Chapter 101
Chapter 101
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 101
Chapter Title: Have We Made So Many Enemies?
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“Have we made this many enemies?”
Lee Jun-cheol let out a hollow laugh as he assessed the number of hunters attacking them.
“Two major guilds and five mid-sized guilds in an alliance…”
The absurd coalition’s stated justification was “to eradicate the remnants of Tyrant.”
“How bad could we have been for them to come charging at us foaming at the mouth?”
Lee Jun-cheol’s gaze turned toward Jeong Dae-yoon, the sole Tyrant survivor in Pantheon.
“It doesn’t seem like they’re coming just for me.”
Jeong Dae-yoon was chuckling in disbelief, just like Lee Jun-cheol.
Unless they were arch-traitors, there was no reason to form a coalition just to crush them like this.
“I swear on my life, I haven’t done anything shady. Even the judge acknowledged that.”
“I know. It was just a joke because their excuses sound so ridiculous.”
On the surface, they claimed to be purging Tyrant, but that was far from the truth.
It was merely a pretext to sell to the public.
Lee Jun-cheol had a vague idea why the other guilds were hostile toward Pantheon.
“Looks like wiping out those attackers last time without mercy ended up being the spark.”
Once the guilds realized Pantheon’s strength exceeded expectations, they concluded they couldn’t afford to give them more time to grow.
“But they started it.”
“Do those bastards strike you as the type to care about what’s right?”
If the other guilds’ hunters had any sense of justice, they never would have monopolized hunting grounds in the first place.
They were nothing more than groups driven purely by profit.
“And it’s not just that reason.”
“Then what else?”
“They probably don’t like how we’re getting support from low-rank hunters either.”
‘Why can’t you do that?’
Such opinions were starting to emerge among low-rank hunters and civilians.
The larger guilds, with their vast territories and sizes, faced even fiercer criticism.
The fear that they might lose their rice bowls united guilds that usually only bickered among themselves.
“Who would’ve thought we’d be the ones to bring about the grand guild unification.”
“Is this really the time for jokes? We need to come up with some countermeasures.”
“We’ve already done what we can. The secret unit Kang Jin-hyuk brought in has deployed, and Seo Sang-ho is at the front lines.”
If only they could hold them off with that manpower.
Lee Jun-cheol predicted they couldn’t stop the incoming tide of hunters with their current forces.
Holding off this insane assault with fewer than a hundred people was like saying they’d encircle and annihilate five thousand monsters with three hundred.
“I’ll head out too.”
“No. You know this building is still intact thanks to your skills, Jeong Dae-yoon.”
At Lee Jun-cheol’s point, Jeong Dae-yoon swallowed a pained groan.
“We don’t know how long this hide-the-eyes trick will hold.”
“When it’s exposed, that’ll be our end.”
Hundreds of hunters lurked near Pantheon’s headquarters, watching for an opening.
If they discovered the guards protecting the HQ were mostly Jeong Dae-yoon’s illusions, they’d rush in without hesitation.
“Isn’t there anything we can do?”
“Well, I’m no Zhuge Liang genius…”
Even if the Dragon of the Clouds were resurrected, breaking through this situation would be tough.
Strategies only worked when forces were evenly matched.
Or if they had advantageous terrain, but Pantheon had neither.
“Let’s request reinforcements from the Association.”
“Done, thirty minutes ago.”
“What? Then why haven’t we heard anything?”
“They’re cutting their losses, what else.”
Lee Jun-cheol said it nonchalantly, like it was no big deal.
With such a disparity in forces, the Association had no reason to waste valuable manpower on Pantheon.
“There are plenty of guilds to replace us if we fall anyway.”
Lee Jun-cheol reminded Jeong Dae-yoon of the cold reality.
“…It’s as bad as it can get, with no room to worsen.”
“Why not?”
Lee Jun-cheol flashed a mischievous smile and pointed alternately at himself and Jeong Dae-yoon.
“We haven’t run away and are still holding out here, so it’s not the worst yet.”
“Hahaha, that’s some uplifting talk.”
In truth, Jeong Dae-yoon was surprised Lee Jun-cheol hadn’t abandoned the guild yet, though he hadn’t voiced it.
Word was he and his crew were ex-mobsters slinging black-market goods.
They weren’t exactly known for loyalty in the face of money—rivaling even major guild hunters.
So why was Lee Jun-cheol sticking with a sinking ship like Pantheon?
“You’re wondering why I haven’t bolted, aren’t you.”
Lee Jun-cheol nailed Jeong Dae-yoon’s thoughts as if reading his mind.
Flustered, Jeong Dae-yoon waved his hands, face flushing red.
“N-no, of course not.”
“Kukuku, no need to hide it now that I’ve caught you.”
Surprisingly, Lee Jun-cheol showed no offense.
He knew full well he was an untrustworthy figure.
Sticking it out through crises like this was his way of shedding that image.
If they survived this, no one would suspect betrayal from him or his crew.
‘The plan sounds good, but I’m worried we can actually pull it off.’
Honestly, Lee Jun-cheol saw no path to victory whatsoever.
His current gamble was like holding a mismatched pile of crap cards and believing the next one would straight-flush him to win.
If the stakes were low, fine—but on the table was their lives. All in.
‘Maybe I should bail now.’
Lee Jun-cheol glared at the constantly updating situation board like it was his mortal enemy.
The scout reports were all bleak.
Su-in and Seo Sang-ho were shining brilliantly, but only the east and south flanks they held were safe.
The other guilds naturally targeted the gaps.
Even deploying the remaining guild members to bolster defenses wouldn’t hold the onslaught for long.
“Damn it!”
Lee Jun-cheol slammed the table in frustration.
『You look quite troubled.』
“…Pardon?”
Lee Jun-cheol whipped his head around, thinking it was Jeong Dae-yoon.
“What did you just say?”
“I didn’t say anything.”
Jeong Dae-yoon looked utterly clueless.
He wouldn’t joke around in a situation like this.
But Lee Jun-cheol had clearly heard a voice.
“It felt like it echoed right in my head…”
『Like this?』
Lee Jun-cheol scanned around, following the voice.
『Don’t waste energy looking. My body is cloaked in magic—you can’t see me with your eyes.』
“M-magic? Who the hell are you?!”
Lee Jun-cheol shouting at thin air made him look insane.
Yet no one there thought him strange.
The mysterious voice echoed from an invisible source, audible to everyone present.
“Did enemies sneak in during that?”
“Scan the area with detection items, quick!”
“Nothing’s showing up!”
Seeing the guild members panic, the dragon sighed in pity.
『Foolish creatures.』
He’d stepped in out of pity for Kang Jin-hyuk’s base under attack, only to turn headquarters into chaos.
『Calm down and listen. I’ve come to bestow mercy upon you.』
“M-mercy…? So you’re not an enemy?”
The dragon snorted at Lee Jun-cheol’s words.
『Do you think you lot could ever be my match?』
Lee Jun-cheol shook his head.
He didn’t know the intruder’s identity, but this was no ordinary foe.
The fact that no item could detect their position meant none of his guild members stood a chance.
“How do you plan to help us?”
『Once, and once only. I’ll unleash my breath where you command.』
The dragon could wipe out every human charging this place if he wanted.
But a being from another dimension wreaking havoc in this one went against the natural order.
Targeting just one area was the dragon’s utmost compromise.
“Th-then, could you handle the enemies swarming from that direction?”
Lee Jun-cheol pointed to where a major guild’s main force was advancing on the situation board.
Neutralizing that force would buy them significant time.
『Very well.』
Accepting the request, the dragon vanished his presence.
With the voice gone from his mind, Lee Jun-cheol sighed in relief and sank into his chair.
“Phew… Thought something crazy had happened.”
Jeong Dae-yoon was equally shaken, his legs still trembling faintly.
“Who the hell was that voice?”
“How should I know? We should just be grateful it wasn’t an enemy.”
Imagining someone with such perfect stealth as a foe gave Lee Jun-cheol chills down his spine.
“You think that guy will really stop the hunters coming from the west?”
“I’m not counting on it. Doesn’t seem possible anyway.”
Lee Jun-cheol hadn’t harbored false hopes from the start.
The figure was powerful, sure—but holding off hundreds alone was impossible unless they were some divine plague locust.
BOOM!
A bomb-like explosion rocked the building, shaking it to its core.
Guild members screamed amid the sudden quake—not just a few.
“Wh-what is it?”
“Has the attack already started?”
Lee Jun-cheol’s face darkened at Jeong Dae-yoon’s words.
‘Did they spot all the scarecrow sentries?’
If so, a massive force would pour into headquarters any moment.
“B-bro, over here!”
Jo Hyung-il’s urgent call made Lee Jun-cheol grimace.
“I told you, I’m not ‘bro’—call me Executive Director.”
“That’s not the issue right now! Look at this!”
“What is it?”
The screen Jo Hyung-il held showed a city reduced to rubble.
A massive crater gaped in the urban center, like a meteor had struck.
“Wh-what the hell!? Did this just happen?”
“Drone footage!”
“C-civilian casualties?”
“The enemy guilds evacuated them all beforehand, so no civilian losses.”
Since it was a fight under the banner of justice, the opponents—ever mindful of public opinion—had cleared all civilians before starting.
Hearing this, Lee Jun-cheol collapsed to the floor.
More than relief at the miracle, he doubted if this was even real.
“What the hell just happened…?”
