Chapter 97: Five Minutes

[Quest: Rescue Nadia Crane and Others from Predicaments]

[Importance: Extremely High]

[Reward: 1000 SC]

[Status: Incomplete]

In truth, Hilda had already planned to save everyone, regardless of the circumstances. However, that didn’t mean she wasn’t going to try to reap more rewards.

She already knew that, by the time she arrived, everyone would’ve reached their limit — or close to it — and would be unable to fend off the Predicaments, especially Nadia.

This assumption of hers wasn’t made purely from a logical guess, but rather from how the Quest had changed to fit the dire situation. Because of that, she thought it was only logical to take advantage of everyone’s current state for her own benefit.

As for how she would... it was obvious: by making use of Nadia’s glaring weakness.

Her heroism.

’A wish... I wonder what I should ask for.’ Hilda giggled internally, even feeling surprised by her own excitement.

After charging in and piercing through the Scoundrel’s skull, the other 8 Predicaments wasted no time pouncing at her. At this, Hilda immediately responded.

After uprooting the black metal clock hand, she swung with a rapid spin.

The Predicament that was the first to meet her had the upper half of its head sliced off, leading to its instant death.

Once Hilda spun around completely, she chucked the clock hand, leading to the Predicament following closely behind the first to be impaled through the chest.

All of this happened in the span of 2 seconds.

After temporarily dealing with the second Predicament, she climbed onto the first Predicament, which was falling towards her, and pounced towards the third, which had leapt high up into the air.

Sensing her approach, the Predicament stabbed towards her with one arm — intending to skewer its claw through her face.

At the very last second, Hilda bent all the way back and received only a minor, vertical cut on her forehead. Then, with an enthusiastic glint in her eyes, she wrapped her legs around the arm.

With all her might, she flipped both of them around, causing her to be on top.

The Scoundrel was stunned by the unexpected change in position and watched as Hilda suddenly spun around to face it, her hand flashing through the air.

Without warning, Hilda stabbed through the centre of its forehead with a sharpened 10-inch metal rod — a part of one of the many broken metal staffs she used in her earlier fight.

Now on top of its face, with her grip firm around the 10-inch rod, she pulled out another of similar length from her Inventory.

Then, like a barbaric savage, she began to deliver a barrage of swift and brutal stabs to its forehead.

STAB! STAB! STAB!

Blood rapidly splashed against her body as she quickly drilled a hole through the centre of its skull, reaching its brain and reducing it to nothing but a bloody paste.

She had killed another Predicament.

THUD!

After the two fell, with the Scoundrel’s back hitting the ground, all the remaining 7 Predicaments quickly surrounded her on all sides and lunged.

Faced with the small Conundrum, Hilda hastily threw the two rods she held into the air, then drew out 5 more from her Inventory and did the same.

Hilda then took a boxing stance and concentrated on her senses.

In the next second, when the rods fell, Hilda’s fists began to lash out with immense speed.

BAM! BAM! BAM!

’{Force}!’

7 consecutive explosions of Vitality resounded loudly, followed by 7 muffled sounds of metal puncturing flesh.

All 7 Predicaments that had targeted her were forced back with a metal rod in their body.

In the span of a moment, Hilda had repelled all 7 Predicaments.

One of the Predicaments, who had landed on their back, quickly sat up. When it instinctively looked in Hilda’s direction, it found its already blurry vision to be obstructed.

A glossy black hand covered in blood, shrouded in a subtle black-and-red aura, collided with its face, smacking it back down with an explosion of Vitality.

BAM!

The back of its head immediately hit the ground.

Hilda, who had lunged at it, landed beside the fiend before hopping onto its chest.

She then reached down and grabbed the end of a familiar black metal object embedded in its torso.

With a yank, she caused the Scoundrel’s body to jerk — a spray of blood gushing out from the opening in its chest.

Right as the Predicament was about to retaliate—

SWISH.

—Hilda had already sharpened the clock hand with her Vitality

With a clean slice, she beheaded it.

And it didn’t take long for her to do the same to the others.

SWISH!

...

5 minutes had passed.

By now, people began to recover from their paralysis, along with those who were previously knocked unconscious.

When they all managed to rise to their feet, they quickly assisted those who had yet to recover by carrying them onto the quayside.

Individuals like Ross, Elias, Roxy — who were critically injured — required several people to haul them. Unfortunately, besides Ross, who looked mentally fried, they were all unconscious.

However, in the midst of carrying the unable to the quayside, their eyes were all drawn to a certain scene in the distance.

A scene that made them all slack-jawed with awe and shock.

A Conundrum of Scoundrels, all dead with harrowing and sickening wounds; each impaled with 2 to 3 sharp metal rods — each 10-14 inches in length — making for a gruesome and horrific image.

"H-how is that possible?"

"Can someone really kill 10 Predicaments all on their own...?"

"Is this... what it means to be part of the Land Reclamation Military?"

Drip.Drip. Drip.

As their astonishment filled the atmosphere, Nadia, who was seated on the quayside, watched as a woman dripping in blood approached her.

Hilda was dripping blood, and the clock hand resting on her shoulder was the same. She had the look of someone who had deeply enjoyed themselves.

’Five minutes... it took her roughly five minutes to kill them on her own,’ Nadia thought in amazement, having been counting since the moment Hilda engaged with the Predicaments.

She then gulped heavily. ’She’s more of a monster than the monsters themselves...’

Would there come a day when she could reach that level?

Hilda, noticing the woman eyeing her rather intently, smiled and winked at her.

She then opened her mouth and asked...