The Blare Announcing the Invasion
A message signaling the invasion rang out alongside the blaring of horns from beyond the village.
Bwoooong! Bwoooong!
At the sound, Mirak the village chief and Jason's faces hardened instantly.
"Looks like monsters are invading. The steady rhythm suggests a massive horde. We need to head out and assess the situation first."
Jason bolted from the spot in a hurry, and the chief slung the bow hanging from his staff over his shoulder. Turning to Taemin, he said,
"Follow my wife. You'll be safe there."
Taemin shook his head at the chief's consideration.
"No, I'll help out too."
"You can't. This is our fight. We can't put you, a human, in danger."
"Don't worry about that. I can take care of myself."
"Then come with me."
With that, the chief dashed outside. Emerging into the open, Taemin saw elves armed to the teeth all rushing toward a single point. He drew his sword and followed right behind the chief.
Mirak, the village chief, couldn't hide his inner surprise at Taemin sticking so closely to his heels.
Humans are truly remarkable. To keep up so effortlessly...
Before long, they reached the scene. The situation was graver than expected. The fence had already collapsed, allowing all sorts of beasts to pour inside, and the ground was littered with the brutally torn corpses of several elves.
The monsters were ones Taemin knew well: ogres, knolls, trolls, lizardmen—most from the Philadia Mountains. But their power was incomparable to those. Strength, speed, size—they looked the same but were entirely different beasts.
Death Land level, huh.
Taemin gauged their abilities with his keen eyes and plunged straight into battle.
Mirak nocked an arrow at the beasts, providing covering fire for the other elves. As the leader of his tribe, he was incredibly strong. Each arrow infused with light sliced through the air, ensnaring and shattering a dozen nearby monsters into fragments. It was a terrifying display of power.
But even such devastating attacks couldn't overcome the sheer numbers. The monsters flooding the village outnumbered the elves. There were so many that the elves were barely visible amid the swarm. They held on thanks to their superior quality, but without a solution, it was only a matter of time before they were overwhelmed.
Moreover, the elves' main weapon was the bow. If they couldn't fire freely, they'd be in dire straits.
Knowing this, Taemin focused on taking down the mid-to-large beasts.
Slash—!
Kuak!
Every swing of Taemin's sword severed limbs, sending them tumbling to the ground. They were far stronger than the mountain variants, but that was it. To him, they were nothing more or less than one-shot kills.
Weaving through the fray, he soon reached the watchtower where the fence had stood. Glancing back, he saw the black mass of writhing monsters.
Practically a full wave...
Taemin regretted not being able to use his skills. With smokescreen, traps, blades of steel and space, he could wipe them out without moving. But that would endanger the elves, recognized as allies.
He had to clear the quest first.
The objective was to aid the elves in repelling the monster invasion. The reward was affinity— no need to risk lowering it.
"Fine. When have I ever relied solely on skills anyway."
With that, he dove back into the fight.
As Taemin swiftly cleared the mid-sized threats, the elves gained some breathing room. With only small fry left, they could fully leverage their ranged advantage.
About an hour later, the horde filling the village finally thinned to its end.
And the last one. Taemin's sword cleaved the neck of the fleeing troll.
Slash—!
The headless troll crashed to the ground, and a quest completion chime sounded.
Wheel of Fate (2/3)
Affinity with the elves has increased as a reward.
Please check the quest window.
It's done?
Taemin opened the quest window with the completion message.
Wheel of Fate (3/3)
Seek out the High Elf beneath the World Tree's shrine and hear the prophecy of your fate.
Reward: High Elf's Divine Bow (Special)
Unlocks upon promotion.
What? The reward's a special item?
Taemin doubted his eyes. Special grade. Beyond unique, rivaling great grade—the pinnacle rarity. Even among S-rankers, only a handful possessed one. Fewer than 50 in all of Korea. Incredibly rare.
It was a bow, which was a shame, but that hardly mattered. Owning such an item was monumental in itself.
But what's this 'promotion'?
As Taemin pondered the reward details, Mirak and Jason approached.
"Taemin."
"Yes."
"You worked hard. Thanks to you, we avoided major losses. I don't even know how to thank you..."
"No need for thanks. We help each other, right? That aside... if possible, could I meet the High Elf?"
"The High Elf?"
"Yeah. I'm here already—feels like a waste to leave without seeing her. Is it possible?"
Mirak and Jason exchanged glances, falling into brief thought. The World Tree's shrine where the High Elf resided was sacred even to elves. No outsiders had ever been permitted entry. They weighed the decision carefully.
Moments later, Mirak spoke gravely.
"Very well. After your great help... I'll guide you. Jason, handle village cleanup. I'll take Taemin to the shrine."
"Understood. Safe travels."
Jason took command of the elves at his order, while Mirak led the way for Taemin.
"Follow me."
♦ Wando Port in Wando-eup, Jeollanam-do.
The Wolfsrein founding unit, departing headquarters early that morning, arrived at their first stop around 10 a.m.
In the old days, they'd have flown, but the outbreak halted most passenger flights. No way to counter aerial monsters.
Things had quieted since, but the government still banned civilian flights beyond cargo for safety reasons.
Short-range multi-portals weren't an option either. Sea travel meant ships were essential.
"Line up and board in order."
"Officers first."
The crew directed the group, and the hunters boarded one by one.
"Anyone else? Confirm headcount."
Once all were aboard, the crew reported to the captain. With a horn blast, the ship set sail.
The voyage proceeded smoothly, as usual—no rough waves, fine weather.
About two hours in, around lunchtime, the hunters gathered in the mess, eating and chatting about Jeju Island, due in about an hour.
Meanwhile, in the bridge, the captain urged the helmsman and crew to eat first.
"You guys go ahead."
"Captain, join us?"
"I've got the bridge."
"Just an hour left—what could happen?"
"Yeah, charts show no traffic here. Come on."
"Hmm. Alright then."
Convinced by their persistence, the captain set autopilot and headed to the crew mess.
Right after they left, something pinged on radar with an electronic beep—but no one heard it.
Meanwhile, hunters on the stern deck, finishing meals and standing watch, smoked while eyeing a faint ship on the horizon.
"Hey, that's a ship, right?"
"Probably."
"Passenger liner?"
"Dunno, hard to tell. Wait— not just one?"
"Where? Whoa, yeah. One, two, three... six ships. What? Chinese? Coming down to the South Sea now?"
The fleet was odd, but they brushed it off. Chinese fishing boats straying into Korean waters wasn't new.
But as time passed, their views changed.
"Hold up—they're getting closer. That red one's Japanese, isn't it? Why are they here?"
"Not Chinese? Japan all the way down here? Weird."
"Right?"
As the hunters murmured, the ships closed in. Close enough to make out people on deck, they realized something was wrong.
Dozens of armed hunters stood in formation— all war mages.
"No way, that's—"
Before he finished, flames ignited in their upraised hands.
The man shouted urgently.
"Fuck! Guys, hurry!"
Hundreds of fireballs launched at their ship.
Kwaang—!
Roar!
Kwakwakwang!
The impacts erupted like a volcano, flames bursting spectacularly amid thunderous booms.
The ship tilted sharply, engulfed in fire, and sank under second and third volleys.
It happened in seconds.
Amid the debris, some hunters rose: the captain, chief of staff, the three commanders, and S-rank combat squad members.
Their superior defenses let them survive the blast relatively intact.
But only for a moment. Spotting survivors, the enemy unleashed focused fire. With no footing left, they plunged into the sea, never resurfacing.
Thus, Wolfsrein's elite founding force—one of Korea's strongest—vanished pathetically into the depths.