Maeng Seong-yong arrived, climbed atop the broken building, and cleared his throat while gripping a megaphone.
He looked visibly uneasy…
Could it be related to the surprisingly small number of Hunters who had come?
[We don’t have time for lengthy explanations, so let’s get straight to the point. I’m going to explain the operation to rescue the Hunters from Team 3.]
───?!!
Maeng Seong-yong’s words were brief but carried significant weight.
To say they were being rescued implies that someone had captured them, and it was highly likely that the place where these captured Hunters were located was the area where ‘Escalon’ had appeared.
The fact that he didn’t go into the details of how they ended up in that situation could be seen as a last shred of pride he wanted to hold onto. Or perhaps it was the expression of an urgent heart, but I had no way of knowing.
– No way, I just came this far and now you want me to go back there?
– Is he out of his mind? I’m heading home!
– The ones who got caught are fools. It means they didn’t even escape seeing the distress signal? Unbelievable.
Everyone was agitated, but Maeng Seong-yong was just rambling about his own thoughts, ignoring the concerns around him.
His demeanor was uncharacteristically lacking in composure.
‘Something… feels different. Did he lose the Hunters due to his own mistake?’
If that were the case, Maeng Seong-yong’s behavior made sense.
Though he spoke in a serious tone about the operation, there was nothing particularly strategic or memorable about it.
The only positive was that they had set up a communication line on the way, allowing them to share information about the situation up front reliably.
So, the Hunters only had the option of choosing one of the two paths laid before them.
Would they choose to go to rescue their comrades or not?
To put it more accurately, would they risk their lives to gather money and experience points or protect their own lives?
– We can’t even fight that monster if we go, so why would we?
– There are tons of Creeper Guards around, right? Why would we walk into a death trap?
With a beast like ‘Escalon’ around, especially many believed that the Hunters from Team 3 wouldn’t make any meaningful contribution.
‘No… we might actually need our team’s strength desperately.’
If there was someone who could help thwart Escalon, the outcome of the battle would ultimately hinge on the moment they cleared out the Creeper Guards.
No matter how many top-tier S-rank and A-rank Hunters were there, they couldn’t multiply in number, nor did they have limitless magic power.
In that regard, the strength of the largest number— the Hunters from Team 3— would be crucial.
Shin Young-ah was gazing at us with keen interest after hearing Maeng Seong-yong’s words. She had an expression as if saying it was fine to choose anything, but her eyes belied that. She was expecting us to take a more proactive stance.
‘Perhaps it’s been a while since we’ve partied with other Hunters. She seems to be enjoying it, in a way.’
Shin Young-ah probably loved her job as a Hunter more than she let on.
“What’s there to talk about? Of course we have to go.”
Noh Ha-yoon didn’t think twice.
“How scared must the captured people be? We must hurry to rescue them!”
Yeon-hee, as always, prioritized the safety of others.
“Well, we’re not going to be on the front line, so it should be fine, right?”
Ah-rin carefully expressed her agreement. In fact, her prediction was incorrect.
Even if we weren’t taking the lead, considering the number of Creeper Guards I had seen, the odds of us getting wiped out were high.
Yet, I remained calm, confident in my ability to withstand hundreds of Creeper Guards.
“Good attitude. The heart that wishes to help your comrades… One day, it will be rewarded.”
“Honestly, I’m not expecting much out of that. I just want to see that supposedly fearsome Escalon. Besides, those people will be here, so I’m sure they’ll handle at least a couple of them.”
The people Noh Ha-yoon referred to were the two S-rank Hunters who had joined Maeng Seong-yong.
And there were presumably several other high-rank Hunters keeping an eye on Escalon, where the kidnapped Hunters were. It could be said their strength was solid.
I looked over at the two S-rank Hunters, Yoo Min-jeong and Ma Gwang-jin, who were carefully assessing the strength of Team 3 standing on either side of Maeng Seong-yong.
‘Yoo Min-jeong I can understand, but Ma Gwang-jin is a bit unexpected?’
Ma Gwang-jin was one of the three pillars leading the assassination group ‘Veil.’
Unlike the rest of ‘Veil,’ who operated in the shadows, he took on public roles to promote ‘Veil’ while pioneering activities under the sun.
Despite being active since the First Wave era, he still looked no older than his 40s, thanks to his enhanced physique.
This rejuvenation effect is often hailed as the greatest advantage of physical enhancement, but what makes him special isn’t just his looks but his skills.
Based on the memories from my past life, he could be counted among the top ten strongest in this entire hunt team.
‘We marketed our group as doing only noble assassinations…’
‘Veil’ was tasked with meticulously selecting targets to only eliminate the bad guys.
Hearing that back in my past life had only made me scoff, but thinking of the members of ‘Veil’ I had encountered in this lifetime, I considered that it might not have been a lie.
‘Speaking of, I wonder how those four are doing.’
Suddenly, the faces of the assassins I used to call Black, Red, Blue, and Yellow flashed through my mind.
‘Anyway, if Ma Gwang-jin, who has been active since the First Wave, is here, he should be able to handle a 29th Escalon by himself. Even if stronger numbers of Escalon appear, he should at least be capable of holding them off.’
But what about the woman standing next to him?
She was a beautiful woman who drew the attention of countless men just by standing still.
Her name was Yoo Min-jeong, and she possessed very unique abilities not befitting such a common name.
‘A nature-type S-rank Hunter, specializing in dealing with otherworldly plants… Now that I think about it, her abilities seem very similar to Yu Dal-ri, whom I met early in this life. Same family name… Is there a connection?’
Yu Dal-ri.
She was the most talented person I’d encountered while exploring an F-rank dungeon, and standing here, Yoo Min-jeong seemed to resemble her slightly.
As forgotten thoughts drifted through my mind, the time to set off soon arrived.
[The support team will be arriving shortly, so those returning to Korea should wait here and move together. Thank you all for your hard work.]
Surprisingly, many Hunters declared they were quitting.
It was rare for someone like me, who had encountered ‘Escalon,’ and the sheer aura emanating from that creature could be felt for kilometers, leaving everyone afraid.
I had tried convincing them again that many top-tier Hunters were expected to join us, but their instincts had overruled their reason.
With that, Maeng Seong-yong understood well enough not to press a second time.
In the end, only about 70% of the gathered Hunters decided to follow through with the rescue operation.
“But if we go up there and engage in large-scale combat, won’t other Escalons intervene?”
Yeon-hee expressed that concern, a perfectly reasonable worry shared by those traveling with us.
‘The main forces of Escalon won’t move… If they have any wits, they’ll likely strike Team 1 first.’
However, the erratic behavior of the lower-ranked numbers was hard to predict, and the risk of encountering them again, as Yeon-hee feared, was quite high.
Regardless, whether they attacked us or we attacked them, it was likely to trigger Team 1 and Team 2 to strike the main body.
The time, manpower, capital, and effort invested in this operation were significant. We had to yield results somehow.
‘If we draw their aggro at a given moment, they will certainly try to attack the main body.’
Even if I were among the heads of Teams 1 and 2, I would wait for the moment when we engaged in a major fight outside to strike at the main body.
“······.”
I quietly watched Shin Young-ah as she studied Yeon-hee’s worried expression.
She was probably also fully aware of what those above were thinking.
After all, anyone with a bit of thought must have figured out that we had also taken on the role of bait to reach this point.
In the end, the unexpected variables had simply expedited the process; it was a predetermined sequence of events.
[Move─!]
Thus, after a while longer, we reached the outskirts where Escalon and the captured Hunters were presumed to be, immediately entering our first confrontation with the mass of Creeper Guards that filled the area.
* * *
Meanwhile, where a Great Beast hunt was taking place in North Korea.
At a beach in Busan.
A massive gate, once a famous swimming spot, began to open.
“Kyaaaahhh!!”
“The, the gate!!”
“Monster!! Everyone run!!”
GoOOOOO───
KUWUUUUN───!!
Emerging from within was a colossal monster, exceeding thirty meters, its body covered in dense silver scales, and wielding wave-like massive wings on its shoulders.
[······.]
The creature quickly rendered the barriers and barricades set up to stop it from breaching the coast useless.
Its four dark, damp eyes slowly surveyed the new world it had stepped into, ready to devour anything in its path.
[······.]
The creature did not seem to favor the new world.
The environment was filled with garish shades and odors, unlike anything it had known before.
Most importantly, the mana’s purity here was shockingly lower than back home, making it impossible for it to breathe comfortably.
[Wuu······.]
The dreadful stench stimulated the Great Beast, which bore the name ‘Deskrull’.
If the new house was infested with pests, cleaning should come first.
It scrunched its brows tightly and took a deep breath.
Suuuuuh──
The enormous belly of the Great Beast swelled up like a pufferfish.
Its body twisted, and it violently expelled whatever it had inside it.
KWAHAAAH───!!
What ‘Deskrull’ expelled was merely the water and air it had swallowed.
But the destructive force leveled hundreds of meters of high-rise buildings instantaneously.
The number of fatalities from this one attack eclipsed thousands.
The singular being that summoned forth such a formidable Great Beast sat atop a distant broken structure, watching it with a somewhat pained expression.
“… It was a necessary deed. A necessary deed. This world’s humans must see themselves as vermin, just as they have done to us.”
He chastised himself, clenching his trembling hands tightly.
[······.]
And the Great Beast ‘Deskrull’ turned its head toward him.
“Hmm?! Have I already drawn its attention? Though lesser than ‘Debsorpia’, is it a fragment of something that once walked the ‘Path’?”
However, one could not treat the being who had summoned them recklessly.
Turning its head back to face the city, ‘Deskrull’ started to continuously spit forth something from its mouth.
Splosh- Splosh-
From within a viscous jelly-like sphere, tadpole-like creatures wriggled rapidly, eager to breathe the fresh air outside.
They spread out, tearing and bursting through the heads and bodies of those who had been filming with their phones without hesitation.
“Tch tch- I just don’t get these humans. Is filming that video more important than their own lives?”
How incomprehensible this race was. It baffled him that they had a god shining light and justice upon them, yet acted in such a foolish way.
– Kyaaaahhh! Ah! Don’t pull! You filthy!
– S-save me! Please, ahhh! My, my eye! Guh!
When despair and chaos meld, only merciless assaults would return.
Negative emotions like despair, confusion, fear, sorrow, and pain began to fill the area.
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