Chapter 61
Chapter 61
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 61
Chapter Title: After the Monster Wave
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Silence fell.
It was so quiet that it felt like time itself had stopped.
Even the passing breeze seemed to have made a pact to stay still.
If it had been night instead of day, wouldn't the only thing moving have been the clouds drifting slowly across the sky?
"?"
And in my mind, having witnessed the scene just moments ago, question marks filled every corner.
Maru swung his sword, and the Death Knight flew back.
Maru's sword felled the Arch Lich.
No.
What the hell were those guys doing?
No matter how demonic Maru's sword was, his opponents were a Death Knight and an Arch Lich.
Even if Maru swung it now, he couldn't unleash that level of power.
Could Maru have awakened or something?
Just to be sure, I even pulled out my smartphone to check.
"......"
The monster list confirmed that both the Death Knight and Arch Lich were safely present.
Maru was unchanged as well.
Of course. Given their ranks, they wouldn't crumble to a single sword.
To my eyes, their current display was nothing but a show.
They were my monsters from the start, and knowing each other's exact ranks made it all the more ridiculous.
But the hunters far off seemed to interpret it differently.
The distance was too great to identify who they were, but they had to be from a guild or the association.
They were frozen in place, apparently stunned by the situation, not moving a muscle.
Either way, this was the perfect timing for me.
The hunters were standing still, and my monsters were holding position without clashing.
I quickly dashed toward Maru.
Then I grabbed the Arch Lich in front of him.
He was putting so much into his acting that even in my grasp, he kept up the limp, lifeless pose perfectly.
'Ha.'
It was so absurd I could only laugh.
Holding the Arch Lich, I scanned the surroundings.
Not just Celia and Azmo, but even the hunters up front were staring at me.
"If I didn't have my robe and mask, it would have been a big problem."
Currently, Maru and I were completely covered in robes and masks.
Of course, the monsters knew it was me, but at least the hunters probably didn't suspect my presence.
"What on earth is happening?"
I asked Maru with a hint of doubt.
I had clearly ordered him to capture those guys.
Maru charged forward as commanded, so I couldn't help but wonder about the sudden turn of events.
"Clack clack."
Maru moved his jawbone as he spoke.
Thanks to my trait, I understood him without issue.
"What? Are you saying I want to dominate this world?"
What kind of nonsense was this?
Wondering if I'd misheard, I asked again.
But Maru nodded, affirming it.
"Ha."
It was even more ridiculous than I'd thought.
How had my intent gotten so twisted?
Only now did it dawn on me.
'Gotta manage them more strictly from now on.'
No, at the very least, I needed to issue commands with precise wording.
The silver lining was realizing they hadn't ignored me—it stemmed from overzealous loyalty.
Still, the situation had unfolded.
I wanted to say something, but the timing wasn't right.
While Celia and the others might not know, the hunters watching this place had too many eyes on me.
"Let's finish this slowly now."
I couldn't just tell them to leave at this point.
If I ordered the monsters to leave peacefully now, how would it look to them?
At least a minimal level of naturalness was needed.
In a low voice, I whispered to the Arc Lich.
"Can you explode all those ghouls?"
A skill that Arc Lich had before evolving.
Corpse Explosion.
It could only explode undead-type monsters, but that didn't matter.
I formed a plan in my head.
Exploding ghouls in order while diverting the opponent's attention as much as possible, take advantage of the opportunity to escape smoothly.
In response to my question, Ark Lich nodded ever so slightly.
He continued to play dead until the end.
"This guy is really immersed."
I immediately ordered him to explode the ghouls.
Upon hearing the command, Ark Lich promptly exploded the ghouls.
Boom-
Pop pop boom-
Kaboom-
Deafening blasts echoed as the ghouls detonated in sequence.
Pop-
The explosions kicked up thick clouds of dust.
The dust created smoke that engulfed everything around.
When visibility was completely blocked by the smoke,
I threw Ark Lich and commanded Celia.
"Celia! Take them and go back now!"
This was our chance, bought by the ghouls' sacrifice.
Seeing Celia up close was only the second time since that dream.
I wanted to talk more since we crossed paths, but there was no time to waste.
"Take everyone back to the dungeon and stand by!"
Once this mission wrapped up, I'd overhaul the system.
In a way I could fully control, at least.
Celia looked like she had plenty to say too, but time was short.
"Understood, Master."
She bowed her head in reply.
She began to control the remaining ones and started to leave this place.
"What?"
Ark Lich, who had come next to me unnoticed, was holding a thick tome and writing something..
It looked like a notebook, probably.
Next to him, a skeleton armed with hunter gear held an ink bottle in both hands.
I was curious what he was logging, but no time to check.
"You too, hurry after them."
The Arch Lich bent at a perfect right angle in response, then followed Celia.
"?"
Was that his way of bowing?
Polite guy, at least.
With the last Arch Lich gone, I glanced around.
No monsters remained here.
Given Celia's abilities, they'd return to the dungeon safely.
"Let's go too, Maru."
The thick smoke was starting to thin.
As long as Maru and I escaped before it cleared completely, we'd be good.
The sudden explosion of ghouls.
The dust from the explosion covered everyone's sight.
"What's happening! What's going on!"
The hunters shouted helplessly.
The thick smoke didn't seem to dissipate.
Every time a ghoul exploded, more dust spread along with the sound.
"Guard the current position and stay alert!"
Han Jeong-cheol shouted to the hunters.
He was already a formidable opponent.
To have their vision blocked in such a situation?
It was the worst.
Fortunately, there was a figure who showed an incredible presence before the ghouls exploded.
Two figures wearing robes and masks.
Of course, their identities were unknown because they were concealed.
"Summoners?"
Maybe a hunter duo working together.
Either way, their skills were legit impressive.
One charged forward, sword swinging—the Death Knight got shoved back.
And that was it?
The Arch Lich dropped in a single blow too.
'We have to recruit them, no matter what.'
Had any hunter ever handled A-rank monsters that effortlessly?
Even as a two-man team, this feat was monumental.
If they were summoner-type hunters, it would be truly remarkable.
Summoned creatures by hunters are generally weak.
In theory, they have the power to control a powerful legion, but in reality, it's not the case.
If the summoned creature really did what it did...
"A new wind will blow in the hunter industry."
This was not just Han Jung-chul's thought.
Kim Soo-ho was also thinking the same thing.
However, his expression was very distorted.
He watched the front silently, waiting for the smoke to disappear completely.
Finally, the smoke that had engulfed everything began to thin.
Everyone raised their weapons, preparing to attack.
"......"
But no one was there.
As dawn broke, news articles flooded in.
A massive incident demanded it—broadcasts and portals churned out Monster Wave coverage nonstop.
The articles posted on the portal sites were mainly of two types.
Situations of damage caused by the Monster Wave.
And curiosity about the identity of the person who appeared last.
Nevertheless, although the worst Monster Wave had occurred, the general response was that fortunately, the damage was not significant.
Of course, it wasn't completely absent, just minimal.
Immediately leading the emergency response team under the association, Han Jung-chul lost his deputy.
Instead of mourning his colleague, he was being pulled in various directions to explain the situation.
He didn't know if there would be any disciplinary action for not responding initially.
But he did not care.
Han Jeong-cheol's mind was elsewhere.
Specifically on the entity that defeated Death Knight and Arc Lich.
If only he could harness that power, the status of the emergency response team would soar.
'It might truly be the emergence of an S-rank.'
But rumors spread quickly.
The story of an unknown hero who ended this Monster Wave spread like wildfire.
It was even being reported in the media.
Perhaps other guilds had also caught wind of this news and started to move.
'We must capture them at all costs.'
Determination burned in Han Jeong-cheol's eyes.
One guild moved just as he predicted.
Shinseong Guild's Kim Suho.
He too was shocked by last night's events.
- So what about Yi Kang-hyun? Perfect timing with the chaos to take him out.
Kang Jin-su's text earned only a tongue click, no reply.
Kim Suho's head was occupied by someone else.
"How did they overwhelm A-rank monsters like that?"
The unknown who defeated the monsters.
Of course, there were quite a few hunters who faced A-rank monsters.
But in this case, they took down not one but two A-rank monsters.
And with a single blow.
That fact bothered Kim Suho greatly.
The Death Knight had shrugged off his attacks.
He was recognized at Hunter Academy and on the Eldorado Continent.
And he needed to stay recognized, now and always.
The world's attention should have been solely on him, yet someone had intercepted that.
It infuriated Kim Suho.
"Gotta find out who."
One question that arose was why the individual tried to hide their existence?
In the end, both the monsters and the unidentified figure disappeared.
'Could they possibly be in league with the monsters?'
For a moment, he entertained that thought, but then shook his head.
Even to himself, that thought seemed too far-fetched.
The monsters may have retreated unexpectedly due to the appearance of a strong force.
But even so, why did the figure conceal themselves?
Having such power and still hiding their appearance?
Another possibility crossed his mind momentarily.
Kim Suho smirked.
"...They might even be a villain."
A Villain.
An Awakened who skipped official hunter registration and preyed on hunters and civilians.
Kim Soho immediately ordered the guild members around him.
"Bring all the data on registered villains from the association. Don't leave anything out, bring it all."
Of course, it didn't matter if he wasn't a villain.
If he's made into a villain, people's interest will wane again.
Kim Suho's expression turned sinister.
Those shocked by the night's Monster Wave weren't just them.
Jeong Ye-rin, Firebird Guild hunter who faced the Goblin Lord, felt it too.
"Was that the true power of a Goblin Lord?"
The Goblin Lord appeared in the monster wave.
She had faced the Goblin Lord.
But its presence was too powerful.
She also entered the Goblin Lord's dungeon.
And succeeded in subjugating the Goblin Lord at the end of the long battle.
Of course, all of this was thanks to one man.
'Yi Kang-hyun.'
He said so.
If you kill the goblins led by the Goblin Lord, the Goblin Lord weakens.
And his words hit the mark.
Jeong Ye-rin bought time with her team and killed the goblins one by one.
And eventually dealt with the Goblin Lord.
So she believed that this time, dealing with the Goblin Lord would be easy.
However.
The goblins led by that Goblin Lord were extraordinary.
Not only were they agile, but even their equipment was of high quality.
They were difficult to dismiss as ordinary goblins.
Their strength was far beyond that of regular goblins, almost to the point of being considered D-class.
"Above all, where did they get those weapons?"
That Goblin Lord didn't use conventional weapons.
Mana guns.
It was a gun that used mana instead of bullets.
A hunter's weapon that could be used virtually permanently as long as the user had mana.
And the Goblin Lord was using such a weapon.
Moreover, it was wielded very skillfully.
On top of that, the firepower was strong due to the high magic grade.
Because of this, Jeong Ye-rin lost some of her team members.
"......"
While the majority of the media reported minimal casualties, it was not the case for her.
If the Goblin Lord and his group hadn't suddenly left, the damage would have been greater.
"I need to increase my strength."
This incident ended here by chance overlapping, but who knows what will happen next.
Strong monsters were still appearing continuously.
Just looking at the recent monster wave showed that.
She immediately got up from her seat.
To increase her strength, she first wanted to find a man named Lee Kang-hyun.
"If I knew this would happen, I should have at least gotten his number."
Jeong Ye-rin regretted slightly.
"Death Knight."
At Celia's words, Death Knight raised his head.
Upon returning to the dungeon, Celia was carrying out her master's will.
Her master was very angry about what Azmo had done this time.
Azmo was already trapped in the dungeon and could only come out with the master's permission.
Furthermore, the master had even moved Azmo's dungeon location.
'Master's power is truly immense.'
Punishment for Death Knight and Arch Lich, who let Azmo run wild, was left entirely to her.
"No outings for a while. Stay in the dungeon and help with repairs until I say so."
Her grounding order shocked the Death Knight.
And dungeon maintenance on top.
He slumped like the world had ended.
Celia turned to the Arch Lich.
"As for you, Arch Lich..."
The Arch Lich stared blankly back.
"Your punishment: Patrol the surrounding dungeons for now. If word gets out you're slacking, same as Death Knight—no outings."
"Clack!"
The Arch Lich nodded vigorously.
Under Celia: four dungeons.
There had been a time when the former owners of adjacent dungeons surrendered to Celia.
And the many dungeons were merged into four by the master.
So far, there had been a lot to do, and proper management had not been possible.
The owners in charge of each dungeon had been entrusted with discretion.
However, this time, it was necessary to send Ark Lich to thoroughly investigate the situation of the dungeon.
Ark Lich immediately began preparing at Celia's command.
The thick notebook that Ark Lich carried was held by the skeleton on the left.
The feather quill that Ark Lich used for writing was held by the skeleton on the right.
The ink needed for Ark Lich's records was held by the skeleton behind.
The skeleton behind was a new subordinate created on Earth this time.
Ark Lich nodded.
All preparations were complete.
Ark Lich and the three skeletons set out for the dungeon.