Chapter 23
Chapter 23
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 23
Chapter Title: Fairy Hunt on the Frontlines
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This subjugation operation was a northward push to reclaim North Korean territory. The reason I joined was that fairies appeared in droves here, and hunters had priority rights to the fairy magic stones and materials they personally caught.
The first day's advance northward went off without a hitch. The low-level monsters were too busy fleeing from the hunters marching in formation.
Fairies, which I was targeting, occasionally appeared as well. About a meter in height, with large eyes and smooth skin, they had a beautiful, androgynous baby angel-like appearance. Their cute looks might tempt the unwary to approach, but no such fools remained. Anyone who got close was dead.
Fairies didn't see humans as anything but enemies, unlike other monsters. Though their physical abilities were on par with goblins, their use of various elemental magic classed them as D-Rank monsters.
The hunters, assigned to temporary parties by the military, swept away the small fry while pushing forward the defensive line. Behind them, engineers cleared paths and built camps, steadily advancing the front upward.
"Keep it up just like this. Maintain your formation. Don't rush ahead or lag behind."
The hunter net, spanning kilometers, slowly pushed north under the commander's orders.
"Hunter-nims! Do not break formation. Do not charge out alone! I said don't go!!!"
The soldier relaying the commander's orders strained his voice trying to control the disobedient hunters. Hunters were as hard to manage as reservists, hence the saying.
The monsters that appeared were mostly E-Rank ones like small hellhounds, slimes, and werewolves, excluding fairies.
The hot-blooded hunters, prepared for D-Rank monsters, kept itching to advance faster and disobeyed orders by surging forward.
I was frustrated that no fairies I needed showed up, but I quietly dealt with the minor monsters alongside the other hunters.
* * *
"Battalion commander! B4 and C3 sectors report deadlock. They request B-Rank or higher hunter support."
"What bullshit is that? They have more manpower!"
"Werewolves and fairies in large numbers, they say."
The radioman looked aggrieved at being cursed for something he didn't request.
"Tch... Ahem... Section Chief, can we spare some personnel?"
At the radioman's report, the army battalion commander asked Baek Yeongsin, the section chief from the Awakening Bureau.
"High-level monsters don't come to this operation zone much, so we can spare a few B-Rank and C-Rank hunters. I'll give the orders."
In the command tent, Baek Yeongsin reassigned personnel. In these subjugation ops, hunters moved with the military, but command authority over them lay with the Awakening Bureau.
"Huh? That guy's pulling back? Aren't those B-Rank and C-Rank hunters?"
"Better if they're gone. Already too many weaklings making it boring—now the big shots are out, so more shares for us."
The other hunters whispered as the high-rankers withdrew, but since this line wasn't in dire straits, the mood was welcoming rather than resentful.
Even with many high-rankers pulled back, the monsters were low-level compared to the hunters, so our line advanced steadily.
"We'll stop here for today! All except those on guard duty, return to the tents~!"
Following military command, most left the front line except those handling guards and small fry. A resort like during the hellhound op would be nice, but this area was dense forest. Unable to stray far, even the hunters had to bunk in temporary tents this time. But the rewards made it worthwhile.
I drew first guard duty, so I stayed behind instead of heading to the tent. Guard duty didn't mean staring into the woods until your eyes fell out. It was more like a standby team—you went to defend when the guard team spotted monsters. With time to spare, I helped the soldiers building the camp.
"Oh, Hunter-nim, helping out?"
"Yeah, nothing else to do."
When I rolled up my sleeves to assist, the soldiers looked surprised.
"Other hunters never help. Thanks."
"No problem."
Inside gates, electronics failed and large-caliber ammo was hard to carry in bulk, so modern weapons were useless there. Outside gates, though, they helped a lot.
Monster hides were tough—even C-Rank shrugged off most modern arms—but with heavy machine guns and multiple rocket launchers deployed, they could hold low-level monsters or buy time until hunters arrived.
Still, hunters were key in monster fights.
"This goes over there, right?"
"Huh?! That's too heavy to lift... He lifted it...."
When I hefted the entire machine gun and moved it to the spot, the soldiers' jaws dropped.
"Wow... As expected of a hunter. That thing weighs over a ton, right?"
Ammo boxes alone were dozens of kilos each, yet I carted several at a time swiftly.
"Hunter-nim, want some snacks?"
Soldiers a few years younger than me shared their combat rations. Thanks to me, work finished much faster, so everyone was in high spirits.
"Sure, thanks."
I was craving something sweet anyway—perfect.
"Um... How long ago did you awaken, if I may ask?"
The soldiers clustered around, asking trivia like kids with a sports star.
"A few months."
"A few months?! Aren't you D-Rank?"
"Yeah."
"You reached D-Rank in just a few months?"
"Hard work pays off."
"Skills or stats... Can't ask about those, right?"
"Nope."
"Ah, yeah, figured. Sorry."
Skills and stats were like company trade secrets—industry etiquette not to pry. Though fame meant they'd leak online anyway.
"It's fine. You saw me fight, so you get the gist: no special skills, just high combat power."
I picked up a stone from the ground and crushed it to dust.
"Whoaaa."
Seeing them amused made me feel good too, so we chatted over dinner.
* * *
"Alert! Alert! All hands to battle stations!"
The emergency siren blared in the dead of night. No need to grab weapons or armor—I bolted straight out of the tent.
"What?! What's happening!?"
Hunters and soldiers hurriedly dressed and poured out.
Fairies rained magic from the sky while werewolves charged from the ground. Wind Cutters and Fireballs flying from all sides turned the camp inside out.
Soldiers fired back with heavy machine guns and rifles relocated earlier that day. Even lucky hits among dozens or hundreds of rounds were blocked by fairy barriers. Stationary targets could've had their barriers shattered by sustained fire, but nailing tiny, fast fairies repeatedly was tough.
Conversely, fairy magic shredded the machine guns effortlessly.
Returning frontline hunters and soldiers barely held a defensive line, but fairies boxed the camp with Fireballs and Fire Walls. Freshly cut logs from camp-building ignited, spreading toxic smoke everywhere, and sparks hit ammo boxes, causing explosions all over.
Soldiers tried dousing flames with dirt and extinguishers, but it was pissing in the wind.
"Damn it! We'll burn to death like this!"
One hunter felled a werewolf while cursing.
"Mages, prioritize fire suppression!"
The battalion commander, sweating bullets, ordered the mages.
Mages summoned water, redirected winds, or dispelled fairy magic, desperately containing the blaze each in their way.
"Rest of you hunters, go out and take down the fairies!"
"Are you insane?! Through that fire?"
A hunter battling werewolves yelled at the commander's words.
"Can't suppress this without high-rankers! Where are the B-Rank hunters from earlier?!"
"Damn it... Radioman! Support requested?!"
"Y-Yes! ETA 10 minutes!"
"We'll all be dead by then!"
Soldiers and D-Rank hunters edged toward panic.
I smashed werewolves one by one while assessing. I'd survive somehow, but in 10 minutes like this, soldiers would die even if hunters didn't.
I came for fairies anyway—time to work.
I charged the flames. Spotting me, fairies unleashed Fireballs. Instant firepower was weaker than hellhound flames, but the barrage scorched my clothes and skin clean off.
My tough body let me regenerate through the damage without instant death, barreling straight through the inferno.
I burst through the flames, climbed a tree, and leaped at a flying fairy.
Its big eyes widened in surprise—it couldn't react. I swung, shattering its barrier and swatting it down.
Luckily, they didn't fly high enough to be out of tree-jumping range.
Me drawing eyes meant over ten fairies targeted me instead of the camp, easing attacks there.
"Fairy magic's weakening! Push!"
I dodged incoming spells as best I could, launching at airborne fairies. Careless ones fell to me, but wary ones kept distance, spamming magic.
I kept whiffing and eating spells as a result.
[Agility increased by 2.]
Not lethal, but repeated hits leveled my Agility.
With boosted Agility, I zigzagged trees faster than a monkey, then sprang at a fairy. My launch speed outpaced their evasion.
"1st Company, cease fire and focus on suppression!"
Rifles weren't doing much anyway—leave combat to hunters, soldiers pulled back for firefighting.
Slowly picking off fairies one by one turned the tide in our favor.
"Support's here!"
A helicopter approached from afar; the arriving B-Rank mage unleashed lightning on clustered fairies from within.
"Kya aaak!"
Lightning spread wide, frying fairies; survivors scattered with chilling screams.
"Fuckers, took their sweet time!"
Commanders, hunters, camp dwellers—all yelled in half-joy, half-rage.
"Hoo..."
After clearing nearby monsters, I noticed my state. Clothes burned to threads, body charred black. Regeneration worked, but dead cells lingered on my skin.
"Healer!"
"I'm fine. Just give me some clothes."
I waved off the soldier calling a healer and wrapped a blanket around myself.
"You're Hunter Lee Ji-seok, right? Good work."
The battalion commander approached me as I rested.