Chapter 15
Chapter 15
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 15
Chapter Title: The Giant Hellhound
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[Strength has increased by 2.]
The moment a Hellhound the size of a small horse bit into me and yanked me around in every direction, straining my entire body, my Strength stat went up.
Enduring the pain, I grabbed the heads of the ones shaking me and crushed them with my newfound Strength. After taking out one, as I smashed the head of another, the remaining Hellhounds clinging to me realized they’d die if they stayed and leaped back, putting some distance between us.
Smart and strong.
These weren’t F-Rank monsters like Goblins by any means. Still, they weren’t beyond what I could handle.
Now they weren’t charging in full force but hitting and running. Even so, it was different from day one or two. Before, I couldn’t keep up with their speed and could only defend passively, but today, whenever several came at me, at least one or two fell to me.
I’d taken a good number of hits and was bleeding quite a bit, but within an hour, I’d cleared most of the Hellhounds in the den. During that time, a few grabbed the pups in their mouths and fled. That’s why, in Korea’s monster-infested mountains, complete extermination was so hard—they’d hide deep in the peaks.
Now the problem was disposing of the bodies. I’d gone pretty deep into the mountains. Dragging these big bastards to the nearest checkpoint from here would take all night until dawn.
After pondering what to do, I looked up the number of the Awakening Bureau official who’d authorized giving me the key in the Hunter App and called.
“Hello?”
He sounded groggy, like he’d been asleep.
“Hello. Is this Section Chief Kwon Jong-il? This is Lee Jiseok. Could you send a transport helicopter to my location?”
No need to drag it out—I got straight to the point.
“Yes? Why do you need a transport helicopter?”
My request must’ve caught him off guard, as Kwon Jong-il’s voice sharpened, sleep fading.
“If you check my position, you’ll see I’m pretty deep in. And these Hellhounds are big and numerous—moving them to the checkpoint is tough.”
“I see. But hunters are supposed to bring the bodies themselves, so air support is difficult.”
“I’ll send photos, so check them and ask your director. They’re not normal-sized anyway, and boosting my record isn’t bad for the Awakening Bureau, right? With air support, I can take down several times more than before. And for the Hellhounds transported with support, I’ll take only half the government bounty.”
“Hmm. I’ll report it. Please hold on.”
I doubted the Awakening Bureau would turn down halving the bounty. The helicopters were on standby for emergencies anyway.
I hung up and sent the photos. Then I sat on a rock for a bit, enjoying the night scenery. The weather was nice today, almost a full moon, so the moonlight was great. Looking up at the sky full of countless stars, it felt poetic just sitting there for a moment.
The reply came quicker than expected.
“Permission granted. But to avoid unfairness to other hunters, we’ve announced that if they gather a certain number at one spot, we’ll provide support. The helicopter will arrive in 20 minutes.”
Kwon Jong-il rattled off the info briskly, fully awake now.
The 20 minutes waiting while gazing at the moon and stars flew by.
Unable to land a large transport helicopter on the rugged terrain, they dropped a big tarp from above. I loaded the bodies onto it, hooked it to the chopper, and they winched it up. The pilot gave a thumbs-up, and I waved lightly in response.
With the helicopter handling body disposal, I could hunt even faster.
Scouring the mountains until dawn, I cleared another den. Without the support, tonight would’ve ended just clearing and hauling that one den. I gave up half the profit, but overall, it was a gain. And the bet wasn’t about profit—it was about the score.
I hadn’t counted exactly as they were airlifted, but I figured I’d taken down over eighty that night. Once the score updated on the Hunter App, I’d easily surpass Choi Cheolmin.
Even so, I didn’t let my guard down and kept hunting through the day without rest.
No luck finding another den in the daytime, but I killed every wandering Hellhound I spotted.
Another thing I noticed while hunting: hardly any other wildlife around, day or night. The Hellhounds must’ve eaten them all.
As winter deepened and food grew scarce for them, it was only a matter of time before they headed to the villages. No harmful beasts without beasts like these.
In the midst of hunting, around noon, Sangheon called.
“Hyung, what magic did you use? Over a hundred since yesterday?”
Sangheon sounded baffled.
“Hmm. Can’t afford to lose the bet, right?”
“Didn’t peg you for such a competitive guy.”
“Am I? Plus, there’s money on the line.”
A hundred million wasn’t pocket change. I was the type to pocket every mana stone from a Goblin Gate.
“You took the bet, hyung.”
I could hear the disbelief in Sangheon’s voice.
“I took it because I’d win. Anyway, what’s up?”
“Don’t get complacent. Choi Cheolmin’s grinding his teeth—he’s closing in tight.”
“Got it. Thanks.”
I hung up and checked the scoreboard. Choi Cheolmin had hunted over seventy, closing the gap big time. Wished I’d found a den during the day.
No more dens even deep in the mountains, so I started descending while searching. Around dusk, faint screams and fighting sounds echoed from afar.
The instant I heard, I bolted that way.
I leaped down the steep slope like I was falling. With my boosted Strength, Agility, and reinforced body, dropping dozens of meters in succession barely fazed me.
Minutes later, I reached the scene. Dozens of pony-sized Hellhounds had a party surrounded.
The hunters looked injured but still standing, so probably not critical.
The ones at the back spotted me and turned. I didn’t slow, charging straight in.
I smashed heads with punches on whatever I grabbed, or hurled biting ones at others.
Recognizing me as the bigger threat, most turned my way.
“Run!”
I yelled at the hunters as I drew the encirclement off them.
They flinched at my words, glanced at each other, and started backing away.
‘Huh? Bae Nayoung?’
Glancing at the fleeing faces, I spotted Bae Nayoung among the party. The terror-stricken woman looked like your average early-20s rookie hunter.
She didn’t strike me as a villain no matter how I looked.
Shaking off the distraction, I focused on the Hellhounds.
A few chased the fleeing hunters, but they’d handle that.
I cleared the area and caught my breath. Looked like I’d taken down about thirty. Called for helicopter support.
“Lee Jiseok Hunter, no helicopter support right now.”
Kwon Jong-il sounded urgent.
“Why not?”
“Hellhound packs are gathering abnormally. Helicopters are tied up rescuing hunters and civilians—no spare for elsewhere. You should head back too, Lee Jiseok Hunter.”
I told the worried man okay and hung up. The app showed rescue requests and multiple Hellhound packs spotted. Locations and times suggested packs descending from the mountains toward the resort area.
Hellhounds hunted in groups but didn’t mix packs. Now they were all converging.
Maybe the subjugation had agitated them into assembling.
Conveniently, I was on the path to the resort. Fighting took less time than searching mountains or hauling bodies—this clustering was good news for me.
The bet with Choi Cheolmin wasn’t over.
I piled the hunted Hellhounds in one spot and headed where another pack was reported.
Minutes later, I spotted a pack descending the mountain.
I accelerated into the middle of the charging herd. My speed matched theirs, so they didn’t react.
No need for punches or swings—I barreled in at full speed, colliding. Those I hit flew like they’d been trucked, several sent tumbling as I split the pack in two.
They halted, surrounding me.
After a tense standoff, we both charged, and the fight began.
It was one-sided. With my leveled-up stats and skills, even the big Hellhounds posed no threat.
They kept coming, undeterred by their dying comrades.
Then distant howling echoed. The ones attacking me backed off and joined in, their howls spreading across the mountain.
My sharp senses prickled with warning. Danger if I stayed.
The moment I thought to flee, something massive vaulted the forest and landed before me.
A Hellhound huge enough for a Gate loomed. Easily over five meters long, shoulder height around three. How had something this big survived so close to civilization? A Gate Break survivor that evaded hunters? Or a mutated Earth-born one? Even in my past life, giant monsters popped up randomly, or unseen ones from Gates.
Whatever the reason, it was here. House-sized body moving with eerily fluid grace, stepping toward me. If it fought like a Gate Hellhound, it’d be D-Rank—something multiple D-Rank hunters would need to tackle.
If my level were a bit higher, I could’ve tried, but I was barely E-Rank, stats nearing D.
Run? It’d outpace me for sure.
Better strike first—I lunged.
The Hellhound gaped its jaws and spewed fire.
No time to dodge; I barely shielded my face with my arms. Flames engulfed me.
Nothing like the dragon breath of legends, but the searing pain had me gritting my teeth, rolling on the ground to escape.
The flames stopped, but fire scorched my face, blinding me. Senses screamed to evade, but the blaze had stiffened me.
A massive forepaw swatted me. Even with compressed energy boosting my weight, I was featherlight compared to it—sent flying like a cannonball, crashing through two trees before hitting the ground.