Chapter 18: [ELI’S HELP]

“Fine.” Kairo ran a blood-smeared hand through his dark, sweat-dampened hair, dragging it back from his face. His voice was edged with tight irritation. “I have limited options right now.”

He didn’t look at Eli as he turned toward the ogres again—but he wasn’t dismissing him either.

’He’s giving me a chance…’ Eli swallowed, heart pounding.

“What do I do?” Kairo asked dryly, eyes narrowing at the three monsters closing in.

Eli blinked. “Well—uh…” he gave a nervous laugh, rubbing the back of his neck. “I kinda need to see them move and fight with you first.”

Kairo turned his head slightly, giving Eli the look.

That sharp, unreadable stare that fans had nicknamed the “piercing gaze.” The kind that had shut down interviewers and sent fellow hunters running.

Eli nearly stumbled back under the weight of it.

’Okay. Yeah. That’s terrifying in person.’

But still, he held firm, lifting his chin slightly as he pushed through his explanation. “I can sense danger. I know where it’s coming from, and I can predict how it’s going to move. But if the ogres are just standing still, I can’t help.”

Kairo’s eyes narrowed further. “And how, exactly, would you know what I should do?” His tone was laced with skepticism. “You’d only be useful for avoiding hits more accurately.”

Eli winced. “I—I uh… I know a lot about you. I mean—your skills. I know a lot about your skills.”

’Don’t say “you.” Don’t say “I have your fan page bookmarked.” Don’t say “I watched every leaked raid clip from five years ago.”’

“I might be able to tell you which move or skill would work best depending on their formation and timing. I’ve been studying your blood constructs, your cooldowns, your combos—”

He caught himself rambling and cleared his throat, trying to sound more professional. “And it seems like the ogres don’t understand speech, so I can shout it mid-fight. You’re fast enough to follow through.”

That last part wasn’t just flattery—it was fact. Kairo had some of the best real-time battle reaction in all of Korenea.

Kairo studied him for a long second, the silence stretching like wire between them.

Then, at last, he sighed. “Fine.”

Eli barely stopped himself from gasping in relief.

Kairo unsheathed his dagger again and sliced cleanly across his palm—like he wasn’t even cutting flesh, just muscle memory.

Eli flinched hard. “D-Do you always do that like it’s no big deal?”

Crimson blood trickled down his fingers, swirling in midair like smoke turning solid. It began to morph—elegant, fluid, and lethal. A sword, long and jagged, formed in Kairo’s grasp. Its surface glimmered unnaturally, pulsing like a living thing.

’That’s his mid-range weapon variation. He’s not going to toy with them anymore.’

Kairo walked forward—slow and steady—toward the waiting monsters.

The leader of the ogres remained off to the side, watching like a bored commander. It hadn’t moved once. As if the idea of Kairo winning was beneath consideration.

Eli’s chest tightened. ’They think they’ve already won.’

Kairo stepped into position, unfazed.

The three ogres sneered down at him, as if confused why this single man would dare to return. Their clubs twitched—ready, eager.

And behind them, the towering ogre still didn’t budge.

’It seems like they’re mocking him.’

Eli’s hands trembled at his sides. His mouth had gone dry, but he clenched his fists and took a breath.

He wasn’t just a spectator anymore.

He was going to help.

He had to help.

Because no matter how strong Kairo was, even the strongest S-Class hunter couldn’t win without backup against intelligence-enhanced monsters.

Eli kept his eyes locked on Kairo’s stance, on the subtle shifts in the ogres’ weight, on their twitching arms and widened gaits.

’Alright… let’s do this.’

He steeled himself.

The fight was about to begin again.

And Kairo moved first.

He lunged forward, his blood-forged blade gleaming with a sharp, crimson sheen under the fractured sky.

The moment he entered range, the ogres reacted—predictable, yet brutal.

Two lunged in from either side, their massive clubs swinging low and wide, while the third brought its weapon down in a savage, overhead arc meant to crush anything in its path.

’They’re doing it again…’ Eli’s breath caught, heart thundering like a war drum in his chest. ’Same exact formation. The pattern from earlier—they’re repeating it. They’re trying to condition him.’

It was a calculated tactic—textbook, even. Repeating a rhythm over and over until the enemy internalized it, then changing it at the last second to catch them off guard. Monsters shouldn’t have been capable of that kind of strategy.

But these weren’t just monsters.

His danger sense surged like a wave in his veins—sharp, blaring, and terrifying. But amidst the chaos, something had shifted. The signals were no longer just panic—they were specific.

They were readable.

’Right… left… overhead… there’s the delay…’

Kairo ducked left just in time, his blade slamming against one of the ogres’ clubs. Sparks exploded from the impact. Another strike came down—but he slipped beneath it, barely missing the full weight of the blow.

’There! The right one—it’s slower than the others. Its arm lags… by one second exactly!’

Eli’s eyes widened. His pulse spiked as instinct and analysis fused into certainty.

“Use the right one’s swing to gain momentum!” he shouted, voice cutting through the clash of battle. “Duck low and twist off the handle—use it to launch yourself!”

Kairo’s head turned, the faintest flick of acknowledgment in his blood-slicked eyes.

He didn’t question it.

He obeyed.

The right ogre’s swing came crashing down—slower, sloppier, just as Eli had seen. Kairo dropped low, boots skidding over shattered pavement.

He pivoted sharply, then stepped onto the ogre’s weapon mid-swing. His foot landed square on the wooden handle—and he vaulted upward like a spring-loaded bullet.

“Now! The left ogre’s neck—go for it!”

The second ogre, still off balance from its prior swing, didn’t even see it coming.

Kairo twisted midair, his body fluid and precise. The blood blade extended outward like a crimson fang—and with one savage motion, he slashed through the exposed side of the monster’s thick neck.

A clean cut.

“RAUFGH!!”

The ogre reeled, a choked, guttural screech tearing from its throat. Blood fountained in violent spurts, painting the cracked street in deep, gory strokes. Its arms flailed. Its legs staggered. It tried to roar again but all that came out was a strangled wheeze as its fingers clawed at the open wound.

Eli’s breath hitched.

’He did it—oh my god, it worked!’

“It worked.” Eli heard Kairo also say slightly stunned, but became alert again right away.

Because the other two ogres halted for a moment, visibly shocked. They weren’t expecting their formation to fail.

However… behind them, the towering commander—the leader—finally moved.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep