Report
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Hestia]
[Proofreader - Kaya]
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Chapter 45: Spider Hunt (2)
-43 missing.
Choi Hyungtae, the organization's second-in-command, glared with his eyes wide open.
"These goddamn idiots! What the hell were they doing to get themselves all killed?!"
Gaeseong - Paju area bordering the DMZ. This area, once a demilitarized zone, is now a dense forest, largely untouched by humans, without even proper roads.
It's difficult to deploy a large number of people here. As such, the advantages of the human hunters were diminished in this border region.
"They're just a bunch of idiots who rely on their numbers! Is it that hard to fire a signal flare when they spot someone?"
If multiple human hunters were moving, there would definitely be some signs. So far, no such signs had been found.
Only a small number of human hunters were roaming near the Black Herb farm.
Each group had been given signal flares and communication scrolls to use if they encountered any human hunters, but...
"How the hell did every single one of them fail to use those and end up dead?!"
Choi Hyungtae spat out curses like a machine gun.
Even though the Red Spider organization had hundreds of members, not all of them were Hunters.
Hunters made up only half.
And 43 of them were taken out?
'If the boss finds out, I'm dead.'
The last time they clashed with a group of human hunters, they had a little over 20 casualties. And that wasn't even while guarding the Black Herb farm.
They were simply trying to find traces of human hunters, and they suffered nearly twice the casualties.
'I can still fix this.'
The Red Spider boss was busy crushing the organizations that rebelled in Ground Zero and was unaware of the current situation.
Therefore, he had to catch the human hunters and recover the losses before things got worse.
"So, what were their tracks like?"
"It wasn't 'them', hyungnim."
The Hunter who investigated the traces of the battle continued, his gaze lowered.
"It seems to be one person."
"Huh. You're telling me seven search parties were taken out by just one person without even firing a single signal flare?"
It was unbelievable, but he had to accept it.
After all, 43 people had already gone missing in the border region.
"Damn it. 'Missing' is just a nice way of putting it."
Choi Hyungtae gritted his teeth.
The Hunters disappeared without a trace.
Judging by the footprints leading into the fog, they were likely subdued, dragged away, and then thrown to the monsters.
"Call everyone, except those the boss took."
"Yes?"
Thwack!
"Just do as you're told! Who said you could ask questions?!"
"So-sorry, hyungnim!"
"Grab your gear, we're going to hunt down that human hunter bastard."
There was only one human hunter roaming near the Black Herb farm.
That guy somehow managed to disable the scrolls and pick off the Red Spider search parties one by one. They had been caught off guard, assuming that the human hunters wouldn't move in small numbers.
"If we spread out and surround him, that bastard won't be able to escape."
The damage was done.
To avoid getting scolded by Kim Jaewoo, he had to show some results.
Otherwise, Choi Hyungtae might be the one who dies at the hands of the enraged boss.
"Hyu-hyungnim. What if he runs away?"
"Use your head, you idiot! Just keep a reasonable distance and lure him in!"
"Got it."
"Honestly, you incompetent fools. You can't do anything without me."
Choi Hyungtae grumbled as he gathered his equipment.
＊ ＊ ＊
"Huu. Now I can finally get some rest."
Yoojin sat down on a prominent rock.
He hadn't had a proper rest in days, and his eyes were sore as if they were about to pop out.
〔Are you taking credit for simply giving orders?〕
'Physical labor isn't the only kind of work, you know.'
He had been gathering information through the specters he scattered near the farm and hunting down Red Spider Hunters.
〔Wasn't it your warrior who defeated those small humans?〕
'Positioning is crucial to blocking communication, you see.'
There wasn't just one path to the Black Herb farm. Communication scrolls and signal flares couldn't be blocked unless they were within the fog, so the location of the battle was also important.
'And what about the monsters? Do they just sit still?'
Don't forget.
This was the border region, the monsters' territory.
He had created Armored Skeletons to guard the black spire, but...
If Yoojin didn't command them, they would charge blindly and suffer casualties, so he couldn't just stand by and watch.
〔For someone who said they were busy, you seemed quite preoccupied with doodling on the ground.〕
'That's how it looks to a petty constellation. It's all part of the job.'
〔You've driven out all the tattooed little humans, is there anything more to do?〕
'It's not over yet.'
He had to rest as much as possible while he could.
Thanks to Life Drain, his stamina was always at its maximum, but...
It didn't make his mental fatigue disappear.
'I need to raise my rank quickly.'
Even though Yoojin was a Transcendent who had achieved the 9th rank, he didn't have the same mental strength as he did back then.
Mental Image Manifestation.
The higher the rank, the stronger a Hunter's mental power becomes, to the point where they can impose their mental image onto the world.
The 'sensation' from that time was still alive, but...
The mental image he had built up before his return wasn't there anymore.
While he was dozing off on the rock...
-Kihihihit!
The specter's cry awakened his slumbering mind.
Just as he was about to use [Ghost Eye]...
[The specter has been destroyed.]
"Oh?"
Their reaction was quick.
Until now, the Hunters approaching the farm hadn't noticed the specters right away.
Unless they were emitting killing intent, it wasn't easy to detect spirits.
"They have good instincts."
【They're tireless, these Red Spider bastards.】
"This time seems a bit different."
[Using Ghost Eye.]
[Sharing vision with the subordinate specter.]
Yoojin had a total of 10 specters under his command.
He had even turned 10 Armored Skeletons back into dirt to create them.
'Gathering information is the first step to winning a battle.'
Specters could only inflict minor debuffs; they had zero direct combat power.
However...
Unless they revealed their killing intent first, they were difficult to detect, making them the perfect minions for a wide view of the battlefield.
【How many have gathered?】
"Hold on, let me count."
【Huh. Are you saying there are so many that you need to count them?】
"That's right. And they're scattered all over."
The scale of the enemy force seen through the specter's vision was considerable.
At first glance, it seemed like there were only five or six Hunters exposed, but...
Similar-sized groups of Hunters were approaching through the fog, spaced about 100 meters apart.
If he hadn't been switching between multiple specters to share their vision, he wouldn't have been able to grasp the overall scale.
"They've finally taken the bait."
【Ooh. So, does that mean Kim Jaewoo has come as well?】
"I don't think so."
He had already confirmed the appearance of Kim Jaewoo, the boss of the Red Spider.
A 6 Star martial arts Hunter was a formidable opponent even for Yoojin.
He had been prepared to abandon the black spire and retreat if necessary, but fortunately, Kim Jaewoo wasn't among the group.
【That's a shame. I was curious how strong a 6 Star Hunter of this era is.】
"You'd be lucky to last even a minute."
【Tsk.】
Perhaps because he had broken through the 6 Star wall in his lifetime, Fafnir was burning with an odd sense of competitiveness.
"Instead, the second-in-command, Choi Hyungtae, has come."
【He was a 5 Star, wasn't he?】
"Besides him, there's also a magic-type executive."
Two 5 Stars.
It was a tough matchup at his current level, but if he played his cards right, he could manage.
【Don't you need to go out and greet them?】
"They've gathered in such numbers. They're here for a decisive battle."
43 people.
He had significantly reduced the Red Spider's fighting power.
The dead Hunters were at least 3 Star.
Among them were even those who had surpassed the 4 Star wall.
Considering the dangers of the border region, it was a natural selection.
"Even if they couldn't mobilize all their forces because of Madam, they must have brought most of their available personnel."
Even though there was no way for them to know the situation inside Ground Zero after entering the border region...
Yoojin read Choi Hyungtae's mind like the back of his hand.
Now that the guests had arrived...
'Hey, you petty constellation.'
〔How arrogant. Why are you calling me?〕
'About the doodles. I'm going to tell you why I made them.'
Yoojin used [Ghost Eye] and touched the ground.
'Around there... this circuit.'
Crackle—!
Sparks flew from the point of contact, and a faint electrical current ran across the ground.
〔Such weak magic. Is this supposed to tickle me?〕
'My vision. You're sharing it, right?'
〔Indeed.〕
'Just watch.'
The spark that had run for hundreds of meters reached the vicinity of the Hunter group that had entered the fog, and...
"Huh? What was that flash just now...?"
[Using Corpse Explosion.]
BOOOOM!!!
The corpse buried in the ground exploded beneath the feet of the Hunter group.
Bones and flesh erupted through the mound of dirt.
Each piece of flesh imbued with mana was as dangerous as a sharp weapon.
The Hunter standing at the epicenter of the explosion died instantly.
The rest were also injured, some severely.
"Sh-shit!"
"What the hell? Why is the ground exploding?!"
Yoojin, sharing vision with the specter, clicked his tongue.
'I should have ignited it a little sooner.'
〔Contractor.〕
'What? I'm busy, so get to the point.'
〔What in the world have you done? You couldn't have caused such an explosion with the amount of mana you used just now!〕
'It's Corpse Explosion.'
While hunting the Red Spider Hunters, Yoojin had also been burying the corpses in the ground.
He imbued them with mana so that he could activate Corpse Explosion at any time.
〔There should be a range limit to the spell... Ah!〕
'So even a incompetent constellation finally gets it?'
〔I see. It was an ignition circuit. You engraved it on the ground beforehand and used it as an activation trigger.〕
'You have to see it to understand.'
Ignition circuits were difficult to detect and were only triggered by specific mana wavelengths.
He connected the corpses buried throughout the Necropolis to the ignition circuit.
He had laid the lines all the way to the rock where he was sitting.
【An explosion?】
"Ah, you can't see it."
【It must be related to what you were working on.】
See?
Fafnir figured it out with just a few words, even without seeing it directly.
〔You impudent thing! After all I've given you, you dare insult me like that!〕
'Ah, that's why I said you should stay quiet if you don't know.'
Yoojin chided Kronos while occasionally triggering the ignition circuit.
BOOOOM—! Bang—!
The sound of explosions echoed periodically.
The stench of rotting corpses mixed with the smell of burning flesh, enveloping the forest.
'If I had opened the poison field, I could have created a synergy effect.'
The feeling of regret was fleeting.
There was no point in dwelling on what he didn't have right now.
Well, at this rate, he would soon be able to inherit knowledge from a new field anyway.
'I've finished off about two-thirds of them.'
The number of those who died instantly or were about to die.
If you added those who couldn't fight anymore because their arms or legs were blown off, you could say they were annihilated.
In a normal fight, that is.
"Fafnir."
【I'm ready.】
The two people who remained unharmed even by the explosions at close range.
To truly claim victory, he needed to defeat the 5 Star Hunters, the executives of the Red Spider.
"This time, your opponent is a Hunter at the peak of 5 Star rank. Don't underestimate them."
【Huhu. Alright.】
Even though Fafnir possessed 5 Star level specs that Yoojin had given him, objectively speaking, the difference in their power was so great that a fight shouldn't even be possible.
"Take this."
Clank!
【Isn't that your armor, Master? Why are you giving it to me?】
"It's better for someone who suits it more to use it."
Dragon Scale Armor.
It was an Epic grade artifact obtained from the long-unconquered Gate, [Forgotten Temple].
'I was able to cover for my unsuitability for close combat thanks to the Dragon Scale Armor.'
Since then, there had been no need to wield a spear on the front lines, but he had always worn it in case of an emergency.
【Considering unforeseen circumstances, wouldn't it be better for Master to wear it?】
"If you die, I'm finished too."
Choi Hyungtae was a martial arts Hunter at the peak of 5 Star rank.
If he were to attack with all his might, Yoojin would be helpless.
Even if he tried to run away now, how could he possibly escape a martial artist?
"Even if you can't win, you need to at least hold him back."
The greatest force Yoojin could utilize.
The greater Fafnir's combat power, the higher the chances of victory.
Clack!
[Eldritch Dragon (Fafnir) has equipped an armament with a Dragon Tribe wavelength.]
[Additional latent abilities of the Dragon Tribe are awakened. All stats increase by 20%.]
"...Huh?"
【Power overflows!】
Wait a minute.
Did the Dragon Scale Armor have this kind of function?
"Damn."
【What's wrong, Master?】
"If I had known this, I would have given it to you sooner."
Thanks to the Draconian's potential and the [Martial Artist] trait, Fafnir had stats higher than his Transcendence Level.
And now an additional 20% to all stats?
They might actually have a chance.
"Take care of Choi Hyungtae. I'll handle the rest of the Hunters."
【Alright, let's do this.】
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Hestia
[Proofreader - Kaya]
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