4. An Ominous Presence
4
AN OMINOUS PRESENCE
The mutant ants spotted the approaching helicopter and shot up into the sky.
Vwoom…
Vwoom…
It appeared as though the ability to fly was a relatively new trait, so the hunters counted only around seven in total.
“I’ll take care of them.”
Jongin, the lone mage hunter on the team, cast his special ability, Flame Spear. Seven blasts of fire shot off like javelins that left a fiery trail. They struck the ants dead-on.
KABOOM!
It would be difficult to kill a magic-beast ant with a fire-powered strike that dispersed, but torching their wings was another matter.
SKREE!
SKRAW!
Jongin pumped his fists victoriously as he watched the ants plummet to the ground.
But there was no room to celebrate.
Jongin turned to Dongwook. “What’s the status of the Japanese teams?”
The ants had discovered them and were starting to mobilize. There was no time to waste.
Krakl…
Dongwook focused on the chatter coming through his earpiece. The tank had taken up the role of leading the Korean strike squad.
“They’re going in now.”
BANG!
As if on cue, there was a frightening explosion.
KABOOM!
BOOM!
The signal given, continuous explosions erupted across the island, generating huge plumes of smoke. This marked the start of the fourth extermination mission.
Taegyu Lim, the guild master of the Reapers Guild, frowned as he looked out the window.
Several thousand ants were emerging from the cave. They separated into four groups heading to the east, west, north, and south sides of the island.
“Seriously, they’re really creepy.”
“It looks like that’s all of them, right?”
“…Seems so.”
The long trail of ants soon ended, leaving a large hole in the ground—the entrance to the ants’ cave. Based on just the size of the entrance, which was as large as a highway tunnel, the interior cavern had to be huge. The queen could most likely be found in the deepest part of the cave.
The strike squad had only one goal: kill the queen.
“Everyone.”
Dongwook gestured for the team to gather around, waving the hesitating cameraman over as well. They formed a huddle.
“After several hundred simulations, the Japanese hunters determined they can buy us an hour. So we have that long to eliminate the queen by any means necessary.”
He didn’t mention what would happen if they failed. Unlike the past extermination attempts, there was no way to abandon this operation. Deserters would find themselves stranded among the ants.
As Dongwook looked each member in the eye, they all nodded back, determined.
These are the best teammates I could’ve hoped for.
This kind of team would never assemble again unless another tragedy occurred. Dongwook considered it an honor to be their leader. After giving everyone a moment to steel themselves…
“Let’s go.”
Seven hunters—the six strike squad members plus the cameraman—jumped out of the helicopter.
“How long has it been since the Koreans went in?” asked Ryuji.
“Hold on, please.”
As team leader, Ryuji was supposed to be in charge of communications with the command center, but since he hated having his movement hampered, he’d assigned that duty to someone else.
“It’s been a little less than ten minutes.”
“Ten minutes…”
Ryuji decided it was about time to start their retreat. He briefly looked around to check whether they were okay to do so.
There were mounds of slaughtered ants. On the surface, the Japanese team’s purpose was to distract the enemy. Their objective was to buy time for the Koreans, so instead of outright killing the magic beasts, they’d employed a hit-and-run strategy. Despite all this, the body count was still quite high.
These ants may be a challenge for the Koreans, but not for us.
A confident grin spread across his face. Ryuji kicked an ant carcass out of his way before he commanded his team to prepare to withdraw.
It was time for the next step in Japan’s master plan.
But before he could…
“Yes?”
The hunter in charge of communications had a grave look on his face.
“Command says they haven’t heard from Team Three in a while.”
Is their equipment malfunctioning…?
It wasn’t unheard of for equipment to work perfectly during field exercises only to fail right before or during an actual mission.
Team 3 had been deployed on the south side. Ryuji’s Team 1 had touched down on the west side and moved south, so they should be relatively close.
“How far are we from Team Three’s last-known location?”
“Command says we should get there in ten minutes at our current speed.”
As per Ryuji’s calculations, they weren’t that far. There would be dire consequences if they fell back without Team 3 and left them on the island.
……
Japan couldn’t afford to leave five S-rank hunters behind if they were considering an all-Japanese extermination mission down the line—especially not Team 3, which consisted of some of their best. There was a reason they’d been assigned the location closest to the entrance of the ant cave. It would be a huge blow to Japan if they lost any hunters from that group.
I’m sure they’re fine…
Ryuji assumed there had simply been a small miscalculation. He considered it for a second before giving the order.
“Let’s go find them.”
Tak.
As soon as Jinwoo came to a stop, a familiar chime rang.
Ping!
[Total distance run: 10 km]
[You have completed running 10 km.]
Unlike that first time he’d done the daily quest, Jinwoo wasn’t winded at all. He’d been doing this every day for so long that it had become a part of his routine.
Soon, the quest completion awards were delivered, along with the usual notification.
Stats.
He invested two of the three ability points in agility and the last one in strength.
| [Stats] | |
|---|---|
| Strength: | 219 |
| Stamina: | 200 |
| Agility: | 230 |
| Intelligence: | 250 |
| Perception: | 200 |
(Available ability points: 0)
Physical damage reduced by: 46 percent
Jinwoo smiled in satisfaction as he watched most of his stats go up to a number ending in zero.
If only I had one more point…
It was unfortunate, but it wasn’t like he could make points appear out of thin air. Still, he couldn’t stop smiling as he looked at his relatively even stats.
Nice.
Jinwoo had been increasing his stats across the board once the intelligence stat had reached 250.
Each one of these is invaluable.
He’d come to this conclusion a while ago. A stat raised to a high enough value would always be of some use to him, no matter the situation.
So…
Unless he had a reason to do otherwise, Jinwoo would continue spreading out his ability points evenly and maintain balanced stats.
He closed the window contentedly, then looked around. The neighborhood was relatively quiet anyway, but today, one could hear a pin drop.
He could easily guess why. Jinwoo took out his phone and checked the time.
I knew it.
The Korea-Japan allied raid was in progress. Everyone in Korea was probably glued to their screens.
Jinwoo headed off. Though he’d completed the daily quest already, his footsteps were still quicker than usual on his way home.
The mission was going smoothly. Just like Japan had outlined in their plan, Dongwook’s team met no resistance as they went farther into the tunnels. The inside had a similar structure to other cave-type dungeons. The only difference was that hunters had to light their own way due to the lack of glowing stones.
……
Gulp.
Despite having plenty of experience being in dungeons, the cameraman couldn’t help feeling nervous. He made up the very back of the group.
Jongin, who had a flame lit in his hand, led the other hunters, who stuck closely behind him. The cameraman also had a flashlight attached to his head for filming purposes, but because it was nowhere near as powerful as an S-rank hunter’s magic, it was barely able to cut through the mana-laden darkness to illuminate the space right in front of him.
“It’s quiet,” Jongin blurted out, and Dongwook nodded beside him.
As a tank and as the leader, Dongwook had a duty to protect the mage at the forefront of the group. Perhaps that was why Dongwook continuously scanned their surroundings with keen eyes, his usual cheerfulness nowhere to be seen.
Yoonho was also acting differently than usual. He’d entered the ant cave with Eyes of a Beast activated and on the lookout for even the faintest trace of mana.
Byunggu and the cameraman were quite tense as well. Only Haein seemed unaffected as she walked in silence with her hand on her sword, wearing her face set in her default blank expression.
That was when…
“Over there…!” Jongin had discovered something.
“Oh.”
“Ah…”
The hunters gasped in shock.
Countless ant eggs covered the walls and ceiling for as far as the eye could see. Black larvae could be seen writhing within through translucent shells. The hunters felt only one emotion as they stood in the midst of this dreary, moldy-smelling spawning ground: disgust.
“Should I burn them all?” Jongin wrinkled his nose.
Dongwook laughed for the first time since they’d entered the ant cave.
“I’m dying to do that, but there’s no time.”
Even if every one of these eggs hatched, they would last only a year. They didn’t need to worry about these eggs as long as they eliminated their mother.
“They’re coming!” cried Yoonho, pointing into the darkness as a warning.
Haein had already drawn her sword. Dongwook lifted his shield, which was almost as tall as he was, and stared ahead.
Tak-tak-tak-tak!
About ten worker ants appeared. Their vestigial eyes matched those of the others born on Jeju Island.
“Are they the queen’s guards?”
Jongin shook his head. “No, they seem to be guarding these eggs.”
“This shouldn’t be too hard, then.”
If these ants were regular magic beasts and not the queen’s guards, they wouldn’t last long against a squad of S-rank hunters. Dongwook knew very well that they didn’t have much time to spare, so he attacked the ants first.
“Gooo!”
The hunters charged at the ants. Fire flashed from Jongin’s fingertips, and the arrows shot by Taegyu sliced through the air.
As Dongwook had predicted, the battle ended quickly.
SKRAAAW!
The last ant’s head hit the ground, and Haein flicked some bodily fluids off her sword.
“All these eggs…,” mused Dongwook.
“Means the queen is nearby.” Jongin finished the tank’s thought.
The cameraman was walking around while everyone else readied themselves for a big battle when he suddenly cried out.
“Ewww!”
All the hunters stared at him.
“S-sorry.”
The flustered cameraman bowed in apology, momentarily forgetting that the whole country was watching through the camera on his head.
Curious, Yoonho approached him. “Is something wrong?”
“Oh, it’s just that… Over there.” Giving an embarrassed laugh, the cameraman pointed to a corner. “The hatched eggs are piled up over there, but one of them is especially huge.”
……!
Yoonho wasn’t sure what to make of the sight.
Most of the eggs were around the size of a bicycle wheel, but the egg the cameraman had pointed out was as big as a human…
No.
The egg was long and oval, and it was big enough that a fully grown ant could have come out of it.
This can’t also be an ant egg, can it?
“What the hell came out of this?” Byunggu had come to stand next to Yoonho, and his surprise was also clear on his face.
Yoonho’s expression had been dark, but he promptly smiled and patted Byunggu on the back. “We just have to get rid of the queen, so don’t worry about anything else.”
“…Right.” Byunggu turned to rejoin the others with an uneasy look on his face.
Yoonho glanced back at the egg one last time.
This doesn’t make any sense…
This doesn’t make any sense…
Ryuji could not believe his eyes.
“Ack!”
“Gah…!”
The other hunters of Team 1 swallowed hard and flinched at the sight. Ryuji grimaced as he looked around.
The hunters of Team 3 were exactly where they had lost communication—except they were all missing their heads. It was a shocking discovery, to say the least. Five colleagues were lying dead on the ground.
……
Ryuji massaged his temples as he thoroughly inspected the bodies.
Their heads weren’t cut off by a blade.
No, they’d been ripped from their necks.
How much force would it take for something to bite their heads off like this?
Ryuji stared, astonished, as another seething hunter spat out, “Those damn ants…”
Ryuji shook his head. “It wasn’t the ants.”
“What?”
“Whatever it was, there was only one.”
“N-no way?!”
Ryuji swallowed hard.
There was no evidence of a struggle. If Team 3 had been wiped out by the ant swarms, there should have been ant corpses or some signs of struggle, but he couldn’t find anything like that. Then there were the dead hunters’ wounds. Based on the location, this had most likely been done by the same creature.
How could a single magic beast kill the most elite hunters of Japan…?
There was only one explanation: It was the work of an S-rank dungeon boss.
Ryuji grabbed the communicator from the other hunter on his team and spoke forcefully.
“It’s Goto.”
“Yes, please continue.”
“Where’s the queen? Did she leave the cave?”
“We’ll verify her location.”
The Japanese team had access to a satellite equipped with a camera that could detect mana. Only the United States, Japan, and China had this kind of technology, though the Chinese had hacked and copied it from the Americans, so it’d be correct to say that the equipment had originated from the United States and Japan.
They could determine the queen ant’s location using the satellite they boasted so much about. Said location was communicated through the receiver.
“No, sir. The queen has been in her den the whole time. Oh, the Korean hunters are entering it now.”
“What?” Ryuji sprang to his feet, his heart sinking.
This wasn’t done by the queen?
He began to hyperventilate. Something was going horribly wrong.
He hastily said, “Give the withdrawal order… Tell every Japanese hunter to leave the island as quickly as possible.”
“Copy that.”
Ryuji ended the communication. His expression was grave.
Did we miss something?
They’d considered solutions to every single thing that could possibly go wrong in order to guarantee a successful mission. However, they hadn’t foreseen five of Japan’s best hunters getting annihilated.
Wait a second……
Something suddenly occurred to him. There had been a strange phenomenon four months ago. They had been monitoring the queen ant around the clock when there was a sudden and significant drop in her magic power. It had dropped to less than half her usual amount.
The research team had hypothesized that this had to do with the queen’s life span and had optimistically forecasted her demise several times. But she had slowly recovered.
It took about a month, didn’t it?
She’d soon regained her mana, and the researchers had had no explanation for the unexpected turn of events.
“Mr. Goto.”
Ryuji was pulled out of his thoughts by a fellow team member.
“Mm.”
He was still on one knee from inspecting the remains of Team 3, so he slowly rose to his feet. This wasn’t the time to get distracted.
Have we come too far inland…?
Tak-tak-tak-tak!
Hundreds of ants had gathered behind them, smacking their lips at the prospect of food.
Meanwhile, the Korean team entered the queen’s den, the boss’s lair of this particular place. It had taken them fifteen minutes to arrive.
If it takes us the same amount of time to get back…
That left them thirty minutes to work with. If they assumed getting out would be faster than coming in, since they now knew the way, they had plenty of time.
Good.
Dongwook nodded as he checked his wristwatch.
Everything was going smoothly. The important thing now was to determine how to complete the mission.
Yoonho made out the exact number of enemies lying in wait by using Eyes of a Beast.
“The queen is at the very back. There are eight guards in front of her.”
The queen’s guards were incomparably stronger than regular ants. It would be a tall order for Dongwook to take on the queen and her guards on his own. He needed another tank as support. He looked to one side.
“Hunter Cha.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Will you please take on the guards while I deal with the queen?”
“Leave it to me.” Haein kept her reply short.
She had been the main tank on Hunters Guild raids, so being a support tank would be a piece of cake.
Dongwook looked around at his team members. Each and every one of them was an expert in hunting magic beasts, so it would be a waste of time to go into a detailed explanation.
“Let’s begin.”
As soon as Dongwook turned to face the ants, Jongin created a huge glowing ball and floated it to the highest point of the ceiling, lighting up the entire room.
“Wow.” The cameraman quietly marveled at the enormous size of the ball. He whispered quickly into the small microphone next to his lips.
“I’ve been on quite a few raids as an A-rank hunter, but this is the first time I’ve seen light magic this impressive. As expected of the best mage hunter in Korea.”
His voice was broadcast to viewers around the country.
The cameraman was informed over his earpiece that the viewer ratings for the stream had surpassed 80 percent. Feeling ambitious, he stepped forward to get better footage, but Byunggu grabbed him by the shoulder from behind.
“Argh!”
The powerful grip compelled the cameraman to turn around. His mouth gaped like a fish because of the pain in his shoulder.
How is a healer this strong…?
Before he could say anything, he took in Byunggu’s demeanor, which was completely different from when they had been joking around in the helicopter.
“There’s an S-rank dungeon boss in here. No one will be watching out for you.”
The cameraman was rendered speechless as Byunggu snapped at him, and the cameraman could only nod.
“If you get what I’m saying, stay behind me. The real battle starts now.”
The force of an S-rank hunter was truly something to behold. Despite healers being known as the weakest among all hunter types when it came to combat, Byunggu’s energy overwhelmed the cameraman. It illustrated the difference between an S rank and an A rank.
This was a clash of titans, so what place did he have on this battleground? Feeling helpless for the first time since becoming a hunter, he scurried behind Byunggu.
“Here she comes.”
A gigantic ant slowly crawled on her six legs toward the party.
“That’s the queen…”
Yoonho swallowed hard. It was plain to see that the other hunters were also apprehensive.
She truly had a majestic presence! After sneaking past an army of thousands, they were the first-ever hunters to lay eyes on the queen.
It’s the end of the line for these godforsaken ants.
Yoonho’s heart raced at the thought of bringing down something so massive. But in order to do so… His eyes finally drifted down.
Gotta take care of them first…
Eight ants marched in front of the queen—her guards. The hunters would have to start with them.
“Hyah!” As if he’d read Yoonho’s mind, Dongwook, the main tank of the team, sprinted to the front line. A thick vein bulged on his neck as he roared out. “Come at me, ants!”
Although their eyesight was weak, the guards were sensitive to sound. Baring their mandibles and claws, they rushed at Dongwook.
Dongwook looked over his shoulder.
“Hunter Cha, now!”
Haein had been following behind Dongwook at a distance, and she now pulled her sword out of its sheath. Gripping it with both hands, she plunged it into the ground and activated her special skill, Provocation Vibration.
Vwoom!
Waves of magic power radiated from the sword, and the guards lunging at Dongwook were suddenly compelled to turn on Haein as if possessed.
Perfect!
Dongwook exclaimed to himself as he watched the guards pass him and charge at Haein instead. Haein had successfully put them in a state of Aggro.
It was now Dongwook’s turn. He blocked the path of the queen as she, too, lumbered toward Haein.
“You’re mine.”
The queen roared loudly, displeased with the enemy blocking her way.
SKREEEEE!
The average tank wouldn’t have been able to stand the pressure of the terrifying roar and would’ve blocked their ears to protect themselves, but it was a useless trick against Dongwook, the best tank in Korea.
“Haaaaah!”
He activated his own skill, Spirited Provocation. While Haein’s skill affected a wide area, Dongwook’s skill targeted a single enemy.
The screeching queen glared at him; his skill had done its job.
Yes!
His aim was to endure the boss’s attacks until his colleagues killed the guards and joined him. He was now in his element.
Dongwook’s eyes were steely as he raised his heavy shield right up to his chin. And as he did before all his battles, he offered up a silent prayer.
Please give me the strength to protect myself and my colleagues.
KABOOOOM!
With many lives hanging in the balance, the assassination attempt of the queen began with a literal bang.
“The hunters are on TV, dear. Aren’t you going to watch?”
“Don’t care.”
“Don’t be like that… The people on TV said that the hunters have a really great chance of defeating the ants this time, so let’s watch it together.”
“Hmph. Those idiots always say the same thing. I said, I don’t care.”
The elderly man turned his back on his wife and continued reading his newspaper. Soon, a tutting sound came from the hunched back.
“Tsk. Even this damn newspaper is all about hunters, so there’s nothing to read.”
At her husband’s grousing, the elderly woman cautiously closed the door to their bedroom.
“Haah…”
Until two years ago, her husband had religiously followed news stories about Jeju Island and had even cheered on the hunters.
They’d lost their one and only child to the ants. The deep despair they’d felt when their world collapsed had turned into a great rage against magic beasts.
Her husband had supported the hunters by donating money to the Hunter’s Association every time there was another extermination mission. The night before each operation, he was a sleepless bundle of nerves. However, the greater his expectations, the deeper his disappointment. When the third mission involving the full force of the association also failed, the light in his eyes faded, and he wasn’t himself for a time.
Ever since then, he’d stopped talking about hunters. The elderly man had let go of all expectations and hope.
“Haah…” The elderly woman sighed once again and picked up the remote for the living room TV. She turned it on, and the emotional voice of the show host blasted out.
“The hunters, the pride of Korea, have taken the first steps to confront the queen ant.”
She’d tuned in right when the battle was about to begin. The elderly woman clasped her hands to her heart and watched nervously. She looked away whenever hunters got hurt and clapped excitedly when their attacks landed.
“Oh my! Oh my!”
“Oh! Oh! Finally! They defeated the first magic beast!”
That was just the beginning. Thanks to the hunters’ joint efforts, the ants fell one after another. Each time one collapsed, the entire apartment building seemed to quake from the tenants cheering and applauding.
“Oh dear, oh dear!”
“Four! There are only four left! They’ve already taken down half!”
Her eyes stung with sudden tears. She felt an overwhelming gratitude for the hunters risking their lives to protect their people as well as grief at the memory of her son, who had been over the moon about landing a job at a huge company on Jeju Island.
“There are only two guards left! Once the hunters defeat just two more guards, they can attack the queen. Victory is within reach!”
Just then…
Slam!
The door to the bedroom flung open, and the elderly man rushed out.
“Dear…”
The old man didn’t respond to his wife’s calls, staring at the TV screen with red eyes. His clenched fists trembled.
The host continued to monitor the raid situation with bated breath.
“The hunters have defeated every one of the queen’s powerful guards! Only the queen is left! Once they kill her, all other ants can be eradicated! The hunters are attacking the queen without wasting any time!”
Dongwook had successfully preoccupied the queen. The other five hunters sprinted out from behind him, and as they did…
Tears were already streaming down the old man’s face as he thrust both fists in the air and shouted.
“Rahhhhh!”
At the TV station, the executive director cried out joyously as phones rang off the hook. Words of encouragement were pouring in from all over the country.
“Sir, our ratings just went over eighty-five percent!”
“We did it!” He clenched both his fists tightly.
Of the overall audience, 85 percent would be a record that wouldn’t be broken even if the Korean soccer team somehow made it to the World Cup finals. And when he considered the revenue they’d already generated and would generate from overseas markets…
Cha-ching!
The director scrubbed his face with both hands as he plopped down in his chair. The other employees in the control room exhaled in relief as they saw how the director couldn’t hide his elation.
The stream showed the Korean hunters soundly thrashing the queen.
“The United States, China, Russia, and France! South Korea is about to be added to the list of countries that have cleared an S-rank dungeon!”
The director wiped the sweat beading on his forehead with his handkerchief.
Excellent, excellent!
The queen was on the brink of death, and all that was left was for the hunters to get out of the ant cave safely after defeating her.
However…
SKRAAAAAAAAAAAAH!
“Whoa!” Shocked, the director turned as a producer rushed to turn down the volume. The director approached him, perturbed.
“Producer Na, what was that sound?”
“Um, it’s…raw footage transmitting from Jeju Island. I think that sound came from the queen ant.”
“From the queen?”
The TV broadcast was on a delay, as due to the unpredictability of the raid, it would be too risky to broadcast in real time.
The director looked up from the footage with a grin.
“Nobody wants to hear a magic beast screaming during this historical moment of victory. Why don’t you edit it out or decrease the volume?”
“Yes, sir.” Producer Na nodded, and the director patted their right shoulder in encouragement.
Just then, another employee rushed in with a severe expression.
“Sir! Producer Na!”
The director turned. From his experience, someone who looked like that during an operation such as this wasn’t there to report good news. He was struck by an ominous feeling even before he heard the report. He desperately hoped his gut was wrong for once.
“…What’s going on?”
The thing was, his gut was rarely wrong. The employee sounded perplexed.
“The Japanese hunters seem to be leaving Jeju Island right now!”
“What?!”
Dongwook yelled out encouragements. “We got this! Keep going!”
The queen was about to collapse, so they just had to push forward a little harder. Taegyu’s arrows sprouted from the queen’s head, making her look like a porcupine.
Ffffttt!
Shhhk!
Another arrow flew and hit the queen square in the forehead. She screamed and shook her head in pain.
SKREEEE!
The queen soon snapped back to her senses and spewed poisonous acid all over the den.
Fshhhhhh!
The attack had such a wide range that the hunters couldn’t avoid getting sprayed, but fortunately, Byunggu was there to heal their blackened skin.
The queen was enraged that her poison was ineffective. She proceeded to bite down on Dongwook’s torso with her gigantic sawlike mandibles.
Crunch!
However, he had also protected himself with an Advanced Reinforcement skill, so he was able to endure the queen’s bite. He used his shield to block one mandible while his left hand pushed the other side back. As he bought time, a huge ball of flame struck the queen in the side.
KABOOM!
It was Jongin’s magic.
KRAAA!
As the queen attempted to regain her footing, Yoonho, who had transformed into an animal-type magic beast, leaped onto her back and ripped out one mandible with his bare hands.
Krrrk!
He gently landed on the ground and panted. Yoonho was certain of one thing.
The queen is done.
Experience told him it was about time for the boss of the creatures that had stained the land with the blood of too many victims to sleep for eternity.
They were so close. As that thought entered his mind, powerful emotions surfaced from deep inside him.
But just then, before they could stop her, the queen reared her head up toward the sky and…
SKRAAAH!
An ear-piercing screech echoed throughout the whole cave.
Yoonho’s eyes twitched.
What was that? A roar? A final cry?
No, this sound was different. The high-pitched noise was more like a desperate call for help to something far away.
She’s calling for someone?
The thought brought chills to his spine.
As Yoonho was about to make his move, Haein gracefully jumped through the air and swung her sword as hard as she could.
Shhhk!
The queen’s head landed on the ground before Haein herself.
Thud!
The cameraman had been holding his breath throughout the entire battle. Now, he raised both hands up high with tears in his eyes.
The four-year ordeal had finally come to an end.
“Huff, huff!”
Dongwook panted as he gave his teammates a big thumbs-up. Haein exhaled a sigh of relief. Jongin gave a big smile while adjusting his glasses. Taegyu pumped both his fists in victory. They each expressed their joy in their own way.
However, Yoonho was trembling as an inexplicably ominous feeling rose from the pit of his stomach.
“Hey, we just became the seventh team in the whole world to clear an S-rank gate. So why do you look—?”
“Hold on.”
Right then…Dongwook, who had been talking with Command, looked up with a stunned and angry expression. There was no time to waste. He yelled urgently at his resting teammates.
“All the ants are headed this way because the Japanese hunters left the island. We need to evacuate now!”
“What?”
“I thought we had a lot of time left!”
“Never mind an hour, twenty S-rank hunters couldn’t even last thirty minutes?”
Dongwook responded bitterly to his panicked teammates. “We don’t know what happened… The association is trying to get answers, but Japan has cut off communications.”
“Those sons of bitches…,” Jongin spat out.
Would the Japanese hunters have given up on them so easily if they were fellow countrymen instead of Korean? Whatever the case, they’d have plenty of time to be mad at Japan once they got out of here alive.
Dongwook contained his emotions as best he could in order to keep his teammates from freaking out. He pushed everyone toward the exit as calmly as possible.
“Move!”
The whole team hurried out the way they’d come.
However…Yoonho halted suddenly at the front of the group.
“Ah……”
“Yoonho?” Byunggu stopped abruptly right behind him, causing a chain reaction with the rest.
Yoonho began trembling as he stared at one spot.
“N-no way…”
This couldn’t be happening. No, this shouldn’t be happening.
As he watched a shadow draw closer, he remembered the human-size egg he’d seen in the nursery.
Th-this power from a single magic beast?
Yoonho’s face grew pale. The other hunters backed away from the entrance as they realized something was very wrong.
“What’s going on?”
“Are the ants back already?”
The other hunters were confused.
An ant with wings slowly emerged from the darkness before them. Something struck Haein as strange as she watched the magic-beast ant enter the den.
I…can’t sense its presence…?
If it wasn’t for her eyes, she’d have difficulty sensing it at all. Among all the hunters and magic beasts she’d ever encountered, she’d only ever met two like this: this magic-beast ant in front of her and…
Jinwoo.
Haein recalled how, only a few days ago, Jinwoo had shown a glimpse of his true power while sparring with Ryuji. What if Jinwoo had turned against them and had come in after them? She felt suffocated, and a chill ran down her spine. Even imagining it made her freeze.
……
The Korean team was tired from battling the queen, and the appearance of an unknown ant was not welcome news.
“That thing…”
“There’s something weird about it, isn’t there?”
“I’m getting chills.”
Although unable to detect what was scaring Yoonho and Haein, the others could sense that something was strange.
Gulp!
Even though it was only one magic beast, the air around them had changed dramatically.
How should we proceed?
Dongwook debated what to do. When encountering an unexpected situation, it was up to the leader to make a decision quickly, especially in moments like this when there was no time to waste.
A magic beast has appeared, so all we need to do is get rid of it, but…
But…why did he feel so uneasy?
While he was still debating this, the magic-beast ant had almost reached them. Its movements were eerily quiet.
There’s no time to hesitate!
But by the time Dongwook had decided to ignore his instincts and make a more logical decision…the beast had vanished.
“Where…?”
Dongwook’s eyes went wide as he looked for the beast. The other hunters did the same.
“Behind…!” the cameraman yelled as soon as he located the creature. “Behind you!”
The hunters whipped around, shaken. The magic-beast ant had moved so quickly that the hunters had been unable to track it until the thing was already standing in front of the queen.
How…?
The other hunters were starting to pick up on what Yoonho had already seen with Eyes of a Beast.
Ba-dump, ba-dump, ba-dump!
Their hearts raced, and their breathing got heavier.
…This isn’t any ordinary beast.
Cold sweat appeared on Dongwook’s forehead.
The ant showed zero interest in the Korean hunters but instead stared at the dead queen. It raised its head up high…
SKRAAAAAAAAW!
…and let out a terrible roar loud enough to shake the entire cave.
Whump!
The cameraman’s legs were the first to buckle.
Whump!
Whump!
Hunters dropped to their knees one after another, unable to stand the pressure. Dongwook gripped the ground in disbelief.
I—I can’t believe a scream brought me to my knees!
SKRAAAAAW!
When the ant’s relentless cry finally ended, the only person still standing was Haein, but even her legs were shaking and about to give out. A counterattack was but a pipe dream.
The magic-beast ant finally turned its attention to the hunters. Extreme hostility emanated from it.
……!
Haein’s eyes widened.
The beast’s face looked horrifically distorted, as if enraged by the queen’s death.
Haein calmly moved her fingers to the hilt of her sword…but the ant made its move faster than Haein could draw.
Zoom…
The magic-beast ant disappeared from sight and reappeared right in front of her nose.
Haein flinched. She didn’t even have time to think about defending herself.
Ka-pow!
“Argh!” A blow to the side of her head sent Haein flying into a wall, where she fell to the ground.
Whud!
Seeing Haein get knocked out by a single punch shocked her colleagues. To think their strongest member would be down for the count with one hit…
However, there was no time to be surprised. The hunters had just witnessed how strong their enemy was, so they knew very well that their chances for survival would diminish the longer they hesitated.
Dongwook the tank made the first move.
“Graaaah!”
He bear-hugged the ant from behind, focusing all his energy into both arms. He squeezed the ant’s body with enough power to pull a huge, thick tree out of the ground, roots and all. The veins on his neck and arms bulged.
But…
“Ahhhh!”
The magic-beast ant flexed its body, and both Dongwook’s arms fell to the ground, severed. The now-armless Dongwook dropped to his knees.
“No!” Yoonho sprang forward.
Had Yoonho not distracted the beast, the defenseless Dongwook would’ve lost his life right then and there.
Yoonho gritted his teeth. White fur emerged all over his body, and his nails lengthened and grew sharp. The transformed man bounded toward the ant like an animal.
Whoosh…
The magic beast disappeared again.
Where…?
It was impossible to follow the ant’s movements even with his Eyes of a Beast ability.
A scream came from behind him.
“Arghhh!”
It was Jongin, who’d been casting a spell. The ant slashed at the man’s torso with its claws, and the mage fell to the ground with a moan.
Taegyu, who was situated about five paces from Jongin, had hidden his presence while waiting for an opportunity to attack. He now shot an arrow imbued with mana at the ant.
There’s no way I’ll miss from this distance!
He confidently watched the arrow fly.
Ffft!
But…
Tak.
Taegyu was incredulous.
How?!
The ant had snatched the arrow out of the air and broke it in half.
Crack!
Taegyu tried to fire again, but the beast was already standing right in front of him by the time he nocked another arrow and raised his bow.
“…Shit.”
Pow!
Taegyu was punched in the face and flew back.
As soon as the ant turned its back on Yoonho, the hunter lunged at him. But the beast reacted instantly, grabbing Yoonho’s skull and smashing his face into the ground.
Crunk!
Yoonho’s body twitched. When the ant tried to pound his face into the rock once more, Dongwook charged at the beast shoulder-first.
Bam!
The magic-beast ant tumbled to the ground but was soon back on its feet. Dongwook’s missing arms had regenerated, and the tank tackled it, his body back in prime condition.
The ant struck Dongwook down. It defeated the other hunters again and again. But the wounded hunters recovered quickly and leaped back into the fray. The ant came to realize that there was a healer present and started searching the area.
Byunggu remained calm. He had one self-defense skill: Camouflage. Similar to Stealth, it concealed his presence, but the one drawback was that he had to keep still. Despite that, it was a valuable skill for a healer. It allowed him to stand in one spot and focus on reviving the others.
The magic beast changed its tactic as it sensed healing magic coming from a hidden source. It grabbed Dongwook, the sturdiest of the hunters, by the legs and held him upside down in the air.
What the hell is it doing?
Byunggu was unnerved by the change.
The ant slowly began breaking Dongwook’s bones. As it did, Byunggu poured his healing magic into the tank. He had no other choice. Dongwook would die if Byunggu stopped. He sweated profusely as he continued casting.
The ant’s gaze suddenly zeroed in on Byunggu’s location.
It can’t be…
Byunggu’s heart sank. When he blinked, the ant had vanished.
Huh?
Where had it gone?
“Byunggu!” Yoonho cried out.
At that moment…
Shunk!
“Gaaaah!”
Blood spurted out of Byunggu’s mouth. Feeling like he’d been set on fire, Byunggu looked down and saw a huge hole in his stomach. Protruding through said hole was the black arm of the ant.
Byunggu raised his head and met Yoonho’s eyes. He called out, “Yoonho…run.”
“Byunggu!” Yoonho tried to stand, but his left leg was wounded and wouldn’t support his weight.
Crunch!
The ant bit off Byunggu’s head.
Crunch! Crunch!
“Noooooo!”
Yoonho hobbled toward them. The ant abandoned Byunggu’s headless body and grabbed Yoonho by the neck. The hunter struggled to escape the beast’s powerful grip, but it was no good.
The magic-beast ant opened its mouth.
“Yoonho…run… Yoonho…run.”
“……?” Yoonho was taken aback.
The beast was emitting a perfect replica of Byunggu’s voice. It sounded just like him, save for some strange cracks.
“Run…Yoonho.”
The ant repeated the words over and over until it finally looked Yoonho straight in the eyes.
“You are…weak.”
What came out of the magic beast’s mouth was a familiar language. Though a little stilted, it was clearly Korean.
“How……?” Yoonho’s eyes widened.
“Our queen…was killed… I killed your soldiers, but…it’s not enough… Who is your king?”
“…King?”
The ant tightened its grip on Yoonho’s neck.
“Guh…!”
“Where is…your king?”
Yoonho’s mind raced. Haein was the strongest among the Korean hunters, but she was out cold. He tried to think of someone who could buy them some time. The Japanese team that had abandoned them sprang to mind. Among them, Yoonho thought of Ryuji, the strongest of that bunch.
“Out…side.”
The ant lifted its head as if searching for something. After a while, it spoke in a satisfied voice.
“…There is…a strong one.”
The beast dropped Yoonho like a sack of rocks, as if he were a waste of time and effort. It then disappeared in a flash.
“Cough, cough!”
Yoonho tried to catch his breath, then took stock of the situation.
There was no time. They had to escape from this place before the beast returned.
However…
Tak-tak-tak-tak!
While the hunters had battled the formidable beast, the army of ants had made their way back to the nest and were now pouring into the queen’s den.
“Hmm.”
Ryuji sheathed his sword in its scabbard. There were mounds of ant corpses around him, numbering over a hundred. The power of Japan’s strongest hunter had been on full display.
“It looks like the coast is clear.”
“Yes, sir.”
Having witnessed Ryuji’s performance, his teammates nodded. It seemed they were invincible as long as they had him by their side.
“Everyone else has left, so it’s just us now.”
A hunter relayed the messages coming from the command center. Ryuji nodded and turned toward the coast.
“This wa—”
But Ryuji was unable to finish his sentence.
Vwoom!
A magic-beast ant suddenly appeared before his very eyes.
……
Ryuji took in the enemy’s capabilities at once.
This is no ordinary ant.
“Mr. Goto!”
Ryuji stopped his colleagues from trying to help him.
“I’ll take care of this.”
With an enemy this powerful, his subordinates would only get in his way. It was better to handle this on his own. His teammates stepped back as he commanded, putting their full trust in him.
Ryuji carefully drew his sword.
“Ant…you have quite a presence.”
The ant didn’t budge, as if it’d sensed Ryuji’s power and was now frozen to the spot. Of course, had it moved, Ryuji would’ve sliced it into a hundred pieces.
The ant opened its mouth.
“You’re…the king?”
“King?”
Ryuji was startled. He couldn’t believe he had actually heard an ant speak. It was a known fact, though, that intelligent magic beasts had their own language, so it didn’t seem too far-fetched for them to be able to mimic human language.
Ryuji smirked.
King……
When President Matsumoto established an empire of hunters, Ryuji would be the only one with the right to sit on the throne.
“Yeah, I’m the king.”
Kree…
As soon as the ant got the answer it’d been looking for, it unleashed its full magic power.
Fwoom!
Ryuji had severely underestimated the beast. His eyes bulged from his head.
What in the world…?
The sudden drop in temperature gave him goose bumps and made the hair on the back of his neck stand up. He had experienced this kind of sensation once before.
…Jinwoo Sung?
Shunk!
Ryuji’s head fell to the ground as soon as the magic-beast ant made its move.
“Arghhh!”
The Korean team was overwhelmed by ants. Dongwook, Taegyu, Jongin, and even the cameraman fought off the swarm, but there seemed no end to the continuous wave.
Huff, huff, huff!
Yoonho could hear only his own labored breathing.
Is this the end?
He wiped some blood from his brow with the back of his hand. With their only healer gone, they had no chance against this many magic beasts. Anything he did would be futile resistance. Even so, Yoonho couldn’t bring himself to give up. He’d already lost two dear friends in this cursed land, and he refused to also lose his life here.
“Raaaah!” Yoonho crushed another ant’s head, but several more took its place.
Skraaa!
Skraaa!
He forcefully shook off the ants and stood with his back to the wall to avoid getting attacked from behind.
“Huff, huff!”
Yoonho’s eyes searched for a glimpse of the other hunters. They’d been fighting side by side a little while ago, but all he could see now was a sea of ants.
He refused to believe it, but…
As Yoonho worried his lower lip, he flinched when he suddenly felt a presence appear behind him. He spun around, ready to throw a punch, but faltered when he realized it wasn’t an ant.
What’s this?
It was a soldier dressed in black armor. Although Yoonho had never laid eyes on one himself, Heejin Park had told him countless times about encountering such a creature during the red gate incident.
That has to be…?
Yoonho yelled in surprise. “What’s it doing here?”
Just then…he heard a familiar voice coming from the soldier.
“Exchange.”