I Don't Take Orders From Anyone Weaker Than Me
The hunters dropped from the aircraft and hit the ground. Though they had leapt from a height of several dozen meters, not a single one among the trained hunters sustained an injury from the fall. Their baseline physical durability was on an entirely different level, and they were wearing stabilization gear on top of that.
Once on the ground, the members of the 28th Guild assembled with practiced speed. Point B, where they had landed, was a small village reduced to complete ruin. Their objective — Zone A — lay to the north, on the site of what had once been the old city center.
After a final safety check, the guild members held position and waited for the adjutant's orders. A short while later, once the last personnel count had been completed, his voice came through their earpieces.
"All right. From this point forward, we will commence the operation as briefed, splitting into two units. Based on reconnaissance, reaching the Abyss colony to the north will require an estimated three to five engagements. Should an emergency arise, I will issue an immediate warning. Begin your advance."
That was the end of the operational briefing. Of course, if a crisis developed later, situational orders would come down at once — but until then, each unit would have to fight its way forward according to its assigned role.
"See you in a bit, then. Watch your ammo."
"Yeah… right. See you in a bit."
And so they divided into two units, with Sena and Yujin as the respective cores. The objective of this operation was to cleanly eliminate every last Abyss gathered at the colony — which meant they needed to press a pincer attack from both flanks so that none of the creatures could escape.
Missions like this are familiar enough. The Rose Cutter's power is halved from the low battery, but against B-class mission Abysses, it shouldn't be a major problem.
Pushing down her unease, Sena moved out with her unit. As always, she kept a step ahead of the other hunters — the better to cut down any Abysses that might appear from the front before they could become a threat.
Then—
"…They're here."
In the next instant, a smell that set her nerves on edge, and a faint sound at the edge of hearing. Sena's grip tightened automatically around her sword as she dropped into a combat stance.
And a moment later, exactly as she had sensed, black creatures began crawling out from between the ruined buildings — things that vaguely resembled spiders, each about the size of a large dog.
Abyss Spiders.
True to the name, they had a spider-like appearance: the most common, and simultaneously the weakest, Grade-1 Abysses.
Five spiders total… Is that all?
From Sena's perspective, these were creatures she could crush like insects. Deciding she didn't even need to power on the Rose Cutter, she drove straight into their midst and swung her blade.
"Kreeeeek!"
A single casual slash sent a spider crumpling with a wretched scream. At the same time, the ones behind her lunged for the opening she had left —
"Kwek!"
"Kworrk!"
— only to be butchered before their attacks could even land. In a matter of seconds, Sena finished what amounted to a one-sided slaughter, and felt a measure of the frustration that had been building inside her ease away.
Even without a full charge, the Rose Cutter's cutting power is still incredible. At this rate, the rest shouldn't be a problem either.
The blade itself was a molecular cutter; disposing of Abysses of this caliber posed no real inconvenience. Convinced that her earlier foreboding had been unfounded, Sena looked back at the hunters who had stopped behind her.
"Don't just stand there staring. Keep moving. The sooner we finish this and head back, the better for all of you."
"Yes, ma'am."
At the word of their guild master and unit leader, the hunters resumed their advance. But in that moment, Sena had no idea — the faces of the hunters following behind her carried a thick, unfamiliar anxiety, something entirely different from what she had seen before.
In the command center, Choi Han monitored the overall combat situation. On his screens, the unit was advancing steadily northward, sweeping enemies aside as it went — the guild members looking, from above, almost like pieces on a strategy simulation board.
Even now, just looking at the S-class hunters at the front was enough to turn his stomach. That said, their combat power was undeniably formidable.
Three engagements so far. Zero friendly casualties… They've got the skill, I'll give them that. The skill…
The S-class hunters were killing nearly every Abyss that appeared by themselves. As a result, the gap between them and the guild members trailing behind had grown fairly wide — but their frontline firepower was so overwhelming that it didn't seem to be causing any serious problems.
Still, pulling too far ahead of the unit is a bad idea… And if they keep rampaging like that, they might aggro other Abysses. They need to fall back—
In that instant, a look of sudden dismay crossed Choi Han's face.
"…Damn it."
Countless Abysses had begun to move all at once. The creatures clustered at the colony poured out toward Sena's unit as if something had triggered their recognition.
"Shit… I thought they were going a little too hard, but this is early even so."
Abysses possessed only animal-level intelligence, but their instincts were never to be underestimated. The moment they sensed danger, they swarmed out like a nest of ants — and every commander who faced them had to keep that fact firmly in mind.
The current situation was unlucky; the aggro had been pulled a bit sooner than ideal. But this was a contingency he had already factored in to some degree. Choi Han urgently notified the friendly forces and ordered them to prepare defenses.
The less than a month he had spent here ranked among the worst periods of his life — but at the very least, he had no intention of looking incompetent as a commander.
"All units, defensive formation! The Abysses from the colony have begun their assault. S-class hunters at the front, fall back into the formation immediately!"
Even an S-class hunter was at considerable risk if surrounded by an offensive of this scale. Moreover, in a situation like this, their strongest combat asset needed to be used to full effect — which meant her position had to be adjusted. Choi Han ordered Sena to rejoin the main force at once.
Then—
"Hey. What the hell are you talking about? What about the Abysses?"
Sena's irritated voice came through the earpiece. Assuming she simply hadn't heard the order clearly in the middle of combat, Choi Han repeated himself.
"Abysses are flooding in. Rejoin the friendly forces immediately—"
"So? What about it?"
"…Excuse me?"
Sena's reply was ice-cold. Realizing that something he had not anticipated was unfolding, Choi Han spoke urgently.
"The Abysses from the colony are heading your way right now! If you stay there, you'll be caught in the middle of the assault! Move, immediately!"
"Listen, Adjutant. I had my hopes up — figured you were some kind of genuine talent. Turns out you're no different from the rest."
"W-what?"
"Sorry, but you still don't seem to understand what we're capable of. Watch carefully. This is what an S-class hunter is."
"What are you—! No! Stop right now!"
In the next moment, far from retreating, Sena charged straight toward the oncoming swarm of Abysses. Choi Han's face went ashen, and a single thought tore through his mind.
Fuck… What kind of insane guild master is this? If she won't follow the commander's orders in a situation like this, what the hell am I supposed to do?
In the middle of combat, Sena was ignoring the operational commander's orders and charging into enemy lines alone. Guild master or not, Choi Han knew perfectly well how deranged that was in a group engagement — this wasn't even an independent action.
And it wasn't just a problem for the one S-class hunter diving into the enemy ranks. If their strongest asset refused to follow his directions, holding the defensive line until Yujin's support unit arrived would become extraordinarily difficult. On top of that, if she kept thrashing around off on her own, even if her S-class strength kept her from dying, she would only provoke the surrounding Abysses further.
And the place where that heightened Abyss assault would come crashing down…
…was, of course, the main force — the other hunters holding the defensive formation in the rear.