Chapter 71
Chapter 71
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 71
Chapter Title: 15. The Tenth Trial (2)
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Whoosh-
The world shook.
Upon reaching the space beyond the gate, a thicket bathed in moonlight came into view.
"Werewolves are monsters with an extremely keen sense of smell. This time, we're skipping the scouts and advancing straight in formation."
"Yes, sir."
It felt different from last time.
Previously, Kim Myung-min and sub-tanker Kang Ki-dong had taken the front. Now, the newly joined main tanker, Joo Seok-hoon, stepped forward. He was a full B-Rank hunter. And there were a few more members they hadn't seen before. Excluding Kang San, the eight-person party represented the full might of the Ranger team.
How far had they traveled?
The archer trailing at the rear spoke up in a quiet voice.
"Movement spotted ahead."
His eyes gleamed sharply.
He had activated Hawk Eye.
Instead of deploying sub-dealer and scout Gu Yeon-su, the archer was scanning the surroundings with his enhanced vision. His sharp senses had picked up the faint movements. His voice was so soft it was barely audible unless you were listening intently, but the moment the warning left his lips, everyone reacted instantly.
Joo Seok-hoon stepped forward.
At the same time, the thicket rustled violently.
"Incoming!"
Kyaak-
It was a werewolf.
The beast charged on all fours, leaping suddenly and swinging both arms.
Kaang-!
The attack was blocked effortlessly, almost pathetically so.
Joo Seok-hoon calmly parried the follow-ups, and after a few claw swipes, the werewolf's forearm was shredded by Kim Myung-min's sword. That wasn't all. Arrows whistled in, embedding in the werewolf's body, and then Yoon Ji-tae unleashed a surge of boiling flames.
"Fire Lance."
Roooar.
Kwaang-!
The target wasn't the werewolf up front.
The ones emerging behind it screamed as they were engulfed in the blazing inferno.
Kyaak!
Krrruk.
Chaos erupted in an instant.
Joo Seok-hoon held the front line with a composed expression, backed by Kim Myung-min to keep it ironclad. Flankers posed no issue— that's what sub-tanker Kang Ki-dong was for, and with Gu Yeon-su and the other sub-dealer combining forces, they were quickly suppressed.
It was seamless.
Once combat began, they moved like perfectly meshed gears, in perfect sync without any orders.
Thud-!
Krrruk.
The last werewolf fell.
Kim Myung-min shook the blood from his blade and glanced at the team.
"If they're hitting us this hard right from the entrance, the rescue targets might be in worse shape than we thought. Pick up the pace from here."
"Yes, sir."
No objections.
That was the Ranger rule.
They welcomed input before a mission, but once it started, they followed the team leader blindly unless it was critical. In a world where split-second decisions meant life or death, they trusted that the leader they'd followed through thick and thin would make the right call now too.
They didn't spare a glance for the corpses.
Driven by duty, not loot, they pressed forward under Joo Seok-hoon's lead.
Kang San followed along, hitching a ride on their momentum.
Kim Myung-min's team.
They were undeniably skilled.
With their full force assembled, even waves of werewolves swarming from all sides posed no real threat.
At the center.
Was main tanker Joo Seok-hoon.
Rumor had it he'd even gone into secluded training, and it clearly paid off—he was displaying impressive prowess. The werewolves couldn't pierce him, and he only used Guardian Shield to draw aggro when a sub-tanker couldn't react in time to an oddball monster.
A gasp of admiration escaped.
As a tanker, Joo Seok-hoon perfectly demonstrated what B-Rank meant with flawless, no-frills tanking.
And the teammates backing him.
They advanced swiftly toward the objective.
At this rate, they'd find the rescue targets soon. But Kang San still couldn't calm his pounding heart.
It won't end this smoothly.
He was certain.
No telling what variable would hit, but if the Tenth Trial's warning held true, it wouldn't stop at a few werewolves. His mouth kept going dry. Even as things progressed smoothly without issue, he held the tension taut.
Crack.
Whip.
The slightest crunch of leaves underfoot.
And heads snapped around sharply.
Kang San's sweat-beaded face looked tense to the others.
Kim Myung-min especially reevaluated him.
...I thought he had skill and will beyond his rank. But if he's this scared on a C-Rank op, maybe the others are right—we need to reconsider keeping him. In this world where even ideal performance puts your life at risk, there's no way he'll survive.
Regardless of the shifting gazes.
Kang San was fixated on Luca Bellino's warning.
Disaster, a variable—it would happen. With senses sharpened by conviction, he scanned the surroundings.
Scared?
No.
Not mere tension either.
Just prepared.
His calm, sunken eyes showed he was ready to react swiftly to whatever came.
The Rangers didn't know.
That Kang San had overcome countless trials and tribulations—not enough to flinch at mere life-or-death stakes.
I'm not dying like this.
A powder keg ready to blow.
They kept advancing.
No matter how vigilant, the expected twist never came.
Not even upon reaching the goal.
Smooth operation.
No variables, problems resolved swiftly, and they reached the rescue site well before the golden hour expired.
"You all okay?"
"Heal."
Kim Myung-min checked the targets' conditions, and the priest began treating the visibly injured. Fortunately, no major issues. The rescues explained they'd rushed the raid, taken heavy losses, gotten stranded, and had no choice but to call for help.
In light of it all.
After regrouping, as Kim Myung-min announced departure, Yoon Ji-tae approached Kang San again.
"Still think you weren't overreacting?"
"...I won't deny it."
"I get where you're coming from. Raids usually demand full prep, so a D-Rank like you entering a C-Rank dungeon is a huge burden. But here's the thing—we've run ops like this countless times. Dawdle too long, and the targets are doomed. If they die on our watch, our whole purpose vanishes. That's why we take the risks. We're moths diving into flames, prepped minimal but for everything. Get it now? What world you're trying to step into. And that initial freakout? Pure civilian view, zero regard for how things work here."
Perfect prep?
Yoon Ji-tae wanted it too.
Rangers accepted death, but they weren't suicidal.
With incidents piling up daily, they couldn't cover everything with limited manpower.
And this op.
They'd wasted time waiting for Kang San.
If he were a Ranger instead of a merc, leaving Seoul limits would've needed a report.
That's why he was extra prickly.
A footloose merc like Kang San whining about variables without committing his life? Laughable.
Todays's show had vaporized any lingering expectations.
"Once this op ends, I'll formally recommend it. You don't belong here."
Why was that.
Kang San felt like laughing.
At the smooth progress. At Yoon Ji-tae's rage.
It felt welcome right now.
"...Understood. If my worries prove unfounded, I'll accept whatever consequences come."
Most ops go smoothly once you find the targets.
Reaching the goal meant you'd already secured the path there.
This was no different.
Gu Yeon-su took point, retracing their steps swiftly.
But.
"...Something's off."
Gu Yeon-su glanced around.
As scout, he'd marked their inbound path, but even following those, the scenery felt unfamiliar. The thick underbrush blocked the moonlight too. With only faint glows permitted, he had no choice but to activate a skill.
"Road of Memory."
A support skill to retrace passed paths.
Light extended from their position, and Gu Yeon-su's eyes clouded with confusion.
"What the hell."
The return path.
Winding or not, it should form a single line.
But it spread everywhere like spilled paint—impossible to call it theirs. Kim Myung-min, right behind, saw it too. Before he could process, rustling erupted from the thickets all around.
"Werewolf pack!"
"Five, six? No—how many are there?!"
The archer's eyes widened.
In his Hawk Eye vision, the shadows revealed werewolves beyond counting with two hands.
And then.
Kyaak-!
Kraaaak!
Werewolves launched from every direction.
Joo Seok-hoon reacted first.
He pulled aggro with Guardian Shield, but with so many, he blocked frantically. Then rearsiders appeared—sub-tanker Kang Ki-dong couldn't cover alone, so Kim Myung-min broke position. The rescues huddled inside the formation, trembling, faces lost in the chaos.
Whoosh-
Slash!
Kim Myung-min cleaved a werewolf in one stroke.
One, two—he tore through, then looked up to see more endless werewolves.
This doesn't match the report.
Moonlit Hill.
No way it hosted this many.
Detailed in the survey, yet the count here already exceeded it. Still, no reason to panic. Mere C-Rank werewolves, and their party that handled B-Rank ops could manage.
That was when.
Awooooooo-!
Far off.
A howl shook their minds violently.
"...What?"
Hearts plummeted.
This shouldn't happen.
Any sign would've been in the report.
Werewolf Lord.
An A-Rank monster that shouldn't exist here.
Just then, clouds parted from the sky, revealing a round, glowing moon that pierced the darkness.
Full moon.
The night wolves' blood boils hottest.
Suddenly, Kang San's face flashed in mind.
He'd looked unusually tense.
...Maybe he foresaw this danger.
The "groundless" worry.
Kim Myung-min gripped his sword tight against the stench of death closing in.