The Assassin Hunter Stops Time
“Here….”
The First Attack Captain of the Red Circle Guild, Choi Jang-hoon, bit his lip tightly while staring at the towering mountain before him. They had followed the trail until they reached this spot. ‘Other guilds’ hunters must be coming this way too.’ Then…
“Listen up, everyone. I’m bringing a Flame Golem over here.”
“……Eh?”
“What do you mean?”
What Jang-hoon said was a kind of monster gathering tactic. When a dealer with powerful area-of-effect attacks is present, gather the monsters and wipe them out in one go. It had been fairly famous among hunters at one point, but it had almost disappeared because the death toll was too high. But why was it suddenly a monster gathering?
At that moment Jang-hoon spoke up. “The other guild bastards are coming this way soon. If they climb this path, we’ll push the monsters into the back and seal off the escape route.”
The five members who weren’t here anymore were already dead. That meant the Red Circle’s strength was far inferior to the others. So what could they rely on in this situation…
‘I have no choice but to beg that damn dog.’
No matter how much he thought about it, the bastard was truly skilled. A monster-like monster that even the Guild Master Kang Seungho acknowledged. ‘Since Hao Chen is chasing that rat, the guy will definitely die. Then, we need to isolate the remaining hunters here and cut them down one by one.’
The remaining squad members’ expressions turned to shock at Jang-hoon’s words. They were amazed and in awe that, even in this situation, they hadn’t abandoned the mission yet. Won-shik asked, “Can we really trust Hao Chen?”
“Forget about everything else. His skill is real. I’m betting everything on that one thing.”
In normal circumstances, this would be impossible. But since they were already forced into a dungeon break to exit the dungeon anyway, every situation aligned perfectly. “Hurry. It’s most important to completely seal this place off after the bastards pass through.”
“Understood!”
“Yes!”
The remaining squad members rushed off in different directions. And there, alone on the mountain, Jang-hoon just clenched his lips and stared upward. Now…
‘The dice have been thrown.’
If they cleared this mission, their… no, ‘my life would change.’ The Red Circle would instantly become Korea’s top guild, and he would become its top attack captain and famous name. Wealth and honor. Everything would come to him at once. With determination, Jang-hoon’s eyes burned fiercely.
* * *
“Kuaaaaaaaaaa!”
A fierce chill ran through his body. It wasn’t on the level of Dragon Fear, but it felt like his whole body had stiffened instantly. Along with it came the message popping up in front of his eyes. [Drake’s Flame Zone Clear Condition has been updated.] [Drake’s Flame Zone Clear Condition: Defeat the awakened Drake (0/1)]
“……Crazy.”
Hao Chen stared at Do-jin with an expression of disbelief. He had only thought to lure a few dragon species to stir up a brawl. “You… you… do you know what kind of thing you’ve done now?”
“Of course I do. Why, did you suddenly get scared?”
Do-jin answered Hao Chen with his usual calm expression. Of course, Do-jin was just as afraid. After all, he couldn’t face that monster right now. But…
‘I can still run away.’
Do-jin looked toward the cave. Two sharp green lights were already gleaming, and the bastard’s shadow was starting to appear. Boom! Boom! Boom!
With the floor shaking, a Drake emerged from the cave entrance. Its body length from tail to head was nearly twenty meters, and it stood about seven meters tall. Without wings, it couldn’t fly, but its tough shell and steel-like body were so hard that normal attacks could barely scratch it, while its powerful strength could crush them. Especially its teeth were so vicious that they could tear through even an S-rank hunter’s shield and armor in a single bite. Even Hao Chen, who was over level 200, had flinched and backed away the moment the Drake appeared. “Kuaaaaaaaaa!”
The massive roar echoed as the Drake looked at the two humans who had woken it. Rage surged toward the two intruders who had dared to intrude into its territory without any fear. Thud!
The Drake kicked the ground and swung its front paw toward Do-jin in front of it. It was nothing more than a simple swing, but a hit meant instant death. “Acceleration, Night Walker.”
Swoosh!
Do-jin’s body split into two and vanished in an instant. The Drake looked startled at Do-jin’s sudden disappearance, but soon it spotted Hao Chen behind it. “Kuaaah!”
Boom!
The bastard’s paw came down forcefully from above. It looked like it was about to turn Hao Chen into bloody pulp, but…
Kwaaang!
Hao Chen, who had dodged to the side, immediately attacked the Drake’s paw. “This damned lizard… how dare it show its teeth to anyone?”
Hao Chen’s eyes flashed sharply. He hadn’t expected the Drake to be woken, but he couldn’t just stand by. But…
‘Where is that rat hiding?’
Hao Chen quickly scanned his surroundings, searching for Do-jin. Where the hell had that mouse gone? However, he didn’t have the luxury to worry about it for long. The Drake had already started sweeping its tail, swinging it toward Hao Chen. “……”
Pat!
Hao Chen hurriedly pushed off the ground and leaped into the air. At that moment, the thick tail of the Drake passed underneath. It was over seven to eight meters long and swept past threateningly close. But at that exact instant…
“Kuaaaaaaaaa!”
As Hao Chen jumped up, the Drake used the rotational force of its tail swing to lash out with its right front paw. Kwang!
“Kyaak!”
Just like swatting a bug, Hao Chen was flung high into the air and crashed into a towering rock. Krorung!
The impact from the single blow shattered the rock. Hao Chen staggered, then forced himself to stand. “This damned dog… bastard!”
Hao Chen clenched his lips. First, he had to escape this place. There was no way he could take on such a monster alone. Hao Chen hurriedly backed away and threw his body backward. But at that very moment…
Sssshhhheeeeeek!
A terrifyingly fast blade slashed toward him. Hao Chen quickly raised his spear. Pwoom!
“Kyaak!”
An explosion erupted from the thrown blade, engulfing Hao Chen in heat. And it didn’t end there. Sssuaaak!
The attack came with a time gap, forcing Hao Chen to twist his body. It was an instinctual movement worthy of an animal. However…
Pit!
“……?!”
Hao Chen’s face twisted for a moment. It was a blade coated in poison. [You are poisoned.] [Partial immunity to poison has been applied.] [5% of your physical ability has decreased.] [0.01% of your stamina decreases per minute.] “Damn it…”
Hao Chen furrowed his brows. He had basic immunity to poison, so his life wasn’t immediately threatened, but…
‘I didn’t expect my physical ability to drop by 5%.’
Was it a nervous system poison? It was a poison that barely affected life, so he had been careless. No, maybe…
‘He was targeting this?’
Nothing was ordinary. Every movement and situation was unpredictable. Where the hell had this kind of guy appeared from? Even on the vast continent, such madmen were rare. Boom!
“Kuu!”
But there was no time to think. The Drake in front of him hadn’t waited for him. Without an invisibility skill, he had to run, but he couldn’t even run. The rat that had been circling around him wasn’t targeting him? “I came here expecting this from the beginning…”
Grit!
“Damn it.”
Hao Chen clenched his lips and cursed. He wanted to find that mouse bastard, but he couldn’t check where the stealth-specialized skill was located. And in the same space, Do-jin, watching Hao Chen, crouched behind a protruding rock, gripping a dagger in one hand. If Hao Chen tried to escape down the mountain by evading the Drake, Do-jin intended to trip his ankle. But…
‘He finally made his decision.’
The poison he had used on Hao Chen earlier was a nerve poison that lowered physical ability. Normally, hunters would suffer at least 20-30% loss, but…
‘It wouldn’t affect this guy that much.’
At most 10%… or maybe 5%? But even that was enough. He had given up on the idea of escaping from the Drake. And at that moment, the Drake continued attacking Hao Chen without pause. It was already enough to drive anyone mad while dodging the Drake’s attacks and worrying about himself too. If he had his way, he would just let the Drake handle it and slip out, but…
‘Other hunters would be here soon.’
He had to finish Hao Chen before they arrived. Do-jin was in a seemingly advantageous position right now, but in reality, time was not on his side. He had to kill Hao Chen quickly and deal with the rest of the Red Circle hunters too. That was why…
‘…he had to end it in one strike.’
The moment Do-jin revealed himself, Hao Chen would roll his eyes and target him. That way, there would be no more chance to use invisibility. Do-jin, hidden behind the rock, held his breath and watched Hao Chen. He had to move at the exact moment when the bastard was most focused. And that moment would come…
‘When he attacks the Drake.’
Do-jin’s eyes cooled sharply. Eventually, as the Drake attacked Hao Chen, Do-jin’s body moved like a shadow. * * *
The moment the Harang Guild’s united attack squad entered the mountain led by Hye-jin…
“Kuaaaaaaaaa!”
A sudden massive roar echoed from the mid-mountain, making everyone present freeze in place without realizing it. “What… what kind of sound is that…?” “It’s coming from up there. But…”
When combining the ripples and momentum of that sound…
“It doesn’t sound like a normal monster.”
“Then… does that mean a boss-level monster has woken up?”
The expressions of those present hardened instantly. But soon… [Drake’s Flame Zone Clear Condition has been updated.] [Drake’s Flame Zone Clear Condition: Defeat the awakened Drake (0/1)] “……”
“Crazy!”
“It’s a Drake?”
The Drake itself was already a monster well over level 400. A monster like that suddenly appearing? “It’s really… insane.”
“What the hell is happening up there?”
For the attack squad, changing the clear condition to Drake was the worst-case scenario. The 130,000 mana reaction had been caused by the Drake. Everyone’s expressions hardened at the sudden change in situation. Nineteen of them alone couldn’t fight the Drake. In the end, they had to join forces with the Black Chain Guild and Red Circle Guild attack squads. The leader of the united attack squad, Woo-hyun, said, “Climbing up like this is suicide. Let’s go down and join another squad, then come up again.”
“……”
Hye-jin couldn’t push forward this time either. As Woo-hyun said, they couldn’t handle the Drake with this number of people. But when they descended again…
“……What is this?”
They stopped in their tracks, seeing the Flame Golems scattered all over the bottom of the mountain. If it hadn’t been deliberately done, such a thing couldn’t exist. And at that moment…
Kwaaaang!
A golden lightning flashed from the place where Drake’s roar had echoed.