this monster within that time.

“Use skill.”

He used his only attack skill to target the wolf in front of him. The massive wolf turned a pale green color. Everything except the wolf turned gray.

He raised his hand and poked the pale green light. The green light soon changed to a red as bright as the wolf’s eyes.

So this thing’s name was Giant Wolf. No sooner had he nodded than the wolf’s movement stopped abruptly.

“Kiiing…!”

A pitiful cry, completely incongruous with its appearance, echoed around. As the Giant Wolf writhed with its belly exposed, nearby objects were gradually destroyed.

A street tree touched by its front paw shattered like a dry cornstalk, and a black sedan parked on the road in front of the cafe was instantly crushed.

Jian raised his hand and wiped his chest. If the barrier skill’s rank had been lower than the monster’s, he could have ended up like that flattened car.

“Uwaah…! Mom… Mom…”

Just as he was thinking about finishing off the Giant Wolf and going inside to comfort the likely frightened Sehun, he heard a sound that shouldn’t be there.

Jian looked across the street with a sinking feeling. She looked about Sehun’s age. A girl with pigtails was crying, terrified.

There was no guardian in sight; the child was alone. Only then did he take in the surrounding situation. He had forgotten that this area was quite bustling, having been focused on Sehun and Hyunsu.

“P-please save me…”

The monster from the dungeon wasn’t alone. Nearby hunters were risking their lives to face the Giant Wolves, but there were too many monsters.

Jian could see at least four. One was nearly incapacitated by him, but the other three were frenzied, attacking people indiscriminately.

“Kwaaang…!”

“Kuhek…”

A hunter with a familiar face was thrown in front of Jian after being hit by a monster’s front paw. Dark red blood spilled from the hunter’s mouth as he hit the barrier.

“Hey! Hwang Taehyun! Are you okay?”

“Cough, cough…”

A hunter from the Jiri Guild, who had been fighting fiercely just moments ago, ran over to support the hunter called Taehyun.

Meanwhile, Jian left the barrier and ran towards the child across the street.

“Kid! Come here!”

The child’s crying caught the attention of a nearby Giant Wolf. In his urgency, Jian grabbed the defenseless child’s arm, hugged her, and rolled on the ground.

Crash!

The asphalt where the child had been standing crumbled like a cookie. His heart raced madly at the thought that if he had been a little late, the child might have been torn apart alive before his eyes.

“Huuung…”

The startled child clung to Jian’s neck, having a seizure. Jian patted the child’s back as he got up.

His arms and back ached, but there was no time to check for injuries. A drooling Giant Wolf was approaching, targeting him and the child.