The Lure of Victory
Wang Feng clicked his tongue softly at the sight of the hunters collapsing lifelessly to the ground.
‘Useless trash!’
He had pretended to care for them, but in truth, Wang Feng couldn't have cared less what happened to the hunters.
No, if anything, he had been hoping for a little more.
‘At least they should’ve created an opening before dying! Even a meat shield would’ve been useful!’
Swallowing his rage at these incompetents who couldn’t even manage that, Wang Feng thrust his spear forward.
The incoming ice chunks shattered, scattering in all directions.
“Don’t dawdle! Fight bravely and die! I, Wang Feng, will remember your deaths!”
“Waaah—!!!”
The hunters roared in unison and charged at Nix.
Blindly rushing ahead without glancing around, they resembled moths drawn to a flame.
‘What a ruthless bastard Wang Feng is.’
Shh—
His utter disregard for others’ sacrifices in pursuit of victory was truly admirable.
Even those who had spent years by his side were being driven to their deaths, and “ruthless” hardly seemed to cover it.
The heads of Nix bellowed fiercely at the hunters charging heedless of death.
“Namhun!”
“Yes, Leader!”
“Split your forces! Divide into teams and target one head each!”
“Understood, Leader!”
At Wang Feng’s command, the hunters moved with perfect coordination.
As if they had rehearsed it, they split into teams in an instant, each assaulting a different head.
Nix was undoubtedly an SS-rank monster.
Stronger than any monster Wang Feng had ever hunted.
If they had known of its existence in advance and prepared accordingly, that would be one thing—but against such a formidable foe with no warning, victory was far from assured through brute force.
‘If we have to deal with all nine heads at once.’
Nix was an unprecedented powerhouse, but it wasn’t invincible.
Nix was strong, but what about its individual heads?
The nine heads made Nix powerful together.
So, create a situation where they couldn’t aid each other.
‘SS-rank as a whole, but each one falls short on its own!’
Though each head surpassed SA-rank monsters by a wide margin, it was still far better than facing all nine united.
Wang Feng smirked as he watched the team-based hunters engaging Nix’s heads.
“This ends now, monster!”
Unlike the others in teams, Wang Feng charged alone at the central head.
Kwajik—
The blade pierced dead-center into the eye without a millimeter’s error, and the left head shrieked savagely.
“Kyaaah—!!!”
“Now’s our chance! Don’t let up! Finish it off!”
The hunters swarmed the left head, which faltered from the pain and couldn’t respond properly.
Each had survived this long for a reason—their skills were no joke.
And their tenacity was unmatched; minor wounds didn’t faze them in the slightest.
Among them, the one troubling Nix most was Wang Feng.
“Haha! Your movements are slowing, monster!”
The central head roared fiercely at Wang Feng swinging that signature red spear mercilessly.
It pierced its high durability, wounds multiplying endlessly.
Regeneration healed them, but new ones formed even faster.
A relentless barrage that outpaced even its recovery.
‘Endless. Does this guy never tire?’
They wanted to help each other, but there was no way.
Any attempt to assist a neighboring head brought hunters swarming.
Shaaah—
The left head, bellowing fiercely, gathered mana intensely.
It was casting a spell to shake off the hunters at once.
“It’s gathering mana!”
“Block it now! Don’t let it do anything!”
The hunters noticed and charged immediately.
Under the onslaught from all sides, the left head had no choice but to cancel its spell.
Normally, the other heads would draw attention during casting—this was a first.
And as the left head hesitated from the backlash, the hunters seized the opening and pressed harder.
The left head raged, but contrary to its words, it was helpless.
Desperately, it opened the eye in the center of its forehead.
“I’ll gouge out that cursed eye!”
As if waiting, Namhun lunged sharply at the left head attempting its third eye.
Blue aura blazed fiercely over his sword.
Just as the hunters’ weapons were about to tear into the left head mercilessly.
“Shaaah—!!!”
Suddenly, the right head bashed into the encroaching hunters.
The intruding right head was a wreck.
It had forced its way through its own hunters.
Its wounds looked even worse than the left head’s.
“Hup!”
“Kwaaak!”
The abrupt right head savagely bit deep into Namhun’s shoulder.
“Kuhuk…! Y-You monster!”
Thud thud thud—!
Even under Namhun’s full-force punches, the right head refused to release its bite on his shoulder.
Namhun screamed in agony as flesh tore from bone.
“Kill…! Kill this thing now!”
At Namhun’s frantic shriek, the hunters rushed in.
Blood sprayed with each desperate strike.
Despite scales ripping away and blades ripping into flesh, the right head didn’t budge.
It simply glared at Namhun, still clamped on his shoulder.
In that fleeting, piercing gaze, Namhun felt terror.
“D-Damn it! Leader! Leeeeader—! Help me!”
Wang Feng, locked in combat with the central head, glanced toward Namhun’s desperate yell.
And then.
“Hmph.”
With a light scoff, he turned away indifferently, as if he’d seen nothing.
Namhun gaped blankly at that heartlessly detached figure.
“L-Leader…?”
The betrayal from the leader he’d trusted his whole life.
No, technically, it wasn’t even betrayal.
His leader had always been that kind of man.
Yet Namhun couldn’t help but be shocked, knowing full well.
He’d thought he was different.
That after all their trials together, he was the leader’s true brother.
“…Leader—! Leeeeader—!!!”
Even at the anguished calls, Wang Feng never looked back.
Staring at his leader’s coldly resolute back, Namhun let out a hollow laugh.
And then.
“Shaaah—”
The regenerated left head bit into Namhun’s other arm.
Left and right heads amiably devoured Namhun together.
Kwaduduk—
Thus, SA-rank Namhun—Wang Feng’s right-hand man and vice-subleader of the Cheoncheon Raid Team—met his end.
In the indifference of the leader he’d trusted.
‘Namhun, you worthless fool! If you were gonna die, at least take two heads with you!’
Wang Feng clicked his tongue irritably and swung his spear savagely.
A long gash opened across Nix’s forehead.
“Yang Hong! Take Namhun’s place!”
“…Pardon? B-But how could I…!”
Yang Hong, an SA-rank hunter with the skills to match, balked at the order—more adept at politics than combat.
At Yang Hong’s hesitation, Wang Feng bellowed.
“You idiot!”
“Eek! S-Sorry, Leader!”
“Keep them from helping each other!”
Snapping that addendum, Wang Feng refocused on Nix.
Yang Hong cautiously eyed him, then hastily directed the surviving hunters.
SA-rank competence shone through in decent leadership, but it paled far against Namhun’s.
Since becoming Wang Feng’s sworn brother, Yang Hong hadn’t led real combat—expecting Namhun-level command was asking too much.
With Namhun’s death, cracks formed in the hunters’ once-flawless coordination.
Subtle fissures, imperceptible at a glance due to their high skill—but Nix didn’t miss them.
The ninth head quietly spoke.
Nix, dodging Wang Feng’s assault, responded calmly to the telepathic message.
‘A plan?’
‘…Indeed.’
No elaborate scheme—just charge blindly—but it suited perfectly.
Nix’s battles had always been that way.
Nix’s nine heads gleamed quietly.
Hunters charging fearlessly.
Each killed them with every tool at their disposal.
Ignoring spears and swords piercing scales, they bit back.
Hunters with limbs torn off stabbed desperately to the end.
Not mere combat—a primal slaughter unfolded.
Blood soaked the ground.
“Kwaaak!”
“P-Please, just die—!!!”
“Leader! Achieve the great cause…!”
Screams and death rattles echoed everywhere.
Wang Feng grimaced mid-swing.
‘A mistake. Namhun’s absence is bigger than I thought!’
Normally, well-trained Cheoncheon raiders would adapt seamlessly—but with so few left, Namhun’s void loomed large.
‘Foolish Yang Hong! Can’t even match half of Namhun?!’
He knew his error, yet blamed Yang Hong—admitting fault bruised his pride too much.
For his towering ego, Wang Feng would unhesitatingly fault others.
‘Not entirely fruitless, though. Its regeneration has noticeably slowed!’
Retracting his spear, Wang Feng leaped back to catch his breath.
A quick glance showed Nix in dire straits.
‘Mana’s running dry.’
It had recovered somewhat by devouring fallen hunters, but wounds outweighed healing.
Mostly his handiwork, but others contributed too.
At least they’d served as perfect meat shields.
Wang Feng grinned at Nix, now covered in wounds unlike its formerly pristine state.
‘Thought they were useless, but they did their jobs.’
Glancing at the hunters—now few enough to count at a glance—Wang Feng smiled faintly.
‘Much less to share now.’
The reduced spoils from felling the hydra before him delighted him most.
He was the primary contributor, so their shares were minimal anyway—but more for him still thrilled.
‘Mana nearly depleted too. It’s at its limit. While I…’
Wang Feng extended his hand casually.
Yang Hong, catching on, rushed over with a radiant rainbow potion.
An elixir.
Gulp—gulp—
Wang Feng downed it leisurely under Nix’s gaze and smirked.
Nix flicked its tongue quietly at that insufferably smug smile.
‘The gnawing poison is completely gone.’
The toxin suppressed by mana vanished cleanly.
Minor wounds healed flawlessly; fatigue lifted, body invigorated as if freshly rested.
Mana hadn’t fully recovered, but his condition was peak.
Confidence bloomed naturally on Wang Feng’s face.
“A long fight, monster. But let’s end it now. This time, I’ll sever your last breath.”
“Shh—”
Wang Feng charged at the tongue-flicking Nix.
His spear thrust straight toward it.
“I’ll craft the finest gear from your bones and hide!”
Unlike the drained Nix, pristine Wang Feng unleashed a barrage.
As if determined to end this protracted battle, his ceaseless assault multiplied Nix’s wounds.
Regeneration tried, but sluggishly compared to before.
Non-fatal wounds were left untreated.
Dozens of spear images pierced Nix’s scales mercilessly in a blink.
Crimson blood sprayed; Nix’s pained cries echoed.
With those refreshing roars as accompaniment, Wang Feng thrust exuberantly.
The red-aura spear targeted the central head.
“Kyaaah—!!!”
Left and right heads rushed to block, but surviving hunters sacrificed themselves to interfere.
Even Nix’s other heads couldn’t block Wang Feng’s strike amid the blockers throwing their bodies in the way.
Nothing stood between Wang Feng and the central head.
“I’ll finally end that tenacious life!”
Surging red aura propelled the full-force thrust.
Nix’s widened eyes fixed on the spear tip.
As the crimson neared clearly, the central head exploded.
“Haha! Victory is mine, Wang Feng’s!”
As Wang Feng cackled in assured triumph at destroying the central head.
A voice suddenly resounded.
The low voice echoed in his mind.
Wang Feng hesitated briefly.
The ninth head, biding its time, impaled Yang Hong.
“Kuhuk—!!!”
Yang Hong, reveling in Wang Feng’s victory as his own, couldn’t react—pierced clean through.
“L-Leader! S-Save…!”
“Hmph. Final struggle? Don’t worry, Yang Hong. I’ll surely save…”
Wang Feng trailed off.
From Yang Hong’s convulsing body, pierced by fangs, a rainbow elixir vial peeked out.
“…No way!”
“Shh—”
“You bastard! No…!”
Realizing the intent, Wang Feng lunged desperately—but the ninth head kwajik—crunched Yang Hong.
The elixir vial shattered.
Mystical rainbow liquid slid slowly down the ninth head’s throat.
And then.
“Shh—”
The exploded central head—targeting Wang Feng’s back—chwarak—gaped wide.
The fully healed other heads charged in unison.
Death closed in from all sides.
Kwajik—
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