“Leveling up is going smoothly. Eun-young and I even received a small quest from the system.”
Joo-ah and Eun-young’s faces blossomed with smiles at the quests they received after a long time.
“Why don’t I get any quests…”
“You just succeeded in beast transformation today!”
“Then why am I not getting anything?”
“Hahyun, you’re a diamond spoon, so the system doesn’t help you. How many artifacts have you equipped?”
“Isn’t it unfair that the game relies on gear… Should I remove a few?”
“No Ha-yoon… just keep doing what you’re doing. Equipment and artifacts shouldn’t just boost your stats. There’s also a concept of proficiency, so it’s best to stick with what you’ve worn once.”
No Ha-yoon, who was about to take off her artifacts, started to put them back on after hearing Shin Young-ah’s advice.
“Can’t we summon a castle?”
“Although it’s less developed than our country, it’s not a dungeon with a dense forest. I feel like it would stand out too much…”
“Actually, it’d be better if Eun-young unni put it inside the castle, uh…”
“Still, it seemed more manageable than I thought. It should be okay, right?”
“Yeah. Thanks to the summoned creatures, the atmosphere isn’t bad.”
Listening quietly to her companions, Shin Young-ah stood up and spoke.
“Things are going smoothly on our side, but the atmosphere of other parties is a bit different… Everyone, please manage not to get too hyped.”
Shin Young-ah’s calm tone made the temperature drop by at least one degree.
“Has there been any other news?”
“Fortunately, there are still no parties that have given up… However, there’s one team that has lost contact… and several hunters from some parties are reportedly experiencing mental trauma…”
Shin Young-ah had been continuously communicating with the leaders of other parties, but unexpectedly, the situation wasn’t good since day one for some.
“When you say mental trauma…”
“Seeing people tormented by the Creeper Guards… must have shocked them. The ones we encountered were fairly… nice.”
“Ah…”
“But… the infiltration team’s progress is smooth, so there’s no need to worry. Just focus on what we need to do like today.”
As night approached, Shin Young-ah, who became more stable in her speech, abruptly gazed at me and asked one thing.
“But that summoned creature named Il-wol… it makes a huge difference in the party’s combat power whether it’s there or not. That seems to be a bit of a problem.”
Shin Young-ah looked at me intently, clearly curious about the reason, but the others pretended not to know.
“Everyone’s aware of that, so recently we’ve been exploring the dungeon without Il-wol.”
“Are you saying you’ve been doing it like this already?”
“Yes!”
“That’s why there was no panic even after saying we should exclude the strongest force. Excellent. It’s best to keep that method.
And if possible… we should also avoid summoning Drakes and Golems. Of course, we should at least operate them once a day to keep up with the feel.”
“I’ll do my best.”
Both Shin Young-ah and I seemed to share the thought that we needed to grow our own power excluding the summoned creatures.
We split into two groups to stand guard and take a break.
I asked if we couldn’t just let the summoned creatures handle the vigilance, but Shin Young-ah said that standing guard is also an experience.
Since I stayed awake, I took the time to commune with Irmana and stock up on daggers and bombs.
The commander of Team 3, Maeng Seong-yong, advised just before departure to refrain from attacks at night.
When darkness falls, they become aggressive and easily excited by any small stimulus, which could lead to the slaughter of residents.
After all, without enough rest, it would be hard to endure the next day, so it wasn’t too much to ask.
* * *
While Il-wol’s party was resting, not too far away, there was a being directly descended from the blood of the Devouring Creeper.
An elite monster known to the hunt team as ‘Escalon.’
Considering that the main body of the Devouring Creeper essentially had no offensive capability, this being was the one responsible for turning this country into a wasteland.
It had recently received the troubling news of chaos in the territory it had painstakingly expanded.
“It’s breaking apart… our children… are dying…”
Surprisingly, the ‘Escalon’ could speak human language.
It was the first offspring of the Devouring Creeper and had reached a level where it could learn human speech after consuming countless humans.
And the Devouring Creeper, having noted its potential, went on to create 31 elite soldiers based on it.
Of course, those 31 ‘Escalons’ didn’t learn human language, but instead ended up resembling humans in appearance.
(First offspring. The fifth offspring has arrived.)
And the fifth offspring of the great beast came to find it.
They enjoyed calling each other by the order they were born.
The fifth one especially liked the first and often visited its nest.
This was also a rare occurrence among the children of the Devouring Creeper, known for their individualistic tendencies.
Although the fifth couldn’t speak like the first, they could connect their minds when they approached a certain distance, facilitating communication.
The first Escalon gazed at the fifth and spoke.
“I will instruct the brothers outside to take care of the recently appeared bugs. I will shred them all to pieces and make them the nourishment of the land…”
The first Escalon ordered an expedition to the elite soldiers at the periphery.
Those at the periphery were late-born and incomplete beings, but they were still the proud descendants born directly from their mother.
They had memories of being able to contend with most of the hunters that existed in this land, and the strength of the bugs that were killing ordinary soldiers was too weak, so the first Escalon had no worries.
(But the few humans that arrived before the outer bugs are problematic. Is there one among them that poses a threat to mother?)
There were strong bugs that had not yet shown distinct movements and were moving toward the main body. No, the first Escalon had already judged them as threats rather than bugs.
“I sense powerful auras from a few. But I don’t know their exact locations. I can only faintly feel them, and the sensed locations are moving. I wonder what they are up to. Because of those maggots, I can’t open this place.”
(First… you don’t intend to fight alone again, do you? Mother has warned that you mustn’t overdo it.)
“I know this batch of bugs is different. I should bring second and third with me.”
(They don’t listen to anyone. Not even you, the first. It would be better to lure the bugs to their territory. I will help.)
“Good idea. I will do that.”
The fifth trembled slightly as it gazed up at the first Escalon.
A being worthy of being called part of the giant tribe.
The one who inherited the mother’s power most profoundly.
The brother who had consumed the most top-tier prey (S-rank Hunters).
The fifth Escalon believed that as long as the first was beside the mother, it would have no fear, no matter the enemy that came.
* * *
“Hmm… nothing is going as expected. What’s going on, Association Head?”
“Oh dear, just wait a little longer.”
“Kuh, kuh… there’s no reason for that guy to act like this all of a sudden.”
Association Head Choi Gang-han continued to speak loudly as Maeng Seong-yong felt cold sweat all over from Kang Yeon-su’s rough demeanor.
It was initially good that they planned the infiltration route.
After all, the dispatch team of dozens of S-rank hunters managed to get close to the main body without being detected.
But now, Kang Yeon-su was starting to express her dissatisfaction with the subsequent plan devised by “Choi Gang-han,” “Maeng Seong-yong,” and the key figures of the association, realizing it wasn’t too impressive.
“Ugh, this is infuriating.”
Of course, it was expected since information was limited.
But regardless of that, the atmosphere of things not going smoothly was making her chest tighten.
She was suppressing her desire to dash towards the great beast’s main body and throw everything into chaos.
“Just hold on. Hoo─”
Even if they took down a couple of Escalons now, if they couldn’t take out the main body, they would recover in a matter of days.
Ideally, striking the main body in one fell swoop would be best, but if that wasn’t possible, they needed a powerfully strong aggro that could startle all Escalons and gather them in one place.
To do that, they were currently working together with Barrier Mages to dig a “mystical tunnel” that could pass directly through the Escalon’s territory to reach the main body.
The main body did not just exist in ordinary space; it possessed its own unique space, like Transcendents.
Anyway, the preparations to get inside were expected to take several days, and 1st and 2nd teams were gathering in one place, holding their breath and waiting.
However, it became the crux of the problem when several Escalons quietly stationed in the outer regions began to stir.
Had something happened to the ones firmly guarding the 32 directions?
Of course, they knew that they were that problem, Kang Yeon-su and the hunting team.
“Team 3 is in danger…”
Yeon-su began to worry about Yeon-hee.
But she couldn’t afford to leave the place she had painstakingly settled in.
At this rate, she would inevitably have to engage in battle, which might lead to interaction with the first Escalon that the hunting team was most concerned about.
According to reports, the first Escalon was a monster that had single-handedly slaughtered top-tier hunters in North Korea.
It would be best to avoid a full-frontal encounter with it and take down the main body instead, but that scenario was getting further and further away.
“They’ve definitely noticed our presence.”
“Well, being a great beast that has swallowed a nation, they can’t be blamed for having scant info.”
“It seems they haven’t pinpointed our location yet, but it’s only a matter of time.”
“If we had foreseen this ability, we should have been prepared. The high-ranking officials who dismissed that opinion must be banging their heads now.”
“…”
As the top-tier hunters grumbled, Woo Cheol-woo, Choi Gang-han’s apprentice, tried to calm them down.
“Everyone, please relax a bit. None of us could have anticipated that the main body would evolve dramatically in a month.”
But this foolish man didn’t realize that he was merely fueling Kang Yeon-su’s anger further.
“That’s exactly why we should prepare, using every penny of taxpayer money they gave us. What’s your name again?”
“Woo Cheol-woo. I don’t have anything to say regarding the current situation…”
“Even if you say it backwards, it’s still Woo Cheol-woo. If you say one more word, I’ll bend your arms at an angle you’ve never experienced before.”
“…”
Having only spent a day with Kang Yeon-su, Woo Cheol-woo already felt his head spinning.
He had heard that among the transcendent-tier hunters, he was the most reasonable person, but he was beginning to notice that his demeanor changed strangely when something didn’t sit right.
“In an hour we will collide with the Escalon. What should we do?”
“At this point, there’s no choice. Let’s deal with them as quietly and swiftly as possible.”
“Even if it’s a lower-tier Escalon, dealing with a beast-level monster quietly and swiftly…? That’s a bit of a tall order.”
“In the end, it’s a race against time. Let’s just pray we don’t meet the first Escalon.”
“Is that something we should be praying for?”
“It certainly is. If it loses its mind and drifts away from the main body, our chances of successfully taking down the great beast will increase dramatically. But hoping for that is probably as realistic as meteorites falling from the sky.”
“I don’t get it. It seems like we could just go and take care of it, first or otherwise.”
“Why don’t you just stay still like the Association Head?”
“…what did you say? When did you rank up to say such things?”
“Everyone, quiet.”
“……”
With Korea’s strongest hunters gathered, they seemed more focused on testing each other than rallying together.
“Tch…”
Watching the hunters act that way, Yeon-su felt her excitement begin to settle down.
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