The Investigation Team's First Full Deployment
Jaehoon hyung powered up the mana stone scanner and waved it dramatically in front of me without a word.
"Jihoon-bot, deploy! Auto-harvest mode engaged!"
"Hyung… not this again."
"You do it too. Why am I the only one getting ordered around?"
"Should I ask the pretty maknae Sorin? Or Doyun, who's standing there looking terrifying? Ask the team leader? Nope. It's you. Jihoon-bot, activate."
"…Fine."
I gripped my dagger and gathered a thin layer of psychokinesis. My hand never touched the corpses—only the blade tip glided lightly along them. Jaehoon hyung slowly swept the scanner over one body.
"Okay. This one's got it in the chest. Just one."
The scanner beeped. He moved to the next corpse.
"This one's a little lower—closer to the stomach."
"This one’s in the wing joint area."
He scanned the remaining four and shook his head.
"Nothing. Empty. This one too… and this one’s empty as well."
"Alright, six out of ten. Locations are all different. These six are worth taking. And grab the eyeballs as samples too."
I narrowed my psychokinesis and began extracting from the spots he indicated. The blade parted the flesh just enough for the mana stones to drop cleanly into my waiting hand. The abdominal ones sat deeper, but following the grain let them slide out without resistance. The fragment lodged in the wing joint required lifting the membrane slightly before pushing it free with a focused burst of force.
Sorin carefully selected only the shimmering feathers at the wingtips. She knew exactly how deep to cut—too far and the structure would fracture. When the light hit them, those feathers reflected pure white.
"Team leader, this membrane looks good."
At Sorin’s report, Mira came over and examined the membrane’s grain.
"Good. We’ll harvest this."
Mira cut the membrane into uniform pieces and stored them in a case, then moved on to the claws. Shade Hawk claws conducted mana well and were used as equipment reinforcement rather than potion ingredients. She selected only the unbroken ones, rotating them slowly as she pulled them free.
I harvested the eyeballs from the last corpse, using a thin layer of psychokinesis to lift the orbs without pressure before sealing them in a case.
"Hyung, I’m not doing all of this alone next time either, right?"
Jaehoon hyung powered down the scanner and chuckled.
"Don’t worry. Next time I’ll be Scan-bot and you’ll be Harvest-bot. Our division of labor is perfect."
"Hyung…"
I shook my head, unable to hold back a laugh.
While we finished harvesting, Sorin, Doyun, and Mira completed their own sample organization. Only neatly arranged corpses and filled cases remained on the grassland. The supply team arrived shortly after to handle the rest.
Mira glanced around once before speaking.
"Investigation team, we’re done here. Prepare to move."
We packed our gear and mounted our bikes to head toward the next sector. As we pushed deeper into the grassland, the ground began to tremble faintly. Dust pillars rose in several places, and dull impacts echoed at regular intervals.
The Hyunmu Guild Team 3 SUV ahead slowed and veered right. Team Leader Jang Tae-wook’s voice came through the comms, short and direct.
"Large-scale colony confirmed ahead. Green Orcs. At least two hundred."
The moment the orc village spotted the Hyunmu team, they let out a bestial roar. Hundreds of orcs turned as one and began charging, the ground shaking beneath their stampede.
Mira narrowed her eyes.
"Confirmed. Investigation team will hold the rear… Team leader, the scale is too large."
Tae-wook’s voice followed immediately.
"Understood. We’ll need the investigation team to support the front this time. All units, prepare to drop mana stone bombs—first wave."
The rear panels of the SUVs opened simultaneously. Hyunmu Team 3 members each grabbed a bomb, and we retrieved ours from the storage compartment before throwing them forward in unison. Fifteen bombs arced into the sky at once.
I spread a thin layer of psychokinesis to adjust their trajectories so they wouldn’t overlap, guiding them toward the center of the orc front line for even coverage. The bombs detonated in rapid succession across the grassland, sending up columns of dust. The leading edge of the orc charge faltered and collapsed, tripping up those behind them.
Tae-wook shouted again.
"Second wave—prepare!"
"Drop!"
We each grabbed another bomb. The second volley of fifteen traced different arcs. This time I angled my psychokinesis diagonally to spread the explosions across three directions. The consecutive blasts shook the grassland in three distinct waves. Dust and orc bodies flew upward as their formation fractured.
With the front line broken, the orcs’ momentum faltered.
"Investigation team, joining the front."
Hyunmu Team 3’s long-range fire opened first—wind, lightning, and flames raining down and shaking the leading orc ranks. Mira raised her hand. Intense heat gathered rapidly around her before erupting in a fan-shaped blaze. The flames spread wide, then twisted upward into a whirlwind, felling dozens of orcs where they stood. The stench of burning flesh and scorching heat made it hard to breathe.
Mira drew a short breath.
"Hoo… We’re going for the next line."
She twisted her hand again and hurled a compressed sphere of flame. It bounced like a stone into the middle of the orc horde before detonating, staggering dozens more. The heat at the center wavered violently as flames shot skyward. Her breathing grew slightly labored.
"Last one… one more time."
Red fragments streamed from her fingertips, and a pillar of fire erupted from below. Over twenty orcs were thrown backward as one, the burning smell and dust mixing in the air.
In that opening, Hyunmu Team 3 advanced from the left while we matched their pace from the right, shifting into a foot formation. As the orcs closed in, Doyun raised his hand and brought it down. Air pressure crushed downward, toppling twenty orcs at once. Their spines and legs buckled, their charge collapsing instantly.
Sorin traced an orbital path with her hand. A thin blade of wind sliced through six orcs in a single pass, cleanly parting flesh and torso. At the point where their momentum died, Jaehoon hyung’s lightning erupted—brief, precise. Four orcs dropped simultaneously.
The residual heat from the flames still shimmered across the ground. I tightened the close-combat line around Jeongho and pressed forward. Long-range combat flared ahead as Hyunmu Team 3’s ability and mana hunters unleashed wind, fire, lightning, and water attacks all at once, violently distorting the orc front line. Compressed heat and shockwaves shook the grassland, kicking up white dust.
We waited for the wide-area strikes to finish, watching the dust settle. Once the ground became visible again, Mira raised her hand.
"Investigation team, supporting the front."
We spread to the flanks to avoid the charging Green Orcs and took positions behind the close-combat line. As the orcs surged forward again, Jeongho stepped ahead first.
"Jihoon, I’ll take the right. You handle the left."
Jeongho spoke briefly. I nodded, eyes forward.
When the orcs came in multiple waves, Jeongho twisted to break the left flow first. The moment the gap appeared, I slipped in from the right, slashed beneath the ribs, and withdrew. Another orc lunged toward Jeongho; he lowered his waist to let it pass, and I followed through by severing its neck. Blood sprayed briefly as the orc pitched forward.
"Jihoon, one’s closing on the right."
"Got it."
The instant Jeongho shoved one orc aside, I drove my blade into the opening at its abdomen. As the sword withdrew, Jeongho severed another orc’s knee to maintain our advance. When two more charged simultaneously, I accelerated, brushing past Jeongho to slice the left orc’s arm before he carved through the right orc’s jaw. A larger orc leaped from behind; I slammed it sideways with psychokinesis. Jeongho immediately pounced on the fallen orc, drove his sword deep into its chest, and rose again.
We barely needed words. When an opening appeared, our bodies reacted first, filling each other’s gaps as we continued pushing the orc line back. Doyun increased gravity from behind, pinning two fallen orcs to the ground. One orc that tried to escape was shoved beneath Jeongho’s feet with psychokinesis; Jeongho brought his sword down without hesitation. I circled behind the two immobilized orcs and severed their necks in one stroke.
We kept trading positions as we advanced. Jeongho opened the front while I finished the kills; when the flank was threatened, he immediately covered it. Openings were filled the moment they appeared, and our advance only grew faster.
A massive orc leaped down. Jeongho shouted, "Below!" As he ducked, I drove into the opening on the side and slashed upward from the left shoulder. The orc’s left arm flew off at the shoulder. Its body lurched forward, creating a massive gap. Jeongho didn’t miss it—he drove his sword straight into the orc’s heart. The elite orc collapsed, giving us a brief moment to catch our breath.
"Jihoon, your skills have improved a lot. Way better than last time."
"It’s because you’re clearing the path ahead."
"We work well together. Let’s keep pushing."
We adjusted our spacing once more and pressed forward without breaking rhythm. Behind us, Sorin spread wind barriers to deflect thrown rocks while Jaehoon precisely suppressed gaps on the left flank with lightning. Mira compressed flames from the rear of the battlefield and drove them forward like whirlwinds. Though we couldn’t see the shapes from the front, the heat alone revealed their direction.
The orc line split, and a much larger orc slowly rose from the rear. The orc chieftain. With a thunderous roar, it raised a massive axe. Team Leader Jang Tae-wook stepped directly into its path. The moment the chieftain charged, the impact of their collision shook the entire grassland. Tae-wook twisted his torso to deflect the axe’s trajectory, briefly throwing the chieftain off balance. Mira moved diagonally beside him. Heat and light gathered at her fingertips before a thin, spear-shaped flame shot forward, piercing the chieftain’s abdomen. Its massive body arched backward.
As the chieftain attempted another leap, Tae-wook charged and forced its upper body to turn. In that instant, Mira steadied herself. A beam of flame extended from her hand and carved deeply beneath the chieftain’s neck, sparks flying. Han Ji-on, positioned on the flank, leaped at the staggering chieftain and severed its head in one strike. The chieftain’s body trembled violently before collapsing in a cloud of dust.
Even in that moment, Jeongho and I continued our fierce battle against the remaining elite orcs. When one orc closed on Jeongho, I slipped in from the side and cut its neck. Before it could fall, a second orc followed; I grazed past its ankle and carved deeply beneath its ribs. An elite orc leaped from behind Jeongho—I slammed it to the ground with psychokinesis, and Jeongho spun to sever its neck.
"Jihoon, another one on the right!"
I twisted immediately, binding the charging orc’s legs with psychokinesis and toppling it. The moment it hit the ground, I drove my blade into the back of its neck. Before the sword could even be withdrawn—
Doyun shouted from behind, "Jihoon, watch out!" and pressed his hand downward. Three elite orcs dropped to their knees simultaneously. Sorin’s wind blades severed the legs of two, and Jaehoon’s lightning arrows followed, piercing their torsos. The remaining two elite orcs charged from the front. Jeongho held the left one and called out.
"Right one’s yours!"
My body reacted before my voice. I activated Pungmubo to accelerate, brushing past Jeongho to drive my blade deep beneath the right orc’s armpit. As its upper body arched back, I spun and followed through with a slash across its neck. Harsh breaths scattered across the battlefield as orc bodies fell one after another.
Once the elite orcs were dealt with, Jaehoon hyung approached with a grin.
"Whew~ Byun Jihoon, you were awesome today. You were flying all over the place."
"Be honest. You bought an elixir, didn’t you?"
"Ah… yeah. That’s…"
"The last dungeon was rough, and there’s the regular promotion exam in three months. I wanted to prepare, so I used the mana stones I received last time to buy one."
"Ah, so that’s why your movements were so fast and smooth today. Well, good job. It’s great that you’re getting stronger quickly after taking the elixir."
"Jihoon, you were really good today. Our synergy was perfect too. If you’re interested, let me know. I’ll recommend you to our guild."
"No thanks. I like the investigation team more. Hunter guilds seem way too intense."
"Of course. Why would you go to a guild? You should stay with us. Going out as a hunter is hellish work."
After the brief exchange, we began organizing the area around us.