The Hunter Team, Part Two
Kang-jun sensed the eight figures moving stealthily through the darkness.
They had chased the group from the entrance. It was almost certainly because of those three women. Rape and murder were default options for Hunter Teams, after all. Three attractive women gathered together? It was strange that drool wasn’t already pooling on the ground.
Kang-jun’s instincts were extremely sharp, so he could roughly gauge the average level of everyone present. That was why he had found that initial team following them from the start suspicious. Their levels were too high for a rank-3 labyrinth.
Around 150 each. Then there was one guy pushing 200. He was probably the boss of the bunch.
…It might be a pretty good experience.
He believed he would serve as the sharpening blade to cut through his teammates’ dulled suspicions.
After all, the current members were his partners for the next dungeon. And there were bound to be places with fewer people.
Kang-jun thought the moment was perfect. They would die if they didn’t fight. There was no other choice.
This killing was justified. It was a perfect excuse to overcome the trauma of his first kill. Well, Kang-jun would be the one who killed them directly, but still.
“Se-Senpai.”
Hye-mi was already shaking all over. The unthinkable had become reality. They had come to fight monsters, not humans. She couldn’t have imagined this.
The other teammates looked a little afraid as well. Only Ogre Nam and the Troll Woman looked entirely composed. They had been forced to live in human form now, but they showed no hesitation toward murder or violence. After all, they had probably gone through inter-species conflict many times themselves.
“Everyone, stay sharp. If we can’t kill them, we die.”
Fear flashed across Hye-mi and Hana’s faces at Kang-jun’s words. Tzu-shi kept a calmer expression than expected.
“Don’t hesitate for even a second. Do you know what happens if you do?”
Kang-jun looked at the three women with a cold intensity.
“They’ll cut off your limbs and keep you as their lifelong sex slaves. It could be worse.”
Ah. Hye-mi covered her mouth with her hand, startled by the words.
“They came here to do exactly that. So, show no mercy. Kill them all. These bastards don’t deserve to live.”
“Yes….”
“The victims are already dead. Think about them. Don’t carry any guilt.”
He turned around abruptly.
“Battle formation.”
They stood with their backs to the wall, readying themselves. Kang-jun stepped forward alone and cracked his neck.
It had been a while since he’d tasted human blood.
· · ·
The Hunter Team leader paused for a moment. They all held faint glowsticks to avoid being spotted by the light.
…They had noticed.
When he spread his mana, the positions of the enemies had changed. They were unexpectedly alert. Usually, a rank-3 labyrinth wouldn’t have anyone this cautious against Hunter Teams.
“Leader, why?”
“We’re spotted.”
“Spotted?”
“They seem like they’re about to fight.”
Pfft. The team members who heard that they were discovered burst into laughter.
“About to fight? Good for us. Let’s charge in confidently.”
“There might be traps.”
“We can send the guards first.”
“Fuck, if bombs go off, we’ll be in pain, you bastards.”
Of course, it was just casual banter. No Hunter Team would set traps around their own group. They had to stay cautious, but the odds were low.
Still, the leader was being overly careful. He didn’t want to ruin everything by acting rashly.
“Send the guards first.”
“Ha, fuck. …Then we get the pretty ones first?”
“Shut up and move, you brats. You can only hit what you get hit with.”
Hee hee. They all chuckled lightly.
The eight began moving again. Two guards led far ahead, while the other six followed at a distance.
It was strange.
Normally, knowing they were facing a Hunter Team, they should have fled. But their decision to fight made no sense at all. The opponents were obviously weaklings. That was certain. When he had briefly checked their mana earlier, their levels were around 100. He hadn’t properly identified the leader, but the highest was probably no more than 160.
Since they were eating a rank-3, they probably thought it was easy.
For now, that was the only explanation. No other possibilities existed. Even if the leader was level 200, the outcome was still a total victory for them. Hunter Teams dominated in numbers and level. Unlucky deaths of one or two were possible, but defeat was out of the question.
However, the Hunter Team leader felt an inexplicable bad premonition.
“Fuck, these bitches are really hot today. I’m gonna get my dick trained properly tonight.”
“The big-titted one is mine first. No complaints, right?”
“I don’t like it, you fucking idiot.”
“The one who eats first owns it.”
But their eyes were all glazed with lust. No thought for caution whatsoever.
They were actually insane. The women from this hunting team were elite. Especially the one with long hair tied in a single braid; she was unbelievably beautiful.
No one disagreed when choosing the hunt targets. Unanimous. Their eyes had all gone blank.
“Let’s finish this quickly today. Just enough to get off.”
“Yeah.”
Their answers were enthusiastic, but they would fuck like maniacs once it started. True to their words, they were the type to go straight to the finish.
The distance wasn’t far, but their cautious pace meant it took time. The guards signaled that there was no issue at the edge of the lamp light.
“Let’s go.”
And the Hunter Team leader gave the signal to attack.
Everyone quickly took their positions. Assault team and support team, two groups. The veteran Hunter Team leader was in support.
The assault team rushed forward first. Two guards and two physical damage dealers. After they smashed the enemy formation, the support team would pour in with magic attacks. Simple, but it perfectly exploited the level difference.
The two guards ran straight toward the enemy line, shields raised, axes and clubs in their other hands.
—!!
The Hunter Team leader felt the enemies stir. As expected, they were amateurs. The earlier unease had been for nothing.
“Prepare follow-up attacks.”
They readied only crushing blows. They couldn’t afford to damage the merchandise.
The support team soon entered the lamp light range. The leader gestured sharply to them to take out the leader first. It didn’t matter if a man died or lived.
Everyone gathered mana and stared at the enemy leader.
Kill that bastard first…
Then, suddenly, the guy charged toward the support team at terrifying speed. Thud, thud, he slammed the ground, and he was already right in front of them. It was shocking how fast he was.
—!
The Hunter Team leader instinctively jerked his body backward. That saved his life for a moment. The support team was slaughtered in the blink of an eye. They didn’t even get a counterattack off.
Ah…
He cleanly severed the three necks with his sword. The head tilted, lifeless body collapsing forward. Kang-jun watched the headless corpse in front of Hye-mi and let out a savage scream.
“Keep healing! Don’t black out!”
Kang-jun shouted at Hye-mi and turned back. An axe swung wildly. He dodged it in two steps and swung his sword, cleaving the head off.
The remaining two men sensed something wrong and looked back. The support team was gone.
“Fuck—!”
The iron club guy immediately turned to flee. The guard also dropped his shield and chased after him. But Kang-jun was there in an instant, slicing their necks one after another.
Huu, huu.
Kang-jun wiped the blood off his sword on the dead iron club guy’s clothes. Then he walked steadily toward his teammates.
Fortunately, no one had died, but the sight was wretched. The only ones still standing were the Troll Woman and the healer Hye-mi.
Ogre Nam was in the worst condition. His left arm, half-shredded by the axe, was barely holding on thanks to the healing. His right shoulder was also crushed from being hit by the iron club.
Hana was in bad shape too. It looked like every limb had been broken once. Her head had been struck hard, leaving a trail of blood. Thanks to Hye-mi’s emergency treatment, she was breathing, but she was still unconscious and hadn’t stood up.
Tzu-shi’s right face was swollen and bruised. Of the injured, she was the least affected.
Hye-mi, who had been pouring healing into everyone, was already pale white. The warning sign of mana depletion.
“Rest easy. Everyone’s alive at least. If you collapse, we’re all screwed.”
“Yes… yes.”
Hye-mi collapsed to the ground like a puppet. She really looked shocked. The Troll Woman had moved the bodies aside and returned. The thick scent of blood still lingered.
Everyone sat in silence, catching their breath. Kang-jun approached Ogre Nam and asked if he could keep going.
“Now I can. But I want to eat meat.”
“Once we’re out, I’ll buy you anything you want. …Kid, you did great.”
“Good!”
Kang-jun clapped Ogre Nam on the cheek, praising him. A moment later, Hana slowly came to. She blinked, still dazed.
“Are you okay?”
“Y-Yes…?”
“No weirdness?”
“…Ah, yes.”
Each time they collided with the enemy guards, her limbs broke. The pain had cut off her breath. It was the first time she had experienced real agony. When the club struck her head, everything went white. She couldn’t endure it. She probably fainted right there.
“R-Really… it hurt so much…”
When something hurts too much, you can’t even cry. Her mouth was wide open, unable to move. It felt like an arrow had pierced her heart.
The teammates slowly recovered their bodies. Hye-mi recovered some mana and healed Ogre Nam again. The badly injured left arm improved. Now he could clench his fist.
“Is Tzu-shi okay?”
“…Yeah.”
She avoided Kang-jun’s gaze. Probably because her swollen face looked ugly. The healing was still on Ogre Nam, so it would be a while before Tzu-shi got her turn.
Kang-jun grabbed her face with his hand, holding it in front of him.
“What’s there to be ashamed of? This is an honorable scar. You fought bravely. Really, you did great.”
Then he pulled her into his arms and patted her back. Suddenly, Tzu-shi let out a sob.
“I-I was really scared. I was really scared… snivel.”
“You did great, you did great.”
When Tzu-shi cried, Hye-mi started sobbing too, and Hana joined in.
The camp instantly turned into a flood of tears.