Chapter 51
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 51
Chapter Title: Guild, Afterworld (2)
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Kang Sa-hu entered the gate without letting his guard down, scanning the interior.
The others were on high alert as well, minds flashing back to the unprecedented "C-rank Gate Rank Change Incident" that had left countless hunters suffering from PTSD and abandoning their careers entirely.
"...For now, the landscape seems to match the reports."
Standing side by side with Kang Sa-hu, Han Si-yeon compared it to the intel she'd gathered beforehand.
Kang Sa-hu, having pored over the gate intel reports multiple times himself, could confirm her assessment was spot on.
"Yeah, it definitely looks like shrubland."
Dwarf trees sprouted everywhere, and a dry wind rustled through. Kang Sa-hu nodded in agreement.
They'd confirmed the interior matched the reports, but no one dared relax just yet.
"Shall we proceed as discussed beforehand?"
"Of course. The other guild leaders will follow your lead, Guild Leader Kang, so don't worry."
As soon as she finished speaking, Kang Sa-hu watched her approach Dragon Guild Leader Maeng Yu-na, Daehan Guild Leader Wi Dae, and Cheokwang Guild's Vice Leader.
He called out to Kang Ji-ye.
"Ji-ye, let's get started."
"Got it!"
Having received her instructions from Kang Sa-hu in advance, she immediately began drawing a magic circle on a suitable patch of ground without hesitation.
While Kang Ji-ye worked on the magic circle, Kang Sa-hu—who had recovered the soul cores from the corpses, leaving only bare bones—summoned the skeletons and turned to Kim Ho-myeong and Lee Yu-rim.
"Let's get to work."
"Yes, Guild Leader!"
Lee Yu-rim sprang to the bones at his call, passionately piecing them together.
"Urgh..."
Kim Ho-myeong's face darkened, still uneasy about handling bones, but he knew this preparation guaranteed their safety ahead. He held his tongue.
"Whoa, ohhh!"
The other hunters let out exclamations of awe.
Those who hadn't joined the prior B-rank gate hunt were baffled, but veterans recognized it as the setup for the "Domain Declaration" they'd witnessed before.
"What the heck are they doing all of a sudden...?"
"You'll see soon enough. Just keep quiet."
When one confused hunter asked, another quickly shut them down.
Three hours passed with the other guilds standing guard as they built the magic circle and bone throne.
Finally, Kang Ji-ye completed the simplified version and wiped the sweat from her brow.
"At least we have time this round."
In the B-rank gate, the pressure had been so intense they couldn't even finish a proper simplified circle.
As a result, what should have drawn out one-fifth of its power ended up at a measly one-tenth.
Yet astonishingly, Kang Sa-hu had massacred the monsters and taken down the boss in under ten minutes under those harsh conditions.
"But this time, it's more stable, and we can draw out even more power."
That had been a rushed job, slapped together in panic when the trolls noticed their fortress.
Now, after three dedicated hours, they'd crafted a circle capable of channeling a full third of Kang Sa-hu's original strength.
"Oppa, I'm ready."
"We're almost done here too."
Kang Sa-hu had taken his time, meticulously assembling a proper bone throne to stably draw out his power—not the sloppy one from the B-rank gate.
Kang Ji-ye snapped out of her admiration.
"But oppa, what about the spirit if we end up using Domain Declaration?"
"The spirit is ready."
Kang Sa-hu pulled out a soul core and replied.
It was noticeably larger than the others.
Recognizing it as the soul core from the B-rank boss monster "Kataku," she gasped in shock.
"Y-you got a spirit from a monster?!"
"I don't know why, but it's definite."
Kang Ji-ye knew better than anyone that Kang Sa-hu wouldn't mistake a spirit's presence.
Still, this was too unbelievable. Eyes wide with confusion, she reached out to touch Kataku's soul core.
"...It's real. How is this possible...?"
Sensing the spirit within just as he said, she jerked her hand back in astonishment.
"We don't know the reason yet, but for now, it's good news."
Kataku's spirit was as vast as those from dead hunters.
No— even larger.
And it pulsed with the intense power honed from years of mental discipline and physical training.
A single ordinary spirit might not suffice for high magic, let alone Domain Declaration.
But Kataku's could easily support it.
'I'd rather not use it if possible.'
Spirits didn't recover like stamina or mana with a bit of rest. Each use proportionally depleted their total volume.
The previous Domain Declaration had worked because it drew from seventeen hunters' unusually vast spirits, allowing enough power to swiftly fell Kataku.
Kataku's spirit was ample for declaration, but prolonged or intense use could exhaust and dissipate it entirely.
'I wonder how it'll turn out...'
Kang Sa-hu fitted the final bone, completing the bone throne, and called the guild leaders and Han Si-yeon.
No monsters had appeared yet, but they gathered instantly at his summons, tension unbroken.
"Preparations are complete. Finish combat readiness, and we'll begin."
"Understood!"
The guild leaders turned to ready their members.
Kang Sa-hu sat on the bone throne and closed his eyes.
"Hoo."
After a short deep breath, he opened them. Blue-green glows flickered from his eyes.
He channeled mana into the bone throne, which flowed into the magic circle.
Confirming the guild leaders' readiness signals, his lips moved swiftly.
Woooong—
The spell formed through incantation, mana pooling in the circle surging into it.
Normally requiring a spirit—and thus unusable without one—the setup now expanded his spell repertoire somewhat.
Rumble, rumbble.
As the spell activated, the sky growled.
Cloudless moments ago, dark clouds roiled into existence.
Sunlight vanished in seconds.
"Gasp! W-what's that?!"
"I-is this okay?!"
"It's fine. This is how it works."
Some panicked, but those who'd seen Domain Declaration before chuckled reassuringly.
"Guild Leader— incoming!"
Dark clouds over parts of the gate drew monsters, who approached.
Sharp-eyed Bae Deok-ho spotted them first and shouted.
"Names! Confirm the names!"
Daehan's Wi Dae bellowed back. Bae Deok-ho stared intently.
Nodding in confirmation, he cupped hands to mouth and yelled.
"Monsters match intel— orcs!"
"...Thank goodness!"
Han Si-yeon led the collective sighs of relief.
This confirmed it.
The gate was the C-rank they'd scouted—no change.
Kang Sa-hu, who'd quietly worried about another rank shift, exhaled softly too.
Still, no room for complacency even without escalation.
"Next, we'll assess monster strength."
From the throne, Kang Sa-hu spoke. Surrounding leaders relayed to their guilds.
C-rank gates were new territory too, despite no B-rank shift.
Hoping someone would step up, members eyed elevated Bae Deok-ho expectantly.
"This kinda pressure is a drag."
With long-range attacks, official B-rank but true S-rank status, Bae Deok-ho scratched his head at Kang Sa-hu's scouting order.
But as a stealthy orc entered range, he nocked an arrow and drew the bowstring like he'd been waiting.
Twaaaang—
The string's snap echoed in the silence.
Pfwick!
Drawing to full, Bae Deok-ho loosed the arrow.
'Light test shot first.'
Unsure of orc durability, basic attack before skill.
He reloaded for Explosive Arrow.
But—
-Choke!
The arrow pierced the orc's skull dead-center. Bae Deok-ho blinked in surprise.
"Huh?!"
He hadn't expected a casual probe to skull-crush from afar. Tense, he watched the fallen orc.
If it regenerated like trolls, he'd unleash the explosive shot.
But the orc stayed down.
Its blood pooled thickly on the ground.
"Leader!"
After one arrow, Bae Deok-ho called out. Kang Sa-hu looked puzzled his way.
"That orc— one-shot instant kill!"
"...!"
"...!!"
Silence shattered into murmurs of shock.
"Heard that? One arrow, instant death."
"That's Afterworld's Bae Deok-ho, right? B-rank Awakener."
"B-rank basic attack one-shots it?"
Hunters buzzed. Kang Sa-hu rose from the throne.
All eyes fixed on him as chatter died.
He scanned the guild leaders.
"Moving on to the next phase."
Those briefed on the plan recalled what his rising meant—eyes widening.
[Chweek! W-what's that!]
[It flew from over there! Chweek!]
The orcs, thinking their approach stealthy, panicked as a comrade dropped dead from one arrow, head obliterated.
[It didn't even scream! We shouldn't be visible from here, chweek!]
The scouting orc leader stared at the tiny human specks—fist-sized at 300 meters.
Spotting their crawling advance through branches and sniping precisely?
Even top orc archers would slap you for such nonsense.
As orcs panicked and debated, another arrow flew, piercing an orc's brow.
[Chweeek!]
[Ch-chweek! R-retreat! Fall back!]
The leader commanded, rising.
Fleeing in haste, it noticed—not from the humans' direction, but far right—a figure charging them.
[Pchuweek! Run!]
Standing tall for better view, horror dawned.
Mounted on a Giant Hound, eyes locked on them, Kang Sa-hu charged.