“Whoa… I can feel it. The passage is opening.”
It was such an immediate reaction that it almost elicited a snort. Despite the efforts of Dnarr and his master to communicate in both directions, the passage that had been impervious to them was resolved so easily just by inflicting pain on the beings of this world.
On one hand, it felt unfair. He was once the most devout Paladin in a continent far larger than this world. And now, he had to abandon the divine power he had accumulated throughout his life to achieve this task.
“What a bizarre fate it is.”
As more humans suffered from his deeds, the divine power that shone brilliantly from him rapidly diminished. And in the void left behind, the “Divine of Corruption” hurriedly began to fill the space.
The filthy and ominous aura, which had always wished for his descent into darkness, seemed to traverse through every corner of his body as if it had finally found its place.
“Gaaah…!!”
Though terrible pain engulfed him, Dnarr simply gritted his teeth and endured. As if accepting such pain was a way to relieve his own sins.
– Looking down at the small bird trying to walk a road from which it cannot return, ‘Lubuya’ falls into deep sorrow.
“······ Oh God. Wasn’t this what You desired?”
If only He had given him strength to prevent this from happening. Dnarr averted his gaze from ‘Lubuya’, who governed the light, feeling regretful.
His master. Companions. Friends. And his lover. To protect them, he had to forsake himself.
Every moment he confirmed the presence of the great being drifting away from him was incredibly painful, yet he had no choice but to grit his lips and endure it, as he had prepared for this.
Panijial decided not to think about anything else now. Instead, he was trying to instill some vigor in his heart while watching the horrific being he had summoned become a calamity.
A tingling sensation rose deep from within his chest. The divine of corruption began gnawing at him, whispering something fiercer and darker than the power he had lost.
“Ha… heh heh heh… Yes.”
Perhaps the one becoming a monster was himself.
“Hooh— Watch closely. As I fall apart… and witness how this little bird accomplishes what you could not.”
It was only after about twenty minutes of Dnarr wrapping up his newly acquired power that hunters began to arrive one by one. Most were mediocre, struggling even against the “Deskrull” spawn, but the hunters that followed were ones Dnarr recognized as strong.
It was a crucial moment when Dnarr, who had just embraced the divine of corruption, needed absolute stability.
“Everyone, stand up. It’s time for you all to show something.”
At his words, the blind beings huddled behind Dnarr slowly stretched and launched themselves toward the city.
* * *
“Hmm? Why is this guy…?”
In a corner of my head, there was always a small map glowing, where entities marked with “Flame Mark” were indicated as dots.
However, a change unlike anything I had seen before was observed in the clone that had always been stationed at the White Knight Guild headquarters.
“This guy… Is he finally going to start moving?”
The clone stepped outside the guild building and suddenly shot towards the south. He must have received orders from Jo Gi-man to stay put at the guild, so his sudden movement definitely indicated a major incident had occurred.
“I’m curious. What could it be? It seems to be heading toward Gyeongsangdo.”
Crack!
“I should focus on my own affairs. I can’t afford any distractions now.”
After snapping the neck of the Creeper Guard and storing it into space, I knew I shouldn’t be thinking about such things right now.
– Creeper Guard has been defeated!
Having rushed to rescue the kidnapped hunters, we were steadily pushing toward the hunters’ location for an hour now.
In the underground center where they were gathered, there formed a massive space, and they were diligently stacking the kidnapped hunters there.
However, we already knew about their habits. We had prepared for that level of encounter.
“Are you really sure that just sending Il-wol is enough?”
Of course, my contribution consisted of taking the lead.
Shin Young-ah was still casting uneasy glances at ‘Ran’, who was tasked with rescuing the hunters captured in the underground.
“Everyone has a smile on their face that looks crazy; they must have inhaled a ton of forgetfulness agent. If we falter, those people will become monsters’ meals while smiling.”
That said, we couldn’t rush in recklessly. Timing is always crucial for missions like this.
“How many times are you going to ask, Teacher?”
“······ I just want to make sure.”
After persuading her up to this point, why was she asking again as soon as we arrived at the scene? I couldn’t help but think that this side of Shin Young-ah was what made people keep their distance from her.
Although I could understand her anxiety, being overly cautious without any other means of rescue felt like complaining without a solution.
“I won’t rush in immediately. Il-wol will move at the right timing, so we should focus on the battle.”
“…Okay. I’ll trust you.”
“You’ve said that more than five times. Please just trust me a little.”
“······.”
Still, there were many people who had moved back to Korea, making me worry, but it was going smoother than I had thought.
Perhaps it was because the less proactive hunters had gone back to Korea, leaving only the more resolute ones behind? If anything, our momentum felt heavier now compared to when we first entered North Korea.
– Alright! Let’s keep this up!!
– Don’t get scared even if Escalon comes! The top-tier hunters will handle them! We just need to do our part!
– Formation! Hold the formation!!
Very slowly and cautiously, we moved one step at a time, cutting through the darkness that crowded around us. The high-ranking hunters waiting here had already joined, so monsters of the Creeper Guard level couldn’t stop us.
Just as the atmosphere of the rescue operation began to feel more manageable than expected, a massive presence began to approach at great speed from afar, as if mocking that very thought.
“Whoa, it’s coming—!”
“Uwaah- Is this really Escalon? Is it the one we saw in the morning?”
“No. It’s a different one. Why is its head so huge? Still, this one seems a bit manageable in terms of combat power.”
This was not the 29th Escalon I had faced before. A boulder-like monster with a head as massive as its body was charging toward us, unable to balance its gigantic head as it slammed into the ground. Despite its clumsy gait, its speed was surprisingly formidable, instilling a sense of eerie fear.
– Currently subduing the ‘Thirty-second Spawn’ of the Great Beast Devouring Creeper…
The system immediately displayed its number.
“32nd!!”
Similar messages seemed to pop up for the other hunters nearby.
“Though it’s the weakest, everyone stay on guard!!”
“The weakest of them is like this?!”
“Damn, aren’t they all S-rank at the end?! The info was way off!”
As someone shouted, even the last Escalon was by no means an easy opponent. It was already a monster with combat power stepping into the S-rank territory.
Of course, considering our current force, taking it down shouldn’t be too much trouble, but the problem was that it wasn’t just one that had appeared.
– Currently subduing the ‘Twenty-sixth Spawn’ of the Great Beast Devouring Creeper…
– Currently subduing the ‘Thirty-first Spawn’ of the Great Beast Devouring Creeper…
– Currently subduing the ‘Twenty-fourth Spawn’ of the Great Beast Devouring Creeper…
“Did the main body use its abilities to send them? Damn it. Those bastards should be worried about Team 1.”
Suddenly, four Escalons appeared from the north, south, east, and west, exerting pressure on us.
Although 32nd clearly wasn’t in good shape, the other three radiated an unmistakably different aura.
“I’ll take 24th.”
“Then I’ll hold 26th down.”
Ma Gwang-jin and Yoo Min-jeong, who had accompanied us, declared they would take on the first two numbers and shot forward with their units.
‘That 24th guy looks dangerous…’
And the over fifty A-rank top-tier hunters waiting here, along with Maeng Seong-yong, split into two groups and charged at 31st and 32nd.
They seemed set to win by numbers rather than quality, and considering the equipment they were wearing, they appeared well-equipped to handle them.
‘This is the main game.’
Boom—!!
Soon, loud explosions and screams echoed in various places, signaling the start of the main assault.
[Stay within the predetermined lines!!]
Shin Young-ah, who accidentally became the leader among the hunters not engaged with Escalon, instructed the hunters below to disengage properly.
Considering her position and abilities, it might actually be a role she fit well.
And as ten minutes passed, expectations were spot on.
‘What? Suddenly she’s doing way better in the actual battle!’
Shin Young-ah’s previously awkward speech and gloomy demeanor vanished without a trace.
I was almost curious about what her true self was.
Anyway, what she meant by “lines” was that hunters assigned to Escalon shouldn’t attempt to offer clumsy help.
We had stressed that several times among the hunters beforehand, and both Yoo Min-jeong and Ma Gwang-jin had requested as well. In other words, don’t be a nuisance.
“Shit! It’s growing more and more! No matter how many we kill, it won’t reduce, will it?”
“It looks like there are way more Creeper Guards than we expected!”
“I think we’re looking at at least three times our numbers? Damn it!”
“Yeon-hee!!”
Yeon-hee squeezed her eyes shut and focused, summoning a castle where the Creeper Guards were amassed.
A massive, heavy body fell from the immense rift opened in the sky.
Boom—!!
It only fell, but many were crushed dead.
As Yeon-hee summoned the castle, all her companions climbed onto it as if it were a promised event.
Thud— Crunch—!
The giant fort continued advancing while taking the root strikes.
Yeon-hee displayed her miraculous ability to continuously repair the damaged fort while controlling her summoned creatures.
Repeating summon cast-offs for dozens of summoned creatures and enveloping her companions in a membrane.
‘Does she have about three brains or something?’
Normally, an Awakened One would have lost their mind and melted by now, but Yeon-hee hadn’t even broken a sweat.
– Mergiing!!
– Merget!!
The once rowdy Creeper Guard squawked in fright at the sight of the castle.
For reasons I didn’t understand, the mere act of showing the “castle” had an enormous aggro effect, allowing other hunters embroiled in fierce battles to catch their breath.
I called forth “Jim”, who was still not completely recovered from the wounds dealt by the 29th, and used [Provocation].
As a result, a comical scene unfolded where even those who hadn’t been drawn to the castle turned to chase after “Jim”.
– Great! Let’s form up around Yeon-hee’s summons!
– Everyone, move!!
Naturally, the thought of using the relatively sturdy summoned creatures as shields spread, and the summoned creatures took on a wall-like position to protect the other hunters.
I circled around the summoned creatures, positioning myself while keeping an eye on the Escalons battling in the distance.
‘Ma Gwang-jin looks fine… but Yoo Min-jeong seems to be struggling a bit.’
To my surprise, S-rank hunter Ma Gwang-jin was butting heads with the 24th, distinctly different from the other Escalons. Meanwhile, Yoo Min-jeong appeared to be struggling to bind the 26th Escalon with otherworldly plants.
After all, she wasn’t an attacker but a supporter.
Unless the other hunters bolstered her efforts, she couldn’t fully utilize her strength.
Nevertheless, as long as she had fellow hunters with her, she would be safe for a while.
‘Hang in there a bit more. I’ll help later.’
For now, dealing with the overwhelming waves of small fry and rescuing the captives took precedence.
“Mergiiing!!”
Creeper Guards. Their numbers swelled like a horde, now nearing triple the forces of Team 3.
Fortunately, thanks to the summoned creatures and their leaders, we were managing without any casualties, but that felt like a ticking clock.
– Level up!
Suddenly, my level increased.
With such a massive-scale battle, a spike in experience points was to be expected.
“Hooh—Alright. Given this chaotic brawl…”
As I prepared to activate [Meteor], an uncomfortable feeling washed over me, prompting me to glance back.
In this insane situation, there were suspicious eyes glaring intensely at me and Yeon-hee.
Its abilities were so remarkable that, try as I might, I couldn’t sense its location, no matter how often I put effort into it.
I didn’t want to over-estimate my abilities, but if I couldn’t detect it, then neither could any other hunter in our country.
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