Chapter 45
Chapter 45
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 45
Chapter Title: Lucia's Intervention
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"Yeah, got it."
Lucia had heard the full story from Kang Jin-hyuk and immediately went looking for Jeong Dae-yoon, scanning the surroundings.
"A dinosaur emblem on the shoulder..."
Muttering to herself as she moved her gaze around just as she'd been told, Lucia belatedly realized one important fact.
"But what's a dinosaur?"
Having come from another world, she had zero knowledge about dinosaurs.
From the sound of it, it seemed like some kind of creature similar to a dragon.
But the information given was far too scant to even imagine its appearance.
Lucia was debating whether to reconnect the communication and ask when she spotted a hunter that caught her eye.
That hunter had a different emblem from Titan's on his shoulder and was fighting against other hunters with the same emblem as his.
"So that's the one Jin-hyuk saved."
Jeong Dae-yoon happened to be in a dire situation right then.
"You damn bastard!"
"So that's where you ran off to—you got tangled up with those Titan scum!!"
The Tyrant hunters, facing the traitor right in front of them, charged at Jeong Dae-yoon with fierce momentum.
Meanwhile, the Titan hunters weren't rushing to help him but had instead stepped back a pace, seemingly planning to use him as bait.
Lucia thought it fortunate she'd found him before it was too late.
"These Titan guys or whatever—they just rub me the wrong way with what they do."
Even if he was from another guild, weren't they on the same side in this fight right now?
The way they discarded him like cutting off a lizard's tail showed that Titan could never be considered a proper organization.
Just before Tyrant's blades could reach Jeong Dae-yoon, Lucia raised her bow and drew the string.
It would have been far too late for an ordinary person, but she was the exception.
For Lucia, the aiming time needed was more than covered by the fleeting moment less than a second while drawing the bowstring.
"Gah!"
An arrow struck precisely between the eyes of the Tyrant hunter about to slit Jeong Dae-yoon's throat.
The remaining Tyrant hunters were pierced by arrows one after another before they could even react to the sight.
Even with their stats massively boosted by Alraune's powder, to Lucia, they were nothing more than slightly faster-moving targets.
While Jeong Dae-yoon and the Titan hunters were stunned by the sudden turn of events, Lucia descended from the tree.
She approached Jeong Dae-yoon and relayed Kang Jin-hyuk's message on his behalf.
"It's the final phase now."
Jeong Dae-yoon, who had been dazed for a moment, soon understood her words and snapped back to attention.
"Ah, I see. You must be the one Mr. Kang Jin-hyuk mentioned."
A master archer, indeed.
Jeong Dae-yoon was impressed by Lucia's skill, which was unmatched even within Tyrant.
"Pleased to meet you. I'm Jeong Dae-yoon."
"Yeah, yeah. Skip the introductions—get to what you need to do."
"Haha... Understood."
Lucia confirmed Jeong Dae-yoon charging off, then gripped her bow once more.
Her target this time was Ha Jin-hwan, the Tyrant hunter facing off against Baek Jin-wook.
With Baek Jin-wook going berserk from his Berserker skill, Ha Jin-hwan's movements were hard to follow with the naked eye as he countered.
Lucia calmly observed Ha Jin-hwan darting about, predicting his actions.
Once she had a rough mental image of where he'd move next, she drew her bowstring without hesitation and loosed the arrow.
Cleaving through the air with ferocity, the arrow struck its target without the slightest deviation.
"Argh!"
With his ankle pierced by the arrow, Ha Jin-hwan screamed and lost his balance.
It happened just as he was dodging Baek Jin-wook's axe, so that brief stumble was inevitably fatal.
Sensing the opening on instinct, Baek Jin-wook swung his axe with all his might, carving a diagonal slash.
"Raaah!"
From Ha Jin-hwan's left shoulder to his right side, the thick axe blade passed through, blood spurting forth.
With his heart and vital organs sliced in half, Ha Jin-hwan collapsed and breathed his last.
Confirming his opponent's death, Baek Jin-wook slammed his axe into the ground and let out a roar toward the sky.
"Rooooaaar!!"
As Baek Jin-wook bellowed his victory, the morale of the Titan hunters soared.
The Titan hunters, now feral in their assault.
The Tyrant hunters, leaderless and starting to flounder.
With these two factors aligning, the tide of battle flipped in an instant.
"Kyaaak!"
"Kuhk!"
As two comrades suffered fatal wounds while falling back, only three Tyrant hunters remained.
Even with stats inflated by Alraune's powder, facing over twenty hunters with just three was impossible.
"W-What do we do?"
"What do you mean? Survive first!"
"Son of a bitch!"
The surviving Tyrant hunters opted for a tactical retreat.
They had stats more than doubled.
Fighting head-on was hopeless, but fleeing at full speed should outpace any Titan pursuit—they believed.
Spotting the Tyrant hunters suddenly turning tail, Han Young-seok caught on to their plan and shouted urgently.
"They're trying to escape! Don't let them get away!"
If they made it back to headquarters and reported, war would erupt immediately.
With the guild master abroad right now.
If war broke out with Tyrant, Titan would be utterly crushed.
"We have to stop them no matter what!"
As if answering Han Young-seok's desperate cry, the Titan mages unleashed a barrage of skills that lit up the sky.
But the Tyrant hunters had already started moving.
At this rate, they'd be out of range before the skills could reach them.
In the end, fed up, Lucia grabbed her bow again.
"Can't these guys do anything without me?"
Lucia drew three arrows from her quiver and nocked them all at once.
Not one by one, but three simultaneously.
The arrows spread out in a fan shape as they flew, pursuing the hunters fleeing in different directions.
The Tyrant hunters bolted faster than the wind, but even they couldn't evade Lucia's arrows.
All three hunters clutched their right thighs and collapsed at the exact same moment.
Then, like clockwork, the mages' skills rained down on their heads as they fell in identical poses.
BOOM!
The massive pillar of fire erupting with a deafening explosion was a sight to behold.
"No need to even search for the bodies."
The half-elf's exceptional eyesight clearly picked out the chunks of flesh flying amid the flames.
She was used to such scenes from her adventuring days, but it wasn't exactly pleasant.
Not wanting to upset her stomach, Lucia averted her gaze and spotted Han Young-seok clapping and laughing.
"Hahaha! Well done! Excellent!"
Oblivious to the spit flying from his mouth, he laughed heartily—a sight even less appealing than the body parts.
Jeong Dae-yoon approached the still-chuckling Han Young-seok with a grave expression.
"This isn't the time to celebrate. We need to get out of here—now!"
"What do you mean? We have to investigate that building the Tyrant bastards were guarding right away!"
Han Young-seok was convinced by the existence of Alraune's powder—and the sharp scream that had come from the building moments ago.
That building was hiding an Alraune.
'They might have even completed the Rebirth Pill!'
No matter what else, Han Young-seok was determined to get his hands on that Alraune Rebirth Pill.
It was banned as an item made through inhumane methods, but there was no law saying it couldn't be traded on the black market.
Selling it there would net an amount equal to five years of guild funding.
"What are you all standing around for!? Investigate the building now!"
"No!"
Jeong Dae-yoon spread his arms wide, blocking the hunters trying to move forward.
"You mad bastard!"
Han Young-seok's displeasure boiled over as he grabbed Jeong Dae-yoon by the collar.
"You're not trying to cover for your own guild at this point, are you!?"
"No!"
"Then what the hell is this!?"
"The guild master is coming this way personally with reinforcements!"
"W-What?"
"If we dawdle, we might end up in all-out war with Tyrant!"
Thud.
Hearing Jeong Dae-yoon's words, Han Young-seok's legs gave out, and he plopped down right there like it was his own living room.
"T-T-Tyrant's guild master is coming? How do you know that?"
"They don't know I've betrayed them yet. I just got orders to stall until they arrive."
Han Young-seok clutched his head with both hands.
Jo Won-cheol, Tyrant's guild master.
He was a monster ranked #2 among Korea's S-rank Hunters.
Even with Seo Sang-ho here, he'd be a tough matchup—against fewer than fifty A-rank Hunters?
It'd be better odds jumping into a fire pit with an oil drum on his back.
'Is he lying, by any chance?'
Clinging to a shred of hope, Han Young-seok eyed Jeong Dae-yoon.
His flushed face and urgent expression.
No matter how he looked at it, it didn't seem like the face of a liar.
'No, still—better safe!'
Entertaining the slim chance, Han Young-seok picked his fastest guild members and sent them on recon.
The scouts slipped away stealthily, heading in the direction Jeong Dae-yoon had indicated.
As time passed, Han Young-seok prayed fervently in his mind.
Please let it be a lie.
Coming this far and leaving empty-handed was too cruel an end.
While Han Young-seok beseeched every god he could think of, contact came from the scouts.
[Hunters approaching from that direction!]
[About 4-5, looks like an advance team!]
Hearing the report, Han Young-seok's fragile optimism shattered instantly.
'Of course—if the Alraune Rebirth Pill is really here, this is to be expected...!'
They might even be coming to slaughter everyone to bury the Alraune secret.
Jo Won-cheol was exactly the type to do that.
"Damn! Damn! Damn!!"
The risks were too high compared to what he stood to lose.
Han Young-seok didn't want to squander everything for a moment's greed.
In the end, he bit his lip until it bled.
A battle already won, and they had to retreat without a single trophy.
Infuriating beyond measure, but not a single Titan hunter stepped up insisting they hold the line.
After hearing Jeong Dae-yoon say Jo Won-cheol was coming, no one here had the guts to volunteer.
"What about you? Coming with us?"
At Han Young-seok's question, Jeong Dae-yoon shook his head.
"I'll stay behind and come up with an alibi."
"An alibi?"
"If I vanish too, they might suspect Titan was behind this. So I'll stay and file a false report."
"Pin it on someone else, you mean?"
"Yes."
Hearing Jeong Dae-yoon's plan, Han Young-seok was greatly impressed.
If they could shift blame to another party.
Not only would Titan avoid war, but they could target someone they disliked within Tyrant.
With a brilliant idea sparking, Han Young-seok smiled transparently and made a suggestion to Jeong Dae-yoon.
"Then how about naming Kang Jin-hyuk? He's still in that building, after all—easy to sell."
"...I'll consider it."
"It'll definitely work best. Think it over positively."
Realizing his slip a beat too late, Han Young-seok glanced around.
Spotting Lucia at a distance, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
'At that range, she couldn't have overheard, right?'
He took her not loosing an arrow right then as proof.
"Then I'll trust you."
Han Young-seok patted Jeong Dae-yoon's shoulder to show his trust.
But deep down, he didn't believe him at all.
Tyrant's guild master wasn't an idiot who'd fall for such a lie.
'He'll torture him or whatever to get the real story.'
How long Jeong Dae-yoon could hold out was anyone's guess.
He'd already betrayed his own guild once, so a little pressure might make him spill everything.
Han Young-seok figured the best preparation for that limited time was gearing up for all-out war.
'Our cause is just, after all.'
As long as they had the documents from investigating the Tyrant branch and the hostages they'd freed.
Titan could drag Tyrant's reputation into the gutter anytime.
Even if Tyrant declared total war in rage, how much could they thrash with public opinion turning against them?
'Got to seal the deal with that guy before it's too late.'
Han Young-seok recalled the S-rank Hunter he'd been persistently courting.
Successfully recruiting him would let them withstand Tyrant.
Endure the initial assault, then leverage their righteous cause to form alliances with other guilds.
Finally, Titan leads the charge to crush Tyrant, now the common enemy!
"Heh heh heh heh."
Han Young-seok imagined the myriad gains from atomizing Tyrant.
Even without the Alraune Rebirth Pill, he'd secured benefits just as good.
Coveting more here and weakening their forces would be foolish.
Thus, Han Young-seok soothed his lingering regrets.
"We're pulling out! Move it—no dawdling!"
To wrap up quickly, Han Young-seok began the full withdrawal with his guild members.
They tidied the skill-ravaged site and erased Titan's traces as best they could.
Racing to finish before Tyrant's reinforcements arrived, the Titan hunters ran around without even treating their wounds.
While his guild members bustled, Han Young-seok approached Lucia, who was off by herself.
"Your comrade still hasn't come out of the building. Something happen?"
"Probably found a treasure vault and is rummaging through it."
Lucia replied in a teasing tone, even using polite speech she never bothered with, twisting Han Young-seok's face.
The thought of Kang Jin-hyuk getting the Alraune Rebirth Pill made his stomach ache.
'Anyone but that guy...!'
Kang Jin-hyuk wasn't just the thorn who'd sent Han Young-seok's favored An Do-yoon to the hospital—he'd monopolized the new monster too.
That bastard getting the pill and growing stronger was the last thing Han Young-seok wanted.
'No. Even if he got it, Jo Won-cheol will snatch it back soon enough.'
An item that permanently doubled stats.
Once Jo Won-cheol learned someone had it, he'd hunt them to the ends of the earth.
No matter how strong Kang Jin-hyuk seemed for a C-rank Hunter, he'd be helpless before an S-rank—like a moth before a silkworm.
Especially if they pinned the blame on him as Jeong Dae-yoon requested—survival would be even tougher.
"Excessive greed brings disaster."
"Save the advice—do your job."
"Tch. You all stick so tight together."
Han Young-seok turned on his heel dismissively, deeming her unworthy of further words.
Her archery was tempting for recruitment, but such an arrogant type would be a headache to handle.
"Do whatever—stay and die for all I care."
As soon as the Titan guild members finished withdrawal prep, Han Young-seok slipped away.
Like melting snow, gone without a trace.
True to seasoned hunters, they left not a single clue.
Without witnesses, no one would suspect Titan.
In this barren countryside devoid of even a convenience store, aside from Jeong Dae-yoon and Lucia, no signs of life remained.
To be safe, Jeong Dae-yoon cautiously scanned the area.
Even checking the woods confirmed no one was left behind.
Then, Jeong Dae-yoon burst into the laughter he'd been holding back.