Jeju City Becomes Hell
“The outer defensive line around Jeju City has completely collapsed.” The officer swallowed hard before continuing. “Multiple monsters have been confirmed entering the city proper. Civilian evacuation is underway, but the situation is far from ideal. All guild-affiliated hunters are to move to their designated sectors immediately. The Blue Dragon Guild will handle the blockade around Seogwipo City.”
Before the words had even finished, the Blue Dragon Guild members moved in perfect unison. Their movements showed no hesitation, as if every route had already been calculated. “The Black Tortoise Guild support team will focus entirely on defending Jeju City. Securing key points and evacuation routes takes priority.” The Black Tortoise Guild also nodded gravely and dispersed at once, each member already knowing their role.
What remained on the runway were the unaffiliated freelance hunters. “Freelance hunters will be organized into five-person teams under Association control. Specific tactics are to be decided autonomously based on field conditions.” The word autonomous lingered sharply in my ears. “However, reckless solo actions are strictly prohibited. You must move as a unit.”
Autonomous sounded nice, but it really meant the Association lacked the manpower to micromanage. It was little different from telling us to survive on our own. The Blue Dragon Guild’s vehicles roared away toward Seogwipo, while the Black Tortoise Guild split the defense zones and left the airport. The once-bustling runway emptied in an instant.
“Anyone want to form a team?” “Looking for one DPS over here!” Anxious voices rose among the freelance hunters, their eyes scanning one another with calculating glances. I didn’t join them. Before any team roster even reached me, my decision was already made.
Five people coordinating in this chaos? In a situation like this, teamwork wasn’t efficiency—it was a constraint. The outer perimeter was already breached, and the city had become hell. The Association’s word autonomous was the perfect excuse I needed.
I tightened the strap of the spatial storage bag on my shoulder. While the Association staff were distracted by team assignments, I slipped away like a ghost, leaving the murmurs behind as I headed straight for Jeju City.
No one called out to me. They probably didn’t have the luxury. The Blue Dragon Guild had gone south, the Black Tortoise was busy fortifying lines, and the monsters that had slipped into the city remained untouched. I quietly picked up speed.
In this chaos, moving alone is fastest. And it would let me claim the most.
The moment I crossed the airport boundary, I summoned my spirits. “Arin, Elly. Come out.” The air rippled, and the two spirits materialized. Sensing the battlefield’s killing intent, their eyes held an unusual tension.
The scene that greeted us inside Jeju City was far worse than the briefing had suggested. “Oh my god… Jihoon, look over there.” Following Arin’s gaze, I saw the shattered remnants of the city. Traffic barriers had long since been torn apart, and abandoned cars lay twisted into grotesque piles of scrap on the roads. Sirens wailed endlessly, punctuated by sharp screams. The entire city was gasping its last breaths.
“The people… they’re terrified,” Elly murmured. Some were running toward evacuation routes, but most wandered the streets in blind panic. I saw figures slumped helplessly before collapsed buildings. I moved against the tide of people rushing toward the airport. The farther their screams faded behind me, the sharper my senses became. Amid the noise, the stench of monsters began to seep in. My mouth went dry, yet a corner of my mind remained calm. From here on, only skill would decide survival.
Kugugung—! A heavy crash erupted between buildings. An old commercial building began collapsing inward. That meant people were trapped inside. Without hesitation, I launched myself forward. “Arin, check for survivors inside. Elly, deploy a water barrier around them.”
The two spirits moved instantly. I unleashed my psychokinesis. The collapsing upper floors froze in midair, held by invisible force. It wouldn’t last long. I pushed through the thick dust into the building.
“Jihoon, there’s a woman and child behind the counter!” Arin pointed. The woman was clutching the child, already protected by Elly’s transparent water barrier blocking falling debris. “You’re safe now. Please get out.”
The woman stared blankly before gritting her teeth and rising with the child. She could walk, albeit unsteadily. Then Arin shouted again. “There’s another one in the corner! Looks unconscious!”
A man lay bleeding from the head amid the rubble. I increased my psychokinetic output. “Elly, wrap the man in a water barrier and pull him out!” “Got it, Jihoon!” Elly enveloped him in a stream of water and carried him outside. Arin stayed by his side, reporting his condition in real time.
Once everyone was clear, I released my power and leapt out. Kwarururung—! The building collapsed completely behind me. Outside, the man Elly had protected was receiving her healing, breathing faintly. “Thank you… for saving us.” I nodded instead of answering.
I couldn’t relax yet. The source of that unpleasant stench that had brought the building down was already nearby. “Hey, you.” A rough voice called from behind. I stopped and turned slowly. Five armed hunters stood blocking the path in a semicircle—the Association’s assigned team. Their faces openly mixed irritation and wariness.
“Why are you acting alone? Didn’t you hear the team formation order?” “This is a danger zone. If you go off on your own and get others hurt, you’ll be held responsible.” I swept them with a flat gaze before speaking. “Then let me ask. There were people trapped in that building. Should I have just watched because of the rules?”
The air grew strangely still. “…That’s not a simple issue. Rules exist for a reason.” The hunter in the center stepped forward, his voice carrying weight. “You’re wandering around without a team assignment, so you must be a freelance hunter?” “Yeah. That’s right.” “Then it’s even more of a problem—”
I cut him off. “Five-person teams. That was a recommendation, not mandatory, wasn’t it?” His brow furrowed. I pressed on without giving him room. “And I move better alone.” I didn’t look away. Instead, I took a step closer and asked quietly, “Do you really think it’s right to pass by people you could save, just because of the rules?”
Silence fell. “If you thought that was right, you should’ve turned back first.” The tension sharpened visibly. “This bastard talks too much.” One hunter scoffed and rested a hand on his weapon. “Just because you’ve gotten a little famous lately, you think you can decide everything yourself? If you’re that confident in your skills, then—”
Uuuuuu—!! A heavy, oppressive roar erupted from behind us. The ground trembled as a massive shadow stretched between the buildings. “An… Ogre…!” someone gasped. The creature emerged—abnormally huge, bloodshot eyes, drool dripping from its maw. Every breath made the air itself quiver. The five hunters’ faces hardened at once.
One of them was the man who had laughed in the Association lobby after checking my rank, saying, “These days there are plenty of people with flashy gear.” His expression cracked like ice. “Damn it…!” Instinctive fear took over. They glanced at one another and began edging backward, calculating escape routes.
In that split second, I stepped forward instead. Blue mana layered over my blade trembled and rapidly compressed—not mere sword aura, but mana taking solid form, materializing as the blade itself. When the density reached its limit, the familiar sensation of my usual mana sword vanished. What remained was a technique of an entirely different caliber.
Mana Blade.
“Wait—!” Someone tried to stop me, but it was too late. I charged the ogre. By the time it roared and raised its arms, the distance had already disappeared. My movement was short, without hesitation. Seogeok—! A single strike. The Mana Blade cleanly severed the ogre’s neck. Its head flew a beat later, hitting the ground with a dull thud. Kung—! The massive body collapsed heavily.
I dispersed the mana on my sword, caught my breath, and stored the ogre’s corpse in my spatial bag. Then I looked up at the hunters. They stood frozen. My eyes met the man who had talked the most in the lobby. His mouth hung half-open, gaze darting between the fallen ogre and the sword in my hand.
“……That’s impossible.” He muttered. “How is that C-rank? The Association records clearly said C-rank.” His colleague swallowed hard, unable to speak. The man tried to convince himself. “Is it the gear? No, even so, that’s…” His words trailed off as the situation finally caught up to him.
“……” “At this level,” I said, sheathing my sword and turning away, “my skill doesn’t need anyone else’s judgment.” I glanced back. “What do you think? Doesn’t seem like just flashy gear and bravado, does it?”
The man’s face went deathly pale. All trace of his earlier ease and mockery was gone. “…N-no. I was rash.” He waved his hands frantically and backed away. “We’ll… just withdraw. We don’t want to cause trouble by getting involved.” He urged his colleagues and fled in a hurry, a low whisper of “Better not mess with him” trailing behind.
I watched their retreating backs for a moment, then looked away. It wasn’t over yet. Collapsed buildings, endless screams, monsters still lurking everywhere. This city needed people who acted first, not those who measured situations with words. I started walking again. There were still people to rescue and monsters to cut down.
“Arin.” “Elly.” The two spirits approached. “Let’s clean up while we move. Split up and take care of the monsters. Recover the mana stones and bring them back.” Arin smiled lightly and nodded. “Got it. I’ll clean them up neatly.” “Okay. I’ll let you know right away if anything looks dangerous.”
With that, we scattered. Arin darted across rooftops and alleyways, scanning for movement, while Elly spread her water senses through underground and collapsed areas. I moved straight ahead. The monsters that had charged in recklessly had scattered as the battle dragged on, their ranks becoming clear. I cut down the higher-grade ones first. My mana sword flashed briefly. Slash, pass through, never stop. It wasn’t so much a fight as the systematic removal of threats.
Soon Elly reappeared. “Jihoon. This area’s done.” She approached, several mana stones neatly held in her hands—far too orderly for the aftermath of battle. A moment later, Arin descended from a building above. “The upper area’s mostly cleared too. Nothing’s moving anymore, and what’s left is manageable for the Association.”
I scanned the surroundings once more in silence. Dark streets, collapsed walls, twisted roads. The roars and footsteps from earlier had fallen silent. Quite some time had passed. Looking up, the sky was beginning to lighten. The deep blue night was slowly fading into gray. No noticeable monsters remained in downtown Jeju City—only damaged buildings and unresolved traces. In the spaces people had left, only quiet air remained.
“Ended faster than expected.” “They came in groups at first, but the longer the fight went, the more they scattered on their own. Made cleanup much easier.” “If you take out the strong ones first, the rest can’t hold.”
Then a thought struck me. “Arin. About this Break region.” She tilted her head. “Hm? Why suddenly?” “I heard it’s volcanic terrain. Unusual geography, high mana density too.” Her eyes sparkled. “Volcano? Nice! Hope there are plenty of flame-attribute spirit stones.”
The city was mostly cleared. The immediate threat was gone; cleanup was the Association’s job now. What remained was outside the city—the original Jeju Break region. I turned and headed out of Jeju City, toward the volcanic terrain, as dawn slowly spread. From that direction, which I hadn’t even entered yet, came a distinctly abnormal resonance.