Wild Hunt and the Crushing Debt
Hyunwoo's life had changed again as scheduled, but climbing Babel and fighting remained unchanged.
He threw himself back into Babel to earn money.
You have arrived at Floor 24.
A mechanical heart has emerged in the center of the city.
The core will explode in approximately 30 minutes.
The sudden countdown began, and as dozens of androids came swarming out, Hyunwoo felt considerable dismay.
So damn many... That's why people party up.
Individually, they weren't any stronger than the ones he'd faced on Floor 21. The problem was their numbers.
According to Manchester's Law, the more troops you have, the higher the efficiency and the fewer casualties. Dozens, hundreds, or even more robots knew this all too well, clustering into dense formations to eliminate the intruder.
Going head-on is suicide. So...
Looking at the robots charging toward him, Hyunwoo decided to unleash his trump card.
The first skill usable by those who possessed the feathers of Muninn and Huginn: the command authority of Wild Hunt.
Should be perfect for crowds like this.
Without hesitation, Hyunwoo activated the skill.
Huh? My body's going limp?
The moment the skill activated, an incomprehensible weakness washed over him, and he collapsed forward.
It felt like his muscles were melting into mush all over his body. Gasping for breath, he thought:
All the mana in my body drained out. That's why I'm so weak...
It was a trait with massive risk. Unless you were a mage-class job with huge mana reserves, you'd never dare use it lightly.
He barely managed to stand and leaned against a collapsing pile of debris. By then, the robot legion had finished aiming.
[Salvo fire, aiming complete... Do not cease until the target is eliminated!]
Did he screw up? Hyunwoo bit his lower lip, staring at the gun barrels trained on him.
[Hunt begins]
[Hunt marks are imprinted on all entities within range, excluding the summoner.]
It didn't take long for his anxiety to fade.
Markings of various sizes appeared on the androids' faces and torsos.
They stopped aiming at Hyunwoo and pointed their guns in random directions.
[Target change. Hostile entity detected...]
Kwajik—! A spear blade tore through the air and impaled the frontmost robot.
[Danger... Hostile attack detected—]
True to form, a single hit didn't stop it. It even aimed its gun for a counterattack, but three or four more spear blades sliced through the air, finally piercing and killing the robot.
The first to answer the call was Odin's cavalry. As befitting the war god's favorite troops, they reveled in brutal destruction.
[Leave none behind. Annihilate them all to please my lord.]
Headless knights on horseback burst from rifts in the air.
The first skewered a robot with a lance and knocked it down, while the following hooves crushed its core.
[Tight formation for...
[Danger! Danger! Activate defensive barrier system immediately.]
Semitransparent figures poured from the rifts torn by the headless knights: wailing banshee women with blood tears streaming down their faces. They always followed the headless knights, reaping the souls of the fallen.
With their staggering LV.77 levels, the banshees' attacks worked even on soulless robots. Their mournful wails disrupted the robots' circuits, confusing friend-foe recognition and making them turn on each other.
...Gotta save this for when I'm truly cornered.
Hyunwoo thought this while gasping for breath, mana exhaustion making even breathing difficult.
Axe-wielding barbarians ripped off robot heads and bit into them. Hellhounds following behind spewed flames, melting them into puddles of red liquid... And among them, the most eye-catching was a bipedal giant pumpkin monster that loved human flesh: [LV.90 Named Pumpkin Lover of Human Flesh]. It herded the robots into a corner like toys, then plucked off limbs like tearing insect wings. Each summon seemed overwhelmingly strong and invincible, but they had too many drawbacks.
My items...
Normal player summons didn't have levels—they were hard to level up.
But Wild Hunt ones had actual player levels.
Babel's constellations despised buses. So monsters they killed dropped no items or EXP...
This wasn't meant for Babel.
It guzzled mana and gave no EXP—what was it even for? Hyunwoo reached a quick conclusion.
This is for people... Players specifically.
Did killing players with summons incur penalties? He didn't know yet.
You have cleared Floor 25.
Wild Hunt's duration was longer than expected, letting him cleanly clear up to Floor 25.
[Next time, call ones with blood and flesh, great warrior?]
Monsters over LV.80 were insanely strong. Maybe because they were from Floor 80.
If it were useful, I'd summon often... But it drains me too much. And I can't control the range either.
Babel floors were said to be city-sized, and straying off-path could leave you stranded. Yet Wild Hunt swept away one or two cities' worth...
Using it downtown? Unthinkable. A massacre.
So he'd only use it in emergencies.
Didn't get a single item. Damn it...
Total bust. Now LV.28. He'd need new gear soon.
He couldn't keep burdening his master forever... He needed his own custom equipment ASAP.
"Cleared Floor 25."
"Damn fast... Way beyond my expectations."
"Ahem."
"Still, from now on, you need a party. A fixed one to run with... How long you gonna solo?"
She put heavy emphasis on "solo" for some reason.
She wasn't wrong. Monsters were getting tough now.
"Orcs start at 26. They carry shotguns? Don't mistake 'em for real guns—the power's the same. One bad hit and your limbs are gone."
Gruesome warning. For real...
"Anyway, empty-handed again? Deadline's approaching, no?"
"Ugh."
"But thinking about it, tough spot for cash? Auction said payment next month start?"
Checked back—early next month. And not 10 million, just 5 million.
Prices hadn't halved, so selling late at full price meant no loss.
"No loss then. But gotta farm and sell items this week. Hmm~ Nah, can't."
"M-Master, there's still a way to get the money."
"Doubt it. Doesn't look like there is."
He needed 5 million for lessons.
Plus ~3 million interest at 5% on 60,637,500 won.
Total 8 million. His options were gone...
"No way to scrape it together, huh? My Hyunwoo."
Master approached boldly, wrapping her arms around him.
Then patted his crotch with her palm...
"From next month, gonna grope this tons? Could now, but saving it for more impact..."
"M-Master."
"And you'll grope mine daily. You know from peeking? Keep nails short."
She spoke like repayment was impossible. It pissed him off—he wanted to retort—but he couldn't.
No way to pay 8 million. Truly.
"Cute Hyunwoo... Heh heh heh heh."
"I-It's not over? I could hit Babel now, farm items—"
"Hyunwoo, Hyunwoo... Hmmm, haaa. Smells so good. Just perfect."
Aroused, Master clung tight, refusing to let go.
Struggling was useless—just made her hold tighter.
"Not long till we fuck hard with sis? Every day, make babies for sure."
"Don't..."
Her whispering honey voice melted his mind, draining his strength.
"Looking forward to it."
An unavoidable future awaited him...