Hunter’s Bureau Situation Room.
Young-Chul sat in his chair, anxiously shaking his leg as he kept his eyes fixed on the screen.
The S-rank Fissure extermination operation in Umyeonsan Mountain was progressing smoothly. However, the issue now was the appearance of a dragon in Bangbae-dong.
Of all times... Young-Chul thought in frustration.
Kang-Hyun was absent, and all the operational teams had been deployed inside the Fissure at Umyeonsan Mountain.
According to his aide, the Mejai Guild, along with several A and B-rank Hunters, had been dispatched to the newly opened Fissure, but Young-Chul had no confidence that they would be able to take down the dragon.
Four new feeds appeared on the large screen displaying eleven different feeds due to the dragon sighting in Bangbae-dong, bringing the total to fifteen screens.
The four additional screens showed the area around the National Gugak Center on the Nambu Beltway, where the Hunters from the Mejai Guild had arrived.
But what happened next made Young-Chul doubt his eyes.
A red dragon that had suddenly appeared out of nowhere charged at the beige dragon that showed up in Bangbae-dong, and shortly after, both dragons disappeared into the Fissure.
Young-Chul shot up from his seat and shouted, “Rewind that footage now!”
Following his orders, one of the staff members rewound the footage.
They saw a tiny speck growing larger and transforming into a red dragon. When they zoomed in on the speck, the image was too pixelated to make out anything.
The silver lining was that the situation in Bangbae-dong had calmed down after the two dragons flew into the Fissure.
The ideal outcome would be for both of them to kill each other in there... Young-Chul thought.
But how likely was that?
Young-Chul bit his nails as he kept an eye on the operational teams under Do-Jun’s command. After taking down three Cyclopes, the teams fought their way through several other monsters, which appeared to be S-rank and pressed forward.
Three hours had passed since the operation began in the S-rank Fissure at Umyeonsan Mountain. As the Hunters ventured deeper inside, the A and B-rank monsters became scarcer and were seemingly replaced by more powerful S-rank monsters.
Seeing the Hunters panting heavily, it was clear they were exhausted. However, their expressions were bright. Some were even smiling. It was a natural reaction, considering that not a single one of them had died.
How is this even possible? Young-Chul wondered in amazement.
Do-Jun was completely different from the Sword Emperor. Kang-Hyun would always fight alongside the Hunters at the front line, directing the situation as it unfolded. But in Do-Jun’s case, he acted as if he already knew what would happen.
It’s almost astonishing.
If watched closely, it seemed like Do-Jun knew what his opponent’s next move would be. It almost looked like he was playing a game of chess, strategically deploying the Hunters into the battle like chess pieces.
“Chief! The Fissure in Bangbae-dong has disappeared,” one of the employees shouted.
Young-Chul immediately turned his head to the screen displaying Bangbae-dong. Indeed, the Fissure had vanished, along with the dragons.
Did both of them die after all?
He tried to calm his racing heart.
“Any damage?” he asked the employee.
“Just some damage to the road, nothing else.”
Young-Chul leaned back in his chair and let out a long sigh of relief. His expression hardened when he turned his gaze back to the Fissure at Umyeonsan Mountain.
A long line was drawn on the ground, acting as a restrictive boundary.
Beyond that boundary stood a muscular giant, easily over three hundred meters tall.
Instead of hair, flames roared from the top of its head, fierce sparks flashed in its eyes, and as if that weren’t enough, it held a spear as tall as itself.
[Select who will challenge Malanuh the Titan.]
[Only five challengers can enter the boss zone. No more will be allowed.]
[Those who did not enter the boss zone will be removed from the Fissure.]
[If the raid fails or Malanuh is not defeated within one hour, his legion will be unleashed.]
The titan was an overwhelming presence. The operational teams gulped audibly. It had seen many boss monsters before, but none were this big.
But there was one big problem.
All except the chosen five would be forcibly ejected from the Fissure when they weren’t sure if they could win, even if they all attacked simultaneously.
One of the Hunters looked at the seven S-rank Hunters, thinking, Five of them need to go in.
And that decision was up to the commander.
Everyone’s eyes turned to Do-Jun.
With his eyes closed, Do-Jun took a deep breath and spoke, “Before we start the selection, do any of the team leaders feel that they absolutely cannot enter beyond this line?”
The team leaders glanced at each other. S-rank Hunters they may be, they were still human and feared death.
But at that moment, Min-Ji raised her hand.
Do-Jun nodded and said, “Understood. So, other than Hunter Min-Ji, is there anyone else who can’t go in—”
“No, I’m going to go in there no matter what. Supervisor Lee, please select me as one of the challengers,” Min-Ji interrupted him.
Everyone was shocked by her words. Do-Jun looked at her with a hint of surprise, then chuckled.
“Aren’t you afraid?” he asked Min-Ji.
“You’ll be guiding us, won’t you?”
Watching this, Min-Hyuk frowned. It wasn’t like he didn’t acknowledge the significant contributions Do-Jun had made thus far. No one had died and Do-Jun had successfully led them to the boss monster. That much was undeniable.
But wouldn’t defeating Malanuh be the job of the S-rank Hunters?
Once the five challengers were selected, Do-Jun would be ejected from the Fissure.
“I take it the rest of you are willing to go in, so I’ll make the selections,” Do-Jun said.
He pointed at the Hunters one by one, choosing Min-Hyuk, Kwak Young-Ho, and Lee Jin-Goo in that order.
All of them were S-rank Hunters.
As soon as Do-Jun’s selection was finished, Lee Jin-Goo clicked his tongue.
“Commander, you haven’t chosen the last one...”
But Lee Jin-Goo couldn’t finish his comment as Do-Jun crossed the boundary, and what he said next stunned everyone into silence. “That would be me.”
[Challengers have been selected.]
[All remaining personnel will be removed.]
[In one minute, Malanuh will awaken from his seal.]
[Challengers, prepare for battle.]
Kwak Young-Ho slammed his shield on the ground in frustration. He had no choice but to enter as Do-Jun instructed, but this was just too much.
“What the hell are you thinking when we need as many S-rankers as possible!” Kwak Young-Ho growled as he glared at Do-Jun, who simply shrugged and smirked.
“No matter how I thought about it, I couldn’t figure out a way,” Do-Jun said rather mysteriously.
“A way that five of you can beat that thing without me.”
Before entering the Fissure with the Hunters, Do-Jun had scouted the entire Fissure for mapping purposes. At the far end, he had discovered the Titan Malanuh.
Upon discovery, he immediately realized that the operational teams had no chance of defeating the titan on their own.
[Malanuh is awakening from his seal.]
Rumble, rumble, rumble...
At that moment, Min-Ji glanced at the detector on her wrist and saw the pulse levels spike. The reading climbed rapidly, easily passing two thousand. Eventually, it stabilized at a number that was double that of Masalis.
The Hunters’ faces twisted in fear.
As Malanuh, the Titan, raised its spear high, the Hunters tried to scatter in a panic.
[Malanuh’s Authority is activated.]
[Movement is restricted.]
[Skills cannot be used.]
Do-Jun clicked his tongue as he looked at the Hunters frozen in place.
I guess they couldn’t move, after all.
Even Do-Jun acknowledged that S-rank Hunters were strong, but that strength only applied within the boundaries of what a Hunter was. Compared to Malanuh, their level was drastically inferior.
A deafening roar tore through the air as the titan’s spear descended toward the ground.
The Hunters squeezed their eyes shut, bracing for death.
Min-Ji cautiously opened her eyes.
“S-supervisor Lee...?”
Her lips trembled as she witnessed the unbelievable sight before her.
It looked like the spear, which seemed about to shatter the earth along with them, had struck an invisible wall and completely stopped. It could not advance any further.
Then, Do-Jun stepped forward, aimed his fingers at the spear’s sharp tip, then flicked them.
[Malanuh’s Authority has been lifted.]
[Status ailments have been removed.]
The other Hunters slowly opened their eyes, their pupils widening as they took in the scene.
The colossal spear of Malanuh lay shattered with a thunderous crash.
“D-did you... how...?” Kwak Young-Ho muttered, staring at Do-Jun’s back.
Lee Jin-Goo gulped, eyes wide in disbelief. But the one most shocked was Min-Hyuk.
“Thank you for worrying about me, but I didn’t run away.”
It wasn’t a coincidence! Min-Hyuk realized.
The fact that he couldn’t sense Do-Jun’s presence before, the situation he had brushed off as mere chance, was all due to an overwhelming gap in skill.
Do-Jun turned to look at the frozen Hunters staring at him with mouths agape. And as he noticed the emergency cams hanging around their necks, he sighed deeply.
I shouldn’t have said that.
He regretted promising the guaranteed survival for every single Hunter present. If he could go back in time, he would retract that statement, but what was done was done.
Do-Jun said, “This will truly be the last time, Hunter Min-Ji.”
With a rumble, the ground trembled, and as Do-Jun activated the Heavenly Demon Cultivation Art, a sword’s shape briefly manifested from his body.
Black energy rose from his entire body like a mirage.
The Hunters felt as if their mana was flowing backward inside their bodies.
Lee Jin-Goo collapsed on the spot, vomiting, and Min-Hyuk and Min-Ji also swayed, overcome by dizziness. Only Kwak Young-Ho managed to stay upright, using his shield as support.
D-damn it... W-what the hell is this?!
He tried to use a skill to regain his composure, but his mana was no longer cooperating as if it had become oil in the water that was his body.
In his eight years as a Hunter, he had faced many situations, but never anything .
Leaving a trail of afterimages, the dark aura swirling around Do-Jun flew toward Malanuh in a graceful arc.
As it gathered, it formed a sword, which stopped just above Malanuh’s head. The gathered energy then bloomed like petals, scattering in all directions and drifting down slowly.
It was the eighth move of the Plum Blossom Swordsmanship: Blood Rain of Plum Blossoms.
A moment later, blood sprayed from Malanuh’s entire body, and then it collapsed.
After confirming that the titan had fully collapsed, Do-Jun withdrew his internal energy.
[You have successfully defeated Malanuh the Titan.]
[Would you like to announce your achievement to the Core?]
He didn’t know what it meant, but he had a feeling that choosing “Yes” would bring unnecessary trouble.
[You have cleared the Fissure.]
[The Fissure will close in two hours. All challengers must exit within the time limit.]
Do-Jun turned to the Hunters, smiled faintly, and said, “Well done.”
When he went home, a delicious dinner would be waiting for him.