The Death Wave Intensifies

I'd finished conquering the F-rank labyrinth too.

I returned home with Lucifer.

"You've had a hard time dragging me around, Master. Now please relax and rest. I'll prepare dinner."

The crow that had jumped down from the backpack had already transformed into human form.

"You feeling okay now?"

"Almost perfect. Intense combat might be tough, but daily life is no problem."

Lucifer, now wearing an apron, headed to the fridge. It was stuffed ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠full of ingredients.

"Anything you're in the mood for?"

"Kimchi stew?"

"Then we'll go with demon realm-style kimchi stew."

"It's normal, right?"

Eating out is nice, but home-cooked is good too.

Lucifer had stocked up plenty, and his cooking skills were no joke.

I leaned against the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠wall and habitually turned on the TV.

Got a lot out of today.

Sponsorship from the White Dawn, and the demon extermination rewards settled.

On top of that, a skill reset scroll.

Instant Death's cooldown was currently at 26.3 days. A day had passed, but it was still a long wait.

Good thing the reset came through.

Having Instant Death ready for emergencies was a mental relief.

I flipped through channels with the remote and paused.

- The Korean Hunter Association has announced its stance on Mumyeong.

Come to think of it, yesterday's news said they'd release a statement.

A footage screen followed.

The Association Chairman was speaking directly at the press conference.

- If the hunter Mumyeong shows willingness to cooperate, the Association will actively accommodate his demands. Of course, in exchange for national-level privileges, we'll require commensurate information provision and...

From what I heard, if Mumyeong revealed his identity first and helped, they'd back him hard.

Not bad, but...

Cooperation was possible, but revealing my identity right now was out of the question.

I'm not hiding for fun.

Seeing the Awakener Alliance yesterday drove it home.

This world had threats I didn't know about.

What if Lucifer hadn't been there?

I'd have been dragged off by the Alliance and vanished without a trace. Or forced into their ranks to dominate humanity.

If a mere C-rank hunter stepped up like, "I'm Mumyeong," who knows what would happen.

"Oh, right. There was something I couldn't tell you because I was out of it."

Lucifer, scooping rice from the cooker, turned around.

"Hunter Sa Choiheon said not to trust the Association."

"When you went to pick up the item yesterday?"

"Yes. It was meaningful, but of course, I don't trust that Sa Choiheon guy either. I only trust you, Master."

Hmm. Curious why.

Anyway, my policy stayed the same.

"...Like I said, we target S-ranks first."

Level up, and Weakling Extermination's range expands. I'd handle most threats solo.

"Demon realm-style kimchi stew is ready."

Lucifer brought over the bubbling pot.

It looked like regular kimchi stew. But the smell was incredible.

Slurp.

The first bite drew out an involuntary gasp.

"Whoa, what is this? It's insanely good."

"It's nothing special."

"Got a secret ingredient?"

"In the demon realm, we don't skimp on seasonings."

"Ah... I see."

What kind of place is the demon realm anyway.

The rice went down easy. Lucifer grabbed chopsticks and joined me.

I flipped channels while eating.

But the lineup was off.

"...Something must've happened."

Every channel was running emergency broadcasts.

- A Death Wave has activated in E City, Gyeonggi Province. Nearby residents, please evacuate to shelters...

Every channel was covering the Death Wave.

This one was especially massive.

- The appearing monsters are estimated at minimum level 50, with multiple S-rank hunters pre-deployed. Experts predict conquest by tomorrow.

Footage from above showed the Death Wave.

A whole city shrouded in black curtains.

"Hope it's okay."

Things had felt ominous lately.

Two world bosses, and now a massive Death Wave.

"Worried? We can head out now."

I shook my head at Lucifer's words.

"Nah, rest today, go tomorrow."

Only S-ranks had pre-entered. Showing up would just cause misunderstandings.

Lucifer's condition mattered too.

Joining the Death Wave tomorrow wouldn't be too late.

I'd emptied a bowl before I knew it. I set down my chopsticks with ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠satisfaction.

A damn good meal.

"Man, that hit the spot. Dishes—rock-paper-scissors?"

"No, absolutely not."

Lucifer's eyes were dead serious.

"Then cleaning at least..."

She shook her head firmly.

"Fine, I'll watch NewTube."

She nodded eagerly.

At Lucifer's earnest plea(?), I browsed NewTube and the hunter community.

Needed to cram useful info for emergencies.

The next day.

"Planned to hit the C-rank labyrinth, but..."

"The Death Wave showed up."

Yeah.

At 3 PM, the Death Wave fully activates.

Like world bosses, it has contribution points. Top the ranks for big rewards.

Good thing I'd binged NewTube yesterday.

"Death Wave first."

The Association sent group messages to hunters. Urgently requesting level 50+ support.

"C-rank labyrinth anytime, but Death Waves aren't constant."

"Huge EXP boost too. And—"

Lucifer cracked his knuckles.

"After collapsing yesterday, I'll go all-out on the monsters."

I'll wait at home for now.

Death Wave monsters minimum level 50. I'm exactly 50, so no point going yet.

1. Lucifer goes first, levels me up.

2. Then I go in, Weakling Extermination the rest.

That'd net overwhelming contributions.

"But this plan has one condition."

"Right. A huge one."

Lucifer and I fixed our gazes on the black starlight floating around me.

"Ah, if only we had one more identity-hiding item."

"Yeah. Might just drop from the sky if we're lucky..."

Stealth Cloak and Hermit's Mask both from Master of the Black Star.

He probably had more like that.

"But what's in it for constellations sponsoring?"

"Like stock investing. The bigger your feats, the more profit they make. Problem is, humans die easy. That's delisting."

Uncannily realistic analogy.

Lucifer continued.

"Weak constellations like Master of the Black Star have few shots. They're cash-poor. Sponsoring up to third is all-in."

All-in with everything?

Explains the hesitation.

"We asking too much...?"

"No, Master. You're the miracle hunter set to return tens, hundreds, thousands-fold profits."

Lucifer pressed the constellation harder.

"You've seen enough. This is your one shot. Once Master grows enough, your sponsorship's worthless."

The wait wasn't long.

All-in.

The constellation bet everything.

Whoosh.

A deep glow accompanied the item.

A luxurious robe, black with gold embroidery.

"Whoa..."

Forced out of him, but damn good item.

Silent pressure via message spam.

"Thanks. I'll put it to good use."

I draped the robe on. Perfect fit. This should hide my identity.

"Man, way more useful than expected. Guess he's got more pull than I thought."

Lucifer nodded furiously, then suddenly grabbed my shoulder.

"Now, time to unregister Master of the Black Star from watch list."

"Whoa, that's too much."

Even demons wouldn't stoop that low.

Watch registration cancels that easy?

Lucifer grinned mischievously and spread his wings.

"Kidding, of course. I'll head out first then."

"Okay."

As Lucifer flung open the front door to leave—

The message hit every hunter nationwide: S-rank pre-entry failed.

What...?

I jumped into the system hunter community.

Hunter posts flooding in fast.

Situation's getting serious.

No time to hesitate.

"Lucifer, go."

"Leave it to me."

With that, Lucifer vanished. A fierce wind rushed through the open door.

Should be fine... right?

Hunter ranking #3, Cheon Iryeong.

She was being chased by a monster horde.

Rumble rumble...

Hundreds of monsters vibrated the ground pursuing her. The dust they kicked up engulfed buildings.

Grrraaah—!

Groooowl!

Not forced—her choice.

Feels like I've pulled them pretty far...

Yesterday, successful S-rank pre-entry hunters got a system mission.

Slay 15 elites, Death Wave weakens.

About 30 S-ranks.

Pure combat? They'd win quick.

But this Death Wave was different.

- Comms down? Can't reach outside the curtain?

- Can't exit either.

- What the hell...

Black curtain blocked comms and exits.

- H-help!

- Waaah! Mom! Where are you?!

- It's the hunters!

Worse, tons of civilians trapped inside.

- Get civilians to shelters first!

- Drive off the monsters! Evac over elites!

- Secure shelters!

S-ranks prioritized civilians. At least multiple shelters.

By the time evac finished, monster numbers exploded.

- Where'd these bastards hide?!

- No abandoning posts! Defend shelters!

Then the real trouble hit.

Monsters targeted shelters relentlessly. Like they knew our weak spot.

Death Wave monsters usually mindless, mixed breeds.

No coordination possible.

Yet they swarmed shelters like under orders.

- These monsters... way stronger than their levels.

- Damn, they're swarming annoying.

30 S-ranks barely holding shelters? Absurd.

Something's off. Not just bigger scale... fundamentally different.

Other hunters might miss it, but Cheon Iryeong felt it.

Monsters buffed by something.

If that was all, we'd manage, but...

Elite targets hid perfectly. Like they knew the mission.

Impossible.

S-ranks only got 3 elites.

Mission failed.

Cheon Iryeong gritted her teeth and ran.

Rumble rumble rumble...

Endless monster train behind her.

Ugh, way more now.

Buying time, at least.

But it's over now.

Cheon Iryeong had aggro'd monsters from shelter 12. Then 13, 14 too.

All-Master Cheon Iryeong could use most skills. Provocation one of them.

...Time to clear them.

Far enough from shelters. No interruptions now.

Screeech!

She spun, dagger ready.

"Come at me!"

Purple mana shot from her dagger like lightning, engulfing monsters. Debris exploded with thunder.

Boom! Boom!

Each swing flashed purple, smashing earth.

Dozens shredded mid-air.

#3 ranking for a reason.

Cheon Iryeong, lost in the zone, slashed without noticing.

Death Wave start swelled numbers, but fine.

No matter how many, wipe 'em.

"Huff... huff..."

So she thought.

But no end.

How many down? Thousand? Two?

S-rank stamina ain't infinite. Mana limited.

Me, exhausted by C-rank level monsters...?

Ah, intensified Death Wave.

Tanky and tough beyond levels. Felt B-rank.

Thousand down? Even S-rank tires.

Urk.

Soon, Cheon Iryeong isolated in the horde.

Boom! Booom!

Break out first.

Gasping, she sought escape. Farming here was suicide.

Needed 5 minutes. 1 even.

Ugh, monsters everywhere!

Then.

Scanning, she spotted someone.

A man in a bread bag mask, floating mid-air.

Thought she hallucinated.

What? Item?

Some trash he picked up.

"Help—" nearly escaped, but she held back.

No such S-rank entered.

Then outsider.

...Not human.

Her skill-honed instincts screamed.

Not a person. Something in human shape.

Whatever, screw it.

Real limit now.

Grab any straw.

As she opened her mouth—

BOOOOM—!

Fierce mana beam from the man's hand.

Explosive roar, gale winds. Compressed mana eroded surroundings.

Awful power vaporized monsters. Path scorched red-hot.

BOOOM—! Boom!

The bread-bag mystery man fired black beams relentlessly.

Hit monsters disintegrated traceless.

"Wha..."

Cheon Iryeong half-slashed, half-stood stunned.

"What... is this..."

Beams missed her only. Surroundings cleared instantly. She stood alone on the road.

"You saved me?"

"......"

Then, in her peripheral—

Someone's score rocketing.

Huh.

Death Wave start board.

Cheon Iryeong's eyes bulged at the ranks.

Wait. No way... this guy's...

She alternated between floating man and board. Score climbed with each kill.

One meaning.

The rapid climber was none other than Mumyeong.

The real Mumyeong hunter?