Chapter 15
Chapter 15
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 15
Chapter Title: Raid (3)
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Sslash-! Splatter!
Arbon had wiped out the high-ranking magic beasts using the Black Moon Sword Technique.
Behind him, the GH Guild executives took down the A-rank magic beasts.
The hunters from major guilds, mid-sized guilds, and the Hunter Association stared blankly at the GH Guild members.
"The vice master and executives make sense, but..."
"Even the regular guild members are massacring C-rank magic beasts."
"Honestly... isn't GH Guild on par with Teynen by now?"
"They could even call it Korea's top guild without exaggeration."
The hunters let out exclamations of awe as they desperately threw themselves at the magic beasts.
The soldiers fighting under the protection of skeletons were equally stunned.
Every time the distance to the magic beasts closed, skeletons hurled themselves forward to block them.
In that moment, the soldiers pulled their triggers, frantically dropping the beasts.
Some skeletons even sacrificed themselves by diving into the magic beasts' spells.
"They're really reliable."
"Feels like I gained a few extra lives."
"They're blocking everything without regard for their own lives."
"Quit yapping and keep firing, damn it!"
Muzzles flashed repeatedly.
Meanwhile, Kang-hyuk headed toward Mount Bogwang, unleashing countless slashes that carved deep and shallow ravines into the earth.
There were numerous villages around the mountain base.
The fields and paddies beyond had to be considered too.
On top of that, Mount Bogwang housed Bogwang Temple.
No telling what state it was in, but... he'd have to avoid the temple when launching his slashes.
Boom! Kablooey!
A ground news helicopter dogged Kang-hyuk relentlessly.
The reporter stared at him in a daze.
How many magic beasts did he plan to take down single-handedly?
Among those Kang-hyuk had felled were even A- to B-rank beasts.
As the battle dragged on, the reporter and cameraman numbly gazed at Mount Bogwang.
Boom! Kaboom! Splatter-!
Blood sprayed skyward like a fountain.
Mount Bogwang looked hacked to pieces, riddled with ravines.
At the same time, countless magic beast corpses littered the area, creating a bizarre scene.
"Th... This is truly a national power-level hunter. Even A-rank magic beasts evaporate under Hunter Park Kang-hyuk's slashes. Reports say he's already taken down thousands. To avoid damage to nearby villages and Bogwang Temple, he's suppressing his power as much as possible right now."
Viewers could only gape in disbelief.
Viewers shared a flurry of opinions as they watched the hunters fight for the nation.
The magic beasts no longer swarmed at the sound of sirens.
Instead, they began fleeing in fear of the noise.
Kang-hyuk called a military officer.
"The magic beasts are scattering, making it hard to hunt them down."
[We've already set up encirclement lines. You should head back and rest for now.]
"The gate..."
[Pardon?]
"Is it okay not to assault the gate?"
[The Association will decide that. Since it hasn't vanished after an hour... the Cyclops probably wasn't the dungeon boss. Normally, defeating a dungeon boss triggers a notification for awakeners...]
"What about the Orc Chieftain?"
[The Orc Chieftain was taken down by Woo Sung-hyun, master of Goguryeo Guild. But since less than an hour has passed, we'll wait a bit more. If it wasn't the boss either... the Association will decide whether to manage or assault the dungeon.]
"Understood."
[We'll send a vehicle right away.]
"No, the scattered beasts might make it risky. I'll walk down slowly."
[Ah... Yes, got it. Please return safely.]
Kang-hyuk ended the call and descended the mountain leisurely, following the two-lane road toward Eumseong County's town center.
After walking 13 to 15 km along the road, nearly three hours had passed.
He dispatched any magic beasts he encountered along the way with ease.
"You've truly been through hell."
Kang-hyuk received utmost respect.
He'd taken down not just the Cyclops but thousands of magic beasts.
On top of that, his 3,000 skeletons had protected countless soldiers.
"Please rest in this motel room."
Guided by the military officer, Kang-hyuk relaxed in the motel bedroom.
The GH Guild members had also shone brightly and were now resting.
Soldiers stood guard everywhere to prevent magic beasts from escaping the encirclement.
"Hunter Arbon! An A-rank magic beast has appeared! We need backup...!"
A-rank magic beasts withstood even tank shells.
Rifle fire was even less effective.
Not to mention, B-rank beasts shrugged off gunfire while slaughtering soldiers.
Splat-!
"...?!"
A soldier smashed dozens of meters away by a massive wooden club.
Terror gripped the troops at the sight.
The young conscripts in their early twenties, dragged into service, could only hold position per orders.
"Urgh..."
The soldiers shouldered their rifles and pulled triggers again.
"Raaagh!"
"Die-!"
As their shouts rang out, a voice cried from behind: "Cease fire!"
"It's... the hunters!"
"Reinforcements!"
The soldiers brightened at the sight of GH Guild members and turned back to the beasts.
Sslash-!
-Kyaack!
The terror-inducing magic beasts fell one by one.
The soldiers gazed at the hunters like heroes.
They'd slain monsters tanks couldn't touch.
If they weren't heroes, who were?
"Haha..."
"We... we survived."
The soldiers let out hollow laughs, quietly patting their chests in relief.
With the S-rank hunters' heroics calming the raid crisis, operations shifted to mopping up remnants.
They tightened the encirclement, culling magic beasts.
Soldiers and hunters were interspersed along the lines.
"Orcs ahead...!"
Kang-hyuk dashed toward them.
Splatter splatter splatter!
-Chiiik...?!
Five orcs were felled in seconds.
Soldiers gulped, staring at Park Kang-hyuk.
"That... that's Korea's strongest hunter..."
Kang-hyuk shook the blood from his blade and sheathed it.
"Let's keep moving."
As Kang-hyuk stepped forward slowly, the soldiers followed.
[The raid in North Chungcheong Province has completed suppression operations and shifted to remnant cleanup. As you can see, Jinpyeong County has numerous buildings and roads destroyed...]
As Kang-hyuk headed to Chungbuk, his family monitored TV and news daily.
When terrestrial broadcasters streamed his situation live on E-tube, their hearts skipped beats.
But seeing him one-shot the Cyclops left the whole family stunned.
"Br... Brother just took down that monster...?"
The family stared blankly at the TV screen.
Watching E-tube via TV, they let out small disbelieving laughs.
Kang-hyuk slaughtering beasts on Mount Bogwang felt strangely alien.
"Is that... really our brother?"
"...Can S1-rank hunters drop monsters like that?"
"M... More importantly, is Kang-hyuk okay?"
The broadcast showed Park Kang-hyuk battling nonstop for dozens of minutes.
Soon after, beasts scattered, ending his fight.
Kang-hyuk descended the mountain and walked the roads for hours.
Seeing their son in a warzone tore at his parents, Jin-o and Su-yeon.
Yu-na fiddled with her smartphone, her heart heavy.
She knew her brother earned money the hard way.
So she scrimped and saved.
But she'd never dreamed it was this dangerous.
The money in her account suddenly felt unbearably heavy.
'Can... can I even spend that money?'
Even for a national power-level hunter, it was blood money from a battlefield.
Yu-na agonized over the cash from Kang-hyuk, guilt gnawing at her.
Likewise, father Jin-o and mother Su-yeon felt stifled.
Apartment, commercial building, loans—all cleared with their son's hunter earnings.
'Money earned working in a place that deadly...'
Mother Su-yeon squeezed her eyes shut, checking Kang-hyuk news daily.
The family spent days fretting over him.
At college, Yu-na constantly pulled out her phone to check E-tube for Chungbuk raid updates.
"You staring at your phone too much lately?"
"Something wrong?"
Yu-na hesitated at her friends' questions.
"My... brother's in this raid."
"Ah..."
Her friends nodded sympathetically.
Family on the front lines.
How could she not worry?
"What's your brother's rank?"
"...Just a bit high."
"He'll be fine then. National power-level hunter Park Kang-hyuk's there. News said he mosaicked but dropped a 100m giant instantly. Plus GH Guild mobilized hundreds of S-ranks alone."
"Goguryeo, Teynen, and other majors are in too. Don't stress."
Yu-na nodded with a wry smile.
But the worry lingered.
Even Korea's top hunter could die.
Every casualty report made her heart race.
"Hoo..."
After class, Yu-na headed to the cafeteria with friends.
"Ramen for me today."
"Kimchi stew..."
"Pork cutlet."
They bought tickets, grabbed food, and headed to an empty table.
The moment they set trays down.
Rumble-!
A massive tremor made some students scream.
"Kyaa!"
"Wh... what was that?"
"Earthquake...?"
Students buzzed, peering out windows.
Soon, another huge rumble hit, accompanied by an explosion.
Rumble! Boom!
"Kyaaa!"
Screams erupted inside and out the cafeteria.
Citywide alarms blared, emergency alerts pinging smartphones.