Savior's Buff and the Nameless Fall

The Hunter Management Bureau was remotely monitoring this system message as well. A structure unlike anything they'd ever seen.

For commanders or leaders among the awakened, such classes were exceedingly rare to begin with. Even when they existed, they typically just roughly designated allies or their own kind to apply wide-area buffs or issue commands.

But this meant the system itself had an 'ally' designation. And it was politely offering the other party the option to accept or refuse. It felt almost like a 'provisional contract.'

"Accept."

Baek Moon-seong's resolute voice came through the mic in an instant. Cheon Seung-hyuk, Yoon So-i, and MARK-67 immediately hit [Accept].

"Truly, a hunter who brings immense power to the nation."

For Baek Moon-seong, the fact that this unknown entity—whose full capabilities were immeasurable—was temporarily on their side stirred a complex mix of emotions, laced with a thrill of ecstasy.

"What happens next?"

If this Jackal Mask incident resolved quickly, South Korea could dream of a rosy future as the first nation liberated from the disaster on the world stage.

It was an issue that could secure top priority in international agreements. Beyond mere enemy-slaying, it was the start of a snowball effect propelling them toward superpower status.

A pivotal battle that could influence the nation's glory and prosperity.

And yet, here it was. The world's greatest wild card, whose power no one could gauge, lay in his grasp. Kwak... Like praying to a god, Baek Moon-seong clenched both fists, pressed them to his forehead, and closed his eyes.

As the three hunters hit [Accept] simultaneously, a strange sensation washed over them. Like a thin thread of connection piercing straight through each of their hearts.

- Whoooosh!

A massive surge of euphoria flooded their bodies. These were hunters already at the pinnacle of their respective fields.

At this level, the tiniest difference determined rankings. In other words, growth had plateaued to such a degree that even a '10% boost' felt like transcending realms.

The follow-up message was even more astonishing. This was an effect only a tiny fraction of command/leadership types could achieve. It was probably impossible domestically. He knew there were hunters in China or the US who could pull it off.

"Just mind-blowing."

"This has me pretty shocked too."

"......"

All three saw the same message. In battle, morale was life itself. Even for unyielding types like Cheon Seung-hyuk and the high-rankers, morale had no ceiling.

"Grrr..."

Nameless still glared at Cheon Seung-hyuk with that repulsive stance. But with the 10% growth and Seraphim's holy flames cloaking his body, there was no sense of defeat. At that moment,

- Doooong...

This time, Cheon Seung-hyuk charged first. He had to sever its lifeline before that dangerous stance fully unfolded.

The holy sword's duration was nearly up. Shattering the purple barrier enveloping its body would soon fall to him as well.

Channeling the White Tiger Conquering Sword's energy into the Giant's Sword, infused with Seraphim's holy flames, the strike connected with Nameless. Then,

For the first time in battle, Nameless executed a backstep. As if deploying an evasion against an unbearable attack.

"Pathetic trick. Die."

- Craaack!

Now concentrating 'Lion's Verdict' in his legs, Cheon Seung-hyuk tore through the air with a sonic boom and charged again.

But Nameless merely swung its sword once through empty space. Too slow for an attack, too feeble for defense—a single, ethereal draw.

"!!!"

- Slash!

- Kabooom!

Cheon Seung-hyuk, mid-charge, suddenly ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠slammed his body to the ground.

"......What is this?"

He'd been slashed. Not anywhere else, but across the back.

The enemy was right in front, yet a powerful sword aura had deeply gashed his sturdy flesh from directly behind.

- Fwoosh. Fwoosh.

Seraphim's holy flames rapidly healed the deep wound, restoring HP. It wasn't lethal. Of course, only because the one struck was Cheon Seung-hyuk.

"......"

Nameless resumed its bizarre stance. It didn't look like a sword-fighting posture at all. More like a sword dance than combat.

'I have to end it here.'

Instinct screamed. Its localized combat power surpassed even the ultra-high-grade gate 'Weapon Ghost' that multiple high-rankers had slain. Especially with the sword—no such monster had ever existed in history.

Attacks from unknown origins. Swings whose logic defied understanding. Didn't it remind him of a certain someone?

- Crunch.

- Rumble rumble rumble...

"I'll kill you."

Before its forms escalated further, Cheon Seung-hyuk resolved to end the fight. Ignoring his crumbling body, he layered 'Lion's Verdict' to the extreme atop 'White Tiger Conquering Sword,' forging an invincible form.

The flesh sword extended like a blooming flower, reverting to its original form and converging into a single peak. A thrust meant solely to pierce one foe.

"I'll skewer you."

Concentrating the sword aura—poised to erupt everywhere—into a single point, he charged. Then, a massive purple aura erupted from Nameless's black blade.

A sword aura several times larger and denser than the 'Giant's Sword' plunged down in a blunt overhead strike, aiming to bisect Cheon Seung-hyuk.

- Kabooooom!

The clashing strikes shook the space without yielding an inch, locked in a contest of power.

Cheon Seung-hyuk's True 'White Wood Lotus' pierced the foe, then bloomed within to erase them without trace—a ultimate killer move. But if it bloomed outward here, it couldn't block that massive purple slash.

"Tch...!"

Yoon So-i had pushed Seraphim's holy flames to the limit, making additional attacks burdensome. At this level, all a healer like her could do was wrap him in the thick barrier of 【Spirit's Great Wall】.

'This won't unfurl the White Wood Lotus.'

MARK-67 unloading firepower now would be nonsense. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Suited for area bombardment over precision, full commitment here risked complicating the altar and relic.

He steeled himself to take major damage. Slicing one side, he thrust True 'White Wood Lotus' inward, blooming the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠aura inside the barrier.

"Huuup!"

Taking a deep breath to deflect the aura sideways and tank it with his body—

- Thwack!

A sonic boom echoed from Nameless's torso. Unquestionably the power of 'Unregistered.' The exact force that had shattered Creper's barrier.

- Crackle crackle.

Nameless's whole-body barrier deactivated in an instant, leaving only the bare skull—but the damage went deeper.

"Grr..."

The blazing blue flames in its eyes dimmed sharply.

"Now!"

Cheon Seung-hyuk charged, plunging True 'White Wood Lotus' into Nameless's torso armor. Yet it showed no intent to die there.

- Shoooo...

A massive magic circle appeared around Nameless, spawning four upper-boss-grade undead. They lunged at Cheon Seung-hyuk to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠pull him away, but

Yoon So-i double-cast, exploding Spirit Orbs to shield him. The undead staggered, hurled back.

Then,

"......?"

A mysterious status window appeared before the high-rankers. Mutual damage ignore had just activated.

Immediately,

- Kaboom!

- Kwooooom!

"!!!" "!!!"

Nameless and the surrounding undead exploded into nothingness in an instant.

- Whiiiish!

Their bone fragments slammed into MARK-67's mechanical shield like space debris, keeping Yoon So-i's body intact.

Cheon Seung-hyuk suffered scratches from the corpse blasts too. Explosions potent enough to mar his ironclad frame.

Then the gate message appeared.

Status messages followed for the high-rankers.

"......"

The 10% buff sensation vanished from their bodies. The 'ally' concept was gone.

'Business concluded, then. Shattering the barrier, the body, and its summoned minions in a flash... then vanishing coolly like it was nothing.'

"Seems we're on our own for the [Jackal Mask] now."

The dungeon, tinged with slight bewilderment, now held only the unprotected holy relic [Jackal Mask].

They tried smashing it immediately, but

- Clang!

Yoon So-i's holy power yielded the same message.

The holy sword had some charge left, but activating it would take a day. Facing the word 'power,' destruction seemed unlikely anyway.

"We'll recover it to the Bureau for now."

- Do that.

Yoon So-i maxed out 【Sanctuary Deployment】, enveloping the Jackal Mask like a half-coating to block its alien aura as much as possible.

MARK-67 then encased the sanctified mask in a cubic high-strength case for transport.

This stabilized the flow, per the Bureau's briefing. Fortunately, it was highly effective.

"......"

Meanwhile, Cheon Seung-hyuk noticed something odd. A lingering 'blue soul' before his eyes. It seemed like the skeleton Nameless's soul.

But not a skull this time—a scarred middle-aged Western man.

"......What are you staring at? We need to go. Got to take it to the Bureau."

'Visible only to me?'

It stared intently at Cheon Seung-hyuk. As if it had words to say, but he had no time for ghosts.

Ignoring the soul, as he moved to leave with the [Jackal Mask] case, comms from the Bureau came through. Kim Chun-gyu's voice.

- Jeju's ultra-high gate flow vanished. You just took it down!

"......So this was the identity of that 'ultra-high gate' scheduled for Jeju but oddly absent."

Yoon So-i spoke, surveying the wreckage akin to ruins.

Indeed, unlike the manipulated flows from the Jackal Mask, this had been a true gatekeeper in standby.

"......Returning. Holy relic [Jackal Mask] recovery successful."

The Japanese side had found their relic too.

The problem: they hadn't cleared the trial.

Defense Minister Tanaka Mitsuo summoned S-rank onmyoji Suzuki Hiroshi to the reception room to discuss relic neutralization.

A man with a long jawbeard, face powdered white like kabuki—grotesque in appearance.

Odd looks aside, he rivaled the world's top in sorcery.

Yet his response was unexpected:

"If we can analyze the relic's energy, Japan could resolve it swiftly."

Per research by Suzuki and Japanese scholars, fully recovering one relic for internal analysis could enable destruction from within.

Tanaka confirmed: not impossible if analysis was feasible.

'We may not take first place, but second is within reach.'

Then,

"Defense Minister!!!"

Fukuda Shinji called out, more agitated than ever.

"What is it?"

Resuming his clairvoyance, Fukuda had spotted a crucial clue in Korea's real-time intel.

[Korea recovered a relic.]

"!!!"

The gate flow stabilized too, suggesting relic stabilization—though not destruction.

'Not destroying it is a blessing!'

Tanaka shot to his feet.

"Join forces to analyze that relic immediately!"

Korea lacked the tech; only advanced Japan could. It was beyond what they could contain.

"But the relic itself is dangerous."

As Fukuda replied, onmyoji Suzuki Hiroshi spoke.

"Yoon So-i likely handled post-processing. I can verify. Whether it's harmful to Japan."

《Republic of Korea Certified Hunter Management Bureau》

《Special Reception Room》

"......So."

Baek Moon-seong tilted his teacup slightly.

"You want to borrow the relic Korea recovered, just for a bit."

"Yes."

Tanaka no longer bothered explaining how he'd obtained the info.

'In a world crawling with S-rank detection/info hunters, perfect secrets are a myth.'

Barring Unregistered's identity, they were all much of a muchness, as Baek Moon-seong knew.

Baek Moon-seong smiled kindly.

"Holy relic [Jackal Mask]. Bring it."

"!!!"

Tanaka half-rose in shock. Such goodwill from the director?

"Grateful! Truly grateful!"

"As you say, it's beyond what Korea can handle. Analyzing in advanced Japan benefits humanity more."

"Exactly. Excellent judgment—thank you!"

"......Heh."

MARK-67's metal cube sat before Defense Minister Tanaka and onmyoji Suzuki.

Slightly opened, the internally sanctified [Jackal Mask] gleamed.

"Recovering the relic in Korea is classified. Violate it, and national responsibility follows. You understand."

"Of course. Once Japan resolves the relic issue, we'll repay generously, Director Baek."

The sanctuary coating prevented energy leakage. For a relic this stable,

"Possible. Analyze."

"......Good."

Onmyoji Suzuki Hiroshi rivaled Yoon So-i in support, though in sorcery. He might actually analyze it.

"Do your best. Time to go—too many eyes."

"Thank you, Director Baek. Truly!"

As the Japanese left, Yoon So-i called out.

"Be careful, Suzuki. Not an easy item."

They were acquaintances, if not friends.

"......Heh. Our young lady worries so. Of course I'll be cautious. What kind of thing is it? Farewell."

Thus ended the day's 'Japanese high-official intrusion incident.'

Hours later,

Yoon So-i pondered alone.

'Was handing it over truly right?'

Swallowing discourtesy, she entered the director's office.

"Director."

"Speak, Hunter Yoon So-i. Excellent work."

"That [Jackal Mask]. It'll breach the sanctuary soon. A week at most. They lack holy high-rankers, so they won't know—but once it breaks free, it'll root locally again."

The gist: Korea had failed 'complete recovery' of the Jackal Mask. Soon it'd crack the barrier, entrench, and wreak havoc as an otherworldly bomb.

Baek Moon-seong sipped tea, smiling kindly.

"Is that so?"

"......I told you earlier."

"Ah... Did you? Memory's fuzzy these days."

His demeanor suggested he'd never heard it before.