Weakling Hunters
The hunters somehow managed to take down the Sand Eater.
Though their numbers had dwindled from sixty to barely ten.
Defeating what was estimated to be at least an area boss-level S-rank monster was achievement enough to boast about.
And they'd done it without a single S-rank hunter in their ranks.
Watching from a safe distance, I quietly marveled.
Is this the current level of hunters? Just this much?
Their skills were even worse than I'd imagined.
Based on what the Red Wyvern had told me not long ago, I'd thought these hunters might be fairly skilled, but they were anything but.
I'd casually provoked a suitable monster passing by and lured it their way, and one alone had nearly wiped them out spectacularly.
Of course, it had some minor minions that looked like underlings, but they were so insignificant they probably wouldn't have swayed the battle much.
Probably...?
Either way, for all my high expectations, the hunters' prowess was pathetically underwhelming.
I might not have needed to bother luring the monster just to test their strength.
Left Head had been getting bored anyway; it might've been better if I'd just handled it myself.
No. Against such feeble opponents, stepping in would've just gotten my hands dirty for nothing.
And Left Head's frustration from not getting to rampage properly would've all landed on me.
Considering that, staying out of it was the right call.
So, time to go collect my gear?
Time to start recovering the equipment that had been my original goal.
There were still about ten survivors left, but it didn't matter.
It was about time for Right Head's mealtime, after all.
"Hah... huff... huff... D-did we... get it...?"
Lee Hyun-woo gasped for breath, his chest heaving. The Sand Eater lay motionless, as if struck by some magical resurrection curse.
A collective sigh of relief escaped the surviving hunters' lips.
"...How many survivors?"
"...Twenty-seven in total. Thirteen of them are critically wounded and need immediate treatment... I excluded the lightly injured."
"There is no one who's not lightly injured..."
Lee Hyun-woo gave a bitter smile.
They'd defeated the S-rank Sand Eater, but the cost was devastating.
Nearly half dead. It was as good as a total wipe.
The expedition... is a bust.
Not just abandoned— a resounding failure.
An unprecedented, humiliating one at that.
They'd survived and made it back, but the backlash from this fiasco was beyond Lee Hyun-woo's wildest guesses.
For a moment, he felt dizzy enough to wish he'd just died right there.
Yet Lee Hyun-woo was the expedition leader and, temporarily at least, the raid captain of the 3rd Raid Team.
He couldn't afford to collapse here.
...Right. I'll take responsibility to the end.
An S-rank hunter.
Vice Guild Master of Hwarang Guild.
And a man with ambitions far beyond that.
Lee Hyun-woo refused to view the situation purely pessimistically.
We took down at least a floor boss... maybe even an area boss. The expedition failed, but this is still an opportunity in its own right.
In that brief moment, he assessed the situation and moved with a slightly brighter expression.
First, he needed to rally the survivors and escape the labyrinth.
Send a few fast ones out to report the situation outside and request backup. Treat the critically wounded with potions first...
As his thoughts continued, Lee Hyun-woo glanced aside.
In the midst of hunters checking the fallen, the wounded, or their comrades' corpses, an unfamiliar man stood quietly.
He wore dark black hanbok-style robes.
The outfit was a bit unusual, but not suspiciously so.
Off-the-rack factory stuff might be standard, but custom artisan pieces or labyrinth-made gear came in all sorts of odd designs.
No need to fuss over quirky equipment.
The problem was where he was standing.
The empty desert sands, barren of anything else.
Right in the center of the site of their fierce battle moments ago, appearing without a sound or presence.
He sensed nothing from the man, but Lee Hyun-woo's veteran instincts screamed a warning.
The hairs on his body stood on end.
"...Who are you?"
The mysterious man was human, at least on the surface.
Wary, yes— but no immediate suspicion.
He could've been a higher-rank hunter drawn by the battle noise, rushing to help.
Lee Hyun-woo's cautious call to the man was exceedingly polite.
The man said nothing.
He merely swept the brutal battlefield with indifferent eyes.
Those impassive eyes passed over the fallen corpses— more precisely, the gear in their possession— and lightly grazed Lee Hyun-woo's own equipment.
A chill unrelated to the cold ran through him, making Lee Hyun-woo shudder.
For an instant, he swore he saw a flash of crimson red in the man's eyes.
As Lee Hyun-woo sensed something off and opened his mouth to speak again—
The B-rank sensor hunter, who'd been terrified throughout and somehow still clung to life, suddenly screamed.
"M-monster! A huge snake...! It's the one that...! It's here to kill us...!"
—Run awaaay—!!!
At the B-rank hunter's scream-like cry, Lee Hyun-woo's body moved before his mind could catch up.
His long-honed instincts that had been warning him.
The uncanny wrongness emanating from the man.
And his comrade's desperate shout.
All converging, Lee Hyun-woo lunged at the man without hesitation, sword extended.
His gut screamed that he had to kill the man in front of him, or something terrible would happen.
The only flaw in that swift action? He wasn't fleeing— he was charging straight at the man.
Not that running would've changed his fate anyway.
No reaction...? Was I imagining it? A higher-rank hunter here to help us...? Then I need to apologize right—
His thoughts cut off mid-swing as his body jerked to a halt.
Then crumpled to the ground in that pose.
The final thought of the ambitious A-rank hunter.
His headless body toppled, the severed head rolling across the sand.
"R-raid captain...?"
"What the hell just...?"
Unease rippled through the surviving hunters.
Their minds couldn't process the unimaginable scene before them.
A few quick ones sensed the wrongness and moved, but their opponent was too much.
Thud— thud— thud—
Before the man even acted, the survivors' bodies hit the sand.
All with faces turned purple, vomiting pitch-black blood from their mouths.
Poisoned without even realizing it.
A few A-rankers resisted thanks to gear resistances, but even they didn't last.
They soon collapsed just like Lee Hyun-woo.
"Monster... m-m-monster...!"
Now, the only survivor was that lone B-rank sensor hunter.
Too paralyzed to flee or fight, he trembled, staring at the man.
The man approached him quietly.
Squatting before the hunter, he cleared his throat with an "Ahem."
As if speaking through vocal cords was unfamiliar.
"Did you notice me?"
The man's casual question, tinged with mild curiosity and no ups or downs, got only a dazed mutter of "monster" in response.
"Completely terror-stricken. I wasn't even emitting any presence..."
A glance— the man's eyes flicked to the hunter's crotch.
His pants were soaked dark with urine.
The man clicked his tongue softly.
"I thought you might be useful, but you're just skill trash."
—What a shame.
Muttering briefly, the man stood, interest gone.
Then turned away without another glance.
Leaving the terrified hunter untouched, he began methodically stripping gear from the fallen bodies.
His movements so leisurely, he even rifled through item bags amid mangled flesh that was more meat chunks than corpses.
Blood smeared everywhere on him, but he showed no reaction.
"Not much worth taking."
He tsked regretfully.
Yet he stuffed gear into collected item bags anyway, old porter habits dying hard.
After leisurely collecting for a while, he finally stopped.
No more gear worth salvaging.
A quick scan confirmed it; he hoisted a few relatively intact corpses and strolled away.
The B-rank hunter just mumbled "monster" blankly the whole time.
Soon after, drawn by the thick blood scent, monsters swarmed the ruined sands.
Anyone could guess what became of the lone survivor.
I found a suitable spot and inspected the recovered gear.
I'd glanced before, but hadn't examined properly, so I didn't know the exact uses of many.
I lacked appraisal skills, so no clue on quality.
But I could gauge levels from the mana flows emanating from them.
For such mediocre hunters, the gear quality was surprisingly high.
Lucky break.
Oh, and the hunter corpses I'd grabbed along with the gear? Right Head took care of them.
Human bodies aren't great eating in this form, so he shifted back to his original one for once.
Left Head roared excitedly at the rare treat.
The unidentified high-rank monster's bellow stirred up both monsters and hunters.
Of course it did.
No, I just stated facts— don't ask.
Fine, I'll let you handle things yourself from now on.
Yeah, yeah. Good boy.
Why's he biting again?
I've never treated you like Suli does...
Okay, maybe a little.
Alright, my bad this time too. Stop biting.
My scales are gonna crack.
While Right Head ate and Left Head threw a prickly tantrum, I calmly examined the gear.
Most were beyond anything I'd seen as a porter, so no objective sense of performance.
Just guesses from mana flows— this one seems better, etc.
That's why I'd wanted to spare a hunter who could appraise...
The one who spotted me was promising, but ultimately a dud.
No way he could've answered properly in that brain-dead state.
...Huh? Just use Left Head's Magic Eye?
True, his Magic Eye does mind control...
...I feel stupid.
I'm reflecting, so quit biting already.
Next time, we'll discuss properly.
Finally soothed Left Head, and now Right Head's whining he's hungry.
After devouring five burly hunters, and he's still not full?
Our size does demand a lot, sure...
Fine. I won't neglect you like Left Head— you'll get yours too.
"Kyaaaah—!!!"
[Who's neglecting who?!]
"Shiii—!"
[Hungryyyy—!]
Suddenly missing Suli and Snow fiercely.
Compared to these two, Suli's practically an angel, right?
"Congcong—!"
Recalling Suli's excited antics, maybe not so much.
At least on par with my sidekicks here.
Ah, missing To Soon-i too.
Though Right Head seems to miss her more...
Had to talk him down for her safety.
Anyway, family withdrawal hit hard.
Time to hurry a bit.
Wrap up the revenge quick.