The operational teams lined up while watching Do-Jun. They still seemed relatively energetic with no signs of fatigue, and even the supplies prepared for the Fissure raid appeared almost untouched.
So this is what makes them elites, Do-Jun thought.
Only a small number of ordinary people underwent Awakening or physical enhancement to become Hunters. From that small sample, the members of the operational teams were those who the Hunter’s Bureau had carefully selected.
With a large number of A-rank Hunters and most of their leader being S-rank, it seemed that ogres and trolls posed no threat to them at all.
“Before we advance, I have some information to share,” Do-Jun said.
Do-Jun tapped on his SpacePad a few times, then turned the screen toward the group to show them a picture of a goblin with black skin.
“As we move forward, we’ll encounter these Suicide Goblins. As the name suggests, they self-destruct, and their damage is significant. Even if you’re wearing a suit, a direct hit could be fatal, so be cautious. The good news is that they don’t initiate attacks. When you spot a Suicide Goblin, engage from at least ten meters away with ranged attacks.”
Generally speaking, goblins were like ants to Hunters. Even though they were numerous, they were so weak that even a light tap could kill them, making them ideal monsters for beginner Hunters.
However, the goblins appearing in an S-rank Great Fissure would be far from ordinary.
Do-Jun swiped to display another picture.
“The yellow-marked ground you see here is a Lightning Trap. If you step on it, lightning will strike from the sky, and similar to the Suicide Goblins, getting hit by it is likely fatal. Therefore, each team should maintain about a thirty-meter distance while keeping vigilant as you move.”
A brief silence followed.
The Hunters, although unsure, were not dismissive of Do-Jun’s words. After all, everything Do-Jun had said so far had been accurate.
“And four kilometers ahead in Zone A-5...”
He swiped the screen again, this time showing a large monster with a protruding belly. It had a single eye on its face and grotesque tusks sticking out.
“It’s a Cyclops. It’s S-rank and has strong attack power but is slow, so it’s not too tricky. However, consider any hit as fatal. Does anyone here have a binding skill?”
That’s when Park Dong-Cheol, the leader of Team 11, raised his hand.
“It’s not a skill, but I have an equipment called a Mesh Gun that can serve a similar function. I’m not sure if it will work on the Cyclops you’ve mentioned, Commander, but at the very least, it should immobilize it temporarily.”
“May I take a look?” Do-Jun asked as he stroked his chin.
Park Dong-Cheol pulled a gun from a supply crate nearby. Its basic shape resembled a shotgun, but the ammo compartment was large and round.
He walked over to Do-Jun and handed over the mesh gun extremely politely, which seemed to surprise his team members quite a bit, and understandably so. Although Park Dong-Cheol wasn’t an S-rank, he was one of the best among the A-rank Hunters.
It was unexpected to see him, whom even politicians would tread carefully around, show such deference to a mere civil servant.
“Hey, I know he’s technically the commander-in-chief, but...” one of the team members whispered to another.
But Park Dong-Cheol ignored them and simply stood at attention in front of Do-Jun.
Do-Jun took the mesh gun and examined it closely, feeling the mana intertwined within the ammo compartment.
“This should be able to keep them bound for about five seconds. Is it single use?” Do-Jun asked Park Dong-Cheol.
“How many do you have?”
“We have a total of six.”
Do-Jun nodded and handed back the mesh gun. Park Dong-Cheol bowed his head slightly and returned to his position.
For the past twenty minutes, the Hunters had been walking slowly with thirty meters between each team, just as Do-Jun instructed.
However, the Suicide Goblins and Lightning Traps he had mentioned were nowhere to be seen. But just as some were starting to doubt whether Do-Jun’s warnings were lies, they heard a sound.
Fifty meters ahead, a black-skinned goblin appeared between a pile of rocks.
Min-Hyuk glanced at Do-Jun, then he aimed his mana gun at the goblin and fired. The bullet from the mana gun pierced the goblin’s head.
The goblin’s body swelled up momentarily and then exploded. Moreover, as Do-Jun had described, its power was significant.
“I-it really exploded.”
Soon after, the Lightning Trap also came into view. Unlike the rest of the Fissure they had seen so far, the ground was marked with a yellow stain.
One of the Hunters gulped and tossed a stone onto that spot.
Lightning flashed, striking down from the sky.
The Hunters widened their eyes, focusing their gaze on Do-Jun. None of them tried to add any explanations to this phenomenon, as there was one sure thing.
The Hunters unfolded a map that was divided into nine zones, each containing details of the terrain and dangerous monsters.
“This map is the real deal.”
In Zone A-5, the raid team spotted a Cyclops walking two hundred meters ahead.
With its thick hide, the Cyclops was nearly impervious to damage from mana guns. In the world of Hunters, when using the same mana, offensive power was inherently stronger with Infusion than with Release, necessitating a direct attack.
Finally, when the one-eyed giant was within thirty meters, a Hunter from Team 11, holding a mesh gun, pulled the trigger.
The moment the bullet was fired, there was an explosive sound from the orb attached to Min-Ji’s heel. She soared over forty meters into the air, flying toward the Cyclops’ shoulder.
“Min-Ji!” Min-Hyuk shouted in shock.
Their opponent was an S-rank monster. They needed to be cautious when engaging.
However, Min-Ji charged directly at the Cyclops the moment the mesh gun fired without checking if it had bound the creature.
She did not doubt that the gun would restrain the monster. As Han Min-Ji flew toward the giant’s shoulder, she recalled Do-Jun’s words.
“This should be able to keep them bound for about five seconds.”
The moment she saw the orb-shaped mana projectile from the mesh gun hit the giant’s leg, she started counting silently.
With a thud, a sharp-edged blade embedded itself in the giant’s shoulder, and mana began to flow like threads from the blade. Min-Ji then pulled out a Mana Smoke from her bandolier and put it in between her lips.
She jumped off the shoulder with both her hands gripping the blade while Sword Aura formed on the blade simultaneously.
The blade imbued with Sword Aura, began to cut through the Cyclops’ body.
Min-Ji inhaled the Mana Smoke once more and swung the blade wide, a blue flash drawing a crescent shape.
It was an A-rank skill, Moon Slash.
The Cyclops screeched in immense pain as its right arm was severed.
Min-Hyuk’s eyes widened as he watched Min-Ji land on the ground. “You...”
Min-Ji spat out the used Mana Smoke she had been biting and quickly bit down on a new one.
Without a moment’s rest, the muzzle of the mesh gun flashed again, and at the same time, Min-Ji lunged toward the Cyclops once more, and Min-Hyuk, who had been watching, followed her lead, charging toward the giant’s feet.
Young-Chul ran his hand through his hair as he watched the screens transmitting live footage, then put out his cigarette on his ashtray.
I had my doubts, but...
An unexpected S-rank Great Fissure had occurred, and with the absence of Sword Emperor Lee Kang-Hyun, the position of commander-in-chief was delegated to Min-Hyuk.
But judging by the scenes on the screen, anyone could see that the real commander was Do-Jun.
Things were going smoothly.
The average survival rate inside an S-rank Great Fissure is sixty-eight percent.
Unlike A or B-rank Great Fissures, S-rank Fissures required immediate raiding without any prior information because monsters would start pouring out onto Earth approximately twelve hours after the Fissure appeared.
Usually, within two hours of starting an S-rank Great Fissure raid operation, at least twenty percent of the team was dead.
But even at a glance, there seemed to be no casualties.
Young-Chul gulped as he thought, If they can keep this up....
The ashtray was already overflowing with cigarette butts, but Young-Chul immediately pulled out another one and lit it.
But suddenly, an employee watching the computer monitor swiveled their chair to face Young-Chul, urgently shouting, “C-chief!”
Izaas, or now Yong-Yong, was devouring the braised chicken in a dog bowl as if inhaling it, thinking it was a divine dish that was right up there with braised short ribs.
“Why aren’t you eating? It’s so good,” he asked Yoon-Hee, who sat across from him, staring blankly at a bowl of white rice that was now cold and no longer steaming.
Yong-Yong could tell what she was thinking.
“I don’t think Master will be coming home today. Can I eat that?”
At those words, Yoon-Hee frowned and snatched Yong-Yong’s bowl away.
“N-no, I was joking! Seriously. Don’t worry. Master is invincible. He’s the very human who defeated the great Izaas!”
Yoon-Hee sighed, even though she had done that so many times that she lost count.
“Do you really think so...?”
“Y-yes, really! I mean, you were there too, right? You saw that crazy bast... no, Master’s power, didn’t you?”
Yong-Yong shivered as he remembered being disciplined by Do-Jun. Yoon-Hee returned the bowl she had taken. Just as Yong-Yong was about to bring his mouth to the bowl with a broad smile, an earthquake struck, shaking the whole house.
The plates on the dining table fell to the floor, and Yong-Yong’s bowl was no exception.
The braised chicken, or what was left of it, fell to the floor.
The intense shaking soon subsided, but Yong-Yong’s mouth trembled, and its eyes welled up with tears.
⌜Breaking news! A monster presumed to be a dragon has appeared in the Banpo-dong area of Seocho-gu. It bears similarities to the Dragon Masalis, which appeared three years ago. While the Hunter’s Bureau is urgently organizing a raid team, most of their forces are already deployed at the Fissure at Umyeonsan Mountain...⌟
Yong-Yong walked over to the TV with a blank expression and stared at the image of the monster displayed on the TV—a dragon with a light brown hue all over. The number nine was visible on its forehead.
“That son of a...” Yong-Yong spread his tiny wings and breaking through the balcony window, he flew outside, shouting, “You’re finished!”
Yoon-Hee quickly put on her shoes and ran outside.