OMH Chapter 74

Oh My Hero – Chapter 74

74. Guide (18)

“Excuse me? Combat support? I’m a Guide… Combat support would be difficult for me. But the combat-type Espers on the team will be supporting from outside. If we wait here safely, everything will be resolved.”

Even after talking to a Guide who seemed to know Gang Hana, all Cha Woojin got was a disappointing answer.

Cha Woojin’s feelings toward the Guide named Cheon Yuha worsened.

After welcoming Gang Hana so warmly, how could he see him favorably when all he said was that there was nothing he could do for her?

But Cha Woojin was in the same boat; he couldn’t do anything for Gang Hana either.

Cha Woojin, overwhelmed by a sense of helplessness, watched the giant centipede monster move further away.

He looked around at the dozens of people nearby.

Around them were piled up complex-looking machines and various weapons, like firearms.

Seeing this, Cha Woojin thought that if he could persuade these people, they could help Gang Hana, who was in the middle of the battle.

His heart raced at the thought of Gang Hana being crushed or hit by the monster’s enormous body.

Cha Woojin stood in front of the people who were passively waiting for the monster to move further away.

He clenched and unclenched his fist once, trying to subtly calm his nerves, and then spoke loudly to the people.

“Everyone! Thanks to a small team luring the monster away, it’s moved away from the residential area. Wouldn’t it be better for us to help them and defeat the monster now?”

Cha Woojin mustered all the courage and composure he could and presented his opinion to the people.

But the people’s reactions were lukewarm.

“Well… the Espers currently facing the monster are more than capable of taking care of it themselves. Is there really a need to waste resources?”

“Butting in on an Esper’s battle will only get in the way. It’s highly likely that we’ll only waste the [Esper’s] Ability during the fight.”

“I… I understand what the next team leader is saying, but shouldn’t we trust our combat team members first?”

Cha Woojin was slightly discouraged by the people’s negative responses.

However, the image of Gang Hana injured by the monster wouldn’t leave his mind.

He couldn’t back down like this. The anxiety that Gang Hana would be seriously hurt if he accepted their words weighed heavily on him.

Cha Woojin resolutely voiced his opinion to the people once more.

“The combat team members are struggling fiercely against the monster right now and are exposed to the risk of serious injury. Shouldn’t we do everything we can to prevent that giant monster from harming people?”

Cha Woojin pointed to the giant monster so that people could empathize with his words even more.

That’s when it happened.

*Kwang!*

With a loud roar and a burst of flames, the monster writhed.

Even though they were far away, it was clear that someone had caused an explosion on the monster’s face.

“What, what is it? What’s going on? Did they have bombs?”

“Kwak Taewon went with them. He’s much better than Oh Sein, who only causes accidents.”

Those watching together didn’t take it seriously, as if it were nothing out of the ordinary.

Cha Woojin blankly stared at the spot where the explosion had occurred.

Gang Hana must be in that fire, along with the monster thrashing even more violently.

The situation was too similar to the last time, and he couldn’t shake off his unease.

Cha Woojin, filled with anguish, reached out toward the distant monster again.

*Kwang! Kwang! Pubuhng-*

As he reached out, even more spectacular explosions erupted one after another, turning the scene before him into a living hell.

Cha Woojin, in shock, was speechless at the terrifying situation.

However, the people around him seemed to think differently.

“Wow~ if the next team leader just flicks his finger, flames burst out everywhere~ Amazing! Haha! It’s just a coincidence, though~”

Cha Woojin was angry at the people who were making light-hearted jokes even after seeing that spectacle.

He glared at the person who had made the joke, intending to get angry, and pointed at the monster.

“That situation is funny…”

*Kwaang-*

As soon as Cha Woojin pointed at the monster, as if joking, another explosion occurred.

He was dumbfounded himself and blankly stared at the scene.

Only the person who had been joking next to him was cackling and enjoying himself.

“Hey, hey, did you see that? The next team leader just has to point and the monster explodes! So funny!”

“Come on, don’t exaggerate just because it happened once.”

“It’s not just once, though? Next team leader, do it again!”

Cha Woojin felt unpleasant seeing that person enjoying himself while looking at him.

It was because he looked so irritating, laughing and enjoying himself when he was feeling so anxious.

Cha Woojin reached out toward the monster again, trying to deny that person’s words and assert his own opinion.

“Even after seeing this situation…”

*Kwang! Pubuhng-*

But once again, a loud explosion rang in his ears.

“Wow, it’s real?”

“Wahahahaha! Ah! So funny! At this point, isn’t it an Ability?”

Cha Woojin’s face began to flush with embarrassment.

However, the situation facing the monster didn’t seem good at all; rather, it seemed to be getting worse.

This was because the monster looked perfectly fine, despite the numerous explosions that had occurred.

He braved his embarrassment and voiced his opinion once more.

“We have to help the people in battle! Even with all those explosions, there are no visible injuries on the monster. Its movements are the same. The fact that the combat team is causing explosions one after another could mean that they can’t even attack without explosions!”

“That’s a valid point.”

Someone agreed with his opinion and walked out from among the people.

A middle-aged woman with a black eyepatch. She was the team leader of the Great Monster Extermination Team.

“Even with such a flamboyant attack, the monster’s movements are clearly not impaired. You have good insight. Technical team, launch a drone to assess the situation on the ground!”

Cha Woojin was slightly bewildered by the team leader’s positive response to his opinion.

He hadn’t expected anyone to take him seriously in this kind of atmosphere, especially not the team leader of this team.

But now that an opportunity had been created, he felt that he should help Gang Hana even more actively.

Cha Woojin approached the team leader and said, “How about providing support fire for the combat team from the camp? We have enough weapons, so even if we can’t inflict major damage, we can prevent the combat team from getting hurt.”

“Let’s assess the situation first and then think about it. It’s meaningless if we don’t coordinate and the monster’s attention is drawn to us.”

The team leader returned to her indifferent state toward Cha Woojin.

However, Cha Woojin wasn’t discouraged.

Since his opinion was valid enough to move the team leader, he would be able to achieve his goal if the situation was right.

He moved with the team leader to watch the scene being filmed by the drone.

*

“That’s right. I guessed that the shell would be difficult to break, but it’s perfectly fine without even a crack. And it’s not like they’ve removed many legs either.”

A person from the technical team began to comment while looking at the screen.

He adjusted his semi-rimless glasses and continued to explain the scene shown by the drone.

“Hmm, the way things are going, our combat team will definitely be pushed back a bit. There are only three of them since they were selected as bait. If Kwak Taewon can’t inflict a critical wound with his Ability, they’ll just be struggling to survive. Let’s see, where are our combat team members?”

Cha Woojin listened to the technical team member’s words and gradually turned pale.

The worst-case scenario he had imagined had become a reality. He even had the irrational thought that this had happened because he had imagined it.

As he was falling deeper into pessimism, he heard the technical team member’s voice.

“Ah, found them! They’re facing off on the head side.”

Cha Woojin raised his head and looked at the scene being shown on the drone.

In the screen, there was the face of a giant centipede with dozens of eyes and people clinging to abandoned buildings to avoid it.

Still, it wasn’t as if the combat team hadn’t dealt any damage to the monster at all.

In the screen, the monster’s venomous fangs were halved, and many of its eye sockets were oozing dirty debris, as if the eyeballs had burst.

However, it wasn’t a situation to be optimistic about.

The people hanging precariously on the abandoned buildings were struggling to avoid the monster’s attacks.

As one person reached out toward the monster, flames erupted on the monster’s antennae.

But the flames seemed to be harming the people instead.

The monster didn’t have a single scorch mark and instead swung its burning antennae at the people.

The people moved this way and that to avoid it.

The people hanging on ropes, secured to the buildings, moved their bodies flamboyantly as if they were performing acrobatics.

Fortunately, no one was directly hit by the attacks, but there was damage.

The rope of one person had caught fire.

The burning rope snapped, and the person began to fall.

Cha Woojin could only watch him with horrified eyes.

Could he have saved that person if he had persuaded the team leader sooner?

Cha Woojin blamed himself and watched the screen helplessly.

At that moment, someone quickly descended from another rope and caught the falling person.

Just then, the drone zoomed in on that person.

The screen showed the face of Gang Hana, whom he had been so worried about.

※ The rights to this work belong to the copyright holder. Copying, reproducing, modifying, or distributing this work may result in criminal and civil penalties.