Downfall of the Magma Wyvern
A streak of light shot forth, carving a long trail in its wake.
In the blink of an eye, it reached the massive body of the Magma Wyvern and erupted in a brilliant explosion.
Park Han, who had been watching intently, let out an exclamation.
"A direct hit!"
"...No. It didn't inflict any real damage."
Leysha's calm voice marked the end of her words, followed immediately by a thunderous roar that shook the air.
"──────!!!"
"Grrgh…!"
"Kyaaak!"
The wyvern's cry reverberated across the area, sending even some lower-rank hunters crumpling to the ground from its sheer force alone.
Even the high-rank hunters lost their composure for a moment in the face of that overwhelming resonance.
"Everyone, snap out of it! The monsters are coming!"
Park Han and the other high-rank hunters who were still steady rallied the members of the subjugation team.
In the distance, drakes, wyverns, and swarms of other dragonkin monsters were charging toward them in packs.
The hunters swallowed hard, tension rising in their throats.
"I'll focus on bringing down the Magma Wyvern. The rest of you…"
"We'll thin out the monster numbers as much as we can. We leave it to you, Leysha Hunter."
Leysha gave a slight nod in response to Park Han's courteous bow.
Her gaze had already shifted to the Magma Wyvern, now perilously close.
It had looked enormous from afar, but up close, it was incomprehensibly vast—enough to make one doubt whether such a behemoth could even be felled.
As the hunters' resolve began to waver at the sight of its colossal form, Leysha nocked another arrow and drew her bowstring taut.
Just like before, a shaft of light gathered at the nock.
Without hesitation, she released it.
Shiiik—
Unlike the previous shot, this arrow slicing through the wind did not target the Magma Wyvern.
It soared endlessly into the open sky before halting abruptly at some invisible point.
And then.
Shwaaang—
With a sharp crackle, a burst of radiance exploded outward.
A rain of pristine white arrows poured down from the heavens.
"Kraaang—!!!"
"Grrruk…."
Leysha's arrow storm rained down indiscriminately on monsters in the air and on the ground alike.
The merciless barrage, striking only the beasts, drew cheers from the subjugation team's hunters.
"Now's our chance! Everyone, charge!"
At Park Han's command, the hunters surged forward in unison.
As if the tension from moments ago had evaporated, they advanced with disciplined precision toward the monsters.
Though the monsters' ranks were far from low, Leysha's divine display had ignited their spirits—they began to cut through the horde with ruthless efficiency.
Leysha watched the scene for a moment before glancing skyward.
It might escape the notice of the other hunters, but not hers.
Those blazing eyes glaring at her from beyond the clouds.
'Target the wings. The finishing blow won't come from me.'
She had stepped in to protect the innocent hunters from harm, but her true role as an observer remained unchanged.
She never forgot that.
"Kroooaaah───!!!"
The Magma Wyvern unleashed another earth-shattering roar.
Its voice, reverberating through the air, carried a substantial infusion of mana.
"Dragon Fear!"
"Fall back if you lack resistance or have weak mental fortitude!"
"Steel your minds! Unless you want to turn into idiots!"
Shouts rang out from various spots among the hunters.
Though they were all seasoned veterans and the damage was minimal, the sudden intimidation attack still inflicted some losses.
But the Magma Wyvern's assault didn't end there.
Was it retaliation for Leysha's earlier strike?
The beast gliding through the sky let out a thin, high-pitched cry toward the upper atmosphere.
"─────"
Unlike before, it carried no mana—just a simple vocalization—but Leysha didn't let her guard down.
She had reviewed its intel before the subjugation even began.
'It can use high-rank fire magic.'
And its most frequent spell was…
"Meteor Summon."
Leysha murmured softly, her eyes fixed on the sky.
As expected, massive meteors were descending from the distant heavens.
Dozens of them, easily.
The other hunters soon spotted them too.
"Meteors!"
"Teams 5 and 6, deploy barriers! Everyone else, brace for impact!"
"Cease engagement and fall back! Group up—move!"
The hunters hurriedly clustered by their pre-assigned teams.
They had planned for meteors before departure, so chaos was minimal.
However.
'More than expected.'
Leysha frowned slightly at the slowly approaching barrage blotting the sky.
'Can the subjugation team block that many?'
They could, surely.
The team's average rank was high, and they had contingencies in place.
But the casualties would be significant.
'Time to exert myself a bit.'
After a brief deliberation, Leysha drew her bow once more.
Another flash of light streaked forth, just like always.
But this time, it split upon release—first into several strands, then dozens more mid-flight.
The arrows divided again and again.
By the end of the process, their number was too vast to count with the naked eye, filling one side of the sky.
The watching hunters forgot the crisis, gaping in awe.
"Whoa…."
"Beautiful…."
"That's Leysha Barrett… the greatest hunter…."
Hundreds, thousands of radiant shafts collided with the incoming meteors.
Explosions bloomed across the sky amid deafening booms.
"Don't just stand there! The meteors are gone, but debris remains!"
"Barriers up! Intercept what you can!"
"Move, now!"
Harsh commands snapped the dazed hunters back to action.
"Kraaaang───!!!"
Had its attack been thwarted too easily?
The Magma Wyvern dove toward Leysha in a fury, its colossal frame hurtling at terrifying speed unfit for its size.
It drew in a deep breath right before her.
Mana converged rapidly as it exhaled.
The breath weapon exclusive to dragonkin monsters.
A scorching blaze that incinerated all it touched engulfed the area.
"Breath attack! Scatter!"
"Don't try to block—evade at full speed!"
"Protect the healers first!"
Not even veteran hunters could stay calm amid the blistering heat right in front of them.
As the hunters fled desperately, Leysha vanished silently.
Though she had been right there, her Stealth skill blended her seamlessly into the surroundings, transcending mortal limits.
Amid the chaos, the wyvern furrowed its brow at its vanished prey and soared back into the sky with a roar.
Watching it circle leisurely from afar, Kwon Je-na—standing with her guildmates—grimaced.
"I wish that bastard would just drop already."
"Doesn't look easy. Its durability is insane, but will our attacks even land…?"
Most strikes barely scratched it.
How much harder would it have been without Leysha, as originally planned?
Yoon Myung-ho sighed quietly.
"How are the guild members holding up?"
"No major injuries. Some damage from the breath, but potions can handle it."
"Tell me if anyone's in bad shape. I'll heal them."
"Shouldn't you conserve your mana, Vice Guild Master? We'll need the SA-ranks to take it down eventually."
Kwon Je-na snorted lightly at Yoon Myung-ho's question.
"Priorities matter. Taking it down is important, but minimizing guild losses comes first."
She glanced around subtly.
Most hunters had grouped by guilds for defense.
The pre-assigned teams were already half-useless.
She had anticipated this, but not so soon.
Probably due to that recent breath attack.
"…So where's our Leysha Hunter off to? It'd be nice if she'd start clipping that thing's wings soon."
Kwon Je-na scanned for Leysha, who had completely vanished.
No worries she had fled—Leysha wasn't the type.
She was the ultimate hunter.
'This won't be easy.'
Leysha, concealed from all eyes, stared calmly at the Magma Wyvern gliding overhead.
It seemed focused on the other hunters, but not to her discerning gaze.
'It's searching for me.'
It knew she was the greatest threat here.
As intel had suggested, an intelligent monster.
Common knowledge claimed monsters lacked intellect, but Leysha knew better.
High-rank beasts often possessed it, some surpassing humans.
Aware of this, Leysha remained patient.
She was a hunter—one who could wait, endure.
One who struck at the perfect opening.
'About time for Richard to move.'
Her aide, Richard, was no ordinary attendant.
No way she'd bring a mere civilian this deep into the labyrinth.
Richard was an SA-rank hunter—a tank specialized in drawing aggro.
"Grrrh──"
Suddenly, the wyvern's circling pattern shifted.
It had sporadically targeted ground hunters before, but now fixated on one.
Richard, naturally.
Shield raised, he glared up with flashing eyes.
"Come on! Winged lizard!"
The monster couldn't understand words, but it worked anyway.
With Leysha nowhere in sight, grief and rage over its slain kin drove the wyvern straight at him.
Even a simple charge from that size felt like an avalanche.
Richard hoisted his shield against the oncoming behemoth.
A massive shield projection materialized and slammed into the wyvern.
Kung—
The collision sent Richard skidding over thirty meters.
He coughed up blood, crimson streaming down, but blocking that charge was a triumph—negligible damage by comparison.
The wyvern snorted hot breath at him.
His shield projection had already dissipated.
"Grrrh───…."
With a low growl, it gaped its maw wide.
Sharp fangs lunged to devour him whole.
"Armament!"
His voice rang with unyielding faith as a streak of light flashed toward him.
The arrow aimed at the wyvern's eye missed its mark.
The beast had jerked its head back and wrapped itself in its vast wings upon spotting it.
As if anticipating this, another flash followed.
Stronger than before.
Sensing peril, the wyvern flapped to ascend.
"Not escaping."
Leysha murmured and released.
This time, not mere mana—an arrow with solid form, brimming with power.
It pierced one wing clean through.
"────!!!"
The wing tore open with a visceral pop amid the shock.
The wyvern's body lurched.
Undeterred by its deafening shriek, Leysha nocked another arrow.
A quiver from her item bag now hung over her shoulder.
"Now, everyone. Begin."
At her steady command, the waiting subjugation hunters sprang into action.
Harpoons infused with chilling mana—perfect counters to the wyvern—launched in unison.
"All with ice magic, unleash everything! No holding back on mana!"
"Once it falls, we go all-out! Stay sharp—no letting trash mobs close in!"
"Kraaaang───!!!"
Dozens, hundreds of spells and arrows pelted the roaring wyvern.
Given the team's average rank, few would truly harm it, but they weren't useless.
The beast, trying to flee skyward, couldn't gain altitude under the onslaught.
And toward it, Leysha loosed her final shot.
Shwaaak—Boom!
As her arrow bored a new hole in the other wing.
Kuuung—
The mountain-like bulk finally plummeted.
"Shaaaah───!!!"