I Became The Rankers’ Number One Pick [EN]: Chapter 59

59.

I scanned the area for another tree to take refuge in, but they all seemed too far away.

‘What should I do? What should I do?’ I thought frantically.

I checked the time; only 6 minutes remained. Seoah reopened her inventory and, after a moment’s hesitation, retrieved an item, holding it aloft.

‘I wonder if this will work?’ she mused.

Seoah was holding the [Parasite Egg].

She worried about its limited uses, only three remaining. But the hesitation was brief.

The boar charged, propelled by the distance it had covered. Seoah clutched the baseball-sized egg tightly. With perfect timing, she leaped from the tree.

The [Parasite Egg] demanded precision. The user had to maintain contact between the egg and the target.

Fortunately, as Seoah plummeted, the egg brushed against the boar’s back. Upon contact, the egg glowed, rapidly burrowing into the boar’s flesh.

However, Seoah’s landing went awry, and she tumbled off the boar’s back.

She hit the ground hard and was struck squarely by the boar’s hind legs. A sharp crack echoed from her left shoulder.

“Ugh!”

Seoah cradled her shoulder, writhing on the ground.

[Health 8/55(+5) Mana 21/55(+5) Fatigue 64/80]

Her health plummeted, and searing pain shot through her shoulder. Seoah trembled, struggling to keep her eyes open.

‘Did it work?’ she wondered.

The boar appeared unharmed at first.

It bashed its head against a tree trunk a few times before turning its gaze back to Seoah. Each step of its massive body resonated with a heavy thud.

The enormous hooves advanced relentlessly, threatening to crush her.

‘Did I fail?’

Seoah gritted her teeth, attempting to rise. Her body screamed in protest, but remaining prone meant certain death.

By the time Seoah managed to stand, it was too late. The boar’s lower tusks loomed before her, poised to impale her.

Seoah squeezed her eyes shut.

Then, a system notification chimed.

[‘Parasite Egg’ has hatched! Duration reduced due to stat difference between user and target. (Duration 3:59)]

Opening her eyes, Seoah found the boar still directly in front of her. She quickly retreated a few steps, scrutinizing the boar’s condition.

It was alive, but moving jerkily, like a broken puppet. Seoah tentatively issued a command.

“Lie down.”

Surprisingly, its legs buckled, and its massive body crashed to the ground. Angry snorts still emanated from it, indicating it remained conscious.

“Haa….”

She had bought herself some time, at least. Relief washed over her, and her legs buckled, sending her collapsing to the ground.

Still seated, Seoah immediately retrieved healing and mana potions from her inventory, gulping them down in quick succession.

[Health 15/55(+5) Mana 26/55(+5) Fatigue 64/80]

Perhaps due to their low grade, or her weakened state, the potions offered minimal relief. She attempted to use a recovery skill on her shoulder, but it had little effect.

Rustle-

Seoah startled at the sound behind her, whirling around. Recognizing the figure, she sighed and faced forward again.

It was Gil Gyeongtae, who had vanished earlier. His face bore scratches, as if he had fallen, but otherwise, he seemed unharmed.

“Hey, why is that thing standing still?”

He didn’t inquire about Seoah’s well-being, despite her obvious injuries. Not that she expected him to. She answered his question weakly.

“It’s not over yet. I can only control it for a little while.”

The Parasite Egg’s effect had about 2 minutes and 30 seconds remaining, while the gate was scheduled to open in approximately 2 minutes and 50 seconds.

A difference of about 20 seconds.

Enough time for the boar to regain control and kill both Seoah and Gil Gyeongtae. The boar remained prone, glaring at Seoah with fiery eyes.

“Get up.”

At the quiet command, the boar struggled to its feet, its heavy body rising once more.

‘Would it be underhanded to just hit it with the Bbyong Hammer now?’ she wondered.

Seoah glanced down at her trembling hands. Contrary to her thoughts, she couldn’t muster any strength in her arms. A weak blow from the Bbyong Hammer would be ineffective.

She struggled to even hold it, let alone swing it.

Moreover, even with the Parasite Egg, the boar wasn’t fully controlled due to Seoah’s low stats.

‘If I get hit even once, I’ll die instantly.’

For now, she had no choice. Seoah issued another command.

“Turn around and go far away.”

The only way to buy time was to create distance.

Kweeek-

The boar turned, but its legs resisted the forced movement. Seoah’s assessment was correct.

Attempting to kill it now would only lead to her demise.

The boss boar moved forward slowly, one step at a time. At this rate, it wouldn’t get far even if it continued for the entire duration. It would be better if they moved as well.

Seoah used the Bbyong Hammer as a makeshift cane, supporting herself as she staggered to her feet. She limped in the opposite direction of the boar.

Gil Gyeongtae walked beside her, cautiously.

“You’re trying to get away from that thing, right?”

“…Yes.”

Gil Gyeongtae grunted in acknowledgement and sprinted ahead, abandoning Seoah.

Seoah clutched her shoulder and walked diligently. Soon, Gil Gyeongtae screamed and ran back towards her.

“That rabbit again!”

“…Ah.”

Seoah turned and gauged the distance between herself and the boss boar. Regular monsters were appearing as she moved away from the boss.

The regular monsters were only appearing because of the boss’s presence and weren’t attacking yet. But if she moved further away, they would inevitably attack.

In her current state, Seoah would struggle against even one Big Claw Rabbit. But the distance from the boss was also precarious. At this distance, she would be caught in 5 seconds.

Meanwhile, time ticked away, leaving less than a minute to control the boar.

Seoah looked back and forth. Suddenly, her usually calm heart began to race.

‘Huh…? Why all of a sudden?’

She didn’t know if it was her poor condition or her dwindling mana, but her passive skill [Silent Night] had deactivated.

Overwhelming fear and helplessness washed over Seoah.

“Hey, what do we do! What do we do now! Where do we go?”

Gil Gyeongtae’s near-hysterical scream barely registered with Seoah, consumed by panic.

30 seconds, 20 seconds, 10 seconds….

Time continued its relentless march.

Seoah stammered, barely able to speak.

“We have to…run….”

As her sense of reality returned, she couldn’t fathom how she had faced the boss monster in the first place.

That boar was a boss monster from a D-grade gate. Even a D-grade hunter risked their life facing it alone.

What courage had possessed her to fight ‘that’?

3, 2, 1 second.

[‘Parasite King’ effect has ended! Remaining uses: 2]

Seeing the boar stop, Gil Gyeongtae didn’t hesitate and ran in a random direction.

The boar, looking around, finally spotted Seoah. It was clearly enraged.

[Giant Wild Pig] charged towards Seoah. In the blink of an eye, it had halved the distance.

About 10 seconds remained until the gate opened.

‘Please, please move. Run, Park Seoah.’

Seoah tried to move her leaden feet, but her frozen body resisted her will. At this rate, she was worse off than Gil Gyeongtae.

What was I so proud of?

The self-loathing that surged within her slowed her movements further.

“Ugh! What is it!”

Gil Gyeongtae’s scream echoed again. She assumed he had encountered another regular monster. But Seoah couldn’t help him now.

‘Please.’

As if in response to her desperate plea, [Silent Night] reactivated. Her mind cleared, and the oppressive weight lifted from her body.

Seoah tried to escape, but the boar was upon her. Gripping the Bbyong Hammer with both hands in a defensive stance, Seoah thought, ‘I don’t have the strength to withstand this.’

‘No, I’m going to die.’

She imagined being impaled by the boar’s tusks.

Thud.

“Park Seoah.”

An unexpected voice broke through the chaos.

Seoah opened her eyes and saw Yoo Ji-an.

Yoo Ji-an casually held the boar’s lower tusks with his right hand. The massive boar was completely immobilized.

Seoah immediately checked the time. 5 seconds remained until the exit appeared.