Chapter 46
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 46
Chapter Title: The Warlord's Facade
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Lee Hyun-wook's ability, the Grace of God.
Flash!
Among buff-type abilities, it was hailed as the best, capable of elevating a hunter's innate power by an entire level just by being applied.
And right now...
...I can feel it.
Kang Hyuk, recipient of that supreme buff, curled the corner of his mouth upward.
The realm of Jaw Moon at his peak. I can see it now.
With that, he lightly clenched his fist.
In that instant.
[The Power of the Last Giant Clan activates.]
[You obtain Giant's Strike, transcending limits.]
[Power of the Last Giant Clan: 12%]
The changed numerical value appeared alongside the activation of the giant's power.
12%—power comparable to a B-rank hunter, without falling short. Right here.
As he muttered to himself, he channeled the power of Partial Giantization.
At the same time.
[The Power of the Last Giant Clan activates.]
[Partial Giantization transcending limits activates!]
[Giantization Assimilation Rate: 3%]
[Duration: 1 minute]
[The Power of the Last Giant Clan activates.]
[You obtain Giant's Strike, transcending limits.]
[Power of the Last Giant Clan: 16%]
The towering landscape shifted once more, revealing a new vista.
Within it, Kang Hyuk felt a rush of euphoria for the first time in ages.
The brimming confidence from when he had become a national-level hunter.
The sense that he could do anything.
[Kraaaargh!]
Even with the berserk Warlord rampaging right before his eyes, devoid of reason, he felt no fear.
On the contrary, his body itched to test this power as soon as possible.
Meanwhile, a hunter sheltered inside a barrier, evading the black smoke, muttered.
"...What's that?"
At his words, the Association and Arena hunters present turned their gazes.
And their eyes widened.
"...Team Leader Kang?"
With that, the hunters rubbed their eyes.
But nothing changed.
Korea's first S-rank awakener, enveloped in radiant light.
Behind him loomed a massive afterimage, exuding an otherworldly aura.
It wasn't a drastic change at first glance, yet in its subtlety, Kang Hyuk appeared utterly transformed, stirring inexplicable doubt.
That was why they couldn't comprehend it.
How could a faint afterimage behind him make a person look so different?
As the hunters swallowed dryly amid their confusion...
[Kraaaargh!]
The berserk Warlord advanced, smashing everything in its path.
[Kroooar!]
Black smoke billowed from its body in all directions, devouring all it touched.
The hunters forgot their prior bewilderment and instinctively stepped back.
But one man advanced in stride with their retreat.
"..."
And ultimately stood to block the Warlord's path.
As everyone held their breath, watching him...
[Kroooar!]
The mindless Warlord swung its fist.
The air screamed from the gust, pulverizing everything in its way.
At the same time, Kang Hyuk grinned ferociously.
"You little shit."
And casually caught the unstoppable fist.
"Now I see—you were putting on a smoke show."
At those words, the Warlord's savage grimace faltered, its pupils trembling.
"Yeah, something felt off... Suddenly pretending to go berserk, unleashing power you couldn't handle."
As if to deny Kang Hyuk's words, it let out a savage roar and tried to wrench its fist free.
But...
[What?]
The fist, gripped in a human hand, wouldn't budge.
[Th-this can't...]
No matter how it thrashed, it didn't move an inch.
Instead, its own body shook from the recoil.
[This... This is impossible!]
Abandoning the act, the Warlord bellowed.
At that human-like display, Kang Hyuk narrowed his eyes.
In the future.
There were monsters that devoured far more hunters than this Warlord and gained intelligence.
But even those hadn't shown such human traits.
Gaining intelligence by eating humans doesn't make a monster pretend to berserk like this one.
Something a human might plausibly do.
But utterly impossible for a monster—this Warlord was doing it.
...Which means this thing itself could be connected to those 'five' who created the black coffin and black smoke.
With that thought, Kang Hyuk smirked.
Hell, it might even be the target itself.
Monster humanization.
He couldn't yet guess why, but one thing was clear.
Killing this one holds more value than I thought.
Thus, no more hesitation.
Kang Hyuk crushed the Warlord's gripped fist with raw force.
[...!]
Pain twisted the Warlord's face in horror.
But it didn't end there.
Boom!
Kang Hyuk's extended fist slammed into the Warlord's solar plexus.
The king of orcs' face crumpled grotesquely as its body lifted off the ground and crashed into a dirt mound.
Kaboom!
The impact created a massive crater, like a bomb had detonated.
The hunters gaped and murmured.
"What...?"
"A dream?"
"What the hell... is happening?"
A scene too unbelievable even after witnessing it.
Their minds refused to accept the reality.
...It's the second time already, so maybe not that shocking?
No, insane! It's the second time, so it's even more shocking!
How... A D-rank hunter... Is a real S-rank just different?
Kang Hyuk kicked off the ground and landed before the Warlord.
[Cough...]
It spat a mouthful of blood, glaring at him with dying eyes.
[You... You're no human...]
Kang Hyuk smirked.
"You're no monster either."
[I am!! I am the Warlord!! King of the orcs!!]
"No, you're human."
At his retort, the Warlord's pupils quivered.
Kang Hyuk made a sweet offer.
"So you can understand what I say from now on. Think carefully and answer. If I like it, I might let you live."
He narrowed his eyes.
"Who turned you into this? And why? Tell me, and I'll let you go right here."
Its jaw trembled.
The desire to live.
Versus sealed memories inversely proportional to it.
I-if I talk... I can live!
As the Warlord's mouth twitched to speak...
Crack!
Something snapped, and the whites of its eyes vanished.
Kang Hyuk's gaze sharpened.
Rumble!
An unknown sound emanated from near its heart, and the black smoke began to rampage.
He muttered.
Not just Shadow of Swiftness—they've got a gag order on monsters too.
Then he chuckled.
But it doesn't matter. This alone confirms what they're trying to do.
He gathered his power.
Rumble!
The ground shattered under the force, and his legs trembled.
[The Power of the Last Giant Clan activates.]
[Partial Giantization transcending limits activates!]
[Giantization Assimilation Rate: 3%]
[Duration: 1 minute]
But the activated power steadied his legs, now bearing the immense strength.
Not only that—his legs transformed into forms and sizes akin to arms.
Only the giant's power has grown.
Muttering that, Kang Hyuk—for the first time in this life—achieved multiple partial giantizations and grinned.
Then, toward the Warlord about to explode, engulfed in black smoke, he thrust his fist forward, murmuring.
"Having tasted this realm, I wonder if growth will even feel satisfying anymore."
In that moment, a colossal explosion roared.
The world flipped.
"..."
As the hunters halted their battle amid the shockwave and collapsed in awe...
A message appeared before their eyes.
[Otherworld Clear Conditions Met!]
📍 First Stele Destroyed: Jung Jae-hong and 281 others
📍 Second Stele Destroyed: Yoon Hee-na and 311 others
📍 Third Stele Destroyed: Kang Na-eun and 9 others
🎁 Rewards vary by Contribution!
📍 1st Contribution: Lee Hyun-wook
📍 2nd Contribution: Yoon Hee-na
📍 3rd Contribution: Jung Jae-hong
...
It was the milestone signaling the end of a long journey.
And simultaneously—
"..."
Kang Hyuk gazed at the Warlord, annihilated without a trace of remains.
Further, at the mountain that had vanished along with it.
"This?"
Hunter Association President Kang Cheol-woo gnashed his teeth.
To think things would turn out like this.
He abruptly left the international hunter seminar he was attending and boarded a transport plane.
It was a crucial event, but he had no choice.
A D-rank Red Gate in Seogwipo City, Jeju Island.
Not only had it evolved to C-rank, but now it was attempting to evolve to B-rank.
A B-rank gate is impossible to clear with just the people inside. No.
Having already failed the raid, the C-rank Red Gate was now trying to evolve to B-rank.
Unable to hide his impatience, President Kang Cheol-woo finally rose.
"P-President?"
"I'll go ahead. Open the door."
The sergeant swallowed hard.
They hadn't reached the drop altitude yet.
Jumping now was tantamount to suicide.
But realizing who stood before him, he relented.
"Yes, sir! Please take care!"
The pillar supporting Korea.
The S-rank player called the Demonic Power God.
It was Kang Cheol-woo.
Whoosh!
With the salute, the transport door opened, and Kang Cheol-woo leapt without hesitation.
Whoosh!
Immense air resistance assaulted him, but he ignored it.
Demonic Power God.
His epithet-worthy 'body' overcame the recoil.
Boom!!!
He cratered the ground with a thunderous impact at an unnamed mountainside.
He kicked off his torn shoes and hurriedly checked his smartphone.
North-northeast from here.
Grasping direction, his figure blurred into motion.
"Wh-what?"
"Huh?"
"...A deer?"
"Deer move that fast?"
Upon arriving...
"...!"
He was startled to see a woman waiting, as if anticipating his arrival.
"B-Bae Su-ji?"
"You came, President."
A refined woman in a floral hanbok.
But the bizarre weapons covering her back and waist proclaimed she was no mere beauty.
Startled, Kang Cheol-woo swallowed.
"Why are you... here?"
The woman before him was Korea's number one player in rankings.
Simultaneously, the high ranker leading Tusinjeon, the top guild.
Allmaster Bae Su-ji.
"I came because things seemed off. Precisely..."
She lit a cigarette and muttered.
"Worried about the S-rank inside."
Her eyes flashed.
"What were you thinking, putting an S-rank in there, Cheol-woo?"
"..."
"Someone like you wouldn't toss a rookie—awakened less than a year ago—into danger without reason."
Casual address, but he couldn't retort.
Allmaster Bae Su-ji was Korea's longest-serving living 'legend' in hunting.
Korea's pride. Beyond that, the embodiment of Korean hunters.
Thus, she commanded all hunters' respect.
She could've naturalized in America or China and reached national-level status, yet she'd devoted herself to Korea.
She pressed him.
"Answer me. Why put an S-rank in there?"
"...To let Lee Hyun-wook, the Operations Director, gain experience after consulting with him."
"Experience? In a Red Gate otherworld?"
Kang Cheol-woo fell silent.
Bae Su-ji shook her head at his expression.
"Beyond my comprehension. What experience justifies throwing a less-than-one-year rookie into such peril?"
Tsking, she turned away.
Kang Cheol-woo bit his lip.
My mistake. As Bae Su-ji said, it's absurd.
Kang Hyuk's displays.
His stunning results in limited real combat.
Combined, after consulting Lee Hyun-wook, they'd judged that with care, it'd be valuable Red Gate experience.
But now, it was clear: hubris.
Anything could happen in a gate's otherworld.
He, who knew that best, had sent a hunter with less than a year of experience into danger.
And not just that—the other hunters who went... I should've invested more manpower, even if it strained us.
As he drowned in self-reproach for his failed judgments...
Those inspecting the site spotted the two and shouted in shock.
"A-Allmaster Bae Su-ji!!!"
"And President Demonic Power God!"
Two giants no Korean could ignore.
Appearing side by side.
Instinct told them:
We're saved!
Those two make a Red Gate no issue!
Even a B-rank—Allmaster Bae Su-ji could solo it!
Cheers and applause erupted.
Bae Su-ji bared her fangs at the violet-tinged gate.
"Dangerous. On the verge of B-rank."
Glancing back at Kang Cheol-woo, she yelled.
"Hey, you! Don't mope over a little nagging!"
"..."
"Pull yourself together and think about rescuing those inside! Still time left, it seems!"
Kang Cheol-woo lifted his head.
Seeing his eyes, she smirked.
"Prepare. Even for us, a near-B-rank otherworld is risky."
As she took a deep breath to enter...
"...!"
Sudden killing intent poured from the gate.
"What?"
Bae Su-ji instinctively retreated, gripping her sword; Kang Cheol-woo gaped.
Immense presence!
Did the evolved boss monster finish and come out?
Judging the situation, they shouted in unison.
"Everyone, fall back!"
"Fall back!"
The soldiers and agents tilted their heads but obeyed.
As they retreated, Bae Su-ji muttered.
"...Vicious bastard. This killing intent."
She eyed her goosebump-covered skin.
Her body quivered instinctively.
Tsking, she half-drew her sword.
If it made even her react this way, it was no ordinary monster.
Hum!
The gate glowed.
Someone was crossing.
As the two steeled themselves...
"...What are you all doing?"
Unexpected Korean pierced their ears.