The Emergence of the Black Humanoid
Even if she had collapsed, even if there was a traitor among us, none of that mattered right now. I had to focus on what I could actually do.
"We can't get out?"
I gave a single nod.
"Then let's wait a little longer."
"...... Clack."
"Why? Are you anxious? I get that you felt something ominous and suggested we run, but..."
Yeonhee fiddled with her earring, insisting that with this artifact we should be fine.
But trusting that thing could still get us killed if we stick around any longer. For now, it would be better to send Yeonhee somewhere safe.
The earring artifact's power was to transport us to a location I deemed 'safe.' I'd briefly considered setting it to the Dark Space, but since the subspace itself couldn't contain her, that idea was scrapped. Our house or the city where Cha Jin-hyeok lived were the current alternatives.
Of course, if we're trying to escape Jo Giman, those places aren't safe either. I'd have to set it to somewhere completely different. It's a bit of a risk, but I'd feel at ease there.
I thought of the one being who had become my first true friend in this life.
"Clack."
Through our link, I told her it would be best to use the earring's ability immediately. She pondered for a moment, then nodded.
"Ugh, you're so stubborn. Fine, I understand. But not right now, Ilwol. Let's wait just one more turn."
"...... Clack?"
Yeonhee seemed to have her own thoughts on the matter and refused to accept my request. These days I often took the lead, but that was only when she was still figuring out her next move. When she wore that resolute expression, I knew my words wouldn't get through.
Hmm... Guess I have no choice. At this distance, we should at least be able to mount a minimal response.
The crushing anxiety I'd felt when we were close to the monster earlier had mostly faded, so I reluctantly agreed.
Just as our brief exchange ended—
?!
Uuuuung—
A colossal shockwave erupted from where the monster had been. The devastating force sent nearly a thousand hunters flying outward all at once. Fewer than ten people managed to stand their ground—Kang Yeonsu and Park Yong-hwan among them.
The shockwave soon reached us as well.
"Ughhh! Geomryong!"
Even Geomryong, shielding us from behind with a shadow barrier, struggled to withstand the diluted wave. The hunters had absorbed most of its power, yet it still pushed him to his limits.
Even at this distance...
How much worse must it have been for those who were closer? I moved forward, helping Geomryong block the shockwave while extending my senses toward the monster to assess the situation.
I quickly confirmed that roughly two hundred A-rank hunters had sustained injuries ranging from minor to severe.
...... Still, not many died. They all somehow protected their vital points.
But many had been rendered combat ineffective, including those whose limbs had been completely obliterated.
If we'd been there, we probably would've vanished without a trace...
The thought made my head spin.
Don't dwell on things that didn't happen. Looks like Gu Sang-min is going to be busy.
Thankfully, with an S-rank healer like Gu Sang-min present, the injured might be saved from death. Given enough time, he could probably even restore the destroyed body parts.
Kwa-kwa-kwang!!
Shortly after the shockwave passed, dozens of hunters came flying into our area and slammed into the barrier. Their faces were twisted with shock and terror.
To send A-rank hunters flying this far in a single attack. This is beyond anything we anticipated... Is this the power of a monster that borders on a Great Calamity?
The hunters who'd been blasted over didn't even seem to register our presence, still reeling from the attack.
"Damn it! Was attacking a mistake? What the hell was that?"
"That shockwave definitely carried the same mana flow as my skill!"
"So that's it... The monster absorbed all our attacks!"
"Should we have listened to Park Yong-hwan? This is turning into a complete disaster..."
The insane creature had the ability to absorb the hunters' attacks, convert them into energy within its main body, and then detonate it. Those who'd experienced the blast firsthand all shook their heads, letting out heavy sighs.
But something even more shocking was happening.
Srrrrk—
...... What is that? A person?
After the shockwave erupted, I sensed a humanoid lifeform slowly rising from the top of the slime's main body. A small, black figure. Enormous energy swirled at its core—not raw power forcibly combined from the hunters, but refined, polished energy that had been properly processed.
...... Fuck.
The curse slipped out the moment I detected it. That was my honest reaction.
Didn't it use up everything in that last explosion?
It had taken the remaining stored power from the absorbed attacks and used it all to create this mysterious being. The creature stood three meters tall with a muscular, well-defined male physique. Its entire body was pitch black, with no visible eyes or nose.
That appearance... It looks similar to Kang Yeonsu's Divine Beastification mode.
The mouth on its face suddenly tore open all the way to where its eyes should have been. It drew in a massive breath and—
"Ughhh!! It hurts! My ears!"
I hurriedly wrapped Yeonhee's body in Big Boar leather. She quickly equipped earmuffs made from Wangwang's fur that she'd stored in her subspace, barely managing to defend against the sonic attack.
"Kraaaaaak! My ears are gonna burst! That son of a bitch! Big body, big mouth, huh?"
"Is that a sonic attack?! Like a lion's roar?"
"This isn't a skill or trait. It's just expelling what it had stored inside."
"Crazy... and it has this much power?"
"A monster with the strength of a thousand hunters... We're completely screwed, aren't we?"
"What are we supposed to do? Looks like the barrier's blocked too."
"I've heard of reverse barriers, but weren't they only supposed to stop monsters from escaping? This is no different from burning our own bridges!"
The hunters near us assumed the roar had come from the giant monster. Their conversations as they advanced, leaving us behind, were filled with shock and open dissatisfaction with the situation.
Yet despite their words, a strange exhilaration slowly crept across their faces. One by one, they began throwing themselves toward the monster.
It's not for nothing they say high-ranking hunters are all perverts.
"Wow— No way... I finally understand why you told me to run. If we'd been standing there..."
Yeonhee squeezed her eyes shut as if the mere thought was horrifying.
"If that monster targeted us and charged... responding wouldn't be easy. Not that it would happen, of course."
The tension was clear on her face. She wiped the sweat from her brow, took several sips of Irmana's water, then turned to me again.
"But you know what? I want to go experience it myself."
"......"
"You know opportunities like this don't come often, right?"
Her eyes had taken on a wild gleam. She seemed to have reached the peak of excitement.
...... Did that roar have some kind of effect? Those people earlier seemed overly excited too. Same with Yeonhee.
Even without any external influence, she was a hunter with a hunter's instincts. Leaving such delicious prey behind and running away clearly didn't sit well with her.
Of course, this wasn't prey we could actually handle.
Phew— No choice, then.
Yeonhee was already moving forward. If I didn't match her pace, it would cause problems. The moment we made our decision, we rode Geomryong toward the monster.
Kwaang—!
Yeonhee's shoulders flinched at the massive explosion that erupted just before we reached our original position.
Kang Yeonsu and the black thing have clashed. Did it come out because its appearance resembles hers?
When we arrived, hundreds of hunters had formed a semicircle, watching the battle between Kang Yeonsu and the black creature. Seok Ryu-hwa and Park Jin-gon watched with expectant eyes. Gu Sang-min and the other healers had already taken the injured and retreated beyond the barrier's outer edge.
"Grrrrrr— Krr—"
Kang Yeonsu had already undergone her Divine Beastification. Her form had transformed into that of a savage beast—horns protruding from her forehead, face flushed red, body massively enlarged with a sleek, smooth surface. To anyone who didn't know better, it would be impossible to tell which one was the monster.
The humanoid creature that had detached from the slime's body exchanged hundreds of blows with her over several minutes. The watching hunters, having already experienced having their power absorbed once, could only stomp their feet in frustration, unable to join the fight.
"That... It's not just fast, is it?"
"...Those movements aren't like a monster's at all."
"Since it absorbs skills, it wouldn't be surprising if it learned our movements."
"Not surprising? This is completely unprecedented!"
"They say even monsters of the same rank can vary wildly in strength depending on their abilities. At this level, shouldn't we reclassify it as a Great Calamity?"
"Who cares about its rank right now? We're all about to die!"
The seemingly even duel began to tilt. One combatant's knee staggered, and the balance of power started to shift.
"Sister's being pushed back..."
"......"
Kang Yeonsu—considered the strongest reinforcement-type hunter excluding the early awakeners known as Transcendents—was losing ground in pure hand-to-hand combat. It was utterly shocking. The mental damage would hit her the hardest.
"Hwooooooo—!!"
Kang Yeonsu roared, readjusted her stance, and charged again. But once the balance had tipped, it didn't seem likely to return.
Thud!
"Kehek—!"
The black creature's fist struck her abdomen with perfect accuracy. Her body flew into the air, spinning once. As she fell, it kicked her with its foot, sending her flying hundreds of meters before she tumbled across the ground.
The black creature raised its arms to the sky and clapped its hands in a playful, erratic manner while laughing with glee.
The hunters in the area froze solid, unable to swallow even a single drop of saliva at the sight of the bizarre yet strangely relaxed monster.