Chapter 41
Chapter 41
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 41
Chapter Title: Arc Demon Beasts Descend
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Republic of Korea Hunter Association.
When multiple S-rank monsters appeared out of nowhere, the association was thrown into chaos.
Arc Demon Beasts were typically the guardians of the SS-rank dungeon, the Hall of Constellations, or lurked around its vicinity. For them to suddenly descend all the way to Seoul's borders turned this into an emergency situation.
Right now, the leaders of the three great guilds had gathered here along with the association president and the Minister of National Defense for an emergency meeting.
"I'll explain the situation so far. S-rank monsters—not just one, but seven—have appeared at the northern border above Seoul. There are also numerous unregistered A-rank and B-rank monsters. The common thread among them all? They're Arc Demon Beasts, demons in the form of animal-type beastkin."
"Leghorn, Tosadog, Wagyu, Iberico, Remrem, Przewalski, Goatman... Damn it! Why are the Slaughter King's apostles launching a full-scale assault?"
Seven stars marked prominently on the map. S-rank monsters commanded by the Slaughter King.
Even one of them required three or more S-rank Awakeners to handle—a catastrophic existence. Seven showing up at once was simply unbelievable.
"How the hell did you let this happen without detecting them? What about that fancy hub with the Scavengers? How did you miss something this insane?"
"After Jeong Min-su died, the Scavenger faction fell into major disarray, so we couldn't rebuild the pipeline. This seems like that pastor guy's solo operation."
"That's why we shouldn't have subjugated Jeong Min-su in the first place... Tch!"
The lament of the Seoul Guild Master.
In comparison to that pastor, Jeong Min-su was practically a gentleman among demons.
He hunted his prey but also cared about preserving the hunting grounds.
Plus, he enjoyed the perks of civilized society, so he rarely went overboard. In fact, he'd never even entered Seoul territory.
The whole thing with killing Go Cheonsu's son started because the guy had first wiped out his underlings in his own domain.
"Strictly speaking, we didn't kill him—the Golden Knight did."
"If you can't say anything useful!"
"This isn't the time. We've urgently summoned the two other S-ranks from the provinces, and we've put out requests to Japan and China as well. But..."
"With hordes of various monsters incoming, this is no ordinary matter. It's a national emergency. Anyway, let's start the countermeasures meeting. The Ministry of National Defense will proceed as planned..."
"Yes. We've already declared a state of emergency and begun fortifying Seoul's defensive line. The army, air force, and navy are all mobilized and on standby, but as you know..."
Military gear had limited effect against B-rank monsters and above.
Their thick hides and defenses were an issue, but more than that, they operated on entirely different principles—magic power, stats, mobility, regeneration—all far surpassing humans. In the end, only Awakeners could handle them.
Still, with the current crisis, every means had to be employed, so the military remained on alert.
"Anyway, three S-ranks per monster... No, for now, two each, and we'll need to mobilize as many A- and B-rank Awakeners as possible to cover. Forming teams will be..."
"The three great guilds each take one. The association president and academy chairman take one, and the remaining three are handled by the other guilds resisting until reinforcements from the provinces arrive...?"
"Wouldn't it be better for the S-rank Hunters to each take one, then throw everyone else at eliminating the Arc Demon Beasts one by one?"
"That would make the front lines too unstable, and adding A- and B-ranks would make it extremely difficult. That's why we're dividing by guild units."
In the face of this unprecedented mega-assault, both the guilds and the association were in disarray, unable to properly formulate a strategy.
The association president had a throbbing headache from the frustration, but without full cooperation from everyone present, escaping this crisis was impossible. He had no choice but to endure and offer suggestions.
***
At the same time.
Academia exclusive staff dormitory.
"Yawwwn~ Slept well. Oh, overslept. Guess it's unavoidable since I crashed late last night."
After sending Ayoung off, I'd stayed up late finishing dungeon reports and item sorting to handle the annoying stuff in advance.
I'd also chatted with her late into the night, so sleep didn't come easy. Better to wrap everything up, sleep worry-free, than wake up to headaches.
[Awake, Master?]
"Yeah, Akaron. Good morning... or is it lunch? Yawwwn~ Still sleepy."
[You worked too late last night. Around 3 or 4 a.m., right?]
"Huh? Yeah, it just happened that way."
Still, waking up without worries felt great.
Sipping the coffee Akaron brewed, caffeine seeped in, slowly sharpening my senses.
"...Anyway, doing paperwork on top of everything was exhausting. Ngh~ Slurp. Whew~ This coffee's waking me up nicely. Ahh~ Feels good."
With the academy on break, it was eerily quiet, like everyone had vanished.
Midday sun was unavoidable, but savoring the silence while leisurely drinking coffee actually lifted my mood.
[What would you like for a meal, Master?]
"Something simple. Toast? That's exactly what I'm craving. We have bread, right?"
[Then I'll prepare toast with bacon and fried eggs. How about tomatoes?]
"Sounds good. Thanks."
No need to cook myself—just wait for someone else to handle it. Pure bliss.
Akaron was almost too convenient.
Meals, laundry, cleaning—all done. So comfy it might ruin me.
Sure, he nagged about honor and chivalry in battle, but the convenience made it worth putting up with.
'Even living alone, laundry and cooking are secretly a hassle. Might as well check news on my phone... Hmm? Dead?'
I'd crashed right after work without charging, so the screen just showed a dead battery.
Guess I'd enjoy the quiet a bit longer until it charged.
Not a bad deal. Munching the toast Akaron brought out, I kept soaking in the peace.
"Oh, perfectly grilled. Just shy of burnt bitterness. Amazing."
[Glad you're satisfied, Master.]
'Ahh~ This is the life. Forgetting to charge was a blessing in disguise. Should I make this routine? Nah, dungeon runs would get hectic.'
Lost in silly thoughts, I unwound from the fatigue.
Once I hit my level-up and growth limits, maybe build a cabin in the mountains and live like this?
Pretend to cut ties with the world, stock up on food occasionally, forage herbs or hunt minor monsters for magistones to scrape by. Not bad.
'Far-off dream, though. Anyway, hate to break this serenity. Gotta milk it till the phone charges...'
Thud thud thud!
Ding-dong! Ding-dong!
Argh, damn it! Always like this! Try to relax, and the world won't let me!
Doorbell and knocking hit simultaneously, shattering my reverie.
Sighing, I sent Akaron to the knight order sanctuary and went to greet the guest.
'Hold up? Ayoung has a key. Why make such a racket?'
(...you there? ...Seongwon!)
"Huh? Not... Ayoung?"
"You're here! Huff... huff... Why aren't you picking up your phone? And why's the dorm line dead?"
"Oh, never hooked it up. Everything's on mobile anyway... More importantly, what brings the guild master here?"
Not who I expected. It was Ayoung's mom, Guild Master Shin Somi.
Wait, why was she here?
Even if contact failed, this was too abrupt.
Usually, they'd send a guild member or go through academy staff, right?
"What do you mean? Haven't you seen the news?"
"Ah, just woke up. Finished reports early and crashed late. Yawwwn~ Wanted more sleep, but I just finished eating and was about to head down."
"This isn't the time for yawns. Look at this. National emergency declared—didn't you know?"
"Oh yeah?"
Emergency state. Hmm~ First in about four years?
Probably hole up in a bunker, kill time till the three great guilds and association handle it, or head to Busan.
"Thanks for coming all this way to tell me. Guess I'll hightail it to the academy shelter or south."
"Pardon?"
"Nah, too late for the shelter by now. Hide in the hills or a dungeon then. Gotta pack quick, change, and bounce."
"W-Wait. You planning to run away?"
"Yeah! Running's the answer."
What kind of question was that?
I'm no Hunter. Awakener, sure, but I trained for self-preservation. Just started grinding D-rank dungeons.
Think I'd play movie-hero and charge into battle? Ridiculous.
"Anyway, thanks for the heads-up. I'll get going, so you should too..."
"Ayoung... Ayoung's in a dungeon, caught up in this."
"...Pardon?"
The guild master, staring desperately, pulled out her phone, searched around, and showed me her pad as she explained.
Didn't sound good, and rejecting someone with that look was impossible.
'Guess I'm no ice-cold bastard.'
"Seven S-rank Arc Demon Beasts have appeared across northern Seoul, along with hordes of A- and B-rank monsters heading south."
"...Yeah? Oh, I see."
Arc Demon Beasts, huh? Impossible not to know.
Living right by Slaughter King's turf, with academia researching them nonstop as prime targets.
But why descend? They guard the SS-rank Hall of Constellations and surroundings. What the hell happened?
"Now I get the emergency. Seven of them means full evac—Wait! Ayoung..."
"You caught on."
Yeah, Ayoung mentioned rushing a break assignment in a dungeon this morning.
And from her mom's reaction, the monsters descended after she entered.
"...Ayoung's either still inside the dungeon, or she cleared it and is out there now. What's the association and guilds doing?"
"Three great guilds each intercept one S-rank. Association president and academy chairman take one S-rank. Two from provinces take one. Other guilds cover the rest somehow. I have to head there soon too."
"So..."
No one's going to rescue her specifically.
No clue if she cleared the D-rank, but stuck where S-ranks roam? Life on the line.
She took lower-rank kids as party members yesterday, even worse.
"So, no choice but to ask me?"
"Yes. I'm truly sorry to drag an Awakener hiding his status to avoid Hunter work, but... please save Ayoung. You're the only one I can ask. Without her, I...! I know it's unreasonable, but you're truly the only one."
"Sigh~"
"I'll pay anything I can. Please..."
Tricky.
Never even seen an S-rank, let alone fought one. Jump in and rescue someone? Overkill.
But from her side, no one else available in her network—desperation makes sense.
"...If I'm too late, don't blame me. Never fought or even seen an S-rank, so keep expectations low."
"Th-Thank you!"
And damn, I wasn't heartless enough to coldly shut her down.
Should've stayed hidden from the start!
Sighing, I took the dungeon coordinates from her and moved out immediately.